A Taste of Spring

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!!!

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!

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.