Gabriela is four!

Gabriela turned four on the the 19th. This was the first time she has been in The States since her first birthday. We celebrated with Fuller, Lindsay, and Spencer coming over for breakfast. Fuller brought Gabriela a present with skittles. I had cupcakes for her birthday, but she wanted skittles instead! The rule on your birthday is you get to do whatever you want and eat what you want!! Not sure I will be able to have that rule in the future. Gabriela took full advantage of it and ate a lot of junk. We will celebrate with a few of her friends this Sunday, and she is so excited. I regret not having her party sooner because I don't think she realizes she is four. I keep telling her she had a birthday and she responds "no you were tricking me there were no decorations or balloons." We have been in Argentina too long and she is use to big parties:)
At four years old Gabriela makes me laugh everyday. She is back at music preschool and comes home everyday with stories. Thankfully, she remembered her old friends and made new ones fast. Her cousins are her best friends and she loves going to Fullers house. They play so well together. She would love to hold Spencer and run around the house with her. However, Lindsay and I have our concerns about that!! Her daily prayers always include her cousins. She still loves to sing and lately has been making up songs of her own. Her only wish is for a dog. Four years have flown by and we are so thankful for our sweet baby girl!!

Funny Conversation:

Grandpa: "Gabriela I want to take you to the toy store and let you pick out your birthday present."
Gabriela: "Didn't I tell you I wanted a dog."
Grandpa: "Yes but I couldn't find one."
Gabriela: "Grandpa don't you know where a pet store it."

Happy Birthday Nichy

Nichy is 32 today!! We told Gabriela we would celebrate their birthdays together. Nichy won his game tonight and then we came home for singing and cake. A fan gave Nichy his birthday hat and he wore it after the game. The Japanese are known for giving gifts to the players after games. Nichy came home with flowers and lots of goodies!
 Gabriela was so excited and only tested the cake 5 times before he came home. There was one present wrapped, and I told Gabriela it was for her Daddy. When he was getting ready to open it we told Gabriela we tricked her and it was really for her! She was so excited. This birthday celebration was very low key compared to his past birthdays. I told him I felt bad because we usually have big celebrations in Argentina. He was very happy tonight and said "this is all I need."Gabriela will have her birthday in The States this year. She has not been home for her birthday since her first birthday.

Preparing to leave

Gabriela and I are leaving Japan in less than a week! I can't believe it is already time to go. This year was a special year because I felt like I got to spend a lot of time with Gabriela. I will miss our bike ride talks, walking by the lake, going to playrooms, and nature walks. Gabriela has had a free for all in the kitchen. I made her a craft drawer, and she had access to it at all times! Which means she was always making a mess! Almost everyday she painted, mixed paint together, made potion, and made pretend cookie dough. She gets the flower bag and mixes stuff together telling me "I am cooking." We usually had to wait until Daddy was at practice because he can not handle these projects!! When we get back home she will be disappointed about the new rules of making a mess in the kitchen!

We have had the best play dates lately. Gabriela has a new friend name Casey. His Daddy plays for another team in Japan. We went to the aquarium with them and have been hanging out a lot lately. I wish we would of done this all year! I told Gabriela we are going to the United States soon and she asked if Casey would be there. She will really miss him but will be super excited to see her cousins!