Dress Shopping

We got to go dress shopping with my younger sister Jenny yesterday. It was so much fun watching her try on the beautiful dresses. We couldn't believe it, but she ended up purchasing the first one she tried on! She looked absolutely stunning in it. We also picked out the bridesmaid dresses yesterday too. They are chocolate brown with a hint of champagne color. Sorry, but no peeking!

Because the bridal store was AWESOME, I was able to practice taking some wedding pictures there. So, I just took some random shots and thought I'd post them. NONE of the dresses you see here are Jenny's dress OR our bridesmaid dresses. Sorry! No peeking!

How in the world do people choose a flower girl dress? There are so many to choose from and they are all so adorable! When we got married 7 years ago, we had a friend of the family make the dresses, so we didn't even look at them in the store. I would've been overwhelmed.

I just loved the detail on this dress... just gorgeous!

Same with this one... When I got married, SO many of the dresses had a big bow on the butt! Thank goodness the dress makers are realizing that the last things that brides want on their wedding day is a big ol' behind!

We just had a great time with Jenny and her fiance's family. They are terrific people who love Jenny very much. It makes me so happy to see her so happy. I love that even though she lives farther away, she still has a great support system nearby. I am looking forward to getting to know Rene's family even more as we plan for this special day!

PS: Did I mention that Gabers is the ring bearer??

Matron of Honor Duties Begin!

Gabe's Mom is heading up to Aunt Ne's to go dress shopping with Aunt Lindsey and Abba Smith. Gabe and Daddy are going to stay home and play in Gabe's new fort! I just love that he makes Greg get in there with him! We got a new dishwasher, so Gabers has a new playhouse!

I'm so excited to go up and help my sister Jenny plan for the wedding! Have a great weekend!

Cute Stuff

Excuse the poor quality of this picture, but it was taken through our very filthy front door. I've tried, but it is impossible to keep clean with a dog and a toddler. Gabe LOVES pears. We have a pear tree here at the new house and Gabe just loves them - skin and all. He walks around the house saying "apple" and holding it just like a grown up would hold an apple. He's so stinkin' funny.


Gabe also LOVES the movie The Lion King. Seriously... Greg and I probably have the first 20 minutes of that memorized - word for word. It is SO cute to see him sit there in a trance watching it. We usually play it in the kitchen while we fix dinner and he sits in his high chair in a daze. He also does some of the actions (holding the cub up to the sunlight, silly faces Nala & Simba make, etc...) He also says "Scar", "Daddy!", and "It is TIME..". I just love it. Sometimes I'll stand at our kitchen island and just smile and watch him. He has no idea... he is so entranced.

Well, Gabe's Mom is exhausted. That is all for tonight!

Gabers Mini Photo Session

One of my favorite things to do is to just grab the Gabers and go on a spontaneous photo shoot. Usually we take Daddy with us too so he can help me get Gabe's attention. Today, we went out to a farm and got some neat photos of Gabe by a wrought iron fence and in one of my dad's bean fields. He looked so ready for fall today in his brown courdoroy jacket. My little boy is growing up so fast. People say that happens, and some days it feels like they just grew by leaps and bounds over night.

I like this one - I just hope this is the only time I ever see him behind bars! :) I love the look on his face too.

Here, Gabe is tasting the beans to see if they're ready for harvest yet. We had to call PaPa tonight to let him know Gabe probably owes him some money for the beans! Gotta tease that PaPa.

I so wish I lived at this house - I love the wrought iron fence and the serenity of the place.

My lovely assistant, Greg, is doing his very best to get Gabe to smile for me. The tickley things work really well!

One of my favorites. My happy boy in the bean field getting ready for harvest. I can't wait to see him in the tractor with PaPa.

The little man.

And another favorite. Daddy taught Gabe how to pick flowers today - "you don't pick off just the petals - you pick them down lower and then give them to Mommy!" It was too cute to watch.

Gabe's Mom is Still Here!

Ugh... I have not been a very good blogger, have I? I'm still here... In the past 2 weeks, I've had the following things going on:


A hubby on a camping trip.
A wedding.
A Gabers with a cold.
Planning, preparation, and attending of the first annual Momma Getaway.
A jam-packed work schedule (our new girl resigned).
Getting garage sale items ready.



So, yeah... it's been a pretty busy time for me! Anyway, on to the Gabers! I hope the picture at the top has given you a clue about the post. When Gabe was just a baby - a very teenie-tiny baby - my friend Tami and I went garage-saling (Nah! Not US!) and found this awesome Radio Flyer bike for Gabe. We've had it put up in the garage and we finally took it down this past week to see if he would like it. He really wasn't too interested when he found out he had to work at it a bit and Daddy wasn't going to keep pushing him! He hopped off and returned back to the "cauk" (sidewalk chalk) he was playing with. I had not gotten my camera out yet, so we persuaded him with a juice box to get back on so I could capture this on my camera. Ah, the powers of parental persuasion... If only it always worked! Would you like to see that picture? I thought you might...He's so cute, isn't he? This weekend, I held the first annual (possibly semiannual!) Momma Getaway weekend. My fellow Momma friends and I headed to a nearby church camp to rent out a cabin-like building to scrapbook, sew, talk, eat, and sleep as much as we wanted for the weekend. It was so much fun. I was able to share the weekend with 5 of my dearest friends. They are just the best. We had games and prizes, we had a couple of really late nights (3:00 am!), and we had a blast. I love these ladies so much. God has truly blessed me with some amazing friendships - I am so fortunate that my closest friends could all be in the same place for the weekend. You can read more about it on my other blog Greg's Wife if you are interested. Speaking of which, I'd better go so I can update that blog... it's been even longer since I've posted to that one!

Celebration of Life Day

Today, we celebrated life. Nine years ago, my brother & sisters were in a near-fatal car accident. I blogged a bit about it here. We always try to get together as a family on this day to celebrate life - life that was saved, life that has changed, and life that didn't exist before. I just can't believe it's been nine years. So many memories come back from those days when Jenny & Dan were in the hospital. So many moments where we didn't know if we'd have them. So many uncertainties. When those thoughts come to mind, I do my best to push them away and remember that they're here. They're living a life that is so special. Life can forever be changed by a single incidence and my family is proof of that. Because of the accident, we don't take life for granted. Because of the accident we are so unbelievably close. Because of the accident, my family has formed a strong, loving bond with Greg's family. As much as that day devastated me, it has helped form me into a better sister, daughter, and mother. I am thankful for my suffering - it truly has shaped me and added beautiful colors to my tapestry. However, I can say that it was painful - so unbearably painful at the time. Praise God that only He can make something beautiful from it.

My awesome nieces and nephew with Gabe. They are so great in always willing to pose for me!

Gabers with his Abbas and PawPa's (we spell PawPaw (PaPa) 2 different ways!)

Today, we had a wonderful time. Greg's family - brothers and their families, as well as Greg's parents - all came out to the farm. We all had a great time. Good food, good fun, some photo ops, eucure, and a very well-behaved Gabers. What more could you ask for? Here are some pictures from my impromptu photo session:

My FAVORITE picture from today - Lindsey & Matt

My adorable niece, Julia

My other adorable niece, Katie

Aunt Lindsey, Gabe, & Uncle Dan

Grandma & George