I'll blame it on Allison

"What could happen?"

Let's play a memory game that my friend Allison is playing on her blog.

1. All you have to do is comment on this blog and leave one memory that you and I had together or that you have of Abby. Or of Steve, if you want! It doesn't matter if you know us a little or a lot. (Remember to keep it clean and try not to be TOO embarrassing.)
   
2. Then, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Enjoy!

A Few of Her Favorite Things

Here is what Abby is doing to keep herself (and us) busy. She's really turning into quite the young lady these days. She has her favorite things to do and play. (See below.) She has recently started doing what we ask. This was found out by accident when we told her jokingly to "get your shoes so we can go bye-bye." We turned around to see her holding up her sandals and saying "bye-bye." How exciting. Obviously, we are easily entertained lately. So, without further ado, I give you a few of Abby's favorite things.

A Good Book

She recommends Lullaby Little One. We read this book
at least 10 times a day. She even reads it a few more times on her own
It's a real page turner. . .


with funny parts. . .


and dramatic parts.


Buddies

When Talmadge came for a visit, Abby mistook the carseat
for a pedicure chair.


Here the two taunt Phoebe to come over the gate.

Footwear

She wants to wear shoes all the time.
(She wants us all to wear shoes all the time.)


She has recently started wearing her daddy's socks.


Going Bye-Bye

She is always ready for an adventure.
When I tell her we are going to leave, she grabs
her shoes and bag and heads for the door (after
telling Phoebe bye, of course).

Water

"Mommy, when are you gonna put in the diving board?"
She has her own little pool in the yard now.
I will post pictures of it soon!


Cheesin'

This isn't the biggest smile, but she is certainly cheesin'
for the camera.


**Sound of heart breaking**
This is her cheesing it up exactly one year ago today.

These are only a few of her favorite things. We have left out chasing "BeeBee" around, eating, climbing, and stairs. I'll try to get those for you soon!

Five Great Years

Five years ago today, I married my best friend. Since then, we have grown and made a great life together. We have a beautiful daughter, a wonderful family, and a really fat cat. All of my dreams have come true. Thank you, Steve, for the great times we have had and for the wonderful times we will have in the future. I love you!

So many friends. . .

. . . so little time!!

This week we were busy little bees. We had two play dates with our friends. On Wednesday, we were able to go to Knoxville to visit our favorite quads...The Harris Bunch! We had a blast playing with all their cool toys and watching Veggie Tales. Abby's favorite part, however, was lunch I think. Mrs. Allison makes a mean cheese pizza w/bagel bites and pear chunks. Abby had three servings.

The quads were super excited to see that Abby can do
a lot more tricks now.


Abby loved getting to sit at the "big" table with (clockwise)
Reagan, Thomas, Jonathan, and Zachary.

Who knew that five toddlers
would keep us so busy. (haha)
I didn't get that many pictures,
but I can't resist sharing the precious
picture of Zachary with this blanket.

They are all so sweet. We had so much fun and hope to get together again soon!

On Friday, we met up with Aunt Tiffany, Ben, Ms. Treva, and Emma to have lunch at Chik-fil-a and go to a playground somewhere... we had indoor and outdoor options. We chose indoor because it was ludicrously hot and humid.

Emma and Abby B.F.F.


Emma loved helping the little ones.
Here she shows Ben
the ins and outs of the spinning wheel.


Emma loved the slide!


Ben loved getting to explore.


Abby longs for the day she is big enough to climb the
stairs and slide down!


Abby found a hiding place at the play area in the mall.


She didn't stay there long, though. She soon
found Ben for some fun!

On Saturday, Abby was invited to a pool party with our friend Jennifer and her little girl, Mia. I, however, did not get any pictures because I was a little busy with Abby. She had lots of fun and really liked "swimming" around. The fun continues this week when cousins Aleigh, Ethan, and Mathew come to spend the night with her. They have been begging for a long time. I'm not sure they know what they have signed up for. :)

Giggles and Kitties

For those of you who have not heard Abby's infectious laugh, here you go. I apologize for the quality again, but I think you will like her giggles. The second video is a bit long, and you can see that she is getting a little tired. (Note the eye rubbing.)

The teaser trailer:


The director's cut:



The following video is Phoebe's worst nightmare. :) Who knew that "BeeBee" would be one of Abby's first words. It took us a littel while to get what she was trying to say. However, once we noticed who was always in the room with us when she said it, we got a good laugh. Now, the question remains: Will all kitties be beebees? (Please pardon the mess in the background. A merry maid I am not!)

Whooops!

I honestly thought I had posted this week... WhOOPS! It just goes to show you how busy Abby is keeping us these days. We have had many adventures. She is becoming very verbal, but as our Uncle David put it, she just talks over our heads. She's just too smart! If she's awake, she's moving. Her favorite thing to do is dance when any music is on. I will try to catch some video of it soon! In the mean time, enjoy what's been happening the past few week.

Apparently, she misses the sand. She found my coffee
creamer to be a suitable substitute.


If you read Ben's Blog, you know that the two recently
ventured out to Ijam's Nature Center.


There, they met new friends, such as
this cute little turtle.


Ben even wore his hat for a little while.


Abby and Monkey enjoyed the sights, but she wouldn't
give up her pacie on the trail.



Afterward, we headed to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch.
Thanks for letting us borrow your bib, Ben.



" I heart pudding!"


"Whatcha lookin' at?"

For the 4th of July, we did something special with
her hair. Shockingly, it lasted about 45 minutes
before one of the hairbands went missing.


Okay, so I had to play with this one a little
because it was a dark photo. However, I
couldn't resist sharing it with you.
Abby has turned into a true
Daddy's Girl lately.


'Nuff said, huh, Uncle Tom and
Uncle Tim. :)