Wan go simmin?!

My mom and I made a FIRM decision that we need to start enjoying Hawaii's beaches more often. Awesome! So we've been going to the beach every weekend now. A couple of weeks ago we called my sister to ask if she and Lily wanted to go swimming with us. Candace suggested that we go to "her beach" (North Beach at Kaneohe Bay) this time since we had never been there before. I guess Candace and Lily go quite a bit because it's a beach on her base (K-Bay). Fine by me!! So it was off to Kaneohe!! North beach is....hummm....it's good and bad. The bad: there are large rocks in the water, so you really need to be wearing water shoes if you want to go wading or swimming. The good: the water is calmer than North Shore and Bellows AND (this is a big deal to me) you can actually find sea shells there!! They get snatched up pretty quickly at other beaches (darn tourists...)

Anyway, here are the AWESOME pictures from out North Beach @ K-Bay adventure!

This beach trip marked Gabriel's first time really REALLY getting in the ocean! I just put him in his little floaty tube thing and he just kicked back--he LOVED it!!

He loved playing with Auntie Candace!

Oh, so that's how he's not falling through...

Lily always wants to help...

Lily didn't want to be in the water anymore, so she and Candace sat on the shore and watched the rest of us play!

Lily floated around with Gamma for a bit...

Lily loves to play in the sand!!

My mom wanted a picture of the kids playing in the sand for her beach themed bathroom, so we took a bunch of them. Unfortunately, there was a water spot on the lens (it's a water-proof camera and it definitely goes in the water a lot) that we didn't know about. the water spot is right over Lily in almost all of the pictures of them in the sand...bummer!

Sick. Gabriel (or course) just HAD to eat sand and chew on sandy toys and fingers...ugh...

So that was our fun beach visit! I'm so glad I was finally able to get Gabriel in the water! Every time we've gone to a beach since the point where I felt comfortable putting him in the water, it has been high tide or really chopy or too windy...but not this time!!

My Little Reader

Gabriel loves books and that makes me incredibly happy. It is so cute to watch him stare, wide-eyed, at all of the pages. He has to touch every picture! Hopefully, this will continue and he will be a great reader. I would rather have a reader than a gamer (nothing against gamers) and Gabe is LOVING the former! Yay!!

Crib Games

For a little over a month now, Gabriel has been playing this little game when he wakes up:

Don't it feel good!?

Man, I feel like so much happens in such a short amount of time and I get crazy busy and when I finally get around to updating, there's SO MUCH to post! Lots of pictures and videos coming your way!

I meant to post in May around Gabe's six month mark...but we had my sister out here with her husband and his dad and sister.

Gabriel LOVED hanging out with them and Amanda is such an adoring auntie!!

A couple of days after they left, Gabriel's Nana and Papa (Rivera) flew into town! We met them at the airport and Daisy flipped! It was so cute to see watch them examine every inch saying things like "Oh, he's got Ray-Ray's ears and the Rivera lips!" and "OH! look at that skin!" and "He sucks on his fingers like Jazz used to!"

We went shopping...

...and to the beach...

 and out to eat--Gabriel loved seeing his Nana and Papa!!

(As you can see, in true Nana fashion, Daisy couldn't get enough of him!)

These past six (almost seven) months have been such a blessing! Gabriel is such a happy, good natured little boy!

Every time I look at him I think "I can't believe he's MY BABY!!" He's just so cute and fun and has such a big, funny personality. 

Speaking of 'big', look at this kid!

Here he is at his six month well baby check up:

He is growing out of all of his cute little baby things!

I see him every day and think "Oh my goodness....I swear I can SEE him growing--at this very moment! My baby is ginormous! Slow down, son!!"

He talks and jibber-jabbers a lot these days. He has started saying "ba ba ba ba ba" and "d-d-d-d-d" (not quite "da da"). He has little outbursts of chatter and always weighs in on our conversations:

Bath time is becoming more of a pleasure for everyone involved! He loves to splash and play!

Gabriel is doing new things and trying new things almost every day! There's so much I want to show you, but there are pictures and videos yet-to-be-uploaded to my computer, so here's what I have at the moment:

Gabriel's first pickle! At first he didn't know what to think but then he really loved it! I think he likes the way they feel on his gums--plus they're nice and cold!

He recently had his first taste of Matsumoto's famous shaved ice!

Gabe's first six months have been quite a learning experience. I have loved every second of it though! He is my pride and joy and the light of my life. No matter what is going on in the world, I can always snuggle with my Boop and I'm walking on sunshine!