Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Tita and Tito's Wedding

As promised, here are some pictures of Tita Chrissie and Tito Jordan's wedding. (Cultural note: "Tita" and "Tito" are Filipino terms of endearment for aunts and uncles.) If you're interested in wedding pictures which are not so Gabi-centric, please contact Gabi's mommy.

The Wedding

As you may already know, Gabi had her first experience as a flowergirl in the wedding. You may remember her flowergirl dress from this post. Unfortunately, the wedding happened to be right at Gabi's naptime, but we were able to get a few pictures of the little one before she got tired.


For the wedding, Gabi got to carry this pretty flowerball.


At first, the flowerball was a source of great excitement!


Our pretty little flowergirl Gabi smelling her flowerball.

We tried to be clever and let the little one take a nap back in the cry room with her Gramma Jane, but she was not in the mood for sleeping. So instead, she spent extra time getting ready for the wedding. Mommy says that Gabi is definitely a little girl -- based on her keen interest in girly things.


A purse! "Click! Click!" It sure is fun to open and close!


Gabi girl powdering her nose... and cheeks... and neck...


Mmm! Yummy lip gloss! Why won't Gramma let me eat it, though?

After... um... "rest" time, it was finally time for the big wedding! Months ago, we weren't sure Gabi would be big enough to know to walk down the aisle all by herself, even with Jordan's sister Addie providing excellent guidance. But we decided it all came down to walking from Daddy (at the back of the church) to Mommy (at the front of the church). We were impressed when Gabi kept walking past Mommy to climb up the steps to the altar. What a big girl!


Flowergirl Gabi looking cute and waiting for her big entrance.
(Meanwhile, Daddy is telling Mommy to stop taking pictures and get up front.)


Flowergirl Addie shows how a professional flowergirl comes down the aisle.
Flowergirl Gabi is less professional, but makes it work with sheer cuteness.
(Gabi's little flowerball seems less full after being thrown a few times.)


Gabi at the altar beside the happy couple and the rest of the wedding party.
(She had just stepped aside to let Tita have her spot in the center.)

With her most important role fulfilled, Gabi spent the rest of the ceremony sitting (and standing) in the front pew next to Daddy and Mommy. She got tired (and fussy) midway through the ceremony and had to be taken to the back and rocked by Mommy. It was a lovely wedding, and we were so glad our little one could play a part in it. Afterwards, it was time for pictures, and our little one, having just woken up from her nap, was somewhat less than cooperative. But Tita and Tito were very sweet in trying to include her as much as she would allow them to.


Gabi fell asleep during the wedding and took her nap right there in the front pew!


Everyone tried so hard to get Gabi to stand in position for the pictures.


The Reception

After the wedding there was a big reception with dinner for all our friends and family and plenty of dancing. Gabi was a favorite dance partner of all her doting family members, and Mommy and Daddy got a chance to show off the dance moves they learned in PE at Notre Dame. ("Ballroom Dance" is a very popular PE rotation at ND.) The best part was getting to celebrate with sweet Tita and her new husband!


Tita Chrissie (the real star of the day) smiling at all her guests.


Tita and Tito share their first dance as a married couple.
Look at how happy Tita is! She's such a pretty bride.


The Father-Daughter Dance.
Lolo and Tita share a Father of the Bride moment.


Grampa and Mommy joining in for the second half of the dance.


Guess who else got to share a dance with her daddy?


Daddy and Lola joined in the Mother-Son Dance later.


Gramma even got a chance to dance with Uncle Brian!


And then it was time for all the married couples to dance, like Lola and Lolo...


...and Mommy and Daddy too!


There was no official Grandfather-Granddaughter dance.
Lolo didn't need an excuse to dance with Gabi, though.


Gabi was at no loss for entertainment when not dancing.
Here, she plays peek-a-boo through her flowergirl dress.


Jordan's cousins were happy to let Gabi play with their jewelry.
Gabi was particularly entertained by Sophie's stretchy bracelet.


Gabi is very fond of her Uncle Brian. He's so funny!
She remembered his name without any prompting. "Brian!"


The wedding reception ran pretty late, and Gabi got tired toward the end.
Here, she demonstrates her "I'm tired" sign: suck fingers and pull hair.


Mommy and Daddy had such fun dancing at the reception!


Before leaving, Tita Chrissie found time to give her brother a great big hug!


Daddy isn't up to anything with this huge pile of rose petals...


...except waiting to help send Tita and Tito out in style!

Congratulations, Chrissie and Jordan!
Gabi and her parents love you so much!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Little Rock

We drove to Little Rock for Tita Chrissie's wedding. We'll save pictures from the wedding itself for a later post, but here are some pictures from the other events last week.

Arrival in Little Rock

Tita likes Gabi's new bulldog named Zaggy.


Gabi climbing the column in Lolo and Lola's kitchen.


Gabi wiping her runny nose.

Thursday evening, Lolo and Lola hosted a welcome dinner to greet the wedding guests as they arrived in town. Gabi loved eating Filipino food, especially the hopia.

Gabi playing with tinker toys during the
Thursday evening welcome dinner.

Bridal Luncheon

Lola, Tita, Mommy, and Gabi at the Friday afternoon bridal luncheon.


Ashleigh helps Gabi smell a rose at the bridal luncheon.


Gabi and Lana at the bridal luncheon on Friday afternoon.


Mommy and Gabi laughing and being silly at the bridal luncheon.

Rehearsal and Dinner

Gabi (flowergirl) and Steven (ringbearer) playing on the altar.


Gabi and Steven taking pictures of each other.


Gabi tries to use Uncle Brian's camera as a phone.


Grampa, Gramma Jane, and Gabi at the rehearsal dinner.


Mommy and Gabi at the rehearsal dinner.


Tita Chrissie with her sisters-in-law and her niece.

Morning of Wedding Day

Gabi pretending Lolo's remote control is a phone.


Gabi meets her Lolo Ernie.

Sunday Brunch and Departure

Daddy, Mommy, and Gabi watching the Peabody ducks at Sunday Brunch.


Gabi and Uncle Brian watching the Peabody ducks.


Steven helps Gabi slide down his slide.
Steven gave Gabi this slide to keep!


Gabi watching her cousin Steven climb a tree.


Steven, Daddy, and Gabi in the climbing tree.


Gabi on the car ride home.