The Holidays

We survived hosting our first Thanksgiving!  Poor Miss Abby came down with a nasty cold though and of course I came down with it right before the start of the workweek.  ;)  We ordered a turkey from the John Crowe Farm one town over and it was neat to see the difference between a commercial turkey and a farm-raised turkey.  This was our first holiday without Nanie and that was difficult but it was wonderful to have crystal from Leif and my family's to keep our lost loved ones near and dear.  :)  Here is a pic of the turkey, the Thanksgiving table, and our pilgrim Abby (she made the hat herself!)

As we move on to Christmas, we've been asking Abby what she wants to ask Santa for this year.  Each time she has responded with the same answer- three goats (sometimes they're stinky goats, and sometimes they're just goats).  :)  Abby LOVES watching Frosty the Snowman and Charlie Brown Christmas right now and has a wide repertoire of Christmas songs that she belts out in the car.  :)

Sending love and good holiday tidings to all! :)

xoxoxoxo

Abby's Literary Taste

We're recovering from a bug that has kept Abby out of daycare all week.  We're not ready for cold and flu season.  ;)  Just wanted to take a quick second to mention the book that Abby has been reading lately-

A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Eighth Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers.

Yup, that's the book she's been toting everywhere- she even needs it in her crib at night now to fall asleep.

I had purchased the book when I had lofty goals of taking a graduate course this semester at Harvard.  I couldn't swing it between working and my long commute but luckily the book did not go to waste.  I'll try to snap a pic of her reading it- she's wicked smaht.  ;)  Speaking of wicked smaht, we've been watching a lot of baseball lately with the Sox battling the Tigers in the ALCS.  The other day while I was driving to the store with Abby, she randomly shouted, "Go Red Sox!" from the backseat.  We are very proud.  ;)

Sending lots of love!!!!

Legos and naps don't mix ;)

Yesterday Leif and I put Abby "down" for a nap.  She had been snoozing in the car right before we got home so we knew she was ready.  The tricky little girl got her fingers on the container of legos in her room, however, by carefully working the lid off of the box and then sneaking legos through the rungs of her crib.  For the next hour, she played with legos in her crib, as happy as can be.  We kept expecting her to fall asleep but legos are way too stimulating, evidently.  :)  After an hour, I decided that the legos would probably need to be removed from the crib before Miss Abby would take a nap.  When I went in to remove them, she explained that she was playing baseball with the legos.  I couldn't figure out the logistics of her baseball game but was pleased with her imaginative world as the Red Sox are about to start their post-season journey this Friday.  Oh, and while I'm at it- Leif and I are going to the first game of the play-offs.  We have never been to a postseason baseball game and feel like Christmas has come very early this year.  Ok, back to the cute story.  ;)  I explained to Abby that she needed a nap in order to rest up to play with her auntie who was visiting for the day.  Abby explained that she needed her auntie, and then helped me put the legos away so she could take a nap.  She then sang for the next 30 minutes until finally falling in to a slumber.  She is unbelievably cute- like you-just-want-to-squeeze-her-cheeks-all-of-the-time cute.  ;)  I just wanted to write down this quick story before I forget.  The image of her playing legos in her crib kept me warm and fuzzy during the entire morning commute.  :)

Here are a couple recent pics of Miss Abby too :)

 Abby making sandcastles at the lake for my birthday :)

 Abby and her sidewalk chalk art in our front yard

 Abby's giraffe costume- we think it might be a bit too small for Halloween but we have another giraffe costume arriving shortly for trick-or-treating next month :)

Abby hanging out with Spiderman at the lake for my birthday :)

Abby in concert

Miss Abby puts on quite a concert, don't you think?  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtRAEgUyiTA

That time we had two cats...

We had the sweetest kitty roaming our neighborhood last week.  Our neighbors Jason & Sarah took it in for a couple days and kept it on their deck.  It just so happens that I graduated High School with Jason- it finally hit the other day after talking with him during a walk- he looks so familiar because I went to school with him.  It is a small small world.  :)  They have a daughter, Calliope, who is 6 months old and destined to be a friend of Abby's in the future ;)

But...  back to this kitty...  Jason and Sarah are terribly allergic to cats and were looking for the rightful owner of this tabby- or anyone who was willing to take it in and give it a good home, either temporarily or forever.

I'll be honest, I wanted the kitty.  I want all kitties.  But we weren't sure if Orion would be ok with a new friend in the house and we wanted to be fair to him.  So, Mandy and I started brainstorming on possible adoptees as I posted pics of the kitty on our town websites.  We found a willing daddy for this new kitty and Leif and I offered to take the kitty in for the week until he was able to go to his new home.  Jason and Sarah showed up that night and were more than willing to give the kitty a new home.  This kitty was given multiple names- first it was Dusty.  Then Abby named it Fluffy, and then almost immediately retracted that name.  Then he was Duffy.  And we finally settled on Snowball II (a reference to Leif's favorite TV show, the Simpsons)

Snowball II spent two nights with us before we learned that he is a neighbor's outdoor kitty and we were instructed to not feed or take him inside.  During his stay, however, Abby greatly enjoyed his company and exclaimed "My house is full of kitties!" the first night.  We thought he was sweet too but Orion wasn't overly pleased with Snowball's company and we weren't overly pleased with Snowball's late night howling and shenanigans.

We've learned that Snowball's name is actually Rocky and we feel lucky that we get to see him around the block still.  He is very good was enthusiastic Miss Abby.  :)

PEMAQUID OR BUST!!!

We are camping next weekend and we couldn't be more excited.  We're camping at a campground that I have visited every summer/fall for the past 27 consecutive years.  This'll be Abby's third consecutive year.  :)  One of Leif and my first dates was a weekend camping here and I had my bachelorette party here.  LAKE PEMAQUID CAMPGROUND!!!

We have a photo tradition that we'll be adding to as well:

This year we're going with my mom and dad, Mandy and her boyfriend Fitzy, our friend Danielle and her son Micky, Danielle's brother Chris, and Danielle's friend Ann.  Chris and Danielle used to camp with us at Pemaquid every summer in August and this will be Micky's first trip to the campground.  :)  We'll be camping in tents this time- which is my favorite way to camp.  ;)  The campground has a fun hayride that goes through the entire campground and out on to the main road- we can't wait to bring Abby on it this year.  :)  We're hoping for some sunny weather to enjoy the water, and some star gazing at night- the stars are SO bright in Maine- you can see the milky way clear as ever.  :)  We'll have pictures to share, that's for sure!  We'll also be celebrating my dad's birthday and Danielle's birthday, both are taking place during our camping trip.  :)

Leif and I haven't taken a whole lot of time off this summer.  I had minimal amounts of vacation time left thanks to needing days off to close on our house, fill out mortgage documents, find a new daycare, etc etc so I was barely able to pull a week off in July to spend at our cottage in Western, MA.  Next year we're rationing our vacation days differently because we've missed having a significant summer vacation.  We've still really enjoyed our summer.  Our week at the lake was wonderful and we spent each weekend in July at the lake as well.  We've been so busy and are really looking forward to not having plans this weekend.  ;)

We started bringing Abby to Forge Pond- a GORGEOUS pond about a mile from our house.  She enjoys the swings and slides most and we're able to take in the picturesque view while we play.  The air there is so good and the little beach and swim area are heavenly.  Here are a couple pictures:

Abby is talking so much these days- full and wild sentences that amaze us.  Leif is usually the one who picks her up from daycare.  When I get home from work she runs to me and then tells me about her whole day without hardly taking a breath.  I love it.  She is so full of energy- we spend a lot of evenings dancing or running around the house or back yard.  She loves being outside and is obsessed with swings.  :)

I will post more pictures and stories soon but wanted to get something up on the blog to share.  :)

Sending love to all!!!  :)

Abby stories

Abby has been cooking "Spaghetti Soup" for Leif and I in her kitchen since before we moved to Westford.  Last night when she announced that she was cooking us spaghetti soup, she warned that it's spicy.  Seems as though she's improving upon the reliable recipe.  ;)

Last night she also took a pair of my pajama pants and wore them like a cape, exclaiming that she was a super hero.  She then explained that her super powers were "apples".

She is just bursting with new words and sentences and the most adorable observations.  I just wanted to write these two little stories down so that Abby sees how cute she is years later.  ;) :)

Sending love to all! :)

Here are a couple recent pics:

 Abby on safari

Abby on the runway (hanging out in the plaza of the Science Center at Harvard)

Carrots

Abby's new daycare sends home the most wonderful reports- they're so detailed and you can tell that Abby's teacher just adores her.  We're saving all of the reports for Abby and will put together a binder some day but this particular little story was too cute not to share. ;)

Abby's teacher Miss Cheryl explained that Abby had a wonderful morning yesterday and made her teacher laugh out loud.  Miss Cheryl was explaining to Abby's class that carrots are good for your eyes.  Abby immediately interjected, "No put carrots in eyes!"  :)

Miss Cheryl explained how funny Abby is- and we couldn't agree more.  She's a delight.

This weekend we are taking Abby to her first Lowell Spinners game- they're the triple a baseball team for the Sox.  :)  We'll be going Saturday night- which also happens to be a fireworks night at the park.  Both Leif and Abby have never been to a Spinners game before and I think they'll both love it.  There isn't a bad seat in the park, the total experience is catered to the kids, and the fans are super nice- plus they have fireworks.  ;)

We're enjoying the sunny weather after so many rainy days.  On the ride to daycare this morning Abby told me she likes sunny weather.  I asked her if she likes the rain and she replied, "No, I like sunny."  She is certainly our ray of sunshine.  :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  Sending love and hugs!!!!  :)

Summer is upon us

We had a busy week so we thoroughly enjoyed each other and the new house once we found ourselves all in the same place at the same time.  ;)  There is a perfect breeze that glides through the trees in the backyard and the sun hits just right.  There's so much peace and quiet on our street- we're not used to it- but we love it.  Orion spends lots of time looking out the windows and Abby spends lots of time EVERYWHERE- inside/outside, upstairs/downstairs.  She is so happy with our new space and she's the main reason we did it all so that's the biggest reward we could imagine.  :)  We put up a pool in the backyard yesterday.  The water is still very cold- too cold for Abby to have much interest in swimming- but Leif and I enjoyed it during Abby's nap yesterday and Abby liked splashing her hands in it too.  Here are a couple summer pics for y'all :)

This week we have friends from Florida visiting so we're in the midst of a mad dash to get the guest room complete.  :)  I made a lot of progress on it over the weekend (Abby even helped move some of the stuff out of the room) and Leif is finishing it all up this week before they arrive.  We're so looking forward to seeing Nikki, Francis, and their thirteen month old, Carly.

Last week at First Steps

We have finally hit our last week with First Steps Early Learning Center, Abby's daycare center in Woburn.  Abby started with First Steps when she was a little more than 4 months old- in August of 2011.  It feels like ages ago now.  She's been through 3 classrooms- the dreamers as an infant, the busy bees as an "older infant" and now the jungle monkeys (who have recently become the caterpillars).  Every teacher in the center knows Abby- really knows Abby.  They've watched her grow, start to crawl, walk, speak, dance, and sing right along with us.  Abby has been surrounded by the same wonderful kids for a couple of years now- Luke, the little boy who first held her hand, Mia, the little girl who was always so excited to see Abby, Declan, the little boy who started with the center shortly after Abby and who always yells, "Abby!" when I drop her off in the morning, I could keep going- she's had special connections with each of her classmates. The center has been wonderful to Abby and to our family.  I feel very shaky about having to say goodbye this week- the center has absolutely become an extension of our family.  I know that Abby's moving to a wonderful new center where she will be happy but it's so difficult to leave a place that we've become so comfortable with.  On Friday, her classroom will throw Abby a little goodbye party and Abby will bring in gifts for the classroom and for her teachers too.

First Steps recently created cards for the MBTA officer and who was injured during the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing and the Boston police.  The MBTA officer lives in Woburn and the town has been showing him a great deal of support and appreciation. You can see Miss Abby's handprint on this sweet card.  :)

On the brighter side, Abby is sick of the commute back and forth to daycare.  She'll be starting in a center much closer to home and we can tell that in the long run, she'll be happy to spend less time in the car.  ;)  

New House :)

We are officially moved in to our house.  :)  We've been living there for over a week now- the commute is not glamorous- but the yard and neighborhood sure are.  :)  Abby loves her new home- she loved it immediately.  Orion needed a couple of days to settle in but he's happy now too.  ;)  Abby's still in her daycare in Woburn right now- we didn't want to change too many things for her at once- but she's starting with her new daycare June 12th.  She'll visit the center a week before then to meet her teachers and play with her new classmates- this was a suggestion from the director- and it's brilliant and also our first concrete example of why my cousin Jen just loves the place so much- she recommended the center to us.  We already feel a sense of community and family radiating from them.

We've been exploring Westford some too- Mandy and I brought Abby to the Apple Blossom festival parade Saturday morning- it was adorable and warm and we felt like members of the community.  Abby loved the parade- waved and clapped for everyone in it- and cites the free candy and firetrucks as her favorite parts.  Leif and I took Abby to the bird sanctuary down the street from us later in the day and we had a good hike along what used to be a railroad track that ran from Acton, MA (where Mandy now lives) all the way to Nashua, NH.  There is a beautiful stone arch that we particularly enjoyed and though the sound of our barreling wagon scared most of the birds away, we saw a couple flint from here to there as we walked.  Abby's favorite was the duck we spied in the stream.  :)

We are learning a lot about time management and how to keep up with everything.  We spend 3-4 hours a day commuting now and on top of working full days, it's been an adjustment.  But we manage to sit down to dinner together every night, keep the house looking somewhat presentable, and we're slowly picking away at the boxes that need unpacking.  We're tired but we're so happy.  :)

This weekend we're going away to our family's cottage in Western, MA.  We're looking forward to unwinding, relaxing, and spending some time unscheduled.

We love you all!!!  :)  and here are some pics of the new house! :)

 Our refinished hardwood floors- Leif and I pulled up the old carpeting ourselves.

 another shot of the floor and our new wall color, "Toast"

 The former color of our family room walls.

 The purple accent walls that we repainted "toast"

 What our floors looked like when we pulled up the carpeting

 our house

 Abby's new playhouse and one of her favorite playmates- Auntie :)

 The new color of the family room- "bread basket" and our family plaque given to us by friend Nikki & Francis as a wedding gift

 The new color in the family room

 This beam was purple- now it's bread basket brown ;)

 My tiny strawberry patch

 our lilac bush we planted

 We have TONS of lily of the valley growing in the yard

 our fireplace. :)  It still needs to be stripped of paint but we can use duraflames in it currently ;)

another picture of the walls painted "Toast"

Easter and Abby's 2nd birthday

Nanie is quite sick now and we're all struggling so I thought some sweet pictures of some magical Nanie moments might be in order.  :)  We were lucky enough to spend Easter afternoon at Nanie's.  We went to church in the morning, our beloved family church where Nanie is a charter member, and prayed with our congregation for Nanie.  The love was strong (and Abby made it through the whole service like a champ).  After church, we headed to Nanie's to visit and had a lovely easter egg hunt for Abby and my cousin Mikey.  Nanie was beaming and looked good dressed in her favorite color- purple- and all dolled up for the occasion.  We spent the afternoon in the sun soaking each other up until Nanie was tired and it was time to pack up.  Here are some pictures from the afternoon:

And the most magical of moments happened at Abby's 2nd Birthday party.  We had her birthday party at Drumlin Farm this year- it's a wonder farm in Lincoln, MA full of sheep, chickens, goats, cows, pigs, varying species of birds, and all sorts of other wonderful farm animals.  In the midst of setting up for Abby's party in the hall, my Auntie E came in with the best surprise imaginable- Nanie! :)  Auntie E had planned out the surprise for weeks and it meant more to us than she'll ever know- it was truly wonderful.  Though exhausted by the end, Nanie had a wonderful day at the farm- as we all did.