Visiting Your Birthfamily

Dear Gabriella,

This post is out of sequence with the rest of the posts because we actually went to visit your birthmother, sister, and brother back in November of 2010.  We met Rachelle at a park in Anthem.  She brought Nevaeh and Mason with her, and we had a picnic at the park.  It was dark by the time she was finished with work, but we had a great time anyway.

Nevaeh, you, and Mason
(I think you look a lot like Mason)

Me, you, Rachelle, and Nevaeh

You, Dad, and Rachelle
(I love the way she is looking at you)

We all ran around and chased eachother for a long time.  I was chasing Mason and Nevaeh while Rachelle was chasing you around.  We also fed the ducks in the pond, and you said something that sounded like "duckies" for the first time.  (It may have been doggies since you called all animals doggies for a long time, but I think you were saying duckies.)  Since I was the one taking the pictures, I wasn't in many of them, but we all had a great time together.

You all went under the ramada and played ring-around-the-rosies together.  Each time you would "all fall down," you would clap your hands and laugh.

Then you and Rachelle danced together while your dad danced with Nevaeh.

Your dad and I always love spending time with Rachelle.  She is such a beautiful person on the inside and out, and we hope that you will continue to have a relationship with her throughout your life.  Without her, we would not have you, and we will be eternally grateful to her for choosing us to be your parents. As far as birthmothers go, we got the best one!

Love,
Mom

Winter in Yuma

Dear Gabriella,

In most parts of the world, people go to the park in the summertime; however, here in Yuma, winter is the best time to go to the park because it is too hot in the summer to be outside, especially for my little fair-skinned redhead.

At the beginning of February, your dad and I took you to the park.  It was so fun to take you now that you are running around and exploring.

Here you are eating a Chicken McNugget that we picked up on the way.

You insisted on getting into this swing. 
I tried to talk you out of it,
but it didn't take you long to figure out you didn't like it.

Charlie stayed in the stroller most of the time, but you pushed him around for a while.



You are definitely my little outdoorsie girl.  You already know how to say outside ("owside"), and you ask to go outside everyday.  Sometimes you put your own shoes on and bang on the front door to let me know you are ready to go outside.  I love taking you to the park and watching you run around.  We just have to take advantage of the good weather while we have it. 

Love,
Mom

After Christmas Fun!

Dear Gabriella,

You thought the fun would end just because Christmas was over?  No way, we were in San Diego, and we wanted to enjoy it.  The first thing your Grammy and I did was take you to Hilltop Park close to Grammy's house.

We have a lot of videos of my grandmother Bo pushing me on the swing.
Watching your Grammy pushing you on the swing brought back a lot of warm memories for me.

Ella-phant

We went out to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen with my best friend since I was 9 years old, Tara.  Her twin sister Trisha came too, and it was so fun to catch up with them.  We usually only see each other once a year at Christmastime, and she fell in love with you.  She let you play with her phone and jam out to some Black Eyed Peas, which you thoroughly enjoyed.

You and Tara rockin' out.

Charlie and Trisha

Tara with you and Charlie

Later on in the week, Auntie Jani and her family came to visit and we all went to the Wild Animal Park, which is now called the San Diego Zoo Safari, but I will probably call in the Wild Animal Park forever.

You got to pet and feed the goats at the petting corral.

You rode the Tram and saw all of the animals in their habitat. 
You especially liked the giraffes.

And you rode the carousel, which you weren't sure about at first, but then you really loved it.  You were a little upset that we only went once.

Then you and Lyla stopped for a photo op. 

You were very interested in Lyla's shoes.

I don't think Lyla was happy about you trying to take her shoes.

On a different day, we went and visited Nana Platt.  She was so excited to see you again and meet little Charlie.  You, however, were a bit tired and grumpy by that point.

We had such a fun time in San Diego.  You always enjoy going there and spending time with family and friends.  I'm so excited that we get to go back there again in just a couple of weeks.  Yay!

Love,

Mom

Christmas 2011

Dear Gabriella,

This Christmas was a special one because I, after being married to your dad for 11 years, finally invested in some family stockings.  I found some online that I fell in love with.  I set them up and asked Santa if he would come and fill them a day early since we would be in San Diego for Christmas, and he did it!  It was also the first year you were old enough to take items out of your stocking and play with them.  Santa brought you some candy, a magna doodle, and a "Wolly Willy" (one of those faces with magnet shavings that you can put the hair on the face).

First, we spent some time with your Nana, Papa, Auntie Ashley and Uncle Chad, Auntie Jennifer, Uncle Jared, JR, and Adelyn.  You had a fun time chasing Rory and Opie around, and you loved playing with all of Nana's fun toys!

This is one of Nana's dancing snowmen (well, it's actually a snow girl)

JR, Adelyn, You, and Charlie.  (I stole these pics from Aunt Ashley's blog.)

We spent Christmas morning with your Grammy and Pa.  This year, Christmas was on a Sunday, so we first went to church, and you wore your cute little elfie outfit.  Everyone at church talked about how cute you looked.  When we got home from church, we started the Christmas festivities.

I guess you had been a good girl because you had quite a few presents under the tree.  One of the gifts you got was a five-foot long stuffed animal caterpillar.  I was strictly opposed to purchasing it for you because I hate finding room to put large gifts, but your Dad was set on giving it to you for Christmas, so I caved.  You absolutely loved it and you named it Chaka Khan (because that's what you kept calling it). 

You and Chaka Khan

You also got this pink elephant chair and a Disney princess chair from your Nana
(You were the cutest little elf in the whole world)

Thanks for the $10 Pa Bartholomew
I got you the purple Leaptop on the left

Although a great deal of our time during Christmas is spent focusing on the gifts and the good food we eat, my thoughts were often turned to Mary this Christmas.  Maybe it is because I had given birth to Charlie just a few months prior to Christmas, but I kept thinking of what a remarkable woman she must be.  She knew that she was to give birth to the Savior of the world, and yet she was not given any sort of VIP treatment.  I was able to give birth in a comfortable bed with doctors and nurses at my bedside, where she was in a lowly stable sitting on scratchy hay with dirty animals surrounding her.  I had the pleasure of an epidural where all of my pain was taken from me, and Mary had to suffer through labor and delivery.  When Charlie was born, Brandon was given sterilized surgical scissors to cut his umbilical cord, the nurses took him and cleaned him up, wrapped him in a nice clean blanket, and then handed him to me.  Next to my bed was a rolling, sterile crib where I could easily access him with the help of my bed that I could lower and raise with the push of a button.  When the Savior was born, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger.  I don't know what the condition of the clothes or the manger were, and I honestly have no idea how they cut the cord, but I do know that the circumstances surrounding his birth were humble.  Although they did not have the modern advances that we have today, I'm sure that Mary wanted what was best for her son.  I doubt that she was pleased with the location and the surroundings of his birth, but I imagine her as such a fine lady that she whole-heartedly trusted in our Father in Heaven.  I picture her not complaining about the smell that must have accompanied the stable or even how uncomfortable she was sitting on the hard ground.  I think that she was overcome with joy because she saw and understood what was most important, that she was doing the will of the Lord.  I hope that I can some day learn to be as faithful a woman as she. 

Love,
Mom