The Sweet End to October

The end of October was just that....SWEET! It was filled with lots of sweet moments, special visitors and fun firsts. It was so full that it's actually hard to recount it in blog form, but I'll try my best!

Abby rode out the end of her sickness with some naps on Daddy. Seriously...I wish I could capture this moment and stay in it forever. My heart melts when I walk into the room to this:

Ashley (our good friend and "personal painter") came to visit for a couple of nights. Abby loves "Ayash". As with every guest that comes to visit, Abby sat with Ashley and read through her whole bookshelf. It's like she thinks everyone should enjoy the treasures she does daily and has no idea why anyone wouldn't want to read all day. God has blessed me so much with a little bookworm. She's just like her mommy!

Check out the stack next to them.

Our little duck loved getting dressed up in her costume.

I just couldn't get enough of that little tail wiggling back and forth as she ran around.


Grammy came to visit for a few days and we loved every minute of having her here. This picture was taken just moments after she walked in the door. Notice where she is. Abby took Grammy straight to her room to read books of course. I took another picture of Grammy and Abby reading, but I'm not allowed to post it! ;) Just wanted to note that because they read lots and lots of books together. We had a girlie shopping trip and enjoyed some great meals together. Please come back soon Grammy, but it would really be okay if you don't bring a storm system with you this time!


Abby feeds her babies daily! Such a good little mommy.

Real Life hosted the 2nd Annual Ladies Pumpkin Carving Night. It was lots of fun to host it at our house this year. Look closely, there is some serious talent going on here. I was totally impressed! I'm going to start planning my pumpkin in August next year and come prepared to carve a masterpiece.

The staff pumpkins! See mine right in the middle? Can you guess who it is? Ok, so I know it's a pretty lame excuse for Elmo, but all that matters is that when my daughter woke up the next morning and I asked her who it was she said, "Pump-pump, Mel-mo!" I have officially succeeded!

Mama came to visit for a week. On Halloween, my Dad and Cory brought Mama to Albany. We all enjoyed dinner together and seeing Abby run around as a little duck.

my precious girl.

This was Abby's first year trick-or-treating. We took her around to a few houses. We just love meeting and reconnecting with our neighbors and this was the perfect opportunity to introduce ourselves and remember some new names. We practiced with Abby beforehand and her sweet version of the phrase was "Tuck-o-tatt". She didn't want to walk, so we carried her, but when we went to the door she would say "Tuck-o-tatt" (louder and more boldly with each house), open her bag and then very thoughtfully pick her treat from the bowl or platter. When she got the hang of things, she kept saying "more, more" after each house. It was so much fun to watch her.

Since that night, she has been saying "Tuck-o-tatt" whenever she wants someone to give her something or when she knocks on someones door. Hilarious! The real fun is Abby didn't really know the treats she collected were delicious bits of candy. She didn't ask for the things in the bag at all after that. We gave her a few treats here and there, but I loved that she wasn't obsessed with the idea of loads of sugar. Making dentists everywhere proud.

bedtime stories on Mommy and Daddy's bed

hugging Mama during bedtime prayers

Mama's visit was a wonderful. Seriously....I cried when she left on Sunday and Mama was the first person Abby asked for when she woke up Monday morning. One week of my grandma living with us was honestly the best. In true honored guest fashion, Abby initiated her with loads and loads of books.

Mama sewed us curtains and pillows for the downstairs family room. A skill that I still wish I had learned from her when she tried to teach me years ago. They are lovely! Stay tuned for a post in the near future featuring our new additions.

We were pretty spoiled. Mama cooked our favorite Hungarian foods all week. She loves to do it and we LOVE to eat it. I did cook for her twice while she was here. There is nothing like Mama's cooking. The smells and the taste take me right back to my childhood in an instant. I sometimes joke that I would package my grandmother's scent and call it "Cucumber Salad". That is truly a compliment! Abby helped cook and also had second helpings almost every meal.

One of Abby's new favorite pastimes is wearing everyone's shoes around the house. My shoes are one thing, but you should see this girl maneuver around in her Daddy's huge shoes.


Abby loves to help her dad stretch after his runs. It's easy to push through the hard parts of running, when you know you are coming home to this sweet face and stretching partner.

Abby now refuses to wear bibs, but is still a pretty messy eater. So, Mama thought she could convince Abby to wear a bib by wearing one herself. Must have worked on me once, but it worked for all of 3 minutes before Abby ripped hers off. Good try, Mama!

Side note: Over a year ago, my mother-in-law bought us this beautiful first year frame for Abby. I love it! It took me a little while to get the pictures developed for it, but this week I did and it is now hanging beautifully in Abby's room. It was such a joy to put it together and remember her first year of life month by month.

All of that October snow melted, which meant it was time to rake some leaves.



Abby and Mama spent hours working on her new ABC puzzle.

Mama, we miss you already! The spring/summer can't come soon enough. Szeretlek! Abby sends kisses to Buff Buff!