Shinanigans!

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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!