TWO (almost)

My baby turns two on Thursday! Rodney will be out of town for work, so we'll officially celebrate with cake and presents on Friday. But we'll celebrate with some of her favorites on Thursday. Lucky for mommy, Abigail's favorites are also some of my favorites -- homemade mac n' cheese, Chick fil A, and strawberry milk shakes:)

Miss Abigail is becoming quite the little lady.

• She is a pro at unprompted "thank yous"
• Believes that cleanliness is a true virtue ( hands, face, baby doll, high chair...)
• and is always ready for hugs and snuggling

Some of Abigail's recent milestones:

• She can count from 1 to 10, and loves counting by twos.
• Is beginning to recognize more letters of the alphabet. Whenever she sees letters or a word (BMW for instance), she says "EFG" instead of "ABC". I guess it's easier for her to say.
• Is following more complex directions...
• Loves to jump and is adding hand motion/movement and spins to her bouncing dance moves.
• And can put her shoes back on after she takes them off. (socks and other clothing items are another issue altogether).

Last night she chose her devotion book for bedtime reading. Character development is a big part of my prayer life this year for Abigail.

Right now we're focusing on "patience" and "gentleness"...two character qualities that will help when her little brother or sister arrives this summer.

And I'm working on consistency. I have to admit, especially during the long weeks when Rodney is gone, I am not very consistent. I cave to whining and bad behavior goes unaddressed. But all in all, being a mom is such a blessing! The last two years have flown by! As we wait for Baby Harms #2 to arrive this summer, I am trying to intentionally enjoy my one on one time with my sweet little girl.

I'm going to be a...

Baby Harms #2 is due to arrive on July 4, 2011!

Christmas Part Two

This was my rocking horse when I was close to Abigail's age!

Our time with my family was incredibly relaxing. My highlights of the time - walking the dogs with my parents, lunch at Sushigawa, watching Bride and Prejudice, and playing lots of games. All 4 members of the Hekel family were sick with colds but all were in good spirits and eager to spend time with us. It was especially wonderful to see my brother, Daniel, home for a brief visit from his overseas adventures. Abigail loved her Uncles and would call them both, "Uncky Dave," as "Uncky Dan" seemed more difficult to say! And of course she loved playing with Camus "Mus" and "Cobi", who were great sports and quite willing to share their love and toys with Abigail.

Again, the trip ended all too soon. I am looking forward to living closer to home.

I love my brothers!


she gave Camus and Cobi lots of hugs...

out for an evening stroll...

Abigail wasn't quite sure what to think about Daniel's facial hair.

celebrating an Illinois double victory!

enjoying unwrapping one of her many gifts...

Christmas Part One

Whew! The last two weeks went by so incredibly fast. We began our tour of the Midwest in Iowa, where we saw my grandparents and mom's side of the family. Before we even recovered from the drive north, we were on our way to Rockford to spend Christmas with the Harms side of the family. Thankfully, the snow flurries began the evening after we arrived in Rockford and continued well into Christmas Eve. They made for a beautiful white Christmas (a big change from sunny, hot Houston -- it was in the 80s the day we began our travel up North!).

The girls really enjoyed each other's company, and we were all pleased that they seemed content to entertain each other! If one of the girls started playing the piano, another was quick to follow suit. If anything, more than ever before, I found myself wishing we all lived closer together. I continue to pray that the girls will be good friends as they become young ladies.





Abigail and Ellie enjoyed unwrapping their Christmas presents, and in typical fashion, Abigail was more taken with the crinkly paper than her actual presents! Here she is lying down on her favorite shiny paper:)

Rodney and I are so thankful for our loving family. I gladly admit that I was sad to leave my in-laws; I felt as though the time flew too quickly. So I count myself a blessed woman!

confirmation

Late in 2010, I decided on several New Year's Resolutions. Well, this afternoon, I opened up Bethany's monthly newsletter The Broadcaster and was met with a sense of confirmation - to read through the Bible cover to cover in 2011. I did this several years in a row (pre-Abigail) and made excuses after she was born to just read through the NT or stick to the books I was studying with various Bible Studies. No more excuses! I am looking forward to opening God's living and active Word, starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your quiet confirmation.

Christmas Card Preview

I am proud to announce that I have already ordered and picked up our Christmas pictures/cards for the year. Now I just need to type up the letter, purchase some stationary and stamps and send them on their merry way.

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards!

thankful for a great Thanksgiving

We spent 12 days up in Morton for Thanksgiving, and I wasn't ready for vacation to end - proof of a good time with family. Our first week was filled with trips to the doctor with my dad (he's still battling his kidney stones....), football, and low-key evenings at home. Abigail and I both had a bad case of the sniffles, while Rodney had a nasty stomach bug that he thankfully didn't share with his girls or anyone else. But I couldn't have been happier anywhere else, sniffles and all.

On Sunday we got to go to Bethany Community in the morning and celebrated the Feast of Thanks at Bethany Baptist in the evening. It was great to see friends and spend some time letting them get to know Abigail. She fit in great with all of the other kiddos running around the gym after dinner, worship and prayer.

On Monday, my mom watched Abigail in the evening while I went to BSF. It was such a blessing to be a part of that group of ladies again. It is such a blessing to study the same Word and be able to pick up wherever I happen to be.

Tuesday evening we enjoyed food with some of our favorite people in Peoria - the Deutsch family! Abigail loved having so many big girls and boys (and young ladies and a gentleman - they're all growing up so fast!) to follow around. They helped her eat her dinner and kept a close eye on her. Big families are so much fun:)

And Wednesday through Saturday, my in-laws, three of my grandparents and an uncle joined us for Thanksgiving festivities. So between family and my parents' two big dogs, Abigail was a very well loved little girl!

Whew! Busy two weeks! Thankfully, Abigail traveled marvelously and even got to sit in her own seat on both flights. Free checked bags and flexible loading made me a fan of Southwest Airlines.

With all that said, I did not take many pictures. I was not in a picture taking mood (very off for me). But here are some of the few pictures I did take.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Abigail brought books to all willing parties. My brother Dave read to her. All the grandparents read to her. Uncle Scott read to her. And her grandparents read to her (of course). I believe Camus and Cobi were the only ones who did not, but if they could, I'm sure they would have been delighted to oblige Miss Abigail Sue.

"Hi, Doggy!" In the mornings, she first asked for Mimi and Papa. Then she would say, "Doggy?"
hugs for Cobi...Camus didn't stand still long enough for Abigail hugs...

She enjoyed several rides in my old wagon...on the warmer days...

Abigail called this doggy "Amus" instead of "Camus"...Camus was quite spoiled with all of the extra attention while we were home...

Abigail and Papa (who was not feeling the best but still a good sport about reading to Miss Abigail)