Grandpa's Visit

Grandpa Benefiel was in town for a visit this past weekend. We had a nice, relaxing couple of days filled with hanging out around the house, playing cards, and watching college football. As you can see from the pictures, he and Gabi had a good time exchanging funny faces on the recliner.

Can't wait to do it again Dad:)

Breckenridge

Hey Everyone,

Well we had a nice little vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado last week. Rachel had a teaching conference to attend, and I got to watch Gabi:) It's truly a beautiful place, and the drive up was very nice as well. We got to make stops in Santa Fe, Taos, Royal Gorge, and in Albuquerque on the way back (Ballon Fiesta was taking place as we drove through).

Gabi did very well considering all of the travel time. It snowed on our second day up there, so the baby got to see her first snow flakes. We look forward to going again in the future so we can hike and ski. Take Care!

Bath Time

Gabriella really loves her baths, so we thought we'd upload some funny pictures of the process:)

Gabi's First RAIDER Game

Well, I had to concede to Rachel that Gabi would be a Raiders fan instead of the Cowboys (as long as Texas Tech is her #1 college team). She watched her first Raider game on Monday night. Unfortunately they lost, but their team seems greatly improved compared to the last 5 seasons:)

The Giraffe

Last year, Rachel and I saw a really cool wooden giraffe at a store called Jackalope in Santa Fe. At the time, we did not know if we were having a girl or a boy, so we did not buy it. I was in Santa Fe yesterday for a meeting, and it turns out that the giraffe was still there, so I brought it home for the baby. Gabi loves it already. It stands 6'-6" and watches over her while she sleeps:)



Also, Gabrilella has begun to show more of her personality these days. She loves to smile and laugh as you can see on the attached video.

Hi Madilynn:0)

Congratulations Shaun and Hollie! We can't wait to see our new neice Madilynn. She's adorable. Babies with lots of hair must run in the family:) Enjoy every minute.

Happy Birthday Grandma Martinez!

Last weekend we went on our first family road trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa Martinez in Lubbock. We prepped ourselves by researching online first, since Gabi hates her car seat:( Rachel found a 'snuzzler' which conforms to the baby's body and makes her more comfortable. We also had to listen to a variety of baby bedtime music over and over again, but it worked. Gabi got her feet wet in the pool for the first time with Daddy, and we're waiting for Grandma to send us the great pictures she took so we can post them. We had a great time and look forward to our next visit in October, when we'll take Gabi to her first Texas Tech football game.

Rachel goes back to work on Thursday. Grandma Palomino will be watching Gabi. We're praying that it will be a smooth transition for us all. It has been so tough for us to leave her, but it gives us so much comfort knowing that she is with her grandma while we're at work. Our best wishes go out to Hollie and Shaun as they prepare for their little miracle. We can't wait to see Madi.

Tommorrow is Grandma Martinez's birthday, and we all want to say Happy Birthday and we love you:)