Merry Christmas!

We just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

This is our normal

Over the past month we've learned a few things:
1. there are more pumpkins in the world than we expected
2. elmo houseshoes combine two of our favorite things into one
3. how to play the harmonica (and she's actually pretty good at it)
4. what a monkey would look like if a monkey didn't wear pants and did wear elmo houseshoes
5. we never get tired of looking at trees

Yes, we're still here!

I do realize it's been nearly two months since any posts have been made.

Here are my excuses for those who don't know what's happening in our lives right now:

1. We're both back at work full time.

2. I'm also working part time as a TA for a grad course at UNT.

3. I'm taking one of my last two grad courses to receive my MLS degree.

4. We're trying to finish all those house projects we started before Abby existed so that we can put the house on the market.

5. Abby's almost 1 1/2 but acting like a 2 year old!

I'm posting a few recent pics to give you a peek into our lives... enjoy!

only two more to go

that's right- we only have two more teeth to go and abby has a complete set! this summer six have popped through- top and bottom molars and top eye teeth, so according to the doctor we only have the two bottom eye teeth to survive and then we'll be done for a few years. for all you non-believers that a child so small is capable of tearing into a steak or some hard candy- here's a pic that shows most of those pearly whites!

Houdini strikes again

abby has always had an unbelievable talent for escaping... when she was two weeks old we were certain she was dislocating her shoulder in order to stick an arm out of the top of the tightest swaddling blanket ever. now it appears she is plotting to release herself from her car seat. we had the car seat in the living room while we made adjustments and abby took the opportunity to study the buckle system. she was completely engrossed by it for an hour. I think I heard an evil laugh at one point too.

beautiful music

it wasn't the best of weeks... abby had to get three shots and came down with a cold, I had to go shopping for work clothes, matt had a dentist appointment, etc. but one thing happened this week that will erase all the bad moments- the new Matt Nathanson album was released on tuesday... ahh, beautiful music to transition out of summer and back to work.

it's good to be home!

2,911 miles and 9 states later- we're back home after a great vacation to Virginia. since Abby is the first great grandchild on the Polk side of Matt's family, it was about time she met them all! Abby was able to spend time with two great grandparents, three great aunts, three great uncles, and six of her second cousins. it was a wonderful trip not only for the family value but also because Matt and I were able to spend five days on a road trip together for our five year anniversary! for those of you curious- Matt gave me a beautiful necklace from James Avery and a jewelry box that he built himself (he also inscribed a beautiful poem on it through the magic of a wood burner)... as for me, I gave him a kayak :) after five years we've finally realized how much I appreciate the sentimental and Matt appreciates the useful things in life!

above are a picture of the three of us in front of the most beautiful house in Virginia (DaddyDan and GranAnn's house, conveniently enough!)

and a picture of the direct line of four generations (Nana, Abby, DaddyDan, GranAnn, and Matt)

hitching a ride

matt and i were driving on hwy 26 when this butterfly landed on the passenger window. it rode with us all the way down hall-johnson, onto 121 south, and got off at glade. for any other lovers of "you've got mail" all i could think was that since there are no hat shops at glade, the butterfly must have wanted coffee from one of the four starbucks at the intersection. which, as brian has taught me, is obviously a mistake.

the future

my sweet, sweet daughter joined me on a trip to UNT this week. there she posed in my sunglasses, made tough college boys smile and wave at her, signed a credit card receipt at the bookstore, and declared that the campus eagle is in fact an owl.

afterwards we made an impromtu visit to keri and brian's where they gracefully shared (was there much of a choice, really?) their fresh blueberries with abby. keri gave abby a flower before we left which abby twirled in her hand the whole way home.

i feel totally in awe of this little girl.

Sneaky, very sneaky!

I knew she was in the chair watching Elmo, but I had no idea she'd gotten my drink off the table and made herself comfortable... luckily it was just water!

Happy 4th of July!

In honor of Independence Day- here are a few freedoms Abby appreciates:

taking walks with Daddy...eating blueberries...

playing in the curtains...crawling in and climbing on everything...

chasing bubbles...

and watching fireworks!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Picture Perfect

No special reason- I just love these pictures I took of her today!

Summer!

Abby went swimming for the first time and loved it! Since I was on swim team and Matt was a lifeguard- we had high hopes for her. She exceeded our expectations by dunking her own head and trying to swim on her own!

Tiny Dancer

Who says a tutu isn't for wearing around the house?

Finally!

Some confirmation that she is my daughter... While she may have Matt's love of all things golf, she is absolutely enamored by books!

Vain, or just Loving?

Abby is always pleasantly surprised when she sees "Baby Abby" (as we affectionately refer to her reflection), but tonight we may have crossed a line. She just had to give Baby Abby a kiss. Vain, or just loving?

The Bath

This is how I know that Abby is truly my child... she loves bathtime, but only so long as the water is warm and she can stay in as long as she'd like!

Collage

Just thought I'd attempt to make a collage with all the pics I've used thus far!

It must be genetic!

Abby is doing an amazing job of playing with all the things that weren't labeled "toys" when we bought them. For anyone who doubts the power of genetics, I now have proof: Abby can't get enough of the golf clubs! It has to be genetic because although I've watched very carefully, I've yet to see Matt force her to play with the clubs. My only consolation is that she also loves music!

Abby's First Birthday!

It happened- Abby's officially 1! We had a wonderful little family party here at the house. Abby did her best to entertain everyone... GranKathy, Boompa, Nana, Daddy B., and Uncle Josh all came over to play! Opening presents isn't Abby's strong suit, but she absolutely knows how to dig into birthday cake :)

How old is she?

So we have our first birthday coming up this weekend! If that wasn't bad enough, we have heard at least 5 times the last week, "How old is she? Two?" Two?! What are they thinking? Apparently there aren't a whole lot of one year olds that have 8 teeth, are over 2 1/2 feet tall, and can run in circles! Judge for yourself- but we think she's an adorable 1 year old :)