Grateful

3 things I am thankful for today...

* Fresh, ripe watermelon for lunch
* Lazy Sunday morning in bed with Abby and Matt
* New dance clothes for Abby (pink leotard and skirt), more specifically, how Abby was when she tried them on.

Coming Soon...Pictures from Abby's first dance class on Tuesday (I'm sure I'll have plenty to share!).

Game Night

Part of our Friday evening was "Game Night". We played Chutes and Ladders and Candyland. Abby has gotten so much better at the games since I bought them in the Spring. Chutes and Ladders is still a little difficult because of counting spaces, but Abby is a champ.

Becky

My rockin' sister-in-law! She is a published author, how cool is that??? We are so proud of her. Her first book just appeared on her publishers "New Releases" page (Tate Publishing). It is all about the skills that kindergarteners need to know, including resources such as flashcards. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, you can leave me a comment and I'll forward it on, or visit Tate Publishing. Here is the cover:


Go Beck!

A Poll

So, I have added a poll to the blog on the left sidebar, just for fun.

Girl or Boy?????

Vote on what you think (or your preference)... and let's see what happens!

The Twilight Saga

This is my new book obsession: The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I first heard about it on a blog I read, and so I put it on hold at the library. There were tons of holds already. About a week later, it seemed like everywhere I looked there was press about the series because the fourth, and last, book of the series was being released. I ended up buying the first one instead of waiting on the library and liked it. From there, I ended up buying the whole series. The genre is actually Young Adult Fantasy, I guess, but I loved it. It was an easy, fun read. I hate to even mention that the book is about vampires, because that makes it sound so Science Fiction, but it is what it is. It is also very much a love story.

I am in the process of rereading them. I'm a dork, and a sucker for a fun, relaxed read. If I had to pick a favorite, I might say the last one, Breaking Dawn, but you really have to read them in order. They are making a movie of Twilight, which will be released in November. I am so excited, I'll have to get a sitter so I can go see it!

Baby update...

We just got back from my OB appointment. All 3 of us went, we just told Abby about the pregnancy about a week ago, so she got to come this time. Everything looks good. We heard a healthy heartbeat (in the 160s), which was the highlight for everyone, but especially for Abby because we hope it makes it a little more real for her. I had started to get antsy about a heartbeat again, so it was a relief to hear it. I still haven't felt fetal movement yet, though I feel like it is close. I keep getting a "feeling" but no definite "kicks" yet. I am looking forward to it. It makes it feel even more real, and it is fun to share that with Matt (and now Abby).

My next appointment is in 4 weeks, and we will have an ultrasound at that time.

An iTunes Discovery

So, this evening Abby and I were looking for a song that she likes on iTunes. It is a song they play on Christian radio stations right now, but I didn't know the artist or title. Whenever it comes on, she asks Matt to turn it up, and truly sings it. We tried to find it by clicking on Top Songs on the Christian Music page of the iTunes Music Store. I would play the sample and Abby would tell me if it was the song or not. We did find it by the way, it is called Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher. (and we downloaded it for our new playlist, Abby's Songs.) But, that is not what I was referring to in my title.

While we were listening to samples, we happened upon a song by Plumb (who is a female singer), that all 3 of us really liked. I looked up her album and the reviews compared her to Sarah MacLachlan, which often means I'll like it. It also said that this album was heavily influenced by being a mom to two little ones. I, of course, had to buy it! So far, what we've listed to, we really like. Matt even liked it and asked me to burn him a copy for his car. If you are interested, the album is "Blink" by Plumb. Here is her album cover art:

Story Time

Abby had a captive audience while she told a story about a witch...

Future Rock Star

A trip to the Zoo

I surprised Abby with a trip to the zoo this morning.  I took my camera this time, which I rarely do, so I got a couple fun shots to share...

This is my favorite.  I got it at the perfect time, with good light and good perspective.

I played around with the color on this one a bit.

Abby was so excited about the "bouncy" bridge when she knew we were going to the zoo.

Abby got face-to-face with the penguins (can you see it?). 

She kept shouting out in glee, "Hi, You!"

This one needs a little more explanation, so I saved it for last.  Abby petted a Dog Shark!  Our zoo has a petting pool and because she is so little I have to hold her up and help her.  Many times, the Dog Sharks don't come close enough, so they are hard to reach, but we were patient this time.  Abby got a really good "swipe" at them, and was so excited!

A Trip to the Dentist

~Sorry it has been a while since I posted. Life has been busy (and pregnant Carrie has been EXHAUSTED) since school started back up. School is good this year, though my feet were killing me by the end of the week!~

Today Abby had her second-ever dentist appointment, which to her, is fun. She goes to a pediatric dentist in the area. The one thing that is weird at first is that parents do not go back while their child's teeth are being cleaned. This time, I watched Abby walk down the hallway with the hygienist in the back and very boldly tell her (the first words out of her mouth) that she wanted a blue toothbrush today. I laughed my way to my seat to wait for her to be done. A short while later, maybe only 10-15 minutes, they called me back. Her teeth looked good and she got her blue toothbrush! She also chose a dinosaur toy out of the toy drawer. Here are some pictures of her beautiful smile and her "roaring" for her dinosaur.

Oh, and notice the bazillion stickers she came home adorned with.

The new dinosaur toy requires a "ROAR!"  (oh, and note the BLUE toothbrush!)

Off to the races!

"Mommy Date"

I was told by Abby this morning that she wanted to go on a "Mommy Date". I thought it was funny because she spends all day with me, but I guess that is different. A "Mommy Date" is where we go to a restaurant and eat at the restaurant (drive-thrus don't count). So, with this being the last weekday before I go back to work and she to daycare, I agreed. We went to Johnny Rockets, because the last time we went she got to sit at the counter, which was a big deal. We couldn't see the cooking as well as we could last time because we were at a different part of the counter, but it was still fun. We put a nickel in the mini-jukebox and played the song "Lollipop."

Waiting patiently for her lunch.

Yum!

Mosquitos

I got eaten alive on Wednesday afternoon while we were geocaching. We were looking for a cache that was back on a wooden path, but we didn't realize how long we would be back there OR how buggy it was. It doesn't help that we had trouble finding it, so we were in the woods for a long time.

Abby and I kept brushing them off our legs, but I seemd to have more trouble. I had on long capris and this morning I counted more than 20 in the few inches of leg that had been uncovered. I can't find any on Abby's legs and she was wearing shorts. I wonder if pregnant women attract mosquitos more? Abby keeps telling me not to itch, but I'm having a hard time because once you itch, then it gets even itchier. Anyone have any remedies to the itching?

(Oh, and yesterday we went to buy bug spray for the next time!)

Crazy Slide

This is the craziest slide ever, near my parent's house.  It is completely enclosed and is curly.  Abby loves it.  It seems that grown-ups in particular get all turned around in it and come out of it a little disoriented.  It is hilarious.  Here are some pics...

See? Abby, no problem.

Matt? A little off-center.