Wordless Wednesday

So Brave

Abby got her flu shot on Monday.  Matt and I were going back and forth on whether or not to do the FluMist or Shot, and I finally decided to let Abby decide.  She decided she would rather get a shot than have them spray stuff up her nose.  She was incredibly brave.  She took Bear with her as a comfort item, and asked that I hold her hand.  I took some candy corn as a surprise treat.

The nurse at our pediatrician is awesome, and very fast at giving shots.  She told Abby to say "Ya, Ya, Ya!" when she counted to 3.  Abby did it and got a funny look on her face when she got the shot, but didn't cry.  I immediately shoved candy corn in her hand as her treat.  She was awesome.  Nurse Janie even gave Bear a band-aid and sticker.  Abby has since shed her band-aid and sticker, but Bear's remain.

A Trip to the Apple Orchard

We visited a local apple orchard this weekend as a part of my birthday weekend.  We had a great time.  Abby loved picking the apples, her favorite part was when Matt would lift her high to reach apples.  My favorite mental image of her while we were picking apples, was taking a bite of one and then chucking it across the ground when she was done.  It would be fair to say that she loved the experience.

We picked Galas, Jonathons, and a few Winesaps.  Matt used the Winesap apples to bake his (gasp!) first ever apple pie!  We didn't take enough pictures, but here are a few of our day.

So many books, so little time

I'm in trouble. I was playing around on a new site my Mom recommended called Goodreads.com, where you can recommend books. In the process of looking up books I have read to add to my list, I found some new ones I'd like to read. I logged onto the library's website and put them on hold. Now, usually, the books I put on hold are new and highly sought after, so I have to wait quite a bit until it is my turn to get them. This time, not the case. I just checked my account and all 4 of them are in transit to be picked up. I will never get them all read before they are due! What am I going to do????

Also, here is my Goodreads site: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1538860 , if you'd like to check it out. I have only put in books I've read over the summer and since. Enjoy!

Bad Girls

Today I got to go to my Mom's Connection group at church. It is one my favorite things I do outside of family stuff. We just started meeting again after summer break. I don't get to go every week because I work every other Wednesday, but I still look forward to it. Essentially, we do a book study and then get off topic and talk about everything. We just started a new book: "Bad Girls of the Bible (and What We Can Learn From Them)." So far I am enjoying the book. The author has chosen 10 women from the bible (each one a chapter). She begins each chapter with a fiction, modern-day interpretation of the story and then discusses it in depth biblically afterward. So far we have read about Eve (of Adam and Eve) and Potiphar's Wife (think Joseph and his Technicolor Coat). Next week they are reading about Lot's wife (I'll miss this one), and the next one I'll attend will be about the Woman at the Well (I haven't read this chapter yet).



My favorite part of the book, which is what makes it so readable, I think, is the fiction intro. I have also found some of the author's discussion to bring up some interesting points that I wouldn't have known or thought of otherwise. I think I would read this book even if I wasn't in a book study, so I thought I'd recommend it.

On a completely different note, I wanted to celebrate that today I am 20 weeks pregnant!! I have officially half way through my pregnancy!!! Yay!

Quickening

Quickening

(kwĭk'ən)

v. intr.

To reach the stage of pregnancy when the fetus can be felt to move.

We have reached Quickening! I have been thinking for weeks now that MAYBE I felt something, but then I couldn't feel it again. Last night, laying in bed, I felt definite "thuds" really low on my stomach. It was right after I drank a full-sugar soda. It must have had a jolt of energy from the sugar! I just had one again (a treat!), and I felt it there again. Pretty exciting. I think I was remembering what it felt like late in my pregnancy, and that is not what it feels like now. I forgot how subtle it is at first. It isn't to the point yet where I think Matt or Abby would be able to feel it, but that will come.

So, the above picture is one I saw years ago in an e-mail forward (not my stomach!), and I found it again online for this post. I don't think it can possibly be real, probably photoshopped, but it is still a cool picture.

Too Little

When Matt returned from his work trip, he had a gift for Abby. One of the nights of his trip, his team went to a grown up Chuck E. Cheese place. Apparently, they played pop-a-shot basketball until they were all sore. So, with all his tickets won, he bought Abby a Polly Pocket toy. She liked it very much. My only question is, why in the world do these have to be so small?! I took this picture simply to illustrate how tiny these shoes are (that's a penny). No normal child can play with this much without losing them. I guess it would be fair to say that I'm not a big fan, just because they are too little!

WORDLE.NET

I finally got to make my Wordle! It wouldn't work on my old laptop, so I finally remembered to try it while I was on the good computer. It is a word bubble of the most common words used in my blog. Pretty neat. If you click on it, it will take you to the website. You have to add RSS feed as a "gadget" to your blog to get it to work, I think. You can choose font, color, and layout. Pretty cool. I almost wish it were just a little bigger. I also don't think it updates automatically, so I'll have to periodically go in and update. Though, maybe it does, I'll have to watch it. Pretty cool. Thanks for the link, Lissy.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

So, it hasn't rained much in the last month, so I know it isn't a bad thing that it is raining... But, this was our one free weekend and we were going to go to the apple orchard, and now we can't. Bummer. Part of me isn't too upset that we have to hang out inside this weekend, I have to admit (other than the orchard plans). We've had a very busy last week or two. I'm not sure what we're going to do. I think it calls for lots of movies, myself. I really want to rent the new one, Baby Mama. Abby and I are just hanging out watching cartoons this morning while Matt sleeps in.

So, as you may have noticed, I have changed the background of my blog. I found the link on another blog I read and checked it out. It is too bad that they had to put their giant ad at the very top, but I still like the background. The only weird thing is that when I checked it at school, the background wouldn't show up. The only think I can think of is that is had to do with the firewall there. Who knows. Wierd.

Have a great weekend everyone!

EDITED TO ADD:
Just got back from the movie store and they had no copies of Baby Mama. I actually think the guy at the counter scoffed at me when I asked if they had any behind the counter, like I was crazy to think I'd get a copy the first Saturday night after it was released. Dang it.

Missing him...

Matt is gone until Thursday for work and Abby and I miss him already.  With all his MBA classes, and work and church commitments, it is tough when there is something that takes him away on his few free evenings.  We are just living for the weekend already, though sometimes I feel like I am wishing my days away.  

I found this fun picture of him that I love because he is laughing, and just having fun with Abby at the park.  I'm a lucky girl.

Community Fall Festival

This past weekend was our church's Community Fall Festival.  My parents were here to go with us, and I have to credit the pictures to my Dad.  -and sorry to my Mom if I double any pictures that she was going to blog about.

Abby loves the bounce house!  This picture caught her in action!

The fishing game was one of Abby's favorites.

Cotton Candy!!!

Night time routines

So, I hate to even post over Abby's dance class pictures, because I love them so much, but in the effort of frequent posting, here goes...

The other night I was putting Abby to bed, and as usual she lengthens it as much as she can get away with: another hug and kiss, cover her shoulders with the blankets, etc. So, this particular night she told me she wanted a "rub back". I had to idea what she was talking about, thought I just wasn't understanding her. After saying it 3 times, I realized she had just reversed it and wanted another backrub. Here is to everyone getting a "rub back" now and then!

First Dance Class

It would be fair to say that I had a very hard time narrowing down pictures to share. The lighting and/or focus in some of them is terrible, but they are still worth sharing. Abby had a great time.

Warming up...

Learning first position...

(Her tongue hung out most of the class because she was concentrating so hard.  It was pretty funny.  She is totally my daughter.)

All in a line...

Pose, run, and...

Jump!

Practicing turns at the barre...

The last 10 minutes was spent on tap dancing... (Sadly, I was the slowest mom at changing shoes)

And last, a picture from home (she's twirling)...