Battle Creek Airshow

The Battle Creek Airshow on another HOT day. 

Grandma and Grandpa Wright

flushed cheeks

All Lined Up

June 27, 2012.

Here's a look at what we do during the day. I should drag the camera around for a day and really document an entire day at home with just the two of us before Baby Brother arrives. Anyway, she loves to line up whatever stuffed friends she has around on the stairs. I'm pretty sure I did this when I was little, I think there are picture of this (I tried to lay my little brother up there as well... note to self come October/November). I'll tell you what's in the picture starting at [crazy bed-head] Abbi and going clockwise: a white bunny, the Raid bug, the Lorax, a [clean] cloth diaper, a naked baby doll we got out o a free box at a garage sale, another baby doll from a garage sale, and a random frisbee.

Ludington State Park

June 23-26, 2012. We wanted to go camping at Ludington State Park this summer with our friends but it is the one of the hardest campgrounds to get into even though they have hundreds of sites. Jamie was able to snag two sites for us though and right across from the bathrooms even (yes, this pregnant mama was happy for that!) We decided to use my parent's fifth wheel trailer one last time since we'd "reserved" its use before we knew we would buy a popup camper. 

morning snuggles

craft time at the Host Site

a candy necklace gets her to sit still

practicing a new sport: cup stacking

Emery and Abbi

the whole gang

Fathers Day

We took her picture with the letters D-A-D-D-Y again for Daddy's frame at work. Here's the first year and the second year. 

This year it was a little bit more difficult since she moves around so much. I can't imagine what it'll be like trying to get two kids to cooperate next June!

Blowing Bubbles

June 9, 2012. Abigail loves bubbles but only if she gets to do it. She ends up just eating it and spilling it so we usually give her a container with water in it and let her go to town "trying" to blow bubbles.

Picking "Strawberlies"

Abbi and I went to Visser Farms one morning to do some strawberry picking. Due to the crazy spring weather it didn't seem like there would be a lot of U-Pick options this summer so we wanted to make sure we snagged some sweet little Michigan strawberries before they were gone!

 She looks like a big helper here... two year olds are not so helpful in this area! She wanted to keep hopping over the row like me but her legs are so short!

 It was hard to keep up with all the berries she was eating! Ha!

yummy freezer jam:

Catching Up

This little blog has been pretty quiet around here. Sorry about that. When we came home from Boston, finding out we were expecting I got those pictures up and then the first trimester "blah" hit so certain day-to-day duties and work and grad class responsibilities were my key focus. Then Spring Break came and went and I started feeling better but was busy finishing up and starting a new grad class and focusing on finishing the year (grading and updating curriculum) for work. Well, school is done, I feel great, and I have a week and a half left for my grad class so I'm starting to catch up! That's why there are 30+ posts on here dated all the way back to the beginning of March. Enjoy the catch up everybody, it's pretty "Abbi-heavy"!

Craig's Cruisers

We went to Grandville to Craig's Cruisers for a little family date. It was a nice night and there were no crowds.

 Funny moment to remember: when we put Abigail to bed that night and helped say her prayers she thanked God that she could hug the monkey (the one in this photo). Oh, the things that kids remember!

 shooting water with Daddy

 dancing with Mommy

watching the ball...

where'd it go?

 She actually did really good! We changed a diaper at hole 7 and she only threw her ball and club once. I'd say that was success!

knock, knock

Two Years Old

At two years old Abigail...

...is a talker. It is amazing how much has changed over the last year. She speaks using pretty big words for someone just turning two (I think). She'll tell someone "Yes, it's delicious." When they ask her if she likes the [insert food here]. She tells me what is happening around her: "That boy is sad so he is crying. He fell down and needs his Mommy to put a bandaid on his knee". She has a lot to say and sometimes gets so excited she can't remember the word for it so she gets all big-eyed and takes fast short breaths: "I see that, I see that, that... what is that?" me:"that's a motorhome" Abbi: "I see that motorhome. It looks like Grandma's trailer". She also remembers everything (even those words spoken when you stub your toe...). The other day we were swinging in the backyard and it was squeaking and she looked up at the chains and said, "Daddy needs to put grease on that swing." oh child...

...runs everywhere. She does that "toddle" kind of run. It's cute with her big diaper tush and belly sticking out. I love this stage. Although, we've had to talk when we're in parking lots or by the road and she does fall down a lot. It's pretty common for her to have a bandaid on somewhere these days. Kisses heal a lot of things though too.

...has attitude. Last month she learned "no" and has used it a lot. She tells us "no" even before we finish our sentence so sometimes she has to quick nod her head or say yes to confirm she really does want it. "Abigail, so you want some NO fruit snacks? YES"She also has these key phrases she uses to show her defiance. Last month I heard over and over again: "I want my Daddy instead!" Right now she says this when she doesn't get what she wants: "I want to go to Grandma VanderZwaag's and eat Cheese Puffs". I don't think she's ever eaten cheese puffs at my mom's house and "cheese puffs" to her are those Gerber baby puffs in a can that taste like stale spices. Go figure.

...loves strongly. I'll explain. At this stage her emotions are always extreme. You can always tell how se's feeling: sad, angry, excited... So when she is doing pretend play I love to just watch her love on her baby dolls. She pretends to change their diaper and says "It's okay, Mommy's here" when they are supposedly crying" she pushes them around in her stroller and holds them or rocks them. I love to hear her sing songs to them too. When you ask for a hug or kiss you may get them repeatedly and the hugs will be as tight of a squeeze as she can do. She loves to hug and kiss other kids too. She loves nursery, playgrounds, daycare, anywhere there are kids!

....wears 2T clothes, size 6 and 7 shoes, and size 4 diapers (plus our cloth diapers).

...weighs 24 lbs, 5 oz (35th percentile) and is 34.5 inches tall (75th percentile).

In the News

Look what was in the newspaper this morning... everyone in the family is mentioned.

Abby's Birthday - part(y) two

 The weather was so nice this evening that we moved the party outside. We had the same menu and had all the same decorations. Easy peasy. 

Abbi with her cousins
 

getting ready for the pinata

 The pinata had strings that you could pull and only one was attached to the trap door to free the candy. We thought we'd try that version instead of the 'ole stick. Stay with the stick, you guys. It was a bust. The strings are too hard to pull for younger kids and then... the trap door was up on the back not the bottom (different than the "loading door" to put the candy in). So I just quick shook all the candy out. Use the stick, folks. Oh well, we had an intact Elmo pinata. Anyway need one? 

Another cake. still Elmo, but I added a few other faces and left it in an easy 9x13 pan instead of making the layered round cake. The one was chocolate too, just to change it up. Abbi did better blowing this one out; I guess it just took her practice.