It was clear early on that our first child was a clever one. As she gets older, she gives us more and more opportunity to marvel at her logical little brain. Last weekend she asked her Gamommy what the Tooth Fairy does with all the teeth she collects from under children's pillows. Before my mom could formulate a response, Abby announced that she believes that the Tooth Fairy arranges to have them go to babies who are just getting their teeth in. I asked her where she had heard this, and she said nowhere--that it just made the most sense to her.
Come to think of it, it kind of makes the most sense to me, too, so we're going with it.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The whole truth, in pictures and words
While I'm sure everyone appreciates my witty blog entries, I know that most people just come for the pictures. I can't let my fans down, so here are some pictures of what AMEN has been up to lately.
Friday before last, my office had a staff retreat and went roller skating. I had way more fun on the rink than I thought I would--who knew it would come back to me so quickly? It was like being in 6th grade all over again. Here's proof that I can at least balance on skates:
My Aunt Phyllis bought these things called Plasma Cars for Abby and her cousins Elsa, Anna and Chip. The point is to turn the handle back and forth to propel the car, but the kids had more fun flying down a hill. Here are the four rough riders:
Plasma Car action--Abby was way more brave than I thought she would be:
Elsa, Abby and Anna hanging out:
Friday before last, my office had a staff retreat and went roller skating. I had way more fun on the rink than I thought I would--who knew it would come back to me so quickly? It was like being in 6th grade all over again. Here's proof that I can at least balance on skates:
My Aunt Phyllis bought these things called Plasma Cars for Abby and her cousins Elsa, Anna and Chip. The point is to turn the handle back and forth to propel the car, but the kids had more fun flying down a hill. Here are the four rough riders:
Plasma Car action--Abby was way more brave than I thought she would be:
Elsa, Abby and Anna hanging out:
Last weekend was Abby's BFF Audrey's birthday party. Abby got Audrey a Best Friends book that came with one of those necklace sets that has half a heart on each necklace. Here are the girls showing off their new jewelry:
Now, I must end this post with an apology and an addendum to a previous post. When I blogged about our trip last week, I failed to mention an important component of the trip. On our way to Alabama, we stopped in Jackson for a very nice visit with Poppa D (my father) and Donnet, much to Abby's delight. Her delight turned into outright nirvana when we allowed her to stay in Mississippi for the night for a sleepover. She went to the movies and a pizza/game place similar to Chuck E Cheese, and was thoroughly spoiled for 24 hours. Then Poppa D and Donnet, along with Abby's beloved Uncle Sam, delivered her to us in Birmingham the next afternoon. There was an adjustment period in which she had to rediscover what it is to be told no, since I'm pretty sure that NEVER happened while she was with them, but she handled it well. I'm glad we got to see them, and I'm really glad Abby got the chance to stay with them. To Poppa D and Donnet: sorry for failing to mention our visit! And the only reason I haven't put any pictures of this part of our trip up is becuase I don't have any. I can rest assured, though, that Poppa D has virtually every moment recorded for posterity.
And because I can't have a picture post without showing you the Blonde Wonder, here's Ethan doing a little jamming at Audrey's party:
Now, I must end this post with an apology and an addendum to a previous post. When I blogged about our trip last week, I failed to mention an important component of the trip. On our way to Alabama, we stopped in Jackson for a very nice visit with Poppa D (my father) and Donnet, much to Abby's delight. Her delight turned into outright nirvana when we allowed her to stay in Mississippi for the night for a sleepover. She went to the movies and a pizza/game place similar to Chuck E Cheese, and was thoroughly spoiled for 24 hours. Then Poppa D and Donnet, along with Abby's beloved Uncle Sam, delivered her to us in Birmingham the next afternoon. There was an adjustment period in which she had to rediscover what it is to be told no, since I'm pretty sure that NEVER happened while she was with them, but she handled it well. I'm glad we got to see them, and I'm really glad Abby got the chance to stay with them. To Poppa D and Donnet: sorry for failing to mention our visit! And the only reason I haven't put any pictures of this part of our trip up is becuase I don't have any. I can rest assured, though, that Poppa D has virtually every moment recorded for posterity.
Okay, hopefully the picture seekers are satisfied now and I can get back to focusing on my clever prose. Who knows, I may even post again today. You know you love it!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Spring Break
I would challenge any college student to claim they had a better spring break than me. Our trip to Alabama was fantastic. We rented a minivan to be sure to have enough room, and we got a sweet 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan with only 1600 miles on it. If I ever wondered if I've become a full blown "mom", it was confirmed the minute that I got excited about a minivan. Anyway, it was a sweet ride. And it turned out to be a good thing that we had all that space, because my aunt and grandmother loaded Abby up with presents while we were in Alabama. When we were loading the car to leave, my aunt literally kept walking up to me with bags of stuff for her until the car was full.
Abby behaved beautifully on the trip and had a ball playing with her cousins. She and I got to spend a lot of time together, which is rare and valuable for me. As much fun as we had, we were ready to get back home to our boys. Now life has returned to normal (if you could have ever called it that). We have plenty going on, so check back soon--I feel some blogging bounty coming!
Abby behaved beautifully on the trip and had a ball playing with her cousins. She and I got to spend a lot of time together, which is rare and valuable for me. As much fun as we had, we were ready to get back home to our boys. Now life has returned to normal (if you could have ever called it that). We have plenty going on, so check back soon--I feel some blogging bounty coming!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Car full of cool
Tomorrow, Abby and I are leaving for a Girls' Trip. We are first heading to Little Rock to pick up my grandmother and her best friend Margie, and then we're off to Alabama to see my grandmother's sister Phyllis and her family. I made this trip with my grandmother and Margie dozens of times when I was a kid, so I'm looking forward to doing it again with my daughter. It does mean, though, that I will be driving a car that holds two 80 year old women and a 5 year old girl. Pray for me!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I didn't even KNOW 24 kids when I was 5
First, the party in numbers:
24 kids (!)
90 minutes
6 bowling lanes
2 adorable AMEN kids in coordinating personalized bowling shirts
1 EXHAUSTED mother
1 HAPPY birthday girl, also exhausted
Now, the party in pictures:
Abby's bowling technique is to be admired for sure:
Abby's amazing bowling cake was made by my dear friend Autumn, who--I am not kidding--is good at everything she does, but GREAT at cake making. The entire huge thing was gobbled down in minutes.
Ethan had plenty of fun at his sister's party. Here he is playing hide and seek:
Waiting for cake:
24 kids (!)
90 minutes
6 bowling lanes
2 adorable AMEN kids in coordinating personalized bowling shirts
1 EXHAUSTED mother
1 HAPPY birthday girl, also exhausted
Now, the party in pictures:
Abby's bowling technique is to be admired for sure:
Abby's amazing bowling cake was made by my dear friend Autumn, who--I am not kidding--is good at everything she does, but GREAT at cake making. The entire huge thing was gobbled down in minutes.
Ethan had plenty of fun at his sister's party. Here he is playing hide and seek:
Waiting for cake:
Can two year olds bowl? Of course they can!
The party was a huge success, and I am SO glad it's over. The kids all had so much fun bowling, even though the use of the term "bowling" to describe what some of them did is very generous. I don't think anyone suffered serious injury, which is always a goal of mine at my children's parties. Thanks to everyone who came, and everyone who helped. My sanity remains intact thanks to you!
The party was a huge success, and I am SO glad it's over. The kids all had so much fun bowling, even though the use of the term "bowling" to describe what some of them did is very generous. I don't think anyone suffered serious injury, which is always a goal of mine at my children's parties. Thanks to everyone who came, and everyone who helped. My sanity remains intact thanks to you!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Birthday Girl
5 is such a big number--way too big a number to be the age of my baby girl. And yet there she is, most definitely not a baby any more. She has changed so much! For her honorary birthday post, I offer photographs from each of her 5 birthdays, beginning with the first. Much more on her party later. I love you, Sweet Pea!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Testing, testing
At last, my travel streak for work is over. After a whirlwind tour of Jonesboro and Branson, I am back home. I got back yesterday, just in time to take Abby to get her Kindergarten checkup and booster shots.
I was very nervous about taking her, because this was the first time she's had shots when she was old enough to know what was going on. She was NOT happy about it going in. I told her that it really didn't hurt as bad as she thought it would, and she might not even cry. Oh no, she assured me, she would DEFINITELY cry. Great. So we were both pretty surprised when she chilled right through all 4 shots. She didn't even flinch. I told her they were done and she said, cool as a cucumber, "You were right. That didn't hurt. Do I still get a milkshake though?" That's my girl!
The checkup part of the appointment ended up being a little more nervewracking than the shots. I was prepared for the physical exam, but I had no idea there was going to be a quiz! Both the doctor and the nurse asked Abby a battery of questions designed to confirm that she is developing and learning at a normal pace. I know that it's not meant to be scary or judgemental, but Matt and I both felt like our parenting success thus far was being evaluated. They wanted to know if she rides a bike (she does), if she sleeps through the night (she does), if she ever has nightmares (occasionally--oh no, does that mean she has issues?!), if she can count to 20 (well, of course), and if she knows her address. What?! Her address? How were we supposed to know that she was supposed to know her address? They should have sent out a study guide in advance of the appointment. She knows her phone number, but she gave the doctor a blank stare at the address question. He said it was fine, but I could just imagine the notes he took: If patient ever gets lost, blame parents for not teaching her their address.
I guess she passed enough of the questions for them to let us go without referring us to DHS. Anyone who knows Matt will not be surprised to learn that by the time our family sat down to eat dinner at church that night, Abby knew her address :)
I was very nervous about taking her, because this was the first time she's had shots when she was old enough to know what was going on. She was NOT happy about it going in. I told her that it really didn't hurt as bad as she thought it would, and she might not even cry. Oh no, she assured me, she would DEFINITELY cry. Great. So we were both pretty surprised when she chilled right through all 4 shots. She didn't even flinch. I told her they were done and she said, cool as a cucumber, "You were right. That didn't hurt. Do I still get a milkshake though?" That's my girl!
The checkup part of the appointment ended up being a little more nervewracking than the shots. I was prepared for the physical exam, but I had no idea there was going to be a quiz! Both the doctor and the nurse asked Abby a battery of questions designed to confirm that she is developing and learning at a normal pace. I know that it's not meant to be scary or judgemental, but Matt and I both felt like our parenting success thus far was being evaluated. They wanted to know if she rides a bike (she does), if she sleeps through the night (she does), if she ever has nightmares (occasionally--oh no, does that mean she has issues?!), if she can count to 20 (well, of course), and if she knows her address. What?! Her address? How were we supposed to know that she was supposed to know her address? They should have sent out a study guide in advance of the appointment. She knows her phone number, but she gave the doctor a blank stare at the address question. He said it was fine, but I could just imagine the notes he took: If patient ever gets lost, blame parents for not teaching her their address.
I guess she passed enough of the questions for them to let us go without referring us to DHS. Anyone who knows Matt will not be surprised to learn that by the time our family sat down to eat dinner at church that night, Abby knew her address :)
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