Vic and Ali's wedding!

On Sunday, we celebrated with my family as my cousin Vic married Ali! I'm so happy for them! We traveled to Connecticut for the wedding. Abby came with us for the first half of the wedding and when it was time for bed we brought her back to the hotel where she stayed with a babysitter. It was a lot of fun.

sleeping on the hotel bed while Mommy gets ready for the wedding

getting ready...

"My Papa! I love your mustache, but only when I can play with it. Ummm, otherwise I'm not so sure."

during the ceremony

Vic waiting for his beautiful bride

meeting Evelyn for the first time. Evelyn is my first cousin and she was born exactly one month before Abby. SO...as Joe informed me Evelyn is Abby's first cousin once removed! I hope they grow up as great friends.

my mom and dad

three generations

hanging with Uncle Cory

first dance

dancing together

first dance with her dad at a wedding

loved having a date night at the wedding with my hubs after Abby went to bed

First trip to Lake Bluff

We were blessed with a few days off that we were able to spend at Lake Bluff with the Cassel family last week. As always, it was a fun week, but having Abby there for the first time made it even better! The weather was beautiful. We had a few hot days with just enough beautiful breezy days and nights to go with them. Perfect!

Trips to Lake Bluff always include spending great time with lots of family.

Abby & Rebekkah

Meeting Simon and Dori for the first time. Dori even named her new dolly, Abby!

Simon teaching Abby how to play "This Little Piggy"

Meeting Ethan and Caleb

Spending time with Mary

Laughing with Uncle Tommy

Lounging with Uncle Brad

Nana feeding Abby her string beans

rocking and singing songs with Nana

brothers and their ladies + Rebekkah

We celebrated Tommy and Alex's birthday!

We spent lots of quality time with Grammy and Granddaddy (who as of this trip has become known as G-diddy...you know...like P-diddy, but with a G!).

watching Elmo with G-diddy

playing with Grammy

Mornings at the Bluff are so enjoyable. It's always peaceful and the water is still. The air is often chilly and perfect for lounging around in a warm sweatshirt while reading a good book. For Joe, he does all of this while enjoying his cup of coffee. This year, Abby didn't want to miss out on that fun...

Abby is in love with Greeley. Every morning she would play with him or just watch him. We would all tell Greeley to back up and leave her alone and just as he would listen, Abby would reach out to touch him. What a tease! One morning, she was laughing so hard as Greeley sniffed her. It was the best!


We spent afternoons down at the dock enjoying the sunshine and the lake. Abby went in the lake with Daddy and enjoyed it just like it was the pool.

getting ready to head down to the dock

Grammy, Abby and me

sitting on the dock

After being down by the water, we'd come head back to the cottage and relax before dinner.

loving the front porch swing

family time on the swing

While sitting on the front porch, we spotted an eagle on the Becker's cottage!

Mommy & baby

beauty!

And every night we hope to see a beautiful sunset over the lake...


One afternoon, we went over the Rochester to have lunch with some of our favorite friends!

the ladies...

and the guys!

We had a great time and are looking forward to our next visit Columbus Day weekend.

Cinderella

Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song called "Cinderella". The lyrics are:

She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders

It's been a long day
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me
Saying "Dad, I need you

There's a ball at the castle
And I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone...

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

She will be gone

Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away
But I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

The first time Joe heard this song, he started to dream of the day God might bless him with a little girl. I could see how God was growing Joe's heart so tender for his daughter. On the day we went for our ultrasound and found out our baby was a girl, Joe came right home and and danced around to the song (pretending he was dancing with her!). While I was pregnant, Joe played this song to Abby on the piano. He talks about it being the song they will dance together on her wedding day!

It is amazing to watch such a wonderful man be an amazing father to our little girl. She is only 6 months old and already she knows how adored she is! The truth is Abby will first learn who God is, what he is like and how he feels about her from her earthly dad. God is "Our Father, who art in heaven." He means initially to reveal himself to his sons and daughters through the love of our dads. We are meant to know a father's love, be kept safe in it, be protected by it and blossom there. Of course, Joe would never be able to do it perfectly, he will make mistakes and will need lots of God's grace and help along the way, but I truly believe God couldn't have picked a better man to communicate to our little girl the things the Lord wants her to know. As she grows and starts asking the questions in every little girl's heart like, "Do you see me? Am I captivating? Do I really have a beauty of my own?" She will see those answers in her Daddy's eyes:

I see you! You are captivating and beautiful! Your heart matters to me. You are a treasure. God adores you and I adore you! You are worth it!

...and it will point her to the love of her Eternal God and Father!

I am so thankful for God's perfect plan!

And to play on the day Abby gets married before she dances with her daddy to "their song"....

6 months old!

Hello world....I'm 6 months old!

We had Abby's six month doctor's visit today and is now recovering from her shots. We survived! The good news is she doesn't need to have shots again until her 1 year visit (unless you count the flu shot in the fall). Anyway, it feels like the worst of the shots is over for now, which makes me a very happy mommy. Abby weighs 17 lbs. and is 26 1/2 inches long.

For the first time, today I asked the nurse about percentile information. Abby's height and weight is in the 75th percentile. Then the nurse told us that the measurement of Abby's head was in the 97th percentile. The nurse quickly said she'll grow into it. If you are a Pingiczer, I know you are laughing right now because that means Abby inherited a "Hungarian head"! You know what they always told me..."Bigger head = More brains!" Yes that's right, my baby takes after her momma! Big beautiful head and all.

We love our little girl so much!

Lots of laughter!

Just in case you wanted to hear one of the best sounds in the world and in case you were wondering what goes on in our home on a daily basis...(way too much fun!)



Happiness!