Technical Difficulties & Turkey

We have a lot to report on this week. Not only was it our first Thanksgiving with Abby, but also her 7 month "birthday." We have so much to be thankful for this year. It was great to be able to share it with family. Abby didn't sleep much on Turkey Day because she was so excited about everyone around her, but we are recovering nicely. :)

On an semi-unrelated note. I haven't updated in a while because our laptop died. I'm not not just talking about wouldn't work right. I mean that it is nothing more than a glorified hard drive. Thankfully, we were able to retrieve our files, including 7 months worth of photos of Abby. I am using the iMac downstairs, and it is not as easy to update since I can't update while Abby sleeps next to me. Hopefully, we'll be back on a good schedule of updating when Mommy and Daddy's Christmas present arrives. Let's take a minutes to remember the iBook and all the fun we had with it.

Okay, now to the real nitty gritty of our week! To prepare for the upcoming holiday season, Abby has been. . .

learning to drive
Gee, that holiday traffic can be rough.

getting some early shopping done
Here, Ben naps peacefully while
Abby does not seem impressed with
the sales at the local mall.
(A glimpse into the future perhaps?)

and

napping on chilly days.
She slept like this for two hours.
How she didn't get a crick in her neck, I'll never know.

Turkey Day

We started the day with the traditional
sausage ball & strawberry jam breakfast
while watching the parade.
Here Abby gets her first taste of jam.

Then, she and Aleigh got some
girl time while. . .

the boys solved some major railroading crisis.
Here are two of the six boys, Mathew and Quentin.

Then, she had some fun with Uncle Tom.

And watched the game with Uncle Tim.

A family first. . .
Thanksgiving marked the first time my brothers and I have all been parents and had our kids together. It was a blast to be together and give thanks for our great family!

What started with this. . .

Daddy and Mom on their wedding day in 1960.
The Puckett clan begins!

Here are all 15 Puckett kids and grandkids.

From left to right, front row to back row, I give you the

Puckett grandchildren:
Abby, Quentin (the great-grandchild), Aleigh, Mathew, T.J;
Ethan, Joey, Jennifer (Joey's fiancee), Michael, and Rachel (Michael's girlfriend)

So Sorry!

I am so sorry I have been slacking in my blogging responsibilities as of late. It seems my free time has been drastically reduced. Abby is doing great! She has two bottom teeth now. She keeps rubbing her tongue over it and giving us a confused look. She isn't at all into showing them off, so it may be a while before I get a picture up of the little chompers.

Here is what we have been up to. . .

For my birthday, Steve took me to Granny Stone's in Bristol for the weekend. (Something I wanted to do since before Abby was born.) As a result, Abby had her first overnight trip. She did great. She didn't sleep well the first night, but we blame her never-ending stuffy nose for that.

We also tried out our new travel booster seat.

We set it up in the swivel chair. We think
she thought she was on a fun ride.

Made new friends we did... yeeess!
(Note to our cousin Ted. If Granny takes you to Bonnie's
restaurant, go next door to the comic book shop. They will
let the girls get their pictures made with Yoda!!!)

Here is Grandpa and Abby all dressed up for church.
They clean up pretty well!

Upon our return home, we found the house was pretty chilly.
Abby made great use of the hat Cousin Katie knitted for her.

Here's a sneak peek of what's in store for the holidays.

"Mommy, isn't a little early for Christmas?"

"Exactly how big is our tree going to be?"

"I can't wait to chew on this dress!"

Other than that. . .

She's been getting better acquainted with little Ben.

and GROWING, GROWING, GROWING!
I think she looks like such a big girl in this picture.

Some Tricks and A Lot of Treats

IT'S FINALLY FALL (and feeling like it,too)!! This is my favorite time of year. The colors are beautiful and the weather is nice enough to enjoy the outside more. I have been looking forward to showing Abby all of the fun that can be had this time of year. Here is what we have been up to...

Hayrides and chili and bonfires, oh my!

Our friends Tim and Treca Russell invited us to their family bonfire/hayride/cookout which is a HUGE event in Strawberry Plains. It was Abby's first and she loved every minute of it. They hayride was amusing for a few minutes, but she then discovered that she had a toy and watched it for a while.

Here she is with Treca, one of my great friends.


Abby was thrilled to see Tim. They hang out
at church a lot. We tease that Tim finally found
someone that can understand him.


Other than candles, this is the first fire she has seen.


"Mommy, do you see that big fire?"

She loved the feel the hay.


Abby makes friends wherever she goes- even hayrides!

Baby's First Boo!

We had lots of fun taking Abby trick-or-treating on Halloween. Here is how it went. . .

Ready to go!


Our neighbor, John, let Abby pick her own treats.

Chip off the old block- she chose the tootsie pop!
(Don't worry, the wrapper is still on.)


Q: Trick-or-treat, Grandma and Grandpa?


A: TREAT--a hug from Grandma!

Then, we took the butterfly to
Gladys, Larry and Missy's neigbor.


Then, it was back home. Captain Casi and Talmadge, our
favorite giraffe, came by to get some treats.


Abby may have her first crush. Watch out, Daniel.


Finally, it was time to get in the pumpkin pjs and
check out our loot!