"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." ~Angela Schwindt~

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Dear Abigail...

Dear Abbyroo,


I sat on the couch with you this evening and let you drink your night night sippy of milk. I looked over at your daddy and said, I can’t imagine how life could be any better. While you drank your sippy I played with your toes saying this little piggy went to the market, this little piggy stayed home etc… You love this game. Your feet are so ticklish though we can hardly get though it!

You have turned in to such a helper girl. You like everything in its place. The channel changers in the basket, your toys in the box, your shoes back in your room. Once we finish a bottle of water or can drink you always carry it to the table. You don’t like it to sit on the end tables. I am hoping you stay this way! Haha it makes it easier on a mama when you want everything in its place.

Last week we starting making space for our Christmas tree. We moved several of your “livingroom” toys to your bedroom. We talked about how big girls keep their toys in their own room. As soon as I would take handfuls back in your room, you would make 2-3 trips bringing them back to the livingroom. We did this several times. I finally waited until you went down for your nap and moved them. You woke up and you were so happy to see them all in your room you just clapped! It makes me sad that you go back to your room so much now though. I will be in the living room and you will head back to your room and say for maybe 5-8 minutes and come back. You are making frequent trips back there.

November has been a rough month. You have had 2 ear infections this month! You got one towards the beginning of the month in your right ear. We took you to the doctor on November 8th. They put you on a 10 day antibiotic. A couple days later you started pulling at those ears again and we took you back to the doctor and you had double ear infection. They put you on a stronger antibiotic and it got rid of it this time! I took you to the doctor again just yesterday due to your 101.3 temperature. I would rather pay a copay and them tell me your just fine, than wonder in the wee hours of the morning how you are. You are such a happy child and don’t hardly complain when you don’t feel well.

You are starting to talk a lot more. You repeat about everything we say, or give it a good attempt. Your able to identify your belly button, ears, eyes, and nose. We are working on head and mouth now. Also if I say “where’s Abigail” you will pat your chest. This is my favorite :-). Which I think about everyting you do is just precious. You also sing “e-i-e-i-e-i-e-i-ooooo” all the time. Your able to answer to “what does a cow say” “what does a sheep say” and “what does a puppy dog say”. We are working on kitty cat now. We also love to blow kisses!

We had a wonderful thanksgiving. We went to your Nana and Poppas house for dinner. You always get car sick on our trip to Beattyville, I wish there was something we could do to help this. You ate turkey, mashed potatoes, corn pudding, baked beans, roll and banana pudding. Your cousins, Aunt, Uncle and Nana and Poppa love you so much.

Well sweet heart, I just rocked you and put you down to sleep. Good night princess. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Your smile and face brighten my day and give me more joy in my heart than you can imagine. I love you Roo!

Mama :-)


Monday, November 22, 2010

50 free Christmas (holiday cards) offered by Shutterfly!!!

I can’t believe that Christmas is just a little over a month away. It’s hard to believe that this is going to be our second Christmas with Abigial. Time sure does fly by, I know that I have said that most frequently in this blog, however it is so true. Someone told me today that it was only going to go faster once you have your second child. So I have seen on several of my friends pages on facebook that you can get free Christmas (holiday cards) from shutterfly if you have a blog. I thought I would give this a try. We have ordered several of the photo cards from shutterfly. It is one of the most convenient ways we have found to do Christmas cards. They have a lot of amazing designs, and you can even choose how many pictures you want to use on your cards. Their website is very user friendly and you can upload the picture right after you choose a card. Another feature they have that is very convenient is that you can save your card for future ordering or use. Simply click this link and it will take you directly to their site: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards


Some of my top pics this year include:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/merry-modern-collage-christmas-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93496

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/merry-plaid-christmas-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93496

and finally this one: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/mod-snowflakes-story-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93496

it is going to be very hard to decide which one we order this year! I know that our friends and family will be very excited to receive their Christmas card and of course we will save one for Abigail’s baby book. I will show off a picture of her any chance I get.

Since I’m on a shutterfly post this evening, if you have never tried photo books (http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books ) you have got to give them a try. I stopped scrap booking about 3 years ago when I discovered these wonderful creations! Since I have a child and one on the way I sure don’t have time to scrapbook anymore and these are just as special and unique.

Merry Christmas! Take advantage of the 50 free Christmas (holiday cards) offered by shutterfly by simply visiting: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/

Merry Christmas!!!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Christmas Wreath

We made our Christmas wreath today!  It took a little longer than I thought it would, but while Abbyroo was down for a nap I made and finished it.  So it prob took about an hour and a half. 

To start I used a floral wreath.  I bought a large roll of Christmas ribbon, and also floral hooks. 

I wrapped the ribbon all the way around the wreath.  This step wasn't I guess necessary, but I wanted to make sure that all of the green was covered.  I guess you could spray paint it if you wanted to.

This is what the finished wrapped wreath looks like.


I used 3 different kinds of ribbon, plus the ribbon I used for wrapping the wreath, so I had 4 different patterns of ribbon.  I cut it into strips about 5-6 inches each.  To be honest I didn't measure them, and they were all not the same length.  I wrapped each cut ribbon into a circle and used the floral pin to pin the ribbon onto the wreath.

I pinned them about as close as I could get them to each other.  Also all my ribbon was "wired", it gave it a good texture.


I started by going all the way around the top.  I also pinned the ribbon into the insides and outsides of the wreath. 

This is my finished project!  Right before I heard my sweet little girl talking in her crib telling me she was awake.

We hug it on our door and are admiring our work!

This was the first piece of Christmas decor we have hung up :) 

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Dear Abigail,

My sweet Abbyroo,


I ask myself at least once a day, where has the time gone? You were 15 months this past Friday, and it feels like you should just be 15 weeks old. You have grown up so much in the past few months, and turned into such a little girl. You are changing daily. Your hair has grown so much, you are getting tall, and you’re fitting well into your size 18 month clothes. You go to your 15 month peds appointment on Monday. I look forward to seeing how much you weigh and how tall you are. I know that the doctor is going to tell us that you are just perfect!

You are a child that loves to show us how you feel. You wear your expressions on your shoulders. When you are happy you light up ear to ear, and when you are sad, you pucker those lips and you let us know. You hug us all the time. You try and kiss us, by sticking out your tongue and giving a little lick. After you lick our cheek you make a little smacking noise. It is just precious. Your hugs make my day. Your daddy and I will be on the floor playing with you, and I will lean over and hug on daddy and rub his chest and you try to get me off of him so you can lay your head on his chest.

You are saying a lot of new words lately. Some of your new words are “up”, “Book”, “Thank you”, “Shoe” and “bath”. You are saying a lot of other words but these are the ones you use often. You say thank you a whole lot now. You will say it when I give you something, and also when you give me something. You say it more like “Dank Du” though. You will come up to me while I am washing the dishes or doing something in the kitchen and lift your arms up and say “up”. You want to be in the action, see what mommy and daddy are doing. You love to say “book”. You love to read, and if we ask you to get a book, you will run back into your room and either gets your “Mother for Chaco” book or your “That’s not my penguin” book, those 2 are your favorites.  I try to read you your "I'm a big sister" book at least once a day. 

You melt my heart about everyday by something that you do, but recently after bath time you will sit on my lap and I will use the hair dryer on your hair. A couple of times you have gotten your hair brush and brushed my hair. You were just as gentle as could be. You love your bath time. I ask if you if you want to take a bath and you say “yes” and go to the bathroom. You have a sweet little sound you make when you want something, is like the word yes, but it is more of a mumble that starts low and gets higher. I will definitely have to get that on video. The only thing that you love more than bath time is being outside. We don’t really have any outside toys in the backyard yet besides your swing and wagon. You will find to rocks and think that they are the best things to play with. The other day you found a stick and kept putting it in a bucket and getting it back out. You also like to pick up leaves and our back yard has a plenty of them right now!

This past Saturday we put you down for your nap and your daddy and I were on the couch and we could hear you talking. Your daddy went back there and you were sitting up in your bed playing with your glowworn. Daddy asked you what you were doing and you laid your little head back down and went to sleep. I think you are too smart for your own good. I ask you if you need a diaper change and you go to where we change your diaper. I’m not quite sure what it is about the basket on the end table though you won’t ever leave it alone. You love to get daddy’s keys out of there and head to the door. You try your best to get one key and reach it to the door knob. We ask you to bring the keys to us, but you won’t, but you will put them back in the basket. I’m not sure why you won’t bring us something we ask, you will only put it back where you got it. You are such a helper girl though. You love to be in the center of what we are doing. Daddy was unloading bottles of water into the fridge this evening and you stood there and handed him all 24 bottles to put in the fridge. It took you all about 10 minutes to load the water, but you sure had fun helping your daddy.

You have always like music, but the past couple months you have been doing the cutest little dance. I call it your step dance, because that is basically what it is, little tiny steps very fast. Where we have hardwood floors in our house you can hear yourself walk, and you will be standing there and some music to a show will come on you will start your dancing. It is so funny; it has made me laugh out loud. Not only because you are so cute doing it, but because you get the cheesiest little grin on your face because you know that it is something fun.

Your daddy has taught you how to “tickle” my feet. I will lie on the couch and put my feet on your daddy’s lap, and several times he has helped you tickle my feet and I just “laugh and laugh and laugh”. You think it is so funny. Now, you will come tickle my feet on your own, which is quite often, because my shoes come off as soon as I walk in the house. You laugh so hard as soon as you get your hands on my feet to try and tickle them. 

We went trick or treating this past weekend and you had so much fun.  Your cousins came over and went around the neighborhood with us.  You and Anderson rode in the wagon most of the time.  You kept getting Anderson's candy and taking it all out of his bucket, and putting it back in.  I was proud that you didn't try and eat the candy, you were just content taking it out and putting it back in.  You were the cutest little lady bug I have ever seen, and I have the pictures to prove it! 

You are just precious Abigail. I can’t believe how much you have grown. These 15 months have flown by; I know that the next letter I write you I will talk about how quickly time has passed. I showed you something pink and something blue the other day and asked you if we were having a little boy or a little girl, you grabbed the pink item. You may be right Abby, and we may have us a sweet little girl in June. I guess we will find out right after Christmas what we are having! Boy or girl though, you will be the best big sister anyone could ever have. I love you!

Mommy :-*

PS: You love my chicken pot pie :-)