Dancing Queen

Get this girl in dance class. Gabby is all about dancing and shaking her booty to any type of music she hears. I have to say, she has pretty good taste in music...

Winter Break in Washington State

Gabby, Beth, Cara, and Harper

Christmas Eve at Ron and LaNita Tebo's House

Wesley Tebo and Langston Bollert

Marty (Cara's Brother), Cara, Gabby, and her Dad on Christmas Day

Cara's mom, Travis, and Gabby

LaNita and Ron Tebo

Christmas Day 2008

Gabby's X-mas Stocking


We had a lovely and low key Christmas and New Year. Because of the Olympic Games, we only had two weeks off instead of our usual three weeks. When we arrived, we were lucky enough to make it home before a huge snow fall which left us stranded for a couple of days. Luckily, Travis' father has a 4 wheel-drive car and chains. He drove us to Seattle for Gabby's doctor’s appointment where it was confirmed that she does has Celiac Disease. Celiac is an autoimuune disease that causes a person's immunie system to attack the cilia in their intestines when they eat gluten, which is found in wheat products. Click HERE for more info on Celiac Disease. This has been quite an adjustment for us but we're figuring it out and reading labels... Her belly is still bloated, which reminds me that she's physically still not better yet. The doctor said it will take about 2 months. I think Gabby had a blast with her cousins and it was fun watching her interact with them. She really loves to dance too. On Christmas Eve, her cousins were singing while she was dancing. It was awesome and not to mention hilarious. On Christmas, Travis and I bought her a "Little Mommy" doll and accessories. We were mesmerized by how she took to the baby and literally became a "little mommy." She started to hug and kiss it and put a blanket over her... It was amazing to see how she instinctively knew what how to take care of a baby. I think she'll make a great big sister. It was so nice to see Gabby's cousins, Emerson, Stuart, Wesley, and Langston (whom we've never seen before). As with most overseas families, we feel the push and pull of how fun and easy it is being home with family but the benefits and adventures of living overseas... I'm not sure if that ever goes away... you just deal with it. Our x-mas purchase to ourselves was an iMac computer. We drove down to Portland, OR with Toby, Debbie, and Wesley and bought it tax free and used my student discount, so that was good. All in all, we had a great visit with our friends and family but two weeks went by way too fast.

Holiday Letter 2008

Ni hao friends and family,

As always, Travis and I hope this letter finds you and your family happy and healthy this holiday season…

Here are some of the highlights of our year:

Summer: This summer we went home to Washington State and had a great time visiting with family and friends. One of the highlights was visiting the farm in Wisconsin where Travis’ mom grew up. We visited with many of his relatives who made us feel right at home. Another Wisconsin highlight was sharing time with Travis’ grandma Gert. We had a lovely visit and enjoyed hearing stories about the farm and how life was back in the day. It was particularly nice for Gabby to meet her great-grandma. This trip turned out to be quite timely because the family farm was sold this fall. We were really happy we made that trip and feel lucky to have created warm memories that will last a lifetime… While in Wisconsin, we made a trek to visit some friends in Minnesota and I did a ton of shopping at the Great Mall of America (no tax!). We also made two separate trips to Oregon. One time we drove to visit my brother, Todd, in Astoria, where we had a great visit with him. The second time, we drove to Bend to visit some friends and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and also the no tax shopping! I have to say, there’s no place like the northwest…

Olympic Games: This was awesome. Travis and I got tickets to see the final women’s Gymnastics Team Medal competition and ceremony. If you recall, U.S.A. came in second to China. We also saw a men’s beach volleyball game, which was a total blast. I’m a huge fan now. There’s lots of loud music and people cheering and it was fast-paced. I loved it. China did a decent job representing itself and although I complain about China a lot, I’m proud that our host country pulled this off. Now the Chinese gymnasts all being sixteen and over? That’s another story.

The “Today Show:” This was the biggest highlight of my year! If you’re familiar with the NBC morning show, then you know that they tape live and show people in the crowd. We ended up getting there and pushing our way to the front. I know the producers are suckers for cute babies, so I was literally holding up Gabby and saying “meet my baby girl!” It worked and during a segment we were in the background for a long time waving at the camera at like idiots. I had a huge, yellow sign that said, “Hello Bremerton, WA.” This is the best part! At one point they got a close-up of Gabby smiling and waving two American flags. THEN, while they were taping live, Gabby dropped a flag and Matt Lauer picked it up. Of course, she dropped it again, and Meredith, Ann, and Al were laughing because they know toddlers do that on purpose. Ann Curry graciously picked up the flags and gave them back. About thirty seconds later, while I was looking at Gabby and trying to get her to wave the flags more… SUDDENLY, Al Roker was in our face with a microphone asking where we were from, etc. Travis and I sounded a bit lame but we were really excited. We I had no idea we were going to be interviewed on live TV so neither of us was prepared. This is where I have to brag… after we were interviewed, Meredith, Ann, and the anchor from New York (Natalie Brown) were talking about how cute Gabby was on live TV… I thought that was pretty cool and wanted to share. I had no idea until I watched the show the next day. Fortunately, we have TV that airs the “Today Show” the following day, so we got to watch it. One of these days I’ll get that on video and send it out. We were diligent enough to get autographs of Nadia Comaneci, Meredith Viera, Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, Al Roker, and Voda (she does the show afterwards with Kathy Lee Griffin). We also met Stephanie Brown-Trafton Gold Medalist for discus (This is corrected, initially we said shotput). I have to say everyone was really friendly. My favorite Olympic memory was walking around at night through the Olympic village with all the lights from the bubble and bird’s nest lit up. The energy and excitement, or “Olympic fever,” was contagious. I never thought I’d be waving an American flag in a communist country, but on this night it was okay. I have to say it was a very, “I’m proud to be an American” moment.

Growing Family: Gabby has two new cousins! Toby (Travis’ brother) and Debbie had a boy, Wesley Thomas, in July. Tahnee (Trav’s sister) and Geoff had a boy, Langston Geoffrey, in September.

Travis: He continues to work as a seventh grade math/science teacher. As most of you know, he’s hoping to pursue administration in the near future. In the meantime, he’s gaining leadership experience and still finds teaching rewarding. He has also picked up the saxophone again and is learning to play the guitar. He plays it everyday and makes up new, funny songs. This has quickly become a family ritual every night. We also have video of Gabby dancing to his guitar playing that I need to show you guys.

Cara: I’m not really doing anything exciting… Hmmm… I did finish my college counseling internship and will earn my certificate through UCLA, so that’s good. It’s nice to finally be finished. Work is very busy and with any free time I get, I like spending it with my family.

Gabby: I don’t even know where to start… If you’re counting, she’ll be 18 months on the 28th of December. It was a bit of a bummer, but she was recently diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease, which means she has an intolerance to gluten or wheat- so anything with flour, rye, or barley she can’t digest or absorb nutrients. It’s been a challenge and a significant lifestyle change but we’re getting the hang of it and will be seeing a specialist soon. However, we’re happy to know that we can fix her issues by just changing her diet. It could be a lot worse. She’s growing like a weed too, which is cliché to say, but true. She’s hitting all the developmental milestones and surprises us by how much she learns each day. Some highlights include- learning sign language, such as please, more, hat, food, cheese, shoes, and so on. She is also talking up a storm now in both Chinese and English. Just yesterday she said, “Wake up daddy!” Instead of thank you, she says “shieh shieh,” which means ‘thank you’ in Chinese. I think it’s just easier for her to say. My favorite thing she says now is, “wuv wu.” Music to my ears! My least favorite word is, “no!” I think I hear that about a thousand times a day. Travis and I love her so much and are truly enjoying being parents…

For this winter break, we’re off again to Washington to spend it with family and friends. We wish everyone a safe and FUN holiday season and have a Happy New Year!

Warm Wishes,

Travis, Cara, and Gabriella Tebo

Winter Ball 2008

Our school does a fantastic job of celebrating the holiday season with organizing a winter ball. The men wear tuxes and the women dress up in cocktail dresses. It's the equivalent to the prom but for grown-ups. We always have a blast and this was no exception.

Early X-Mas in Beijing

I bought x-mas presents this summer for Gabby because I thought we would be staying in China... I couldn't wait to give them to her so we decided to have an early x-mas... why not? I LOVED Fisher Price Little People growing up, so I got her the barn, which she really likes, an airplane (I figured a plane is something she can relate to since she flies half-way around the world at least four times a year), a car, a boat w/ building blocks, and a princess horse and carriage that comes with these really cool purple and pink building blocks. Where were these when I was growing up? It was also a good X-mas for Trav too. In an effort to have a husband who will sing and play the guitar like Dave Matthews, I bought Trav one. I completely surprised him and whipped it out after he was complaining that I wasn't being supportive. Ha! He's been practicing everyday and can play a mean version of Johnny Cash's, "Folsom Prison Blues". Where were my presents, you ask? I'm ordering them online. All in all, it was a grand day but the next one will be even better with family around.

Guys Night Out

On Friday we had a guy's night out on the town. We started with dinner at a Chinese restaurant with great food, especially the ribs with meat so tender it just falls off the bone. With our stomachs full we headed to an indoor GoKart racing track. The picture above shows us with the showercaps we had to wear under our helmets. Even though I didn't go very fast compared to the other guys the experience was pretty exhilerating. I kept getting passed by people who would nudge me into the tires causing me to flail my hands in the air to get the workers to come push me loose.
We left the races around midnight and headed to a new establishment downtown that was playing 80's music. After a short time we left there to go to a Russian restaurant that has a dance and music show. They have dancing woman, breakdancers, and a fire eater. Several times during the performance they drag some sorry soul onto the stage to involve the audience. Since I moved to Beijing, whenever we go to a place with these types of shows, I am ALWAYS one of the first people that gets chosen. Friday night was no exception, I was pulled up not once but twice on stage to dance, once with a live snake wrapped around my neck. I don't necessarily hate the experience, but what is it about me that makes this happen so often?
My favorite performance of the night was from a break dancing group who were incredibly talented. They dressed up like old Russian women and acted out a skit that intersperced break dancing. At around 3AM a group of us decided we had had enough and left right after the fire eating act. When we left the restaurant the party was just getting started.

Gabby Girl

Here are three of my favorite pictures of Gabby in the last couple months.