Abbie's Adventures

Halloween

2010-10-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

Abbie wanted to be a princess for Halloween this year. She was a princess last year but I figured we have lots of princess dresses she can wear. Halloween came and I asked her which dress she wanted to wear. Of course, it was the same dress as last year. She could not have picked one of the 3 other beautiful dresses to wear. Doing my best to remind myself it really does not matter that we are wearing the same exact dress 2 years in a row. I agreed and she got dressed. Abbie had a great day and enjoyed trick or treating with her friends! She has lots of candy for her parents to eat and even wanted to bring some to share with her friends at church!

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to carve a pumpkin with Abbie this year. Abbie was very excited about it! Steve cut the top off of the pumpkin and then Abbie and I were going to clean the pumpkin out. Abbie did not like the idea of getting her hands all dirty. Once I gave her a spoon to use she helped a little with cleaning the pumpkin out. In the end, Steve and I carved the pumpkin and Abbie watched! But Abbie loved it and has talked about it non -stop since!

Fall Fun!

2010-10-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

We took Abbie to the Farm to enjoy the festival! Abbie loved the corn sandbox, slide, climbing the haystack, corn maze! Steve and I loved the apple cider donuts and apple cider!!
Abbie got to take a pony ride too! It was an extra treat to have Steve's parents with us for the trip!

Concert

2010-09-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

Steve's cousins Ron and Laura and their daughter Joy came to visit a few weeks ago. Abbie and Joy loved dressing up like princesses and putting on a show for us. Joy would play the guitar and Abbie would sing. The were so cute and we all enjoyed all of the concerts!!

Father's Day (2 months late)

2010-09-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Father's Day 2 months late this year. Which is pretty typical of our family. Too much going on to actually celebrate the special day on the special day!! Father's Day was June 20 with was also - Abbie's birthday, first day of VBS (I was the director), and our good bye reception at Avenue. We actually told Abbie it was her birthday on June 19 because we could not celebrate it on the 20th either. So after 2 months of patient waiting, we finally celebrated Father's day! The fun part was Steve did not know we were celebrating that day so he was quite suprised when he got home from work. I cut most of the lawn for him and we cooked dinner for him. Then we gave him his present - a fire ring. We have enjoyed a few family fires since then. Abbie loves them and asks when the next family fire will be. She loves eating the graham crackers, marshmellows, and chocolate but likes them each by themselves. She does not like a smore. The best part of the fire ring is just hanging out in the backyard talking and watching the stars! Hopefully we get in a few more fires before Winter hits.

Sesame Place

2010-08-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Last week, we took a family trip to Sesame Place. I had not been there in about 25 years.
Overall, we had a great day! We enjoyed 2 shows and the character parade. Abbie loved seeing all of the characters as long as they did not get too close to her! We spent most of the day in the dry rides part. Abbie loved the carousel and flying fish ride! She did a great job climbing the ropes course (better than her daddy did). Steve got to ride all the rides with Abbie since I was pregrant. I did have the pleasure of riding the carousel ride 3 times. We went to the water rides for awhile but they were crazy. We were at count's castle and I was able to go insane - kids everywhere, cold water falling all over you. I could only take about 20 min. Luckily, I was able to convince my family to move on to the lazy river - Much more peaceful!!!
I am sure we will be back there in about 2 years!!

Roller Skating

2010-08-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Abbie went roller skating for the first time yesterday! It was her friends 5th birthday party. Abbie was very excited to roller skate. Abbie did great on skates. Luckily her wheels barely spun. Within 30 min, Abbie was skating all by herself. She thought it was funny to fall down and have to get back up. Although we went 2 mph around the rink we had a blast. And mom got an idea for Christmas! Roller skating in the garage will be great especially in the Winter!

Hope UMC

2010-08-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

On July 1st, our family took a big step and change and left Avenue UMC and went to Hope UMC. After 9 years at Avenue it was very hard to say good bye to so many friends. We went trusting God was in control. Hope is a much smaller church than Avenue. It averages about 1/4 the attendance of Avenue on a Sunday. However, we are beginning to feel right at home at Hope UMC. It was tough to explain to Abbie that we were listening to God and leaving our old church and going to our new church. After our first night of VBS Abbie told her daycare provider that her mom and dad have a new church but it is not her church. Luckily, this church has lots of young families with children the same age as Abbie. Abbie has adjusted well and has made some new friends. Abbie now calls Hope her new church!! I am sure Abbie will come to love Hope UMC just as much as she loved Avenue UMC. We are excited to Sunday School to begin in the fall so Abbie can continue to build new friendships witht he children at Hope UMC.

Yard Work

2010-08-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Steve and I needed to do some much needed yard work on a Saturday morning. Steve was cutting the grass and I was pulling weeds and trimming bushes. Abbie was looking for something to do so I gave her a waterbottle and told her to go water the trees. She loved it and spent 45 min. just spraying trees and bushes. My neighbors thought I was nuts but we got our yard work finished and Abbie had a blast!

Vacation

2010-08-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

In July we went to Massanutten, VA for a week of vacation with my family. We had a great time. Abbie loved swimming in the big pool each day. She enjoyed playing bingo, minature golf, and the petting zoo. The highlight of the pool was learning to jump in and laying on a lounge chair eating Dora fruit snacks and drinking Capri Suns (things mom never buys). I think the best part of the whole vacation for her was having the attention of her grandparents, 2 aunts, and 1 uncle. She loved all the people to play with and entertain!

Abbie's 3rd Birthday!

2010-07-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

We had a friends birthday party 2 weeks before her birthday. We invited her friends to come celebrate at the gymnastics studio that Abbie goes to each week. The party was great. The kids had lots of fun jumping on the trampoline, jumping into the foam pit, walking the balance beam, and swinging from the rope. The only bad part of the party was their air conditioner was broken so the kids looked like they had went swimming by the end of the party!

Easter

2010-04-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

After a few stressful years of trying to do an Easter egg hunt and Daddy get to church as early as possible. I came up with a new plan. We asked the Easter bunny to come on Saturday because Daddy has to work so early on Sunday. The Easter bunny is so wonderful that he said he could do this for us!

So, the Easter bunny left eggs and a present for Abbie. Then we enjoyed a nice family breakfast and a trip to the Phillies game! Abbie loved finding the eggs and was very excited that some eggs had M & M's in them! The Easter bunny left her a big bubble wand and a Bible too!

Easter Eggs

2010-04-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

This is the first year we dyed Easter eggs. Abbie dyed them 5 different colors. Then we put stickers on the eggs to give each egg a face. Abbie loved decorating the eggs. We even survived the event without a broken egg!

Swim Day

2010-04-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

It was a beautful, warm day! Abbie and I were outside. She was playing while I was cleaning out the shed.
She saw all of her pool toys and decided she wanted to go swimming. I told her that we were not getting out the pool because we were going on a trip tomm. So she decided to turn a dirt hole into her pool.

She sat in the hole with her pool toys and played for at least 30 min. I am happy that I have a creative 2 year old daughter!

The Mingos

2010-03-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

Last night we were flamingoed by a few highschool students.
They put 10 flamingos in our yard to raise money for the Jr/Sr After Prom.
I pointed them out to Abbie this morning. She could not wait to go say hi to them.
She was quite worried about the flamingos because they were not talking.
Then she had to give each one a kiss before we left for church.
When we came home from church she fed each flamingo while petting its head.
After nap, she felt it was neccesary to feed each flamingo again.
She talks to the flamingos and makes sure they have everything they need.
She now calls them her mingos!
She will be quite upset when the highschool students take them away to put on someone else's yard.
We might have to get a pet flamingo for the backyard. Yes the backyard, I am not putting it in the front yard!
I am fine with this because the flamingo only eats free rocks and will not ever have to go to the vet!
I could not ask for a better pet!!

Hide and Seek

2010-03-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we taught Abbie how to play hide and go seek.
She loves the game.
Over the past few weeks we have been working hard on potty training.
She has incorported the two of these things into 1 game.
I will sit her on the potty and leave her for a minute or 2.
When I come back she has found something to hide behind so she can
yell Surprise to me! Usually she hides behind the shower curtain.
But this day the shower curtain was pulled back and she needed something else to
hide behind. Her choice was the decorative lighthouse and a roll of toliet paper.
It is hard to act surprise when you are laughing!

First beach Trip of 2010

2010-03-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

Abbie loves the beach and has been asking all winter to go to the beach.
Since the weather was going to be in the 70's on Sat. we told her we would take her to the beach.
It did not take to much convincing to encourage her mom to head to the beach!
She was very excited. She wore her beach hat during the whole ride down to the beach.
When we got there I took off her shoes but she was scared to walk in the sand.
I guess she forgot since it had been 1/2 a year.
But after a little bit of time she was running around in the sand, collecting seashells, and
watching the waves.
I know she is anxious to jump into the water but I think we have a few months before we can do that!

Gymnastics Class

2010-03-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

She took a month long gymnastics class with her friend Sarah.
She loves nastics, which is what she calls it!
Her favorite things is the trampoline.
Her second favorite things is to swing on the rope and then let go and fall into the foam pit!

Our little gymnast! All ready to head to class.

Abbie and her friend Sarah waiting their turn to jump on the trampoline!

Valentine's Cards

2010-03-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

I had to make 40 Valentine's cards between my students at school, her friends at school, and her friends at church. She sat right next to me the entire hour and helped out. I wrote on the cards and folded them in half. She put the heart sticker on each one to seal the card.
She was so excited to hand out her Valentine's cards to her friends at church the next day.

Blizzard Activities!

2010-02-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

Abbie and I made Valentine's people while Daddy shoveled snow from Blizzard number 2. We started with one person and ended up making a whole family. Abbie loved drawing on their mouths and making them talk to each other.

More Snow Fun!

2010-02-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

We took Abbie out to play in the snow on Sunday. She did not want to go out. We had to almost make her go out in the snow. She is just like her mama! I think she was a little scared of the snow. Don't know why the piles are only double her height :) She played on the driveway. I filled water bottles with water and food color. She enjoyed painting the snow. We last about 20 min. and then came in. We have not been out since.

Dress - Up Day

2010-02-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

Abbie's best friend Sarah was over playing.
They always dress up and tell me they are heading to the beach!!
I so wish. I it was warm we would hop right in that car and head to the beach!!

First Pigtails

2010-02-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

For the longest time Abbie would only let us put her hair up in barretts.
Then she started agreeing to a ponytail.
This was the first day she agreed to pig tails.

I thought she looked so cute in pigtails!!
Had to take a picture. Not counting on her allowing me to put pigtails in
for awhile.

Smores Family Night

2010-02-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

A student at school gave me a smores/hot chocolate kit for Christmas.
So we had a family smores night.
Our friends have a little smores rooster that we borrowed.
Abbie loved holding her marshmellow up to the fire to cook it.
She ate about half the smore and then was finished.

She does not have the sweet tooth that mom has!!

I Chose Hope!

2010-01-19T15:59:00.000-08:00

" I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:20

Friday, Jan. 15 - The worst words that have been ever spoken to me - " I do not see a heartbeat. I am so sorry".
Tears began to flow down my cheeks as I looked up at my husband and saw the tears flowing down his face too. Next began 2 hours of tests and waiting just to tell us the same awful news. I could not believe it. I carried Abbie with no problems, this really could not be true.

I sat with my husband in the car, looking for a place to eat lunch. I was not even hungry but knew I should eat it was way past lunch time. As I sat in the car, thinking and praying. God began to show me his guiding hand through the past 3 awful hours. I just so happend to get my favorite doctor for a last minute appointment. This doctor is hard to schedule an appointment with 2 months out. Then this same doctor just so happend to be the doctor on call tomm. He could perform a D & C early in the next morning and end this awful day. This all happened on a Friday and I had a 4 day weekend to rest. I did not have to worry about sub plans or school. Steve and I had already planned a fun family trip on Tuesday. Boy, I knew that would be a fun day.
As I began to think of how God had provided for Steve and I through the last few hours, I began to be filled with hope. Now instead of being filled with grief and sorrow. I began to be filled with hope and excitement. I began to think about not having to work summer school now, Family Fun Friday, being able to go to Delanco, getting to go on my family vacation to VA, beach trips with Abbie, my best friends family could now visit this summer. Wow, I was excited about this summer.
I began to thank God for the amazing blessings he gives me each day. I have an amazing husband, wonderful daughter, beautiful house, great family, Steve and I both have jobs we enjoy! My heart began to change from sorrow to love for my amazing God who has taken away my sorrow and filled my heart with love and hope.
Every once in awhile I have a sad moment but then God reminds me of his love for me and the many blessing I have and are still to come. I was able to come home from the hospital Sat. morning and laugh, smile, and play with Abbie because I knew I had a God who is bigger then disappointment. A God who looks after me and gives me hope for our future!
Thank you God for filling my heart with hope and love when I could have harden my heart with sadness and grief. Thank you for being with me every moment of the day and providing my every need!

Please Touch Museum

2010-01-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. It was the nicest children's museum I have ever visited (and as a teacher, used to be daycamp director, I have been to many museums!)

Abbie had a blast. She loved all the activites in the museum. We got to go for a carrousel ride, play with boats in water, many slides and tunnels, dramatic play (grocery store, doctor's office, McDonalds), science lab, art center, construction zone. Abbie loved it all! Each activity was hands on so the fun continued throughout the entire place. I am sure we will repeat this trip again!

Bird Feeders

2010-01-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

The other day Abbie collected pine cones with her Grandmom. So we decided to make bird feeders.

I put peanut butter on the pinecones and then she rolled them in bird seed. Next, we hung them on our trees in the yard. Abbie wanted to know why the birds were not coming to eat. I told her they do not know the food is on the trees. We played in the yard for awhile. A flock of birds flew over us and Abbie began running after them yelling "Dinner time birdies, Dinner time"

Christmas!

2010-01-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! Abbie was very excited about every part of Christmas.
We spent Christmas Eve at Avenue Church. I would not want to be any place else.
It is such a wonderful evening to come and worship our Lord and Savior.
We spent Christmas morning at our house. Abbie loved her presents and even enjoyed watching Steve and I open our presents.
Late morning, we drove up to NJ to spend the rest of Christmas with my family.
Here are just a few pics. from Christmas day!

Abbie got matching dresses for here and her baby doll from her grandparents!
She brought her baby doll to church and showed everyone that she matched her baby doll!

Abbie received a guitar from her mom and dad for Christmas. Now she can play just like her daddy!

Abbie likes to play her guitar and sing the ABC song!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2010-01-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Christmas we got 2 feet of snow! That is more than we usually get in a Winter.
Luckily, Abbie's grandparents gave Abbie snow book for Christmas at Thanksgiving.
So we spent a lot of time playing in the snow! Abbie loved making snow angels and a snowman.

Abbie's Gymnastics Show

2010-01-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a great video of what Abbie has learned in gymanstics.
When she was learning to do these tricks I told her she needed to take a bow after each trick.
Instead she pretends to ring a bell?? Not sure why but it is pretty cute!!

The Beach

2009-12-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

Today it rained all day! So Abbie decided that her and her dad should go to the beach and wear their beach hats! She is a girl after my own heart!

The nativity set

2009-12-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

You may be asking where are all of the people in the nativity set?
Well . . .

The people of the nativity set are now a train! Abbie is obsessed with trains and turns everything into a train. Now if you look very closely you may notice there is 1 important piece missing from the nativity set.

Yes, baby Jesus is MIA!! He was last seen 2 weeks ago in the car. Now he can not be found anywhere. The prize for finding baby Jesus is a hug and kiss from a very happy 2 year old. Currently, she walks around the house yelling "Baby Jesus, Baby Jesus Where are you" . So far baby Jesus has not answered back!

Of course, we could have lost the second sheep or second angel. But no, we had to lose the most important piece of the set. Isn't that how life goes!!!!

Christmas Tree

2009-12-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

We finally got our Christmas tree and decorated it last night.
Abbie was so excited about the tree.
She said to me "We have a Christmas tree, now Santa can come"
I guess, How do you explain you still have to wait 2 weeks.
Abbie loved putting the candy canes on the tree.
We have a nice little row of 6 candy canes at the bottom of the tree.

This year we set up our tree in the new office.
We have never had a place to hang our stockings so I always end of laying them under the tree.
This year there was a window right next to the tree so I could hang the stockings.
I was so excited to have someplace to hang the stockings!
It's the little things that excite me!

Visit with Santa

2009-12-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last night we took Abbie to see Santa. We went with our friends, so Abbie watched all 3 of their kids sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they wanted from Santa. Then it was Abbie's turn. Abbie was still not so sure of Santa. So Steve sat with Abbie next to Santa. Santa talked to Abbie while Abbie sucked her thumb. We did get a good picture and she did not cry so all in all a good Santa visit!

A Blah Day!

2009-12-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

Abbie had been stuck at home with her mom for 3 days with Strep Throat.
I knew I was getting tired of being stuck in the house. I was not sure how Abbie was feeling.
Before lunch she went into her room and came out wearing her flower beach hat.
She said to me, "OK mom I am ready to go to the beach"

I guess I was not the only one tired of Winter and being stuck inside the house!

Christmas lights in Ocean City

2009-12-09T18:21:00.000-08:00

We went with our friends to see the Christmas light display in Ocean City.
The kids had a blast hanging out together and looking at all of the lights.
Abbie was so excited to see the Christmas trees.
I think she will be really excited to Christmas this year!

Halloween!

2009-11-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

For Halloween we went got together with some friends. We ate dinner together and then set out to go trick or treating. There were 7 kids in the pack. Abbie dresesd up as a princess. When we started I am not sure she understood what she was doing, but as soon as she started seeing people placing candy in her pumpkin basket she was sold. As we walked down the street she would see houses that were lit up and she would point to them and say let's go. She would walk up to the house sometimes past scary lights and pictures right up to the person sitting outside. Quickly Abbie learned to say trick or treat without prompting. As a family we have decided it is way more fun to trick or treat with friends!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

One of Abbie's good friends had her birthday party at a pumpkin patch. During her party we got to take a hayride, pick a pumpkin, and play in a sandbox of corn kenerals. Abbie took her time and looked through all of the pumpkins unitl she found the perfect one.

ELMO Live

2009-11-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

In October we took Abbie to see Sesame Street Live. She loves Elmo and so we thought she would love this! On the day of the trip I told her we were going to see Elmo. Abbie loved the show and sat very still through the entire thing. Anytime Elmo left the stage and another character started singing, Abbie would put her hands up and say Where's Elmo? As if Elmo should have been the only character on the stage for the entire show. I guess I should have explained that some of Elmo's friends would be there too!

Abbie's a Dancing Machine!

2009-10-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a video of Abbie dancing at a wedding on Saturday. It links to a Facebook site, so you'll probably have to log in. Enjoy.

Facebook Videos Posted by Cindi Knobel Whitehead: This is how we do it.

Vacation out West

2009-08-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

We took a two week trip by car (Steve flew) with my sisters and mom to Kansas and Colorado.
First we stopped in Goodland Kansas to visit with my Grandpa. On the car ride out I told Abbie that we would be visiting her great Grandpa. She looked at me with wide eyes and said Big pop pop. So during the whole visit Abbie called him Big Pop pop.
We enjoyed our time in Kansas. We got to ride on a very old carousel, go swimming, and go to the local fair and parade. It was great to spend time with my Grandpa.

Then we traveled on to Denver Colorado to visit with my Grandma and Grandpa. We had a good week in Colorado. We took advantage of all of the beautiful parks in the area. Abbie loved hanging out with her Great Grandmom and Great Grandpa and her Uncle Joel, Aunt Stacy, Aunt Marci, and Grandma and Grandpa. During our visit we visited with lots of extended family, went bowling, played at the park, visited Tiny Town and White Fence Farm. The only disappointment of the week was Thursday. We were suppose to visit Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak. However the weather was awful so we opted for indoor activities.

One day we visited Tiny Town, CO. Abbie had a blast. There was a train we could ride and lots of many houses to explore.

She loved looking in the windows of the houses. Also, there were houses you could climb in.

Abbie's favorite part was the train. Each time it went by she would wave and yell out "Hi Train".

Delanco Camp Junior High I

2009-08-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

We went to Delanco Camp in NJ for a week of camp. Steve and some of our highschool students led praise and worship for the week. Abbie had a blast hanging out with all of the teens! She loves camp. Steve and I enjoyed getting to know so many campers and catching up with old friends.

Summer visit to PA

2009-07-10T18:56:00.001-07:00

We traveled up to Western PA to visit Steve's family. Overall it was a good trip. It was nice to see Steve's family. Abbie had a blast playing her with cousins. The only thing that would have made the trip better is if it had not rained 3 days straight. We did get to go to a park and the Pirates game. Also, I got to travel to Ohio to visit with my best friend and her new baby boy, Ryan.

This is a picture of Abbie and her cousin Ava. Ava is 4 months older than Abbie.

It took a few days for Abbie to warm up to Aiden but then she loved holding him and touching his hands.

Abbie's 2nd birthday

2009-07-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Abbie's friends that came to her second birthday party.
Sarah, Myles, Tripp, Parker, Anna, Abbie, Shelby, Madelyn.

We have a pooh party. Abbie loved having all of her friends at her house. They had fun playing pooh games and decorating door knob hangers. We are so blessed that Abbie has so many good friends.
After her party each time she sees a candle being lit she thinks it is for a birthday and she says
"Happy to you" . It is pretty cute.

All her friends sat around her while she opened her presents.

We got Abbie and Dora bike for her birthday. She is doing well learning how to peddle her bike.

You gotta love that girl!

2009-04-15T16:26:00.001-07:00

Abbie has quite a personality. She is very silly and makes me laugh every day!

I hope this picture brightens your day!

Easter

2009-04-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

Abbie had a blast with her first Easter Egg Hunt. She came out to the family room and saw eggs on the floor. Dad was sitting on the floor in a suit (had to run off to church right after the hunt) holding a camera. Abbie got scared and would not get out of my arms. We found the first egg together and I opened it up. She saw that there were goldfish in the egg. After we ate all 4 goldfish she got really excited. Jumped out of my arms and starting running around pickin up eggs. In the middle of the egg hunt she spied her Easter basket. She got really excited and started looking at all of the things in the basket.

In the afternoon my family came for Easter dinner. We enjoyed having the whole family here for Easter. Abbie had a blast playing with her older cousins.

Here is our Easter family picture.

Gymnastics Class

2009-03-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

In February, we signed up for a month of Parent & Tot Gymnastics. The place we went had a huge trampoline, a foam pit to jump into, rope swing, balance beam, and obstacle course. Abbie loved the class. She learned how to do a rollover and began to work on a cartwheel. Mom and Dad loved it too except that we had to be out of the house by 8 a.m. on a Saturday!

This is a picture of Abbie & I jumping on the trampoline.

2 of Abbie's friends were in the class too! They enjoyed doing it together!

This is Abbie climbing through the bridge as part of the obstacle course. The obstacle course was Abbie's favorite part of the class.

We were sad when February was over and gymnastics class ended. But we were excited for the possibility of sleeping in till 8 in March. We just signed up for another month in May!

Snow Day

2009-03-28T09:39:00.001-07:00

We were blessed with 2 good snows in January and February. Abbie and I enjoyed our days at home! Abbie was excited to go play in the snow. She loved hitting the pushes and plants to make the snow fall off.

Now if we could just get her mittens to stay on.

Her favorite part of the snow was being able to go play on her playground. She liked going down the slide and landing in the snow.

Superbowl Party

2009-03-28T09:30:00.001-07:00

We hosted a college age Superbowl Party at our house. Abbie was decked out in all of her Superbowl gear. Too bad bedtime came before the end of the game. I am not sure she watched much of the game but she enjoyed hanging out with our guests.

One of the girls brought 3-D glasses for the half time show. The girls were all sitting in front of the TV waiting for the half time commerical. On her own, Abbie went into her bedroom found her sunglasses, put them on, and then came and sat down with the girls. We got a great pic. of everyone with their glasses on.

And yes, the Steelers won so Dad was happy. Although it was fun watching him during the 4th quarter when the Steelers almost gave the game away.

Christmas Break

2009-01-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

I can not believe there is only one more day of Christmas Break. I am not ready to go back to school. Christmas was great. We spent Christmas morning at our house opening presents and eating breakfast together. It was nice to just relax together with the family. Abbie enjoyed her new toys and hanging out with mom and dad.

At noon we left to spend a week in NJ with my family. It was nice to have us all together for a week. It was a packed house with all 8 us in in 4 bedrooms and sharing 2 bathrooms. It was nice just relaxing and hanging out with the fam!

On Monday, Steve and I took Abbie to Kid Junction. It was great. We only had to pay for Abbie and there was barely anyone there. There was a big indoor playground and 6 dramatic theme rooms: Post office, Pizza shop, grocery story, Vet Clinic, Kids gym, Theater. Abbie loved the grocery store and the pizza shop.

On Tuesday, I took Abbie to the Discovery Museum in NJ. It was really neat but crowded. We spent most of our time in the Toddler room. Abbie loved climbing the stairs to go down the slide. Also, she really liked the gigantic light bright.

First Snow

2008-12-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

This blog is a couple of weeks late but considering it is Christmas time I thought I was doing pretty good.
Over Thanksgiving we were up visiting Steve's family. They got a pretty good snow while we were out there and Abbie got her first chance to play in the snow. She proved she was her mother's daughter when she really hated being out in the snow and cold. She also hated the layers of clothes to go out in the snow. She was very quick and then wanted right back inside. However we did get some really cute pictures for the 10 minutes we were outside.

Halloween

2008-11-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Last night we took Abbie trick or treating for the first time.

Abbie was dressed up like a dog. Thanks to my mom for the cute costume.

She loved walking down the street holding mom and dad's hand.

We stopped at 8 or 9 houses. She liked holding her pumpkin and

playing with the candy. We let her eat a lollipop, but after 5 or 6 licks she

was done with that. She did like the hersey's candy bar she shared with her mom and

dad. I guess she's a chocolate lover like her mom.

Pumpkin Painting

2008-10-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

This week Abbie and I painted a pumpkin for Halloween.

Abbie loved getting her hands in the paint and spreading it all over the pumpkin.

The pumpkin turned out great and Abbie loves trying to pick it up and carry it around the house.

Here are 2 great pictures of her with her pumpkin!

My Silly Girl

2008-10-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

The other night Abbie and I were hanging out in the family room.
She was in a really silly mood. Here's a great video her in a silly mood.

She did this like 15 times in a row!

Hope it made you smile and brighten your day!

Visit to the Farm

2008-09-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

Abbie and I went to the Fifer Farm to walk a 5K and then enjoy their Fall events. The walk was great and benefited the American Cancer Society. After the walk they opened the farm up to all the walkers and runners. We got to eat Apple Cider donuts and drink Apple Cider. Then Abbie got to pick a pumpkin, walk through the hay maze, and ride the John Deer tricycle (ok so I pushed her on it). Abbie loved the hay maze. She ran through the entire hay maze and enjoy picking up the hay and giving it to me ( like I really wanted a handful of hay). Anyway, Abbie had a blast and I enjoyed a day out with my favorite girl. Here are a few cute pics. from the farm.

Summer Catch Up

2008-09-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

All Summer I wanted to start a blog to keep everyone up to date on what was happening in the LaMotte household. Unfortantely, it took a rainy Saturday in September for me to actually get the blog started. So here goes the fast forward review of our busy Summer.

June

Annual Conference for the Methodist Church

Steve had to attend a weekend conference in Salisbury, MD. So while he was in long meetings all day, Abbie and I went to the zoo, shopping, and enjoyed the outdoor pool at our hotel. Once the conference was over on Sunday, Abbie and I took Steve to a Shorebirds baseball game to celebrate Father's Day. It was a fun weekend but somehow I think Abbie and I had way more fun than Steve.

Abbie's 1st Birthday

We celebrated Abbie's first birthday with a two day celebration. On Friday we celebrated Abbie's birthday with family and an ice cream cake. On Saturday we had 30 family and friends at our house to celebrate. Abbie received lots of toys for her birthday, which is what she needed because mom was tired of playing with her old toys! Abbie ate her whole birthday cupcake and loved being the center of attention. Abbie's big gift was a club house/swing set for the back yard. We played on this almost every day all Summer!

July

Vacation to Williamsburg

We went on vacation to Williamsburg with my entire immediate family. All 8 of us lived in the same condo for a week and got along very well! We had a lot of fun all week. We went to Busch Gardens, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and the condo's outdoor pool. The boys played golf twice while the girls shopped. I really enjoyed being together with my entire family for a week long vacation. I can not remember the last time we all went on vacation together for a week.

Delanco Camp

We spent a week at Delanco Camp in NJ. Steve was the evangelist for the week. Also, we brought 4 students from our youth group with us for the week. It was a great week. I enjoyed not having to cook, clean, or do laundry. It was nice to hang out with friends for the week and experience God working in so many of the teenagers lives.

August

Trip to PA

We took a week long trip up to PA to visit Steve's family. It was a great week to visit with family and enjoy the country. While we were up there I got to see Wendy, my best friend, for a day. Abbie got to sit on her first tractor, learn that cows say moo, and pet a horse. Plus Abbie really enjoyed playing with her cousin Ava. They had a lot of fun together.

Phillies Game

The next weekend we went to Abbie's first Phillies/Pirates baseball

with my mom, dad, and sister Marci. Abbie loved seeing the big TV and dancing to the music.

Abbie enjoyed the game and made it through 10 inninigs before she had had enough!

Trip to Cape May Zoo

We decided to take one last family day trip before Summer was over. So we rode the ferry from DE to NJ and went to the Cape May Zoo. We enjoyed seeing all of the animals. Abbie would get really excited to see each new animal. We saw zebras, tigers, lions, etc. But Abbie's favorite was the pigs. The zoo had a nice playground which Abbie enjoyed playing on. It was a nice day to end the Summer with!