Fall Update

Nichy has left for Japan in August, and Gabriela and I are preparing to leave in a few weeks. She started a new preschool called Gingerbread. When I pick her up her shoes are filled with sand, clothes stained, and absolutely filthy!! She is having the time of her life and learning a lot. Last week we went on our first field trip a bug walk. It was fun helping Gabriela and her friends capture bugs. A few days ago we were getting yogurt at Orange Leaf. We went to the restroom, and their was a cricket on the floor. I told Gabriela not to touch it. When she finished her yogurt she said "Mom I need to go to the restroom, but I can go by myself." I let her go and she came out holding her hand near her belly. I asked her what was wrong and discovered she had the cricket wrapped up in her shirt!! She was not a happy camper when I told her we were not taking it home. There were a lot of tears and screaming on the way home. Later she called her Grammy and told her she was sad because everyone had a pet except her!! Grammy let us come get Max and he spent the night. Not sure how much longer I can prolonged getting her a pet.
We will  not be staying in Japan our usual 6 months because I am pregnant. We are so excited and happy to expand our family. Gabriela is also very excited and ask everyday "do the babies have web fingers." I read to her the different developments and that is the one she remembered!!

Music School

Gabriela had her summer music school performance last week. She and Fuller were both in the show and got to sing a song together. Gabriela loves the stage and has no fear. Not sure how long this will last but we love watching her. Her solo was "Bless The Children and The Beast." She did good and I can tell her teachers have been working with her.

The cutest thing was when she saw her cousin Jude. He came all the way from Houston and went to their show. She started waving on stage to him and her face lit up! We finally got to meet sweet little Eve and she is so cute!! We miss them so much and wish they lived closer. Gabriela thinks Jude is the coolest and loves playing with him.

Summer Time

We love summer time! Nichys parents have been here and Gabriela is loving every minute of it! It is so fun to watch her run around with her Abuelo and listen to her speak Spanish! The first night they got here Gabriela dressed up and sang songs for them the entire night. She even started singing her songs she learned in Argentina.
Gabriela has been swimming a lot this summer and going to Music School two days a week. Last summer she learned to swim but lately she has really held her own in the pool. Her two loves continue to be singing and swimming!

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!

Yesterday we started the day with popsicles and a bicycle ride. We took the train to Kyoto and our first stop was Toys R Us. We had no plans for the day, and I told Gabriela she could do whatever she wanted. We walked around Toys R Us for almost two hours looking and playing with toys! The next couple stops were stores with displays to play with. It was so much fun not rushing and just letting Gabriela play. I love living a slow paced life here. When we get back to The States we will have to make a few changes and not be on the go all the time! I cherish these days and memories!