Hi everyone, this is Abigail, you know, Little Miss Sunshine? I am almost 11 months old. I had the most wonderful adventure this past weekend when Mommy and Daddy went on a trip to wine country in a place called Napa Valley in California. I think this is another state and I heard that it is on an ocean, but not the one I saw or Daddy flew over on his trip to Europe. I wonder how many oceans there are. This ocean is called the “Pacific” and since it sounds a lot like “pacifier” I wonder if it is very soothing. Anyway, Daddy and Mommy and Trekker wrote me stories from their trip, I just love to hear them. Grandma and Grandpa came to stay with me and Fancy and Bella for the weekend. Boy did we have fun! The day Daddy and Mommy left, we immediately went out and about. I like to get out as you know (otherwise, my blog would not be called “the amazing adventures…”). We were all over the place, going to stores, touring fancy neighborhoods and going for ice cream. I even got to taste ice cream and I sure did like it. Grandpa and Grandma bought a swing for me too! It took two trips to find Toys-R-Us, a store I can imagine I will love to visit many times in my childhood, we found the right one. They put it up on the patio when Mommy and Daddy got home and I got to swing right there. Now I don’t even need to go to the park to swing! Back to the story. Grandma and Grandpa were impressed with my “good nature,” great sleeping and “bottle chugging” (I am a very good eater!). I did miss Mommy and Daddy but there was little time to think about it because I was having such a good time. We laughed and played and read lots of books, including my favorite, “Brown Bear Brown Bear.” I climbed over Grandpa’s legs, pretending he was a mountain. I would go really fast when Grandma called my name because I just love her so much and wanted her to hold me. They helped me practice saying “mommy” which I am getting much better as saying.
Mommy and Daddy called on the phone while they were away. I don’t know why they do this because I find it to be very confusing. I hear familiar voices but I can’t see anyone. Don’t they understand what a complicated concept this is? They talk at me and try to get me to say something back but I am not sure who I am talking to because it just looks like a toy that I would rather eat than talk to. So I smell it and stare, waiting for it to make noise again. Sometimes I press the buttons and they make different noises. Then I try to eat it again because it does look like a toy and that is what I do with my toys. I hope they learn! It’s almost as confusing as seeing and hearing Grandpa and Grandma on the computer but not being able to touch them. I was so glad that they were here with me so they could hold me and talk to me and laugh and play. I am glad that Daddy and Mommy spent time away, I am so lucky to have such a great Grandma and Grandpa!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Dear Abigail,
Mommy and Daddy left you today in the caring hands of Grandma and Grandpa to take care of you. While we know they will take care of you, it is very hard for us to leave you this very first time. We are sure it is harder on us than it is on you. Our adventure started almost immediately as we heard there was an accident in Dayton that was slowing traffic and was going to keep us from getting to the airport. Immediately, Mommy went into action and got out the maps and developed an action plan to get around the accident. We made it to the airport with time to spare! We flew on a jet plane from Dayton to Dallas-Fort-Worth (this is in the state of Texas, you have not been there yet but you will someday on our quest to visit every state). It was really nice flying with Mommy, Daddy loves her so much. When we arrived in Dallas, Mommy pumped. I am so proud that your Mommy does this for you, the two of you are a great team. It was hot in Dallas, almost 90 degrees. Fortunately, we were not there very long before we piled into the next cattle car, I mean airplane and headed to San Francisco. Mommy watched a movie called “27 dresses” and Daddy slept for 2 hours. I dreamed about you, Mommy and me traveling together. Pretty soon we are going to be taking you on an airplane for the first time. We are so excited! Mommy and I talked about how hard it is to be without you. Fortunately, you are in the good hands of Grandma and Grandpa. We love you so much.
We arrived in San Francisco, California no problem (this is another state that you will visit!). The only problem was that is was 40 degrees colder than Dallas. Fortunately, your parents had jackets to keep us warm (unlike many other travelers who did not plan ahead and were very chilly waiting for the hotel shuttle). We stayed at a hotel by the airport and your Mommy pumped again before we went to sleep. We thought about you at home sleeping soundly.
Friday, May 23, 2008
We got up in the morning and got ready for our day. Of course Mommy pumped for you because she is such a good mommy and loves you very much. We drove over the Golden Gate bridge on our way to Healdsburg, California. The Golden Gate is an amazing bridge across the bay that is an engineering marvel. I look forward to walking across it with you some day, I know we will! We went to Healdsburg, a beautiful little town, and had lunch on the square. After lunch, Mommy pumped (in the back of the car!) and we visited our first winery in town. We visited Rosenblum’s tasting room on the square. We talked to a nice man named Steve who told us about the wines. Once we left Rosenblum’s, we looked at some cute shops and then went to Seghesio. This winery was very cool. Of course we took pictures to show you. After Seghesio, we went to Ridge. Of course your mommy found a back way that was incredibly scenic and beautiful to drive. We really enjoyed Ridge. I know this winery talk may be boring to you so I will not talk about the last two places we stopped and tasted. On the way to the bed and breakfast we called to talk to you. You were having such a good time with Grandma and Grandpa. I don’t think you missed us, but Grandma tried to make us feel like you did.
The bed and breakfast we stayed at was called Brannan Cottage in Calistoga, California. It is a quaint little B&B, just off the main street in the town. We checked in and your Mommy pumped again (the “machine” has to keep working!). We had another tasting at the B&B with Markham. It was very nice and we met a couple from Atlanta, Georgia, and one from Washington DC (two more places that we will visit together). They were both nice and your mom and I were the “mature older couple.” It was fun talking to them while we tasted some good wine! I was impressed and somewhat surprised that your mom did not find out their names and ask them to dinner. We went off to dinner (by ourselves) at a Mexican restaurant called Puerto Vallarta. It was really good. We then took a walk through the town. Daddy bought a shirt and Mommy bought a decaf espresso to warm herself up (it was still quite chilly). Now we are off to bed to rest up for our big day tomorrow. We love you sweetheart.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Good morning Abigail! We hope you slept well again last night. There is a 3 hour time difference between California and Ohio, so Mommy and I go to bed long after you and get up after you have already had breakfast and are thinking about your morning nap. With the time change it takes our bodies a little while to adjust. We slept pretty well, but Mommy got up early and could not get back to sleep. I think it was because the guy snoring in the next room. He was really loud, so Mommy read her “Jack Reacher” novel and Daddy continued to rest. We are thinking about going for a jog before breakfast. We are looking forward to breakfast because there are going to be blueberry pancakes and Canadian bacon. Don’t ask me why they call it Canadian bacon, maybe it comes from a pig that lived in Canada. Canada is the country north of the United States (where we live). We will go there someday. I wonder if they call our bacon “American” bacon. Today is going to be a big day as we are going to go “tasting” with our friends. I hope the weather is nice there today so you can go to the park. You can show Grandma and Grandpa how much you love to swing and slide. Have a great day Abigail. Your Mommy and Daddy love you very much.
Hi Honey! Mommy and Daddy are waiting for our friends to arrive. We got up this morning, went for a run, had breakfast and are now ready for another day. We talked to you and Grandma and it sounds like you are doing very well. It is not very nice weather here today, it is very rainy and chilly. It sounds like you have good weather. I bet you will go for a fun walk today. We will call later. Bye!
Dear Abigail,
Mommy and I met our friends today and spent the whole day visiting wineries in the Napa Valley (the area in California where we stayed and toured). There were 11 of us, including Terra, Mike, Julie, Kelly, Anisha, Eric, Ron, Bea and Lara. We were being toured by Gordon (Gordy) Larum. Other than the weather which was cold and rainy, it was a fun day. We hit several small wineries with a great tour of the Schramsberg sparkling wine caves and a trip up Diamond Creek Mountain to taste Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvigon. Mommy and I splurged on some wines today! It was great to see our friends, but I have to say it is hard being away from you. We just love you so much. After a fun day of tasting, your Mommy and I came back to our B&B where we relaxed for awhile before going to dinner at another place in Calistoga called Checkers. Dinner was good but the service was marginal. The waitress asked us if we were interested in dessert before we had received our meals. I thought you might think this was a trick Mommy was playing because she loves dessert, but no it was just poor service. Now we are getting ready for bed. You are sleeping soundly right now. We will be home to see you in less than two days. We love you very much, we can’t wait to see you.
Hi Abigail, it’s Trekker. I am with Mommy and Daddy on their trip to “wine country.” On the day we left (Thursday), Mommy and Daddy planned ahead (because that’s what they do) and took the scenic path through D-town (otherwise known as Dayton) where Mommy and Daddy met and lived. They wound through the streets to avoid the traffic delay and talked about the life they used to have there. It sounds like it was a ton of fun, with a little house in a more “urban” neighborhood. I am not sure what “urban” means but Daddy always talks about the small yard that was easy to maintain, so it must have something to do with that. Anyway, Mommy loves to navigate (find her way) using maps, so it was a fun adventure weaving through the little town. And, they went by the Dayton Dragon’s field and talked about you. The talked about how much fun it was taking you to the game and they wondered if you were having a good time with Grandma and Grandpa.
Mommy and Daddy are very funny because they were very excited and proud of themselves for parking in the economy lot at the airport which is just across a barrier from the much more expensive credit card lot! They laughed at the people who pay so much more for the same spot. You will learn this in your life that Daddy and Mommy get excited by the silliest things. They got checked in no problem and made it through security in minutes. Again they were talking about how great their old town (Dayton) was because the airport was so easy to get through.
As you know, Mommy especially, but Daddy too loves to eat. As soon as they sat at the gate, they ate their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (with cheez-its on them of course). They were again proud of themselves for packing food and snacks and not paying for expensive food at the airport. They made some excuse to eat about how it would be hard to eat on the plane, but they just like to eat.
They were able to sit just the two of them on the plane which was nice. As Daddy already told you, the next plane was full and cramped and Mommy had to sit in the middle with a flap broken on the seat in front of her. You will also learn that some of the smallest things drive Mommy crazy, especially stuff touching her or irritating noises. Please keep this in mind! Anyway, I forgot that they made their first calls to you before they boarded the plane. You were having a great time, had been out for a walk and Grandpa was getting out the ice cream for dessert. Mommy had her first “mommy time” (a.k.a. pumping session) just as Daddy said, in the “family bathroom” in the airport. Mommy does not really like pumping, especially while traveling, but she knows it’s the best for you. It went pretty well until she had to stop in the middle for a disabled woman who thought it was the only handicapped bathroom in the terminal (it was not). After that blip, Mommy finished and joined Daddy as he was trying to explain to Grandpa how to use the TV’s. As I am sure you know because you were there, the TV can be very challenging, especially if you accidentally hit the wrong button. Mommy had to call in reinforcements (Papaw) to help Grandpa because somehow the big TV and the kitchen TV were not working and Grandpa and Grandma were watching TV from the floor in the exercise room. This would not work all weekend! Once they got into the cattle car, Mommy settled in to watch the movie while Daddy slept (as he already told you). Mommy hopes that you like movies as much as she does. Maybe you will even go into “the biz” and work at a movie theatre some day. Then you and Mommy can go to movies for free. Maybe Nana or “Aunt JJ” will come to the movies like they did when you were very little and you and Mommy went to movies every Tuesday morning. Daddy slept during the flight and Mommy raided the snacks. No, she was not hungry but this is just something she does. She hopes that you do not have the same problem with raiding snacks, it’s a very difficult habit to break.
On Friday, Mommy and Daddy had such a good time together! Sometimes mommies and daddies don’t have lots to talk about after they have kids, but we enjoyed the day (they include me in the fun, you know). Mommy just loves to see Daddy so happy because he is enjoying something he loves (wine). Mommy likes wine too, but Daddy reads about it and makes lists and remembers so much that Mommy can’t imagine it. Daddy is so smart! We also talked about you a lot and wondered how you were doing.
On Saturday night after our day of tasting with our friends and our “ok” dinner in town, Daddy and Mommy were to sleep early (after Mommy pumped, of course). They were awakened at 12:39 am (3:39 am in Ohio) by a very loud person in the next room. We think he might have had too much to drink and his volume control was broken. He was also very upset with his wife/girlfriend (Kirsten) who could not seem to calm him down. We all know many things about their relationship and are sad for them. Daddy and Mommy could not imagine saying some of the things he said to her in the way he said them. Daddy called the owner (Doug) about the noise because we were afraid that this person was going to hurt Kirsten. Doug had to get out of bed and come over 4 blocks and ask them to quiet down. We hope that we can guide you enough so that you are in relationships where you are treated with love and respect. Mommy appreciates Daddy even more after situations like that, because he is an excellent husband and a great role model for how a man should treat a woman.
Sunday morning, after the yelling man woke Mommy up snoring, Mommy decided not to worry about how loud the pump was or what time she needed to pump. It did not matter, though, she would get no revenge and would never see the yelling people in the night. Mommy and Daddy had already eaten, dressed, packed up and been to two wineries before the couple got out of bed. The owners were actually a little worried that he had done something to Kirsten!
Mommy was pretty tired on Sunday. She and Daddy visited three wineries, had lunch at a good BBQ place, walked the cute town of Calistoga again and drove into the city (San Francisco). We will let Daddy tell you about the first winery that day; Arroyo, but just know that it was really, really cool! It was a sunny day, much better than Saturday, but still a little chilly. They met Daddy’s friends (Chris and Kelly) for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant and ventured to the tourist part of town called Fisherman’s Warf for drinks with the rest of the group. It was fun to hear about their adventures on the van right back to the city after wine tasting on Saturday night. We went to a bar that had 68 beers on tap! You will learn more about beer in a few decades (no sooner!) and this will mean more to you. Daddy and Mommy saw many little kids and wished you were there with us and talked about how they can’t wait to show you all of the great places in this country and world. Oh the places we will go! After drinks, Daddy and Mommy were off to return the car and catch the 12:40 am (red eye) flight. They call these “red eye” flights because you fly through the night and lose hours on the trip (because you are traveling from a place like California to a place like Ohio, where we live). Mommy sure does know that, her eyes were really red the next day. Besides being tired, the flights home were great. We arrived home by 1:30 (as you know) and were so excited to see you! We think you had such a good time with Grandma and Grandpa that you were not sure what to do when we got home. And you love them so much that you cried when they left. Although we don’t like to see you cry, we were really glad that you had such a good time.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I can’t believe how busy we have been since the last time I updated you on my life and “going-ons.” I am mobile!!! Yes, I “commando crawl” all over the place. Mommy and Daddy need to “baby proof” the house now, because I have my eye on all of the shiny and pretty things. When I am tired of crawling around, I love to sit and clap and look around for everyone to be looking at me. And they usually are. I also have another tooth, this time on the top of my mouth. It sure did hurt when it was coming in. I got it on my 10-month day. But it’s here now and I am proud of my new tooth. I am not sick this weekend either, what a bonus. The last time I went to the doctor she told Mommy that I had been on antibiotics for 40 of the last 60 days. I could have told her that but it sounded even more dramatic when she said it. I really, really, really do not like the doctor. I cry like Mommy and Daddy never hear me cry. I just do not like it at all. I get so upset I cannot calm down. I think I make my point so I am not sure why they keep taking me there. Anyway, I am not sick right now and I hope I don’t get sick again for a long time. It’s hard though, because all of the kids in my class (all 8 of us) like to put all of the toys in our mouths and also like to stick our fingers and hands in each others’ faces. I do this at home and Mommy and Daddy get sick too.
We have seen Grandma and Grandpa lots, that makes me so happy. I laugh and giggle and play with them the whole time. I get to see them on the computer too, although I still don’t quite understand how. I see them and hear them but I really just want to touch them. Luckily, they agree with me so they have come here to see me even more than I expected. We also went to see them in Toledo. We got to see lots of my cousins and friends at Judy’s bridal shower. You know how much I love a party, so the weekend was right down my alley. I had such a good time entertaining everyone at the party! I don’t always sleep well when I am the life of the party during the day, so the night that Daddy and Mommy went out with their friends until late I woke them up at 5 am because I could not sleep. Luckily Daddy is my hero and walked me around for an hour.
We sold Mommy’s convertible. Mommy was sad about not having her “top down days” or “mini vacations” she experienced when she drove it, but she knows that she and I will share different fun times for now. Just like she and Nana enjoyed Nana’s convertible before Mommy got hers, maybe she and I will get a convertible when I am older. Sometimes she opens the sunroof on the “SUV” – sport utility van, but I don’t think that’s quite the same.
Mommy went on two trips in the last month. First she went to Columbus, a city about 1 ½ hours away from here. I have been there before to see my friend Anna (there are pictures of Anna on my blog). I don’t think she went to see Anna, because she would relay to me all of the fun things Anna had to say. She was only gone for one night and Trekker was pretty tired from our trip to Toledo so he decided not to go. The next trip Mommy went on was to a place called “Camp Joy.” Since “joy” is such a happy word, I figured that she was going to have a very good time. I don’t know what camping means, but Mommy said that she used to do this all of the time when she was growing up as a girl scout. Mommy loved being a girl scout and is really excited for me to be big enough to be a girl scout too. Every time Mommy talks about girl scouts she starts singing a fun song or tells me stories of adventures and good friends, so I am excited too. Mommy went with her whole team out in the woods for a few days. They slept in cabins, ate in a dining hall, played in the rain and ate smores around a camp fire. Trekker was there, with golashes on and everything. Trekker said that it was the strangest business trip he had ever been on with Mommy. Camp Joy is about 30 minutes from here, near a family camp ground (Cowen Lake) that Mommy used to visit all of the time with Nana, Papaw, Aunt Michele, Uncle Rob and Uncle David. When Mommy arrived, everyone had to carry their fancy rolling suitcases on a muddy path, down the stairs and up the hill to the cabins. Trekker said it was really funny to watch the 35 people, many who have never been camping, getting settled at the camp. There were 4 bunk beds in each cabin so Mommy put her bag down by one of the bunk beds and put her hiking shoes and sweat shirt. Even though it’s May, it has been quite chilly, especially in the woods. And boy does the rain make it colder! But, Mommy and her work friends did not seem to notice the rain or the chill. They played games, sang songs around the fire, shared funny and touching stories and did lots of really challenging activities together. I wonder if the activities were as hard as learning how to crawl or stand on your own like what I am doing. Mommy learned a bunch about herself and her team and is still talking about what a great time it was. The night she got home was my bath night and because she was all wet from being in the rain all day, we both took a shower. We have some great pictures of the two of us in our “spa outfits” after our warm showers.
Daddy went on a business trip across the ocean. I have seen the ocean on vacation but we did not go across the ocean to get there. He left on a Saturday and came home on Wednesday. It was a very long time for him to be gone, but don’t worry, he wrote us emails and a special story for me. I have them here so you can see what Daddy wrote too.
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:00 PM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Hello
Amy and Abigail, I love you! Don't have too much fun without me.
Talk to you soon. Matthew
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 6:03 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Good Morning
Good Morning love!
I hope you slept well. Give Abigail a kiss for me! I got here fine. I am very congested from the flying. I got to the hotel and ran into Doug and Marianne. We are going to take the tram up the mountain.
Have fun today. Love always, Matthew
From: Connor, Amy
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 10:08 PM
To: Connor, Matthew
Subject: Good morning
Hi sweets - I hope you slept well!
We had a good night. She slept until 6pm then we took Colin's present to his house and returned the car cover too. Had a fun bath, book, snack and then to bed. I watched Numbers (pretty good) and was getting the car stuff organized for tomorrow.
Talk to you later. Love, Amy, Abigail, FP and Bella
P.s. Abigail started looking around for you after I got her out of the tub. It was so cute.
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 2:41 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: RE: Good morning
Amy,
Sounds like you had a good night. I did sleep well and wish I was still sleeping. It is another beautiful day here in Geneva and we are just getting started. I love you, give everyone kisses from me.
Matthew
From: Connor, Amy
To: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Mon May 05 20:43:14 2008
Subject: Good morning
Hi sweetie - we had a good night but will be glad to see you soon!
We ate at Panera where Abigail was a hit. We sat outside and she waved at everyone coming and going. We washed up, read a book and ate and the girl is now in bed. Not sleeping but at least in bed.
Julie sent us some CVS coupons and Kelly sent us a wine article for Napa, how sweet!
Hope you slept well. Love, Amy and the gang
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 1:35 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Re: Good morning
Oh, our girl is so sweet and friendly. I can't wait to see you very soon. At this time tomorrow I will be on the plane headed for Paris and then home. I am still waking up this morning I think I could sleep another couple hrs but another beautiful day in Geneva is starting.
Matthew
From: Connor, Amy
To: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Tue May 06 21:34:26 2008
Subject: Good morning!
Hi sweets - I hope you slept well and have a safe trip home. We had a good night, went to Walmart and came home to eat. I made us money by not eating out!
Your parents are coming on Friday and are leaving on Sat before the game.
I love you and can't wait to see you. And so do Abigail and the kitties. Love, Amy
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 1:15 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Re: Good morning!
Hi love!
I am sitting on the plane in Geneva. I am excited to begin my journey home to see all of you!
Love always, Matthew
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 4:40 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Good Morning Abigail
HI Honey!
Tell Abigail that Daddy wanted to say good morning! Tell her that Daddy will come straight from the airport to school to pick her up.
I am in Paris. We should be boarding in another 15 min or so and we leave in about an hour. I am so tired. I hope I can sleep a little on the plane.
I love you! Tell Abigail I love her and will see her soon. Matthew
DADDY’S NOTE FOR ABIGAIL – WRITTEN ON HIS TRIP TO GENEVA
5/3/08
As I departed for the airport to begin my journey to Geneva, Switzerland I was sad because I would not see you for four days. Four days might not seem like a long time, but it is when you are growing as much as you are. While I know I must travel for work I will miss your vibrant smile and giggles as you look at me in the morning or when we are playing blocks. Fortunate for you, your mom (AKA The Dairy Queen) is there to take care of you and of course your brother (Fancy Pants the Cat) and sister (Bella the Cat) will help as well.
So far my travels have been relatively uneventful. I flew from Cincinnati (actually the airport is in Kentucky) to New York John F. Kennedy airport. I have flown a lot, but am not very familiar with this very large airport. It took me awhile to figure out I had to take a train from one part of the airport to another because there were no signs. I found out at the gate to get on the next plane that security was not supposed to let me through with the ticket I had. The airline needed to issue me a different one. Fortunately, security was more interested in throwing out my water bottle than I did not have a proper ticket. The nice lady at the gate gave me a new ticket. For the past hour, I have been sitting in the plane driving down the runway. I am waiting for the pilot to tell us we are driving to Switzerland. When you are a little older you will realize that is not possible because Switzerland is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The problem is that air traffic is so congested in the New York City area it takes a long time to take off and land. Great news, we just took off seventy-five minutes late. One of the first things you will learn about air travel is that leaving late qualifies as an on time departure because we were in the plane and the plane pulled back from the gate. That seems wrong to me, but that is the way it works. It is similar to people at work who make the numbers say whatever they want them to say.
I am flying on Swiss Air in an Airbus 330 airplane. The airplane is nice and much newer than some of the Delta planes that I normally fly. In Switzerland, people speak French, so there are a lot of people speaking French on the plane including the man next to me. Daddy only knows about 6 words of French, so it all sounds like gibberish to me. I hope they feed us soon, because I sure am hungry. I should have listened to Mommy and got something to eat in the airport. Your Mommy is very smart.
I hope you had fun at the baseball game and our now on your way home to bed. It is almost 9 pm, so you may already be asleep in the car. I hope to be asleep soon as well. I have heard the weather in Geneva is going to be 26 Celsius when I arrive. Since we use Fahrenheit to measure temperature in the USA (one of the only places that don’t use the metric system) I don’t really know what the exact temperature will be today but I know it will be warm. I think in the 70’s. I hope to get in a run and a nap before my dinner with my co-workers.
I love you and will write more tomorrow.
5/4/08
Abigail you are sleeping soundly right now, while I am just waking up on the plane. I can just picture you cuddled up with your blanket and sucking on your pacifier. Yes, Daddy is still on the plane. It is an 8 hour flight to Geneva and we have about an hour left. I had a nice dinner on the plane last night and watched Nicolas Cage in National Treasure II. The movie was very exciting. I think the airline copied your Mommy’s dessert with the brownie with ice cream in the middle. I think we should sue the airline for taste infringement. But it is probably not worth the hassle and Mommy’s dessert is still much better.
I think I slept a little over four hours on the plane which is pretty good considering I am still pretty congested, which is not a good condition to have on the plane. Fortunately, I have a lot of different medicines I I can take to help make me feel better. I had a croissant for breakfast which was not very exciting. I had higher expectations from this airline. I am sure I will eat fabulous food later today that will make up for breakfast. I hope you, Mommy, Nana, Uncle Rob and Aunt Jeannie had fun at the Dragons baseball game. I would have liked to been there for your first baseball game. Well I am going to do a little work now, I have about 45 minutes left before my plane lands in Geneva. Geneva is a pretty city, I hope to visit with you and Mommy some day when you are a little older. I will talk to you soon. Sweet dreams, my love.
I just landed in Geneva and grabbed a taxi ride to the Hotel. Fortunately, the driver of the taxi knew where the hotel was because Daddy just had the Hotel name not the address. Daddy needs to be more careful about his trip planning. Not having an address can cause a problem. Fortunately it did not this time. I promise that I will be more careful when we are traveling as a family. As I walked in the hotel I saw my coworkers Doug and Marianne. I stopped and talked to them for quite awhile. They were going to take a tram up the mountain to see the view of the city. I thought that sounded like fun, so I joined them on the excursion. I am sure you will find out sooner or later that your daddy is a little scared of heights. I have no problem flying and I am ok once my feet are on the ground at the top of the mountain but I do not like tram rides. I was surprised this one was not so bad. I guess it might be due to the fact I did not look out when the tram was going up the mountain. The views of the city from the mountain top were just majestic. We could see clearly for many miles. I am continually amazed at how beautiful this world we live in is. It is important that we do our best to take care of it for generations to come. We did some hiking on the mountain for an hour or so and then came back to the hotel.
It was past lunch time and we were not eating dinner until 7:30 pm, so we went to the gas station to get snacks. You may wonder why we did not go to a restaurant for lunch, well many stores and restaurants are not open on Sunday in Geneva or the rest of Europe for that matter. The gas station worked well for Daddy, he enjoyed a Coke and some chips. Unfortunately, the gas station did not carry Pepsi. Pepsi is Daddy’s favorite, but it is hard to find in Europe. Coke is the big guy. Marianne bought some bread and cheese, so Daddy had some of that as well. We sat out in front of the hotel and just talked and enjoyed the beautiful day. My goal was to take a nap, but I was not very tired. Now I am getting tired, but I am not sure I have time before dinner.
I hope you had fun watching your first marathon. I hope there are many more opportunities for you to cheer your Daddy on at races and I look forward to the day you and I may be able to do a race together. No pressure of course. I love you, talk to you soon.
Dinner was ok. We ate at the hotel with some work people. I have to say I don’t normally eat at the hotel when I travel because there are so many excellent dinner options to choose from. It was nice that when dinner was over all I had to do was go upstairs and go to bed. One issue I had was I have been having trouble unlocking my door. The hotel here uses old fashioned keys and I kept turning and turning the key but nothing was happening. This happened to your Daddy each time he came back to the room. I am sure that I looked very funny. I watched mindless television for awhile before going to sleep. It is hard to watch television here as I do not speak French or German and all of the shows are in those languages. I hope you are able to speak more than one language as you grow up. Daddy wishes he would have taken his language studies more seriously.
5/5/08
Good morning Abigail from Geneva, Switzerland. I can’t believe it is time to get up and go to the office. It feels like I just went to sleep. The funny thing is with the change in time, Daddy is getting up and you are in the middle of a sound sleep. I wish I could look in on you because you are a very sweet sleeper. I am sitting here wondering how you have positioned yourself in your bed. I can picture that Mommy has Fancy purring her a sweet lullaby and Bella is sleeping soundly at the end of the bed.
Today has been a very interesting day. It is a beautiful day here in Geneva, so we walked the 10 minutes from the hotel to the office. It sure would be nice if we could have enjoyed the sights instead of having to sit in a conference room all day. I have learned a lot from my colleagues here in Geneva. We have a great team. They shared a lot of information about their business. The only problem is that Daddy was tired and the room was very warm. One thing you will learn about Europeans is that they don’t really believe in air conditioning and some don’t believe in using deodorant. In the summer it can be a little smelly at times.
We went into the city centre to eat dinner with the whole team. I can’t recall the name of the restaurant. Daddy had fish, it was good but not fantastic. I have been a little disappointed with my meals to this point. It was fun talking to all of the people at dinner. In Geneva, the people on the team are from all over the world. One is from Mexico, one is from Germany, one is from England, four are from Franc, one is from South Africa and I think only one is actually from Switzerland. The reason we are in Geneva is for tax purposes. You will learn more about taxes when you are older. Daddy finds it very interesting talking to all these people and learning about their backgrounds. Once again your Daddy watched some mindless television in French before going to sleep for the night. I need to learn that I will be better off just going to sleep.
5/6/08
It is another beautiful spring day here in Geneva. Today we met in a conference room in the basement of the office, so we were not even be able to look outside. Today the marketing people were talking marketing stuff. This is what your Mommy does. I decided to do some work to try and not get to far behind with stuff I needed to do back home. After another long day, many in our group were headed to the airport to go to other cities to work the next day. My boss and I are flying home tomorrow, so we worked late and then went and had pizza and beers at a small place by the hotel. I think this has been my best meal of the entire trip. I don’t know if it was the Calzone (pizza wrapped in dough, with an egg in the middle) or the beer but it was good. It was nice to get time to talk to Bill (Daddy’s boss) by myself. I always learn a lot from people like Bill as they have so many work experiences. After sitting outside and enjoying the fresh spring air we went back to the hotel. I talked to your Mommy at work. The only sad thing about when I go to sleep is that you are at school, so I don’t get to say good night to you properly. I do take out you, Mommy, Fancy and Bella’s pictures to say good night. I miss you honey and can’t wait to pick you up from school tomorrow.
5/7/08
How exciting, it is time to begin my trip home to see you and Mommy. Right now you are sleeping soundly, and I am sitting in the airport in Geneva waiting on my flight. I am flying to Paris, France and then home to Cincinnati. I can’t wait to see the look on your face when I arrive at school to pick you up. I love you Abigail! I look forward to our first adventure as a family this summer when we go to Colorado. Fortunately, Colorado is a lot closer than Geneva. See you soon. Daddy.
I came straight to school and when you looked up and saw me, I just about cried. You smiled and waved your arms in the air. I could not have asked for anything more. I just love you Abigail and I am so glad to be home. THE END
While Daddy was gone Mommy and I were very busy! When he left we went to Dayton to see Mommy’s friend Susan who lives in Boston but was visiting for the weekend. We went for a fun walk to DLM, the grocery store that Mommy and Daddy love. After that we went to Papaw’s house to visit him and great-grandmother Betty. After that we picked up Nana, Uncle Rob and Aunt Jeannie. We all went to dinner at Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers, a fun local restaurant by the house Mommy and Daddy used to live in. Then….we went to the Dayton Dragon’s baseball game. It was my first time going to a game like this. We went to see Colin throw the first pitch at the game. It was really cool, he got to stand out in the middle of the field and throw the ball. He did such a great job, we were all so proud. It was a really chilly night and boy I was tired after all of our activities, so we did not stay very long. We made a quick stop at Nana’s house then Nana came home to have a slumber party with us! The next morning, Mommy, Nana and I got up early and went to watch the Flying Pig marathon. Our friend Caty was fast walking in it. We stood in our “spot” – because you know I was in Mommy’s belly last year when she went to watch Caty and Mommy’s other friend Wendy. Anyway, it was really fun to see all of the people cheering and clapping for these people who were running down the street. I have not seen that many people running in one direction before. Even though I was in the Rome marathon while in Mommy’s belly and that we went to watch Daddy in a marathon last year too, it is not the same when you aren’t technically born yet. This year was different because I was able to clap (because I am very good at this) and wave my hands up and down. After the race we went home so Nana and I could take a nap and so Mommy could go to church. After Mommy came home from church, Mommy’s new friend, Dani came over to help Nana learn new exercise techniques. It was fun to crawl around while Nana was doing the same thing! After Nana left, Mommy and I hung out for awhile then went to see Kristy. What a busy weekend we had!
Last weekend was really busy too! Grandma and Grandpa came because they missed me so much. I got to leave school early Friday to hang out with them. They took me to JC Penney to get my picture taken too. I loved it! Since Mommy has been doing photo shoots with me since I was one day old, I am pretty used to it. On Saturday I played and played with Grandma and Grandpa. When they left, Daddy, Mommy and I went to the Dayton Dragon’s game (two weeks in a row for me and Mommy). We had a great time! It was a “double header,” which Daddy said just means two games on one day. Between the games, they threw out big beach balls and everyone in the stands (that’s where we all sit) bounced the balls all around. I so loved watching the balls go up and down. Daddy even got to hit the ball a couple of times. I think I would like to go to another game like that again. I don’t really care about what the men on the field are doing but I sure do like the activities in the sitting area (Daddy calls is the stands). On Mother’s Day, Daddy woke up with a belly ache so he just stayed in bed and Mommy and I ran some errands. I was such a good sport and went out in the rain with her, but after a couple of hours, I was ready to get home where it was warm and dry! So Mommy picked up Noble Roman’s, a fun type of pizza that she used to have when she was a kid. I hope I get to do as many neat things that Mommy did when she was a kid.
This past weekend was a really fun day. It was just the three of us (5 including the kitties) most of the time. We spent Saturday morning at home together. After lunch we went and bought Mommy’s Mother’s Day gift, a basketball backboard! After my afternoon nap, we went to a place called Sharon Woods to hike. Daddy put me in our new backpack and we walked on the trail where we saw a couple of ponds with fish, water falls and streams, playgrounds that I hope to play in soon and lots of trees. It was pretty warm and sunny, something different for May as it has been raining so much. On Sunday we hung out together again then we went to the playground where I got to swing and slide down the slides. Boy did I have a good time! I wanted to do it again and again and again. I think Mommy and Daddy got tired. Do they know that this is just the beginning? Then we went over to our friends Dot and Bruce’s house. They have little friends like me in their life (grandkids) and had all of the best toys for me to play (measuring spoons and cups). Mommy and Daddy, though, made a very bad planning mistake and did not have a pacifier with us. When I get tired, I need my pacy. I did not understand why they would not give it to me when I got tired and wanted to go to sleep. I always have my pacy when I am tired! So I cried, trying to tell them over and over again that I really wanted my pacy. I cried so much that I could not get to sleep. Now we have pacifiers all over the place!
Grandma and Grandpa are coming on Thursday because Mommy and Daddy are going on vacation. I know, I know, I thought vacation meant that I was going somewhere, but this time they are going without me. They are going to a place called Napa which is in California. I hope that Trekker goes this time because I want to hear all about their trip. I am sure I will have lots of stories to tell too! Grandpa knows how to play my favorite game called "I drop it on the floor and you pick it up."
We have seen Grandma and Grandpa lots, that makes me so happy. I laugh and giggle and play with them the whole time. I get to see them on the computer too, although I still don’t quite understand how. I see them and hear them but I really just want to touch them. Luckily, they agree with me so they have come here to see me even more than I expected. We also went to see them in Toledo. We got to see lots of my cousins and friends at Judy’s bridal shower. You know how much I love a party, so the weekend was right down my alley. I had such a good time entertaining everyone at the party! I don’t always sleep well when I am the life of the party during the day, so the night that Daddy and Mommy went out with their friends until late I woke them up at 5 am because I could not sleep. Luckily Daddy is my hero and walked me around for an hour.
We sold Mommy’s convertible. Mommy was sad about not having her “top down days” or “mini vacations” she experienced when she drove it, but she knows that she and I will share different fun times for now. Just like she and Nana enjoyed Nana’s convertible before Mommy got hers, maybe she and I will get a convertible when I am older. Sometimes she opens the sunroof on the “SUV” – sport utility van, but I don’t think that’s quite the same.
Mommy went on two trips in the last month. First she went to Columbus, a city about 1 ½ hours away from here. I have been there before to see my friend Anna (there are pictures of Anna on my blog). I don’t think she went to see Anna, because she would relay to me all of the fun things Anna had to say. She was only gone for one night and Trekker was pretty tired from our trip to Toledo so he decided not to go. The next trip Mommy went on was to a place called “Camp Joy.” Since “joy” is such a happy word, I figured that she was going to have a very good time. I don’t know what camping means, but Mommy said that she used to do this all of the time when she was growing up as a girl scout. Mommy loved being a girl scout and is really excited for me to be big enough to be a girl scout too. Every time Mommy talks about girl scouts she starts singing a fun song or tells me stories of adventures and good friends, so I am excited too. Mommy went with her whole team out in the woods for a few days. They slept in cabins, ate in a dining hall, played in the rain and ate smores around a camp fire. Trekker was there, with golashes on and everything. Trekker said that it was the strangest business trip he had ever been on with Mommy. Camp Joy is about 30 minutes from here, near a family camp ground (Cowen Lake) that Mommy used to visit all of the time with Nana, Papaw, Aunt Michele, Uncle Rob and Uncle David. When Mommy arrived, everyone had to carry their fancy rolling suitcases on a muddy path, down the stairs and up the hill to the cabins. Trekker said it was really funny to watch the 35 people, many who have never been camping, getting settled at the camp. There were 4 bunk beds in each cabin so Mommy put her bag down by one of the bunk beds and put her hiking shoes and sweat shirt. Even though it’s May, it has been quite chilly, especially in the woods. And boy does the rain make it colder! But, Mommy and her work friends did not seem to notice the rain or the chill. They played games, sang songs around the fire, shared funny and touching stories and did lots of really challenging activities together. I wonder if the activities were as hard as learning how to crawl or stand on your own like what I am doing. Mommy learned a bunch about herself and her team and is still talking about what a great time it was. The night she got home was my bath night and because she was all wet from being in the rain all day, we both took a shower. We have some great pictures of the two of us in our “spa outfits” after our warm showers.
Daddy went on a business trip across the ocean. I have seen the ocean on vacation but we did not go across the ocean to get there. He left on a Saturday and came home on Wednesday. It was a very long time for him to be gone, but don’t worry, he wrote us emails and a special story for me. I have them here so you can see what Daddy wrote too.
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:00 PM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Hello
Amy and Abigail, I love you! Don't have too much fun without me.
Talk to you soon. Matthew
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 6:03 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Good Morning
Good Morning love!
I hope you slept well. Give Abigail a kiss for me! I got here fine. I am very congested from the flying. I got to the hotel and ran into Doug and Marianne. We are going to take the tram up the mountain.
Have fun today. Love always, Matthew
From: Connor, Amy
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 10:08 PM
To: Connor, Matthew
Subject: Good morning
Hi sweets - I hope you slept well!
We had a good night. She slept until 6pm then we took Colin's present to his house and returned the car cover too. Had a fun bath, book, snack and then to bed. I watched Numbers (pretty good) and was getting the car stuff organized for tomorrow.
Talk to you later. Love, Amy, Abigail, FP and Bella
P.s. Abigail started looking around for you after I got her out of the tub. It was so cute.
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 2:41 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: RE: Good morning
Amy,
Sounds like you had a good night. I did sleep well and wish I was still sleeping. It is another beautiful day here in Geneva and we are just getting started. I love you, give everyone kisses from me.
Matthew
From: Connor, Amy
To: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Mon May 05 20:43:14 2008
Subject: Good morning
Hi sweetie - we had a good night but will be glad to see you soon!
We ate at Panera where Abigail was a hit. We sat outside and she waved at everyone coming and going. We washed up, read a book and ate and the girl is now in bed. Not sleeping but at least in bed.
Julie sent us some CVS coupons and Kelly sent us a wine article for Napa, how sweet!
Hope you slept well. Love, Amy and the gang
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 1:35 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Re: Good morning
Oh, our girl is so sweet and friendly. I can't wait to see you very soon. At this time tomorrow I will be on the plane headed for Paris and then home. I am still waking up this morning I think I could sleep another couple hrs but another beautiful day in Geneva is starting.
Matthew
From: Connor, Amy
To: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Tue May 06 21:34:26 2008
Subject: Good morning!
Hi sweets - I hope you slept well and have a safe trip home. We had a good night, went to Walmart and came home to eat. I made us money by not eating out!
Your parents are coming on Friday and are leaving on Sat before the game.
I love you and can't wait to see you. And so do Abigail and the kitties. Love, Amy
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 1:15 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Re: Good morning!
Hi love!
I am sitting on the plane in Geneva. I am excited to begin my journey home to see all of you!
Love always, Matthew
From: Connor, Matthew
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 4:40 AM
To: Connor, Amy
Subject: Good Morning Abigail
HI Honey!
Tell Abigail that Daddy wanted to say good morning! Tell her that Daddy will come straight from the airport to school to pick her up.
I am in Paris. We should be boarding in another 15 min or so and we leave in about an hour. I am so tired. I hope I can sleep a little on the plane.
I love you! Tell Abigail I love her and will see her soon. Matthew
DADDY’S NOTE FOR ABIGAIL – WRITTEN ON HIS TRIP TO GENEVA
5/3/08
As I departed for the airport to begin my journey to Geneva, Switzerland I was sad because I would not see you for four days. Four days might not seem like a long time, but it is when you are growing as much as you are. While I know I must travel for work I will miss your vibrant smile and giggles as you look at me in the morning or when we are playing blocks. Fortunate for you, your mom (AKA The Dairy Queen) is there to take care of you and of course your brother (Fancy Pants the Cat) and sister (Bella the Cat) will help as well.
So far my travels have been relatively uneventful. I flew from Cincinnati (actually the airport is in Kentucky) to New York John F. Kennedy airport. I have flown a lot, but am not very familiar with this very large airport. It took me awhile to figure out I had to take a train from one part of the airport to another because there were no signs. I found out at the gate to get on the next plane that security was not supposed to let me through with the ticket I had. The airline needed to issue me a different one. Fortunately, security was more interested in throwing out my water bottle than I did not have a proper ticket. The nice lady at the gate gave me a new ticket. For the past hour, I have been sitting in the plane driving down the runway. I am waiting for the pilot to tell us we are driving to Switzerland. When you are a little older you will realize that is not possible because Switzerland is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The problem is that air traffic is so congested in the New York City area it takes a long time to take off and land. Great news, we just took off seventy-five minutes late. One of the first things you will learn about air travel is that leaving late qualifies as an on time departure because we were in the plane and the plane pulled back from the gate. That seems wrong to me, but that is the way it works. It is similar to people at work who make the numbers say whatever they want them to say.
I am flying on Swiss Air in an Airbus 330 airplane. The airplane is nice and much newer than some of the Delta planes that I normally fly. In Switzerland, people speak French, so there are a lot of people speaking French on the plane including the man next to me. Daddy only knows about 6 words of French, so it all sounds like gibberish to me. I hope they feed us soon, because I sure am hungry. I should have listened to Mommy and got something to eat in the airport. Your Mommy is very smart.
I hope you had fun at the baseball game and our now on your way home to bed. It is almost 9 pm, so you may already be asleep in the car. I hope to be asleep soon as well. I have heard the weather in Geneva is going to be 26 Celsius when I arrive. Since we use Fahrenheit to measure temperature in the USA (one of the only places that don’t use the metric system) I don’t really know what the exact temperature will be today but I know it will be warm. I think in the 70’s. I hope to get in a run and a nap before my dinner with my co-workers.
I love you and will write more tomorrow.
5/4/08
Abigail you are sleeping soundly right now, while I am just waking up on the plane. I can just picture you cuddled up with your blanket and sucking on your pacifier. Yes, Daddy is still on the plane. It is an 8 hour flight to Geneva and we have about an hour left. I had a nice dinner on the plane last night and watched Nicolas Cage in National Treasure II. The movie was very exciting. I think the airline copied your Mommy’s dessert with the brownie with ice cream in the middle. I think we should sue the airline for taste infringement. But it is probably not worth the hassle and Mommy’s dessert is still much better.
I think I slept a little over four hours on the plane which is pretty good considering I am still pretty congested, which is not a good condition to have on the plane. Fortunately, I have a lot of different medicines I I can take to help make me feel better. I had a croissant for breakfast which was not very exciting. I had higher expectations from this airline. I am sure I will eat fabulous food later today that will make up for breakfast. I hope you, Mommy, Nana, Uncle Rob and Aunt Jeannie had fun at the Dragons baseball game. I would have liked to been there for your first baseball game. Well I am going to do a little work now, I have about 45 minutes left before my plane lands in Geneva. Geneva is a pretty city, I hope to visit with you and Mommy some day when you are a little older. I will talk to you soon. Sweet dreams, my love.
I just landed in Geneva and grabbed a taxi ride to the Hotel. Fortunately, the driver of the taxi knew where the hotel was because Daddy just had the Hotel name not the address. Daddy needs to be more careful about his trip planning. Not having an address can cause a problem. Fortunately it did not this time. I promise that I will be more careful when we are traveling as a family. As I walked in the hotel I saw my coworkers Doug and Marianne. I stopped and talked to them for quite awhile. They were going to take a tram up the mountain to see the view of the city. I thought that sounded like fun, so I joined them on the excursion. I am sure you will find out sooner or later that your daddy is a little scared of heights. I have no problem flying and I am ok once my feet are on the ground at the top of the mountain but I do not like tram rides. I was surprised this one was not so bad. I guess it might be due to the fact I did not look out when the tram was going up the mountain. The views of the city from the mountain top were just majestic. We could see clearly for many miles. I am continually amazed at how beautiful this world we live in is. It is important that we do our best to take care of it for generations to come. We did some hiking on the mountain for an hour or so and then came back to the hotel.
It was past lunch time and we were not eating dinner until 7:30 pm, so we went to the gas station to get snacks. You may wonder why we did not go to a restaurant for lunch, well many stores and restaurants are not open on Sunday in Geneva or the rest of Europe for that matter. The gas station worked well for Daddy, he enjoyed a Coke and some chips. Unfortunately, the gas station did not carry Pepsi. Pepsi is Daddy’s favorite, but it is hard to find in Europe. Coke is the big guy. Marianne bought some bread and cheese, so Daddy had some of that as well. We sat out in front of the hotel and just talked and enjoyed the beautiful day. My goal was to take a nap, but I was not very tired. Now I am getting tired, but I am not sure I have time before dinner.
I hope you had fun watching your first marathon. I hope there are many more opportunities for you to cheer your Daddy on at races and I look forward to the day you and I may be able to do a race together. No pressure of course. I love you, talk to you soon.
Dinner was ok. We ate at the hotel with some work people. I have to say I don’t normally eat at the hotel when I travel because there are so many excellent dinner options to choose from. It was nice that when dinner was over all I had to do was go upstairs and go to bed. One issue I had was I have been having trouble unlocking my door. The hotel here uses old fashioned keys and I kept turning and turning the key but nothing was happening. This happened to your Daddy each time he came back to the room. I am sure that I looked very funny. I watched mindless television for awhile before going to sleep. It is hard to watch television here as I do not speak French or German and all of the shows are in those languages. I hope you are able to speak more than one language as you grow up. Daddy wishes he would have taken his language studies more seriously.
5/5/08
Good morning Abigail from Geneva, Switzerland. I can’t believe it is time to get up and go to the office. It feels like I just went to sleep. The funny thing is with the change in time, Daddy is getting up and you are in the middle of a sound sleep. I wish I could look in on you because you are a very sweet sleeper. I am sitting here wondering how you have positioned yourself in your bed. I can picture that Mommy has Fancy purring her a sweet lullaby and Bella is sleeping soundly at the end of the bed.
Today has been a very interesting day. It is a beautiful day here in Geneva, so we walked the 10 minutes from the hotel to the office. It sure would be nice if we could have enjoyed the sights instead of having to sit in a conference room all day. I have learned a lot from my colleagues here in Geneva. We have a great team. They shared a lot of information about their business. The only problem is that Daddy was tired and the room was very warm. One thing you will learn about Europeans is that they don’t really believe in air conditioning and some don’t believe in using deodorant. In the summer it can be a little smelly at times.
We went into the city centre to eat dinner with the whole team. I can’t recall the name of the restaurant. Daddy had fish, it was good but not fantastic. I have been a little disappointed with my meals to this point. It was fun talking to all of the people at dinner. In Geneva, the people on the team are from all over the world. One is from Mexico, one is from Germany, one is from England, four are from Franc, one is from South Africa and I think only one is actually from Switzerland. The reason we are in Geneva is for tax purposes. You will learn more about taxes when you are older. Daddy finds it very interesting talking to all these people and learning about their backgrounds. Once again your Daddy watched some mindless television in French before going to sleep for the night. I need to learn that I will be better off just going to sleep.
5/6/08
It is another beautiful spring day here in Geneva. Today we met in a conference room in the basement of the office, so we were not even be able to look outside. Today the marketing people were talking marketing stuff. This is what your Mommy does. I decided to do some work to try and not get to far behind with stuff I needed to do back home. After another long day, many in our group were headed to the airport to go to other cities to work the next day. My boss and I are flying home tomorrow, so we worked late and then went and had pizza and beers at a small place by the hotel. I think this has been my best meal of the entire trip. I don’t know if it was the Calzone (pizza wrapped in dough, with an egg in the middle) or the beer but it was good. It was nice to get time to talk to Bill (Daddy’s boss) by myself. I always learn a lot from people like Bill as they have so many work experiences. After sitting outside and enjoying the fresh spring air we went back to the hotel. I talked to your Mommy at work. The only sad thing about when I go to sleep is that you are at school, so I don’t get to say good night to you properly. I do take out you, Mommy, Fancy and Bella’s pictures to say good night. I miss you honey and can’t wait to pick you up from school tomorrow.
5/7/08
How exciting, it is time to begin my trip home to see you and Mommy. Right now you are sleeping soundly, and I am sitting in the airport in Geneva waiting on my flight. I am flying to Paris, France and then home to Cincinnati. I can’t wait to see the look on your face when I arrive at school to pick you up. I love you Abigail! I look forward to our first adventure as a family this summer when we go to Colorado. Fortunately, Colorado is a lot closer than Geneva. See you soon. Daddy.
I came straight to school and when you looked up and saw me, I just about cried. You smiled and waved your arms in the air. I could not have asked for anything more. I just love you Abigail and I am so glad to be home. THE END
While Daddy was gone Mommy and I were very busy! When he left we went to Dayton to see Mommy’s friend Susan who lives in Boston but was visiting for the weekend. We went for a fun walk to DLM, the grocery store that Mommy and Daddy love. After that we went to Papaw’s house to visit him and great-grandmother Betty. After that we picked up Nana, Uncle Rob and Aunt Jeannie. We all went to dinner at Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers, a fun local restaurant by the house Mommy and Daddy used to live in. Then….we went to the Dayton Dragon’s baseball game. It was my first time going to a game like this. We went to see Colin throw the first pitch at the game. It was really cool, he got to stand out in the middle of the field and throw the ball. He did such a great job, we were all so proud. It was a really chilly night and boy I was tired after all of our activities, so we did not stay very long. We made a quick stop at Nana’s house then Nana came home to have a slumber party with us! The next morning, Mommy, Nana and I got up early and went to watch the Flying Pig marathon. Our friend Caty was fast walking in it. We stood in our “spot” – because you know I was in Mommy’s belly last year when she went to watch Caty and Mommy’s other friend Wendy. Anyway, it was really fun to see all of the people cheering and clapping for these people who were running down the street. I have not seen that many people running in one direction before. Even though I was in the Rome marathon while in Mommy’s belly and that we went to watch Daddy in a marathon last year too, it is not the same when you aren’t technically born yet. This year was different because I was able to clap (because I am very good at this) and wave my hands up and down. After the race we went home so Nana and I could take a nap and so Mommy could go to church. After Mommy came home from church, Mommy’s new friend, Dani came over to help Nana learn new exercise techniques. It was fun to crawl around while Nana was doing the same thing! After Nana left, Mommy and I hung out for awhile then went to see Kristy. What a busy weekend we had!
Last weekend was really busy too! Grandma and Grandpa came because they missed me so much. I got to leave school early Friday to hang out with them. They took me to JC Penney to get my picture taken too. I loved it! Since Mommy has been doing photo shoots with me since I was one day old, I am pretty used to it. On Saturday I played and played with Grandma and Grandpa. When they left, Daddy, Mommy and I went to the Dayton Dragon’s game (two weeks in a row for me and Mommy). We had a great time! It was a “double header,” which Daddy said just means two games on one day. Between the games, they threw out big beach balls and everyone in the stands (that’s where we all sit) bounced the balls all around. I so loved watching the balls go up and down. Daddy even got to hit the ball a couple of times. I think I would like to go to another game like that again. I don’t really care about what the men on the field are doing but I sure do like the activities in the sitting area (Daddy calls is the stands). On Mother’s Day, Daddy woke up with a belly ache so he just stayed in bed and Mommy and I ran some errands. I was such a good sport and went out in the rain with her, but after a couple of hours, I was ready to get home where it was warm and dry! So Mommy picked up Noble Roman’s, a fun type of pizza that she used to have when she was a kid. I hope I get to do as many neat things that Mommy did when she was a kid.
This past weekend was a really fun day. It was just the three of us (5 including the kitties) most of the time. We spent Saturday morning at home together. After lunch we went and bought Mommy’s Mother’s Day gift, a basketball backboard! After my afternoon nap, we went to a place called Sharon Woods to hike. Daddy put me in our new backpack and we walked on the trail where we saw a couple of ponds with fish, water falls and streams, playgrounds that I hope to play in soon and lots of trees. It was pretty warm and sunny, something different for May as it has been raining so much. On Sunday we hung out together again then we went to the playground where I got to swing and slide down the slides. Boy did I have a good time! I wanted to do it again and again and again. I think Mommy and Daddy got tired. Do they know that this is just the beginning? Then we went over to our friends Dot and Bruce’s house. They have little friends like me in their life (grandkids) and had all of the best toys for me to play (measuring spoons and cups). Mommy and Daddy, though, made a very bad planning mistake and did not have a pacifier with us. When I get tired, I need my pacy. I did not understand why they would not give it to me when I got tired and wanted to go to sleep. I always have my pacy when I am tired! So I cried, trying to tell them over and over again that I really wanted my pacy. I cried so much that I could not get to sleep. Now we have pacifiers all over the place!
Grandma and Grandpa are coming on Thursday because Mommy and Daddy are going on vacation. I know, I know, I thought vacation meant that I was going somewhere, but this time they are going without me. They are going to a place called Napa which is in California. I hope that Trekker goes this time because I want to hear all about their trip. I am sure I will have lots of stories to tell too! Grandpa knows how to play my favorite game called "I drop it on the floor and you pick it up."
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