Closing Time

We are closing on our new house tomorrow - we hope. We are still waiting on USAA (our bank) to get the closing documents to the title company, but we are on the books to close at 3 pm tomorrow. What an exciting afternoon and a huge relief to have this all behind us. And I personally can't wait to get into the house and start making it ours.

Abby learned a new trick in the last day or two. She can now nod yes and knows when to use it. We are constantly cracking up at this little girl, she is so full of character. Here's one great shot from the last week's adventures. You'll have to check flickr to see the rest.

One Very Busy Week

Well, I guess we can say we survived the last week. Unfortunately this week will be just as busy, if not more! But we managed to squeeze in the Toledo Zoo, a trip to Rustic Glen (Grandpa Harley & Uncle Greg's golf course), a trip to Zeeland to visit new baby kittens at Aunt Sue's house, a rehearsal dinner, a wedding, and a stop at Hartwick Pines on the way home. It makes me tired just thinking about it!

We had hundreds and hundreds of pictures on the camera - too many to share here. To see them you'll just have to click on the flickr link in the right column. I'm putting the best photos there as we speak. There will probably be 150 or more there by the end of the week.

Our little girl was exceptionally well behaved the whole week. She was great at the zoo, althought she was pretty sure she wanted to walk the entire way. Not just walk, mind you, but also walk without any adult touching her or holding her hands. She only cried at one pen of animals (the baby orangatans, who were fighting). She was on best behavior. We were kind of disappointed that the petting zoo was closed for renovations, but it was still really fun.

The wedding was lovely - it was beautiful and Abby was very good during the wedding, did lots of visists at the reception, and was super cute in her beautiful dress. We are really excited for the new sister we gained and can't wait for many happy years for Nathaniel and Courtnie. And... we have only 3 sibilings left to marry off - half way there :-)

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.