Thursday, June 25, 2009
"I love you Grandma and Grandpa!"
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June Milestones picture update
She has a flair for the dramatic. She's been a bit demanding the last few days: "Entertain me, Mom!"
"See my cute diapers!"
This was right before bed a few nights ago - she was tired (and fighting fussiness), but it is so much fun to watch her study her toy and stick it in her mouth...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Abigail and the man cave (and other things...)
I love this picture - she doesn't quite know what to think of the Jeep, probably because she was sitting on the front:) Don't you love the bright green diaper, Illinois bib and red shirt? Priceless.
Other news - Abigail is fussy. I think it might be because she's right at the awkward stage where she can do so much more now but not as much as she would like. I spend a lot of time "helping" her - giving her toys, teaching her to roll over, talking to her, holding her, letting her stand...etc. I think she might actually be going through another growth spurt, based on how she's been eating as of late...but sometimes I think I can feel a little tooth about to pop through too. Ah - the things I talk about now that I am a mom...
Book I recommend for moms - Praying the Scriptures for your Children, by Jodie Berndt. The chapters are super short, which makes a really easy book to fit into a mom's schedule. I find that when I pray for Abigail, I discover that I am really praying first for myself. The power of the Word of God truly pierces through bone and marrow. This last chapter that I just finished reading was Praying for your Child's Marriage. I found myself realizing that I have grown lax praying for my own marriage and my own character. The author brought me to Proverbs 31, and it was good to reflect on the woman that the Lord desires me to be.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.She brings him good and not harm, all the days of her life....She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks....She opens her hands to the poor and and extends her hands to the needy....She is clothed with strength and dignity....She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.....Her children arise and call her blessed, and her husband also....Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
May these words dwell in me richly...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Overstimulation = a sad baby
Saturday, June 13, 2009
We eat all we can and sell the rest!
So we went to the Blue Bell Creamery this weekend up in Brenham, TX. It has been in the upper nineties all week (dropping to a cool, balmy 78 at night)...so it was fitting to go on an ice cream tour down here in the heat of a Texas summer. Brenham is a small town outside of Houston, and we also enjoyed lunch in an old ice cream parlor/cafe, and we walked the streets, meandering in and out of antique stores and boutiques. It was a marvelous day. Abigail did very well. We carted her around in the Baby Bjorn. Now that she's older, she gets to face forward and see the world, but we turned her around for naptime so she could fall asleep.
We are holding fast to the Blue Bell slogan - We eat all we can and sell the rest - in that Rodney and I are literally trying to try as many flavors and make ice cream a daily part of our lives, as our time is short here in the south.
It was a beautiful day in Brenham, TX.
The best part of the tour - a big scoop of ice cream:)
Abigail amused herself by playing with a bag of chips.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
singing, full sized vans and growing up
On another note, Rodney goes through fascination phases. He is always fascinated by all things mechanical, which explains the home projects, yard projects and Jeep project (ongoing...). When we were in the Ozarks, Rodney became reacquainted with the joy of boating. He spent days looking on craigslist and e-bay at boat prices (even though we don't have the space for a boat or the time). Now my FIL is in the market for a new vehicle, one that will be able to pull his boat. Rodney is convinced that a full-sized van is the way to go. They're cheap, carry a lot of people and stuff, and have the pulling capacity of large trucks and SUVs. He's now convinced that a full-size van is a good vehicle for us! But I'm not ready to drive a full-sized van:) Baby steps, Rodney. Let me enjoy my small station wagon a little while longer:)
Next week, I'm helping with Afternoons in June at our church (VBS). I'll be helping with the 4th and 5th graders, so please pray that Abigail does well in the nursery. It will be a growing time for both of us! Last night I had a church meeting, so Rodney had a special evening with his little girl, which doesn't happen very often. They played, went for a walk and had a grand old time. She wasn't phased one bit that I was gone, probably since daddy is so much fun!
It's so much fun watching her grow up. Each day is a gift, for which I am incredibly thankful.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Four Months and catch up...
Abigail had her 4 month well-baby check-up on Tuesday, and the doctor is pleased with her progress. Here is the scoop:
We had a delightful time home in Illinois, though I wish we could have caught up with more people. Abigail got to meet three of her great grandparents and two uncles while home, not to mention scores of friends. It was so good to see our family and friends. I look forward to when we will be back in Peoria.
But for now, we're glad to be home in Houston. Abigail doesn't travel very well when the trip is longer than 6 hours. After about 6 hours, she starts to get frustrated in her carseat. On Saturday, we had to stop several times just to calm her down. As soon as she would come out of the carseat, she would be right as rain and even smiling - sigh. It was a LONG day. But we stopped in Dallas on the way back, so we broke the trip up, which helped. And we even got to see Megan and KC, who Abigail both loved dearly (which is saying a lot, considering she has developed a preference for me and Rodney...). So in some ways, I'm glad we won't be making the long trek for a while... but it was well worth it.
Enjoy the pictures!