Three

Three: the number of times Abigail independently decided to change her shorts today without any really need (no spills, no accidents, no nothing), except that she just decided she wanted a different color of shorts.

p.s. after each "change" she did put away her previous pair of shorts back into her drawer:)

A Day of Favorites

Can you tell she's 2? She is. We celebrated by doing some of her favorite things.

No better way to start off your birthday than by eating (or licking) donuts.

Playing Outside

Playing in her new playhouse. "Abigail's House" as it has come to be known.

This girl LOVES to swim. She loves the water and is fearless. She can swim for hours and just paddles around all by herself....thanks to the help of her life jacket. The first thing Abigail asks her daddy to do each night as he walks in the door from work is "high" which means "throw me high again and again." Swimming is no exception--the higher the better.

Opening some presents.

Showing off her new nightgown.

A Good Week

This past week, in a large way, has been a tribute to my mother. I grew up eating her delicious homemade food (who knew you could make pancakes from a box? My mom always made them from scratch) and enjoying her canned peaches, homemade applesauce, tomatoes canned in the summer were enjoyed in the winter. In an effort to become more like mother and provide for my family like she did (and in an effort to accomplish my summer goal of canning tomatoes) I have been canning non-stop. If I haven't actually been in the process of canning, I have been thinking of canning. I have read books, rented and watched dvds, and even attended a class.

Last week, after several conversations with my mom (and several more in the actual canning process), I began. I started with peaches--- Georgia Peaches in fact. My 3 year search of a great Georgia peach has come to a wonderful discovery of a local peach farmer who sells at our local farmers market. Delicious! We've been enjoying peaches non stop the past two weeks.

The canning went well. In the end, I canned 14 quarts.

I moved on from peaches to tomatoes--some from my garden, but mostly from a local farmer I met while at our farmer's market. We drove out to his house and saw his tomatoe garden (if over 1,000 tomatoe plants classifies as a garden) and picked up a half bushel of tomatoes. We have been eating the tomatoes we have grown on BLT's and super good salsa.

I canned 13 quarts of tomatoes.

To celebrate a great week, I made a peach pie for Tyler and I enjoy. Yum.

A happy, non-stop week produced yumminess to come in the months ahead and a boost of confidence for future projects and goals.

This Makes Me Smile

Conversation

Setting: Abigail crawling all over me and my growing belly.

Abigail: (pointing and patting at my belly) baby

Me: yep. our baby is growing inside mommy's tummy.

Abigail: OUT.

Time will tell how she feels about this baby being OUT come November. We're hoping for good things.

Outnumbered

If he wasn't outnumbered before, come baby #2, Tyler will definitely be outnumbered.

No worries about Tyler being outnumbered. He is super excited to have another little girl--as am I-- and we are pretty sure Abigail is happy about it too.

Something Shared, Something Learned

A long time ago, as in I was in high school, I was visiting with my Aunt Molly in her house on Bristol Court. I can't remember if this memory took place before she left to go somewhere and I was about to babysit, or, if it was after she returned from being somewhere and I had just babysat----or, if I was just over there hanging out. Whichever way, I remember we were in the kitchen and Molly was sharing with me the postive difference she noticed in her children when she, at bedtime, sat with them and told them all of the wonderful things about them that happened during the day. I remember her sharing that her children seemed to get along better, were more obedient and, happier.

Fast forward however many years since, to now, with me as a mother to Abigail. I remembered the lesson shared with me by my Aunt Molly and have begun each night, for about 3 or 4 months now, sharing with Abigail all of the wonderful things I loved about Abigail each day. "Abigail, I loved the way you sang in the car today. I loved the way you played peek-a-boo with the pharmacist at the store. I loved watching you jump into the pool. Thank you for saying please." I have noticed that she quiets down and listens intently. I know she understands my praise. I love taking a moment to consciously think of all of the good from our day. Our days can be perfect sometimes, but sometimes crazy and hectic, sometimes teary and stressful, but always, always, always, there are good parts about our day......and I like to think that Abigail takes what I share with her and dreams of all of those good things.



Lessons Shared. Lessons Gratefully Learned.