7 Month Photo Shoot

Gabriella's (Barely) 7 Month Old Photo Shoot (By: Mommy)

*** Please look to the end of all the pictures for the explanation of how these pictures came about. Enjoy!


This was the very last shot of the day...turned out to be one of my favorites.

"Mommy, are you finished yet?!"

Finally a smile!

Happy happy girl

That's my girl.

Wind-blown hair look ;)

My favorite

She really wanted to grab (and eat) the grass!

Little smirk she's been doing lately

I think she looks more like Kad here.

Okay, so maybe this one is my favorite. ;)

Don't we all wish we had such pure skin?

Thinking...

Okay, try to follow me on this one. I'm gonna let you into my head. Don't be scared.

Well, it was such a nice day out today, that I thought it would be fun to be outside. If it's not going to feel like winter (though it's almost New Years Eve), why not enjoy the outdoors in the sun? So in the back of my mind, I was thinking of taking Gabriella out to play. Meanwhile, I was doing laundry. I noticed some super cute outfits she got for Christmas. I also remembered that yesterday was her 7 month old birthday! So, I put all these ideas together and got: Gabriella's 7 month photo shoot! It was 'spur of the moment' and totally not planned (and if you know me, you know that's not really how I work). I grabbed some outfits, bows, blankets, camera, loud toys, oh and the baby, and put them all into a laundry basket. Yes, baby too. How else would I carry everything in one trip? Gabriella looked at me like I was crazy when I carried her that way, but she didn't complain. Well, we went into the front yard and set up. It only took a few minutes to take all the pictures (only 2 rolls of film). However, I do wonder what the neighbors think. We live in the front of the subdivision, on a corner. Here I am, with a baby in a laundry basket and a camera. Oh well. I have to admit, despite the previously mentioned craziness, they turned out pretty good. Hope you have as much fun looking as I did taking! ;)

Gabriella's 1st Christmas

Gabriella had a terrific 1st Christmas. She is almost 7 months old. She enjoyed being at all the parties and gatherings...she's quite the social bug. Santa Claus visited our house and brought some great gifts. She got lots of clothes, toys, and several other special gifts. She enjoyed opening the presents, realizing that something really neat was inside all that crunchy paper. Though she's still a bit young, she was also taught the true meaning of all this celebrating: the birth of Jesus Christ. We are so incredibly blessed and thankful for His ultimate gift to us.


Her great-grandfather, Pops, made this treasure box of hand-made alphabet cards. How special!

Mommy & Daddy gave her her first finger-foods on Christmas...yummy green beans. She was thrilled!

What do you mean, this isn't Rudolph? (Note: no animals were harmed in the snapping of these pictures)

I love my reindeer...er, uh doggies.

Showin' off her new kicks, some cool Converse given by Uncle Cam.

A super special globe, with her name engraved. Thanks Abuelo y Abuela!

Daddy helped her open all of her gifts. Boy, was that fun.

Wow, Santa, how can I ever thank you?!

Santa knew this learning table would be SO much fun. Especially as she learns to creep and walk.

Oh, Santa, you are so good. You knew she would be thrilled (and maybe slightly obsessed) with this giant purple CareBear. This is a giant sized version of "Bedtime Bear," whom she lovingly sleeps with.

Sportin' her Christmas attire.

Fun at the table with everyone.

Christmas: Family & Friends

We are blessed to have such an amazing family and wonderful friends. We got to see many of them over the holidays. Here are a few pictures from our SEVERAL days of Christmas celebrations.

We spent Christmas day at Nic, Suzette, and the girls' house. It was fun to watch the girls open gifts.

Pops made his great-grandchildren such special gifts. He hand-painted "treasure boxes" filled with hand-made wooden alphabet flash cards. It took him months...a gift that Gabriella can hold dear her whole life.

She found the "G"! Thanks, Pops!

Christmas Day with our happy baby girl.

Spending Christmas Day with her cousins, Laney & Nikki. Aren't they cuddly?

Hangin' with Daddy, Uncle Cam, and Nikki.

Lots of laughs on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve at the Brysons. Lots of family, food, gifts, and fun!

Mommy's girl on Christmas Eve.

She missed Auntie V this week! :)

She loves being with Noni.

Gabriella got to hang with one of her favorite buddies...and "twin" Avery. They had so much fun together.

Avery, being 2 months older, was definitely showing Gabriella how great it is to crawl. I'm sure she will be soon to follow!

A little pre-Christmas photo op with the cousins.

More photos... I think Suzette and I had more fun than the girls! ;)

Cousin Nikki was reading Gabriella's favorite book to her. She loved that!

Uncle Cam spent some of Christmas week with us. What fun!

"Auntie" Jeannie stopped by with a gift in a stocking! How sweet!

December Discoveries

December has been a month of many discoveries for little Gabriella Faith. She is having a blast exploring her world-the one of which she has become very aware. She is learning and growing so quickly. Here are a few of her recent discoveries, caught on camera.


Discovery #1: Yummy! My first REAL food...green beans! She didn't know exactly how to get them in her mouth, but you can't blame a girl for trying!

We cannot express to you how happy she was to have REAL food. Seriously....overjoyed. Discovery #2: her bottom 2 teeth. She likes to feel them. You can see them in this picture.

Discovery #3: Christmas decorations. Fun to pull on when Mommy's not looking. :)

Discovery #4: Laughing hysterically...repeatedly. Which of course, causes everyone else to laugh hysterically, thus the cycle continues.

Discovery #5: Chewing on carrots. Who knew teething could be so delicious? Thanks Noni.

Discovery #6: ME! That's right, I love looking at myself. I'm very entertaining. Yes, I've been seeing myself for months now, but now I'm LOTS of fun to watch!

Continuation of Discovery #6: see, aren't I cute?

Discovery #7: That I can do things to get attention (such as fake coughing or screaming/squealing)...and I like attention.

Discovery #8: My little cousin, Laney. She looked so cute, I wanted to touch her.

Discovery #9: Sippy cups. I haven't mastered the use of them, but it's fun to try. Thanks for the help, Nikki!

Discovery #10: Christmas treats. Yummy candy canes. Okay, so I don't know if they're yummy, but they sure appear to be!

Discovery #11: Stuffed puppies! I LOVE real doggies, so Mommy thought I'd like these too. And trust me, I took the time to pet each one.