Monday, December 19, 2011

It's here!!!

One year old today! Hip, hip, Hooray!!


Happy Birthday my sweet Abigail!
 From the very beginning you absolutely filled up our hearts,


but somehow each day brings even more fullness, and we love it. And you.


We love your funny faces,


how easily you get tickled at yourself,
(we were out for a walk on a 32 degree day. Christmas Story anyone?)   
and the simple joys you find in each day.


they all delight our hearts on a regular basis.
chasing Mimi

And the delight we find in you must be, I think, just a small taste of what God's delight in us feels like.


 We love you sweet girl, I'm so glad your ours!



Thursday, December 8, 2011

First Birthday Thoughts

So, a couple of months ago (I really do believe it was October), we received a wonderful catalog in the mail that we had, mysteriously, never asked for (don't you love companies that sell your information?).

It was full of pages and pages of things I could buy to.....wait for it.................pull off a perfect 1st birthday!  And just a first birthday. No 2nd or 16th birthdays celebrated here, no siree.

Pages and pages of $100 ways to decorate. Not, mind you, $100 for a cake, party and clown shipped to your door. But $100 to have matching plates; pinatas; wall stickers; and, my personal favorite: a photo mat all the 1yr-old friends could sign as a keepsake for your sweet little one.

My decorating thoughts generally run to balloons, a cake and candles, and maybe some confetti thrown out. The daring side of me had seen pictures of these:


on a friend's blog and toyed with the idea of really branching out to do something fancy :o)  But fear not fair friend! 1st Wishes Birthday catalog was here to the rescue.

Actually, as a disclaimer, everything was really cute. Just not $150 cute.

But, if I were to buy something (say in my wildest imaginations), it would have been this:


who knew? Although, my favoritest, favoritest part of the whole thing? This disclaimer:


Product Safety Information: Close (x)
  • WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.
  • WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Children under 8 yrs. can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision required. Keep uninflated balloons from children. Discard broken balloons at once.




Poor 1st birthday girl would be too small to use them. 








She's shaping up to have 2 parties though, so I think we'll be just fine :o)
(btw- Have I mentioned lately that she's running? Sweet girl is so proud that she can walk with something in each hand, she'll start speeding up and face plant. Lord have mercy on her eyes so she doesn't poke something out!)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

11 months

Mmm, mmm we already have a disk full of photo shoot pictures! Nate & Arancha Photography did a fantastic job editing and we're really, really pleased.

We now are the proud owners of an 11 month photo ( or several), Christmas card pics, and the temptation to print out way more poses than good sense dictates.

She was cold; had a runny nose, watering eyes and a hungry stomach... but Abigail persevered ( with the help of a graham cracker) and we got some fantastic shots  (and Arancha did some great editing!).



This, to me, looks like Amelia Bosma? Anyone else?



This is her "about to starting fussing" face. So we quit here :o)

 Sigh; I'm one content mama. 
 Plus, I felt pretty,




 and John looked handsome.


....seems like a winner to me.



Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Sneak Peak

   A couple of weeks ago John gave me my birthday present (I love extended birthdays).

Usually I do not ( definitely do not) want to know what I'm getting as a present. Please never hold something up asking if this is what I want and then buy it then and there. Surprise is my operative word for gifts...Usually.
This year though, I asked for a family photo shoot. And that's exactly what John gave me :o)

I love, love outdoor photo sessions with photographers. It's just, more fun, than going inside the Sears studio and getting everyone carefully set up in front of a lambskin backdrop.

I mean, this is good, with two such handsome guys how could it not be:

nicely done, gents.

But this is alive


from MA Family Institute
And I love things that are alive.


Sessions are often expensive, and I want digital rights, so I'd never really pursued it....until now :o)
We found a fantastic photographer (from Spain no less) with extremely reasonable prices AND she was fun to work with!!
Her website is: http://www.nateandaranchaphotography.com/  or here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nate-Arancha-Photography/59681445127?sk=wall;  she's excellent, sweet and so good at getting Abigail to smile.
Unfortunately for everyone else their family is moving to Spain next year to plant churches.

We should get the finished product today, but I wanted to show you a few of the pictures now. We took a couple of Abigail with her monkey and I'm hoping to use those for her 11 month growth-chart pics....she was awfully chilly and hungry though, so we'll see what came out :o)


 
Such fun. 

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Spoonfed

Abigail decided today that she was old enough to use a spoon.
I got so excited that I"m offering you the once in a lifetime chance to see the raw, unedited footage.
Enjoy.




A Little Gossip

She turned 10months on the 19th. 

and was more interested in eating the mums than in smiling.

-We didn't take her out trick or treating this year, mostly because I forgot. There are a couple of neighbors, though, who would have loved to see her dressed up, especially since this was her costume:


 We were chicken farmers, she was the hen.....she wasn't too impressed, but everyone else loved it.

my favorite parts were the feathers and the John Deere hat. My husband is a good sport :o) 


 She's taken to whistling lately. I can't get her to whistle on command, but she gets a pretty good sound out as she purses her lips just so and blows.

It's adorable. 'nuff said.

 And, we're proud to announce: She's walking. As soon as I can catch it on video I'll send one your way. I think she got serious about it when she realized that walking gives her a much better chance of escaping outdoors. Every time I crack an outside door she runs, arms straight out, almost toppling the whole way, lunging for the stoop. Great wailing & gnashing of teeth ensue if I block her way, but that's another story.

We are also test-driving these:


mostly because we aspire to this . That sums it up.

Although I think this looks like more fun:

If I can figure out how to give John enough time, he can get this running:





then my "fun car quotient" will be filled and I can drive a van satisfied
( actually. I can drive a van satisfied anytime. But I would like a ride in the corvette....)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

It's 7:24am on a Tuesday. Abigail woke up at 6, but ate and went back to sleep; one of my college roommates is here visiting (still asleep too, she's on vacation); John is returning today from a business trip; and I'm sitting on the couch, wrapped in an Airforce Academy blanket, thinking of things I'm thankful for. So I thought I'd share: 

1.) Friendships that endure absences well.
Tiff is here for a visit; we've known each other 11 years now and I have actually lived with her longer than I've lived with John...she's the sister of my heart.
Plus, we just got back from a long weekend with our friends, the Peelers, from Atlanta. It had been a year and a half since we'd seen them; two children had been added to the mix, making 5 total for the weekend; and we picked up right where we left off. More than picked up: it was refreshing, challenging, and just plain fun. A very sweet gift. Can you imagine how sweet those reunions in heaven will be?! There are so many people I'd love to sit down with again in this life, but a lot of those won't happen. Mmm mmm, it's nice to think about eternity to see them.

2.) Hot drinks and warm blankets in the morning.

3.) Extra time to myself when Abigail sleeps in. I don't need to have this extra 'first thing in the morning' time as Abigail still takes good naps, but I love it.
There is something so restful about the couch and a cup of coffee first thing. Especially when I don't have to get up at 5 to achieve it. It's my number one reason I avoid exercise before 7. I like slowness first thing, not sweat. And I'm thankful I have the opportunity to be slow regularly.

4.) Chicken costumes. It's what Abigail will be for Halloween/our Square Dance on Saturday (yes, you read that right)/maybe even Thanksgiving 'cause it's so dang cute. Tight enough she has trouble sitting up straight in it, but cute...and a wonderful circumstantial joy. I like those.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Birthday thoughts

Today I happen to be twenty-nine. Actually, it's now tonight. What with one thing and another ( mainly Abigail, but also the 20 friends that came over tonight under the cover of "Bible Study" to help us celebrate my birthday), this post has taken all day to write. But. I am definitely 29  now, and in honor of that went and dug up birthday pictures from the past, because that's fun.


Me at three. I think. Plus Callie, who's having a good time. Plus William, who is not.
This next one is just for fun, but I also see some of Abigail's expressions in these pictures (maybe because we spend a lot of time together?). My Ouma would cut out and glue old pictures to cards for almost every birthday/big occasion and I loved it. Still do. 


Today is also a big day because Abigail is 10 months:
we worked on 10 month photos today but she was not in the mood...we'll try again later





and I've been married to John for exactly three and a half years.
He's awfully good looking in a tux!


Mostly because of the last two dates I've been thinking a lot lately about this man:



and realizing that directly because of him I feel more beautiful now than I did three years ago.

I love that.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Steps in the right direction

Have I mentioned that Abigail is trying to walk? Such, such fun to see her take a few steps with a huge grin on her face. I have to frequently remind myself: "I am not in a competition to see how early my daughter can learn things." Easy to say since she learns things early; I get to verbalize the right thing but still feel like a winner.....
Odds on, if the Lord gives us a second child, they won't walk or babble until they're two....then we'll see if I can follow through on my philosophy :o).


All that aside, I might as well enjoy her progress now. So here's a video of her and her walker(s). If I can catch her stepping by herself I will, of course, show that off too.



That's all for now, folks!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

9 months ( almost one month late)

I know everyone has been waiting on pins and needles.
So, without further ado, here she is in all of her 9 month glory: 




And, for your viewing pleasure: 
A "Montage of Expressions That Crack Me Up. As Seen From Abigail's Point of View"
as my friend Penny, who's three, likes to say. Well, not exactly 'montage of expressions';
she says "you crack me up, Mrs. Katy." Which cracks me up.







All done.

Happy 13th of October!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Gossip From Ellacott

I'm sitting at the kitchen table, eating tomato soup ( not Mushroom Tomato, just plain Campbell's) and Abigail is in her crib ( supposed to be napping) talking to herself in a high 'baby' voice. If I could video it I would,  but I'll bet you fifty dollars as soon as I get within 15 feet of her with a camera she wouldn't make a peep. So I'm not even going to try. I think she must be playing dolls with her stuffed giraffe.  But I'm not checking, because she's become adept at keeping an eye on the crack in the door and spots us from five feet out. Then the Nap Chess Match starts all over again. Right now I'm winning and want to keep it that way. 

If I wrote a society column these are the tidbits it would contain:


Guess who has top teeth now? 


I found them while excavating for a hydrangea leaf in the deep recesses of her throat


We've been exploring lots of foods lately, the strangest one being this:

She loved it, flaked off ( not dumped) right out of the can.




Side note: does anyone know why pictures would randomly all come out pink? It's happened to me before and I can't figure it out. This is why no 9 month photo is up. They all came out pink.




We saw a Japanese emperor last week. I promise. Right there in the Target Food Court. As soon as I saw him I knew who he was (reincarnated I suppose, maybe a direct descendant?) Emperor Hirohito, perched sideways on a bench in the food court looking over the wall so all you could see was his chin in his hands.
He he looked like a mix between this:


and this: 

Just watching the world go by. I felt a strong need to walk over and pat him on the head. 
But I didn't. 
Decided that would not be appreciated by someone who must have been an emperor. 

Speaking of Spanky, I was looking through old pictures the other day and decided that Abigail share some genes.
 See. It's definitely there. Maybe. 

Much love to you all, 
Katy