Do We Have Bugs In The Garden...?

Nope, it's just Gabriella!

I keep a basket of fruits and vegetables on the kitchen table and Gabriella will often climb up on the table, grab a piece of fruit or a vegetable and start eating it, skin and all, including oranges and bananas! It is a good problem to have because we have no issues getting her to eat fruits and vegetables. There are two main problems with this, though. One problem is that I cannot have her eating the skins of some fruits and vegetables. The second problem is that she sometimes takes a couple bites and then returns them to the basket, so we have lots of fruits and vegetables with little bites taken out of them!

Gabriella and I picked a tomato from the garden and she LOVED it! She made it look so delicious!:

This was what was left of the tomato when she was done!:

Gabriella's 2nd Birthday Party

Gabriella had a wonderful second birthday party on Saturday, August 8th. Many great friends and some close family shared this special day with Gabriella. The party was Princess and Pirate themed and was held in the yard of our home.
Gabriella was dressed as a beautiful princess!:
We had a bouncy house and Gabriella and her friends enjoyed playing in it.:

After lunch, Jasmine, the princess from Aladdin, came to the party!

Gabriella does not do well without her late morning / early afternoon nap. We had tried to get Gabriella to nap earlier in the day prior to her party, but she would not go to sleep. So, during the party, Gabriella was very tired and missed most of the princess's visit because she was napping.

"It's my party and I'll nap if I want to...!: The princess sang with the children, made balloon creations, and painted a tattoo for each of the children.: I woke Gabriella up after about a thirty minute nap and she was able to get a heart tattoo on her arm.:

The princess led the group in singing "Happy Birthday" to Gabriella.:

We had three piñatas. Gabriella enjoyed picking through the loot after all of the piñatas had been opened.: The children also enjoyed making sand art.:

We also had a horse and a pony at the party and each of the children had the opportunity to have horse and pony rides. Gabriella loves horses! The horse and pony rides were probably her favorite part of the day.:

The kids also did their own face painting!: Gabriella did such a beautiful job with her make-up, several other "victims" let her do their make-up as well! She did my make-up, Grampy's make-up, ...:

...Ken's make-up, ...: ...and Aunt Kathy's make-up! Notice the look of concentration on Gabriella's face! Such masterful work requires deep concentration!: Gabriella and her friends also enjoyed many special food treats. We had a popcorn machine, a snow cone machine, and a cotton candy machine.:

Gabriella had a great time playing in the bouncy house, but especially loved playing in it at the end of the day with the adults after all of her friends had gone home!: After the party Gabriella enjoyed opening all of her birthday gifts. Ken's mother got Gabriella an Elmo nightgown and Gabriella could not wait to put it on! She had to put it on immediately after she opened it!:

The next morning Gabriella admired and played with all of her new birthday gifts!:

It was a fun day and such a special event for Gabriella.

My Little Bugger!

Gabriella went to school today for two and a half hours and in only two and a half hours she managed to cause trouble, but then she redeemed herself! At lunchtime she and her friend Chloe got up from the table and threw their uneaten lunches in the trash. Then, a little boy dropped his lunch on the floor and Gabriella proceeded to stomp on it! My mother owns and runs the daycare, so it is always fun for the staff when the owner's granddaughter is wreaking havoc in the school. After her path of destruction, the angel came out! When my sister arrived to pick Gabriella up from school, she walked in to the classroom to find Gabriella rubbing a little boy's back to help him go to sleep for naptime! So sweet! Almost makes you forget about the little terror inside of her!

One Year Ago Yesterday...

...Gabriella was still living in Guatemala and celebrating her first birthday with her foster family. Her first birthday was bittersweet because I was happy that her foster family, who loved (and loves) her so much, got to celebrate it with her, but I was angry and depressed that she was not home with her forever family for this big day. I was at one of the lowest places in my life. My mother and I had just come back from our fifth visit trip only a month prior to her birthday and I was praying that that would be the final time that I would have to leave my precious child behind in Guatemala. I had visited her five times while we were waiting for her and my love for Gabriella was immense; I felt like she was being "held hostage" in another country. Sounds harsh, but that was how I was feeling. I had expected that she would be home by her first birthday, but it felt like we kept hitting snags (in hindsight, though, they really were only minor snags that felt major at the time!). At that point we were at the place in the process in which Gabriella was already a Draper and we were counting down the days in which we could travel to bring her home forever.

These are the photos from her first birthday party in Guatemala:

Foster Mother Norma and Gabriella:
Gabriella, Daniel, and wife Sandy (Sandy is Norma's daughter):
Gabriella and Daniel ("Naniel" as she calls him currently). Daniel loves Gabriella as if she were his own daughter and he still refers to Gabriella as his daughter.:

Gabriella, Daniel, Norma's Mother, and Gabriella's "foster brother" Evan. Evan was being loved by the same foster family and was adopted by a wonderful family in South Carolina.:

Gabriella, Sandy, and her Dora piñata:

Norma's Mother (Sandy's Grandmother), Daniel's Grandmother, and Gabriella:

Gabriella's 1st Birthday Cake:

Singing the equivalent to "Happy Birthday":

Opening her birthday presents:

I am so thankful that I have these photos and was able to share in these memories through the photos, but, boy, was I down in the dumps that we were not having this party for her here in the United States. This is why I am celebrating her second birthday with her to the max!

Dreaming

I have had a bit of insomnia lately and it strikes in the middle of the night. Gabriella is still sleeping in the bed with us; the toddler bed situation only lasted a couple of nights and, to be honest, I really don't mind it! When I awaken in the middle of the night I love to watch Gabriella sleeping and listen to her breathing. Last night, though, for the first time, I heard her talk in her sleep! She said, what sounded like, "Play" twice. It was very funny and I figured she was either dreaming about playing or wanting to play. Tonight she did it again but this time she said, "Play" then what sounded like "Lola" and then what sounded like "Gracie." Lola and Gracie are two of our three dogs and she was probably dreaming about playing with them. It is very funny, entertaining, and enjoyable to hear.