Snapshots and Quotables

practicing letters in shaving cream

 A: I know that we can't go to Florida right now on an airplane, but I was thinking Mommy...do you think we can go to Nagymama's house on a rocketship? I think that would be a good idea.

Her innocent request to go visit her Nagymama almost made me call Nasa.

chasing each other around the house...and under the dining room table.

Hi Mom!

 Abby and Joe were having a disagreement one morning. After a few minutes, she jumps in with:

A: "Whoa whoa Daddy. Stop. Stop. Ok. Take a deep breath. Are you ready? Ok."

She's three, right? :)

loving bathtime...

...and the constant source of entertainment that is her big sissy!

a bunch of sweet mommy friends after we threw a little sprinkle for Nichole. Can't wait to meet baby #3 in just a few weeks. 

Real friends take prego pics with you! Abby thinks we are crazy...and we kind of are. We love you Nichole!

a favorite activity: reading books in Mommy and Daddy's bed while we get ready in the morning

 One particular night, Abby was having a hard time falling asleep by herself and she was all but throwing a fit for me to stay with her. I told her that she had to try for a bit by herself because she was still rolling around and playing games. I left the room and heard: Dear God, I don't want to go to sleep by myself. Father (which she pronounces "Fava" like fava beans), will you please bring my mommy back to me?  In Jesus name, Amen. [God answered her prayer with a big ol' yes! ;)]

a favorite activity: crawling everywhere she can!
 "Did I hear my sissy's voice in there? Here I come!!!"

action shot

 Abby continues to find new ways to express her artistic-ness. Just the other day, she called me into the bathroom after she went potty and with the most genuine excitement told me to check out her latest masterpiece.

A: Look Mommy! My poopy looks like a dragon. That's the tail and those are his wings. I think that's the fire. I made a dragon!

[seriously, I was just thankful she saw it as dreaming up cloud forms rather than playing with it like paint. phew. close one.]

peek-a-boo bear

 Trick to keeping Abby the most focused on dinner is giving her sugar snap peas for a veggie. She opens each pod, takes out every pea and then eats them one by one. She gets very excited when I make "pea presents" for dinner.

tucking those knees under. I can't even imagine how the game will change when you are crawling on hands and knees. You are so fast already!

the latest, most precious sister pic.

Happy 30th Birthday Daddy!

Recently, we celebrated our very special guy's BIG birthday. Daddy turned 30! Finding out just weeks before that we were going to be traveling right up to midnight of Joe's birthday, it was time to get creative. How was I going to make Joe's 30th birthday special if I wasn't going to be here to prepare? With the help of lots of friends and family, Joe's birthday celebrations were much more than anything he could have imagined or hoped for! He didn't suspect or expect anything!

Joe was looking forward to spending his birthday at home relaxing with our family and spending lots of time with Abby since we were away from her for three days. Joe's mom (Grammy) was already here, which was a totally fun bonus. Besides, as a mom I can just imagine how sweet that was for my mother-in-law to be able to celebrate her first baby boy turning 30! Joe's dad (G-Diddy) and youngest brother, Tommy took the train up to spend the day with us and go out to dinner. Fun birthday plans. What Joe didn't know was: 1. His mom was taking care of some secret details for me while we were away. 2. His dad and Tommy were not JUST coming for dinner. 3. Some sweet friends were also working behind the scenes while Joe enjoyed his relaxing day at home and out to dinner.

Uncle Tommy is here!

playing with Uncle T!

Joe and Dad

out to dinner and trying to hang in there with some angry birds

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We had a great early dinner at a restuarant and headed home early...so the girls could get to bed early. The dinnertime madness of keeping Abby and Ella occupied in a restaurant on a Saturday night was enough to even make our somewhat rushed state totally reasonable. We pulled up to a completely dark house. No cars in sight. Making the fact that there were 35 people hiding in our house a COMPLETE SURPRISE! Operation 30th Birthday was a success. Thank you to our friends Nichole and Heather who knew where the cake and decorations were hidden and set everything up while we were out. Thank you to my mother-in-law who picked up the last minute supplies and cake while we were away. It was a memorable celebration and I loved seeing the look on Joe's face when he saw everyone there for his birthday. (Abby was pretty thrilled to see that all of her friends were in her house waiting to play with her when she thought she was coming home to go to bed!)

**Video insert coming soon!**

After everyone went home and the kids were tucked into bed, I sat Joe on the couch for one more surprise. Not only were there tons of local people who wanted to celebrate Joe's birthday, but there were many friends across the country (and even the world) who sent a special video message for him. It was so special for all us to sit and watch with him as friends and family shared how much Joe means to them, their favorite memories with him and how Joe has impacted their lives. These videos will be treasured for sure! Extra special moments for me as I gathered these videos and was able to reflect on the amazing man God has given to me. I'm thankful.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make Joe's 30th birthday a special one!

Ella: 7 months

Ella: 7 months 

sitting up completely by yourself 

crawling all over the house and often chasing us at our feet 

eating lots of new foods (including yogurt)

enjoying finger foods (mixed veggies, mum mums, puffs, small pieces of fruit) and getting really good at picking up little foods

drinking water from a cup

making new sounds

favorite activities: finding any/every wire in the house and crawling as fast as you can to get it, blowing bubbles, sticking out your tongue, squealing and laughing with your big sister, playing with your toys, rolling around in your crib, throwing your pacifier at the wall and then laughing mischievously when we walk into the room 

prefer crawling around the house to being confined in your jump-jump, but you still spend some time in there each day

still taking 3-4 naps a day, but definitely falling into longer nap patterns

 went to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live with your sister 

took your first trip on an airplane

adored by everyone you meet

A Mommy Milestone

Joe and I had to take a ministry trip a couple of weekends ago. Since having kids the nature of the conferences we attended included children, so the kids have always come with us. We had never traveled without them! Our latest trip was a BIG first for this mommy! As we learned more about our trip, it was clear that the kids should stay home. Since Ella is still nursing we made arrangements to bring her with us AND since Abby is such a big girl, we called Grammy and asked if she would come stay with Abby for three days!

We knew Abby would have a great time with Grammy, but it was a big step for me to be away from her for that long! It was just hard for me to leave her. Abby is my little buddy. When she is not with me, it feels like there is something missing. We missed her the whole time, but we also know the time away was healthy and a good growing up moment for all of us.

helping Mommy get ready the morning we left.

seriously...and we wonder why I missed her. My little buddy.

Abby and Grammy had tons of fun together. We called Abby once every morning and were refreshed to hear her so genuinely enjoying herself. She would ask when we were coming home, but then quickly told us about her time and all of the things planned for her fun day with Grammy. That was just another bit of God's grace to me during our time away!

Ella took the schedule change, overstimulation and airport excitement in stride. On the airplane, Ella was a little social bug. She was entertaining everyone around us. She was all smiles and laughter.

Fist airplane ride!

During our meetings, Ella was taken care of by some wonderful women. She struggled a bit being away from me (height of the separation anxiety stage), but overall she did great. At one point, she was hanging out in one of the offices with this big green guy. His name is Boz. Ella thought he was pretty cool

I think Ella really missed her big sister. When she heard Abby's voice through the phone, she was wild with excitement. As a mom, it's really priceless to me to see the bond my girls have with each other. I pray often that they will always be best friends.

 

Without Abby around, Ella had to find some new friends.

When I sent this picture to my mother-in-law with the above caption, she showed it to Abby and Abby responded, "That isn't a new friend...that's two sissies!"

 

 

On our last day away, Abby said, "Grammy, it's really hard to wait for my mommy and daddy to come home."  She processed her feelings like such a big girl. Precious. 

 

 

 

 

 God totally blessed our time. Abby had a great time with Grammy. Ella enjoyed the adventure and having her parents all to herself for a bit. Joe and I had a great time in our meetings and during our free time at night. Blessed. Thankful for a seamless trip and a great mother-in-law who took care of everything at home. Thank you Grammy!

Snapshots and Quotables

my loves.

M: Abby, please come help me clean up Candyland.
A: One minute, Mommy! I just need to hip hop and pop. This music party just won't stop.

Look at those eyes.

M: Do you want to go downstairs and do puzzles together?
A: (totally excited by the offer) Yes! You know which puzzle I want to do? I want to do the one with the doggy, house and the clock on it. You know that one? The one with all the nipples on it?
M: choking back my laughter while trying to explain those are little knobs...not nipples. hahahaha

the nipple puzzle! hehehe

beautiful girl

crawling around everywhere

A: Mommy, my heart is broken.
M: Why is that?
A: Because there is no music. 

pretend sleepover in the living room

chasing after Abby's feet