Abby's Blog

Happy 2nd Birthday, Josie

2012-02-09T12:44:00.012-05:00

We have now recovered (well, mostly) from our birthday bash this weekend. We were very blessed to celebrate Josie's second birthday with friends, family, and Blue!! Josie has been obsessed with Blue's Clues for months now, so the obvious choice for her b-day theme was the Blue dog herself. We think she enjoyed it even though she took a quick nap on Bamps before the cake was cut and was ready to leave as soon as the last present was opened.

Ready to party!!

Ben was the first guest to arrive and
was more than happy to sport a party hat!

Even though Aunt Stephanie had a horrid migraine,
she was brave enough to come to a party with a
bunch of 2-6 year olds– much to Josie's excitement.

Many budding composers were hard at work on the piano.

Party games!!! Yay!

Such a Daddy's girl.

After a quick snooze, it was cake time.
(Abby helped with the candle part!)

Yummo! Blue's Clues Cake!!

After presents, Josie was ready to head home.
Time to get good hugs from Atticus. . .

And Aunt TeeTee!

Though not quite ready for Pinterest, I had fun designing
and making unique hats for the party. . .

And name "collars" for the treat bags.

The cake took forever. . . to decide which one to
order from eBay. :D

Abby helped make the poster. . .
she painted and picked the colors too.

The party girl the morning of her actual b-day!

After dropping Abby off at school, Josie and I
scooted over to Build-A-Bear (or in our case, a Monkey).

She loves her monkey named Unkie.

A celebratory 3 hour birthday nap was
definitely called for. ;)

That evening, we let the girls decorate their own
cupcake!

They were both really good at it!

Yummo!!

Yay! Another Blue!

And an oven set from Kahki and Randall!!

We could not have asked for more smiles than Josie has brought to us in the last two years. She has been full of surprises, but that is great with us. (Keeps us on our toes.) So, we hope you had a wonderful birthday, Sweet Josie Girl!

Resolution

2012-01-09T14:19:00.005-05:00

I have missed blogging. I have missed documenting how much the girls are growing. It is truly out of control. I have resolved to make time for blogging... not sure how this will happen, but I'm going to try. Here is a quick update on the little ladies you are here to read about.

Abby

She's 4 going on 14. She is in full time, half day preschool and is very successful. She complains almost daily that I named her Abby rather than Rainbow. Rainbows are her favorite. The more colorful, the better. It matches her personality. Her imagination is very active and she loves weird stuff. Weird stuff and tiny stuff. Polly pockets and Squinkies are the current fave. She is a wonderful and doting big sister who loves to teach Josie all she knows, good and maybe not so good. :P

She is in tap and jazz dance class and loves going to Awanas at our new church. Kindergarten registration starts next month, which breaks my heart in a million ways. We are in awe at how much she has grown.

Josie

Josie turns two in a couple of weeks and will not slow down no matter how much I try. (I haven't tried, but I have thought about it.) There is very little that she will not try. She is Miss Personality. The mischievous smile gives her away every time. She has her usual toddler trials, such as the potty; however, she can hang with the big girls at the playground. She is OBSESSED with Blue's Clues. We have taught her a little bit of sign language because she didn't say a whole lot for a long time. (We joke that she couldn't get a word in edgewise with Abby around.) However, she is talking in short sentences now. It's a little hard to understand her since she doesn't say the first sound of a word that starts with a consonant. (Quirky, but fun) She is growing fast (finally), and we are enjoying every moment with this funny, sweet little girl!!

As we begin to pass on our "baby items," such as high chairs and bouncy seats, we are realizing that a chapter in our lives are coming to a close. While my heartbreaks, I am reminded that it means that there is a wonderful chapter beginning. As any mother, I could go on and on about my girls, but I will spare you and just hit the highlights for now. I will try to keep you up to date with the fun here at the White house while playing catch up (as best I can on the last year).

Just Beachy

2011-07-04T23:02:00.011-04:00

Well, there never is enough time in a day (or energy in this mom) to blog any more. However, I find myself with a rare chance to do a quick post. I want to catch up on everything, but there is sooo much. Hopefully, before the girls graduate college, I will get caught up on Josie's first year.

The latest news is that we just returned from the beach with Mimi and Bamps. We were able to go back to Holden Beach, NC. It is one of our favorite beaches to just hangout and relax. Abby was a waterbug this year and was old enough to really ride the waves. Josie took a page from Abby's book and slept a good portion of the time we were on the beach. By week's end, she had made friends with the ocean and was pulling Bamps and Daddy to the waves. We returned fairly sunburn free. Here's how the whole thing went down:

Watch out, Waves! Here she comes!

"Anyone know where a girl can get some
water around here?"

"I dunno, Bamps, they say there's
some water for my sandcastle this way."

Anyone up for some fun?

Bamps is awesome at riding the waves.

Our happy family-- after a beach nap!

She totally did not want me to take this picture– she
might miss a wave.

Diggin' the tidal pools... quite literally.

Josie and Bamps B.F.F.

Josie napping (as usual) on a
sunny day at the beach.

This one just makes my heart happy.

My favorite of our gals.

Approx. 30 seconds after she made friends with
the ocean.

The sunset view from atop the causeway leading
to the island.

Sunset over the marsh. (Love it)

Beach Baby!!

I'm pretty sure she'd be a
mermaid if given the chance.

The gals playing while Bamps and Daddy
set up our cabana.

Playing chase with enough room
do do it up right!!

Abby hanging out while waiting
for a table at our favorite restaurant,
The Provision Company.

Josie says she will have hers
steamed w/ a little butter, please.

Abby is combing the area for crabs and
jellyfish. (The latter made their presence
known this year.)

The giggles say it all!!!

Our view from the back porch. It's rough,
but someone has to stare at it for hours. :D

Fun time in Daddy's socks.

Sisters. :D

One Happy Beach Bum!!

Love the look in this one!!

Proud Papa!!

She is saying "good-bye" to the ocean.
:/

A wonderful trip all the way around.

Faithfulness of a Child

2011-03-02T09:27:00.004-05:00

I know that parents are suppose to teach their kids, but many times I find myself learning from the girls. Yesterday, Tiffany and Ben came for a visit, and we ended up at McDonalds. This particular McD's has an awesome outdoor playground. Now, allow me to digress. Abby has a little fear of heights. It makes her very nervous to be up high, especially when she can see the ground below her. It just so happens that this playground has a lot of such places where one can see the ground. After going through the "treehouse" once with Josie and me, she went through again with Ben! She then decided she wanted to go through once more. Ben was not interested. Abby looked at me and said, "I"m going." I said, "Okay, but I can't come get you this time." (Looking back, I realize I was trying to talk her out of it. I'm glad she's stubborn.) She did great until the long bridge in which she can see everything. She started to get nervous. Then, she started saying, "I am not afraid. I am always brave. God will take care of me," over and over until she was across. It made me very proud of her that she not only made it across but that she knew she could depend on God to help her. Later, I was thinking about the "treehouse." I realized that she did exactly what I often forget to do.... rely on God. Life may be busy and tiring. Life may not always go exactly how we want, but Abby is right. . . "God will take care of me." Thank you for the reminder, sweet girl!

My guru :D

December to Remember

2011-02-17T22:35:00.006-05:00

I know. I know. It has been a while. A long while. However, I will try to catch you up on the goings-on around here.

December began much like December 2009. . . SNOW. Before winter was even officially here, we already had a significant snowfall (about a foot on our end of town). This made for great fun (and the beginning of a very snowy winter). Abby experienced her first snow day. She cried when she found out her school was closed. We were afraid it was going to put a damper on their Christmas party; however, we were very fortunate for the snow to melt in time for the kids to put on htier show and have their special party.

The kids did a wonderful job singing. Abby (middle of
the shot) belted out the songs with pride. We were so
excited that Steve was able to watch the program.
Abby was thrilled!!

The snow may not have been epic, but it was certainly fun. We were excited to get the girls out to play, especially since it was Josie's first real chance of playing in the white stuff. :D

Let the Christmas Story jokes begin.

Our angel making angels.

She's a Daddy's Girl without a doubt.

I just thought this is such a perfect "Josie" look.

Snow fun w/ Daddy!

The girls started to get tired and Steve's
hands were freezing. Therefore, our
snow man was three feet high.
We then decided to honor Bamps
with a snow Bamps, much to
Abby's delight. :D

The snow afforded us a chance to do a photo shoot to prepare for Christmas! Good times!

"Why is the bear bigger than me? Not cool."

Abby is still trying to come down from her Christmas high.

Holiday hilarity in a box (literally) with hats!

I promise to update soon with a Truly White Christmas and Snow Daze. Until then, please enjoy Abby singing "Happy Birthday, Jesus" from her Christmas program. Do NOT adjust your volume. (You will thank me in about 30 seconds or so.) Please watch until the end when Josie tries to "help." :D

'Nanners

2010-12-07T07:58:00.007-05:00

That is the best way to describe our life right now. Abby is in school and keeping her up with her hectic social schedule, and Josie, well, Josie is everywhere. She is walking and talking and having such fun adventures. It is amazing to watch. I know I say this in every post, but I wish I had more time to blog about all the fun we are having.

Girl loves her Aunt Debbie!

Uncle Tom is a sucker for a good story, too.
Not sure is Mathew is convinced, though.

Bring it on, Winter!

Fun times!!

Watching leaves fall in October.

Dancing. In pjs. At school.
Not sure it could get any better.

OH, wait!!! It can. Dancing in pj at school
WITH FRIENDS!!! :D

Re-creating the first Thanksgiving.

Little Blonde Talks A Lot
would be her perfect name.

Proud big sister

A friendship feast

Yummo!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-23T21:39:00.003-05:00

This year for Josie's first Halloween, we were in Asheville since Steve had to work all weekend. It was great, though. We got to trick or treat on both Saturday and Sunday nights at local churches. Abby (aka Jessie) and Josie (aka Miss Ladybug) both had a blast.

She was unsure at first, but she seemed to get the hang
of her costume. (It was really cute when she crawled around!)

Abby LOVED her Jessie costume. She still wears it
just for fun.

Abby, Sophie, and William collected lots of loot
at the trunk or treat. . .

. . . Josie couldn't handle the excitement and

fell asleep before we made it back.

No Excuses

2010-11-08T16:47:00.007-05:00

I have neglected the blog lately. However, it is not without reason. I am still trying to get this whole "mom of 2" bit down. When Abby finally settles down (which some days doesn't happen at all), Josie sees it as her time to shine. :) It is a fun time for us. Please, don't mistake that. I just have not had a lot of time to sit at the computer lately.

Abby is doing great in school! She loves it and has made many new friends. She recently had a Harvest Party with her class. They got to wear their pjs, so of course, Josie and I volunteered to be there that day. It was so fun seeing in her with all her new friends. She also recently had her first school program. It was so fun!! Loved every minute of it.

As for Josie, well, that is a string of blog posts, my friends. She is doing great. She's talking up a storm. Right now everyone is "Bob," but we are also known as "Momma" and "Dadda" sometimes. There's been some new stuff happening, too, but I will let the pictures and video do the explaining on that one. My goal is to do one post a day for the next few days to catch you up. Until then, know that we are still here and doing good.

No excuses, but there are two good reasons!!

First Day of School

2010-09-13T21:46:00.007-04:00

Abby started school at Bent Creek Baptist Pre-School at the end of August. She goes Monday, Wedneday, and Friday mornings. She is having a wonderful time with her new friends and her teachers, Ms. Jamie and Ms. Tricia. ( She has a hard time believing Mommy was a teacher before she was born. ) Her favorite part is the large playground they get to hang out on every day. They sing songs, have story and sharing time, and much, much more. She is so independent. On the the third day of school, she said to me on the way there, "Mommy, I got this. You can just drop me off." I was so proud and sad at the same time.

This is the backpack she picked out.

Believe it or not, she also picked out the matching
lunchbox. (We were shocked, too.)
She usually takes pretzels, juice, and a mix of different
fruits for snack time.

She was so excited. It's hard to believe
how old she looks in this picture.

The pack is huge, but she loves
to carry it.

She was dancing around everywhere.

You can almost see the joy and
excitement.
(Note: "White bunny" stayed in the
car when she got to school by
her own choice.)

Our Scholar.

Here is her peg outside her classroom.

She went inside and started to play. I didn't really
even get a "good-bye." (Yes, I cried as I drove away.)

After school, we went to Chick-fil-A for a
celebratory lunch. She was still riding on
the excitement (and the fun rides).

All scholars need their sleep. She has the best naps
on school days.

Family Vacation

2010-09-03T22:32:00.017-04:00

I have been so bad about blogging lately. There seems to always be something going on. I will do my best to catch you up on everything that has been happening. (It may take a few posts.)

After working 60+ hours a week for a while (and continuing to do so), Steve was able to take some time off for a mini-break. So, where else would we decide to go, but home. We hit up Tennessee for a week of fun and relaxation before Steve had to go back to work and Abby started school. (Yes, she's old enough for pre-school. I'm in denial. ) So, here's how it all went down:

We drove over on Saturday to see family who we don't often get to see.

Here are the Hensley Kids–
Mom, Uncle K.B., Aunt Roberta,
and Aunt Dot

Abs got some quality time with her Great Uncle KB.

Some cousins got to spend some time together.
(Here are Debbie, Ann, Brenda, and Darlene.)

Abby suckered Mamaw for some ice cream.

It was wonderful to see family from all over. It was also great to introduce them to Josie. After we said good-bye to Mommy's side of the family, it was time to head to Mimi and Bamps for rest and relaxation.

Abby had lots of fun with Mimi. . .

While Josie showed off her new sitting up and playing trick.
She apparently also was trying to catch up on her phone calls.

After a restful day with the grandparents, we headed to Gatlinburg to see what our friends at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies were up to.

A busy day at the coral reef.

It's one of Abby's favorite things to watch at the aquarium.

Daddy and Abby loved shark-watching
in the tunnel.

Of course, we had to say "hello" to the clown fish
and tangs, better known as Nemo and Dory
in our household.

Daddy helped Abby play with the horseshoe crab.

Abby does not seem to want to give the shark
a dental exam.

Unfortunately, my camera battery went dead before the penguins. We had lots of fun crawling through the tunnels with them. Alas, we had to head back to Mimi and Bamps's place to rest up for the big surprise the next day. . . the ZOO!!!

Abs loved seeing all the different animals
from all kinds of different vantage points.

This funny guy is out to play after playing with friends in
the elephant playhouse. He seemed to be the class clown.

Speaking of, we had a couple of other jokesters with us.

Josie enjoyed the ride as well and kept pretty comfy
during the walk between exhibits.

"This is my lion friend, Mommy."

I love giraffes. They always remind me of
one of best and oldest friends, Aimee.

The great thing about vacationing in Tennesse is you
never know who you might run into. Ben and TeeTee
were able to meet up with us at the zoo. We were so glad
to have the extra time with them!

And Abby was delighted.

The toddlers had lots of fun with
a Chimp who loved the attention.

Abs is trying to ge ta better look
at the lioness with the help
of Daddy.

Josie is trying to get caught up on her sleep.
(Note the foot. Abby used to do the same thing!)

The zebras are always my favorite. On our second trip by
their area, they were up playing.

So fun to watch.

I think the gorilla knew Abby loves cantaloupe.
He's right to be on alert. Abby will
stop at nothing for her yummy fruit.

The red pandas are always so peaceful and sweet.

Josie likes to ride in style.

Abby posed for some shots for
the pre-school bulletin board.

Thanks to TeeTee for taking
the first picture of the four of us.

The zoo was so fun that we took the next day to rest. We did have a visit with Mamaw Bivens, but for the most part, we just relaxed and enjoyed being in Tennessee.

Josie and Abby put their decorating touches on
Mamaw's house.

We rounded out the week with a visit to TeeTee's for Abby and a doctor's appointment for Josie (more on that in another post). Then, it was back over the mountain for us so we could get ready for Abby's school's open house on Friday. We were rested and ready for school after a great week at "home." We will post her first day pictures soon!

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Josie!!!

2010-08-05T22:41:00.013-04:00

Today marks 6 months of total blessings. It has been the hardest and most rewarding time of our lives. Josie is such a sweet baby. I have friends that will testify to how laid back she is. She loves going to the movies. She will either sleep (Toy Story 3) or watch every minute with out a peep (Eclipse). She loves her big sister. The smile she gets when Abby is around just melts my heart every time. She is growing up so fast. She has mastered rolling over and even likes to sleep on her tummy some. She's sitting up mostly by herself. She LOVES to eat. Rice cereal is good, but the recent addition of veggies has been a big win. (Uncle Ron, you will be glad to know she and green beans aren't the best of friends.) When she laughs, it fills the room. It's my favorite. However, a close second is when she talks to her toys. It is so fun how she seems to have a conversation with them. She is such a blessing. I know it may sound cliche, but it is as if she's always been with us. Life is so blessed right now.

Jumping remains her favorite past time.

Luckily, the jumperoo offers her second favorite thing–
chewing on stuff!!

Speaking of chewing. . . she will chew on anything and
every thing.

Our sweetie is sleeping in her big bed in a room
with her sister. They love it.

Sisters and B.F.F.s. . .

Never a dull moment.

Abby loves to teach Josie the ropes.

Love those baby blues.

Our sweet baby girl.

Jumping with Josie

2010-06-25T20:16:00.012-04:00

Here at the White house, we have been really focusing on our jumping lately. Josie has made fast friends with the jumperoo. However, the favorite activity is "bounding." This is what Abby calls jumping with her sister. Josie seems to really enjoy it, too! Abby will tell her to "Get a leg up, and slap it on down," just like in the Pixar short We do it a lot because the giggles are so sweet and addictive. Here is a video of how I spend a lot of my day ( and why I don't get to blog a lot anymore).

****Please pardon the extra baby weight I am still carrying around. As always, my diet/exercise program starts tomorrow.

4 Months

2010-06-18T06:32:00.006-04:00

She has found her fingers, and
she likes 'em.

Though it has been a little over a week, I still wanted to update you on Josie's 4 month check-up. She is perfect (but we knew that). She weighed 12 lbs, 11.5 oz, is 25 inches long, and is right on track with development. She is even a head of the game on some things. She can almost sit independently and she is rolling over already. Her birthmark is slowing its growth. The doc says she may recommend laser treatment when she is about to start pre-school just to speed up the process. She is very happy. She loves to watch her sister; and now that we have the jumperoo out, she loves to jump with her sister. (They call it "bounding.") She's still very laid back and is game for any adventure Abs and I can come up with.

The White girls up for a Father's Day photo shoot.

B.F.F. pose it up for Daddy.

Jumperoo = Bliss

This is what Heaven looks like– I'm sure of it.

She's my little buddy.

Here's the sweetie watching the toddlers
splashing in the pool. She knows they are
silly.

The girls have Bamps right where they want him...
in his big, comfy recliner.

She's already a gamer, just like her daddy and sister.

Daddy has been working a lot, so Josie has
offered to help him relax when he's at home.
(It's amazing how much they look alike in this
picture.)

The momarazzi is at it again.

The girls keep me hoping, and I don't get to blog as much as I would like to anymore. However, I love every minute with my gals. Please forgive the lack of updates.

Bokia

2010-05-15T05:52:00.005-04:00

Last month, Steve had to go to Slovakia for work for 9 days, so the girls and I packed our bags and headed across the mountain. When asked where her daddy was, Abs would say, "He's in a plane in Bokia." It was cute how she thought that he was in the plane the whole time (though the 21 hours one way of traveling made it feel that way). Anyway, we were able to get plenty of visiting in while we were there. It was a bitter sweet trip since a very dear friend passed away while we were there, but we are so glad that we were able to be there for Atticus and to honor Susie, who Abby called "my Princess."

Cousin Ann was very excited to meet Josie and
to spend some time with Abs. Abby was excited to see her too
and to find that Ann had a toy box full of fun things.

Swingin' with Paw Paw makes life
seem somehow more fun.

Roadtrip w/ Ben to the Aquarium was
a blast. They loved that they were
in the "way back" of the SUV.

Abby, Emma, and Ben all enjoyed the
aquarium. (The blonde on the left
was starting to get tired by the time we
go to the penguins.)

Josie saw the opportunity for some down time.

Maybe she was planning her lesson for her
first teaching gig at SDHS. Here
Atticus is introducing her to Mommy's
former students. (Congrats Class of 2010)

We also even got a suprise visit from
Brenda and Aunt Dot. Too much fun!!!

Awesome trip!

This is just a sampling of what we got to do while in TN. We came back tired and missing Daddy. However, the latter did not last long. We got home about 3 hours before time to meet him at the airport. All are home and safe. We loved our visits with everyone and hope we can see them soon.

Happy Birthday, Abigail!

2010-04-23T09:21:00.004-04:00

We wish our precious Abigail a happy 3rd birthday. Actually, it would be more accurate to say we hope she had a wonderful 3rd birthday. We were having so much fun yesterday that I didn't get a chance to post. We had party last Saturday at the park complete with friends and a Tinkerbell cake. Yesterday, the actual birthday, was spent at home with friends coming over with an Abby favorite "tiny doughnuts" (a.k.a. doughnut holes) and another cake last night with Josie.

Party at the park!!
Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful day.
Black olives were the favorite food of the 2-5
year old section of this population.

The Tinkerbell cake that she picked out and chose
her own colors!

Luckily, the colors look good on her.

The festivities soon moved to the playground to swing.

Then, back to the tables for balloon animals
and bubbles with Ben.

After the party and a nap, Abs got her
present from Mommy, Daddy, and Josie.

On Monday, Treva, Emma, and Nana Jean came over
the mountain for some birthday fun and to meet Josie!

Cake #2 for her actual birthday on Thursday.
She chose strawberry cake with chocolate icing.

It is amazing how much she has grown-up, even in the past two weeks. She is now pretty much daytime potty trained. We are contacting pre-schools for fall enrollment information. The most exciting part is that we have gone almost 4 whole days sans the beloved papi. I realize that the last one is as much my fault as hers. She was so attached to it and I am just the push-over mom that wanted her to be the one to give it up. However, earlier this week, she misplaced it, and even though I found it shortly after, I just kept up the story that it was lost. She asks about it when she gets tired. She was only allowed to have it when she was napping or going to bed at night). Anyway, all that to say, we are so proud of our big girl. She's been a blessing everyday and makes our hearts happy.

Josie's Easter Debut

2010-04-09T08:19:00.008-04:00

During the week of Easter, we were blessed to have great weather and good health. Therefore, we got to introduce Josie to some people who love her and will be special parts of her life, just as they are with Abby.

Atticus and Susie came for a visit while he was on Spring Break. We loved that they stayed all afternoon and snuggled Josie and played with Abby. They wanted to see us in our natural state, and we did just as that. Abby ate, played, and even napped. Josie did a lot of the same. :)

While we were in Tennessee later in the week, we were finally able to introduce Josie to more grandparents, aunts, uncle and cousins who she had never met.

Mamaw Bivens grabbed Josie and didn't let go. That is until
Abby wanted to play.

And Mom was suckered into pushing Abs in the
"little red car."

During a Puckett picnic at Panther Creek, Little J was
introduced to her Aunt Debbie and Uncle Tim. Uncle
Tim got some flirting in behind Debbie's back.

Aliegh loved getting some time with
Josie.

Abby kept busy running around (literally) with Mathew.
(More on the picnic in a coming post)

The next day, we headed to Bristol so Josie could meet
Granny. We were so excited to finally get to travel
and visit Granny.

We were also lucky enough to go while Kathy and Randall
were there. Randall and Josie hit it off famously. He
is now known as the Baby Whisperer.'

Abby took a little bit of a breather and relaxed
on Granny's big, white chair.
(I think she looks so grown-up here.
Thank you, Eddie and Angela, for the beautiful outfit.)

But the down-time did not last long. Here she is playing
rock star. Thank you, Randall and Kathy for the awesome
birthday presents.

It was really great to see everyone and we hope to continue to visit in the coming weeks. Until then, I will try to update soon with pictures (and maybe video) from the many park adventures we have had and update after Josie's check-up on Monday.

White House Update

2010-03-15T17:17:00.006-04:00

I have been pretty busy around here and not able to blog about stuff like I would like to. Something will happen that is blog-worthy, and it seems that I never get time to update. Here's a quicky for you. Maybe, now that we are settling into a bit of a routine, I will find time to post more often. Now, for what you really want to know. . .

Josie is doing great. She is up to 9 lbs now, which is wonderful considering she has already weathered her first cold. She has the cutest, heart-shaped birthmark on the inside of her bottom lip that came up about two weeks ago. She (as demonstrated here) loves to sleep on her tummy, which makes it great for snuggling!

The jaundice has cleared up, and she is getting a beautiful pale complexion which goes great with her dark blue eyes. Her hair is still really dark. (As you can see, she is not fond of the Momarazzi all the time.)

Here's chance to see her eyes and chubby cheeks. (one of my faves)She is so alert now and loves to study things. Her current faves are the ceiling fan and the window. The pictures on the wall are in the top 3 as well.

Daddy's girls love to take afternoon naps with/on him
when they get a chance.

She is doing great about sleeping. She only gets up once a night for a snack, then it's back to bed until 6 or so to see Daddy off and have breakfast before Abby discovers "Josie's Awake!!".

Speaking of, we finally got the nerve up to change her bed into the toddler daybed.
Apparently, we should have done it months ago. . .

because she says it's her "best bed ever" and so "beautiful." She is sleeping through the night without getting up to play (which was our main concern) and she will sit in it to read or play during the day.

Abby has had to to discover ways to entertain her self more lately.
Like her daddy, she loves playing games. Here she is creating her avatar for her Tinkerbell game. She is really good and can usually figure things out without our help.

We also got a few more inches of snow last week
and are looking forward to a warm up so
we can hit the parks.

It's okay, though. We have spent our time loving on Josie!

We are now awaiting the arrival of Mimi and Bamps for another visit. We will be introducing Josie to Tennessee this weekend. We have leased our house and need to make a quick trip over the mountain. If we miss you, please don't be offended. We will be back Easter weekend for a more leisurely visit. I promise to update soon with more pictures and updates on the girls.

Best Week Ever

2010-02-12T21:13:00.012-05:00

by Abby White
As translated by Mommy

So, Mommy and Daddy are pretty busy and really tired, so I thought I would be the one to share our baby story about Josie with you. I'm so excited to be a big sister. She's the coolest thing Mom and Dad ever brought home. I have to know where she is at all times and give her kisses on her head constantly. So, here is our story...

It all started with a typical Friday morning. I woke up and ate breakfast and watched some TV as usual. I over heard Mommy say to Daddy over the phone that she just didn't feel good and that she was going to ask the doctor about it later that day. I was excited because she was going to the doctor. That meant that I would get to hear the baby. There was snow on the ground and Mommy was nervous. Daddy told her not to worry, the roads were clear and we were off to the doc. She was really nice and told us she wanted Mommy to wear some weird belts and we would get to hear the baby for a few minutes. It was really cool because I got to drink juice with her while we listened. After a few minutes, the doctor told us she thought it would be best, considering what she saw on the piece of paper and the weather and the weekend, to go be checked at the hospital. I've been told about the hospital, but I wasn't allowed in because they have some sort of rule against people under 18 visiting. (Mommy did not like that rule at all, BTW.) It was fine by me. It just meant that I got to have my very first sleepover at my friend Sophie's house. They dropped me off around 4 and gave me hugs. I couldn't figure out why Mommy was so nervous and teary. She had left me there before and besides, Sophie's big brother, William, was turning 10 and we got to have pizza and cake. Don't tell them, but I'm not sure I even really thought too much about Mommy and Daddy. ;)

Anyway, Sophie's mom, Stephanie, kept getting phone calls and text messages from Mommy and was getting more and more excited with each one. The first came about 6pm. I heard Stephanie announce that Mommy would be staying at the hospital and I would be staying with them. (Score!) It was a pretty nasty night weather-wise, so Mom and Dad had told all our family in Tennessee to wait until Saturday morning to come over. They were worried that the weather would cause travel problems and wanted everyone to be safe. There were more phone calls from Daddy. Apparently, Mommy was not feeling like talking much. He said that she was in labor and progressing rapidly. By 10, I heard Steph say that Mommy had gotten an epi-something that made her feel much better. I fell asleep and vaguely remember Steph getting a text that made her really excited. Apparently, my baby sister was born at 2:49. She came really fast. Steph said the doctor didn't have time to get the bed ready. Josie must have heard that I got to have cake and candy and pizza and watch The Big Bang Theory. She was jealous and wanted to join us.
The next morning was really exciting. Daddy picked me up and told me my sister was here! He said Mommy and Sister were at the hospital resting and getting checked by the doctors. He told me that Uncle Tom had come to visit them already, and they were all really happy. I had a hard time at first trying to understand why I couldn't visit, but all was forgotten when the silver "beep-beep" (AKA Mimi and Bamps) showed up. They had their bags, and Daddy said they would be staying with us to help us with Baby Josie.

On Sunday, I woke up from my nap and had a big surprise. Daddy had come back home and brought Mommy and Baby Sister with him. I was so excited. My sister was home finally. I love her so much. We have been having lots of fun since she came home. . .

Just like me, Josie has a little issue with jaundice. She came home with a billirubin count of 10.2. It jumped to 15.7 by the next day, so they gave her this really cool light thing to wear around the house. It made her look like a glow worm. (Mommy joked that she had the blue light special.) She was really cool about it. Her counts were down by .5 the next day and down to 13 by Thursday. I'm not sure what all these numbers mean, but it must be good because she was able to get rid of her blue lights in just 4 days!!!

You like her blue glow?

Josie got here before her crib did. It's okay, though, because I am letting her use my "green bed" that I used when Mommy and Daddy brought me home. I like her in it because I can easily see her. Mommy said it is good because I can see her but can't reach her. (I'm working on a solution to this problem.) Anyway, I had to help Bamps and Daddy put Sister's bed together.

And the best part is that she gets to sleep in my room when she's a little older. I'm so excited. Mommy puts her in there when she's cleaning my room or hanging laundry. I take that chance to entertain her by singing and telling stories.

Entertaining Josie is one of my favorite past times. I love it when her eyes ae actually open. I really bring out my best stuff when she's awake.

I even got to help Mommy and Daddy give Josie her first sponge bath. I thought she did really well. She didn't even cry until it was over (silly sister).

Josie stays pretty cozy and sleeps a lot. . .

So. . . I get to spend time with Mimi and Bamps and play the Wii. ( I love their Mario game!)

I remember Mommy laughing when we washed and put this bib in the drawer. She even told me that she wasn't sure why she washed it since Sister would not be here until after Valentine's Day. (I'm pretty sure Mommy was as surprised as I was that Sister wanted to be with us so badly.)

We even had fun doing one of Mom's famous at-home photo shoots. Josie is a natural. (I taught her some tricks.)

All in all, it has been a great week! We have had lots of fun adventures and are starting to get the hang of things around our tiny apartment. We love that Mimi and Bamps have come to help us out so much. Mommy keeps saying what a lifesaver they are (and how sleepy she is). Speaking of, I'm off to nap with Mom while Sister is asleep.

I love my little sister, Josie.

Welcome Little Josie Alyson

2010-02-08T16:35:00.005-05:00

We are so blessed to announce the arrival of Josie Alyson White. She arrived by surprise 2 weeks early at 2:49am on Feb. 6th. She was 7 lbs 8 oz and 18 inches long. We are home and doing great. She has a bit of jaundice, but Abby is giving her advice on it. We are waiting for the Bili lights to be delivered and hope to be over this quickly. She and Abs are getting along famously.

Josie and Daddy are two of a kind!

I'm going home!!

Abby is meeting her sister for the first time.
The two are instant BFFs.

She loves to ride in the car.

She's a sleeper. (and awfully cute to boot)

I will update soon and will hopefully have more pictures. Our internet has had issues lately and has made it nearly impossible to blog.

Let It Snow!

2009-12-19T15:36:00.017-05:00

Two weeks ago, I was complaining that East Tennessee got snow and Western North Carolina just got the cold air. Today, I am eating my words (literally almost thanks to homemade snow cream). We were a bit surprised Thursday by the news of a snow storm heading our direction. I have to be honest and admit that we didn't really believe it would be anything serious since news of snow is mostly a ploy to get ratings for local news stations. However, this time they were right. We woke up to about 2 inches of snow Friday morning. Thinking this was going to be all we got, we bundled up and headed outside for a snowball fight. By lunch, it was snowing again and did not stop until after Abby went to bed. By this morning, we had about 12-14 inches of the white stuff greeting us. We luckily only lost power for about 8 hours during the night when we were all snuggled in bed and warm. It kicked back on right after Abby woke us up around 7 this morning. So far, so good. Otherwise, we have enough food and entertainment to last until we can get out and about again. Here's some of the pictures from our snow excursions.

Round 1: Friday Morning snowball fight. A rare snow day for Buncombe Co. meant the neighbor kids were out to play. Abby was able to enjoy her first snowball fight.

Testing her favorite hangout.

She had to try a snow angel.

She's a natural. Without any coaching, she made
a great snowball and threw the first shot in the
snowball fight at our neighbor Will.

Daddy was not immune to her vicious attacks.
She has quite the arm. :)

"Check out my Abby ball, guys."

"Here's another one I made."

A couple of people are missing in this picture,
but it was pretty much
each one for him or herself.

Round 2: Saturday morning, with LOADS more snow

Abs and Daddy bundled up to check out the fresh snow
outside.

Our Abby-meter was not heavy enough
to sink to the bottom of the foot of snow,
but she had fun walking around in it anyway.

She's laying down waiting on Daddy
to clear off the steps.

"Can I come down yet, Daddy?"

She ended up in the snow a lot. It was so deep that she
could not walk very well. Here, she is in the middle of our
road. Never fear, we were not experiencing heavy traffic. ;)

Having a ball in the snow.

Steve giving Abby a quick snow angel
lesson.

She did pretty good.

Watching her silly daddy.

"Anyone up for a snowball fight?"

Our neighbor decided he wanted to take
a drive. You can sort of see how deep the snow is.

Here's our car without any drifts around it.

Mini-avalanche from the car landed on her head.

Meanwhile, Daddy cleared the stairs
a little more. Soon after this,
he discovered the missing bottom step.

After some snow melted down her shirt
and she lost her boot in the snow,
Abs was ready to "go inside"
for awhile.

We got many more pictures and it was hard to pick the ones to post. Needless to say, we had a blast and are in no danger as long as the power stays on. We are excited that Steve had already taken the day off well before the storm was mentioned and we were able to have everyone home and safe. We hope everyone is warm and enjoying the week before Christmas. See you soon!!

Chicken Dance

2009-12-09T12:08:00.005-05:00

I debated whether or not to post the next video. I messed up and for some reason recorded it sideways (I blame pregnancy brain). Anyway, I thought I was too fun. Abby learned the chicken dance at the party, and you can see on her face how much she loves dancing. The music was pretty loud, so you may have to adjust your volume. Hope you enjoy watching our tiny dancer strut her stuff. :)

Ho Ho's Party

2009-12-09T07:39:00.014-05:00

We went to the Continental Teves (Steve's company) annual Christmas party this past week. Last year Abby had tons of fun watching the other kids play and would not sit on Santa's lap. This year, she joined in the festivities and ran to jump on Santa's lap. (What a difference a year makes, huh?) Her favorite part was dancing with the other kids and random Christmas characters, such as Rudolph, Frosty, and Mrs. Claus.

She loved sitting on "Ho Ho's" lap.
She gave him a big hug and even
posed for some pictures with the jolly ole elf.

Of all the flowers, kitties, and snowmen she could have
asked for, our little one was set on the Balloon Fairy making
her a Spiderman Balloon that has been a constant companion
since the party.

Then on to cookie decorating. . .

and taste testing. :)

Let's give Frosty some high fives. . .

and then cut a rug with Rudolph.

How low can you go?

Let's get Frosty in on the action,

Who wouldn't want to do the Electric Slide
with Mrs. Claus?

Overload

2009-12-07T07:45:00.008-05:00

Partially because I have been taking naps with Abby in the afternoons and partially because we have been kind of busy getting ready for Christmas and the baby, I have been neglecting the blog a little too much. There, for a picture overload is coming your way. We are doing great. The baby is growing (and so am I) and Abby is getting excited about having a little sister. Steve has been working a lot of 6 day weeks. Also, there is a massive rock slide that has closed down the quickest route home. Because of these things, we have not been home nearly as much as we have planned to in the past few weeks. We made a quick trip home during Thanksgiving, and we hope to spend a little more time there during Christmas. After that, I am stuck in Asheville until the baby comes. Anyway, without further adou, I give you our last 6 weeks (give or take).

Halloween:
Minnie Mouse had plans to trick or treat and eat all the candy East Tennessee had to offer, but she had to sucker candy from Western North Carolina. Steve had to work, and the weather was pretty bad. Therefore, we decided it would be safer (considering the time and I-40's curvy detour) if we just stayed at home. We ended up having lots of fun with the Coggins clan.

Minnie during a impromptu photo shoot
in our dining room.

And a serious case of the giggles. :)

Here she is explaining why I should
let her roll down the hill in her dress.
(P.S. She had a lot of fun doing it.
I'm a sucker.)

Time for some early Trick or Treating in the neigborhood.

Then, off to Trunk and Treating with William and Sophie.

Then, back to play. She loved the roller skates
and actually did a pretty good job getting around.

Wiggly Fun:
The following weekend, we got to see the Wiggles in Greenville, SC with Mike, Tee Tee, and Ben. And as a special treat, Daddy was able to go with us (He has had to work a lot of Saturdays lately.) It was a great show, and Abby is still telling us about it. She jumped, danced, and sang through the whole show! We are not sure which we liked better, the Wiggles or the Abby. (Okay, we enjoyed seeing Abby so excited more, as any parent would.) We also enjoyed watching Ben study the whole thing almost without blinking. It is amazing the difference in their reactions, both just super sweet.

Waiting patiently for the show to start.

Joyfully watching the opening to the show.

She squealed when they came out in the famous
Big Red Car. (Captain Feather had a "baby car"
as she puts it... but I don't have a picture to
do it justice.)

Ben and Abs chillin' after the sow. They
were all smiles and giggles.

Misc:
Otherwise, we have been getting ready for Christmas and a little sister. Thanksgiving was wonderful and spent with family. Because Daddy was not feeling great and Mommy was getting really tired, so we cut the trip a little short. We still got to see our family and get away for a while.

Hanging out at Granny's after Turkey lunch.

Otherwise, evening tea parties with Daddy and
playing in general have kept this toddler busy.

Big News

2009-11-05T17:33:00.003-05:00

Well, folks, the baby was our friend today. It's a girl!! When told Abby that she was going to have a little sister, Abby responded with "ok" and continued to play with her toys. Steve will be outnumbered, but he is taking it well. We are very excited. Everything is going great. The baby is very healthy and growing like a weed. As soon as we can, we'll try to get some ultrasound pictures up, but I thought you'd like to know what we found out. We've got to go now and start looking for names. We'll update soon on Halloween and other fun things.

Belated Birthday Wishes

2009-11-05T17:03:00.004-05:00

We have had some technical difficulties here at this White house, and because of it we have not been able to post birthday wishes, so here it goes....

Our nephew, Joey, turned the big 3-0 last week. While he was not available for comment, his wife says he enjoyed the day! We hope he knows we love him and hopes he had a wonderful day.

Here's Joey on his wedding day last year.

Our friends James and Aimee have a had a pretty busy month. They celebrated their beautiful daughter's, Tabetha, first birthday, their sixth wedding anniversary, and their sweet son's, Talmadge, third birthday. We were very glad we got to see them when they were in during Labor Day and had an early party for the kids. We hope Tal, who says he doesn't want to grow up (Your hearts can start breaking now, moms!) had a wonderful birthday! We miss you and can't wait for Christmas when we can hopefully see you again.

Tal and Aimee only minutes after meeting each other.

Tal and the fun Elmo cake that he devoured at his first birthday.

He's a pro at the cakes now.

Now that our technical issues are slowly being resolved, hopefully, we will be able to update more often. Come back for fun posts soon!

Fall , Festivals, & Friends

2009-10-28T09:29:00.004-04:00

We were really bummed to have missed Old Time Saturday, a crafty fall festival, in our home town in Jefferson City, TN. However, Russ and Stephanie told us about a small festival at one of our favorite local parks. We were definitely in!! It was small, but I think Abs enjoyed it a little more because of the playground and having Sophie and William around.

When we told her that it was a little
chilly outside, I think she might have
misunderstood exactly how cool it was.

Like mother, like daughter. Abby is a
definite Daddy's girl.

Here is William in front of his school's
entry in the scarecrow contest.

They did a really awesome American Gothic
that won first place in the competition.

There were many cool entries,
we found a Scarebuster complete w/Slimer.

You can take a girl out of Tennessee, but you can't take
the Tennessee out of a girl....
In a move that will be sure to please her uncles and friends back home,
Abby chose orange for her first face painting.

She wanted the heart;
we added the "T" to be funny.

Sophie decided on a butterfly. It was really pretty,
and we thought she could use it later if she wanted
to get into Punk Rock or Pro Wrestling. ;P

After a quick tour of the crafts, we hit the
playground where the kids worked up
a good appetite for the new pizza
place in town.

Fun with Imagination Movers

2009-10-15T15:46:00.006-04:00

Among many of our recent activities, we were able to catch the Imagination Movers in Knoxville at the Tennessee Theater a couple of days ago. It was Abby's first concert and we were very excited to meet up with some of her BFFs, Ben and Emma, for the big show. They played some of Abby's favorite songs, such as "What's in the Fridge" and "Shakable You." It was really difficult to get a good shot of her because I'm pretty sure she was hopping through the whole thing. She even tried to rush the stage a couple of times.

It was like a true concert from the little one.
Some kids even brought signs... too cute.

We had great seats with a really good view
of the warehouse. They even brought their "Little Buddy,"
Warehouse Mouse, to run the lights and sound.

They spent a lot of time in the audience.
Our buddy Ben even got a high five from Rich!!!

Abby was mesmerized throughout the show and
really got in to dancing and singing with the band.

Ben was amazed as well. He
studied the show quite intently for the longest time.

I couldn't get a good shot of Emma during the show
because of the lighting. She was really in to
the dancing and singing as well!!

They were very entertaining for parents as well.
Here they are in the Karate Kid pose.
There were many little jokes sprinkled in for the older folks.

When they sang their song about sleeping all night
in a big bed, Warehouse Mouse fell asleep. . .

and so did Ben. He was too cute. He slept through
some of the show and even missed "Playing Catch"
when they threw beach balls into the audience.
Poor guy... he was tired. :)

After the show we all went for ice cream at Marble Slab
in Market Square. Yum!!

Here's a picture of the back of the shirts we made for the kids.
The front had their names just like the Movers wear.
When we showed it to them, they instantly recognized it
as a Mover shirt.

We had a lot of fun at the concert, but what made it a truly good time was being able to spend it with our friends. Thank you Aunt Tee Tee, Uncle Mike, and Ben for letting us crash at your place for a couple of nights. Thank you Scott, Treva, and Emma for going with us and for the delicious ice cream treat!!

If you have young children at home or just like good, clean fun, you should check out the Imagination Movers if you haven't already. They are a group of genuinely nice guys from New Orleans that just want to make music for kids that parents can "dig" as well.

Pretzel Pose

2009-10-09T17:15:00.003-04:00

So.... the baby was in a pretzel and was really shy about certain things. We don't know if we are having a boy or girl yet. They are going to do another ultrasound at our next appointment to try again. So, four more weeks of trying to guess. The good news is that everything else looks "perfect" and healthy. That is all that counts anyway. We'll keep you posted on any news.

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-10-09T06:48:00.005-04:00

Today, we celebrate two great friends. Ben, our best buddy, turns two today. It seems like yesterday when I snuck off to the hospital to meet this little guy. . .

and then, just last week, we got to go to the NC Arboretum and play.

Just wait until you see his 2-year pictures. They are
AWESOME!!!

What a handsome feller.

Already a gentleman who gives a chilly girl his jacket.
They love to play together!!

We hope you have a very Happy Birthday, Buddy. We can't wait to see you and go to see the Imagination Movers with you next week!!!

Today is also our good friend Stephanie's birthday. We are so glad we have met her and her family. They have really helped make Asheville feel more like home for us. We hope she has a fantastic day (complete w/iced coffee and DVR during Mommy time this morning).

Daddy's Big Day

2009-10-07T15:53:00.004-04:00

Steve turns 30 today, and Abby announced this morning that she is having her birthday with him. (I think it's the promise of cake that is the real draw.) Although he is hard at work today, he will soon be home for an extended weekend. Steve Fest is how we have referred to it in the past. We are looking forward to some "down" time. We will find out if we are going to welcome a son or daughter and then we will head home for the weekend. Good times. Abby is napping right now in preparation for the event. :)

Here's a little taste of how Steve and Abs have been spending their days lately.

Here they are taking Skylar, the step stool, for a spin!

Abby being a Daddy's girl (as usual).
Though he looks upset, the sun is just in his eyes. We were
at a festival at a local park (more details in another post).

Abby helps Daddy wind down after a long day at the salt mines.

Sometimes, they wind down too much. :)

We love you, honey! Thank you for everything you do to see us smile and also for putting up with our "girly" ideas. We hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Birthday Wishes

2009-10-06T06:52:00.005-04:00

October is filled with some very special birthdays. I will try to keep up, although I am already behind.

Happy Birthday, Mathew!!
On the 3rd, our nephew Mathew turned 7. We weren't able to celebrate because he is recovering from H1N1 (swine) flu. He is getting better and we hope to have a proper celebration soon!!

Here's an older picture of our Maty with is usual Green cupcakes.
We love you, buddy!!

(It's hard to find pictures of Mathew because he is so
shy and usually hides from the camera.)

Happy 1st Birthday, Tabetha!
It is hard to believe it has been a whole year since we met sweet Tabby for the first time. She took her first steps last night (the night before her birthday). Way to go, girl!! We can't wait to hear how she spends her big day.

One year ago today, we were all blessed by this little angel.

Abby getting some practice from Tabby for her new sibling.

Here's the sweetie about a month ago at her
early b-day bash in Tennessee.

We have four more birthdays within the next week, including Steve's big 3-0 tomorrow. Fun times... hope I can keep up. ;)

By Popular Demand

2009-09-16T21:44:00.003-04:00

It has been pointed out to me (a lot, actually) that I haven't given any updates on our pregnancy. I didn't mean to leave anyone out of the loop. I just haven't thought to update the blog about the smallest member of our family. So, here goes.....

As of today, we are 18 weeks along. Things are going great. His/her heart rate has stayed around 150 at every check-u[ and when we check at home with the doppler that our friends loaned us. It is too cute to hear Abby say "Babby says woo woo woo." ( That's the sound the doppler makes.) I have been feeling pretty good. My energy was completely zapped, but htat is starting to come back. I am having some issues with weak spells, but doc says it's completely normal. My blood work is fine, and my blood pressure is good. However, she doesn't want me to drive too far from home by myself until I go a couple of days without a weak spell. Until then, Steve will have to haul me across the mountain to visit. :)

Abby is very excited. She says she is going to have a brother. We will have an ultrasound on October 9th to see if she is right. We are trying to include her in this as much as we can.

I am able to feel "Thumper" now. He or she seems very active when big sister is resting. (I'm hoping this will not become a habit.)

I'm pretty sure that's all the news that is news concerning the baby. I promise to be better at updating you. I'll post on the 9th if Little Bit isn't too modest and we are able to finally say boy or girl.

We're Having a Party

2009-09-15T13:49:00.007-04:00

We were so thankful that our good friends James and Aimee were able to bring their cuties in for a visit over Labor Day weekend. It has been a long time since we have been able to love on Tabetha and Talmadge thanks to both our families moving to different states. It was a wonderful weekend complete with a cookout and an early birthday party for the little T's.

Tal and Daniel cruised the cookout to make sure everyone was behaving.

Like their mommies, Tabetha and Abby were fast friends looking
for some fun.

"Abby, it looks like something should go here."

"Score!! I'll show you how this is done, Tabetha."

"This isn't working out so well. There's got to be an easier way."

"Eureka!!"
(Notice Tal in the background... too stinkin' cute!)

"It's my party. Wonder what will happen next?"

"Me likie this party stuff."

Tal is an old pro at this stuff. . .

He was even gentleman enough to "help" his sister with her icing.

On a side note, we celebrated Ethan's 13th birthday (can you believe it?) while we were in Tennessee. Abby enjoyed her first corn on the cob while we were there. She was a big fan!! She ate a whole piece and still wanted more. (We gave it to her in halves until she gets the hang of it.)

"Yummy!!"

"Look! I ate this in one bite."

Messy Toddler = Happy Toddler

2009-09-15T13:35:00.003-04:00

We thought it would be fun for Abby to try her hand (no pun intended) at finger painting last week. The plan was to go outside, but constant rain kept the fun indoors. We taped some newspaper together, pulled her hair back, and stripped her down. She was unsure at first, then she really got in to it. She has paints from head to toe (including in her ears), but a quick bath afterward took care of it quickly. She's been begging us to do it again, but we are waiting until we get our energy back from the last time.

It starts with a bit of color mixing for the perfect shade.

Green seemed to be the favorite of the day.

An artist never likes to be interrupted.

Luckily, we were able to get most of the paint out of her ear... I think.

Putting the finishing touches on a card for Granny.

Goldilocks Needs a Nap.

2009-08-02T11:13:00.009-04:00

Recently, we have been talking about some rite-of-passage changes that toddlers go through and trying to decide if Abby is ready for them. Most are questions that we are not sure of.... When will she ever give up her pabby? (She's doing great at just asking for it when she wants to sleep, as you will see in the pictures below.) When will she ever show signs of being interested in the potty again? (She has given us new meaning to potty break.) And finally, When will we know if she's ready for the "big girl bed" ? At least the last question is getting a little more attention from Blondie. She seems obsessed about making beds in various places around the apartment. Here are some of her recent designs.

The classic baby in a basket set up.

Another view of the basket bed. Goldilocks has a mattress
of freshly laundered towels, a pillow from the couch, and
a fabric remnant from a recent craft project.

Old laptops came in handy for this makeshift bed for Abby and baby.
She polished off this design with a cheesecloth "borrowed" from
the kitchen counter.

She rearranged her bedroom furniture a bit to climb on
her dresser to try out the changing pad that is rarely used anymore.

I'm pretty sure she's trying to figure out a way to get
Mommy and Daddy's bed all to her self in this one.

By far her fave, she often takes naps in her
tent in the living room. Phoebe looks on trying
to decide if she should risk a nap in there as well.
(It's a favorite spot for toddler and kitty.)

Phoebs gave up and let her sleep. Best nap of the week!!

Twinkle Star

2009-07-16T08:14:00.002-04:00

Abby has been honing her talents as a vocalist lately. We are not sure where she got her skills, but we are glad she does better than her mommy and daddy. When she sings sans the mic, she will do the hand motions. Please enjoy Abby's version of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

***Warning: Steve does maek a cameo appearance in this one. For those who know him, it's a classic Steve moment. You have been officially warned. ***

Fourth of July Fun

2009-07-07T19:16:00.010-04:00

We had a busy but fun Fourth of July Weekend. We headed across the mountain on Friday to shoot fireworks with Tom, Ethan, Aleigh, and Mathew. Abby had loads of fun playing with her cousins and shooting the "up and downs" with them.

The Puckett girls must stay together! Abby and Aleigh played
supervisors while the boys shot fireworks. Mathew was excited to
shoot off bottle rockets and help with the bigger ones later on in the evening.

Ethan was fired up all evening.
He was great at entertaining Abby with
his bottle rocket skills.

Though Abby didn't get to play with fire,

she did get to pick out her favorites for Daddy
to shoot off for her. These huge sparklers were
second only to the artillary shells that we shot
after the sun went down.

Watching the bottle rocket zoom!

Then, it was time for a light all-American
snack before dinner. Though you can't tell from the
look on her face, she loved the corn dog and ketchup.

I didn't bring out the camera for the greater Piedmont area display put on by Uncle Tom, Daddy, Mathew, and Ethan. You will have to trust me that we had a blast (no pun intended). Abby loved the colors and bright lights (and staying up late). We had the traditional Tom Puckett Breakfast Feast the next morning before heading back to Asheville that afternoon. Once home, we quickly unpacked and headed over to Russ and Stephanie's for a cookout. We enjoyed meeting Steph's parents, and, of course, Abs loved playing with Sophie and William. After dinner, we all loaded up to watch Asheville's fireworks display. We parked behind the Lowe's shopping center, which had a great view. Again, I did not get the camera out for the big blasts. It was really beautiful. Abby, though, was getting tired and was just as excited about the plane circling the area than the beautiful fireworks exploding in front of her.

Abby and Sophie sat at a safe distance. . .

while the guys checked out the cliff where we were set up.
The drop-off was scary, but the view was perfect.

Just Beachy, Part Two

2009-07-06T20:36:00.007-04:00

Though we would be totally fine being beach bums the entire week, we did venture out some from the beach house. Abby took her first ferry ride from South Port to Fort Fisher to check out the aquarium and have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Big Daddy's on Kure Beach. We also had a blast going for seafood with the family.

After all the travels last summer,
Abby is an old pro at being comfy on a long haul.

She also made herself right at home one at the beach house.
Here she is watching Playhouse Disney from a prime
spot in the living room.

This is her first taste of steamed shrimp at our
favorite Holden Beach eatery, The Provision Company.
Their motto is Good Food. Good People. Good view. Bad Parking
(P.S. She LOVES the shrimp as much as we do!!)

She checks the tide schedule while waiting for the ferry.

On the big boat with Mimi headed toward Fort Fisher.

She loved the wind blowing through her hair.

She made sure that her pink dragon (aka her
new best friend) got to see the sights as well.

Can you spot the friendly turtle we saw at the aquarium?

This is another friend we found just hanging out.
Abby thought he was funny.
We got to see an albino alligator as well, but the
pictures did not turn out as good. Luna was
rescued right after Hurricane Katrina from just
outside of New Orleans. No albino gator nests have been
found in that area since the hurricane.

Abs loved petting the horseshoe crab, which we were
surprised to find out is a member of the arachnid family.
Abby just thought he was funny, no matter his family. :)

Abby and Mimi check out the reef exhibit. Abby recognized
many of the fish from Finding Nemo and was
excited to "meet" them face to face.

Abby and I got to watch a battle for the centuries between
these two guys. I'm pretty sure they were napping
between punches.

Though Abby was getting tired by the end of the tour,
she brightened up when she saw Nemo and Dory swimming
around. She couldn't stop giggling, especially when Dory would
swim off and re-apprear out of the other side of the tank.

Our favorite activity, though, was hanging out with
Lauren and Megan. The girls had so much fun. Abby
is still crying everyday to go back the beach house to
play with them.

Just Beachy, Part One

2009-07-02T20:42:00.010-04:00

We made our yearly pilgrimage to Holden Beach, NC this year with family. We had a wonderful time doing everything from riding a ferry to riding a wave. She could not get enough of the ocean and would often take off running for it before we realized what was going on. Even when a wave would catch her off guard and hit her in the face, she would come back laughing. There was only once she got a little scared after one pushed her down, but she was fine after a minute and wanting more. I'll make a couple of posts for all the pictures.

Abby still begs to go to the beach house with Lauren and Megan.

Wouldn't you? This is the view from the balcony outside our room.

One of her favorite things was to sit in the surf with Daddy
and "catch" waves.

She also loved exploring the sand too.

and digging for buried treasure.

Megan always made sure her outfit was coordinated for a
day at the beach. She was a little shy at first, but
finally got the hang of the waves. ( I didn't get
a picture of her riding on Steve's back in the waves...
good stuff.)

Lauren could always come up with a fun plan for
digging!! She loved the waves as much as Abby. We had
so much fun jumping waves!!

She loved the sand between her fingers, for a while....
then it was a mad dash to the ocean to wash her hands!!

Abby and Daddy playing land developers on the shore.

Here is the fruit of their labor one day.
Unfortunately, they built in a flood plain and
we didn't have to worry about he dry mote after high tide.

Abby was great about keeping the ever-draining mote
full of water.

Our little beach bum

And her beach bum parents.

After a hard day on the beach, the girls could be found
together playing OR , as seen here, on Mimi and Bamps's
bed watching Tinker. (Bamps now has "Tinker" memorized.)

In the next past, I'll put some pictures up of our activities away from the surf, such as the aquarium and Abby's first ferry ride!!

Happy Father's Day!!

2009-06-21T08:12:00.004-04:00

We want to wish all the dads out there a Happy Father's Day!! We hope you know how special you are and how much we appreciate all you do for us, mommies and kids alike.

Some of our favorite Father/Daughter moments:

Intro to Family Naptime 101

"Be Cool" Lesson #47

Intro to Wii, lesson 4

"Just chillin'" lesson #139

Building Our Kingdom Lesson #87
(Abby prefers the demo part of the construction!)

Ferry Riding 101

Playing Catch Up

2009-06-01T07:01:00.006-04:00

We've been quite busy this month. Although it has rained nearly everyday, ending the drought in Western North Carolina in a very convincing style, we have managed to get out of the house a lot to celebrate Spring. Here is a quick update on how things have been going.

Though a little blurry, this is a shot that
shows one of Abby's favorite activities,
dancing with the Wiggles.

She loves to play "Where's Abby?" during dinner,
especially spaghetti night,
so as to get the food all over her face.

Nap Times and Bed Times have been epic!
Here she fell asleep early one night on the couch.
She slept there for a while until we finally moved her
to her room! (Parents of the year)

Ben and Abby enjoyed some playtime one
afternoon at Ben's Nano's and Pop-Pops.

One of her favorite things is our dish towel (go figure).
She makes some pretty interesting wardrobe accessories
with it. I think she may have an eye for fashion.

Did I mention she took swim lesson? Here, she sports her
"Tennessee suit" before lessons begin.

Lots of Abby-Daddy time has been had!!

She loves the rides at the local mall. We can't wait to
see her face when we take her to an actual amusement park. :)

A bored 2 year old.
She was very patient though.

"Mommy, come. . .

... go swimming! "
(We've heard this a lot lately!)

Did we mention the Dunkin' Donuts that is located within

minutes of the apartment? Great find!! We love to
go by with Sophie and Steph and get pastries for the girls and
iced coffee for the moms!!

Coming soon. . . Abby at the beach, part deux. After Lauren, Megan, and Abby hit Holden Beach again, life on the island may never be the same!! :)

Parks & Recreation

2009-05-22T07:28:00.004-04:00

About a month ago, we had to go to Tennessee to take care of some stuff at the house and were lucky enough to get to have lunch at Fred C. Miller Park with Aunt Tee Tee, Paw Paw, and of course our best buddy Ben. We had a blast and hope to do this a lot this summer!

Two toddlers ready to take on the world.
Sunblock- check.
Hats- Check
Playground- check

Here, Ben and Abby strategize about how to get to the top of the
caterpillar

"Maybe if we try this, Ben, we can shimmy up
before our mommies notice."

"I don't think this is going to work, Abby.
You look stuck! And I think they're on to us!"

Quick, to the bouncy pony thing.

"I love this thing!"

"I'm not so sure I do. Can somebody help me?"

"Gosh, thanks, Paw Paw. This is much better."

"Standing in the middle isn't so bad."

Paw Paw and Abs checkin' out the creek from behind bars.

"I'm just going to crawl up here and you can
can come help me down when I realize I am
stuck, K?!?"

Our smart guy hitched a ride when he
got a little tired of walking.

"Schweew... that was a great day!"

Birthday Party

2009-05-04T06:43:00.007-04:00

We were lucky enough to have a beautiful day to party at Lake Julian with many of our great friends from Tennessee and Asheville. Abby decided on a Finding Nemo cake and so we ran with it. We were so blessed to be able to celebrate with our friends. We can't thank everyone enough for making the trek across the mountain.

Here is the table sans cake and pizza. The cake
had to be stored under the table so the icing wouldn't melt.

Can you guess Abby's favorite party of the table?
(Hint: Nemo still hangs out in our dining room. He's just
a little closer to the ground now.)

And so Abs wouldn't grab Nemo and Dori. :)
(I gave up on making her birthday cakes after
last year. Maybe I'll try again when she can help me more.)

Abby enjoyed her pizza. . .

She ate with Stephanie,our good friend in Asheville.

and with Aunt TeeTee.
(Love the messy face that she kept the whole time.)

She made sure everyone had everything they needed.

Part of the Tennesse crew enjoying the festivities. . .
From Left to Right: John and Lisa Raines (our neighbors in TN,
and Stusie Steve (aka Atticus) Loope (our very special and
dear friends).

Abby, Ben, and Sophie couldn't wait for lunch to
end so they could feed the ducks.

Ben was in heaven. He had bubbles,
food, and lawn mowers.
We are sorry he skinned his knew on the rocks though.

Kristiana and Emma had a blast at the playground.
Emma really enjoyed the swinging bridge.

and, of course, the swings!!

Abby and Mimi loved them too!!

All the kids loved feeding the ducks. Here, Sophie
helps Abby feed a very hungry group!

Miss Independent wanted to do by herself

We had tons of fun, and needed naps when we got back.
Abs soon joined Mimi and Bamps for long afternoon nap!

Springin' into action!

2009-04-22T22:17:00.006-04:00

Abby has been really hopping since the weather has taken a turn for the better. We rarely have a day when we don't have something to do. It's finally green outside and we are taking full advantage of it.

She loves the road trips we have been taking.

And the new park we have discovered.
(Watch for birthday party pictures soon from
this same park!)

Here, she is showing her new friend, Sophie, how
to pick the perfect flower.

If you need your yard
cleared of dandelions, just let her know!

She test drove a car at the mall, but
didn't like it's handling!

I will work on our birthday, park, and spaghetti pictures later today. I just thought I would give you an idea of why we don't have a lot of time lately!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

2009-04-22T21:56:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday, Abby!
You are a blessing to us every day.

A Blessed Easter

2009-04-14T22:06:00.004-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend and hope all of you were able to spend time witht he ones you love and celebrate our risen Savior.

We started our Easter at Uncle Tom's. We celebrated his birthday and Easter at the same time. We were able to see his rabbits and his roosters. (Abby loved the "chicks!") Most importantly, we were able to spend a lot of fun time with Ethan, Aleigh, and Mathew. We plan to visit Uncle Tim and Aunt Debbie and TJ soon and can't wait.

After fun times in Jeff. Co., we headed to Bristol for a long overdue visit with Granny Stone. Abby was really excited about seeing "Ganny and Phil." We had so much fun playing. Abby wore us out running laps around the house.

Getting ready for bed at Granny's

Easter morning brought bunny ears and orange juice.
Thank you, Granny, for the ears... she wears them all
the time.

Then, Easter treats. She loved the jelly beans
she found in her eggs!

Once dressed, she was itching to get out in the sun.
(It was still pretty chilly, but the sun was a welcome
Easter surprise!)

Here, she patiently waits for all of us to get
ready to pick flowers.

And she and Granny set off to get
a grand Easter bouquet.

Granny taught us how to spot a
blue ribbon worthy daffodil.

Abby thought purple would be a nice addition to the collection.

Abby was very gentle when
carrying the flowers around.

Here is a view of the finished project.

When Mimi and Gramps got there, the games really began.
Here, Abby is getting some help eating eggs.

She and Gramps played all day. Here she is letting Gramps
gets some rest before Abby made him walk
around the yard for hours.

Whew... the weekend was great, but
someone really needed a nap after all
the visiting.

We are so blessed with wonderful friends and family. Though we have had a really rough year (especially the last 8 months), it hard not to feel overwhelmed with love and blessings when we think of the beautiful family God has made us into and the awesome support of our family and friends.

Coming Soon: New friends and Birthday Bashes!!

Shimmy Shake

2009-04-09T13:57:00.007-04:00

It seems that lately we have been going 90 miles an hour. Abby has two speed: asleep and wide open. She will wake up and start where she left on. It's like a DVD that has been stopped and when you push play it starts where you stopped it last. It cracks me up that she wakes up in the middle of the night talking to her friend Sophie or Ben. She will ask about the Wiggles or Cars (her favorites this week) when she wakes up. Very fun times. I know that she wants me to get her when she says "Mommy come!," I know she means business. (This command is used for anything or anyone she wants to follow her.) I know I'm just rambling on, but I have so much I would like to tell you. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I hope to do better. I will let the pictures do the talking.

Waking up in the mornings with milk and Mini Hot Dog.

Ice cream is one of her favorite treats.

Ready to go to the park to feed the ducks.

We have found a great park a few minutes from our
apartment. . .

where you can feed the ducks. . .

and watch the sail boats.
(They also have paddle boats that we
are going to try when she is a little older!!)

Abs loves the park and gets a kick out of the ducks.

Crazy week. . .

Here she is on Tuesday. We had about
an inch of snow on the ground by mid-morning.

On Thursday of the same week, we went to the
park where she went down the "big" slide
by herself for the first time!

A Taste of Spring

2009-03-12T22:24:00.005-04:00

The snow from Monday did not last, and by Friday we were enjoying temps in the high 70s with a nice spring breeze. It was lovely. On Saturday, we hopped across the mountain to celebrate Emma's 3rd birthday. She had a grand party complete with slides, bubbles, and bounce houses. It was so great and refreshing to spend the day with old friends and enjoying the great outdoors! Abby loved playing with Emma and Ben and many other little ones with equal energy levels. Of course, it is cold again now, but we loved our taste of Spring!

Abby loves to slide. She learned how
at Ben's a couple of days before.

She enjoyed some bouncing fun while the others got some lunch.
After lunch though, she jumped in with the big kids! Great fun
and no injuries!!

"Hi,Mom!"

"Can we look for a house like this in Asheville?"

Ben said bounce houses are for the birds.
He'd rather play some b-ball!!

Happy Birthday, Emma!! We love you!

Snow Day!!!

2009-03-02T07:04:00.007-05:00

We finally got a snow worth talking about her in Asheville! It started about noon on Sunday and snowed pretty good until about 8 or 9. We didn't think much of it at first, but when it started really sticking, we got excited. We will have more pictures if the wind lets up a little.

"Wow, Mom. It really 'nowing'."

The view off out deck Sunday afternoon.

A little close, but still a rare shot of the three of us.

This is mid-grab for the camera.

Here is the view from our deck this morning!!

The roads are pretty slick and the parking lot is almost nonexistent, but Steve made it in to work this morning safely. If the wind dies down a little, I will see if Abs wants to hit the snow again! I'm sure it will not take too much. She loves going out, and this time she will get the bonus of wearing her boots!!

Shinanigans!

2009-02-15T16:20:00.006-05:00

Abby has been up to a lot of shenanigans lately. Whether it is taking naps on the couch (the only way I can get her to sleep over 30 minutes during the day) or watching 101 Dalmations and/or Finding Nemo over and over and over and.... well you get the point, she seems to be changing things up on us quite a lot these days. For example, she loves to help us count out things. Sometimes she will get 1-5 correctly; other times she will just say "one" for all of them. We are starting to be potty mouths. Okay, breath.... I just mean that we are talking about potties a lot. She knows what one does on the potty and she knows when she does those things. However, she is very hesitant about sitting on her potty without her diaper on. We are working on it. I don't want to push too hard, but hopefully we can get her to not be so afraid soon. (Maybe when it warms up?!?!)

Otherwise, we have been trying to keep busy. We have made a couple of new friends. Stephanie and her daughter, Sophie, live just down the road (within a mile!!!) and we have been able to get together with them for play dates. Sophie is almost 4, but Abby holds her own. They (and their mommies) have become fast friends. We have also had some visitors and have been able to make it across the mountain a couple of times ourselves for quick visits. Normally, I love winter, but this year, I can't wait for spring.

Here are some of the Shenanigans we have been up to lately:

Master Chef loves to help me cook. Don't worry.
She knows things that are sharp and hot are off limits.
She will even tell you if you are going near them.
She's a tough boss.

While visiting Mimi and Gramps for Gramps' birthday,
Abby commandeered his chair.

But she soon discovered it was much better to share with a friend.

This is a sight I am very familiar with. Abby and her
Hot Dog (aka Mickey) watching "Emo and Dory."
Hot Dog goes everywhere with us. Nemo is either
playing or being read in her "Emo Book."

1 Zoo + 1 Rocking Red Wagon x 2 Toddlers = Loads of fun!
Check back soon for an update on our trip
with Best Buddy Ben to the KnoxVegas Zoo.

Here is what afternoons at the White house look like.
Believe it or not, Phoebe usually sleeps at her feet for the
whole nap. She will even tolerate Abby's feet resting on her.

It's always a party when Paw Paw comes across the mountain.

Playing peek a boo in the bath is so much fun. . .

Though not as much fun as playing the Dread Pirate Bubbles.

As you can tell, there's never a dull moment around here anymore! We're having lots of fun learning along with Abby.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T19:24:00.005-05:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Abby fell earlier in the week and the resulting boo boo made
a perfect heart on her cheek. It is kind of hard to see here,
but it is really cute and appropriate for the holiday.

We also want to wish our great friend Jared a very happy birthday!

Visit us soon, Uncle Jared. Abby can say your name now.
(Well, sort of.)

We have plenty of stories to tell, so stay tuned.

Rockstar

2009-02-02T13:49:00.005-05:00

Abby has been having a lot of fun lately entertaining us when music is playing. Here is one of her most recent concerts.

(The opening number sets the mood for the whole show.)

(She made some pretty good choices for her set.)

(Everyone loves the final bows.)

Shock and Awe

2009-02-02T13:25:00.005-05:00

On the 23rd, Abby and I woke to find the sun shining, the skies clear, and the roads moving along nicely. Also, it was our sweet niece's birthday, so we headed across the mountain to see what we can see. No one knew we were coming except Steve and my brother, Tom.

First, we had to bundle up for the ride through "the gorge."

Then, we some important business to discuss with Paula.
(Outcome of our meeting. . . Sonic breakfast burritos = good!)

Finally, lunch with Aleigh at Piedmont Elementary.
She was really surprised to see us.
We hope she had a wonderful birthday!
(Sources say she did.)

We even got to help sing "Happy Birthday"
with her classmates.

As a special treat, we got to spend some time with our good
friend Treva who teaches art at the school.

This has been the only visit we have had in Tennessee since Christmas, and it was too short. We have, however, had few visitors and some fun here in North Carolina. I will post soon about our friends, old and new, and other fun we've been having.

Art vs. Nap

2009-01-31T21:54:00.004-05:00

Abby was hanging out with her daddy today while I was having a girls' afternoon out. One minute she was coloring, and the next. . .

Notice the legs are crossed. This is how she sleeps when
she's in her crib.

She still has a firm grip on the crayon.

Christmas Vacation

2009-01-08T22:34:00.009-05:00

Our Christmas was really busy this year. It is our first Christmas when we had to drive more than 30 minutes to get to family. We decided to spend Christmas night at home to see what "Ho Ho" would bring.

Here's what the big guy left behind.

As expected, Abby ran past the chair and other loot.
She was afraid she missed Handy Manny I suppose.

Then, she saw it. She was really excited. (Mostly about the
Imagination Movers cd she got and has listened to CONSTANTLY
since Christmas morning.)

She's a great mommy to her new dolls. They are fed,
diapered, and rocked numerous times during the day.

She also got some good books to read.

Then, we headed to Bristol to visit with Granny and Phil.

She and Granny loved playing with their new toys! ;)

Mimi and Gramps helped her with all of her gifts.
They even had to take some with them in the van
because we couldn't fit them in the car.

I thought you all would like this shot of Steve,
especially if you know him. It fits him so well.

Phil made it through mostly unscathed. He did
have to change where he was laying a couple of times.

Then back to Jefferson City to spend the night with Uncle Tom.

Abby sweet talked Uncle Tom out of most of his orange.

Friday night, we were able to to get together with Aunt Debbie,
Uncle Tim, and TJ. It is the first time we had all been together since
Joey and Jennifer's wedding. Fun Times!!

The "kiddie" table. Abby had all of them playing peek-a-boo.

Abby and her "Aou-lee" could not be separated. The Puckett
girls really got to stick together, ya know!

We had a great time in Tennessee visiting and playing. What I haven't mentioned is that Abby was recovering from a bad cold (she had to meet her new doctor on Christmas Eve), and I was quickly coming down with one. We had to cut our visiting short and head back to Asheville.

We were joined by Uncle Jared, Steve's best friend. He was
able to stay a couple of days. Abby was smittened.

We are still working on our guest accommodations.

By New Year's Eve, we were recovering nicely and
hanging out at home. We were lucky enough to have
Steve with us the whole week.

Steve ended up getting the cold, and we are still playing it safe on visiting anyone just in case. Plus, it feels like -1 outside right now, so we will probably stay under our favorite quilt and watch good movies, play games, and read Handy Manny books over and over and over and . . .

I promise to post some 2009 pics soon!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T15:31:00.005-05:00

Abby has been catching up on her reading.
Here she enjoys a book Santa brought her with
her new friends.

Hope everyone is having a great start to 2009. Abby and I are recovering from colds and are finally starting to feel better. We had a blessed Christmas and can't wait to tell you about it. I promise to post soon about it!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T08:11:00.004-05:00

We wish everyone a very merry Christmas! We are spending Christmas Eve in Asheville. It is a bit of a change for us to be away on Christmas Eve, but we are excited about Santa coming to our new home. We are hoping to see family on Christmas Day; however, Abby and Steve are pretty congested, so we may have to postpone. We are keeping our fingers crossed though. (Abby was not a big "Ho Ho" fan this year, so we played dress up at home instead.)

With Wings Like Eagles

2008-12-22T15:42:00.007-05:00

Right after New Years a moving van will pull up to my best friend Aimee's house, pack up her family, and move them to Florida. She and her wonderful husband, James, have answered the call to be the Ministers of Students at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Wauchula, Florida. It is hard to let them and their beautiful children go, but we know that they will be following God's calling and will be blessed for it. This past weekend, we were blessed to be at the dedication of their beautiful daughter, Tabetha Rhea. We want to wish them all the best and let them know that our prayers and hearts will be with them the whole time.

Tabetha looked beautiful in her gown!

Daddy (aka James) telling his church about Florida.

Mommy (aka Aimee) can really belt them out still!
(Just ask Abby who danced and clapped through the whole song!)

"I wore the scottie dog dress for you, Aunt Aimee!"
Abby really wanted her Aimee time.

Talmadge and Abby checked out the set for the children's play.
They gave "heaven" the full toddler treatment.

Tabetha's "girlfriend" look.
She had changed and was in her
casual wear after the service.

Time Flies

2008-12-22T15:28:00.005-05:00

Here are a couple pictures of Abby and her best buddy Ben from about this time last year. . .

Momarrazi strikes again!

Ben was obvious not excited to be heading out for
yet another shopping trip.

And here they are last week. . .

The toddlers taking a break.

"Why did the baby cross the road?"

"I forgot!"
(Abby thought that was the best one she has heard in a while.)

My how the time has flown by!

*********

It's off topic, but I didn't want to do another post, but did I mention that the windchill was minus eight this morning in Asheville. That may not be cold to some, but it was quite chilly to us. Case in point. . .

We had some last minute shopping to do today.
Abby pulled her lap blanket up to keep out the cold.
No, really, she did it herself.

I Abby!

2008-12-01T07:07:00.013-05:00

Abby has recently been saying "I Abby" when someone asks where she is while playing Peek-a-boo or when she is hiding. It got me to think about how much she does now compared to a year ago. It has been such a crazy year (especially the last four months) that I haven't been able to keep up with her, blogging-wise. Here's what it is like to be Abby these days. This post turned out to be longer than I thought. Sorry. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

The Move:
In case you haven't heard (haha), we recently had to move to North Carolina. Though we desperately miss Tennessee, especially all of our friends and family, we are settling nicely in Asheville. Abby has actually done the best of the three of us. Just see for yourself:

A toddler's paradise. The first two weeks in the apartment
were spent sans furniture save her little chair and pack and play
and an air matress for us. She was in heaven. Everything on her level.
I think she was disappointed when the furniture arrived.

Abby gave her friend, Jasper, a big hug on moving day.
She misses walking through the yard with "yapper."

Gramps and Abby check out the moving truck.
Her toys were the only things on the truck for a while. She was
confused as to why we had gotten such a big truck for such a job.

The movers were very thorough.

Abby and Daddy double checked every box to make
sure we had unpacked everything.

Now that we are moved. . .

We are open for visitors. We were so excited that
Granny, Kathy, and Randall stopped by on their
way to Atlanta. We can't wait for them to visit again!
We can't wait for more visitors.. come any time.

Game On! Abby and Daddy can finally concentrate
on their gaming skills again.

Breakfast is Abby and Daddy's meal.
They love to share their cereal with each other.

We talk to Grammy (who apparently is called MiMi according
to Abby) and Gramps every night. We recently added
a webcam. Great Fun!

She has been "helping" with the housework.

She uses her 'ipies" to help dust.

Also, she has been helping with the groceries.
(I refer you to the Snacktime post.)

She loves her new room.. especially the toy box.

She is catching up on her reading now things have
calmed down some.

MISC. . .

She loves to enjoy some "fine" dining.

For those who know her,
you know that this is her natural state.
She must always have access to her belly button.

Did we mention it has been REALLY cold.

That didn't stop us from travelling across the mountain
for Turkey Day!!

YUM!! Thanksgiving brunch with her cousins,
Aleigh, Mathew, and Ethan.

Our little elves

2008-11-29T09:17:00.005-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Abby and some of her closest BFFs got a little creative for the holidays. Enjoy watching Ben, Talmadge, Tabetha, Emma, and
Abby do a bit of a Yuletide Disco.

Early holiday fun

2008-11-29T08:16:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T06:53:00.002-05:00

A thanksgiving message from our favorite Turkey.

We are up early and getting ready to head across the mountain. We wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a very Happy Turkey Day! We have so much to be thankful for this year and wanted you to know that our friends and family are at the top of our list.