Photo Tag

I was tagged by my friend Juli on her blog; it's a photo challenge: Open your 6th folder in your photo files and post your 6th picture.

I love this photo! It is of my mom and my niece down in Mexico. It was taken about 5 years ago! I just love how it shows the sweet relationship between grandma and granddaughter!

I tag anyone who wants to play!

Gabbie's First Trip To Utah

Gabbie had her first trip to Utah last weekend. She did great! We fed her, jumped in the car, and didn't hear a peep out of her until about 3 minutes before reaching our destination! What a trooper she is!

First stop, Aunt Becky's. There she met lots of family and my friend Jen and her girls. I realized when I got home, I didn't take all that many photos! I missed a lot of family that Gabbie got to meet. I promise I will do better next time with the camera!

Jen, Hannah, Kennedy and Gabbie!

Aunt Becky and Gabbie! Becky also watched Gabbie that night so Kiley and I could attend the Boston / Jazz game! We had a great time! Thanks Becky!

Next stop was Grandma Vicky's on Friday! Grandma Vicky and Grandpa Charles watched Gabbie so Kiley and I could hit Costco and Target! Thank you! I think Grandma is officially addicted to Gabbie...

On Saturday, Gabbie got to hang out almost the entire day with her cousin Kelsey. Kelsey was the official "Mothers Helper" and did a fantastic job. Kiley and I offered her a full-time position, but unfortunately she didn't want to drop out of school and move to Elko. She was great! Helped make bottles, read to her, fed her, and kept an eye on her all day. I think Kelsey and Gabbie will have lots of fun together as Gabbie grows up!

Kelsey reading Gabbie "Diary of an Earthworm".

Kelsey did a great job of feeding Gabbie!

So cute!

Last stop on the trip, Uncle Coray's on Saturday night for another family gathering! It was so fun for us to introduce Gabbie to some of the family! We can't wait to come back out and spend more time!

Uncle Coray and Gabbie!

Coray, Adam, Andrew, Brooke, and Dale

Ordinary Miracle, Not To Me...

People fall in love everyday. People have babies everyday. In fact, there are about 4 babies born each second throughout the world, but who’s counting. These are ordinary occurrences that happen every day! But not to me…

I was 32 years old when I met Kiley. I won’t even go into the people I dated before meeting Kiley, let me just say that it was a long and winding road that lead me to Kiley. The road with Kiley was not without its bumps, but we made it. I was 33 (just 9 days shy of 34) when we married in July of 2005. On that day, I married my best friend. We have shared so many great memories since then, and I can’t wait to create many, many more. There is no one else that I would rather be on this journey with than him!

On January 21, 2009, I gave birth to Gabrielle Grace Brannon. Yes, I know that people have babies everyday, but Gabbie was no ordinary miracle to me. As soon as I delivered her, they whisked her away to be cleaned. I could see her and my eyes filled with tears. I had wanted to be a mom for SO LONG! I use to tell my mom when I was 14 that I was ready to be a mom… I realize now that I was totally wrong, but the point is I had wanted to be a mother for 20+ years! Now I was! That goopy little screaming girl was mine, mine and Kileys! I didn’t have to give her back or just go visit her, she was mine!

Then Kiley brought her to me and laid her in my arms. She was beautiful! A little swollen and beaten up, but absolutely beautiful! My mom and dad were her first visitors. As I looked at my mom with my little girl in her arms, I prayed for one more miracle in my life… Please, Lord, help me be the kind of mom to Gabbie that my mom has been to me!

One morning while feeding Gabbie and flipping through the TV stations, I caught the end of Charlotte’s Web. The song during the credits totally hit me. It is by Sarah McLachlan and it is called Ordinary Miracle. I listened to the song as I held my little girl, and tears just filled my eyes. I was holding my “Ordinary Miracle” in my arms.

Gabbie is 4 weeks old today! I have spent hundreds of hours, literally, holding her and studying her. Her lips, her ears, her eyes, her mouth, her tongue, her hands, her feet, her toes, and every single finger. I am continually amazed at the miracle in my life. I love to watch Kiley with her, as she grabs his fingers and looks into his eyes.

I look at them both and am so grateful that I held on to my dreams, that I didn’t give up! There were times I wanted to! I thought it would NEVER happen for me… but here I am. I have a wonderful husband who loves me. A gorgeous, perfect little girl! Ordinary? Not to me. To me, they are Extraordinary!

Look At What I Can Do!

Here is a little video I took of Gabbie holding her head up! She is such a cute and content baby... well, most of the time!

The lighting is a little dark, but it is better than nothing!

Never Too Young...

Gabbie has started to have longer awake times. I figured it is never too young to start reading to them! This is Gabbie’s first book. I think she liked it, although I occasionally got the look of, “Mom, I am only 2 weeks old! I have no idea what you are saying to me!” One day she will, and I am sure she will be one of the smartest kids around!

I sure hope she likes books, she has hundreds of them already thanks to Grandma Vicky! Gabbie is the lucky recipient of all her books she has collected in her 36 years of teaching.

Just Like Her Daddy!

Gabbie received her very first bowling ball yesterday! JD and Jo, the owners of the local bowling alley, gave Gabbie a Disney Princess bowling ball! Now, it will be a while before she can actually use it since it weighs as much as she does, but I am sure that Kiley will get her out to the bowling alley as soon as he can! I am sure they will have lots of fun together using her Princess ball!

Thanks JD and Jo!

More of her baby bowling gang signs...

I think this one means, "Dad, you chopped it!"

Wild Hippie Hair!

“Wild Hippie Hair!” That is how Kiley described Gabbie’s hair once she came out. Boy, was he right! Her hair is crazy! It is pretty short on the top and sides, long on the crown and the back. The long hair on the crown has a mind of its own! It sticks straight up! You couldn’t really get the full gist of it in the other pictures since the background is usually dark, so we took these photos to show just how crazy it really is! But, oh, how we love it!

I love the squirmy faces they make!

Flashing one of her gang signs!

Another shot of the wild hair!

Two Weeks Already?!?!?

Her two week old pic! She is definitely growing!

WOW! I can’t believe that Gabbie is already two weeks old! It seems like just a couple of days ago that I was telling Kiley that by the end of the month we would have a little baby here in the house. I have to say that we could not have asked for a better baby. She is great! She is eating well, sleeping well, and just as sweet and content as could be. Even I am getting to sleep quite a bit!

She had to go into the doctors for her follow-up test today. She weighed 7 lbs 4 oz at birth, dropped to 6 lbs 12 oz at her first doctor’s appointment. Today she weighed 7 lbs 6 oz, so she is doing great!

Here are some pics that we have taken over the past couple of days! She sure has grabbed the heart of all of us! What a sweetheart!

Gabbie with Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Dianne. They left last Saturday. I cried and Gabbie cried! Thanks for all your love and support!

I love how she is always moving and playing with her hands!


Hanging with her dad! He is so good to help with everything... feeding, burping, bathing, changing.

Snuggling with Grandpa Larry!