Recipe for fun

Okay, so I have the blogging fever tonight. (and some free time) I thought I would put together some posts for you. As you scroll down, there are two more posts from recent get-togethers. We have been busy lately with many fun adventures. I didn't realize that the pictures I had picked all centered around eating and/or food until I started this post. Please know that we do more than eat around here. At least, I think we do. ;) Here are some fun pictures from the last couple of weeks:

"Mommy, we need a bigger bowl!"


"I'll make breakfast this morning, Mommy.
Does Daddy want ketchup or mustard with his cereal?"

Chef Abby strikes again.
(You'd be proud Tiffany and Bridgette; she loves to cook!)


This is what happens when she loses her spoon.

"Open up, Brenda!" She feeds cousin Brenda during a
recent tea party at Mamaw's.

Cousin Ann is one of Abby's favorite playmates, so
of course she was invited to the tea party, too!

The biggest adventure, however, is yet to come. We leave for the beach in a little over a week! It will be Abby's first real vacation as well as her look at the ocean. I will be able to update you that week since we will have internet access at the house where we will be staying. If I don't get around to the blog before we leave, we update again from Holden Beach, NC with Granny, Grammy, Gramps, Randall, Kathy, Kristen, Lauren, and Megan! We are so excited!

More Summer Family Fun

Last Saturday, we loaded up Abby's Caddy and headed to Ootlewah, TN to meet cousins from Grandpa's side of the family. Cousins Eddie and Angela were kind enough to open their home to the family. There were babies everywhere and older kids as well. As a special treat, Granny White was there to help us play! It was loads of fun to finally meet the family we hear about so often from Granny White. We didn't get pictures of the older kids. They were quite busy playing in the fields and fishing. Here are the babies from Abby's age group:

William was such a sweetie. Here he is with his mommy, Alice.
He was my buddy and let me cuddle with him some.

His twin sister, Mary Grace, was such a sweetie. I don't
think she cried or stopped smiling the whole time.
She cuddles here with Steve's Great-Aunt Ruth.

Abby and Kennedy has lots to talk about.
Kennedy is only a couple of months younger than Abby.

One of Abby's favorite activities of the day was practicing
her new trick... climbing stairs.
She refuses to crawl up or even
let both feet rest on the same step.
She's wants to go up the "big girl" way.

The same can't be said for going down the stairs.
We are still working out some kinks there.

After some snacks, Abby finally made it outside where the fun really started!

Here she is with Angela and Grandpa.


She really took up with Angela, who was so nice
to let Abby explore in her flowers and her yard. . .

She also managed to get Angela to push her around on the tricycle.

She really enjoyed playing and we hope she didn't wear
Angela out too much!

Uncle David jumped at the chance to fish with Abby
at the pond.


Abby meets the baby bass. She couldn't stop giggling
at the poor thing. :) (Don't worry... he went back in the
water to play.)

"Hey, guys! What's up?" Abby crashes the conversation
between Grandpa, Daddy, and Eddie.


Finally, some relaxing time with Granny White.

Although Abby did not sleep but 30 minutes the whole day (she usually sleeps 3-4 hours), she stayed in a remarkably good mood! It was a wonderful day and we hope to see everyone again soon!

Cookin' Out!

We were recently invited to a cookout at the Crichton's beautiful home to celebrate the end of the school year! It was wonderful to get together with all our friends from South-Doyle. It took Abby a little bit to get over the shock of so many new faces, but she soon recognized the Harris quads and loved playing outside with Reagan. She couldn't wait to finish her meal so that she could play with all the other kids!

Abby really enjoyed seeing Mrs. Allison. She
showed off her new climbing tricks for her.


Knox was kind enough to let her play with his toys.
Here she checks out the Lego collection.


Then, it was time to go outside with the rest of the gang.


Here's one for Grandpa! Abby really loved Knox's
buzz saw. She did some work on the house for
Frank and Stephanie. :)



Here, she and Zachary do some landscaping.


Reagan and Abby became fast friends. I think
they were both glad to have another girl to play with.


And play they did!


Reagan was even nice enough to share her mommy
for a few minutes.

As I have already said, it was really great to see everyone and catch up. We can't wait for our fun lunches this summer and wish Stephanie and Desiree much luck as they are leaving SDHS for the brand new Hardin Valley High School next year.

Knock, Knock

So, this morning we were getting ready for church when we heard a knock at the door. We opened it to find two police officers standing with a worried look on their faces. My heart dropped. ***"May I help you?" I asked. *** "We have a open 911 line coming from this residence. Is everything okay?" responded the officer. ***Long story short, our beautifully curious daughter dialed 911 on our land line. We didn't even know she had the phone. OOPS! We have always heard stories about this happening but figured we had a few years before we needed to worry. Fun times!

Happy Mommy's Day

I hope Mother's Day was wonderful for all of the moms out there! I agree with what my friend Allison says in her Mother's Day post – It is a special blessing to be a mom! This year was extra special because we had Abby's dedication at church. Our church traditionally has the service on Mother's Day and she was too young to go last year. The rest of the day was very relaxing. Steve, Abby, and I spent the day playing with toys and video games. It was too windy and rainy to play outside, so we just goofed off indoors. All in all, it was a wonderful day.

Here we are after the service.


Here the now-fussy Abby poses with the ever-happy Ben.


I tried to get more organized by using this wicker basket.
However,Abby has adopted it as her reading place.


and her new, compact play pen.


and her new napping spot.
Ok, not really, she was just
pretending.


*****************
In other news:
Abby is learning to use a spoon!
Things can get pretty messy, but it is really fun!

No Words

Baby Halle has lost her fight and has gone to be with God. She went into shock during a routine procedure and never recovered. I really don't have the words to say other than please keep praying for her family– her mother and father especially. Her family is in shock and understandably, having a hard time right now. They are trying hard to understand this. They wanted me to tell you thank you for all your prayers.

Random

We are cruising right along into toddlerhood around this White house. This means, obviously, that I don't have a lot of time to sit and work on the blog. We have added a new gate to the living room to keep her corralled, so maybe I can work a little more. Here are some pictures for you of random stuff we've been up to lately. I hope you enjoy!


She's been. . .

Planning sneak attacks on kitties.
They rarely pan out, but
she likes to strategize.


Playing with Megan and Lauren.
We can't wait to play with them at the beach!


Hanging out with Ben!


Exploring new terrain.
We recently did a slight redecorating project in the living room..
I'll try to post a picture of her new play area soon!


Teething. . .
(Bless her heart.)


therefore... hanging w/ Pacie.


Eating cake, again!
(Thanks, Granny! It was delicious!)


Getting some sun!


Blowing some daffodils. . .

a lot!

Baby Halle Update

For those who have been asking, I got another update on Baby Halle. She is finally up to 14 oz. She is beginning to take drops of milk and her kidneys are working wonderfully. She is able to get the medicine that she needs for the blood clot now; however, she is the smallest baby who has ever needed the medicine. Therefore, the docs in Canada (Toronto, I think) and Knoxville are going on unchartered territory. I will post more updates as I get them. As always, please remember this precious baby and her family and docs in your prayers.