Fall weather

Emma was in the mood for a photo shoot. She was just livin' it up. I'd tell her to say something like, "oh yeah baby" or "who's the cutest" or probably not the best thing for a two year old to say "who's your daddy" and she would say it right back with a huge smile on her face...too cute.

She is so excited to go trick or treatin'. She asks me to tell her how Halloween works all of the time. She calls it the "knock knock" story.

My baby dolls

Two little girls...I still can't believe it. Emma was my spring baby with budding red hair and Mia is definitely my Halloween baby with dark hair. The contrast between these two personalities is not just in the hair...I cannot believe how different they are. To think that they just came out of thin air...no way. I have no doubt these personalities have been in existence before they came into my arms. I love being a mother.

Emma loves to hold Mia and watch Dora the Explorer.

This little girl can sleep! She is about the easiest baby I have ever laid eyes on. I am one lucky mom. So far the nights have been cake. She takes a binky, eats sparingly and did I mention she loves to sleep?

Baby Mia!

Baby Mia Fay Gabbart came October 8, 2009 at about 9pm...nearly four weeks early! She weighed in at 6 lbs even, measuring 18.5" long. Surprisingly, she has black hair! She is so calm and mild I can't believe it.

So far so good...no sibling rivalries yet. Actually, Emma is wonderful with her. She is so soft and gentle with her and always wants to know where she is and is if she "ok mama?"

I don't know why people want to see pics of the mother...but here you go. One happy family.

Little Ballerina

Emma's dance moves consist of sliding around on the hardwood floors, jumping and doing a two year old's version of a cartwheel. Too funny and too cute!

iphone download

Aaron has had these pics stowed away on his phone for quite a while. They are just too cute to not keep track of. Soon the camera will have two little girls...I can't wait!

Hooray!

My oldest brother James has been working his tail off the past 8 years to become an oral surgeon. He completed his residency at Ohio State at the end of June. Since we were already in d.c., we just made a quick drive up it to his graduation. It was so neat to see him (and Lisa!) receive the much deserved recognition. Congrats James and Lisa!

Emma in d.c.

While Aaron was off to the Treasury each day, Emma and I definitely took advantage of the free things that are there. From the zoo to the museums, to the super fun parks. It was so nice to have a play mate! I love my little girl.

d.c. tidbits

One of the our last nights in d.c. we went out to dinner with Fay, Vance, Sarah and Toby in Alexandria. They chose a great spot that of course I can't remember the name of, but they served chili in just about every way you could imagine. Something about bacon burgers and pregnancy, they go hand in hand! After dinner we walked down through historic Alexandria to the pier.

Meeting up at Sarah and Toby's house

Vance pointing out a friend's name on the Korean Wall Memorial.

A little area of Maryland called Rockville, was one of our favorite places to go when we were in Bethesda. They had the cutest town center with movies in the park, restaurants, shops etc. One night we went and saw Madagascar 2. Aaron and I sat and ate licorice while Emma jumped off the rocks around the park. This picture above is when we went out to dinner for our Anniversary. This year, things were so crazy that both Aaron and I forgot all about it, until I went to pick him up from the metro that night. I was talking on the phone when I picked him up, and ironically enough, it dawned on both of us at about the same time. As soon as I hung up the phone, we both looked at each other and blurted out, Happy Anniversary. It was too funny. We laughed about it over fish tacos that night.

4th of July on the Potomac

Sarah and Toby (friends from Reno) invited us over for a BBQ at their house with some friends on July 4th. With Toby's BBQ skills from his home state of Louisiana, dinner was delicious. Emma was the only little one there, but she kept herself entertained outside on their patio or trying to play with their cat Juice.

After a couple hours of sip sip mingle mingle, we headed back home to Arlington to watch the fireworks at the U.S. Air Force Base. From this spot, you are about .5 miles away from the Pentagon, and you can look over the Potomac and see the National Mall with all of hte monuments...history running wild.

We got back a little late, but we made it just in time for the finale. Surprisingly, the fireworks show was just like any other one on the 4th...just a different backdrop.

Hard Workin' Man

Oft times we'd try and meet up with Aaron during his lunch breaks. This always made for an adventurous trip into town, but well worth it. The only long part was the metro. You are not supposed to eat on the metro, but I didn't think that rule actually applied to children. Luckily, I was never fined.

Our little family in front of the Department of Treasury.

Another trip down to visit dad during his lunch. The dept. of Treasury is right next to the White House on Pennsylvania Ave.

These gates that they use to "prevent" people from trespassing were just perfect for someone Emma's size to climb into. The first time at this monument, she slipped right through and ran around for a few minutes. It made for a good video. The only thing that eventually lured her out was a video clip of Elmo on Aaron's phone. Thank goodness for technology, because at six months pregnant, I certainly wasn't going to be able to slip through!

Nana Gabbart

Emma absolutely adores "nana gabbart." They had so much fun together in d.c. This is them exploring at the National History Museum. Something about grandma's, they have such greater amounts of patience than moms--I really appreciate it!

walking down the Korean War Memorial...

I'm not sure what game they were playing here, but somehow we were all laughing hysterically at lunch.

Outdoor tour of Gettysburg

The outdoor tour was awfully entertaining. Aaron got a taste of a pretty feisty park ranger to say the least. I should have him record the story...