Catching up!

This summer Nichy obtained his work visa and is working toward his USA permanent residency. We didn’t get to travel much and plan on going to Panama for Christmas. My mom, Nichy, Gabriela, and I drove to LaCrosse, Wisconsin, to see Zac, Addie, and Jude. We had a blast and the car ride was great! I didn’t realize how relaxing driving can be when you are not in a hurry. We fly so much and deal with overweight luggage, delayed flights, and other problems that are not in our control! Wisconsin was beautiful. Zac and Addie live just a couple of blocks from the Mississippi River. We went on a dinner cruise on the Mississippi, enjoyed walking along the River Walk, and drove to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to shop at The Mall of America. Gabriel and Jude rode rides at the mall, which was fun for both of them.

Gabriela is changing so much. She is trying to talk and repeats words she hears a lot. When we ask her a question, she answers with “yeah,” which is usually her reply to everything we ask her. She has two baby dolls, Anna and Bella. Grammy just bought her a new doll that cries. The dolls are walked in a stroller, rocked, and given many kisses by Gabriela…it is too cute! Grandpa took Gabriela to the petting zoo last week and she got to ride on the back of a sheep, which just made her day. This summer she and Grandpa had a lot of fun eating bananas, eating ice cream, playing “Gabriel is in a trap,” and ringing the bell.