Walking Olivia

Olivia has been cruising around things lately and today started walking behind the baby stroller. It's not going to be long before we are chasing her all around this house. I'm not sure if we are quite ready for that new level of activity. I better get my running shoes out of the closet.



We got back last night from our travel around the state. We left Tuesday morning to see Grandma Lorraine and Grandpa Harley for a few days. I love being there with them. I have so many happy memories of times spent at their house as a child and during our grad school years. Abby and Olivia decided to make themselves right at home and had a great time. Abby even told me that Grandma Lorraine had the best toys in the universe, which is quite funny considering most of those toys are older than I am. The girls both enjoyed getting spoiled by their Grandma and Grandpa. Abby didn't want to leave - she told me that I could leave her there and see her later.

We got to do some much needed retail therapy on our trip. Abby has sprouted up, literally, in the last few weeks and now wears size 4. So, we hit the winter sales racks for size 5. I hope that she is still wearing size 5 when next fall rolls around. If not Olivia will be a lucky girl. We got lots of warm shirts and soft pants for Abby to cruise around in next fall. And coffee - mom's best friend. We also got a two screen dvd player for the car. The upgrade to a screen for each little person made our trip home much better. Olivia loved being able to see and hear the movie on her way home.

So, we arrived home to a freshly painted dark blue wall behind where my new cabinets will be installed in the next couple weeks. It looks amazing and it was great to have that get done without having the extra assistance of Abby and Olivia. Now for the big task of keeping them away from the project when it really gets going.

Olivia's Video Debut

Abby Reads

Abby's version of reading (this is the same video we put on facebook earlier this week - it just wouldn't load here until now).

If you can't tell, she reads this book a lot. Like 5 to 10 times a day. I'm pretty sure she knows every single word.

Singing in the Tub

This is Abby's second version of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. It has a few more words than her last version had :-)

Veggie Tales Dance

In Case You Don't Facebook

This is Abby's singing debut. She needs some work on the rest of the lyrics, but it's not bad for a first timer.

Translation Please

We need someone to tell us what in the world Abby is saying to us. We are pretty sure she isn't meaning to say "dollar-six" even though that is all we can make of it. And there is no context for her phrase - it is used throughout the day and when doing many, many different activities.

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.

Baby Does Dishes

Baby Does Dishes
Originally uploaded by Jen O.

Cookie Making

Stair Climber Version 2.0

Here she is - walking and climbing up and down the stairs, thanks to her dad's great teaching.


Also, if you visit the website www.stevenwhitephotographicart.com you can now see Abby and Jack's bunny pictures! You have to choose portrait art and then select the client tab and enter the password "Hodges" (the H must be capitalized). They turned out super cute in spite of all the crying over the bunny!

Stair Climber

We have more video, but Blogger won't upload it. Err.... (insert angry face here)...

The Infamous Laundry Theif Stands Again

Happy Birthday Great Grandpa!

Happy Birthday Great Grandpa Steve Osgood! We wish we could be down to help celebrate Grandpa's birthday, but we will hopefully be down in Hastings this coming weekend, so we can give him a birthday hug and kiss then. Until then, Abby taped a special birthday message for him.

Abby doesn't get to take her morning naps anymore, at least for a day or two while we try to figure out why she keeps waking up at 4 in the morning. We are hoping she is just sleeping too much during the day and not taking the morning nap will solve that problem. She is getting bigger, so we bet she can make it all morning just playing. I, on the other hand, may not be able to make it all morning after being up around 4 a.m. for the last 4 mornings. That is just too early!

Abby has survived one wicked bout of diaper rash. Something she ate yesterday morning must have been a bad idea because it make her little insides sick and she got the worst diaper rash in her short history. It went from nothing at noon to broken skin by 1:30. Luckily our great doctor's office was super helpful and got Abby some prescription diaper rash cream ("Magic Butt Paste"). She is now feeling good again after a whiny afternoon and evening. We are guessing that the yogurt covered cranberries were the culprit, since everything else she ate yesterday was previously eaten and successfully digested. I guess we'll have a whole bag of yogurt covered cranberries up for claims when we come to visit on Friday night.

Don't Eat The Cookies

Abby and I both had a rough night last night - I am blaming the cookies from Subway for our discomfort, but I don't know if food poisoning can cause a fever and we both have one of those too. Boo to being sick! And an even bigger boo to thinking it was the cookies - I LOVE cookies, especially the ones at Subway. This is very depressing.

Abby rebounded from her long night very well and cracked me up all morning. We got her blocks out the other day and she has been really, really into playing with them lately. The only problem is one of the things she'd like to do with the blocks is bang them on the t.v. screen, which is a definite no-no, especially since the only other t.v. in the house is about dead. And everyone knows that you can't watch Veggie Tales or Nemo without a t.v.

Here's a little clip of Abby climbing up the entire staircase on Saturday (that's 18 steps in this old house). Unfortunately the light above the stairs was out (blown fuse), so it's a little dark. Little Abby loves climbing the stairs - she heads for them every chance she gets. Our baby gate is quickly becoming a permanent fixture on the staircase. Now that she's mastered going up we need to start working on coming down. That's a tough one.

No Peas Please

Abby's cousin Jack Hagberg told her that peas were gross, so she won't eat them anymore.

3 Days Until Florida!

It is warmer here today, a whopping 23 degrees, but there is no sun. Personally, I'd rather have below zero and sunny. After all, I do spend most of the time indoors looking out, so it might as well look nice outside. We are all ready for a short break from the cold and snow and can't wait to wiggle our toes into the sandy beach. Hopefully Abby will enjoy her vacation as much as we will. And we are really hoping that she does well on planes, for everyone's sake!



Here is a short video of Abby's newest hobby - emptying our bookshelf. She pulls books out like a champion - either one at a time or in handfuls. What a silly girl! At least she also has dolls and other toys to play with once she gets everything onto the floor.

I just finished packing the bag that Abby and I are sharing. It is super full and barely under the weight limit, but it is much nicer to have one heavy bag to lug around instead of two. Plus we'll have a stroller, car seat, my carry-on, Steve's carry-on (which is going to be a diaper bag too), and Steve's suitcase. It was so much easier to travel when it was just the two of us! It's a good thing we love Abby so much or she'd be in trouble for all the extra luggage and work it takes to travel with her!

Just For Fun

We thought this was too funny not to share. Our winter up here has been better when it comes to slipping and sliding. The snow is too dry to be slippery for the most part. Instead we have the 6 foot tall snowbanks along all the roads which force you to play chicken when deciding whether it is safe to turn or cross the street. Stay warm!

Abby's New Doll

Abby already has 9 baby dolls and 2 barbies! She got her newest addition to the doll collection over the weekend. Her new baby can moves its head and arms and also makes baby noises (it has a motion detector in its forehead). We have had a good time playing with the new baby in Abby's growing family. Now we just have to come up with some names for the babies. So far we have Kitty the barbie (since it is a ballerina like our babysitter), Penny the Bitty Baby, Jo the water baby (it could be a boy or a girl, so we picked a name that could be unisex), and Natalie the Cabbage Patch Doll (thankfully those come pre-named). Now we just need 6 more doll names and also a name for a very fancy looking barbie. That is a lot of naming!

Abby really loves dolls. Her face lights right up when she see them. Sometimes she gets to take a doll into her big girl bed for a nap, which usually results in a shorter nap. She will start to wake up and rather than going back to sleep she finds that baby doll and starts playing with it. Pretty soon she will be cooking in her play kitchen and feeding her babies.

Abby loves music and enjoyed watching the marching bands during bowl season. She is a good dancer too!


Abby also loves free falling onto Maize's new dog bed. It cracks her up. She will hold onto Steve or I only long enough to stand up and then lets go all on her own so she can fall backwards. She's also figured out that this works on our bed. Let's hope she doesn't try this trick somewhere dangerous!