Grand Hyatt

The first week of October we have a week off because it's a national holiday. We didn't do much except get some things done around the house. The highlight was spending two nights at the Grand Hyatt. I LOVE this hotel! It's downtown Beijing and literally walking distance from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. It's connected to a mall that has a Diary Queen (the small pleasures). We got the club level so we took advantage of the all you can drink and eat (heavy appetizers) deal at night. Some other friends stayed so the kids played while the adults chatted and had fun. The pool is amazing but these pictures dont do it justice.

Isabelle is 8 Months Old

8 Months Old Today

Naked Baby... Yes, She's Well Fed

Gabriella Playing Dress-up with Lil' Sis

- She's a great eater and so far, and loves everything. Every type of fruit is her favorite.

- She's cruising, crawling super fast, and has stood-up for 5 seconds unassisted. 

- She giggles a lot whenever Gabby is around, which is great to watch.

- She just started sleeping through the night. Not sure why it took us this long to have her cry it out... we basically ripped the band-aid on a school night. Travis and I had some... uh hem... miscommunication shall I say? I suggested that we ferberize during October break (after our hotel stay) and he thought I meant before. After a 20 minute "discussion" at 2 in the morning about who was right we figured it was too lat to give in. 90 minutes later, it was finally silent. Man, that was painful but the second night it was just 30 minutes and it has been all good ever since.

- Her nicknames so far... Bella, Izzy, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, and Bella Boo baby 9which makes her giggle when gabby calls her this)

Gabby's First Day of Soccer

"High Five"

Gabriella and Emily in their uniforms.

Strike a Pose

I Love the Uniform Color!

Taking a Rest Before Practice

Playing the "Blob" Game

Having Fun Chasing Her Team-Mates!

I Love the Look on Their Faces! So Happy...

Sorry, Blurry Picture...

Volunteering for Something

Learning to Kick the Soccer Ball

Gabriella's Team

Only Six kids

Isabelle Was Great the Whole Time...

"Element Fresh" is the Sponsor.

Love that Restaurant!

Travis and I were excited to take Gabriella to her first soccer practice. Don't get me wrong, she was excited too but she had no idea what we were talking about...

When we got there, we received our uniform and shin pads. Later we found out there's no real coach and that the parents had to figure it out. Emily's dad, Steve, stepped-up but Travis and I plan on taking more of a leadership role in the future. Having fun and learning about team-work is really what we want the kids to learn... So basically you pay $100 for a uniform and use of a nice field. Not too impressive. Good thing I'm not looking to get her an athletic scholarship to college.

She had a great time but Gabriella started to cry when one of the other girls ran faster and basically dominated the entire game. It's a good life lesson, though. There's always going to be somebody better. But what a bunch of mixed messages she was receiving... how many times have I told her to share and play nice? Then suddenly I'm telling her to steal the ball and run faster. We kept telling her that we just wanted her to try. We didn't have any expectations... I honestly don't think she's even kicked a ball before!

*Keep Scrolling Down for Updated Pictures*

Isabelle is Pulling Herself Up

Changes are happening fast and furious right now... Isabelle is pulling herself up (7 months, 1 week) and will be cruising any day now. She crawls everwhere and is getting super fast!

Gabriella's PreK-3 and PreK-4 School Pictures

Gabriella Tebo, Age 4

Gabriella Tebo, Age 3

 Look at how much difference a year made!

Isabelle is Crawling!

It's official... she started crawling on Saturday, August 27th (7 months and 1 week old) and is getting better and better...

Isabelle is 7 Months Old

Eating yummy solids!

She's a Great Eater! Loves her Yummy Fingers.

Isabelle and Caitlin

7 Months Old Today

On The Move...

Trying to Stand-Up

Happy Girl!

Yummy Teething Ring

- Hitching, or on all fours and trying to move. She's so dang close to crawling... any day now. It's actuallly painful to watch beause she's just so darn close.

- Started solids... she's doing okay. Likes bananas and sweet potatoes the best so far.

- Getting stronger and stronger and kicks her legs like crazy when you walk with her outside.

- Looks at her big sister with so much love... it's super sweet.

- Loves bath time with big sister! She doesn't mind water on her face. When I was putting her in the bath tub, she looked-up at me with this look of complete joy. I have that look etched in my mind..

- Sleeping is... okay'ish. Last week was hell, but the last two nights have been better. I just keep telling myself that it's temporary.

- She likes touching people's faces... it's really cute. It's as if she's saying, "Hey, I know you! You're special! Let me touch your face and put my mouth all over you!"

-Holding her own bottle

I love this kid!!!