So Not Funny

I don't have the time or energy to post today, what with the packing and all going on around here, but I thought you all would get a good laugh at our expense.

Noon's temperature - 71 or 72 degrees
Four o'clock temperature - 45 degrees

Nice...

Breaking Out Shorts

Abby is wearing shorts for the first time this summer season. I took her picture, but I can't upload it until her Dad is home to distract her from me with the computer and the camera. I can use one or the other, but if both are out then she is into it. She is looking really cute in her multi-colored shorts and her t-shirt today. Just like a little beach bum. A beach bum with lots of cookie and chocolate stains on her.

We took a really nice walk downtown today. On our way down we picked up some more candles for Courtnie and Nate's wedding decorations. We also got two new books - Hop On Pop for Abby and War and Peace for me. We should have hours of happy reading in front of us. We've already read Hop On Pop one time.

New Tricks

Abby learned a new trick last night - she can do the official touchdown signal. She had lots and lots of encouragement from her dad. I tried to capture her new signal with the camera this morning, but she was too fast for me.

She is also getting really good at sitting in chairs. She has a Pooh Bear camp chair and a Tigger inflatable chair that both get lots of use. She also tries to sit in her little people chairs sometimes, but of course that never works out so well.

Abby and I are going to head off shortly to a baby shower. We are really glad that there are lots and lots of babies and children in our church. It is nice to know she will have lots of children to play with as she gets older.

Only 3 days until we pack up and head south. Steve and I are looking forward to a week away. He really needs a few days off work and I need a few days of adult interaction.

401st Post

Abby has been extra funny this weekend. She is really, really working hard at being the world's best doll mommy. We have been doing extra feeding, pushing in strollers, and we even got out some of Abby's baby toys - the bouncy seat and play mat - for her dolls to use. She is so much fun to watch. I don't know many other 13 month old little girls who love to play dolls and actually take care of them. She really has a great time doing it.

We had snow over the weekend. Luckily none of it stayed on the ground - it just blew around and was pretty. But, even if it was pretty there is no excuse for snow in May. And yesterday was beautiful, but we only got up to 45 degrees, so we couldn't even get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Thankfully today is a new day, and one that is supposed to get into the 60's. And this weekend when we head down to see Great Grandma Lorraine and Great Grandpa Harley is may even get into the 80's. That is sounding like my kind of weather.

And now... back to work on the doll afghan for Abby's babies. I am using up as much scrap yarn as I can. This doll blanket is knitted from Great Grandma Jennie's basic dishcloth pattern, so Abby and Maize shouldn't be able to snag it up and ruin it. We will have to see though... those two play kind of rough sometimes.

Bargain Hunting

I just bought a nearly new sofa for $50 at a garage sale :-)

And the best part... they are holding it for us until we move into the new house - thank goodness I had already met the lady selling it and had exchanged several emails with her. Now we will have a sofa in each of our two living rooms.

Reaching Her Teens

Our sweet little Abby is 13 months today. Who imagined that 13 could be such a fun age? No boyfriends, no sassy behavior or language, no staying up late watching MTV. Hopefully she will be as wonderful at 13 years as she is at 13 months!

Abby and I packed up some boxes today, we still have a lot of packing and cleaning to do and just over a week to do it in. We have all next week to pack and then will be downstate for Nate's wedding the following week. So that doesn't leave us many productive days. And we have lots and lots to move. Abby sure came with a lot of things and more clothes than Steve and I combined. Most of our things will be moved without packing - I'll just load them right into the car, drive the 4 blocks to the new house, and slide them right in the back door. But the winter clothes and stuff Abby's outgrown might as well be in boxes since we won't be needing it any time soon (we hope - never know when it may snow up here).

Oh So Helpful

We are having friends over for dinner today, so I have been trying to clean up some of the many messes that seem to appear without any cause. My super helpful helper has been re-making the messes as fast as I can pick them up. What a girl she is. She did learn how to put food back into the bookshelf/pantry today and did help clean up the cans she got out earlier. The bookshelf is a whole new story - she destroys it instantly. I have no idea how I am going to keep the new house clean if she doesn't learn how to put books back into the shelf soon. There will be books strewn all over that place.

I really think Abby broke my nose last Tuesday night when she accidentally headbutted me in the face at full speed. We both got it pretty bad that night, but I have had a headache pretty much constantly since then, including some congestion in my sinuses and sensitivity to smells. Luckily my nose didn't swell or get crooked, so hopefully whatever is bothering my face will work itself out fast. And hopefully Abby can learn some better body control when diving in for a hug.

Tomorrow is Friday :-) We are very exciting for a weekend to relax and start the massive packing project.

Daddy's Day Off

Well, we were hoping the great weather would continue so we could enjoy Steve's day off outdoors somewhere, but it was windy and cool, so we didn't spend too much time outside. We did go out into our backyard for a little while - long enough for Abby to fall and get a goose egg on her head. She had a great time playing, especially fetch with Maize. She Steve taught her how to put a ball into a basket, but instead of taking it out and doing it again she carried the basket all around the yard.

There is really nothing too exciting to report. We started packing up our things again today. I boxed up Abby's clothes that are too small and we picked up our living room so we'd have more space to play. We also have been doing lots of thinking about what color we'd like to paint certain rooms (especially that blue office) and what projects need to be tackled first. You'll all have to come visit (but not all at once) late this summer, once we've had time to get all the projects and painting done.

Abby is saying more words now - she is pretty consistently using "this" and "that". She also says "dog" and "kitty". And we also have "yeah," "no," "ball," "duck," "dad," "mom" or "mama" and "Maize." She is putting more and more words together each day. It is exciting to watch. She also consistently does signs for things, especially hi or bye. She will wave when we read books that have hi or bye in them and today waved to anyone who would look in Walmart. She is quite a character.

Finally Final

We signed the last scrap of paper and finally closed the contract for the purchase of our new home. Hooray!!! So now we are well on our way to home ownership. Needless to say we are relieved that this negotiating and bartering is done. Now on to the fun part - making this house into our home!

Abby and I worked on our tans outside today in the 68 degree sunshine. It was great! Abby helped "mow" the lawn with her bubble mower, picked up golf balls, and showed Maize all the flowers that are blooming. We are hoping for another great day tomorrow since Steve has the day off. And now, I am being begged to read another book... again...

First Pigtails

We did Abby's first set of pigtails today. They were a little on the short side and the top of the hair didn't fit into them yet, but they were still cute.

Happy Mother's Day

We are having a very nice mother's day today - I got to sleep in (a little, after getting up at 6 and 7 with Abby), got taken out for lunch, and got to take a Sunday afternoon nap. It helps that Abby decided it would be a good day for a 2 1/2 hour nap herself. We've been having beautiful sunny weather, so maybe this afternoon we'll be able to sneak outside for a bit of playtime.

Happy Mother's Day to our moms and grandmas!

Using Utensils

Using Utensils
Originally uploaded by Jen O.

Here's a video showcasing Abby's newest skill - using forks and spoons to feed herself. We are working on speed and precision, but for a little squirt I'd say she was doing pretty good.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Here's a photo from Abby exactly one year ago. She's grown up so much since we first met her. She helped me take Angel Food orders today at the Tribal Health Center, so we got to visit her daddy and all his co-workers. She had a great time seeing the native artwork on the walls and in the lobby - she especially liked the painted wolves and the brass statue of a heron. And she loved having lunch with her daddy.

We are having a very rainy day today. Not the downpour kind - it's the annoying drizzly, not enough to use a windshield wiper, but too much not to, kind of rain. But we do need the rain up here. Our fire risk was very high according to our local Smokey Bear sign this morning.

We are getting much closer to having all of our quotes in for the necessary repairs on the new house. It is nice to be one step closer to getting this all wrapped up and very nice to be almost done playing phone tag with all the contractors. Abby and I have been busy thinking of all the fun things we can grow in our gardens - we already have 72 baby perennials sprouting up in tiny pots on our table. It is going to be so beautiful in our new gardens :-)

Terrific Tuesday

Abby and I have had a lot of fun on this lovely day, except that she only took about a 30 minute nap, so I'm sure we will be paying for it later this evening with a great dramatic meltdown right before bed. Such is life with little girls...

We are getting closer and closer to getting things with the house all figured out. I now have at least one official estimate for the electrical repairs (and a second on the way) and I should have two roofing estimates in the next few days as well. I just can't wait to move into the new place and get to work making it ours. I have 72 little perennial seeds planted so that I can start my flowerbeds. I am so excited about the possibility of great flower gardens. I just was out back and noticed a lot of new things coming up that I had planted last spring and left for dead (like some peonies that never came up last year and lilies that didn't make it up either). Whoever is here next should have some pretty blooms out back to enjoy. They'll just have to fill in the gaps with some annuals or start more perennials of their own.

We took Abby on a long walk last night around our little downtown area. She pushed her own stroller the last block and a half. She is really into pushing shopping carts and strollers right now. She was trying to push from the very bottom axle, but that would have meant practically crawling, so she had to settle for pushing from the basket. Abby had a minor meltdown last Friday at Wal-Mart when I made her ride in the cart rather than walk on her knees so that she could push the cart from the bottom rack. What a nut...

Miles and Smiles

We've been out walking because of our lovely weather of late. Abby has been walking too - tonight she pushed her own stroller a whole block on the way home. We thought about jumping in for the ride, but figured the stroller wouldn't support us. Tomorrow is supposed to be another lovely day, so we will be back out pounding the pavement.

We put another 12 photos from yesterday and today on Walmart.com in the same album - these 4 are just a small sample. Hope you all enjoy :-)

Photos At Walmart.com

We uploaded the 11 month and first half of Abby's 12th month album onto Walmart.com for you all to enjoy.

http://photos.walmart.com/groups/abbyschristmasalbum

The password for first time users is "holiday"

We took a drive down to Hessel and Cedarville today for a visitation. The mother of the receptionist at Steve's office passed away Friday, so we went down to the visitation and took the advantage of the lovely afternoon to see the sights. There wasn't really a public beach of any significance to stop at, so we just did the in the car tour. It is a really lovely area!

"Daddy Day"

We try to make Saturday a day for Abby to enjoy lots of fun things with her dad, since he is at work during the week. Today Abby took her dad to the hardware store, to the park at the Soo Locks, and for a lunch date at the McDonald's playland. She had a whole lot of fun, especially at playland. She doesn't go into the structure yet, but she enjoys watching the other kids and walking around on the rubberized flooring.

We only got a couple good photos today - she was walking around so much that the camera couldn't focus fast enough (I was using my manual focus lens to try and get a softer effect. We saw our first freighter of the season today too, but we didn't stay long enough to watch it go all the way through the lock. Abby got too excited and was almost running, so she tripped and scraped up her little lip. We're going to have to try to get some more cute photos tomorrow.

If the Sun Shines...

If the sun starts shining there will be an Abby photo shoot at the locks today :-) Hopefully we will be posting pictures for you this evening.