Can you feel the love tonight?

Being hummed from the movie Lion King...

Ya'll, this is an amazing video!!! It's a little over 2 minutes, but if you have the time, it's so worth it. Wait until the very end and read the last little part...I think it's just precious!

Abby's 1st Open House

Abby's first Open House for MDO was last Thursday. It was just a come and go thing, but me, being the ultra excited type mom, definitely had to go check out all the cute little things she's been working on! Thursday was actual MDO day, too, and it was t-shirt day for that matter! I totally pulled an 80's style wardrobe on my child. The smallest shirt they had was a 2T, so I rolled up her sleeves and tied the shirt to the side. Oh yeah baby...she was stylin'. (It really did look so cute, though)....see!
Each child has their own folder, and inside is all the activities they've been doing.
The letters (which obvioulsy there was more of them, but we didn't have all night for me to take pictures!)The numbers with her little fingerprints to make certain objects. (ie. on the 1 is an apple and on the 2 are spiders) Her cute Thanksgiving placemat with her footprint in the middle (granted, it's a little blurry, but you can totally make it out!)And her cubby! (Yes, I took pictures of EVERY aspect, ha!)
We just had Abby's Thanksgiving party this past Monday at MDO. It was a semi-disaster. Scenario: I'm a room mom. (Enough said!) ha! Totally kidding. Background story: NOBODY wanted to volunteer for this position, so I stepped up to the plate. One other fabulous mom did, too! It's just hard at this age, I think...well, especially being a room mom. It was only Abby and the other room mom's child who were crying because we are their mommies, but we're actually needing to move around and do a lot of things with the other kiddos, and neither of our children wanted us to do that. It could be completely different if your child isn't such a mommy's girl, but mine is right now, so it made this time very complicated! All in all, it was a good time. We read some stories, did a craft, sang some songs, and ate some yummy food. I'm going to try to bow out for the Christmas party, though. I think Abby might have more fun if I'm not there :-)

Speaking of Thanksgiving...last Saturday we had a baby shower at my house. My friend, Jessica, is having her 2nd little girl in the December-Januaryish range. So, since she already had one little girl, we decided to make the theme of this shower Thanksgivingish, since it was so close to the actual time (instead of the all out pink considering she's already been there and done that!). The decorations on the table. The metal pumpkin stand is actually a yard stake. So cute, huh?
The hostesses--Throwing showers with these ladies is starting to be a piece of cake! Lately, we've all had our respective roles, and we know how to get the job done! It's so fun, and things flow so perfectly.

Amy's Twilight Review

**Obviously, if you have NOT watched this movie yet and really want to, then DO NOT read my review**

Considering my post before this was all about Twilight, I thought it only fitting to give my review of the movie. I've read some reviews from just random people (not actual critics) and some things that were said were dead on with what I was thinking. Overall, I would rate this movie a C+. I think a C+ is a middle of the ground, OK kinda movie. If a C+ means worse than that to you, then that's not what I mean. Does that even make sense?

From reading the book, I got such a different feeling than from watching the movie. But after reading these 2 particular reviews, it made me see some things in a different light.

"First and foremost, if you're a fan of the series, you have to go in realizing that a lot of the book has been changed, left out, or shortened in order to fit 500 pages into 120 minutes. Scenes have been added to give the bad vampires a little more lead in. The movie is intentionally funny at times (unintentionally in others); it doesn't take itself seriously. The story's chronology has been altered substantially. The direction is at times flawed and other times very well done. The editing leaves a bit to be desired as well. The meadow scene is quite truncated. " I'm adding in another part of someone else's review. "The fight scene was amazing. It was short enough but brilliantly acted by everyone. (Except the part where Edward was trying to be convinced to suck the venom out). If you have read the book, be prepared to laugh at the scenes you once thought were cute and/or dramatic."

Can I get an amen?!?! People who have seen this movie (and even care at all, ha!)...isn't that dead on?

For people who check my blog more so for pictures of Abby, stay tuned...I have pictures from her first Open House!!! :-)

It's tonight, tonight, tonight!

I feel like I'm in middle school again! I haven't been this excited about a movie coming out in SO long, and I certainly haven't ever bought tickets before the movie was even released!

What am I talking about you ask? The movie Twilight. Some of you may be huge Harry Potter fans so maybe you can relate to this excitement. As for me, I am by no means an avid reader. I rarely read. But this book has peaked my interest like no other. These books are easy reading, but they aren't short. I read the first 3 of the series within just a few weeks. We're talking about 500 pages or more per book. Never in my life have I done that. I just couldn't get enough. I HAD to see what was going to happen next. I finished the 3rd book right in time for the last one to come out. Lucky for me, during this time Abby took the most fantastic naps of her life (I think it was meant to be for me!) Granted...the house didn't fair as well, but something had to give, right?!?! :-)I know our imagination does amazing things for us when we're reading, and I feel my expectations are set a bit high for this movie. But I'm still ultra pumped. The characters definitely don't fit for what I've imagined them, but I'll have to try to not be so critical :-) In case, by some slim chance, you haven't even seen a picture of the cast, then here you go... And to mark such a big night, I needed to have something special to wear. So, I made my own "Twilight" shirt. All the credit doesn't go to me. I found the design out there on the web, and then tweaked it for myself. My friend, Kim, gave me one of her iron-ons and she did the honors for me, of actually ironing it on! I'm a wimp--I didn't want to screw it up, and she's done that type of thing many times before :-)
I just love it! Yes, my friends and I could possibly be the oldest people attending the movie, but that kinda thing has never stopped me before! Just a little more than 5 hours to go until showtime! Hooray :-)

The video

I mentioned awhile back that I had all kinds of random video of Abby. I finally sat down and compiled it. Nothing major going on in any of it. It's strictly for pure entertainment :-)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here are a few pictures at my parents' house from Halloween weekend.
Those lips!


The too cute pictures my dad (aka Pop) captured while he was hanging with Abby during my mom and my shopping spree at the Nutcracker Market!

How Abby eats yogurt

1. With a spoon
2. Using it as lotion 3. Checking where she rubbed it on her chest 4. Looking at us like, "Um, can you take this off of me now?" ;-) She'll kill me someday for posting these, I'm sure, but for now......I'm laughing :-)

Also, thank you Wendy for giving me the most wonderful, non-sounding abusive word..."Popped!" Much better!

It's a little early

I know it's a bit early for me to already be putting up my Christmas blog wear, but my sister-in-law asked me to spruce hers up winterish style, and then that got me thinking--I need to do that for myself! (I'll get working on yours soon, Lisa :-) Thanksgiving isn't even here yet, but I've got a busy next few days, and we'll be out most of the week next week, so I decided, since I got it all made, then I needed to go ahead and post it!

No pictures to post, but one thing to report. Abby got her first official bruise on her face this afternoon. She tripped on her little chair, and her cheek hit right against our coffee table. I've always known this would happen eventually. Her skin is just like mine, though...you can barely even tap us and it will turn bright right. So imagine after bustin' it like she did. It almost looked a bit swollen, but that all went down, and she just has a small bruise.

Also, I was scolding Abby during lunch for throwing most of her food off the tray. I took her hand and in my most firm voice said "No, Abby." Then I hit the top of her hand. (I hate the word hit because it sounds abusive. But what are my other options here? Smacked? Still sounds awful. If someone can suggest a better word, I'll take it!) The point is, she later threw her food off her tray again, but this time she told herself no and hit her own hand! What a stinker!

Allow me to be sappy for a minute...

Picking up Abby from school is the highlight of my whole week! I absolutely LOVE seeing her sweet, smiling face when I peek around the corner. The second she sees me, she comes running with her arms up, ready for me to scoop her up.

She is so precious while we're walking to the car. She's so full of hugs and kisses. She is practically petting my face like she hasn't seen me in a month. She tells me hi 10,000 times and just continues to wave and wave at me. I've practically kissed her cheeks off by the time we've made it to the car. I know it sounds so silly, but it makes me feel so good! I love the feeling that she loves me so much, and she misses me when I'm gone!

Like my previous post mentioned, we did have a super busy weekend. The teacher said this morning that she really wanted to be held a lot of the time. They found that so unusual of her, that they decided to take her temperature. She didn't have one (whew!), and after lunch she perked up a bit. But they said she went down for her nap SO easily, and she slept for 1 hour and 45 minutes! That nap would be typical at home, but at school they are never that long. I know she was ultra pooped from all her activities throughout the weekend! The teacher asked her if she woke up early this morning (which she did!), and the teacher said Abby nodded "yes" several times, like she knew exactly what she had asked!

Abby makes my heart smile, and she makes my world feel so complete! :-) I love you, lovebug!

Thursday - Sunday happenings

Last Thursday my squirrel drama continued. It was like any other, normal day for us. I was opening the door in the afternoon to let Sandy go out to do her business. The second I opened the door, we both saw it. The squirrel. In the middle of the yard. Sandy took off!

The squirrel ran over to this pile (isn't that a lovely pile we keep in our backyard?).But, Mr. Squirrel soon realized, he couldn't make the jump to the top of the fence post. So, he had to make a split second decision. The decision ended up being running through this gunk--remember we had a lot of rain...that's why we have all that gunk! (with my super fierce dog on its tail)and run up this to be safe.So Sandy waited and waited. But we had to call it quits. I think we would've waited forever. Abby had school that Thursday, and I put her in this super sweet dress. I can't help it...I love the fact that we can wear dresses now :-)

Remember how I said she likes to hang a graham cracker out of her mouth, and that's how Sandy reached up and took it. So, this is what that looks like...

My parents came into town Thursday evening, and Friday morning mom and I got up and headed out to the Nutcracker Market. That place is insane! Awesome, yet insane. The parking is crazy, and we were parked so far away that we had to take a little tram to even get inside. Considering this only runs for 4 days, it is PACKED! I did find some super cute little treasures, but I think I might pass next year. I'm such the internet shopper these days, and I'm able to find some really neat, unique gifts that way--and I'm beating the crowds! I'm glad I went, but I think I would be just fine to go every other year :-)

My dad kept Abby, and they had some fabulous one on one time. Abby calls my dad Pop, and she says it now, too! They went on a walk...Abby in the wagon. Dad showed us pictures when we got home. He had placed the wagon (with Abby in it, of course) next to some really pretty flowers, and Abby is just smiling away. How cute is that? I'll have to post the picture once I get it!

Saturday was another busy day, but this time the day was intended for Abby. We went back down to the same area as the Nutcracker Market, but we went to Disney on Ice. Back in July, Abby got to go to the circus and she was mesmerized. I thought the same would be true with the Disney on Ice. She was eating her lunch before the show started, but then the announcer came over the speaker and said the show was going to begin and the lights immediately went out and loud music came on, and I think it just startled her. But, once she saw how bright and colorful and exciting it all was, then she started clapping and smiling. Not before she fell asleep on me, though. She did the same thing at the circus. She slept for almost 40 minutes. Once awake, she continued her clapping! It really was a cool show!

Sunday my parents left, and here we already are at Monday. Whew! The weekend flew by! Here's a shot of Abby before school this morning.

And now I'm off to go pick her up! I have some great video of her being silly...I just have to put it all together, so stay tuned :-)

Two Peas in a Pod

I know the lighting is horrible, and I totally had to lighten these pictures just so you could actually see both of my children. They are kinda fuzzy, too. But they are in perfect progression.

Sandy is sitting on her bed (not really out of choice) but because she got in trouble. When Abby eats graham crackers now, she basically leaves half of it sticking out of her mouth for awhile. I have no idea why, but 1.) Abby isn't really that far from the ground, 2.) This tempts Sandy to NO end, and 3.) Abby typically is handing out food to Sandy on a regular basis anyway.

However, Abby was just minding her own business, when Sandy just reached up and took that poor baby's food right out of her mouth. So, needless to say, Sandy was in time out. But could Abby actually leave her be on her timeout bed? Absolutely not. First, she just walked by saying, "Hi!" (Imagine that!) Then it became a sly move to slowly get closer, then she just couldn't fight the urge and sat right on the bed with her.

Sandy definitely doesn't look as thrilled as Abby :-)

After finishing a graham cracker, notice the hand placement...under the chin. What's with that--no clue! But it made me laugh. She kept it there for awhile. Maybe once in her life she was actually posing for the camera?!?! And just yesterday, we had a "stuck" moment. She got herself twisted underneath the highchair, so of course, the important thing for me to do was to take a picture before untwisting her :-) She was able to figure it all out herself, and I didn't have to come to the rescue after all.

It has a death wish

The squirrel that is. It knocked at my back door again. I know it sounds bizarre, (and of course it's not an actual knock!) but it makes this scratching noise (like it wants to come in). Sandy and I both perk up because we can hear the noise from the living room. I immediately go to the back door and open the blinds. There that darn squirrel is again! This time I have NO mercy.

I open the back door, and Sandy flies out. Keep in mind 2 things. My dog is a weenie in all sense of the word. It has been raining here ALL day, so the ground is very wet. It was raining at that very moment, too. Sandy hates going out in the rain. Weenie. It finally got a little chilly. (This morning was SO humid and gross). But Sandy would typically shiver in this right now. Weenie. But she totally redeemed herself by running out that door in 2 seconds flat. Her and the squirrel were racing across the yard. Then they got back in a corner where I couldn't see, but I heard a yelp. It was a small one, and I serioulsy think Sandy might nave nipped that little squirrel.

Oh, how I hope she put some fear into those furballs!

I can totally see this happening

My child cracks me up. For those that have been around Abby for any length of time, then it is very obvious that she LOVES saying hi and waving. I know I've mentioned it before, but when we are at restaurants or stores, she is waving and saying hi ALL the time. Especially if you aren't actually looking her way, then her little "hi" escalates until the person looks! And no hi is complete without her wave.

So today when I was picking her up from school, I was just talking to the teacher about her sleeping. The teacher said she is easy to get down for a nap and not all kids sleep on a napmat, but she does because they can typically get her to sleep quick. Of course, she said, somedays aren't as easy because she might want to play around a little bit before going to sleep. Like today. She had to make the full circle around the room saying "hi" and waving to each child before she went back to her own napmat. The teacher said it was fine because nobody was sleeping yet, and they just waited for her to make her rounds before coming back. Too funny! I wish, I wish, I wish I could be a fly on the wall!

Here are a few pictures before church on Sunday...I had bought this dress forever ago for Abby, but back in her non-walking days, dresses just made her upset because they would get caught under her knees when crawling. But now, I love putting her in dresses :-)

Lastly, a little random video of Abby. You will see what I mean with the waving in the first clip. We were dog sitting, and she sat right down and started waving at Baxter eating!

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