The Wilds

Mrs. potato head

2012-01-23T19:55:00.001-08:00

The mrs. Potato head from GranGran for Christmas is obviously a hit. Notice the concentration……..put her together, take her apart, put her together, take her apart. hee.

re-wind

2012-01-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

I came across this picture on Dale's ipod.....the start of our cross country trek on the way back to Minot :) The car was literally packed from top to bottom. And she was happy as can be to have us all in the car together. Me too baby girl. What a little trooper

dont you wish you could have been a fly on the wall

(arrrggg......click on the link that says on the road....it cut my video off again! One of these days when I get some time i'll try to do a different blog layout that lets me show full size pics

big girl cups and bath toys

2012-01-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

Drinking out of the big girl cup.......

I have been terrible at working with her on drinking from a regular glass. Sippy cups or using a straw is sooooooo very easy and so accessible...why bother, right? I figured since she is almost 2, I should proably give it a try so i filled up her cup half full with milk. She drank the entire thing without spilling once. That was easy. (disclaimer: I still give sippy cups most of the time because its just easier and she can carry around her water without spilling it all over the furniture, toys, me, etc.)

don't you think your cabbage patch baby doll should get a bath too? This little girl (her name is Carissa Grace to be exact) was a christmas present a year ago from Aunt Kim and she hasn't put her down since. And lately, she's been taking a bath with Abby every night. Its amazing how that cloth body dries out quite nicely when placed in front of the space heater. I'm not sure this is the best practice to ensure the doll holds up but she does smell nice

Abby's bath toys were all purchased from the dollar tree. If you do not have these, go to your nearest dollar tree and get them. They might be her most favorite toys and I'm pretty sure they helped her learn how to do puzzles and recognize shapes, etc. They also give me a break because she plays in the bathtub and I sit idly and do nothing. (and this might be the only time of the day that I do that, and its glorious)

concentrating so hard on matching up the puzzles. And notice the toothbrush in hand also. She's a multitasker just like her mama.

Happy Tuesday

2012-01-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

So apparently blogger just needed a break from me? I thought my photo space was used up so I have taken the plunge to finally print the first year of my blog ( I have over three years total and counting..woot woot!). I figured once it came in the mail I could delete that year and so on to make room for additional space, hence the hiatus last week. However, just for kicks I attempted to upload some pics today and surprise – it worked? So not technology saavy but I’m glad to have a paper copy of my blog scrapbook on the way anyway. What a neat idea. Anyhoo, here are some pics of us from the last week J

In our matching headbands that my talented friend Ashley made us. How cute! See me if you want one, she sells them and they.are.awesome. Made with some sort of special wool yarn that keeps you toasty warm in these frigid winters

And this is my sweet little bookworm being such a good little mother to her babies. Since Abby loves to be read to, she thought it prudent to read to her baby too. The funny thing is she actually did read to her baby. Its so amazing to hear the books she's already memorized. She literally blows me away with her ability to remember and comprehend sometimes. We'll be reading a book together and when I turn the page she blurts out the sentence before I can read it. She's reading the grouchy little lady bug here but there are several others that she likes also. Just amazing. I hope everyone was off yesterday and had a relaxing 3 day weekend like we did. Happy Tuesday everyone!

First day of school - Success

2012-01-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

It was a big week for both me and Abby as school resumed this week. Abby started her first week in a new school today. Her teacher is WONDERFUL! We were so worried about all the tough transitions this little girl constantly makes but finding great childcare has been an answered prayer. There are so many great things about this environment- she teaches all day long, she has a very structured schedule (which I LOVE) provides good nutritious food, has a sweet little sticker chart to praise Abby for her positive reinforcements, and has a sweet little group of children. I talked about school a lot to Abby the weekend before she started so she would be somewhat mentally prepared and she kept asking about her friends at her old school. I was so sad for her, but on Monday she came home already talking about Brynnlee, who she also said was her best friend. Where does she come up with this stuff? Anyway, good childcare was a big worry (and usually is for our migrant lifestyle) and I’m always amazed at how God will continue to provide.

(i have a few very cute pictures of miss priss but they won't let me upload them now saying I have used up all my space? Not technology saavy and have no time to investigate further. For now just know that she's sitting on the counter with a big smile on her face holding her matching backpack and lunchbox. hee)

When Dale comes home it’s the best part of Abby’s day.

She finds the most hilarious ways to entertain herself.

(for some reason, I think because my blog has an old template, these videos get cut off if you click play from the blog. If you click on the title it will open up the videos in the youtube window and you can see the full screen)

weekend wrap-up

2012-01-08T20:43:00.000-08:00

Before I left for my FNP program’s institute week in Bismarck, Dale found time to hunt J After nearly a year away from the great outdoors, he was itching to go.

Chris and Laura, our WONDERFUL friends, getting ready to flush some birds :)

this is their dog, Deacon, who thought the frozen lake was just lovely.

this really is such beautiful country

And here are a few hilarious captions. Warning……these pictures are not for those with the faint of heart. And Abby will be very embarrassed that I posted these one day. But alas, this is daily life in our household. I find it very comical and supposed others might too! Here are some captions of my little bookworm, who low and behold, is potty trained?!?! I’m still a bit shocked by this. After 4 disastrous days initially, this girl has had no accidents! She takes such delight in doing a job well done. I’m so proud of her and its really just amazing to see the transformation take place right before your eyes as she masters skills. Potty training being one of them. Every day I find new reasons that being a parent is simply the most incredible blessing one can ever experience. Seeing your child work hard and be the best they can be is definitely one of those indescribable feelings that only another parent can understand. Every day she shows me something new and incredible. We are so blessed.

We are so fortunate to be surrrounded by such wonderful people who love our daughter as much as they love us. Here is a picture of Abby and Chris playing catch.

And then another video for your viewing pleasure. I leave for just 6 days and I come home to a totally grown little girl. Seems like they had some really fun Deddy/daughter bonding time and she was just full of new tricks. Today for example, when she got up from her nap she wanted a snack so I reached into the fruit bowl and asked her if she wanted a clementine. She nodded yes and said “abby peels it”. I thought nothing of it and went to get a little bowl. When I turned around she had already started peeling it! Hee. I just sat laughing at her little chubby hands working the fruit and about halfway through the peeling I stopped to go get the camera since this was just too funny to not share. When I got back, this is what I saw. Not only does she peel the fruit herself, she also cleans up the mess into the trash. So precious.

my loves :)

Its good to be home from school and back with the fam. Have a great week!

video time

2012-01-07T05:17:00.000-08:00

Some videos for your viewing pleasure of baby doll in the bath tub. In case you are wondering…it’s one of few places that she will actually let me video her without taking the camera from me or getting to distracted at wanting to watch herself on the playback setting  Here she is singing some. Bear with the long time length….I kept thinking that she’d cooperate since she’d been hamming it up only minutes before I grabbed the camera

And this is my feeble attempts to show how smart she is! The girl knows where all of her grandparents live without prompting! Lately she’s been asking to see family members and I’ll tell her we can’t see them because they are in another state. And when I ask her where they live she’ll tell you the answers. She also knows that she lives in Minot, North Dakota and seriously…you haven’t lived until you’ve heard that little voice pronounce Minot, North Dakota, but alas I haven’t gotten that on video yet. Just bear with the video because as usual, she didn’t want to answer any of the questions right :)

She likes to break into song at a moment's notice. Her repertoire is becoming quite extensive. But she will only sing "all by herself" when she wants to. Hee. Here she is being her opinionated self. I suppose this a taste of whats to come?

celebrating over the holidays

2012-01-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

hello again! I Hope everyone has had a good christmas break. We are adjusting to North Dakota without any gliches and just loving having our regular life back.

decked out for the bowl game (that alas we did not go to, but watched on TV)

This girl is so busy always. She LOVES being here. I was a bit worried because we don't exactly have tons of toys here in ND, but she's just so creative, having toys doesn't matter. Here she is playing mother to her babies. She could do this all day! She's using her own eating utensils to feed her babies. She thought they needed milk, pizza, and cereal

also totally into lining up her cars. I made this elaborate race track on the rug with tape and block bridges, but she found organizing her cars more fun at the time.

holy moly she looks grown here. She's wearing one of her cousin's dresses. We love Natalie and she loved that she could wear natalie's dress

doll face

Longer posts to come in a few days after I finish up my school institute week!

Hello Again.

2011-12-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

If there are any of you that still read this blog, yes, we are alive :)

Our christmas card pic taken by my lovely parents in their backyard. And FYI- I LOVE tiny prints. I took this pic two days after Dale came home, used the expedited shipping that only cost $2 more than standard, and I had these prints just 4 days later. The cards were beatiful and of great quality. They are pricey, but since I blogged about them they were FREE!Also, they personally called me before the card went to print to run a few changes by me, that their editor though might be a nice touch. How great! I hope I can do this again next year and if you don't have a christmas card budget, I'd highly recomend this company!

We have been on a travelling parade since Dale returned home. We did a tour-de-Mississippi, visiting loved ones non-stop. We are so grateful to be able to spend the holidays with those we love. It is even more memorable to spend the holidays with my best friend – I’m still so grateful for his safe return. It was bittersweet to wrap up our time in MS, which has been priceless. I can’t imagine what this year would have been like if we had not moved in with my parents. There would have been many lonely nights and lots of insanity, I’m sure. We already miss everyone, but it has been just lovely coming back into our home and settling into (somewhat) of a routine again, with just the three of us. Abby was overjoyed to be in her house with her bed and toys again. I found myself more and more excited as we neared the state line of North Dakota. I knew I was happy here but my time away surprised me at just how much I missed our life here. Its so good to be home again. But we will only call this place home for a short while. Dale was one of few chosen among many to fly the B-2, so we will be moving to Missouri sometime in the near future. As usual with the Air Force, we don’t know when (it could be tomorrow or in the next 9 months?!?!?!) but we know it is coming. So since we have been back in our house unpacking, I have been steady cleaning out and preparing for the upcoming move. Which will take place in the middle of my semester. A semester that I do NOT take days off, but will have to as we travel across the United States again. And during a very inconvenient time. The next few months are going to be a blur of school and work and preparations to move. Not looking forward to this timing, but I’m so happy that at least I get to do with my best friend this time. And I’m so excited for the things our future holds in Missouri. We both have some pretty big things going on and I’m just so proud of Dale. Proud of everything he has accomplished thus far, but even more now with this assignment and return from deployment. Its pretty fun to be married to a rock star J Okay, enough with the bragging……back to my blogging hiatus. I cancelled our internet and cable before I left and they can’t install it for another 2 weeks!?!?! I have to say that I am loving this unplugged time but not having the internet has been somewhat of a nuisance with my school stuff. And of course the absence of the internet explains my absence in blogging. But I borrowed some of the internet from the base library to update everyone and let you all know that we are still alive and doing well :)

attempting to build a snowman on freshly fallen snow (impossible!) after reading about Clifford's snow day and how he built a snowman. Abby couldn't wait to get outside and let the snow fall onto her mouth and frolic in it.

a seriously terrible attempt...... But there was shoveling to be done.

While I worked to clear the driveway, Abby chased me down the rows of snow that I shoveled, running on the path, or she sat in this car. I think she got stuck. Hee

In other news, Abby has been experiencing some pretty big changes as well. When we moved back to ND, we decided to move her to a toddler bed, of which she is doing great in. We just took the front of her crib off and she loves it. But she’s still a wild sleeper and she falls off the crib a lot so we put a sleeping bag down when she sleeps so that at least she falls onto something soft. Sometimes she requests to nap or sleep on “da flo-wa” so we will do that until Dale can make some sort of rail to keep her on the bed J

Also, we started potty training. I’m painfully aware that 22 months is a bit early to begin this process, but I used the same manual my sister used for her little boy and the potty training queen book says that nearly all children are able to be potty trained by 22 months in 3 days. It worked for Micah so I tried it too. Because I do everything just like my big sister. Anyhoo, it was a disaster at first, cleaning up messes all day and I felt like it was way over Abby’s head and disappointing. The book says by 3 days your child will be potty trained. It was more like 4 for us before she went a whole day without an accident, and we use a pull-up for bedtime and I’m still not convinced she is totally potty trained, but for now she tells me when she needs to go pee and potty and she’s doing a pretty fabulous job. Its pretty crazy actually, to see her getting it more and more. For example, we went to story time at the library and I was sure it would be a disaster but she told me when she needed to go and used the big adultsize restroom. I thought she’d be scared or forget to tell me when she has having so much fun, but somehow she is getting it?! We’re only a few days into it so I guess we’ll see how it goes when she starts school in a new place, etc. I’ll let you know, but for any of you parents out there desiring to potty train, the Potty Training Queen ebook is a pretty great resource I think. But I changed up some of her tactics, like giving a treat every time she uses the potty. (for abby, the treat was to read about "Clipord" the big read dog, or one of her other zillion books. My sweet little bookworm)

my sweet girl reading on her mat before bathtime. Notice she has no pants on. She played with me for a bit, but seriously, shoveling is long hard work and she did NOT feel like braving the cold for long periods of time. Also, we had several potty breaks and by the time we had taken everything off to go potty and put it back on 3 times, she decided it was best to stay in while I was outside with the door cracked. Only she kept needing to use the potty. So in efforts to diminish the distractions, I stripped her down to underwear only (so she could go to the bathroom without me), put the Berenstein Bears on DVD, and stuck the potty in the living room. The things you do to get a little work done :)

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and restful holidays. More pictures to come when the internet finally arrives and we decided to join society again….until then…..have a good one!

business as usual

2011-12-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

what are we up to these days? Its back to business as usual around here

its like they never even missed a beat

Dale's remarkable ability to turn off combat and turn on Deddy/Husband is beyond me, but I am so thankful that he's home and life can go on a it was before. I was slightly concerned that it might take Abs a little bit to warm up to this man who has been gone for so long. She takes her time before she opens up to people and really reads the situation before jumping in and getting friendly. Was she apprehensive? Not. One. Bit. They have had a very strong bond since birth (and I think she's always loved him best) and I'm so happy that they have picked their relationship right back up from when he left. Sometimes our separated time would drag on and there was so much that he missed out on. Now that he's finally here, it feels like he never even left. I love it when things happen that way. We knew that my birthday was going to be particularly hectic (I've been taking a major final every day since Dale came home) so we celebrated last night at the Mexican restaurant. YUM! can't tell you the last time I did that and we certainly should have been taking better advantage of that. Delish mexican cuisine is few and far between up north.

my birthday presents! SOOOOO excited about a mini-muffin tin and warm boots to keep my toes toasty in the frozen snow-infested tundra

and so grateful to spend it with these two loves

did you know whipped cream in the face was part of the birthday charade at mexican restaurants these days? I did not. And Abby does not seem to impressed by the parade.

On my real birthday (today) I recieved yet another priceless gift - my nephew was born! I can't believe how many good things God has given me to enjoy this holiday season. He is precious, perfect, and they are all doing great.

Adam Bradley Maxwell. 12/12/11 at 6:08am 7lbs 5 oz 20 inch long

He's HOME! (the unabridged version)

2011-12-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

after about 11 months of separation, broken up by a a few glorious (although MUCH too brief) weeks in April, my best friend is home

it certainly took us a long time to get here

he started his journey 5 days ago

we planned for weeks hoping for the day to be confirmed. On the day of. we loaded everyone up to head to the airport

Abby could instantly tell something was up when we got to the airport. So intuitive, that girl

we met family

everyone was there

because we love our favorite veteran

and we were OVERJOYED to lay eyes on this man

and i spent most of the day like this

so overwelmingly wonderful

even my best friend Tiffany surprised me and took the morning off from work to come! (and true to the teacher she is....she came to support, got right down to business organizing things, and took over the camera). The amazing shots you see are all courtesy of her. And this is the ONLY picture i have of her. She is such a blessing in my life

abby spent the day like this

no way was she letting her deddy out of her sight

even sweet Micah remembered uncle Dale and wanted to make sure Abby had her sign for her Deddy

yep.....still emotional

they both love this man

we were so glad to see pawpaw again!

three generations of Wilds men

we were soooo happy that Mawmaw and Pawpaw could make it

in attempts to help him "find" the 25 or so pounds he has misplaced, we took Dale to get a fat juicy burger and fries for his first U.S. meal

best buddies. We're so lucky to have this guy and his sweet wife in our life too!

even Jake and Melanie came! Dale has such wonderful friends

We feel so fortunate to have him home safe and sound, and cannot thank you enough for all the prayers and support. I even have a little clip of him arriving out of the checked area for your viewing pleasure!

My precious sister made this video of Dale's homecoming :) ENjoy! (warning, it is about 3 minutes long...also, she says that she'd like to apologize for the sappy music but there aren't that many choices to choose from with her flip phone. I happen to think this video is pretty fabulous myself though. Thanks Kim!)

He's home

2011-12-09T18:21:00.000-08:00

We have so much good to be thankful for today. He's home.

thank you for your prayers. They were so appreciated and words cannot express the joy we feel to have him home safe and sound again. Stay tuned for more pictures to come :)

outakes and progress

2011-12-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

Nana and Grandeddy wanted some updated pics of Abs so we had an impromptu photo session this morning so they could change out some of the old pictures in their frames. (it also worked out good for me because I don't have a good photo of her in this dress and I like to take pics of all my sewing creations) Its is C.R.A.Z.Y. how much she can changed since we've been here. She almost looks like a little girl compared to her little baby smile from when we first came south. Here are a few of the outtakes

In other news....I think we are rapidly approaching the time to start the transition of potty training/move to big girl bed. I so dread both of these milestones because I like our happy little place that we are in now. So. Easy. Abby, however, seems ready. This littl houdini climbed out of the crib/pack and play 3 times this weekend! Yikes. Operation transition will be arriving shortly. She does NOT like to go down for a nap these days and she knows that once we read a few stories in the rocking chair that its time to go down for bed. So today, when I asked her to come sit in my lap she said NO! (and then I looked at her with the "mom" eye) and she quickly changed it to a "no MAAAAAM" and then dropped to the floor and asked to take her nap "on da fluuuwaa". Defeated, and too tired to argue, I just laid a blanket down and made her a palate. Much to my surprise, after telling her what it was for just once, she laid down, let me cover her up, and took a nap there today. I took a picture because I"m pretty sure it will never be this easy or novel again. At least it was nice today. :) What a doll

this is blurry because it took it without a flash.....this chick is a light sleeper like her Deddy- can't risk waking her up!

is there a cheerleader in the house?

2011-12-06T22:08:00.001-08:00

Why yes, I think we do have this in our future

Also, I forgot to add this sweet video last night. She still LOVES to play with balls

Weekend Part III

2011-12-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

We rounded out the trip with a visit to GranGran's house.

She loved having him all to her self

stopped in to see him at work - abby was ecstatic to see him of course, but less than thrilled with the sun in her eye

she's in heaven right here, in a rocker just her size with her new stroller and baby doll that gran gran bought at Cracker Barrell after she asked him to "pay for it". Hmph. Perhaps we need to be working on manners a bit more

Hee. if only you could have been a fly on the wall here. Clearly she loves the new stroller. This is the result of a very worn out baby who needs to have her way RIGHT now. I'm sure this was not as fun as she thought it would be. Don't you wish you could travel as much as we do?

and......for the first time ever since we've been burning up the roads we had to stop for a quick breather so everyone could stretch their legs. Abby requested this change of scenery. Also, ignore the ridiculous amount of junk in my passenger seat. I pull out all the stops when we travel to avoid such meltdowns and the "distractors" in my front seat are evidence of this. Alas, sleep deprivation defeated me today for a bit. Will have to look into some better ideas for the future!

and JOY! Back to my little angel. Its amazing how a two minute stop + diaper change can really lift your spirits. She's back to my girl now

that, and the Deddy movie we have can really save the day!

sometimes its tough to burn up the roads but SOOOOOOOO worth it! We are blessd beyond belief with a wonderful family. At least that's what Abby thinks anyway :)

Weekend Part II - Family Reunion

2011-12-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we had Dale's family reunion at Buck's Country playhouse. It was SUCH a treat to see/meet all of Dale's family again. Mawmaw went all out as usual and there was food for days. I was so sad that Dale couldn't be a part of this but SO thankful that I could be there to stand in his place :)

me and pawpaw

here I am hugging the guest of honor

they pulled out all the stops - Dale's dad even compiled a slide show

typical...mawmaw's always telling pawpaw where to stand and what to do :)

Mawmaw and Pawpaw

Everyone got in on sharing their love for the family :)

Abby got a little love from Meme

The guests of honor - Pawpaw and his sister :)

meme teaching abs how to work a very high dollar camera

she is a little advanced you know ......

Mawmaw made little bags that had logo cups in for everyone to take home

some of the fam

so sweet - we love Meme and Pawpaw

father/daughter bonding

the cousins (minus Dale and Conner)

brothers

I love this picture. Neither Pawpaw or Meena Mae can really hear so (being the spry little spring chicken he is) he got down one knee to talk to her right in her face so they could both hear. Love.

thegirls :)

and the whole crew group shot (or Dale's part of the family anyway)

Weekend.....Part I

2011-12-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

When you rock out weekends our style, you know how to fit it all in :) We went down to see Dale's fam this weekend. Such a great time. So much in fact, that we'll make this a three part series, because there's that much stuff! So....onto our weekend, part I

our fun girls night - love these ladies

of course prior to making it to Dale's town, we had to see Micah. No trip is complete without a stop (even if it was brief!) to see these people

watching Honey make pancakes - she loves to help in the kitchen

and was TOTALLY fascinated by all of Honey's cats.

I think they like her too

had a blast....stay tuned for part II

Tis the season

2011-12-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

All decked out with christmas spirit in her new shirt and ready for school.

and this is a very sad mama who didn't try that turtleneck on before I appliqued the christmas tree, only to find i almost beheaded the child attempting to pull the turtle neck over her head. And once it was on, there was no taking it off :( I guess this was a one-time-wear-only shirt. Not very frugal.

We went out to the downtown christmas festival which was just fabulous. All the kid stores and boutiques were decked out for the "stroller" open house. They had little stations at each store where you could make a craft. This was at the art museum. Do you think this activity was a hit?

taking a quick break from the frosting to pose with our sweet friends Allie Claire and her momma Kimberly. (side note: Allie Claire was born on the same day as Miss Abigail Rose!) Such sweet friends

hee. Totally enthralled with the cookie.

and the sprinkles....which liked to stick to her top lip

in a delicious sugary sweet coma. Such a doll. Suppose I should give this baby treats more often?!?!

neither girl wanted to look at the camera. (decorating cookies was obviously the most favorite activity for both girls. Enough to warrent a whole 15 minutes stationary with full attention!)

Allie claire approves (and i'm not sure why this won't turn correctly?!?)

and as usual, stairs are always a hit entertainment

that is...until Rudolph came by! Abby was so sweet and wanted to share her cheerios so she could feed him

however, when asked if she wanted to sit in Santa's lap? A firm "no maaaaam".

there's always next year :)

peek-a-boo

2011-11-30T21:58:00.000-08:00

playing her favorite game of peek a boo and climbing on the ladder

where did abby go? (or better stated...where's abby go?)

"Thur she is" with a big grin (and you haven't lived until you hear the excitement proclaimed in this precious voice as she announces that she's found herself)

Its the most wonderful time of the year

2011-11-29T18:59:00.000-08:00

Its beginning to look alot like christmas :)

with my own personal christmas elf to help me decorate every step of the way. What would I do without her help?

I can't believe I waited this long to put up the tree

It just doesn't get any better than this. I LOVE christmas and I LOVE the decorations.

angels and apples

2011-11-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

There's just something about this baby in white. Here she is eating her apples and looking every bit the angel that she was in church. Such a little blessing

Hail dear old state

2011-11-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

We were so sad to see my sister's fam leave :( We took the babies for one last walk so they could see the dump truck and "big ole" bulldozer. Of course Abs somehow got sufficiently dirty even though we didn't actually make it into the mud? Thank goodness for dark shoes :)

absolute dolls, the two of them are just peaches

And then we went to the egg bowl for little MS rivalry. The weather was yucky but hey, it was Deddy's birthday and when in rome, you do what the birthday boy wants. We had such a good time, and as usual Abs took it all in with wide eyes. She LOVED this little pep band here, as evidenced by the fact she can't take her eyes off of it. The percussion band was pretty good

still captivated by the beat. Just like her momma. I guess she gets it honest

and then we met up with some of my parent's long-time friends. So good to see them. My dad grew up with Mr. Rodney - he's known him since sixth grade

Black Friday Madness

2011-11-25T18:41:00.000-08:00

So we didn't exactly make it to the stores for the Black Friday sales, although we did attempt to make a ToysRus run the night before to get a stroller for Kim's impending arrival, only to be met with this

Since the line was wrapped around the entire shopping complex and the store was already full, we decided against it, and spent our black friday this way

sup? just hanging out with my snack

missy elliot just chillin

I love this picture - look at my presh sister - a twig that swallowed a watermelon!

enjoying the beautiful weather after mama's great meal

a quick respite midway during the walk - enjoying the waterfall

I love these people

Hee. This picture makes me literally laugh out loud. How many people does it take to put sweet potato fries in the oven?

enjoying more of mama's great cooking

celebrating Deddy's birthday

Micah gave an encore after we sang Happy Birthday to Deddy

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T20:05:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a restful, thankful day spent with family and enjoying good food. We are all so blessed beyond belief

I'm thankful for these wild, energetic bundles of joy

Abby is thankful for Aunt Kim

and we love to race - how else do you tire out busy bodies (on your mark, get set......)

Go!

I guess I should get in on the action and burn off some turkey

(I so hope she inherited her Deddy's athleticism and speed!)

sweet photo op

Happy Thanksgiving day!

my little bookworm

2011-11-22T21:17:00.000-08:00

Just doing her thing

I think I have passed my love of reading down to Abby. The girl loves all things books. She is constantly asking “mama read it” to me. Its so sweet because now she can tell me which book she wants (and there are WAY to many to list here, thankfully, because I was starting to get more than a little sick of Goodnight moon and the Berenstein Bear’s big road race). The 19283345 times that we’ve read ABC books must be paying off because much to my surprise, she knows almost the entire alphabet. She reads the Abc books to me now! She also reads me books about shapes (although she certainly can’t differentiate a color to save her life. She just calls out whatever random color she feels like mentioning when I ask her. Blue and purple are the favorite choices!) She memorizes a lot of stuff quickly, actually. She is so quick to tell me when I skip a page, she loves to point out something on the page before I can mention it, and she can put a puzzle together quicker than I can. It is so amazing what these little minds have been quietly taking in all this time. You feel like you talk and teach until you are blue in the face with no results, until they start talking, and then it all comes out when you least expect it. Songs are what really take me by fun surprise. I guess they had a birthday party at school the other day, because yesterday when we were playing with her dolls, Abby sang Happy Birthday Piper to one of her baby dolls. (Piper is one of her best friends at school). I never sing that song to her and we haven’t attended many birthday parties. Seriously, she is such a sponge. In a very great way. I wish my mind still worked that way.

Finish this song

2011-11-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

In my excitement regarding all things christmas, I almost forgot to post this :) Abby loves to sing these days and will suprise me by either singing the whole thing or finishing the sentence. I think she knows the entire song. Of course you know the drill, the video is never as good as the real deal because once you get the camera, the novelty of singing has already worn off. And she gets distracted these days; she'll pose for 1/2 of a second and then immediately runs to my side, puts her sweet chubby hand on my shoulder, and says, "want see Abby, mama?" Ha. Such a ham

Tiny Prints

2011-11-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

My friend Brittany passed along the good news with her christmas card shopping. Apparently if you feature Tiny prints on your blog the will give you 50 free christmas cards! My friends have done this with other photo sites, but I like the styles and line-up Tiny prints has best. Of course we'd need many more than just 50 cards for our mailig list - but every little bit counts! My hold-up for using a company like this was over concern with wait times, as it will be very close to christmas before we can get a family picture, but they have expedited shipping! Hooray! I'm very excited to narrow down my choices - I LOVe christmas cards and I LOVE christmas. If you want to participate in this fab deal (who doesn't like free stuff?!) you can read about it here. Then once you have blogged about it, fill out the form you can find here. And don't rule it out if you aren'ta blogger.
I like many of their cards but I'm thinking about this one

because I think military fatigues will look good with it, and I'm considering using a reunion picture for our christmas cards :)

And I also like this one because its just fun :)

I love when the picture is the main focus of the christmas card. We have sent out a photo christmas card every year, and its one of my favorite traditions. I have done everything from just sending a photo to making the cards from scratch (dislike, will never make 120 detailed christmas cards again!) I am very excited to continue the christmas card tradition again but in a much easier way :)
Check out their other deals here - prices get cheaper as you order more - excellent for those with a fat list like me! Ho. Ho. Ho!

Right now, I am.....

2011-11-17T20:17:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to the holidays. Food, family coming in, my dad’s birthday. Maybe even a little black Friday insanity

Surprised at just how much this girl really knows, and amazed daily at all the things she has been quieting taking in a filing for later use

Hoping to make it to bed at a decent hour. Burning the midnight oil has become rather dull and such a nuisance. Here’s to hoping…..

Amazed that God always provides, even when you don’t think it is possible or can’t imagine a way that it could possible work out good. Somehow he always prevails. We are fortunate beyond belief

Thinking about reunions J

Wondering what this inquisitive mind will be like in about 10 years

Grateful that I’m still the student and not yet responsible for being a provider for these subjects. And grateful that I have the opportunity to embark on this journey

Thankful that there are people in this country who gladly defend our freedoms with their lives, even though they may not know us

Happy to be in the place in life that I am

Chuckling about bath times with this girl…and one of last week’s homework assignment. I am convinced that medical people seriously have the best sense of humor – you don’t know wit until you’ve hung around someone who’s been in the hospital! Lets just say some of our assignments have to do with reproductive systems (do we ever really grow up? Isn’t that optional?)

what does bedtime look like at your house?

2011-11-15T22:42:00.000-08:00

because this is what it is starting to look like at our household

Not sitting still during the day ever........

until she hears the bathwater running....

and this is on. Seriously? How about watching that while I'm trying to wash the dishes

and then proceeding to fly out of the bathroom before we can put lotion on (her most favorite part) because she heard "Nana get the ladder" Aren't we supposed to be winding down?

Ahah! Clearly not (although at least she did let me get her jammies on!)

I can definitely see that the once very easy days of bedtime routine may start to fade as this crazy fun personality becomes more developed :) I sure don't blame you baby girl - there is ALOT to see that you could be missing while you are sleeping. I think she gets that from her mama

Weekend Re-cap

2011-11-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

On the road again.....

To see MICAH!

Abby loves his toys

And we love to be near him :)

Precious little hams

its so funny Abby had to bury her face in her hands with disbelif

Seriously.....this face is too much :)

On to Kim's baby shower - the gorgeous Diaper cake molded around a bottle of champagne!

The hostesses, the guest of honor, and me

Yum! These ladies know how to throw shower!

Hilarious! my cousin is playing Micky Mouse clubhouse on her phone at the football game - Abby was so intrigued!

the support crew

We were so excited to see GranGran!

And Honey!

and this - this is the stuff Sundays are made of :) Football and naptime

ooh....and don't forget ice cream. Her face does not adequately express the excitement of ice cream. And getting to sit in the big chair all by herself

Have a great week!

Random days :)

2011-11-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

Hello. My name is gorgeous and I like to pose

especially when Mom wants to show off the new outift she made

Yay for nana!

This is my nonchalant pose

Do you think this yogurt is good?

(turning yogurt up and attempting to drink the empty box)

Silly girl

God bless America

2011-11-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

....and the wonderful people who keep us safe and free

like my especially fabulous and favorite veteran

who is a father beyond description

and always places others before himself (holding stuffed animals he bought for Abby to "took" on a plane ride to co-pilot with him - so she can have a piece of him and his job while he's away)

and is ready to willingly sacrifice everything so that we can enjoy luxurious freedoms like sleeping in your own bed with your spouse, coming home to your children every day, and choosing the town you want to call home. It also means having a "normal" life with freedom to say whatever you want, and practice religion however you want, and vote for the people who make decisions that affect our lives. You live in the greatest country in the world that lets you be exactly who you want to be because of people like him, and many other incredible, unknown men and women. These heros don't ask for anything in return from you. Not even acknowledgement. So remember to thank a veteran today. Happy Veteran's Day!

the joys of breakfast - don't you wish you could eat here?

2011-11-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

its the simple things in life

like oatmeal and getting to eat your banana in the peel like a "bid guwl"

sometimes its nice to forgo to the spoon and eat your oatmeal cave man style

very closely examinng the oatmeal and hoping there are some raisins in there (alas, not today baby girl. will get to the grocery sooner or later)

I wanted to take a picture of her in the latest outfit I made her, so when she tried it on to make sure it fit, I pointed to the wall and asked her to go stand there and say cheese. Much to may amazement, she pranced over to the wall, gave a nice "cheese burder" and then pranced off. I'm sure this is a one time occurance.

I'm thankful for.....

2011-11-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

Today, and every day, I am thankful for:

this messy bundle of goodness

and the wonderful park we get to use that produces these sweet smiles

the way she observes JUSt like her Deddy

the way she believes in herself (even if she isn't quite there)

the changing seasons

and how beautiful it is to live in a free country that protects our rights (and for the amazing men and women who fight for that freedom every day)

Happy Sunday

Playoff Bound

2011-11-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

Tupelo suffered a tough loss on Friday, but they gave it a valient effort and played awesome. However, due to their pretty respectable season, they are playoff bound next week! We attended the game on Friday, which is certainly the highlight of Abby's day. She loves to go to the "foo-ball" games and see the "hem-ets" on all the players. She also loves to people watch. But her favorite time is when everyone cheers for a good play. She'll jump up and down and say "go tup-lo!" with a big grin and arms stretched high.

It was cold for those friday night lights! Good thing she has a fluffy parka to keep her warm. Do you think she likes the coat much?

showing her pride. No dress tonight, not with these cold temperatures!

I can't believe how tall she looks here. She is getting big

wouldn't you love to know what we are discussing here. Hee. Have a great weekend

separated.....but still praying for more

2011-11-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

There certainly has been quite the uproar with initiative 26 in MS. Whether you are for it or against can spark an intense display of emotions so I’m not really going to discuss that here. But this couple certainly deserves a little shout out in this sea of controversy, because they are standing firm in their decision to choose life, and regardless of whether you support the proposed bill or not, I urge you to support this precious couple.

My sweet friend Megan and her husband Russ are on an amazing adoption journey that you can follow here. Read her story, it is truly incredible and they are going to be beyond-awesome parents. You can also help their cause by purchasing one of their super cute shirts here. Amongst all the bickering I see on TV, social media, and even my front door (we get a new circulator daily for vote yes or no?!) its nice to be reminded of what is good and precious in life. And not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for the blessings he has given to me. And whether you are for or against initiative 26 for various reasons, is also not really concerning to me. I’m just happy that so many people are stepping up in attempt (for both sides) to protect the sanctity of life. And I mean that by including everyone: the precious life that God allows us to borrow for awhile, as well as the humble honor it is for women to choose to grow that life. I’m not going to list my beliefs here because there is enough of that going on. And regarding how you vote, I just ask that everyone please do their research and vote in such a way that you can know you made the most educated and moral decision that will be best for the state of MS. This is a tough one. I will be praying for Gods will to happen on Nov. 8 (since he knows the desires of our hearts and what the final outcome should be more than we do!)

“There is a quiet, serene confidence found in knowing that all things do not stand or fall according to one’s own achievement or the correctness of every decision one makes.” Joseph Sittler

Random video uploads

2011-11-03T22:00:00.001-07:00

Its randomness with videos. Here are a few videos I have been procrastinating to upload. Enjoy.

The cupkatie was good

Don’t you love to jump around in long underwear oogling at the trick or treater’s? And don’t forget to give Abby some candy too!

I still have yet to fully capture the hilariousness of this girl’s smackdown that she pulls whenever you tell her to jump. Seriously. Don’t know where she picked this up but it. Is.funny. And one of these day’s I’ll be able to get her body slamming herself onto the floor. As you can see, Micah knows what jump means and has fully mastered it. I suppose Abs marches to the beat of a different drum

And here she is playing with the race cars. Just loves to turn it on and off  while commentating. Perhaps a future in ESPN broadcasting?

Nana was singing songs with her, which she LOVES. Her favorite part is “looking” at the squashed bumble bee, as evidenced by her early motions 

Happy Halloween! (a day late!)

2011-11-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

Loving the "cupkatie" she got from Gracie and Lindsey

do you think she approves?

My pumpkin

ha. we had to improvise since she wouldn't wear the headband. She will gladly sport a hat, just not cute headbands, so we attached the pumpkin top to her fleece hat. So stealthy. And she's being a sweet girl here talking about the the treat we got for our neighbor Colby, who is just 8 months old. She's ready to give "Colby's car" to the precious little man when he came to trick or treat

well....er... she thinks she is ready. Perhaps she might just hold onto the car and play with it for safe keeping until he comes by :)

our fav girlies - together for halloween. The pumpkin outfit abby is wearing actually belongs to these presh girls. Love them

We only actually stopped by a few houses in the neighborhood to visit friends and so Abby could prance around in her costume and ring their doorbells. She's still a bit young to be partaking in MY favorite part of halloween. While she couldn't consume the treats herself, she did thoroughly enjoy passing them out and oogling all the costumes that came to our house. Happy Halloween!

Church Halloween Carnival Extravganza

2011-10-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

I guess we have had a full weekend. After coming home from church this morning, I found this girl laying on her blanket at 9:45 in the morning. Needless to say she went down early for nap. I guess we have had some pretty full days here lately and miss priss is tired. Me too baby girl. Is it december yet?

this girl loves to sit in grandeddy's lap and be read to. This is one of her favorite books about the 5 senses.

She also loves to do "puttles" with nana.

She was in a rare posing mood so I captured a few pics of the hilariousness. I also seized the opportunity to document some of my craftiness displayed in her outfit

she says cheeseburger!

And here she is taking in all the excitement at the church supper

serious sensory overload...she is soaking this up like a sponge

the carnival was HUGE complete with "trunk or treating" which is pictured here. People line up the trunks of their cars, dec them out fright night style with cob webs and the like, and then give out candy to the kids who stop by. What a great idea!

I think she spotted the jumping house. Or maybe the sno cones (not that we partook in any of that nonsense - my car said 39 degrees this morning! Sheesh! I guess winter is coming?)

Here we are riding on the neatest makeshift trolley ever. Keep scrolling to see a better view

Its attached to a John Deer mule/gator thingy that pulls all the little cars, which are actually big liquid drums that have been cut and bolted onto a trailer

seriously. Have you ever seen anything like this? SO fun!

I think its time to go home. We are cold and totally wide-eyed with delight and curiosity. Although surprisingly she didn't talk too much about it when I put her to bed. (sometimes she'll stay awake for an hour talking to herself in the bed about what all she saw during the day. Ha)

The loot she acquired. Hee. Better luck next time baby girl - as in probably next year when you have more teeth to tackle different types of candy!

and don't forget you purse

2011-10-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Didn't you know big is better? Abby likes to embrace te big bag trend

be sure to load your purse up with all the essentials inlcuding a toothpaste box, plastic necklaces, chapstick, and cotton balls. You never know when you might need any of these items when heading to the mall

such a little adult. she really grabbed her purse when I asked her if she wanted to get in the car and go to the mall. She hugged it in her carseat on the trip over and was very sad to leave it in the car while we shopped. (Although she happily chunked it at the mention of the mall play place)

"Its heaby mama" she says. Well, this is true. ( And this is also why I didn't want to lug the thing around the mall!) Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in the name of fashion

two peas in a pod (or pumpkins in a patch!)

2011-10-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Are you getting tired of me finding ways to incorporate pumpkin into my titles?:0 Here is a picture of the girls matching. These are the outfits that gracie and lindsey wore for Halloween one year and they passed down one of the outgrown outfits in the set. Sweet gracie wanted a picture of them being twinkies

Abby is wearing Gracie's old pumpkin outfit and Gracie is wearing Lindsey's

Isn't it a cute outfit? Gives me nice visions of TWO girls in matching outfits :)

Wearing minnie mouses's shoes (a.k.a. Leslie's super cute wedge sandles) and clomping happily all over Marty's house

having some fun girl time with "the party" and enjoying that precious bundle in her arms

I'll leave you with a video of Ms. Independent, athough its a partial video because I didn't grab the camera until she was already in action. This afternoon, after not being sufficiently full off of the snack of oranges I made for her, Miss priss decided to take matters into her own hands. I was in the kitchen cooking and she was dinking around underfoot as usual. She likes to open the cabinets, look, sometimes pull stuff out, and sometimes rearrange. So I didn't think much about it when she pulled out two of her favorite cereal boxes and pondered over them for a bit. She then proceeds to pick up one of the boxes and carries it over to a bowl, opens the box of cereal, and starts taking out the cheerios one handful at a time, putting them into the bowl. Seriously. And just when exactly did my little baby start making her own snack?!?!

pumpkins everywhere

2011-10-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

Remember this dress?

the pumpkin has materialized...although not exactly how I imagined it. Its a bit harder to make a pumpkin than you might think

we attempted to carve more pumpkins tonight. We only have about 8 assorted pumpkins around the house so we get to carve a new design every night. It was chilly outside around dusk though, so I opted to carve and and go back inside much to abbys dismay

Although you wouldn't know it here. Sweet girl. And so easily distracted

its almost that time.....BOO!

2011-10-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

video time!

2011-10-25T22:45:00.001-07:00

Just being her sweet little self here

Hahaha, here is a better video of Abs counting by herself, although she still gets tripped up on seven. One day at a time :)

seriously

2011-10-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

might these boots be the cutest thing EVER? These are actually Abby's cousin Michah's boots that he outgrew last year. Thanks for sharing such a cute find Mitah! We will be wearing these with all our fall dresses thank you very much

Love in a 24 pound package

2011-10-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

Such a joy to everyone she encounters. Don't you wish you could experience all the fun that is somehow contained into this little 24 poundish package?

Looking at her new toe-wees. We ate breakfast at cracker barrel after church and GranGran bought her some fun little treats.

very impressed by the etch-a-sketch

seriously. I might have to take a bite out of those sweet thunders

Opening up the fun halloween happy from Honey (tongue-twister!) It was like treatza-palooza in that little jack-o-lantern

Honey also got abby some fun crazy straws (we all know how much that girl loves a drink with a straw...just like her mama) Such a mess! (Or see-ee guwl - silly girl) as Abby says

she's saying I uve you Honey

and if you could only witness the intense playing we have going here. Abby takes her job of playing full time very seriously.

thick as thieves.....the two of them

Have a great week~

How many activities can you fit into a day?

2011-10-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

Well, if you get up at the crack of dawn like we usually do, you can accomplish quite alot. We came to see Dale's family this weekend. What a wonderfully full day

we started off the morning at Mawmaw and Pawpaws (with pictures of everyone BUT mawmaw and pawpaw!)

Meme and Tan

the kids and pawpaw (the younger pawpaw!)

everyone!

Abby loved playing with Natalie

Jake and Melanie's wedding! The St. Al '98 crew

Taylor and Lily

The bride and groom! Congrats Jake and Melanie!

Meme and Pawpaws house - demo of the house renovations part I! a.k.a. the best tricycle track EVER

the outside cement is poured, this is going to extend the kitchen

ending the day like a kid on christmas morning at GranGran's house....loving all the toe-weez

and loving grangran

cupKatie's and counting

2011-10-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

even though I was cold - it is NEVER to cold for this girl to play outside. She's drawing another gas station for her tricycle.

"did you say something? i'm busy"

enjoying her cup"katie"

Abby has a sweet friend in her class named Katie of whom she talks about ALL the time. I think she likes the name. Also, the last time I used the mini-cupcake tin I made her class little cupcakes, of which she adored. When I made cornbread tonight I thought it would be fun to make some tiny cornbread muffins for Abby. She clearly approves. As you can see from the video below, a squeal in delight for the cupkaties, and then a request for mo-wa pease. well, its not exactly a cupcake little missy, but I'm glad you like it anyway.

Enjoying her cup”Katie” cornbread

Not sure when this happened…when did she learn to count? Clearly the umpeen hours of reading book upon letter book upon number book are sinking in. Also, disregard the atrocious lip wound. Very much ready for that bad boy to heal

cold temperatures and BABIES :)

2011-10-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

anxiously peering outside and hoping that I'll open the door. I thought the closed blinds would deter her from the ever enticing outside...not so much

after braving the morning outside, we realized how COLD it was and had to bundle up beofre the stoller ride. Is it really this time already? (sigh) So not ready for winter

stylin' and profilin' in her shades. She loves those glasses. (she's pointing them out and telling you what they are, in case you didn't know they were glasses)

my dear friend Marty came over for lunch today with her precious new addition, Campbell, who is 8 weeks old. Abby was totally mesmorized by him. I hovered over her like a hawk thinking she would be rough with him like she is with her dolls sometimes, but she was SO sweet to him and liked to get close to him and talk to him. I'm also laughing because we have been trying to make the most of our time here and visit with Marty as much as we can while we are in the south. She's such a hoot and always a very much needed breath of fresh air. Of all the times we've gotten together I never manage to get a pic of us These were the only pictures I got today :) Oh well, there's always next time

here she is being so sweet to the baby. She wanted to rub his back like "momma rubs Abby's back. gentle!". Such a sweet little girl!

Busted lips and icepacks

2011-10-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

Tragedy stikes again......a busted lip from losing her balance. She fell down her side and must have bit her tongue. A quick scream accompanied by lot of bleeding and she was over it. I can't get over how tough that little girl is! Mama made her a little ice pack and she wanted to put it on her lip. So precious and so smart. Its still a bit fat, but I think her diligence with the icepack helped with the swelling immensely

she wanted the "azzz pack" and her "teeder" which is the freezable insert that goes into a water bottle that she uses as a teether. Silly girl :)

:'( This make me so sad that her perfect little pout has a big puffy booboo on it

although clearly she isn't bothered by it. My strong resilient girl :)

And just how did you spend your day today?

2011-10-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

We were busy from sun up to sun down.

working on her calisthenics while....

halfway keeping watch on Mee Mouse

playing with the ever engrossing playdough

playing outside in a camping tent!

taking turns on the baby swing, here she is being such a sweet girl so that micah can have a turn

love all of these sweet people

Just the way she likes it - a super big "bees ball" and "puuple" ball in each hand. You can never have too many balls you know

and just before bed when we should be winding down - working on their exercises together. Holy moly these two can stir up some some energy. So sweet and so much fun. We love having this man here and we LOVE him!

pumkin patch extravaganza

2011-10-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

we start our day off right, in Nana's lap being read to

and playing with grandeddy

then off to the Pumpkin Patch!

Yes! Its the awesome tire swing horses

complete with petting zoo including adorable baby animals

too cool for school in my shades

the hay ride

debating over which pumpkin we should take home

got that sweet face painted with a pumpkin....only the pumpkin didn't last long with nosy little fingers that kept touching it. She was very impressed and fascinated by the face painting

backing her car into the spot Aunt Kim had drawn....Kim made a total autobody garage with parking spaces and a gas station to pull the riding toys into

loves loves loves to draw with chalk

I finally corraled my beautiful sister into letting me get a quick shot of that beautiful baby bump. Just gorgeous.

seriously....needs no caption...and can we say motherhood clothing model?

30 weeks and counting

we can't wait to meet him!

....and the angels rejoice

2011-10-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

because the Maxwells are here!

sous chefs with make-do teethers

2011-10-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

Do you have a sous chef? I do

wondering if she is about to get caught for sneaking some of the food I just chopped up for supper

Hoping to make a quick getaway before I could say anything. Ha! Caught redheaded with the snack in your mouth!

I don't know where that carrot went. Bye bye now

Another OMG moment. Nana showed her MickyMouse clubhouse once, and she actually asked to watch MeeMouse today. Amazing

she also wanted the "blantet cover legs"

very proud be be holding the "hole thin"

so sweet in her nightgown passed down from her cousin, Kate. Thanks GranGran

This picture makes me smile. Look at those teeth marks. So precious. In case anyone else has a late teething child out there, apples suffice nicely in place of hard plasic teethers

Playing House

2011-10-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

Abby is such a good helper around the house She is always ready to take something to whomever or where ever you ask her to. She loves a task! And she also likes to be right next to me in whatever my activities entail, including cleaning. She'll pass utensils when we unload the dishwasher, or put clothes that I've handed her in the washer to the dryer. Sometimes that underfoot "help" is counterproductive

as seen here. Its a bit challenging to clean the refridgerator (or shut it for that matter) when you take up residence with your teether in it

She saw nana sweeping. Again, I'd say its fairly unproductive to sweep with a dust pan into another dust pan, but hey baby girl, whatever floats your boat

who needs to rinse out the cooler, lets just have a party on it!

all done now, its been a big day so its time for a bath. Probably better take those clothes off first though! Have a great week!

Air-plan...deddy...fly

2011-10-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

We love Saturdays because there is usually some fun function going on somewhere in town. Seriously, this is a happening place. (side note: incidentally, Saturdays are also when my sessions open up in school so the weekends are actually really, really, really long nights for me….dislike…but I still like weekends) Today the regional airport hosted a public day for children that involved artwork in a hanger, tours of all the jumbo jets that are being disassembled, and an airplane show on the tarmack where you could look at all the different planes. This little air show extravaganaza make me feel like I was home  We are always going to an airshow of some sort, but they are military planes, not civilian, so it was neat to see this aspect of flying. Abs loved it. Every time she sees an airplane, she’ll yell, “air-plan, deddy, fly” and then repeat over and over again. She didn’t quite get the concept that deddy doesn’t fly all the planes we saw today (and I certainly didn’t try very hard to explain otherwise) but she still loved running all around the hanger, watching the kids, and touching the propellers. She also mildy enjoyed the take-off of a little Cessna, and thoroughly enjoyed playing with the markers, of which we have the stains on our pretty dress and hands to prove (at least they are washable?!?!?!) It was a nice little festivity. She couldn’t wait to tell nana and grandeddy all about this. In fact, she can’t wait to tell everyone she meets about all the fun things she is doing. That girl is seriously talking up a storm. I wish I could understand what she’s saying better – she still doesn’t enunciate very well. Luckily, I usually know what she wants and that avoids frustration; however, I feel myself repeating (with the slow correct pronuncian) what she is trying to say from sun up to sun down until I am blue in the face. Its so funny how these little people become obsessive with saying the same thing over and over again.

enjoying all the glorious markers that I usually deprive her of for obvious mess reasons :)

the "air-plan" she made deddy complete with his flag and a love note

just being her sweet little self running around

playing around (but not too close bc she was a little scared!) of the "opter" I suppose thats one way to try to pronounce things; if you can't get all the syllables, just omit those parts that are difficult

a few of the little planes and the airport fire truck

very amused and proud of herself for sitting on the steps of the fire truck. She loved that thing

And here she is eating a piece of pizza. This picture is pretty significant for those who know her well. She is still lacking about 8 teeth so man-handling something like a slice of pizza is usually not really productive. I typically cut foods of this sort; however her hands were literally black from all the playing that she did so I didn't want her to pick up pieces. So, I held the pizza and she took bites. And this was before she took the whole pizza from my hands and ate it like a big girl. Ha. So much for attempts at being somewhat hygenic. God made dirt, right?

So happy when she wakes up from her nap :) Sometimes cutting Grandeddy's hair is a family affair

Friday night lights

2011-10-07T23:50:00.000-07:00

Tupelo pulled out another "w" this lovely evening with a huge win over Southaven. It was a great game,and Abs had a good time - letting us stay til the 4th quarter!

in front of the helmet getting ready to watch the players "bust" through

she has her hawk eyes (or more appropriately put, "Dale" eyes) out for grandeddy, and much to her delight we did get to give him a hug before the game

Still taking everything in - football games are like stimulation overload for this girl!

My attempts at capturing her outfit. This shirt was actually a dress I made for her last year that she wore to the homecoming game. Amazingly it still fits, and she just wore it sans bloomers as a top

After climbing the stairs from the bottom to the top of the bleachers (all 6 sets) she decided she was ready to come "sit" in the stands with the girls. So sweet. She had F.U.N.

And here we are watching half-time which she very seriously took in. No comments or talking when she is taking new things in. She was silent for the entire show which means she thought alot about it.

And clearly tired here so we are getting ready to leave. Happy Friday and happy weekend!

time out, playdough, and sewing therapy

2011-10-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Sneaking a peak after having her nose "in" the corner for time out. She wants to know if she's all done with time-out. Its just been that kind of day

Seriously...could you keep that face in time-out for long? Clearly I was trying hard to keep a straight face as I'm photographing pictures of the time-out

And from tantrums to this in no time flat. Perhaps the time-out is a bit over her head at this point :) Even when she's bad she' so stinkin cute

Its definitely been that kind of week and I am SICK of non-stop school once the baby is at school or asleep. I had a little theraputic sewing time (although the me time only lasted about 15 minutes...hey, I'll take what I can get) This nice little dress I made will be the blank canvas for a pumpkin applique. Baby needs a new halloween dress, right! Any suggestions on cute patterns for pumpkins?

Happy Hump Day

2011-10-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

attempts to capture how long her hair is getting! She's leaning forward so its not exactly accurate, but you get the gist

New Dress Tuesday

2011-10-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Its new dress time :) Love this clearance fabric from Jo-anns. This dress cost me less than $1 to make. (it can be economical to sew dresses yourself, but not usually this cheap!)

Disregard the mouthful of snack. If she a snack in tow, she will do anything. Momma gave her some trail mix (which ranks pretty high in her book) and I asked her to go stand by the pumpkin. She willingly obliged and stood still for a good few minutes!

she got side-tracked with the photography session and instead wanted to sing the itsy-bitsy spider

I can't believe she willingly got out of the baby swing in favor of this one. She usually loves the ease and convience of having to exert zero effort in the baby swings

always on a mission

Dolly delights and sugar highs

2011-10-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

Abs woke up extra fiesty this particular morning, and I couldn't move fast enough for her liking. She kept reminding me of what she wanted :)

And then once on the slide, she found this hilarious game she shared with the baby. Originally, she wanted the baby to sit on the slide and wait for her until she could get up the ladder, since it was too hard to hold the baby doll and climb. However when she found out the baby could go down the slide on its own too, that was just over the top for miss priss

And then we had to bundle up. omg....what happened to the warm weather I was bragging about...come on MS!

*side note: it did finally get up to 75 by the afternoon. whrew. So not ready for winter yet...as in, won't be ready for the rest in my life

didn't seem to mind the bundling up....felt like second nature from her first year of life

What do you do when it is chilly outside? You go inside and bake something of course. I was chilly from playing with Abs this morning and cooking always warms me up. So we made her class some cupcakes to share. Mo-wah, she says. Homemade cream cheese frosting? Me too, baby girl

And what goes better with cake than some milk? Where have these been all my life?!?!! Abs LOVES milk and she loves the juice box package - this is pretty much the best combination EVER. They also make a plain milk, which she loves! They are a bit pricey, but if you are in a pinch and want milk, and are concerned with the spoilage factor - this is the answer my friends! We found these fun varieties on sale at Kroger. She has yet to try them but I have a feeling she will approve.

sunshine with the big girls

2011-10-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

Have I already mentioned how much we love to be outside? Especially with the neighbor girls? Abby's highchair faces the outside window, which puts her in a direct line of vision to the neighbors back yard. Which also allows her to see them whenever they are outside. Must remedy this. Today, when she instantly spotted them, she was READY to get out of the highchair. "all done, all done" she quickly waves her hands, casually tossing aside the beloved mandarin oranges in favor of inze and dacie. What are we going to do when we can't just hop outside to go play with those precious girls?!?!?

"dacie" playing peekaboo with Abs

starting early with the necessary multi-tasking of driving while chatting......um perhaps I should not be setting this example?

dacie helping abs hula hoop

I love this.....they love to make "sandwiches" and Abs loves to be in the middle of all the commotion

such hams

Love.

Tupelo Golden wave pride

2011-10-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

We are ready to show Grandeddy some support at the football game! The golden wave pulled out another "w" and Abs had a great time taking in all the excitement, walking around the track before the game, and climbing the stairs. I couldn't believe that she also stayed in the stands while were were seated for the entire first half of the football game. I attribute that to 1)being able to climb up and down on the seat, 2)tons of people everywhere to soak in and flirt with 3)raisins and goldfish to respark her attention away from the stairs she so loves to climb. She slept hard and late the next day. Thats my kind of idea of a GREAT weekend!

Dressed to impress in her golden wave cheerleading dress I made her

sometimes nana's decorations are more fun than actually posing for a picture

eating a banana on the run is ALWAYS more fun than sitting still for a pose!

Fall around the corner

2011-09-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

Don't you love the weather this time of year when it is crisp and cool outside, but not so cold that you need to bundle up with layers? Making up for lost time outside in frigid ND where there is snow 9 months out of the year, Abs and I go outside every single day, multiple times a day. She loves to go "aahside". Even when the actual temps were greater than 100 and the heat index was light years higher, we still managed to somehow get some fresh air even for a little bit of time. We love that we can now stay at the park for longer stretches without totally melting and dehydrating. With our crazy weather I won't be surprised if its 90 degrees tomorrow, but I do feel like if its not already here, fall is definitely around the corner
Temps in MS: mid70s day/60s night.
Temps in Minot: 60sday/freeze warnings at night (and there have been freezing temps for quite a few weeks)
One more reason why Mississippi is such a great place!

status quo bathtime

2011-09-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is the status quo for bathtime around here. Can't get enough of that infectious laugh

And here she is getting wrapped back up after a towel faux paux (sp?) I try to wrap her in a towel so she doesn't get cold, but she usually just sprints in her birthday suit after getting slathered up with lotion to the bedroom for her "jamas".

And then sometimes she gets a little distracted before she actually makes it to the bedroom to put those on, as evidenced here. Ha, and its hard to get up from a fall when you are wrapped mummy style inhibiting movement of your joints. Silly girl

2011-09-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here I am, the student once again! It’s my second day of cardiology clinicals as an FNP student. Such amazing things to see and learn! The human body never ceases to blow my mind at just how wonderfully and fearfully our creator made us. It’s so humbling to be embarking on this journey and I love, love, love what I am doing in life at this moment. Now if only I can keep this enthusiasm up for another 17 months! My cardiology clinical was in the hospital where I got to see some incredible and groundbreaking improvements in standard of care treatments. Being in the hospital ranks up pretty high as one of my passions, and great loves in life.

Well....after these two most important loves :)

Our favorite neighbors

2011-09-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Our fav neighbor girls, Lindsey and Gracie, or "inze and dacie"

enjoying the playdough

I love this picture. Look at these precious girls loving each other and playing together. And Abby is in heaven being right next to the big girls and watching their every move

Lindsey is showing off her angel she made

Lindsey and Gracie have a 7 month old brother, and Abs has stolen his swing here, obviously pretty proud of herself

no remorse whatsoever for the helpless 9 month old who may or may not want this swing. Nope, just exhilerating delight

Of course this is the only pic I could get after I got the camera out. Abs looks very serious but I promise you she was squealing with the best of them before I broke out the flash

such sweet sweet girls - so blessed to have them as neighbors!