6 Wide Down the Mountain

The Martino family is now 6 wide down the mountain!

Giuliana and Marco both tried downhill skiing for the first time last week. They both took to skiing with ease and seemed to really enjoy it. I think the younger you start them - the better. The little kids don't seem to have any trouble with crossing their skis, etc. Marco earned himself a mid-day nap on my chest. And, Giuls fell asleep while eating her crackers in the lodge at the end of the day. They were happy & pooped!

Gabby and Rocco are both skiing like champs and ready for more challenging runs.

There is a lot more snow in Tahoe this year compared to last. So, we decided to buy season passes for the family. We were able to get them up the mountain 4 times over the holiday break which was nice. It's a hop, skip and a jump from our house so it's quite easy to cruise up for even half days of skiing after school or the kids weekend basketball games.

Now we just have to HOPE for more rain storms in northern California this winter, bringing even more snow to the mountains!

Oh, and check out this ADORABLE photo some guy took of Marco and Dan on the chair lift. Marco's face is SO CUTE! Their chair lift buddy had this tiny little digital polaroid camera... pretty cool.

Snowfreakingflakes

My two oldest children learned to make snowflakes in school over the past two weeks. For some unknown reason, they decided to teach the third oldest child how to make snowflakes over the weekend, while my husband was in Las Vegas for work (riiiiiiiiiight!).

I kid you not... I had three children making snowflakes faster than Buddy the Elf. There were paper scraps everywhere. EVERY WHERE.

EVERY. FREAKING. WHERE.

Paper scraps covered the table, the countertop, the floor under the table, the floor under the counter... they migrated over to the sofa.... there was a trail from the sofa to the table to the counter. Paper scraps were falling out of blankets, out of play kitchen toys... I even found them in kitchen drawers.

It is AMAZING what can happen when you try to give your toddler a quiet bath and leave the older kids to keep themselves entertained.

Sweet Moses.

I guess I should be thankful they were making snowflakes instead of pulling each other's hair out.

But, by the time I got them in bed and looked around (exhausted... and after a very long weekend w/daddy being gone)... I wanted to cry paper scraps!!

But nope... I just picked them all up.

Only to wake up Monday morning and find that child #2 has already been awake for 45 minutes and was on snowflake #52.

ARGHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Paper scraps EVERY WHERE... AGAIN!!!

Is it awful that I was bursting with joy to drop them off at school Monday morning?!

Gabby Makes USAG L3 Compulsory Team

Gabby had just been told she was promoted to move up to the USAG L3 compulsory team approximately one month before our move to CA. I knew how excited she was about this, and how important gymnastics was to her, so I started the scramble to find a gym that had a competitive program like the gym she was enrolled at in Washington. There were a few options, and we let her try a class at each gym with the level 3’s so she could tell me which gym she felt was the best fit. The bummer about transferring to CA from WA, is that in California, the competition season for L3’s begins at the end of August and ends in November. In Washington, the L3’s compete December - February. So, all the CA girls had been practicing the L3 skills and routines for months. There was not way she’d be able to transfer right onto the team here. She would have to tryout in December at open tryouts.

Gabby was obviously devastated to learn that she wouldn’t be able to compete this year, and it broke my heart to hear her cry. But, I tried to spin it to her that this would just allow her the time to perfect her skills and blow everyone away when she would tryout in December.

So, it was a bit of a rough start, as we had to initially sign her up in CA for a recreational gymnastics class. She was used to doing gymnastics 6 hours a week. So, attending one 1.5 hour class a week just wasn’t going to cut it for her. She was insistent on signing up for several back to back classes, which basically put her up to 6 hours of practice a week.

And, in all honesty, knowing that the L3’s practice 9 hours a week… I selfishly wasn’t ready to have her at the gym for that long each week. And, I felt that having just moved and starting at a new school, 9 hours or practice a week would be a bit much with all the transition and change. 

She did get a little bored with the recreational classes, and she definitely missed the camaraderie of her teammates and being on a team in general. But, she also agreed that she was going to do great come December’s tryouts.

Tryouts for L3 were the first week of December, and my baby girl nailed each and every skill. I was very proud FOR her and of her. She was ecstatic and new she did well at the tryouts, so it was no surprise when she was extended the L3 invitation. 

She started practicing 9 hrs/week with her new teammates the first week of January, and she was thrilled.

A Quiet Place...

So, we recently caved and bought that *oh so fancy* diary from T.arget for Gabby. Fancy in that the child gets to voice record their password. Sounds pretty cool, right?

Ohmygosh... it is a parent's nightmare. NIGHTMARE! For numerous reasons.

How many 7 year olds remember their password? I'm 38 and I feel like I forget passwords every other day.

Also, if the child doesn't speak clearly, with the same intonations or speed... the diary won't' open.

When your child can't get their diary to open for whatever reason, you are unfortunately going to hear about it. (Code for tantrums, meltdowns, and crying like it's the end of the freaking-world.)

Gabby spent at least a half hour today frantically going from room to room in search of a *quiet place* to voice record her new password to the diary.  (GOOD LUCK, GIRL!! I've been trying for 7.5 years too!)

Rocco & Gabby Ski Video

Here's a quick video of Gabby and Rocco skiing together. They called it racing... :))

A day of skiing!

I decided that we needed to take a quick trip up the mountain for a day of skiing fun! The kids have never been skiing before. And, I really enjoy skiing... so why not, right?

We had planned to make the 1.5 hour drive many times, especially during school breaks... but it seems the plans always got put on hold because someone got sick, or there was another child activity or commitment that had been made.

OH, and it is also not an easy thing to just drive up the mountain with your kids when you're a breastfeeding mommy. You are constantly attached to the baby, and having that sort of freedom (when they won't take a bottle) just does not exist. Well... stay tuned for that post next, because Marco is also done with the boob! YAY!

Anyway, I took the two big kids up into the Cascades for a day of skiing fun. We ALL had a blast. And, I think I created two little skiing monsters, as I practically had to drag them off the mountain.

Gabby LOVED it and while she was frustrated for the first 30 mins of her lesson, one hour into it - she was hooked! Rocco also loved it and clearly had no fear, as the little guy preferred to go speeding straight down the bunny hill without doing any sort of turning action. Gabby was good at continuing to practice her turns even well after her class had ended.

I can't wait to take them both up the mountain again for some more skiing!

Oh, and for the record, Dan was busy at home being super-daddy with the two little kids. It was a gorgeous sunny day, so he took them on a trail run and out for ice cream. (And watched a lot of hoops and enjoyed naps on the sofa!)

Darn Tooth Fairy!

That darn tooth fairy!

Gabby pulled her tooth out while we I was driving the kids home from Rocco's gymnastics class last Thursday. She's been wiggling that tooth for weeks now, and I had a feeling it was going to be coming out any minute. And actually, I told her just that! 

Well, wouldn't you know it... after a little wiggling in the car, she pulled it right out! She was SO EXCITED about it. Then, of course, the next 3 hours she talked about how she couldn't wait to see what the tooth fairy was going to bring her, etc. 

Well, and with my luck... I was fresh off of two nights with VERY LITTLE SLEEP. Dan was getting home that night - so I was feeling a wave of relief! 

Gabby wrote the tooth fairy a sweet note... asking if she could "please not take her tooth....she would like to keep it just like last time". She tucked her tooth, and the note under her pillow. 

Only, that darn tooth fairy didn't show up! 

So, we had one very sad little girl come Friday morning. Yowzers! She could not understand why the tooth fairy didn't come, and was pretty bummed. Dan suggested that maybe she didn't come because mommy was up so much with the baby throughout the night. I suggested that it might have been because Gabby wasn't a good helper on Thursday (didn't help clean up her room, the play room, etc.).

As it turns out - Dan and I were both wrong. She was stuck in a snow storm out East! 

Crazy tooth fairy! She's really gotta pull it together!! ;)

Not to be difficult or anything...

"Not to be difficult or anything, but I would like to be referred to as "Gabby/Gabriella". Some days, please call me Gabby. Some days, I would prefer to be called Gabriella. I'll let you know which day I'd like to be called what."

Oy! Because teachers don't already have a challenging job... just add the child who signs her homework this way into the mix! HA!

Gabby's 1st Gymnastics Meet

Gabby had her first gymnastics meet on Saturday, December 1st. It was an intra-squad meet, so they competed against their teammates - not another team. This was set-up to get them used to the structure of a meet, and having a real judge (which they did have) watch and judge and score them. Granted, the scores were never disclosed - which was fine and probably best. The next meets are set for January, February and March against other teams from throughout western Washington.

She practices twice weekly, for 3 hours each night. I think this is a little overkill - but she loves it. She's on pre-team. However, in January 2013, the US Gymnastics association will not classify her as pre-team anymore, rather she'll be called "USAG Level 2". Apparently, they are re-classifying all the levels, etc, with different names come 2013. And, her gym is one of those more serious gyms, so they stick to the guidelines and try to educate us parents about these changes via newsletters and emails.

I'm learning that some parents are REALLY in to all of these details, and that "meet buns" (how their hair is styled gym meets) are serious business. Ha! I tend to be one of the parents that knows my child will never be a professional gymnast, so I see no reason to push my kid beyond her limits. I love that Gabby is enjoying gymnastics so much. But, if ever there is a day she is not enjoying it, or if her school work suffers... then we know it would be best to pull her out. Her happiness and school/education is much more important. And, six hours a week for a 6/7 year old is a LOT. Life is short... and kids should be having FUN and enjoying life and the activities they are involved in at this age. 

Gabby was truly SO excited for the meet. She tends to be a perfectionist, so I was forced to help/watch her floor routine over and over for the 2 nights prior to the meet. We had been given the music CD, and a sheet of paper with the routine a month before, but we hadn't practiced at all. So, two nights prior to the meet, she became stressed that she would forget her routine. I told her it didn't matter if she forgot, to take her time, and that what was MOST important was that she did the very best she could do and that she was having FUN. But, she insisted on practicing... a LOT. Practicing over & over was painful at first (for me!), because Gabby's perfectionist was coming out. Then, it got fun when she started to relax, and it was cute because the little kids were watching and cheering for her. I did eventually have to tell her to stop practicing because she must have done that routine 100 times over & over.

We all went to watch Gabby at her meet. She did such a great job and we were so proud of her. It takes such courage and confidence to get out there and do the best job you can do in front of an audience. We couldn't help but be proud of not only Gabby, but each one of those girls! It was truly so fun to watch all of them perform.

Gabby's favorite apparatus is the bars, so I posted that video here. Her second is beam, and third is floor. Vault is her least favorite. She did a great job on all of her routines. She didn't forget them like she was worried she might. And, wow... it was just great fun to watch!

She's SEVEN!

Our big girl turned seven recently. SEVEN.

Wow.

I have no idea where those seven years went.

Gabby's 7 Year Growth Stats:
Height: 4' 2" (75%ile)
Weight: 49lbs (50%ile)
BMI: 14-23 (10-25%ile)

Before I go to bed, I'll often tiptoe into her room to check on her and give her a gentle kiss on her forehead. Sometimes I'll just stare at her and get nostalgic... thinking I can still visualize her face as a baby. And, I'll think about how time just flies and she keeps growing. I'll think about the things that Gabby is worried or concerned about... and I'll wish all those things away for her. A parent's love for their child(ren) is an amazing thing.

I couldn't be more proud of the little lady Gabby is becoming. She is smart, confident, caring, thoughtful, loving, funny, and beautiful. She is sensitive. She's girly. She's an amazing big sister. She makes us laugh. Fashionista, drama-queen, dreamer and silly also come to mind. She's a happy girl... and she has such a big heart. We love her more than words. 

Gabby's seven year old favorites:
Food: pasta & meatballs with marinara sauce
Book: Sad Isn't Bad
Color: Pink
Movie: The Rise of the Guardians
Toy: L.EGO Friends Mia's Horsefarm
Song: any song by Taylor Swift or Katy Perry
Treat: mint chocolate chip ice cream
Day: Wednesday
Sport: gymnastics
Vacation spot: Hawaii

She is in first grade and doing so great at school. We're told she is one of the top students in her class, and she is reading at second grade level. Her teacher said she does well in both reading and math, and that Gabby is one of the kids in the class who is both helpful and she can really "count on" in certain situations. She loves reading chapter books. She loves learning math, and even spent an hour one night trying to do three digit addition, making me teach her how to do it over and over again [gee... THAT wasn't frustrating at all! ha!]. Gabby loves school. I think she likes both the challenge of school and the social aspect equally.

She is in gymnastics and swimming and has asked to be re-enrolled in dance class (ballet & tap) in January. She decided to quit soccer in September, saying she's just not interested in soccer anymore.

She is VERY into fashion these days. So much in fact that for her birthday, she asked us for specific shoe and clothing items. All having sparkles, of course (this child LOVES sequins and glitter!). Also, she has started designing her own dress and handbag line, and neatly cuts and tapes each new design into a journal/book for safe keeping. Then, for her birthday, a friend got her a very cool fashion design tracing light box... and she has since designed shoes and complete outfits. I have no idea where she got this gene from... not me! I'm pretty certain my mother only has photos of me wearing jeans and sweatshirts from kindergarten to age 20.

 I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as she has always been very opinionated in what she wears every days since she was 18 months old. Dressing up in heels and fancy dresses started shortly after 18 months. And, multiple outfit changes per day started happening at age 2. Now, adding to the interest in fashion is an interest in face glitter. This is a very new interest. It's cute and she uses it sparingly... never to school, just for fun. So I let her. It's harmless. And, I'll admit - it does look kind of fun! I think it's somewhat a result of having au pairs live with us who often put makeup on.

In addition to fashion, she also really loves L.EGOS Friends, and arts and crafts type activities where she can trace stuff, draw, and color, or just be creative in general in some way/shape/form. She is becoming quite good at drawing (copying) things that she's looking at - I've been impressed. And while she loves the L.EGOS... I think Rocco is better/more patient when it comes to building the sets. But, I do love that the kids all play SO great together with them. It's really cool. I had no idea how awesome the L.EGOS sets were until recently.

She knows how to S.kype, F.acetime, text message and email friends from her i.Touch. Crazy, I know. But, it is pretty funny to watch 6 and 7 year olds on F.acetime... just giggling at each other, asking over and over what the other one is doing and then informing us later that "so and so" is staying overnight on Friday. Too funny, because I remember having to call my friends on a rotary dial phone with the cord attached to the wall when I was a kid. I remember it being a very big deal/privilege to use the telephone, and I would have never imagined in a million years being able to call my friend on a tiny hand-held device where I could actually see AND talk to them at the same time.

She also listens to a lot of music on her iTouch, and I'll sometimes walk in on her singing at the top of her lungs to whatever song. I love walking in on those moments!

She's getting to the age where she is becoming more private. Enjoying more time content just by herself, whether it's reading, coloring/drawing, or just playing. She's also had moments of "I'm going to get dressed in my closet so nobody sees me." Then, the next day... she'll be running from the tub through the house with bare buns.

This year, we barely saw her on her actual birthday. She went to school, then sraight to gymnastics for 3 hours, and then finally home at 7:50pm. We sang her the birthday song, ate gourmet cupcakes and she ripped through her presents in less than 10 minutes. She was a happy girl and I think she had a great day.

For her birthday party this year, she asked to have it at a roller rink. She has never been roller skating before, so I figured this might be kind of interesting! As it turns out, only a few kids had ever skated before, so it was perfect because they all sort of had the chance to learn together. She invited a lot of friends from school and gymnastics. The kids skated, some played arcade games, and then they ate pizza and cake. When we got home and I realized all the presents that she had to open from her friends, I suggested we put together a pile of gifts that we would give to children who might not get any gifts for Christmas. Gabby is a lucky girl in that she does not truly need anything. I was so proud of Gabby because she agreed with me, without hesitation, and helped me set aside gifts that we could give to other children.

Love you tons, Miss Gabbers! You make me so, incredibly proud every single day of your life and I love you around the world and to the moon & back. xoxo

 

The 1st Tooth is Out!

Gabby lost her first tooth on Friday, 9/14/12.

We visited the dentist in late August, and he told us that Gabby would probably lose her two bottom teeth before Halloween. Then, three weeks ago Gabby started saying it was hurting to bite down on food. The same day, she discovered that she could actually bend her tooth a bit. She spent countless hours wiggling that tooth back & forth. The tooth finally lost his battle to to a gummy bear… the gummy bear being stronger than whatever was still holding securing the tooth to Gabby’s gums.   

 

Gabby was so excited. She went running around the house screaming “my tooth fell out!” Rocco and Giuliana were very excited for her and intrigued by this. Rocco kept asking when his teeth were going to fall out. Giuliana told me her teeth were NOT going to fall out. Never ever.

 

Gabby then asked me to take a picture and send it to Michalina, our au pair for the past year who had just left to go back to Poland. She had really wanted to be here when Gabby lost her first tooth. And, I also sent the photo to daddy (away on a biz trip).

 

This was a VERY big deal for Gabby! To say she was eagerly anticipating the loss of her tooth is a grand understatement. You see… in  Kindergarten, there was a “tooth” bulletin board that displayed the names, pictures and dates for each child who had lost a tooth (or more). Gabby really wanted to be a part of that, and spent a good part of the year complaining about tooth pain, or telling us she thought one was starting to wiggle.

 

Monday morning came, and Gabby was quick to share her big news with the bus driver, teacher and all of her school friends. And, she even got to put her name on the first grader’s “I lost a tooth!” bulletin board. J

 

Gabby started 1st grade!

Gabby was SO EXCITED for school to start. She truly loves learning and she also really enjoys the social aspect.

Two weeks before school started, we received a letter telling us which teacher and classroom she would have. She was thrilled to learn she would have Mrs C... the same teacher that two of her very best friends from kindergarten were assigned. The letter also came with a school supply list, so I invited her to join me to pick out her new school supplies.

While a lot of the schol supplies were pretty standard, Gabby enjoyed picking out a wide-ruled notebook decorated with hearts, 2 folders decorated with the "peace" signs, and a pink pencil pouch (vs. a pencil box). I talked her into keeping her same backpack from last year since it was still in great condition.

Coincidentally, we had also purged Gabby's closet the week before... so it gave us a great excuse to also do a little back-to-school clothes shopping. She needed new jeans, a few new long sleeve shirts, and a few new t-shirts.

Her school held a "meet the teacher" event the Friday before school started. It was nice for Gabby to be able to see her new classroom, meet and talk with her new teacher, see where her desk and locker areas were. When we got home, Michalina asked her what she thought of "meet the teacher", and Gabby's response was "my new teacher has brown and gray hair".

Glad she got something out of it! ha!

The night before the first day of school, I think she fell asleep close to 10pm... maybe even a little later. Crazy little girl... so excited she couldn't sleep. Granted, I remember that always happening to me too!

I hope it will be a great year ahead for her!

Horse & Pony Camp... highlight of Gabby's summer!

Gabby’s third and final week-long camp of the summer was attending a horse & pony camp the last week of July. The anticipation was incredible and the camp was truly a little girl’s dream!

The first camp she went to was an all-day swim & tennis camp with two of her best friends from CA, Sofia & Giovanni, (their family moved here around the same time we did – crazy coincidence!). So, she spent the first sunny, warm week of July swimming in pools, playing tennis, and doing some Independence Day-related arts & crafts.nGabby really enjoyed the time with her friends, but also made a few new friends which is great. The second camp she attended was soccer camp.

 

The Horse & Pony Camp was the camp she anticipated most and it was everything she dreamed it would be and more. I was amazed the first time I saw the ranch… so serene and beautiful. Literally made you dream for a minute or two what it would be like to be a horse living on that ranch, under the care of the family who owned it. It was in the middle of nowhere… but honestly, the most beautiful horse ranch set-up I’ve ever seen.

 

Gabby spent the week learning about horses… everything from how to feed and handle them, to how to bathe, groom and clean up after them. She learned about the different types of horses and saddles. And, most importantly, she spent a LOT of time riding the horses and ponies. She was in HEAVEN!! So much in fact, that the first day I went to pick her up, she seemed really upset. When inquiring more about why she was so upset, it was determined that she was upset that I came to pick her up. She didn’t want to go home! This was both a relief (glad that she was having fun!) and OMG moment (seriously – you don’t want to come home?!).

 

As luck would have it, one of our neighbors was one of the assistants at the camp. And, they were kind enough to offer to bring Gabby to and from camp a few days to help me out. Gabby LOVED this, because it meant she arrived almost an hour early each day. This allowed her extra time to help with feeding the chickens and bunnies, and watching and helping with the ponies.

 

At the end of the week, the campers put on a horse show for us. Each camper rode the horse through an equestrian obstacle course (no jumps of course, all obstacles were grounded). And, then each camper was presented with a big ribbon and personalized scrapbook that included loads of photos of them riding and helping with the horses, and also pictures holding chickens and bunnies, etc. It was really cute. The campers each all received a cute t-shirt at the beginning of the week (which I think Gabby just HAD to wear 4 of the 5 days!).

 

I was SO impressed with the camp and I would highly recommend. It was the most expensive of her summer camps, but also her favorite and most memorable. Rocco and Giuliana also really enjoyed visiting the ranch on the last day with us to watch the horse show. After the show, Giuliana got to spend a lot of time sitting on a horse and petting many of them. And, both her and Rocco spent some quality time chasing and holding the chickens and bunnies.

Summer Soccer Camp

Gabby and Rocco both went to the Seattle Sounders Soccer camp in mid-July. It was a half day morning camp, so we’d drop them off at 9am and pick-up at 12noon. They had such a great time! Not only did Rocco tell me he loved it, but every day after camp he’d go out in the front yard and kick around the soccer ball… so cute! This was his very first camp and it was a big success. In addition to the camp, both Gabby and Rocco have been in a weekly soccer league since spring. Gabby is taking a break during the fall, but Rocco chose to continue.

Last winter, I was not planning to send Rocco to any camps this summer because his pre-school program operates year-round. But, due to the fact that I have a newborn who hates riding in the car, and his school and camp are in two different directions, not to mention I was also busy with work at the time… I needed one daily drop-off and pick-up location in order to keep my sanity. It was a VERY good decision! J

Gabby also said she had a lot of fun at soccer camp. I think she also picked up a few new skills at the camp which is great. But, even more, I think she might have enjoyed all the give-a-ways, and the fact that one of her best friends from school was also there. It was a really well run camp and I was impressed with the set-up, coaches, location… and yes, all the give-a-ways. Each child picked up a brand new soccer ball which they got to color/personalize, a camp t-shirt, a Seattle Sounders scarf, and insulated lunch bags.   

Gabby and Rocco have also been participating in a weekly soccer league since spring. With school starting, and spending 6 hours at gymnastics each week... Gabby decided to take a break from soccer for the fall. But, Rocco has chosen to continue with his soccer Saturday. 

Kindergarten Graduate!

We went to Gabby’s kindergarten graduation today. It was very informal and super cute. Each child wore a graduation cap that they made, and they each received a little diploma from Ms. T. They performed a song for us, and there was also a special DVD show that we watched. Each of the kids had colored a picture of something they weren’t able to do before they entered kindergarten, and then a picture of them being able to do it after being in kindergarten. They each did their own voiceover explaining their pictures and what it was they couldn’t do before, but could now do after. Gabby said “I couldn’t read before kindergarten, but now I am really good at reading and can even read books to my brother and sister!” Gabby could read ver little before entering kindergarten - just very basic words. And, it was a challenge for her… so she didn’t really enjoy trying to read and would get frustrated easily. Now, she loves it! She reads often and really does read books to Giuliana and Rocco quite frequently. It’s so fun to see her doing this!

It was so fun to hear what all the kids said while watching the DVD show. Some kids said how they couldn’t do the monkey bars, or how they couldn’t eat lunch by themselves, or how they didn’t know the alphabet… and then, now, how they are *awesome* at the monkey bars, or how they know how to eat lunch with friends, and how they now know the alphabet. Super-duper cute!

I have to give HUGE props to Gabby’s teacher. Seriously one of the greatest teachers out there! Some of the kids in Gabby’s class didn’t know the entire alphabet, or couldn’t even recognize all the letters of the alphabet at the beginning of the school year. And now, every single one of those kids is testing out at reading first grade level or above. Gabby actually tests out at reading above first grade level and we are SO proud of her. Ms. T really pushed the kids AND the parents. Gabby had almost 45 mins of homework several days a week, which was definitely a challenge for all of us. But, it truly paid off!

Gabby LOVED kindergarten so much that she would often tell us she wished it was a school day on the weekends. I think that had a LOT to do with Ms. T. I seriously LOVE great teachers! And, I’m so happy that Gabby was able to enjoy such an amazing kindergarten experience.

 Watch out first grade… here we come!

 (Rocco is clearly VERY excited for his sister... nice face, buddy!)

Gabby Rocks Gym Jam!

Last August, Gabby was put on a developmental invite-only girls team – the Super Stars. In my opinion, it seems pretty intense for 6 year olds to be participating in a gymnastics class that lasts 2 hours, twice a week. I was hesitant at first to let her participate in it… mostly because it is so inconvenient with a young family where evenings can be so unpredictable with the personalities and temperaments of having various age groups. But, she clearly wasn’t enjoying the Level 1 class. It was just too easy for her. So, we decided to give the advanced class a whirl. It was a great decision.

Now, she’s been invited to join the Pre-Team! Wow! And, if I thought 4 hours of gymnastics were a lot… well, now it will be 6 hours per week. Yikes! Two classes weekly that each last for 3 hours. She’ll start that in July and she’s very excited about it. But, we’ll see how it goes once first grade starts in the fall. If she gets to the point of feeling overwhelmed or that she doesn’t want to do it anymore… then that’s it! We’ll stop! So… we’ll see…

Anyway, for now, Gabby has really liked being in the advanced class. She has learned so much this year… splits (both ways), back bends, back bend kickovers, hand stands on the high beam, dismounts off the high beam, various pull-overs on the bars. It’s really incredible! She frequently earns the *hardest worker* award at the end of class (which they award at ever class). She’s clearly very proud of what she’s learned as she’s constantly showing us her tricks at home. And, she has all these fancy little graceful moves that she does as she twirls around at home that look so neat and make me wish I could do them right along with her. When I watch her and the other girls during practice, I honestly wish I was out there on the gym floor doing all their strength-training! What a great work-out… and all the calories they must be burning! They should definitely have an adults class! Ha!

Date night with Gabby!

There is another reason I love the holidays... and that's because it's a break from the normal routine. No school routine. No rushing to gymnastics class or swimming lessons. No crazy work requests. Everything just seems a bit quieter.

So, Dan & I usually take advantage of this time to go on a few dates. This year, we decided we'd take each child on a special date with us. For Gabby's date, she chose to go out and get pedicures and dinner. Although, she got a manicure AND a pedicure. And, some very cute flowers were painted on her big toes. Dan and I just got pedi's.

For dinner we went to a fun wine cafe. And, while the big people can have wine flights... the little people can enjoy milk flights. So, Gabby got to enjoy special milk flights served in fancy wine glasses. She tried strawberry, caramel, chocolate and white and I had to remind her to not drink them so fast or we'd be in the bathroom more than sitting at the table during dinner!

She also entertained us through dinner with funny stories from school and with her friends. She is such a fun little girl. She's always full of excitement, and willing to share stories and see what our thoughts are on certain scenarios with her friends, etc. I love listening to her stories and thoughts, and hearing all about her world that we aren't a part of during the school day. And, I'm so glad she shares stories with us. I imagine the day she stops sharing so much is not too far off!

We love you so much, Gabs! Thanks for the fun date night!

Backbends & Splits!

Gabby is getting so great at gymnastics! She really loves it.

She loves it so much that she recently decided to quit dance. I think doing dance on Mondays and then having gymnastics every Tuesday and Thursday night for two hours was getting to be a bit much.

A few months ago Gabby came home to show us she could do the splits. And, a few weeks ago, she came home to show us that she could do a backbend all by herself. Wow! So impressive! He most recent accomplishment is doing a bridge kick-over. Basically, she can kick over and up to standing position when starting in a backbend. I have yet to record the bridge kick-over - but will do that soon!

It's fun to watch Gabby do all her tricks... and it's really fun to watch Rocco and Giuliana join in on it, as they'll always start doing somersaults, and trying to do handstands, etc. too. Always very entertaining for everyone watching!

For now, I have two videos to share - one of Gabby doing the splits and the other where she's doing a backbend. And, of course when Gabby starts doing her gymnastics… then Rocco and Giuliana start doing somersaults too. They also try to do handstands and cartwheels and that’s always very entertaining for everyone watching.

SIX!!!!!!

Wow…it’s so crazy to think we have a six year old. I look at Gabby today and I can still visualize exactly what she looked like the day she was born.

She is such a sweet, sweet girl and we love her so much! She is truly so happy. So confident. She is always so proud of herself with each new accomplishment. She is incredibly loving and motherly to her siblings… and even to friends (even noted by her teacher at our parent/teacher conferences!). She is also so very smart and eager to learn! Everything Gabby does involves a bit of drama…and you will always know when she is excited about something because she’ll talk VERY loud.

Since starting all-day kindergarten, and having gymnastics two nights a week on school nights (each class lasting 2 hours), we see so much less of Gabby. But, I guess that is life. As long as she is happy and thriving, we are happy for her! She LOVES school SO much… all-day kindergarten was definitely the perfect fit for her. On the weekends, she often tells us she wishes it was a school day because she loves school so much. And, on Monday morning, she is reminding us how much she loves school and how excited she is to go to school again.

Gabby also really loves gymnastics. She has received the “hardest worker” award 3 times now, and has also been recognized as “gymnast of the week”. She can do splits two ways, backbends and just recently she learned to do a back kickover from the backbend position. I see back walkovers happening in our near future.

When Gabby isn’t at school or gymnastics, she seems to be doing school related activities… like making books, writing letters to people, asking how to spell things or practicing her reading. OR, she’s doing various tumbling moves or trying to play “coach” to Rocco and Giuliana. Last weekend, she used two beginning to read books she received from her friend Leah for her birthday as her “coaching manuals” and led Rocco and Giuliana through at least an hour of “play gymnastics” It was really cute and the little kids loved all the attention.

One of Gabby's big accomplishments this past year was learning to ride her bike without training wheels! With the help of daddy, by early spring 2011, she was riding her bike (no training wheels!) all by herself! Yay Gabby!!

Her fifth year of life also included getting her ears pierced, sleeping in her own bed (all night, from start to finish without visiting mommy & daddy's bed), learning to read, counting to 100, learning how to count some forms of money, starting to practice brushing her teeth by herself (although mommy & daddy or our au pair always helps & finishes after she's done trying).

Gabby is also in swimming class once a week and was just moved up to the Intermediate class. And, at the end of October, she decided to quit her dance class. I think she just got bored with it. She really loved being the show last year… you know, the costumes, the makeup, being on stage and in the spotlight… but when it came down to the weekly class, she just no longer had interest for it. Selfish me is somewhat happy about her decision to quit dance – now WE get to spend time with her on Monday after school! Yay!

Gabby has made a number of new/good friends since we moved here. There are five kids in the neighborhood that she really enjoys playing with. She made 3 great friends through her gymnastics class, and there are also several new good girlfriends at school. It’s good to know she is not afraid to make new friends. And, it will be fun to see what friendships continue to develop and which fade due to interests, time, and other commitments.

We recently had our parent teacher conferences with Gabby’s teacher, Ms. T. We really enjoyed hearing the teacher’s perspective on our child and some of the kindergarten stories and things that happen in the classroom. Ms. T told us that Gabby is one of the top readers in her class and is well above average for reading skills and letter sounds/recognition. She said Gabby is a delight in the classroom and that everything she does comes with a bit of drama… whether it’s tying her shoes, asking to go to the bathroom, or presenting her letter projects to the class. Too funny! We were also told that Gabby has told her teacher to call her “Gabriella” for specific things… like before she presents to the class, or when she is going to do something special. So, it seems that Gabriella prefers her long name when she wants to be “fancy”. Ms T also told us that Gabby is very motherly to the other kids in her class, especially to the kids who are shorter than her. Apparently, Ms. T had to tell her that she’s trying to teach everyone in the class independence so nobody needs to be *mothered*. And, she gently reminds Gabby that the kids who are shorter than her are still the same age as her. Hahahaha!! We also understand that during recess, Gabby spends almost every minute playing on the monkey bars and apparently, she gets quite competitive with the boys on those bars… creating a bit of jealousy and upset from the boys.

Gabby has grown so much this past year. I still find it pretty difficult to shop for jeans/pants for her because she is very tall, but very lean. When jeans/pants finally fit her waist, they are too short on her length-wise! This can be frustrating… but we finally found some cute/stylish yoga pants that seem to work great for school, etc. She also continues to eat like a champ! She tries pretty much everything I make and I would say she has a pretty sophisticated palette and truly appreciates/likes good food! Avocadoes, salmon, steak, chicken dishes, thai food, Mexican food, indian food… you name it… this girl eats it!

Gabby’s growth stats are now:

Height: 47 inches

Weight: 45 pounds

Gabby loves to change her earrings before school every day. She loves trying on lip glosses and even putting makeup on if I’m putting some on (which is rare these days!). She loves dressing up in different outfits, and has a real love for shoes/boots. She LOVES singing to music… and will walk around the house with headphones, an iPod, singing at the top of her lungs. Mostly Taylor Swift and songs from T.angled (the R.apunzel movie). So, for her birthday, we decided to give her an i.Pod T.ouch. Now, she loves to sing to her music, check the weather, take photos and videos of everyone, play games, etc. And, Giuliana is ALWAYS wanting Gabby’s iTouch and honestly knows how to work it… now SHE goes around playing the music and dancing to it. Little sisters are HILARIOUS!

Gabby still carries some PTSD from Matteo’s death. For example, whenever Giuliana or Rocco get hurt and blood appears… depending on the severity or my/Dan’s reaction, Gabby will breakdown crying and asking if they will be ok, if they have to go to the doctor, what’s going to happen to them, etc. It breaks my heart. It breaks Dan’s heart. I wish with all my heart she would not know what she knows, or would not have seen what she has seen when it comes to life/death. Recently, Rocco broke out in a rash from a penicillin allergy, and Gabby broke down again because we had to take Rocco to the ER. She was sobbing… asking if Rocco would come home again, what was wrong with him. We’ve found that as long as we remain calm and reassure her that everything is ok and that this stuff happens all the time, it calms her. But, the sad thing is… she knows that abnormal, unexpected things DO happen… with serious consequences that can’t be reversed. She knows death. And, we’ll never be able to take that away from her… just pad it, and build understanding that not all things lead to death. I think it’s fair to say that her *motherly* tendencies stem from her understanding of life and death, and her experience with seeing her younger brother who she loved so much, dead.

Recently, at school, after the kids were journaling on a Monday morning, one of the kids told Ms. T. that he went to a funeral and saw a casket, etc. Apparently, Gabby then went on to tell the entire class that her brother died in his crib, that her mommy was crying and screaming, that her daddy tried to make Matteo come back to life, that the police and firemen came to our house, that we had a funeral and her brother was in a casket, etc. Ugh. I was glad Ms. T. told me about this. But, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to it kicking me in the ass and ripping out my heart and making me sad and angry and just feeling every emotion under the sun… and helpless that I can’t ever take away Gabby’s pain. I’m glad she has memories… but at the same time I HATE that she has memories. I’m still so angry and sad and frustrated and… well… you get it. Matteo shouldn’t have died. We don’t even know WHY he died. It wasn’t fair to him. It isn’t fair to his twin. It isn’t fair to his now 6 year old sister. And, it isn’t fair to Giuliana, who never got to meet him.

Life definitely has its ups and downs. I don’t blog a lot about all of my Matteo thoughts and emotions, fo many different reasons. But, it goes without saying that he is truly always on my mind. Always. ALWAYS. Not a minute goes by that I don’t think of him. I’m so thankful that Gabby and Rocco and Giuliana have made there still be a good reason to *live* life, while still dealing with a lot of grief. These little people are such precious little gifts… most people will never truly understand just how precious they are. Anyway, I digress…

Obviously, we are so proud and completely in love with our six year old! We love Gabby SO, SO very much. She is just beyond special and unique and important to us. She brings so much joy and happiness to our lives every single day. She is truly my little lady… sometimes even a little too eager to grow up. She is just a big hunk of love and sunshine and I feel so blessed to have her in our lives. We love you Gabby!! Happy 6^th Birthday!!