puzzle time!

Showing Daddy how planes go Crash!
See dad first they go Woosh through the air!
Woosh some more!

new shirts!

Mommy got me and Daddy matching Tampa Bay shirts! and i got a new hat! this is my new favorite outfit! and i think daddy loves it too!

I am too cool to smile mom, just get this over with so we can go Bye-Bye and i can go ride my new bike!

christmas breakfast

Mmm this is yummy! You should have seen me stuff this whole pastry in my mouth! Mommy and Daddy were laughing too hard to take pictures!

present from Great

complete and total concentration here, unwrapping gifts,is kind of like surgery!
This is very serious stuff here so don't laugh!
Look I got a mug! Can you fill it with water please? I must play with everything I open before moving on to the next gift!
mmm..water!

unwrapping

Dad. do you really have to take pictures like that? Every time i open a present you snap more pictures! Would you cut it out PLEASE!
Oooo, a memory game! Just like the monkey game on mommy's phone!

exploring everything else now

WOW! I got Chuck the talking truck! Thank You Santa! Chuck is so much fun!

I got a bike!

I had to go see, is this really real? Yes it is! I Got a Bike! lets go ride! right now!
This is awesome! Its just like the ones at school! except i don't have to share! (not one of my favorite things to do right now)

waking up Christmas morning

I woke up at 5 am, so mommy and daddy let me go back to sleep with them. This is me coming down the stairs. What the duck is going on here? When i went to sleep none of this was here! This is very weird!

Sorry its sideways! this is christmas before Gabriel woke up!
Dont worry, there are tons of presents hiding behind the Santa Gifts!

Its a jeep thing....

ha! I finally get to drive the Jeep!
I haveto adjust everything and make sure the radio in one a song i like before we can go!
Climbing right out of the seat they call "mine" onto the one i really belong in!

Playing with daddy

Bouncing on these posts is really hard work, i had to ask for help. But thats what daddies are here for and he was more than happy to help me climb and bounce on these posts!
But like i said it was hard work. I had to turn my hat around to show i meant business!

Planes!

momma says I am her little radar! I point out planes very well! and so can Daddy! I do this all the time, especially when we are in the jeep or car!
plane! plane!

driving the fire truck

After some ice cream, i went back to driving! This is so much fun! drive drive drive i say!
You should always take driving a fire truck serious! there is no joking when you are a fireman!
Still driving!

a day in the aprk

Today was a really good day, we rode in the jeep with the top down all day. Jeep is my new favorite thing! thats all i say anymore. Jeep Jeep Jeep! the park was also lots of fun. I got to climb, and swing and slide and drive!
Daddy swinging me! this is so much fun, i just laugh and laugh!
I am too cool to slide, i am a pro at this now, when i first got to cali i didn't like to slide with out my momma, now, i do it all by my self!

2 year old shots

Would you believe that i just got my 2 year old shots, look at this smile! Well, its really not that bad, i got a new t shirt in the mail from grandma and pawpaw and mommy and daddy bought me this cool new couch! I couldn't wait to show it all off!
This is me saying HI to the world! yes I have three shirts on! Two from Pawpaw and Grandma and the first one i had on...i wanted them all on at once and mommy just didnt argue, she was still feeling bad about the shots!

pointing out my parts

Theese are my spikes...when my hair is spiked, i am evil!
This is my belly button! I also know my feet, my head, my face, my moth, eyes and ears and many other parts! POinting out all my body parts is one of my favorite games!

Gabriel's journal while visiting Grandma in March

Gabriel’s Journal of Visit to Gramma & Grampa’s House

(This is my journal of the time I stayed with Gramma and Grampa while my Mommy and Daddy moved all our stuff to our new home in California. I asked Gramma to type it for me because my fingers are still too small to manage the full size keyboard)

Saturday, 3/21—This is my first day on my own (read that Mommy-less) and we did pretty well. I took my first nap at 10 am because I got up late. Actually I woke up at 5:30 but Gramma persuaded me to sleep a little longer in the big bed, so I didn’t get up until 7:30. I had cereal and bananas for breakfast and learned to drink the cereal milk from this cool bowl with a straw built into it. That was a big surprise but I really enjoyed it after I got the hang of it. The other high points of the day were watching car races perched on Grampa’s big tummy, going for a walk in the stroller and grocery shopping with Gramma. My favorite food today was definitely watermelon which I ate and wore all over with great joy. My least favorite thing was being interrupted from activities I was enjoying (like the stroller walk.) I tried to express my disapproval with my best and loudest shrieks but Gramma just didn’t get it. So I’ll keep working on her and maybe she’ll figure out what I’m talking about soon. Oh, one last thing—I really helped with the grocery shopping and Gramma kept telling me “thank you” so I just figured I’d make her day by saying “thank you” every time she said it. That seemed to make her pretty happy. Altogether I’d say we had fun. I went to bed at 8:30 with no fuss. Am I a good boy or what?

Sunday, 3/22— Today I just went ahead and slept until 7:30, Gramma was very happy about that! I ate a whole banana in practically one mouthful and was quite proud of myself. Also had some oatmeal and then went off for some serious playtime. I’m working on this new toy Gramma bought me—very tricky set of rings that need to be strategically placed on a spindle. Tough assignment but I’m spending some serious time trying to master it. We rough housed on the big bed for a while—I think I wore Gramma and the cat out. I’m also learning to work the knobs on the CD player and TV so I can play my music and dance when I want to. Grampa was impressed with my smarts but not all that amused as I kept changing the TV channel that he was watching. Today my favorite game was to roll around in a big pile of pillows on the floor. Auntie Katy and Gramma thought it was great fun too so they joined in after I showed them how to do it.

Monday, 3/23—Okay, this was a really weird day. I woke up and started to do my usual play work and then Gramma bundled me into the car and we went off to pick up Great Gramma and her two friends and…well I don’t really know what happened because I fell asleep. But when I woke up we “weren’t in Kansas anymore” as they say. We went into someplace where all the guys were wearing bathrobes and beards and the ladies all had tablecloths on their heads. I ran around wearing my new monkey backpack and had a great time pounding on statues and touching everything. I still don’t know what that place was but they had great French fries and chicken fingers and after the big adventure we got back in the car, I fell asleep again and when I woke up I was back at Grammas house. So I chased the cats around and had a good time right through my bath and into my bed with all my best friends. (Gabriel’s adventure at The Holy Land Experience)

Tuesday, 3/24— Today I worked very hard in the garden helping Gramma. My part was to take all the rocks out of her fountain so she could put them back--in a prettier arrangement. Then I threw pieces of bark back into the planting areas—some of it tried to escape into the lawn but I fixed it. I was also very good about pushing the wheelbarrow full of water so we could give the plants a drink. I don’t know how Gramma will manage when I’m not here to help. The best part was when I discovered a grasshopper at the side of the lawn and we followed it all the way down the sidewalk. I poked it and it hopped into the grass. That was so cool that I laughed and laughed at what I had done.

Wednesday, 3/25— Went to Great’s house to play but it didn’t work out the way Gramma planned. I took everything off her tables and didn’t want to play with the ball she gave me. I did really like the men who came to fix the lawn cuz their toys made lots of noise. Gramma was trying to talk to someone on the phone—a meeting or something—so I made lots of noise to join right in. Great put me in the stroller but wouldn’t take me outside so I really made noise then. Once she figured out what I wanted we went out for a walk but it was too late. I had gotten exhausted from all the effort and I fell asleep.

Thursday, 3/26— Gramma decided to take the day off and play with me. We had so much fun. We put all the pillows from everywhere on the floor and rolled around and laughed and laughed. We made a tent under the table and chairs with a big blanket and sat in there to watch TV. I helped her cook lunch and dinner and then I ate everything, very fast. We even went out for another walk and found more neat things to throw in the garden. Finally I had a bath in the big bathtub and I laid on my tummy and practiced swimming. I swallowed a bunch of water but I didn’t even care. It was a good time. Tonite I didn’t want to go to bed so I just jumped up and down in the crib until Grammma came and rocked me to sleep in her arms. I think she liked it as much as I did.

Friday, 3/27—Taylor stayed home from school to play with me. We had a blast! We chased each other all through the house—over and over. Then we crashed in the big pillow pile and watched TV. We had a great lunch and I fed myself with my new spoon. It sure helps that the food sticks to the spoon cuz it’s tricky trying to get that thing into my mouth—it moves all over the place for no apparent reason!

Saturday, 3/28— In the car again! This time we went to see Katy and she was doing this really cool thing- waving pretty flags and throwing guns in the air with a bunch of her friends. I thought the whole deal was great and I tried to get out of the stroller to do it too. I danced to the music, waved my hands, and generally did everything I could to show my interest in getting out on the floor to join in but Gramma just didn’t get the idea. Instead she took me out to another room and then all the way outside (okay, it might be because I was yelling a bit loudly) to play. I liked this whole thing a bunch. Had my picture taken with a lot of pretty girls, got held by lots of them (and they told me how cute I was, of course) and then I went to eat at Steak N Shake. Love them chicken fingers and French fries! I slept all the way home and woke up just in time to play again. Good times!

Sunday, 3/29-- Auntie Amy came to play and brought Taylor with her! I think everyone likes the big pillow pile. I taught them to play in it, I think. We went out to eat Mexican and I had tortillas with melty cheese on them. By the way, I ate all by myself and hardly spilled at all. Aunty Amy thinks I’m the cutest boy she has ever seen…she told me so. Me and Taylor have a great game chasing the cats around and making lots of noise. I ran and ran until I just couldn’t stand up any more—Wow that is fun. But the cats ran away and we couldn’t find them so I don’t think they had as much fun as we did.

Monday, 3/30— I worked all day with Gramma in her office. I colored and threw away paper for her. Then I got worried that we might have thrown away something important so I took all the trash out and played with it and then threw it all away again. I felt much better after I checked it the second time. My favorite thing was to sit on Gramma’s lap and help her type. I made pictures come up on the computer screen, we listened to music, I listened to a seminar with her, and as my reward she gave me my own keyboard. It was a tough day at the office but we were very productive. I think she’ll ask me back again since I was such a big helper.

Tuesday, 3/31— Great Gramma came to play. I like it better when she comes to Gramma’s house. I can ride my truck and play with my ball. We’re almost able to do that ring thing right every time now—‘cept when I throw the rings under that table and she can’t find them. From time to time I run into Gramma’s office to be sure she’s okay. She is always happy to see me. She says I am the “light of her life” whatever that means. Gramma comes out to eat with us too and I like that. I get all the attention and we have lots of good stuff to eat. I haven’t figured out that spoon thing yet tho. Then Great goes away and Grampa comes home for me to jump on him. This whole thing seems to be working out really well.

Wednesday, 4/1— Great Gramma came to play. I actually played very nice with Milo and he let me lay down on him and he was my pillow. That was really nice. That George cat is still a scaredy cat and he won’t play at all. Today I showed Great how to eat an ice cream cone. It was a great time right up until I got too big a bite and it made my brain freeze. I hate to say it but I complained pretty loudly about that. Then she thought I needed to have my face washed and I explained that I didn’t…well it wasn’t much fun for awhile but things improved greatly after my nap. Then Auntie Katy came home to play with me and Great went home for a nap, I guess. Any way I helped Katy clean her room and I put all the blankets in the family room because I think they look better there. We sat on them and had a picnic. Good time. I can tell that Auntie Katy has a crush on me cuz she keeps saying “I love you, Gabriel!” all the time.

Thursday, 4/2— Auntie Amy came to play. She had me all to herself most of the day because Gramma had to work in her office. I had a good time though cuz we read books, went for a walk, rolled in the pillows and acted silly with each other. I don’t know why but Auntie Amy cried when she said good bye today and she hugged me for a long time. Then Great came over and hugged me a bunch and she cried too. What’s up with everybody? I have impressed everybody with my night time routine. I just decide when I’m tired, run to my crib and ask nicely to go to bed. I love my blankie and my buddies. I just hit the button, scrunch my head up into the corner of the bed, and go out like a light. They all think this is a very cool trick of mine. I impress myself, I’m such a good boy.

Friday, 4/3—This Gramma cannot make up her mind! Sometimes I wake up early and she makes me go back to sleep. Today I was sleeping very nicely and she woke me up and bundled me into the car, and it was still dark outside. Then we went to this very big, bright place and I pushed the stroller around for awhile and ate some Trix (and made a trail of some of them in case I needed to find my way home). Next thing you know we’re all strapped into our seats and off on a big adventure! I didn’t want to miss any of it so I yelled a lot until they let me out of my seat. After that I visited the people on the plane, hung out with the flight attendants, met a very nice nanny seated in first class and had a pretty good time. There were a few loud moments when I expressed my serious displeasure at being stopped from ripping up toilet seat covers while I was being changed and when they tried to put me back in my seat before I was ready. I did take a little nap just before they rolled me off to find our car and go for another drive. Thank goodness I had my lunch on the plane and some chicken nuggets and French fries in the car—this was a very strenuous day! And then, I fell asleep again and when I woke up-YOU WERE THERE!!

Just waking up

In Four seconds Flat...I can be sleepy...
Grumpy....
cheesy...
and giggly! We haven't posted pictures in a while so i thought i would go through my range of emotions for mommy and every one !

bath time fun

I am not sure which one of us has more fun at bath time....
me playing with all the toys and bubbles...

or momma playing with my hair! 

Cooking with Mom!

Since e have this nice new kitchen, mom and I decided we should cook. And with the stool I can help all day!
Yeah I know eating isn't helping, but i can stir too!
Look at me go! I use both hands! I am a stirring machine!
Momma and I had so much fun, I decided I would help with the dishes too! 

My cool new hair cut for Cali's warm weather!

This is me showing off for daddy when he gets the Camera out. I had to show everyone how i can get up and down from Mommy and Daddys new room! 
Look at my new hair cut! Its Just like my Dad's! I love it! 
Chillin' on the stairs again!