Mama is so funny...

Last week Gabi put together her first full sentence using third-person
syntax! At the dinner table she first laughed, and then said "Mama is
soooo funny!" We all had a good laugh together.

Then, a few days later she ate several crayons. She had been alone in
the basement "coloring" while I was preparing dinner, and when she
came up to meet Jack after work she had bits of crayon all over her
face.

She finished a whole sky blue and part of a forest green. We're
pretty sure it was only these two colors because the next day we were
treated to the evidence at the other end. When Gabi looked down at
the old diaper as we changed it she yelled out "Hey, there's colors in
there!" Now every time she has a messy diaper she asks to see the
colors...even though there haven't been any more...yet.

"Look what I can do now that I am two!"

Gabi now:

-counts to 13
-recognizes more than half of the letters of the alphabet
-sits through long children's books
-loves to sit and flip through books by herself
-spends lots of time pretending....she put together a row boat using a
laundry basket and spatulas (for oars), has her own little tea
parties, and loves to sing to herself while dancing.
-knows the tunes to several primary songs (which she hums to
herself)...most notably Reverently Quietly and I am a Child of God
-recognizes some of the streets around our place and knows when we are
close to "Maga's" (Grandma Villalobos') house

Unfortunately, she can also throw a fantastic two year old tantrum.
Today, while throwing a fit, she flung her face into a glass bowl and
chipped one of her front teeth. :-( The chip isn't huge, but you
sure notice it when you're looking for it. She doesn't seem to be in
pain, so there probably isn't any serious damage, but we're going to
take her in soon just to be sure.

Happy Birthday Gabi

Our little girl is 2! We had a simple party for her today. We went to a Chinese restaurant in honor of Gabi's favorite TV show "Ni Hao Kai-lan." When we got to the restaurant Gabi saw the Chinese writing on the front of the store and started chanting Kai-lan Kai-lan! She had a yummy meal with Mommy, Daddy, Papa, Grandma, Uncle Nick, Aunt Xan, and Aunt Lici. Afterward we went to our house for cupcakes and to open some presents.









Here are some pics of her party a few days earlier in UT.

Butterfly....

This post is a little late. Sorry! A few weekends ago we went to the Botanical Gardens. It was a quickly planned trip but, Gabi had fun. She had recently learned how to say "butterfly" on her own, and we decided to go see some for real at the Butterfly exhibit. Enjoy!



Madame butterfly



Gabi is saying "OOH Pretty!" to the butterfly's and flowers.





Here are some picture of the great glass sculptures, more butterfly pictures, and some desert flowers.

treasures in unpacking...

Gabi found some treasures while we were unpacking. A pair of sunglasses that fit her just right! She happily smiled and pranced around while wearing her "pretties."

She also found an old jewelry box that my grandma gave me when I was little. I gave it to her and she loves her new "pretty box" and puts her necklaces in there for safe keeping. I guess we are starting the jewelry addiction early here! :)

Baby doves fly the nest...

Sorry this post is way overdue. The baby doves flew the nest! They stayed close by for a few days while they practiced flying.

The pics of them in the nest are a few days before they took flight.


I managed also to catch one strutting around the yard before she flew away.




Mama dove had a few days off and then it was back to the nest. She has a new set of eggs she is sitting on now (hussie). The cycle continues. :)

An architect in China?

Last Sunday we were over at my parent's house for dinner. Afterward we were talking about how my dad and a friend have been in contact with a company in China that was making some prototypes for a project they are working on. He mentioned how frustrated they were with the language issues and the mistakes that haven't been added or fixed on their projects. Someone said "We need to find someone who speaks Chinese"

Just then Gabi, who had been playing quietly nearby, said "Ni hao!" (She's been watching NiHao Kailan on Nickelodeon).

It was hilarious!!

The next day she built this (she asked mom for help putting the "pretties" on up high) :)




Oh and one other addition... You know your child may have been exposed to too many languages when she call the moon La Moona! LOL

The baby doves are growing up...

Mama dove leaves pretty regularly now and so we are able to get some better shots of the babies. Here is one I took a few days ago



And one I took this morning.



They are starting to look so cute!

Baby bird pics...

So we managed to catch a picture of the babies when mama dove went out. This was just the other day and they don't have their eyes open yet. You can't see it very well but there are two of them. Enjoy...

Mama dove update...

Today we saw at least one baby bird! Doves only have 1 or 2 at a time and will likely nest 4 more times over the summer. I will try to get some pictures. :)