Monday, November 17, 2008

Quite a character

Our baby is almost 20 months- can that be right?
She has become quite a character. Around strangers she appears quiet adn reserved. But when she is holding court with her family- she hams it up big time. She runs and skips and walks backwards on her tip toes. She also has learned how to climb on the beds and jumps like crazy- SCARY stuff!
She dances and sings and makes funny faces to get us to laugh. If anyone bumps into her, she demands a kiss to make it better, saying "ow- that hurt!" She also announces quite frequently when something is "hot-hot-hot" but hasn't quite mastered the difference between hot and cold yet.
She has developed a strong bond with her stuffed animals and requests different ones at bed time or on her way to her sitter's house. She pairs them up. If you hand her "horsie" she always asks for "giraffe" too. She likes to fall asleep with them all around her.
She likes to be wrapped up like a little baby after her baths. She also likes to put lotion on mommy and daddy and she likes putting on her own chap stick and diaper rash lotion. She is starting to get very interested in the potty, but waits to pee on the floor after she stands up- oh well!
She is very into candy- thanks to Halloween. She loves reading books and watching videos. Her new thing is to be afraid of bugs. She calls them "b-b's." We think that means "bumble bee" but she calls all bugs this, except for "spiders" which she mastered at Halloween. She points out cows and buses when we drive and waves bye bye. She also likes to watch birds.
She is a "shoe" girl. She loves wearing different shoes. She got quite upset in the church nursery when a little girl had on the same shoes Abby had at home. Abby thought the little girl had her shoes and she kept yelling "mine" and sitting down on the floor so I could take them off the other child and put them on her. She also gets happy if you point out that she had animals on her clothes. She shows them to other people, saying "see daddy?"
She still wakes many times during the night (poor me) and is very attached to her bottle when she is tired. Potato balls and crunchies are still at the top of her food list too and she asks for them all by name and makes a nervous little laugh when you take them out-and claps her hands.
Well- better go- she actually just woke up and is calling for me. Ttomorrow is another fun-filled day and exhausting- thanks for looking at the pics of our little love bug!

Ap & Abby Weekend

With Margaret at Grandma and Grandpa Griz's for the weekend, AP and Abby had plenty of time to pal around. AP's big soccer All Star weekend got canceled due to rain on Saturday after we were all dressed and packed for a big day away. So we switched gears and headed down to Charlottesville to the Discovery Museum. We stopped off to feed the goats at Yoder's market and got caught in a downpour., but Abby loved every minute of it andwas not happy to have to get back in the car and drive more. The museum features a miniature carasol which she spent a long time on. She LOVES horses. Once we forced her inside, she had a good time playing with a train table, puppets, making music and tossing around some little plastic balls. She was adorable to watch and we literally sat there for hours watching her play. AP was pleased to "man" the checkers table and he played anyone who was up for a match- for hours on end! We ended the day at a country buffet. Abby is definitely one of us- she ate so much she actually got sick. I will spare the details- but we all felt sorry for the tables around us and especially for the people who had our booth after us! Enjoy the pics!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Girls weekend!

Grandma Griz took AP last weekend which worked out well because it was the annual Brownies Mother/Daughter dinner. Abby joined in the fun too. This year the theme was "holidays." Margaret's troop selected Easter and we had to dress the part. It was actually alot of work because I had to dig out mine and the girl's Easter dresses, shoes, etc. from storage...plus Abby barely fit into hers!
She got a kick out of Margaret's Easter bonnet and her purse, so I let her wear her white snow hat, which she thought made her look just like "Sissy." They looked very cute together and Abby sat with the big girls and joined in the Easter feast and craft time too.
We attempted to decorate cupcakes like Easter bunnies- but they came out looking evil instead. We sat them in a plate of cotton candy and Abby had her fill of sweets. She was still up running around at 10 pm!
On Sunday they enjoyed drawing on the box and feeding the cats (which is normally AP's job). Abby has also developed a friendship with the neighborhood horses and we walk to the neighbor's barn and pasture almost daily for her to feed "Fritsy" and the "babies." Her favorite song to sing right now is "B-I-N-G-O." It is so funny.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

More Pics from Halloween weekend

We have had a busy Halloween weekend. On Friday my mom and AP decorated her van like a Pirate ship for the "Trunk or Treat" at the school. The rest of us went downtown to our little Main Street and trick or treated at the shops until we met up with Bubby and AP at the Trunk or Treat. Abby got right into the spirit of things! She rode her little tricycle that was decorated with cardboard cutouts AP had painted for her of the characters from the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle, Diddle." She was dressed again as "Noah" the cat and looked too cute for words. She held tight to her pumpkin which was getting heavier and heavier with candy as the night went on, but she didn't want me to take it from her! Margaret was Pippi again and she behaved well all night long despite being very excited. The weather was beautiful- I was in a t-shirt- and I didn't have to worry about her getting cold with just her Pippi Stockings on her legs. AP was a Jedi. He had fun with the light saber and fighting with the Darth Vaders at the Trunk or Treat. I had put dinner in the crock pot before we left, so it was nice and ready when we got home. Bubby stayed for dinner and bath time and it worked out great! Link to more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/JHeelen/HeelenHalloweenNight08?authkey=0fOlwCDC8kA#
Bubby made the girls matching Halloween shirts. Abby kept pointing to the patch whenever you asked her "Where is your pumpin?"
Yesterday was another beautiful day and we went to Cox Family Farm. The kids enjoyed the slides, rope swings, pumpkin chucking, a hay ride, live music and pumpkin painting. Abby loved the slides and REALLY got into the pumpkin painting. She threw a fit when I tried to pull her away from it. Link to more pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/JHeelen/CoxFamilyFarm?authkey=sAzi-XiBtls#