Our daughter, the trouble maker

Yesterday when I picked Abby up from daycare, I learned that she is a trouble-maker- not in a mean, menacing way, but in a "keep your eyes on that girl, she's trouble" way.  Evidently yesterday Abby was in to everything- had her hands on everything- and was trying to pull herself up on everything.  The baby gate was up on the door to the infant classroom- solely for Abby's sake because the girl tries to escape and visit other rooms.  She's all over the floor and her teacher gave me the distinct impression that she has more energy than any other child in the facility.  ;)

Abby really is a live wire- and we love it.  She's really great at entertaining herself as well but there are times now where all she wants is to be held- and if you put her down- she has learned to scream an ear piercing scream.  It is impressive. :)  She has a mirror in her crib that keeps her smiling daily- she just loves that happy baby in the reflection- as do we. :)  I think she could spend an entire day laughing at that baby and making funny faces at that baby in the mirror.

Abby's tried a couple new fruits this week too- papaya and blueberries.  She loves both.  The smell of the papaya reminds me of tropical vacations so I think we'll include it in her meal plan for a while.  ;) :)

We are getting ready for the holidays and hoping for a bit of snow to make it feel more like Christmas!! :)  I just finished addressing the christmas cards, they'll be hitting mailboxes next week! :)  Our gifts are somehow getting wrapped and Orion has decided to leave the wrapping paper on- though we have decided that ribbon is a no-no- he's too interested. ;)

We're sending love to all and promise to update more often after this crazy holiday season!  We hope everyone has a blessed, happy, and magical holiday season.

Love you all!

Thankful

I realized this morning that us Dugans never really vocalized what we're thankful for this year.  I am much better at putting my feelings down in words and decided that we'd use this blog to give thanks.

This year, us Dugans are thankful for:

1) A healthy, happy baby girl.  My whole pregnancy was quite uncomplicated and hearing at each doctor's appointment that Abby was doing really well was the biggest blessing in the world.  During labor & delivery, hearing the word "healthy" was music to our ears- hearing Abby's first cries as she came in to our world in full force was so comforting.  Each good doctor's appointment, each morning that we wake up to a smiling baby, and each each night as we put our healthy little girl to sleep, we give thanks that she is healthy, and here, and ours.

2) Each other.  Leif and I are so lucky to have each other.  We keep our flow going forward in a positive direction, we know how to help one another, how to support one another, and how to say everything that needs to be said in a single action.  We constantly grow together as a couple and now as parents.

3) Our jobs.  We might complain often about having to go to work and leaving our little girl for the day but in such rough economic times, we truly are grateful for employment, health benefits, coworkers, good salaries, and the ability to pay our bills and put food on our table monthly.

4) Our family.  We wouldn't be able to do this all without the love and support of our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grand parents, and extended family.  Leif and I are both so blessed to have tight knit families who will laugh with us, cry with us, and let us know that we're doing a good job, everything is ok, and that they love us.  We are thankful for each one of you- immensely so- and love you tremendously.

5) Our friends.  We have an amazing group of friends who help us with so much, who fill our lives with such joy, and who can make us laugh in the midst of any obstacle.  We love each one of you.

6) The Red Sox.  I just had to put this in here because, come on, they are the greatest sports team ever (despite their paramount collapse this year).

7) My pump.  Yeah, I never thought that I would be thanking the world for my pump- but truly- it allows me to continue to feed my daughter naturally- something that I wanted to do so badly- and though I often curse my pump, I am so thankful that we were able to afford such a nice one that affords us the luxury of feeding our daughter breast milk.

8) Orion.  He is the best cat in the world (aside from Fenny- who was, perhaps, the sweetest cat on the planet).  He saw us through the entire pregnancy- all of my mood swings, exhaustion, our nervousness, etc.  He's such a loving pet and so good with Abby.  We never worry about him with Abby and we love the fact that he curls up on our feet each and every night and loves us unconditionally.

9) Our apt.  It is small, it is a bit cluttered, there are problems that have gone unfixed for a very long time-  but it is still wonderful to have a roof over our head, a management team that plows us out every winter, free heat and hot water, a beautiful balcony where I can grow my veggies, a good location for our work, and some really sweet neighbors.

10) Our daycare center.  It is difficult leaving your precious child while you go to work for the day- there is no arguing that- but we are so lucky to have such a wonderful center watching our Abby Wednesday-Friday.  They love her- genuinely love her- and shower her with attention.  She is surrounded by wonderful baby friends and we can tell that she enjoys the time that she spends at daycare.

11) The internet!  We are able to keep in touch with all of our out-of-state and out-of-country loved ones thanks to the internet.  What an amazing blessing!

12) Coffee.  I firmly believe that currently, we could not survive without coffee.  That may seem like a dramatic statement- but we would never get out the door in the morning without a jolt of caffeine to help out.  :)

13) Amazing inventions like my bread maker, ice cream maker, and food processor.  We are able to enjoy fresh from scratch treats thanks to these gadgets.  I would never have the time to bake bread or make ice cream if it weren't for two of my favorite kitchen appliances, and Abby wouldn't be eating homemade baby food daily if it weren't for our food processor.  These gadgets are AWESOME!  :)

14) Our cars.  We are a family on the go- we like day trips, camping trips, visits, adventures, and get-a-ways.  Our cars make it all possible and we're so grateful to have reliable four wheel drive vehicles to get us safely from point A to point B daily.

15) Friends and coworkers with new babies!  We've been fortunate enough to have a slew of friends and coworkers with new babies.  It is refreshing and often times relieving to talk with parents who are experiencing the same stuff at the same time.  :)

I could go on and on and on.  I am very grateful this year and am so happy with my slice of life.  So thank you to all for everything that you do.  We love you all.  :)

The Holiday Season

Well, the New England weather wouldn't have you believing that it is December but all of the beautiful Christmas lights, holiday music, and good cheer would!  :)  We had a wonderful weekend with little Miss Abby and put up Abby's first Christmas tree as a family.

Abby loved walking around the farm stand looking at the excited kids, trees, and Christmas decorations.  We picked out the perfect tree almost immediately on Saturday and decorated it on Sunday.

 Our tree!

Abby and dada decorating the tree- they're hanging one of Grandma Vi's ornaments! :)

Abby and I have also been working on some art projects and had quite a messy and comical scene Sunday night (don't worry folks- the paint is non-toxic and washable!) :

 She was painting like a professional with her fingers and then suddenly decided to taste test as well... ;)

Abby and I both required a wardrobe change after this but we had so much fun getting messy! :)

Abby is such a happy girl- the happiest I think.  She just beams love and happiness and it is so contagious:

Abby is trying all sorts of new foods- avocado is one of her all time favorites right now.  We're beginning to add all sorts of spices to her food as well- vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg to her applesauce, cinnamon to her carrots.  I've been having so much fun making her food and the reward is so worth the labor- Abby just loves eating her solids. :)

Abby continues to sleep through the night.  She loves playing with Orion, enjoys crawling everywhere, jumping in our laps, giving kisses, investigating EVERYTHING, laughing, listening to music- any and all music for that matter (she has even learned how to turn the music of her mobile on by herself), smiling at her reflection in the mirror, and filling our lives with so much love and happiness.  Leif and I feel so blessed.  

Abby Ann :)

Life has been busy- but oh so blessed- and by busy I mean- we're enjoying life.  :)  We took Abby away "on holiday" last weekend.  We headed up to Gilford, NH and stayed at the very hotel that Leif and I booked when I was very pregnant with Abby and in need of some pool side R&R. :)  It was neat to return with our amazing little girl. :)  Mandy and Matt came with us and we had a really wonderful weekend.  We walked Weirs Beach, swam in the hotel pool, played a somewhat heated game of Monopoly, and enjoyed watching Abby do her Abby thing (which involves lots of smiling, laughing, crawling, scooting, shouting, talking, more smiling, and more crawling)  :)  Here are some pics from the weekend:

Thanksgiving was wonderful as well.  We celebrated with everyone at my Aunt Amy's house.  She always puts on such a wonderful dinner.  We had the traditional turkey day feast and Abby enjoyed a feast of her own as well!  Leif and I started off Thanksgiving by watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in our pajamas with Abby- this is family tradition and I had been talking about this parade for a good month before the holiday.  Abby liked the music and vibrantly dressed dancers.  She didn't watch a whole ton of the parade- she had better things to do- but enjoyed the little bit that caught her attention.

Here are some pics from Thanksgiving:

 Abby and Nanie

 Abby's Thanksgiving Dinner!

Obligatory Shot with the Drumstick ;)

There's so much more that I want to share- more to come! :)  Sending lots of love and hugs and kisses! :)

Baby on the move!

Abby is definitely crawling now- there's still a bit of lumbering involved, but she's perfecting her crawling quickly.  She's also becoming sweeter and sweeter by the day- and I'm not sure how that could be since she is already so so sweet.  She laughs a lot and smiles the most heart warming smiles and is so vocal!  She really does amaze us.  We've had some fun adventures lately:

We took Abby to America's Stonehenge in Salem, NH.  It was really neat and we thoroughly tested out the all terrain stroller- it made it through mud and over roots and rocks.  Impressive!  By the time Leif and I visited the on-site alpaca farm, Abby was asleep, but we still took a cute picture of her hanging out with the alpacas! :)  The one in this picture was particularly interested in Abby.  He kept staring at her and trying to figure her out.

Abby also took a nice walk down the Minuteman Bike Path.  We hooked on to the path in Lexington and were hoping to walk to Arlington, but Abby decided that she had had enough (and then decided that we could keep going if she could sit on dad's shoulders but alas, the girl gets heavy!)  :)

We took Abby to Christmas City in Lexington.  It's really just a store that really decks out for the holidays.  Abby loved looking at all of the lights and wanted to touch all of the snowflakes hanging from the ceiling.

Last night Abby and I painted for a bit.  She was an extremely enthusiastic painter and came up with some beautiful little pieces of art.  :)  She really liked looking at all of the colors on the page (and her hands, face, clothing, mama, etc)

Abby has perfected sitting up on her own and is very proud of herself (as she should be!)

Abby started eating solids 3 times a day this week!  Lately she's been eating pears, apples & cinnamon and green beans.  She likes both just fine but much prefers the fruit. :)  She's also eating mixtures of squash, carrots, and applesauce.  I've been having a lot of fun cooking new food for her and Leif and I love watching her reactions to each new taste.

Quick update :)

Well Leif and I were really sick last week with a nasty cold so I've fallen behind on blog entries.  We've been so busy- and happy- but hectic.  Here are just a couple quick and cute updates on Miss Abby:

She can play patty cake by herself now.  If you start singing patty cake, she's been clapping her hands along to it- it is oh so adorable.

She is so chatty these days and dada is definitely her favorite word right now.  She proclaims it often.  She still says kitty but this word has definitely taken a backseat to dada. ;)

Her two front teeth are in so she doesn't need to ask for them for Christmas. ;) :)  They are cute and sharp! :)  Abby has been quite pleasant throughout the teething process- pretty amazing. :)

She bubbles over with happiness- she's constantly smiling, laughing, jumping- she can't help but brighten your day.

She's currently eating pears that I baked and she likes them.  The first bite has been surprising these past two days but then she opens her mouth like a little birdy and wants more.  She's taken quite well to solids now and I even got her to eat carrots the other night- mixed with a bit of applesauce they're quite palatable.  ;)  She also is a huge fan of roasted pumpkin.

We had a good halloween with her- went to the Halloween Parade in Woburn on Sunday 10/30 and then spent halloween at grammy and papa's.  We put on quite a display in the front yard this year and Abby dressed like a cat.  I took her trick-or-treating to the neighbor's houses.

Here is a bit of eye candy:

Pumpkin- the finished product!

Well, we finally finished our pumpkin yesterday!  Both Leif and I carved it while Abby napped. :)  Abby was completely worn out from our first trip to the playground!  We went to Robbins Farm Park in Arlington.  We took Abby down the slide (she sat on my lap once and on Leif's lap once)- she enjoyed that just fine but she really really enjoyed the swing.  We put Abby in the swing and gave it a good push and boy did that girl laugh!  She was grinning from ear to ear and probably could have spent the entire day on that swing.  :)  We walked the park quickly as well- it has amazing views of Boston from its hilly terrain.  It was a wonderful Sunday afternoon in the park.  :)  The image of Abby laughing in the swing has haunted me all day and makes me feel oh so happy. :)

Here are some pics and video from yesterday:
Abby Swinging
Abby Swinging 2

and the PUMPKIN!

Pumpkin Carving!

Well it turns out that pumpkin carving is a two day experience when you work long hours and don't spend too much time at home... ;)  Last night we opened the pumpkin up and cleaned it out.  We also let Abby play with the innards and put her right in it.  She liked playing with the pulp and laughed about it.  She liked being in the pumpkin too but felt that the flesh was a bit cold on her skin.  :)  Tonight we'll carve the pumpkin and will add pictures of the finished work. :)  Here are a couple pictures and a video from our pumpkin adventure last night.

Abby's First Pumpkin

We ended the evening all curled up in bed reading "When You're Not Looking".  It was a wonderful, cozy, and loving evening.  :)

Here are some more videos from our adventures too!

Abby in her new jumperoo
Pumpkin Catapulting 1
Pumpkin Catapulting 2
Abby eating squash!
Abby playing in the sink in Maine

CARROTS!

Abby tried carrots for the first time last night and liked them! :)  They were much denser than the other solids that she's tried so she couldn't eat as much but she reached for the spoon a couple of times and seemed to really enjoy them.  Tonight Leif and I are hoping to carve our pumpkin and can't wait to see Abby's reaction to putting her fingers in the mucky pumpkin guts (yeah, we are a messy family... hehe)  :)  

Pumpkin Catapulting, Hayrides, Crisp Leaves... FALL IS HERE!

We had a very New England fall weekend.  It was perfect.  On Saturday Leif and I took Abby to Boston Hill Farm in North Andover.  They had a wonderful live band playing, bright pumpkins stacked in front of their store, and a catered BBQ lunch off to the side.  We took Abby on her first hayride.  The hayride went around the farm, through the pumpkin patches and apple orchards.  Abby just loved it- she was so excited. The farm had a wonderful petting zoo that we visited as well- Abby enjoyed looking at the goats, sheep, chicken, and baby bunnies (oh were the baby bunnies cute!)  Abby most enjoyed watching the other children around her though.  She is such a social butterfly.  Leif and I enjoyed some BBQ before heading back to McCue's farmstand by our apartment to pick out the perfect pumpkin to carve.  We'll be carving it this week. :)

On Sunday we went to the Pumpkin Catapulting event at Amesbury Sports Park.  They could catapult those pumpkins so far in to the bright blue sky!  Abby enjoyed staring up in to the sunshine and clouds.  My mom and dad and Mandy and Matt joined us at the catapulting event and all really enjoyed the afternoon.  They had a great live band playing and Mandy even treated Abby and I to Abby's first train ride around the soccer field.  Abby loved it.  Abby was dressed to the nines for her pumpkin afternoon and got many words of praise over her cute ensemble. :)  After pumpkin catapulting, we headed to Park Lunch in Newburyport and met up with Leif's mom for a nice meal of fried shrimp, fried scallops, fried clams and french fries (yeah...  they have EXCELLENT fried food...) ;)  Abby sat on Carol's lap for the whole meal and was just as happy as could be.  Everyone stopped to talk to her- she certainly is not shy either- she smiled at each visitor. :)  After Park Lunch, we headed home to make halloween cards.  We made white footprints on black card stock to make little ghosts.  Abby was pleased with the crafting and allowed me to paint on her feet without any grief. :)

Here are some pictures from the weekend :)  Sending love to all!!!! :)

And finally... THE BEAR OUTFIT!

Here are the pics of Abby's adorable bear outfit.  I am smitten.  :)

In recent Abby news- the girl likes squash!  :)  Leif and I tried squash with her this week- Grammy made a special batch just for Abby.  The first day of it went well- she didn't protest too much and never gagged.  Last night we gave her some more and she was smacking her lips and reaching for the spoon! :)

Abby is able to pull herself up on to her knees and hands- she is so so so close to crawling!  The other night she woke up around midnight and I watched her on the baby monitor- she made about five laps of her crib by scooting around.  She'll be completely mobile before we know (and we'll be baby proofing like champs...)  ;) :)  She is definitely more skilled at traveling backyards than forewords but I have witnessed her scoot herself to the front of her crib moving foreword as well.  She is still so full of energy (and we love that).

We'll be pumpkin carving this weekend so we'll have a host of fall pictures to upload after the weekend. We have so much video footage too!  :)

Sending love to all and wishing everyone a very happy weekend! :)

Abby's School Portrait!

Here is one of the pics from her photo shoot! :)  Sorry it's taken so long- we've been so busy lately! :)  I still have massive amounts of pictures to mail out to family- school portraits and baptism pics- so keep an eye out for them! :)  We should be mailing them out next week :)

Love to all! :)

Prayer Request

We Dugans have just returned from a wonderful long weekend in Maine.  We didn't take many photos but I have tons of video footage to upload and share with you all- it was a perfect New England weekend. :)  This morning though, I'm asking for your prayers for my cousin Jeff.  We just found out that Jeff will be returning to Afghanistan and my heart feels heavy.  Please keep him and his wife Val in your thoughts and prayers.  Here's hoping for a quick and safe tour and for a swift return home.  Here are a couple pics of Jeff and Abby (we were lucky enough to meet up with him while he visited New England in July- he lives in Georgia right now but misses New England terribly)  Jeff referred to Abby's outfit as her "business dress."  ;)  My cousin constantly has everyone in stitches.

Jeff doesn't want this news posted on Facebook so I'm using this blog as my prayer request arena.

 Me and Jeff as kids at Canobie Lake Park

Abby and Jeff at Lester's BBQ this July :)

Videos!

Just some recent videos of Abby from her Petting Zoo experience at the Big E Fair in West Springfield.  Will add the Mardi Gras parade footage once it has been uploaded and processed :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-uXxdZnzqs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dAvKFGEHys

Solid Foods!

Abby tried solid foods for the first time last night!  We treated her to some roasted sweet potato.  :)  In all I would say it was a success but she definitely had moments of uncertainty about this new texture and taste.  :)  Leif and I have been dying to give Abby solids for 2 months now but have held off per doctor's suggestion.  :)  Last night Abby took a nap and when she awoke, she tried her first solid food. :)  Tomorrow we take Abby in for her 6 month appointment on her 6 month birthday.  It's hard to believe that Abby is already 6 months old!!  Time certainly does fly- though we're hoping to slow it down a bit with a long weekend trip to Maine this weekend.  Us Dugans are desperately in need of a little down time and relaxation! :)

Here is the video footage and a picture from the adventure ;) :)

Abby Eating Sweet Potato

Abby did something yesterday that made my heart swell (well, ok, everything she does makes my heart swell...)  When I picked her up from daycare, she was playing in an exersaucer.  She gave me a big smile the second I walked in to her classroom and I smiled back.  I turned around to retrieve her cooler for her bottles from her cubby and she started to cry because she thought I was leaving.  Abby hasn't really exhibited any separation anxiety- which is wonderful- she is truly an easy easy baby.  It was nice, however, to see that she wanted her mommy really badly.  It's almost like she knew that mommy was having a bad day and wanted to tell her that she loved her. :)  I was having a pretty bad day (or string of days really)  When I left the daycare center with Abby in my arms, she was staring up at the sky and trees like she often does.  It was such a beautiful fall day- a PERFECT fall day- so we took a quick walk around Horn Pond (where we had a picnic after her baptism.)  The wind was strong so the water was choppy and beautiful with the sun beaming off of it.  She was quite content in the fresh air and sunshine. :)

Abby is very close to crawling- she moves all over her crib.  She smiles and laughs so often and gives little hugs when she's excited about seeing someone or something.  She still adores her kitty, Orion, but certainly hasn't mastered the art of animal petting.  She likes to grab clumps of fur and pull.  ;)  Orion is so good about it though.  She is extremely interested in buttons, zippers, and glasses and grabs at all three  when we hold her.  She's excellent at taking off her socks and tries to scoot out of my car seat when we head off on any adventure.  Her hair is growing thicker and longer and blonder.  She loves baths- she loves to kick her legs and flail her arms to splash the water around- we always give her a little extra bath time to make a watery mess... :) :)  She is amazing.

Abby's First Mardi Gras Parade

We have returned from a rainy weekend in Western, MA!  Saturday morning we headed down to our cabin in Huntington, MA (Leif met up with us a bit later as he had to work- he still made it down just in time to fish with my dad and Matt though)  :)  The weather wasn't perfect- it was pouring when we arrived, but the rain stopped long enough for us girls to get Abby out for a walk around the lake (which is so swollen with water right now- Western MA has really been hit with some rainy weather!)  The temperatures were cool and crisp and we all enjoyed a fire in the cabin.  Leif lit off some fireworks but Abby enjoyed the sparklers more than the fireworks this time around.  The noise from the fireworks was a bit alarming and Abby spent the duration of the display cuddling with mom- no crying or pouting, but she was definitely a bit more scared of the noise this time which shows us how developed her hearing is now! :)  On Sunday we woke up to a thick rainstorm that we feared might threaten our trip to the Big E fair in West Springfield.  Luckily the weather improved, Mandy and I were able to take Abby for another walk around the lake, and we made it to the fair.  Abby went in to the petting zoo and met some adorable goats, a zebra, a donkey, and an Elephant!  Abby's favorite animal was the donkey- he put his face right out by her so that she could pat him.  He was sweet and tame and so good natured.  After the petting zoo, we walked around the fairgrounds and found a perfect perch to watch the Mardi Gras parade that marches through the grounds.  This was Abby's favorite part of the fair- she danced along with the music, watched every float with wide eyes and really soaked in all of the sounds and colors.  She even got some Mardi Gras beads from a couple of the floats (that she immediately tried to eat)  ;)  Abby laughed and smiled at the parade.  We have adorable footage of both events- the petting zoo and the parade- and will post them soon!  We will also post pictures of Abby's bear suit that she wore to watch the fireworks.  We think that it might be the cutest outfit that Abby owns so here is fair warning that you're going to melt when you see the pics! ;)

We had a wonderful weekend and are now looking forward to Abby's 6 month appointment on Friday followed by a looooong weekend in Maine!  Can you believe that our girl will be 6 months on Friday?!?!  :)

Selflessness

This story is too good to not share...  What a selfless act in the midst of despair!

http://www.drmomma.org/2011/09/from-despair-to-donation-mother-loses.html

While dropping Abby off this morning, I had an opportunity to talk with her new teacher for a bit.  Maria, Abby's new teacher, was talking about Abby's undying energy.  Evidently she jumps in any type of a toy that they put her in now and I get such a kick out of that- I watch her do the same thing at home.  Maria said that Abby also is the only baby who truly enjoys tummy time at daycare- she loves to roll all over the place.  :)

Abby is laughing a lot these days- sometimes she'll just look at me and start laughing.  Her laughter is absolutely the best sound in the entire world.  :)  This morning she grabbed hold of her bottle as I was feeding her and was pulling it back forth (she does this with her feet a lot).  I couldn't stop laughing- and she just loved that she had made me laugh.  We had such a sweet and tender morning together. :)

Abby has a stuffed giraffe in her crib that she loves to hug and cuddle.  My friend Sophie gave it to her and I just have to share the pic that I took of the two of them last night.  Could she get any cuter?  ;) :)

Life Balance

Well another Monday has arrived.  I cry each and every Monday when I leave for work because I hate to leave little Miss Abby.  This morning Abby was alert and lying on her daddy's tummy, looking up at me with a smile as I left for work.  No offense, Harvard, but you're not nearly as cute or lovable as my daughter. :)

Leif and I are finding our groove as working parents- somehow we finish our chores weekly and still spend plenty of time cuddling and playing with Abby. :)  What is most precious is our weekends.  We have so many wonderful adventures planned for the next string of weekends- it helps us get through the week to anticipate our free time. :)

Yesterday we took Abby out for a walk to the grocery store down the street.  She just loves being outside- she sat so calmly in her stroller taking in the sights and didn't fall asleep until the very end of our walk.  She liked the grocery store a lot too- all of the different colors and people to look at- and Leif loved the attention that he received while pushing around an adorable baby.  We also learned how wonderful it is to have a stroller with some storage room to stash all of the groceries! :)

This weekend we're taking Abby back to the lake.  It's been a couple of months now since we've been to the lake and we miss it dearly.  The breeze off of the lake whips right through the cabin and puts everyone at ease.  Abby just loves it there- she loves sitting out on the deck and staring up at the leaves of the trees blowing in the wind.  She loves walking down to the beach and staring at the rippled water.  Leif bought fireworks for the weekend too and she really really enjoys staring up at the sky and watching each one burst- she doesn't even mind the noise that they make. :)

This weekend we're also venturing out to the Big E fair in West Springfield.  This is the mother of all fairs- with a daily Mardi Gras parade that storms through the grounds, celebrity musical acts, and a huge display of farm life.  Abby hasn't seen any large animals yet- just her beloved kitties and puppies- so it should be interesting to see her reaction to these larger creatures. :)

This is our favorite time of year- the time for apple picking, pumpkin carving, outdoor fires, mulled cider, leaf peeping, and long evening strolls in the cooler temperatures.  When we feel tired, overwhelmed, or bitter with work, we try to remember the fun that is just around the corner. :)

New eye candy:

 Abby and Auntie

 Abby playing :)

Abby napping :)