The Amazing Adventures of Little Miss Sunshine

Shopping with Mama - January 2011

2011-02-09T08:52:00.002-05:00

Mama was going on another business trip. I wanted to go with her again. This time she was going to a place called Las Vegas. I don’t know where this is but she said that we could look it up on the map. Before she went, she and I went shopping. I got to pick out some clothes as Target and try them on in the dressing room. Did you remember long enough to know that I love to try on clothes in the dressing room? Mama let me tell the nice lady working at the desk how many items I had (I counted and everything) and I carried the number card with me. I also gave her the one item that did not fit and the card back to the same nice lady. Mama wants me to be prepared for the world, doesn’t she? I feel like a big girl when I go shopping with Mama.

After my nap, we went shopping to get Mama some “big girl” clothes at the mall. We don’t often go the mall, so it was a pretty fun adventure for me. I love the fun (huge, clunky) carts at stores, and at the mall, they had an extra special one that looked like a car. I really, really wanted to ride in that car! I was a very good girl in the “maternity” store and Mama was on the hunt for something that was on the other side of the mall, so we got one. Mama thinks that they are a racket (whatever that means) because they cost $5, then if you return it, you are supposed to get $1 back. Of course, the parking spot for the cars are on one of the mall and when the $1 did not come out, Mama called security, who transferred her to customer service, who said that she would have to walk to the other side of the mall to get the $1. Do you know what we did? Tromped to the other side of the mall to get the $1. This was not about money, it was about holding people accountable. Mama was nice to the representative, but said that the whole point of the car is to avoid carrying a small child to the other side of the mall. While I was riding in the car, though, I was a very good girl and had a wonderful time! We drove all around, even into the Lego store, one of Finian’s favorite stores. I didn’t get out one time and held my baby with me safely the entire ride.

Charli and her family for dinner - January 2011

2011-02-09T08:51:00.001-05:00

We rescheduled our dinner with Charli and her family for the last weekend in January. They came over right after my nap. We had such a good time! Charli and I took pretty much everything out of my playroom, including crayons, markers and toys that Daddy did not know I had and threw them in the corner of the un-pillowed couch. Mama was making dinner, but I don’t know what Daddy was doing to miss such a ruckus. I know what he was doing, he was talking to Charli’s parents about their shared love of Sarah McLachlan and wine. Charli’s parents even ordered tickets to the concert in March and they are all going to go together. Daddy was in jovial (that is fancy for “fun”) mood and turned the music up really loud, probably a good cover for two girls playing in the couch.

Something weird going on - January 2011

2011-02-09T08:50:00.003-05:00

At dinner with Nana for Mama’s birthday, I said that I wanted to be a big sister. Now, I am 3 and I don’t know what this really means. But, Daddy, Mama and Nana all said, ok, you can be a big sister. They often say yes to me, so I was not completely surprised.

Another night I said that I loved babies and wanted to have a baby. Daddy and Mama both said, ok. Again, they often say yes to me so I did not notice.

Mama seemed really tired this winter. She took naps at the same time I did, went to bed at the same time I did and started wearing different clothes. But, Mama likes to nap, it’s winter and dark too so maybe that is just when you go to bed in the winter, and she does sometimes buys new clothes.

Then one night in January we were sitting on the couch after dinner and Mama said, “Abigail, we want to tell you something.” When they start conversations like this, they are usually preparing me for something that I will not like, so I was not so sure. Then Mama said that she had a baby in her belly and that I was going to be a big sister. I immediately went over and starting pushing on her belly to find the baby (I could not find it). Mama suggested that I was pushing too hard and then said we could not see the baby. I asked why the baby did not come out now. Mama said that the baby is only the size of an apple (Daddy went and got an apple) and that it needed to go to be the size of my baby doll (Baby, as we already established). I looked back and forth between the apple and Baby a few times. Then I asked, “can I have the apple for snack.” End of conversation. The next morning Daddy asked me if I remembered what we talked about the night before. We talked about many things the night before, how is a girl to remember every detail? End of conversation.

I don’t understand why we don’t know if it’s a baby brother or sister. I want to be a big sister, and that is most important to me. We got a heart beat monitor for home and every night we listen to the heartbeat. I am mainly concerned with putting the gel on the handle. I lose interest when the heartbeat starts.

Mama's birthday - January 2011

2011-02-09T08:50:00.001-05:00

It snowed on Mama’s birthday. Luckily, my school rarely closes and Mama and Daddy believe that unless the government tells them not to drive on the roads, they should get to work. Her new team is a fun team, too, and they had a balloon, sign, brownies and fun card when she got to work. It’s a small, enclosed area so the cheers and celebration were abounding and not distracting to masses of people. For lunch, they walked across the parking lot and street to a place called Blue Ash Chili, which was also featured in the show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. She ate way too much of her delicious sandwich (philly cheese steak with chili on top) and onion rings. The heartburn was worth it though. She only ate half the sandwich too!
It did snow and Mama picked me up early from school so we could go home and shovel the snow from the driveway with Daddy. Of course we played in the snow too! I love to play in the snow! And I am a very good helper with Daddy, shoveling the driveway. Mama made one of her favorite meals “breakfast for dinner” with eggs and pancakes. Daddy surprised her and guess what he got her for a present? Tickets to the Sarah McLachlan concert in Louisville in March! I think they are really groupies now! We also bought her a few new CDs – she loves music, just like I do.

On the Sunday after Mama’s birthday, we met Nana for dinner at Outback in Centerville. This is one of Mama’s favorite birthday places and she was just in the mood for it, even though it was cold and Nana said she would come to Cincinnati to see us. Nana had a surprise for me at dinner. She made my baby some clothes! I did not realize that Baby needed more clothes, but Nana seemed pretty excited about them, so I went with it. After dinner, we all went to Marshall’s. We didn’t find anything but I got to try on a few things, which I love to do. I love to look at myself in the big, long mirror.

Enough about Mama. I love music. I love “loud” songs, which means fast songs that we can dance to and play very loudly. Daddy is not so much of a fan of this music. Boy is he in for it. I know how to turn the stereo on and up, but I don’t know how (and don’t care to know how) to turn it down. I love to “dance” – and this has a variety of definitions. Sometimes it actually means me dancing, using some of my moves I learn from school or Webby Dance (Mama and Daddy are not quite sure which). Much of the time it means me wanting to “jump”, which means I do little jumping and Mama does much lifting of me into the air. She has started counting to 5 or 10, but I either tell her to stop counting or just ignore her and whine if she stops. I have other definitions of “dancing” and they almost always include Mama participating. I prefer to dance with her than dance alone. Daddy sometimes dances too, but he seems to prefer to watch us and eventually will ask us to turn down the music.

I can spell and write my name. I can tell you how it’s spelled pretty well, and there is a dramatic improvement in my writing as well. I sign my thank you cards by myself these days. I love to color. When I color, I want the entire picture to be complete and I use a variety of colors. I am pretty good at staying in the lines too.

I am a very good “baby mama.” “Baby” – my baby doll, of course, is well cared for. I have many diapers and blankets for her. I hold her and rock her and tell her it’s okay. Sometimes I do throw her on the ground or forget her as my attention moves to something more interesting. I have not changed Baby’s new clothes yet, even though I heard Nana talking about making me more clothes for Baby.

January 2011 - Another sleepover at Nana's

2011-02-09T08:49:00.003-05:00

The first weekend in January, I got to spend the night at Nana’s again. Mama and Daddy dropped me off on Saturday and headed to Pittsburgh to see another Sarah McLachlan concert. I think they are groupies! It was a very cold weekend but at least not snowy, there had been several snow storms barreling through the area in the last several weeks. I did not really care where they went, I had a blast with Nana. I barely talked to them when they called because I was so busy playing and watching movies. They had a fun time, enjoyed a fantastic dinner and breakfast at a place called Primanti Brothers, a restaurant that was highlighted in one of Mama’s new favorite shows, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The concert was awesome and Pittsburgh seemed like a cool town, a place to visit again! When they picked me up, I was a tired girl. I am pretty sure they got more sleep than I did, which made Sunday night a tough night at the Connor house.

Final December events - 2010

2011-02-09T08:49:00.001-05:00

The next morning was Sunday and even though we usually go to church on Sunday, we were all very tired so decided to stay home and open our family gifts. By this point I had received so many gifts I don’t think I could tell you all of them or who gave them to me. Mama and Daddy continually talk about the different gifts and who gave them to me and how lucky I am to receive such nice gifts. We also wrote thank you notes to everyone, as I am very blessed to have so many people who are so good to me.

I got to spend the night with Nana for a night between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Usually (I mean, the last two years of my life, which is a big percentage), Nana would come to our house and we would spend it together, but this year my friend Charli, her parents and little sister Samantha were coming over for New Year’s Eve. We had a great time. And no, I did not miss Mama or Daddy. How could someone miss her parents when Nana’s house is so fun? Mama and Daddy went to a movie, which was a real treat for them too!

On New Year’s Eve, we played with Finian for a bit, which was very fun. I had not seen Finian for a long time! I miss the summer when we walked over almost every night. I keep asking when that will be back. I also want to go to the park, but Mama and Daddy always say that it’s closed when we are coming home. Anyway, our plans were changed when I got a fever that day. So, we had a ton of food to eat and just a few people to eat it! Luckily, Daddy loves pork and mashed potatoes and was fine eating it for the next three days. I went to bed at my normal time (8:30) and because Mama had a nap, she made it all the way until 11 pm. She and Daddy watched “Wall Street 2” – something she slightly regrets because she wasted a late night for such a bad movie.

On New Year’s Day, Mama and I were supposed to go see Kelly and Zoe, but because of my fever, Daddy and I hung out while Mama went. I was NOT happy about this, but Mama had not seen Kelly in a long time so she went. The rest of the weekend was uneventful and we were all very glad that school was back on Monday. I am a routine girl and it was best to get me back to school.

Christmas 2010

2011-02-09T08:48:00.004-05:00

Part of our Christmas decorations included an advent calendar and wreath. I loved these two decorations! For the calendar, I got to move the figures from the pocket to their spot on the picture every day before Christmas. This was often a way Mama and Daddy got me to eat my dinner (get clean plate club), as I so enjoyed being in charge of the calendar. The advent wreath was almost as fun, except they would not let me light the candles and I am not completely well versed on how to blow out candles. This, of course, sent Daddy through the roof with worry as I neared so close to the flame.

Mama is teaching me about giving to others. At church, there was a Christmas tree with ornaments on it. They were special ornaments, though, because they had the name of people on them and a few items listed, which were each person’s Christmas wish list. We picked an ornament off the tree and Mama, Nana and I met in Middletown at Wal-mart (one of my favorite Saturday activities) and bought the present. I helped Mama wrap the gift and I got to drop it off under the tree so they could take it to the person. I was not completely sure about how the whole thing worked, but Mama seemed to think it was a big deal, so I went along with it.

We went to Toledo on December 23 so we could spend a few days with Grandma and Papa Larry before the excitement of Christmas Eve. Before we left, Mama told me not to worry that Santa knew we were going to Toledo so he would know to bring the presents to Grandma and Papa Larry’s house. I told her that I would just not go to Toledo then, because I wanted nothing to do with Santa. Mama was a little perplexed, but then assured me that we would call Santa back and he would leave the presents in Cincinnati. It was only then that I agreed to go to Toledo.

Connor Christmas was a blast, as always. I am a big fan of passing out presents and being with my family. I like to open them too, but it’s not the highlight. It’s a bit overwhelming to have all of my family around plus fun presents, so I gotta take it slowly. I went to bed at 10:30 reminding Mama that I wanted nothing to do with Santa. The next morning after I woke up, Grandma told me she found a note outside the door with a few presents. It was from Santa! He said that he did not want to scare me but wanted me to have my presents on Christmas. I was not too sure about this but after we brought the presents in, I opened them and was quite thrilled with my new camera, Skippy John Jones book and third gift that I cannot remember. I am sure it was great at the time.

After lunch, we packed up the van and headed to Nana’s house for the McMinn-Dill Christmas celebration. I was so excited about the trip that I fell asleep 15 minutes before we arrived at Nana’s. Of course, when we got into the house, people started arriving and it sounded fun, so there was no nap for me that day! Leia and Anthony came with Uncle David and Carmella, then Papa, James, Uncle Rob and Aunt Jeannie came too. We had a great time! I opened more presents and played with Leia and Anthony until we were all very tired! It was a very long day!

My first recital - December 17, 2010

2011-02-09T08:48:00.003-05:00

I take “Webby Dance” at school on Wednesdays. Mama and Daddy are not sure if I am getting anything out of it, but I like the outfit and going with the girls to the dance room, so for now I am sticking with it. As part of the holiday recital, where all of the different classes sang songs, I also did a dance routine with my dance class. Daddy attended the morning session and Mama attended the afternoon session. We had been practicing the songs and dances for two months before the recital, so there was ample opportunity for me to be prepared. I love to sing and had been singing the songs around the house, so Mama and Daddy figured that I would be ready. But there is the whole idea of people watching me that I had not gone through before. In the morning recital, I did stand there and paid attention, I just was not so much into singing. In the afternoon recital, I sang a bit too. For the dance, I did a twirl and made everyone laugh before the dance started. Then when we started the official dance, I was not so much into it. At least I didn’t run off the stage crying!

Kristy, Teresa, Colin, Patrick, Anna and Marin came over that night after my recital. It was fun to have my friends over to play! We did crafts and ate pizza too. I miss seeing Kristy, Colin and Patrick like I used to when I was a little girl.

Daddy's birthday - December 2010

2011-02-09T08:48:00.001-05:00

Daddy’s birthday was fun. Mama took Daddy to lunch at BD’s, where Daddy ate his body weight in food and felt full the rest of the day. That night I celebrated with him, giving him a cool polo shirt from the place in North Carolina that he scored his best round of golf ever. He was very happy, just wished it was warm so he could get out and wear his new shirt.

Grandma and Papa Larry came right after Daddy’s birthday for our annual cookie-making day. Nana and Aunt Jeannie came over too, of course. Aunt Cin-Day, Anna, Chloe, Aunt Patty and Morgan could not come, we hope they can next year! And Carmella is very busy on Saturdays so we will have to find a way to include her too. We started on Friday night this year, as Grandma, Papa Larry and I made Oreo truffles with Mama. They are delicious! Papa Larry is fun to bake with because he believes in us all trying the product as it comes off the assembly line. I have quite the skill for rolling truffles! On Saturday, we started early and baked all day. Well, I did take my nap but I was helping when I was up. I am quite the cookie decorator, if I don’t say so myself.

December 2010

2011-02-09T08:47:00.002-05:00

My December was full! The first weekend we went to breakfast with Santa with Finian, Nanie Carol, Mama and Nana. Of course, I had to be assured that we would avoid Santa completely or I would not go into the building. We had a good time with the crafts and made it home to play in the snow before my nap. Finian does not nap, so we must schedule the time to play in the morning, because he goes to see his Daddy on Saturday nights.

November/Thanksgiving 2010

2011-02-09T08:47:00.001-05:00

We did not do much the weekend that Mommy got back from her trip to Las Angeles. There was a short week at school, then a long weekend for Thanksgiving. I am not sure what this Thanksgiving thing is, but it was a bumpy weekend. Nana decided to go to Memphis to see uncle Mike and Aunt Jackie so she was not there for me to visit. We did not go to Toledo, so no Grandma and Papa to entertain me either. Just Mama and Daddy. And no school friends or school routine. And Finian was busy. Can you see how in my little world that this was not an optimal situation? On Thanksgiving morning, I did help Mama decorate the house for Christmas, which was pretty fun. But I get a little offset when Mama moves around too quickly, like when she is packing or doing a project. I get clingy and whiney and it takes a bit of time for Mama to realize the issue. It often takes here even more time to recognize that she needs to stop moving to fix it. After nap, we did go to Carmella’s house where Anthony and Leia were, which was great fun. Oh right, Papaw, Uncle David and some others were there, but the fun was with Anthony and Leia.

The rest of the weekend was touch and go. The number of meltdowns was more than the entire month of October. To help the situation, we went to the Newport Aquarium for a while on Friday morning. I am still getting used to the Aquarium and we went to see the scuba Santa, which was not what I was looking for. We almost left quickly as I was very clear that I wanted nothing to do with this Santa person, even if he was on the other side of a huge glass wall floating in water.

Did I tell you that I think Santa is a stalker? I don’t like his beard. I don’t like it that he is everywhere and knows everything and comes into your house when you are sleeping. Doesn’t anyone else think this is weird? When I was 2, I stood next to him and would not talk to him. This year, I refuse to go near him. This includes the scuba santa.

Elmo Live! October 30, 2010

2011-02-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention that on Saturday before Halloween we went to see Sesame Street Live. This is one of the things that I said “can we do this some day?” earlier in the fall, so Mama got us tickets. I, though, am not a big fan of people with masks on their faces, so in reality, “some day” meant much further in the future than Mama understood. We made the trek to Dayton to a place called Hara Arena, which I guess was a very cool arena at one point and now the location for the local hockey team. Both facts were clear with the pictures of the Beattles and Rolling Stones on the wall and the freezing temperatures on the floor. Yes, there was merely a sheet of plywood between us and the ice. Daddy even went to the car to get a blanket. This was not the biggest of my worries, though, because as soon as the characters came out, I started shaking and told Mama and Daddy that I wanted to go home. Daddy said that it would be okay and while I was not completely thrilled about it, I stayed the whole time. I even went close to the stage (clutching Mama’s neck) during the intermission.

Mommy's business trip to LA

2010-11-17T16:11:00.001-05:00

Mommy went on a business trip to Los Angeles, California. I did not understand why I could not go with her. She told me that I will go with her to Phoenix when we go on vacation in February. I was not satisfied with that answer but it seemed like there was not much I could do about it. Oh yes, I continued to ask her to go, but she kept redirecting the conversation to how I needed to be nice to Daddy while she was gone. Do you know what the first thing I said to her when she called? “I am being nice to Daddy!”

Looking at photos

2010-11-17T16:10:00.002-05:00

I love to look at photos. Mommy (still) prints the photos we take. She makes doubles for people in them, saves one for us, writes the people, date and event on the back, then promptly puts them in the envelop (labeled by month) and puts them in a box in the spare bedroom. She usually prints a month or two at a time, so we often have hundreds of photos around the house at one time. This time, she left the envelop out and I got it. She had not even labeled them yet, but she is clearly growing because she let me look and look and look at them. She only got one envelop out, she has not thrown all logic to the wind. She even asked me if I would like to look at other pictures. Of course I said yes, so she is calculating how she might get them out for me to see without completely messing them up. She is still Mommy, you can’t change that much in one swoop.

When I'm a bigger girl

2010-11-17T16:10:00.001-05:00

I talk a lot about what we will do someday when I am a bigger girl. I also talk about what I did when I was a little girl or little baby. The topics vary and are often intertwined. I am working out the difference between the past and future, it’s a pretty complex thing to grasp. I still don’t understand why I am not in Mommy and Daddy’s wedding photos.

Materialism

2010-11-17T16:09:00.003-05:00

I understand materialism. Okay, I might know understand the exact definition, but I get the idea. I watch TV and for most every commercial (just not the scary ones), I ask “can we do that some day”. Mommy blankly answers “yes, we can do that someday”. I have not called her on this yet, and she thinks that she is covered because she is not saying “we will buy that” someday. Just wait. I have also started looking at catalogues and point out what I want to get for Christmas. I have decided that my current kitchen (that I received from Santa last Christmas) is not good enough and I want to switch it out. I have moved on from Mommy and on to Grandma. Mommy said that it would have to stay at Grandma and Papa’s house, so I don’t know if that is going to work. I don’t really play with my kitchen that much right now, but the one I saw is pink. Pink/Purple are my favorite colors so I want everything to be in my favorite colors.

Grandma & Papa Larry visit

2010-11-17T16:09:00.001-05:00

Grandma and Papa came to see me! They picked me up at school and I was so excited that I jumped up and down over and over again. I used to kick my legs when they picked me up, this is the same thing, just for a bigger girl.

Mommy & Daddy's Anniversary

2010-11-17T16:07:00.001-05:00

Mommy and Daddy celebrated 8 years of marriage on November 9th. They started the celebration the weekend before when I went to Nana’s house for Saturday. Mommy, Nana and I did some shopping, then Mommy did more shopping when I went home with Nana. Daddy got to go to Jungle Jim’s, one of his favorite stores. It was glorious weather and everyone had a great time. I did get some sleep, but I can’t share more details than that. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed their weekend too!

On the 9th, they did not do very much, because they were planning for the Sarah McLaughlin concert, the gift they bought for each other. You might know this story, but I will share just in case. They both love Sarah McLaughlin. They had a dance instructor choreograph a waltz to “Ice Cream” and Mommy and Daddy practiced it for months so they could dance at their wedding. Daddy gave Mommy tickets to one of Sarah’s concerts as a birthday gift in 2004. Daddy had been trying to win tickets for a lunch from a local radio station for a couple of weeks, but never won. Another radio station (Q102) also had a contest, but Daddy could not figure out to get into it. On Sunday at lunch, Mommy decided that she was going to send an email to each station to share their story and see if they had any tickets to spare. She sent the note to both stations on Sunday night. Monday morning, Daddy called, emailed and texted Mommy while she was in a meeting (this is odd, they don’t talk during the day). Q102 said that they would be glad to help! It’s amazing how quickly “important” meetings get changed or cancelled when chances of a lifetime come up!

The event was at a cool restaurant in downtown Cincinnati called “Mynt Martini”. They did not know what to expect, how many people, how close they would get, etc. They were amazed and stunned at how amazing it was! First, there were only 25 people there in a small room. Because they arrived early, they got first dibs on seats and got the two closest to Sarah (about 5 feet away). The restaurant provided lunch and once everyone was finished, Sarah walked in, sat down and played three songs! Between the songs, the radio station’s DJ read questions that various people had written and he read Mommy’s question! She of course noted that they were doing this for their anniversary (and the story) and he read that too! They didn’t think it could get much better, but Sarah signed the picture of Mommy and Daddy dancing at their wedding and then they got a picture with Sarah. Wow! The concert that night was fun, but it was hard to compare to the lunch. Thank you Q102!

Halloween

2010-11-17T16:06:00.001-05:00

I had a bit of a cold (which always turns into a cough for me) the week before Halloween. The weekend before, I coughed so much that Mommy brought the rocking chair into my room and slept sitting up with me so I would not cough so much. She was very glad that it was a Saturday night versus a weeknight, because you know that Mommy needs her sleep! I was getting better and was back to my peppy self.

Friday we went to our friend Erika’s house for a Halloween party. Mommy had been selling me on the idea of being a “princess” for Halloween. She started in September asking me what I wanted to be, so I told her a monkey, then a snake. There were a couple of others, I don’t remember. Anyway, she started talking about how much fun it would be to wear my princess/dance dress. I also know about which battles to cede, so gave in with little resistance on this one. I was not completely sure about the dress-up thing anyway. On Friday, we got dressed up in our costumes (me in my princess/dance outfit, Mommy in her graduate outfit and Daddy in his black wig and tie-dye shirt). Mommy knew that her cap and gown would come in handy! We don’t know what Daddy really was but he dressed up, so it was fine.

It was a really fun party, especially when my new best friend, Mel, arrived. I dissed Erika again, constantly asking when Mel would arrive. When she did arrive, I was not bothered by the fact that she had a child with her (Sophia), but jumped right into pictures and her arms for cuddles. Erika throws a fun party, what a great start to Halloween!

On Saturday, Mommy’s new work friend, Jennifer came over for dinner. She is really fun and we played and played. She is an aunt and clearly knows how to entertain kids. We hope that she comes over again!

On Sunday (Halloween and the night our neighborhood held trick-or-treating), Nana came over for dinner and then went with us trick-or-treating. I take my time eating (that could be a blog all on its own), so we got started a little late. This is not the most efficient, just ask my parents who used to map the neighborhoods to maximize candy collection when they were younger. But, we headed off in my wagon….Did I mention that I had a bit of a runny nose and it was quite chilly and that we learned from the Halloween party that my shoes were not “made for walking”? We left without good walking shoes, tissues or warm socks. Even though I generally refuse to wear socks, it would have been a good idea. I am the one who never has to go potty when we are out, but guess who had to go this time? You got it. We made it through, but when we got home, I had a fever. What’s up with costumes and me and fevers? This is the third year that I have been sick on Halloween. That is not a great ratio for a three-year old (yes, I have enjoyed four Halloweens because my birthday is in July). Actually, the year I was not sick was the year we were driving home from Hilton Head so I missed trick-or-treating.

Mommy's trip to to Chicago (but not really)

2010-11-17T16:05:00.001-05:00

Mommy tried to go on a business trip to Chicago just before Halloween, but there was a freak wind storm that cancelled all of the flights. She was on her way to the airport (yes, at 6:30) when she heard the first flight was delayed. She came home, took me to school and headed to the airport again when she found out the second flight was delayed. Once she arrived, they told her that there was not much chance of getting out. Back to work she went! Her contacts in Chicago said that it was best, there was a “small person’s warning” due to the wind. Mommy is not that small, but she does head odd warnings like that.

I was excited to see her that night, as I was not very happy about her going on this business trip. Daddy was relieved because whenever Mommy is gone, I often ask for her non-stop and tell him constantly all of the things he does wrong.

I attended "Girls' Dinner"

2010-11-17T16:04:00.003-05:00

I give Daddy a bit of a hard time when Mommy leaves at night, especially when it’s for dinner with someone fun. Mommy’s friends also suggested that it would be more relaxing to have dinner at someone’s house than going to a restaurant every time. Since we live in the middle and Mommy likes to host, it made sense for them to come to us! Erika and Mel were the only ones who could make it, but we all had a great time! Yes, I hung out with the girls. Erika did not bring Sawyer this time and Mel did not bring Sophia, so I got all of the attention. I like other kids, but I also love being the only one to love on. I was all about “Mel” that night. Poor Erika, she tried really hard but I kinda dissed her. I was all about Mel!

I attended "Girls' Dinner"

2010-11-17T16:04:00.002-05:00

Family Play Date

2010-11-17T16:04:00.001-05:00

Daddy, Mommy and I all went over to my friend Charli’s house for a playdate. Daddy knows Charli’s dad, Brian, from P&G and Charli’s mom, Christi, also works for P&G. We arrived around 4 pm and stayed until 8:30! Charli and I were like “peas and carrots” (for those of you who watched “Forest Gump” – Unlike Daddy). Charli has a little sister, Samantha, who was pretty fun too. She is just a baby but she was very interesting to me. Daddy, Mommy and Charli’s daddy and mommy seemed to have a great time too! After dinner, we went outside and rode bikes. I got to ride Charli’s big girl bike with training wheels. I was pretty good, if I don’t say so myself. Mommy and Daddy were envious because they lived on a cul de sac and we rode and rode and rode in the street. That just can’t happen at our house.

Zoo with Finian

2010-11-17T16:03:00.001-05:00

As it got cooler and darker in the evenings (and Mommy was working more), we did not see my friend Finian as much. Nanie Carol (Finian’s grandma) suggested that we all go to the zoo one Saturday afternoon, which was really fun! Nana came over too, so it was Daddy, Mommy, Nana, Me with Finian, his mommy (Miss Amanda) and Nanie Carol. It was a gorgeous day and the zoo was very busy. We took my wagon and Daddy gave it a go of pulling Finian and me around. Going to the zoo is a completely different experience for adults than for children, my parents tell me. They are concerned about the masses of people meandering and stopping at the most inopportune (big word for a 3-year old, huh) times. For Finian and for me, it was about seeing the bears, monkeys and giraffes.

After the zoo, everyone came back to our house for kabobs, a recent additional to our dinner repertoire. It was fun spending an afternoon and evening with our neighbors!

Visiting Grandma & Papa

2010-11-17T15:56:00.000-05:00

We went to visit Grandma and Papa Larry in October too. We left after work and school. It was a great trip for me, as we ate a picnic dinner in the car and I watched my favorite movie “Garfield” 2+times. We got there in no time! The weekend was fun, as usual.

On Saturday morning, we all went to see my cousin, Jordan, play football. I see a future for me at stadiums! I stood behind Jordan and called and called and called his name. He looked back just one time, but I was not deterred by his lack of response. Does Mommy have a cheerleader on her hands? Hmm.

While I napped, Mommy went with Grandma and Papa Larry to watch Anna and Chloe play in their volleyball tournament. They are only in eighth grade but played at a level that Mommy remembered the freshman teams playing at in high school. Mommy loved watching them play! The team lost, but it was a great match.

I started taking “Webby Dance” at school. Every Wednesday I get to wear my dance outfit to school and many of my friends in my class all go to dance class. Although I am not a big fan of showing off my moves at home just yet, the teachers assure Mommy and Daddy that I do participate and seem to enjoy the class. The recital is in May, my big debut.

I love to put together puzzles. I can put together some of them that I have had in seconds flat. At school, if I have a chance for freetime (and I am not playing babies with my friends), I go to the puzzles. Any place I go, I find the puzzles and start putting them together. I can start by putting the outline together or by building piece by piece from top to bottom, side to side, etc. I really like my princess puzzles.

I still love to read books. I have negotiated (well, I think) from two books to three books at night with Mommy. I can be very persistent and Mommy figures that giving on books is not such a bad thing. This does not bode well for Daddy, though, especially when Mommy forgets to tell him about the new routine or rule. I am good at remembering a negotiated upgrade and am indignant when Daddy does not comply. You can just imagine our conversations, can’t you?

October 1, 2010

2010-11-17T15:51:00.001-05:00

To start the month, we had dinner with JJ and Dan. Yes, it was literally October 1. We met at Dewey’s pizza, a really fun restaurant where kids like me (and adults like Mommy) get to stand by the window and watch the people throw the pizza dough in the air. Mommy tells me and Daddy every time we go there that she used to watch them make pizza when her family went to Noble Roman’s Pizza. Daddy is amused that Mommy tells us this story every time.

Anyway, afterwards, Mommy and JJ went around the corner to “Dream Dinners” to make ahead dinners for us to enjoy on weeknights. Daddy, Dan and I went to JJ and Dan’s house to see the puppies. Mommy and JJ were excited when they finished because it was their second time (they were a bit quicker than the newbies this time!) and they thought we were all going to visit and JJ and Dan’s.

Unfortunately, I had a meltdown with Daddy…..which meant that the evening ended quickly so Mommy just came home. I guess you can say it was a mixed start of October, huh.

September 30, 2010

2010-10-03T22:14:00.001-04:00

The rest of September was not nearly as eventful as the beginning. Momma and Daddy were working really hard on getting me to go to sleep before 10:15 and not calling them every 10 minutes after I went to bed. It did not matter what time I got into bed, it seemed that it took me a long time to settle down. Daddy blamed it on sugar, because of course Momma gives me more treats after bubbles than he does, but she experimented with the amount of sugar and it did not matter. Daddy also said it was because I was out playing with Finian too late (you know how Momma is with time when she is having fun), but even nights that I did not play with Finian, I was up late. So, the next step was bribery. Now, when I go to bed, stay in bed and am quite, I get something special the next day. This could be Momma painting my toe nails (she will not paint my finger nails, no matter what I do), or me getting to pick out new nail polish, or going to a fun festival. It is working so far! And we are doing many more fun things on the weekend too.

I am also known to take what seems like eternity to eat meals, so I get a special something if I get clean plate club AND finish around the time that Momma and Daddy do. I know what you are thinking. Momma and Daddy are both from big families where fast eating was imperative, so they are hard to keep up with. They have tried to slow their eating, but not to my speed. The bribery does seem to be working, though. We actually have time to do fun activities after dinner before bubbles, bath, books and bed.

Speaking of bedtime, I wear big-girl panties to bed every night now! I decided one night that I did not want a pull-up and I have not put one on since. Momma is quite proud that I make my mind up about something and it’s done. She hopes that I will continue to use this for “good” and not for “evil.”

September 19, 2010

2010-10-03T22:07:00.001-04:00

Daddy went on his annual golf trip the same weekend that Nana had the surprise birthday party for Uncle Robbie’s 40th birthday. Oh, right, it was also the same weekend as our friend Kristy’s half marathon run and the P&G King’s Island event. Of course the Connor girls were not going to miss any of the fun! Daddy left on Thursday so Momma and I went next door to visit with Finian, Miss Amanda, Miss Carol and Mr. John. We so enjoyed our summer evenings playing in their backyard! On Friday, our friend Teresa came over for dinner, for a trip to Momma’s new office and for late night talking (not me, I went to bed!).

The next morning we had to get up at 6, which was very early for the late-night girls! They dropped me off at Nana’s and off they went to Wright Pat Airforce base to watch the race. Papaw met us at Nana’s house too, so the three of them were off early. They made it there in time and Momma did see Kristy as she started. They did not realize that they would need to walk over a mile from the parking to the race area, so the timing was not quite what they expected! Momma, Teresa and Papaw were hungry and you know Momma and food. Of course they made it to breakfast and back to see Kristy finish! They were very proud of Kristy, she finished under 2 hours, which was her goal.

As soon as the race was over, off they went (another mile plus walk to the car) to get to Nana’s house to get ready for the party. Aunt Shell and Aunt Jackie came in town for the weekend, so between them and Nana I barely noticed that Momma was gone! We all took naps that afternoon, then refocused and got ready for the party. It was a very fun party, a gorgeous night and great friends and family all around. Momma was going to go home, but it was getting late so we decided to stay. This meant that I got to sleep in Nana’s bed with her, how fun! It was another early morning, though, because on Sunday we were meeting our friends Finian, Amanda, Carol and Ryan at King’s Island. We made it home in time to change clothes and go the park. It was another great day and we stayed a very long time! I rode lots of rides and enjoyed myself quite a bit. Finian and I rode rides together too. He is such a good friend to me! After he left, it was not as much fun, but I still went on some rides. I was there through my nap, so Momma was not sure how the afternoon would go. I did make it home and took about an hour nap. Needless to say, we were very tired that night! Daddy arrived home and we were chilling in front of the TV, not something we usually do!

September 8, 2010 - Momma's new job

2010-10-03T22:06:00.002-04:00

Momma started her new job at Luxottica, which meant less park time for me. It also meant an earlier wake-up time for both of us! The first week Momma could not believe how tired she was from simply thinking about work for such a long period of time each day! Even though she loved the job, as she looked out the window and saw the beautiful sunshine, she wondered why she decided that was not the best path for her. Just wait until it gets cold and rainy and she will change her mind!

As always, September was full of weekend activities. After Labor Day weekend (after Momma’s first week of work), Grandma and Papa Larry came to visit. Momma and Grandma decorated Momma’s new office. It went from drab to amazing and colorful in just a day! All of Momma’s new friends were very impressed with the decorations.

On Sunday night after Grandma and Papa Larry left, Momma and Daddy suggested that we go to the Greek Festival in Dayton. Now, you know what I think about when I hear festival, right? Once Momma and Daddy realized what I was thinking about, they knew that was not the festival to me. The change in plan was easy, because there was another festival (St. Susanna) right around the corner. We got another ride band for unlimited rides. There were not that many rides that I could go on and they did not have the potato sack slide, but the one I loved the most was the little kid fun house. Just like the potato sack slide, I did all of the work myself, going through the maze and down the slide. My friends Alex and Aiden from school came and the three of us had such a good time. I hope we go to more festivals next year!

August 2010

2010-10-03T21:59:00.001-04:00

Is it too simplistic to say that August was a time of transition for our family? Momma left P&G and accepted a job with Luxottica Retail as the marketing director of Sears Optical. She thoroughly enjoyed her last days at P&G and while she was sad to leave her team, was excited about a new adventure.

Right after Momma finished working, we went on vacation in August to Chicago to see our friend Julie, to the Wisconsin Dells to check that state off our list and to Toledo to enjoy Grandma, Papa Larry and the rest of the Connors. It was a very fun trip, full of sunshine and happy days and only a few meltdowns. I won’t share who had the meltdowns. We did have a few hiccups, including a stomach virus that hit me at Grandma & Papa Larry’s house, then hit Momma and Daddy when we returned home. We had a great time overall, I love vacation! I do need to caveat this, because I would have preferred to have a friend with me on the trip. Momma and Daddy are just not as fun as my friends. They didn’t think this feeling would start at 3 years old, but it did. Julie is a great hostess, so if any of you are interested in visiting Chicago, I highly recommend her as a tour guide. We had many fun adventures, but I think I loved the train the most. Who knew?

When we got home (and Momma started feeling better), I stayed home from school with her so we could do fun things. I stayed in school a few days a week so I could go to the waterpark and spend time with my friends. As I already said, I like hanging out with my parents, but I really like my school and my friends.

I have moved up to the “big park” by our house now. This is the one that is on the corner and the big kids are there. I climb and climb and swing and slide and run and play. I especially like it when I go with one of my friends or see one of my friends there. I am getting more and more brave too and climbing higher and higher. Finian, my very best friend who lives next door, showed me how to climb the spider web. I was afraid the first time he showed me, but the next time I went to the park, I climbed to the top!

The weather in August was great, in the low 80’s and sunny. It did not rain very much either. This was not good for the lawn but good for me and Momma and all of our fun outside activities.

I have joined the ranks of the many who love the church festival season. We attended our first, and this one had a couple of rides that I could ride. Boy did I have fun. We arrived just in time for the 2 hour time period where I could ride as many rides as I wanted (with a purchased arm-band, of course). My favorite ride was the potato sack slide! Momma and Daddy had to ride with me, which was great, because that meant they got to ride the ride with me over and over and over again. I climbed the 2+ story steps by myself and often would not let them help me carry the sack up either. Now when I hear the word “festival” I have one thing in my head and that is fun!

July 2010 - Abigail's birthday

2010-08-19T10:26:00.003-04:00

Grandma and Papa Larry came to my house for the 4th of July. We went to another parade and got lots of candy! I had to learn to stay on the side of the road versus running in front of the floats to get the candy. I guess I am my mother's daughter about getting candy. We did not go to the fireworks this year. Mommy can't wait for me to get big enough to go see them, because fireworks are one of her favorite things!

ABIGAIL TURNS 3 YEARS OLD - JULY 2010
Well, I am 3 years old now. I turned 3 on July 10 and had another party. I like parties. Mommy was not going to have a party for me but after I showed such excitement at Jenna's party, she knew that I needed to have one. Mommy also came to school on Friday before my birthday and brought a balloon for me and bubbles and treats for my friends. My whole class sang "Happy Birthday" to me and then I got to hand out the treats. What a fun start of my birthday weekend!

On Friday night after school, my new best friend and boyfriend Finnian (who lives next door with Nannie Carol, Papa John and his mom, Miss Amanda) gave me a present for my birthday. He gave me a pink bear that he picked out all by himself. His Nannie said that the bear had to be pink for me! I loved it so much that I rubbed it against my face then promptly threw it on the ground. Then it went to bed with me and joined the other three (sometimes four) animals that sleep with me every night. I named it "Bear".

On Saturday (my actual birthday), my friends Susan, Julia and Madeleine came and stayed the weekend with us for my birthday. We played in the backyard with Finnian in the morning. Our neighbors, Sharon and Dave came over too and brought me a really tall doll named "Woody" from the movie Toy Story. I thought he was pretty cool, especially since he was almost as tall as me!

My cousin James turned 15 the same day as me and we had a party together. He is a great guy so most of the decorations were for me. I like Dora the Explorer right now, so my plates and table cloth were all Dora. James did not mind. He brought a friend to the party so it would make him feel like the day was for him too. Grandma and Papa Larry came from Toledo too! Nana, Papa, Uncle David and Carmella came to the party too. Our friends Jana and Dan came over to enjoy the fun with my family. Fun was had by all, especially me!

I am getting better at opening presents by myself. Sometimes at such a speed that it's hard to keep up with which present I am opening! Everyone bought me nice gifts and I have been playing with all of them since then.

June 2010

2010-08-19T10:25:00.000-04:00

I went to my first birthday party in June! My friend from school, Jenna, turned 3 and Mommy took me to her birthday party at a dance and music studio. I had such a good time it was like having my own birthday party. Some of my other friends from school were there too. We danced and sang and played, then had dinner and cupcakes.

Later in June, we went to see Grandma, Papa Larry and all of my family in Toledo for a weekend, which was really fun. It was nice weather and we had a cookout. I love seeing my aunts, uncles and cousins. We are so blessed to have them close by and willing to come see us when we visit.

I am such a big girl that I moved to Gard 3 before I was actually 3 years old. I was so happy to be with my friends and with the older kids. I will miss Miss Tiesha, Miss Shayla and the other teachers, but I like being with the new class. I forgot about Blaire pretty quickly because I was so focused on the new class. My teachers are Miss Jacqueline and Miss Eva. Miss Maria, the Spanish teacher is also there in the mornings to greet me. They all love me so much that they pick me up when I come in and give me hugs. I have started whining when Mommy drops me off so she knows that I love her. She does not see it this way, but it works for what I want. This also helps me get hugs from the teachers.

I still like the waterpark at school, but I don't like being cold and I often get cold at the waterpark. This makes me not want to go to waterpark sometimes. Now I know how to ask for my towel when I get cold, but it took me a long time to ask. Mommy and Daddy are learning to ask more specific questions to understand why I don't want to do certain things.

May & June 2010

2010-08-19T09:17:00.007-04:00

In May, Mommy and Daddy went on a weekend trip to Purdue (where Daddy went to graduate school) and I stayed the weekend with Nana. I am not sure who had more fun! They dropped me off on Friday and then they drove to Purdue to see Terra, Julie and Anisha. Mommy got to pretend that she was a professor again and went to seminars with Terra. Daddy got to hang out in his old city and school with his friends. They had a great time with the girls! As for me and Nana, what happens at Nana's stays at Nana's. That's all I am going to say about that! There were popcorn, snacks and juice boxes involved. Later bedtimes and movies too. But, I also came home potty trained!

On Memorial Day we went to a parade in West Chester. It was a very fun parade because they had music, floats and threw candy to me when they went down the street. There were a few glitches because there was an accident at the beginning of the parade so it started 45 minutes late. Luckily no one was hurt too bad. It was getting hot, though, and I had not been potty trained for very long so Mommy was worried that I would not last. I didn't need to go, though, so it worked out fine.

May 7, 2010

2010-05-08T04:47:00.001-04:00

What’s new with me, you ask? Enough of the “play by play” of my life and you want me to tell you about myself? While certainly it will take more than a post or two to give you the full effect, I will do my best with an overview.

Things Abigail Loves: Winter/Spring 2010
Dancing. I love dancing and it does not matter where. I dance to Jack Johnson at home with Mommy. I dance at Jungle Jim’s with the dancing characters swinging on the swing, in the pretend theatre and/or on top of the seafood boat. Yes, it is a real boat and yes all of these areas in the store are real. And yes, I do dance. I move back in forth and move my hands like Daddy does when he is in full “white man shuffle” form.

Reading books. We read two books every night as part of my bedtime routine. I get to pick the two books from my book basket in my room. I used to have a shelf with other books too but in the “transition” to the big girl bed and room redecorating, the shelf was moved (back) to my playroom downstairs. I was on a Beatrice Potter kick, partly because they were small books (like my magazines, but I will mention those later) and they were on the shelf. Mommy is not a big fan of these books, she thinks they are scary and don’t have enough pictures. She actually never read the entire book to me, just summarized as she pleased. She would groan when I picked them over and over and over again. I don’t know where those books are now. I love to read to myself too. At school when we have free play, I often sit and read to myself. When I am home at night before dinner, I sit on my bean bag and read out loud to myself while Mommy and Daddy make dinner.

Swinging. I still love to swing! Do you think this has anything to do with the early days when I would only calm down in the baby swing? Do you remember the stories and the photo of me with my hand in the air while I was swinging? I still love it. Daddy takes me to the park on the way home from school sometimes and I just love to swing. I am such a big girl that now I like to sit on the big girl swing and go really, really high. I mean it, not just little kid high but big kid high. This scares Daddy to death. I still have my swing on the back porch too, and I have been known to be enjoying a nice swing so much that I fell asleep.

Yard work. I am a good helper. I like to weed, especially now that I have my very own gardening gloves with Dora the Explorer on them. I am particularly good at taking weeds from Mommy or Daddy and taking them to the trash can. I like to crouch down right next to them to see what they see and observe their technique. I like to use the little shovel and tools, but because I have not gotten the hang of putting the tool down before I run to the next activity, Mommy and Daddy kinda hog the tools.

Bath time. I take a bath in the “big bath” now. This means that Mommy fills the whole tub versus the plastic little kid tub that we used for quite some time. I have my two wash clothes, my two ducks, three balls (and hoop) and now four fish that all participate in bath time with me. I love to splash so Mommy closes the curtain so I can kick and kick and kick.

Brushing my teeth. I brush every morning and floss and brush every night. I have kid plastic flossers that have plastic handles in the shape of princess wands, castles and some boy shapes but I don’t like them because I really only want my pink ones. Mommy still wonders how she got such a girly-girl, but that is for another time. We sing a song that Aunt Shell taught us that goes “scrubba dubba dubba dubba says the monkey to the chimp. (spit) Scrubba dubba dubba dubba dubba says the monkey you’re an imp. (spit).” I am pretty good at spitting out the toothpaste, but Mommy sometimes has to say “down spit” to make sure I don’t spit right on the mirror or all over the sink area.

Drinking with straws. This is relatively new. I drink my special yogurts (Danino – which Daddy does not appreciate because they are so expensive, but he buys them for me because I love them so) and sometimes my drinks at dinner with straws. They have to be pink, though.

Sunglasses. I have five pair of sunglasses. None of them really fit. I usually spent most of the sunny time trying to adjust them. But I always want them with me.

Elmo games on the computer. Sesame street has quite a site for young enthusiasts like me. I play games (kinda) by pointing out a different button immediately after Mommy clicks on one game. That’s a game, right?

Carol’s swing set and sandbox. Now that it’s nicer, Mommy and I have gone over to play with Finnean, Sam and Isabella in their grandma’s back yard (next door to us). They are really fun and I love to climb all over the set then play with the toys in the sandbox too. This might keep Mommy from “destroying the yard” as Daddy would say by getting a swing set in our yard.

My friends at school. My friend Blaire and I are the only two girls in Miss Tiesha’s class. Blaire is my best friend, and I often come home with stories about her. I like the boys okay, but since many of the kids I like just moved to Gard 3 (since they are 3 now), the boys are younger and not as mature. The only thing with Blaire is that she still has her binky. I tell Mommy how I would put Blaire’s binky in our mailbox for the pacy fairy. There was also a bug incident the other day as well. Blaire either threw away or squashed a perfectly content bug that I was holding.

March 21, 2010

2010-03-24T21:52:00.001-04:00

Throughout the week, Mommy and Daddy had been telling me how I was going to go spend the night with Nana by myself on Saturday. I am getting pretty good and the days of the week and knowing which one comes next. I know that Saturday and Sunday are special days and I don’t go to school on those days. Often we do something fun, like go visit family, friends, the park (like on Friday, which was different), the zoo or the aquarium. On Friday night we packed my new suitcase (the one with butterflies on it) with clothes and necessities I would need for one night with Nana. As with the vacation, I have a different idea of what needs to be taken on a one-night trip than Mommy. But she has to give me credit with what a joyful helper I am in the packing process. She should appreciate this, because I may not always enjoy being such a good helper!

On Saturday morning, we did all of the normal things like take the sheets off the beds, put them into the washer, watch them spin around in the washer, then move them to the dryer and watch them spin around again. Mommy and I finished packing my butterfly suitcase (and unpacking the sundry items I continued to pack in the suitcase). Then we got into the big car and headed to Middletown. We met Nana in the Lowe’s parking lot. As soon as I saw her come to the window, I kicked me feet (which is what I have done and continue to do when I am especially happy) and gave my best, happiest grin. I barely said goodbye to Mommy, then Nana and I were off to her house.

Mommy and Daddy went to Louisville, Kentucky (a state I have visited) to meet their friend Terra, who was presenting at a conference for English professors. They sat in the back, even though there were only eight people there, and listened to the three presenters talk about the importance of and the ability to build rapport among students via on-line classes. They both found it fascinating and you won’t be surprised to hear that Mommy wanted to ask several questions but Daddy would not let her. It was a riveting hour and Mommy decided that she could be a conference crasher. After that, the three walked back to the hotel (the Galt House) which was a few blocks away, right on the Ohio River (right, this does happen where a river with one name can be seen from many states. I hope you can keep up, I am sure this will happen again in another story.) After a quick change, they were off to meander around the city, stopping first at a brewhouse for drinks and some appetizers. Then they went into the historical Brown hotel for a look at the menu which included the “hotbrown” which Mommy actually enjoyed one time with Elinor and Jerry Fitzgerald, our friend Kelly’s parents who live in Louisville. They paid the cool $.50 to ride the trolley from one end of the city to the other. With some deliberation by Daddy, they headed to the top of their hotel to the bar to check out the view of the river. Daddy is afraid of heights and this fear seems to get worse as he gets older. As Mommy and Terra stood close to the windows to see what they could see, Daddy stood by the innermost wall.

Don’t worry, the fun did not stop then, the night had just begun! They walked the several blocks to the hotel/art museum called 21C. They felt a little like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” when the threesome went to the art museum and held hands with the school kids as they walked through. No, they did not hold hands, but they were mesmerized by the collection of art and the experience of it all. And no, I have not seen this movie, but as I would say, “someday Abigail watch that.” They had a drink at the fancy dancy bar and people watched for a bit. After this, they were on their way to their next adventure, walking to another restaurant for dinner. On the way, they talked to me to say good night. I was having a good time and not very available for talking, so after the brief chat, they went back to the “revived” part of the town and had a “light” dinner, which turned out not to be very light. Between the salad, entrée, mac and cheese and bread, they were ready to go. They meandered back to the hotel bar area that actually was located over the road with a really cool view and drank a bottle of the wine Mommy and Daddy brought. The night ended with Mommy downing a few Rolaids for the heartburn, a relatively new phenomenon she started experiencing when she was pregnant with me!

The next morning, Mommy, Daddy and Terra got up, walked to a bagel shop for breakfast, then because they had time before Terra had to get to the airport, they decided to check out the archery convention. It is amazing how much you learn about new things when you crash conventions! Mommy decided that she could not only crash conferences and would not take Daddy so she could ask all of the questions she wanted, but she could crash conventions to learn about new sports and hobbies.

After they dropped Terra off at the airport and set up my next overnight with Nana (meaning, Terra had another conference that they would crash), Daddy and Mommy headed home. They made a few very productive stops along the way, including one to Daddy’s favorite wine shop and to a mall where Mommy enjoyed herself with a few minutes of toddler-free shopping. By this time, I was up from my nap at Nana’s and ready to be brought home. Actually, I was not ready to come home, but Mommy and Daddy were ready for me to come home. The end of my weekend!

What did Nana and I do while Mommy and Daddy were in Louisville conference and convention crashing with Terra? All we can say is “what happens at Nana’s stays at Nana’s.”

March 19, 2010

2010-03-24T21:36:00.000-04:00

Spring was finally “in the air” on Friday (March 19), which means that it was warm (yet breezy) and the sun was shining. Even though Ohio has many great qualities, it could do much to enhance its equity with a boost in days of sunshine throughout the winter. We can manage through the cold and we don’t mind the snow, but the overcast, dark days of winter can really drain a soul. So when it was warm (yet breezy) on Friday, everyone was racing for the doors to get out and enjoy it. You also cannot count on great weather and other snowstorm could still come, you must enjoy the nice days when you get them. Daddy picked me up early and we headed directly to the park we see every morning and night on our way to school and home again. I have been talking about this park every day for weeks, asking earnestly if we could go, even though it was completely covered in snow or slush and not a soul could be seen at it. I had given up the quest in the last week, simply saying what I do about so many things that I want to do in the future “someday Abigail will go to the park.” This is usually a sufficient request of the adults in my life and we both feel positive about their ability to say, “yes, someday Abigail will do that.” You can imagine my surprise when we did not pass the park but pulled directly into the lot and headed for the play area! I am big enough now to climb up the steps by myself and am even experimenting with the ladders and alternative climbing apparatus in the play area. Daddy did “spot” me even though I wanted to do it all by myself. To this I said, “someday Abigail do it all by herself” and Daddy said, “yes, someday Abigail will do it all by herself, but Daddy will help you for now.” Usually this works for me. We have been coming to this park since I was little (I know, this is relative, but just ask me and I will tell you what a big girl that I am). It was remodeled and broken into two sections, one for older kids and one for smaller kids like me. Daddy and I played for quite some time and when we were back at the car getting a tissue, Mommy drove up in the “big car” (my term for the “SUV” - sport utility van - or mini-van). We all three played for awhile until Daddy left to go get dinner ready. Mommy told us that she had a choice between the park with me or a happy hour with people from work and it was an easy decision. No, she did not go to the happy hour first!

March 14, 2010

2010-03-24T21:32:00.002-04:00

Mommy’s friend, Erika, had her baby boy (Sawyer) on March 11th! I know what a baby is, I point them out when we are in stores (and at the airport on our trip) all of the time. I am not sure what it means that Erika had a baby because it has not yet occurred to ask why she did not have him before, so what is the new news? Mommy got to meet little Sawyer on Sunday, March 14, he was only a few days old. I don’t remember being a few days old, although I think we were still in the hospital because I was born via a “c-section” (whatever that means) and when I was born I did not suck very well so the doctors wanted to keep me at the hospital to check on me. Mommy loved visiting Erika, Christian, Emma, Kora and little Sawyer. Erika’s parents were there too, and Mommy loved seeing them. Erika’s mom (Pam) and Mommy have had a running joke since Mommy was in high school and would go to Erika’s house. Pam would hide from Mommy, pretending that she did not want to see her. Now, even if Pam really did not want to see Mommy, Mommy thought it was so funny she never saw through it. One time, Pam was hiding in the bathtub so now when they see each other, they often refer to the surprise Mommy has of not finding Pam in the bathtub. I hope I have friends and parents of friends that I will know my whole life like Mommy and Erika.

March 10, 2010

2010-03-24T21:32:00.001-04:00

Mommy made renewed commitments to life starting in March. As much as she loves her job, she realized that she could not do just her job and needed to spend more time with her family and friends. During the past nine months, she was working all day, coming home to eat (of course, she is an eater), play with me and put me to bed, then go back to work from home until very late. She would do this starting Sunday night and going every day and even worked most Saturday mornings. Sure, she got a lot of work done, but she felt she was missing out on what was important to her and had to make some adjustments. Since we got home from vacation, she still works hard every day and some nights after I go to bed, but not every night and she tries to limit working on Friday night and Saturday too. Both Daddy and I have noticed a difference in her spirit, because she is back to enjoying herself more now. The job is still stressful, but whose isn’t, right? I would argue (even though I am not the arguing type) that being a two-year old going on three-year old is a pretty stressful job.

March 9, 2010

2010-03-24T21:31:00.000-04:00

Daddy is back to running. He does not get to run very much during the week to train, but he has gone to different parks in Dayton to run with several (sometimes hundreds) of other runners. He has really missed running and Mommy and I are really glad that he is back to it. His back has been a bit sore, but he called the doctor who advised him to do his stretches again for a few weeks and call if it does not get better. He does not have a “big” race in his plans yet, but we are just waiting for him to let us know when he is ready. Can you believe that it’s been almost one year since his surgery? This time last year he was dealing with constant pain, had endured two shots in his back, countless physical therapy and chiropractor sessions, hours of stretching and lying on his stomach on the floor and more pills than he has ever taken in his life to manage the pain. And he did not take near the number of pills that he should have been taking!

March 7, 2010

2010-03-24T21:30:00.001-04:00

We came home on Friday, March 5 and boy were Mommy and Daddy glad to have the two days to unpack and get ready for the next week. As you probably figure, Mommy was completely unpacked the within an hour of being home on Friday night (even though she was feeling yucky and had eaten only a bagel that day) and she was asleep by 9. I was asleep too, even though my body time from Arizona would have been 7. But, who can sleep on planes when you are excited about sitting in your own seat by the window, looking out at the clouds, talking about how I was in the sky, looking at the ground below, asking for every item that I could think of that Daddy had to get out of one of the bags that were not convenient to reach, watching a movie, taking the headsets off and on and asking Mommy constantly to fix them because they were “bugging me” and talking to the people who sat in front and behind me?

On Saturday we ran errands, including a trip to two different Target stores for a twin comforter, blanket, new pillow and sheets. Why did we buy these items, you ask? Because on Sunday, I was transitioned to a big girl bed. Mommy and Daddy bought the mattress for me at Costco a couple of weeks before. I was not very thrilled about the purchase at the time, but had forgotten about it because they put it in Grandma and Papa Larry’s bedroom when they brought it home (we keep their door shut so I don’t notice things that are in there). Here is how it happened: First thing Sunday morning Nana came over to visit (as I already said, Mommy and Daddy thought this would be good for me after vacation).

Mommy wanted to keep the crib up along with the new bed in case there was a revolt, but the crib would not fit through the doorway so she had to take it apart. At this point, I did not know what was going on and I like to help, so I happily asserted myself directly in the middle of the activity, helping take apart the bed. It did not occur to me until the crib was in many pieces in the hallway that there might be a problem. Nana and Mommy made a big deal of getting the new frame out, putting the sheets and my new comforter on the bed.

Note that Daddy stayed far away from the activity, he knows better than to get between Mommy and a construction or organization project. The bed moved around the room a few times (luckily the frame is on wheels but it would not have mattered if it wasn’t, the bed would have moved anyway). Mommy settled on a spot on the long wall, away from the windows so I cannot reach the window blinds from bed. Daddy was sent to the hardware store to buy slats, which he did, even though he was not sure why this all needed to be done so close to my nap time. He came up the stairs with the slats as the bed made its third location change and the chairs were being readjusted.

After all of the activity, it was time for my nap. To my dismay, my cozy crib and perfectly aligned accessories were gone and this massive, obtuse “pad” was sitting in my room. What is a girl to do? As Mommy and Nana left the room I continued my plea “no this, no this, no this!” While I was sleeping, Mommy attempted to open up the bed rails that we had to keep me from rolling out of the bed. These are the same rails that she could not get closed before vacation last October. She thought to herself that she should have just kept them open because no matter how hard she tried, she could not get them open. She and Nana even did some investigation in the mechanics of the rail (a.ka. she cut open a section to see it) but this only showed that it was not functioning correctly. Mommy is usually pretty good at fixing things and has been working on giving up the fight before she is frustrated beyond belief. Because she had already spent significant time working on the rails before, she had little patience this time, so off Mommy and Nana went to buy new ones. They also went to the hardware store

But, as with many transitions in my life to date, they are to be managed through and accepted with some empathetic soothing from Mom but a realistic expectation that there is no turning back. While I might not remember, the transition from my bassinet to my crib was decided and executed in a day where Mommy decided that the furniture in her bedroom did not work and she needed the space where I slept for a bookcase. I was at an age where I did not need to be so close and Daddy was actually ready for a better night’s rest, but let’s be honest about the trigger that moved me to the new room. For better or worse, I did not have an issue with that first major transition (besides the one of being born) and slept peacefully through the night. This adjustment encouraged Mommy and “transitions” have been “abrupt changes that will be managed through” ever since. There might be talk about the transition coming, but when it’s time, it’s time. Remember the paci fairy? I’ve said enough.

March 5, 2010

2010-03-24T21:29:00.001-04:00

To sum up the vacation in Phoenix: We had a fabulous time in the desert, spending time relaxing with Grandma and Papa Larry in the villa and at the pool, visiting with Uncle Terry and Aunt Suzi, Daddy’s cousin, Bridget and Mommy’s friend Mindy and her super cool girls, Lauren and Emma. We went in the pool, hung out with the Red’s, went on a “nature walk” and learned about cacti, danced with a singer at the “JW,” met Spongebob Squarepants and Dora, got ice cream and played with bubbles. Most of all, I got non-stop love and adoration from Grandma and Papa Larry. I slept in a big-girl bed (pull out couch) like a champ too. The weather was a bit cooler than we hoped and it did rain (in the desert, I know), Mommy worked quite a bit during the week, Grandma felt queasy for a few days and Mommy came home with the same thing, but even with that, it was a fabulous trip. We know that we are blessed to go on vacation!

Did I tell you that I am in the midst of potty training? During vacation, since it was a bit chilly and we spent a good deal of time in the villa, I was somewhat obsessed with diapers and changing my diaper. On the way to Phoenix when Mommy tried to put me on the potty in the Dallas airport (I asked to go), I got scared because it was open in the front, I had to sit on the side and it flushed by itself, so my interest in sitting on the potty decreased. But my enthusiasm about changing my diaper and my quest to wear pull-ups like at school increased. Daddy had to let go of the cost per unnecessary change because it did not detour my drive and it drove Mommy and Grandma crazy. Even though they work for a company that makes a lot of money off of pull-ups, Mommy and Daddy do not think these make sense. I love them because they are really diapers that make me feel like a big girl and don’t have any uncomfortable consequences. That is why they don’t love them. I do most of my potty training at school, as Miss Tiesha takes us all to the bathroom after every meal or snack and after nap. Before we left on vacation, it seemed to the adults in my life that I was very close to eliminating the diapers, they all agreed that going “cold turkey” (or whatever that means) during vacation would not be the smartest idea they ever had. So, they tolerated my constant changing and starting talking about how when we got back from vacation that we would start getting on the schedule like school.

The only thing that I missed on vacation was Nana. We always go on vacation with Nana along with Grandma and Papa Larry so I could not understand why she was not there. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every moment with Grandma and Papa Larry, but some things are just confusing to a two, almost three-year old girl. Mommy and Daddy asked Nana if she could come over to visit during the weekend so I could get my fix when I returned home from vacation. They knew that they would be chopped liver after such a fun week and wanted to smooth the transition back to everyday life.

February 27, 2010

2010-03-24T21:28:00.002-04:00

February ended well, as we went on our first family vacation since October and our first trip on a plane since August 2008. We left on Saturday, February 27 to go to Phoenix to meet up with Grandma and Papa Larry.

A couple of weekends before, Mommy and I met Nana at the Walmart in Middletown to do some shopping and have lunch at the Subway. During this trip, where we spent over two hours in the Walmart, we bought a new suitcase just for me. It has butterflies on it and we got a special tag (it was the shape of a butterfly too) where we wrote my name. Nana got credit for buying the suitcase. Keep this in mind. If someone is with us when “we” purchase something for me, especially a grandparent, they get credit. Just ask me who bought my winter coat.

After we got the bag home, Mommy whipped out her spreadsheet list of all of the items we needed to bring on the trip and started staging the clothes and sundry items. I am all about packing and starting helping by bringing every item I could think of that should fit into my bag for the trip. I was (and still am) blissfully unaware that the list has a purpose and is to be followed closely. Luckily, I did not check the luggage closely after it was ready to go and was bringing items that I could think of in the moment so was not dismayed to find the limited items that I had packed make the final cut.

That Saturday morning, after talking about the trip for almost two weeks, we had to get up really early (4 am) to get to our flight. I take that back, Mommy and Daddy, who were planning to get up at 3:30, received a call from the airline at 3:15 saying that our flight was canceled and we were rebooked on another airline that had a flight leaving just a few minutes later than our first flight. I still got up at 4. Mommy and Daddy were pretty impressed that the airline had a sophisticated system that could not only identify the change, rebook us on a flight and get us to the same destination, contact us in enough time to do something about it and have the tickets prepared when we arrived at the airport a few hours later. The airline industry gets a lot of flack (not sure what this name means but I have heard it before and it seemed right) about cost and not being able to deliver, but Mommy and Daddy don’t think that’s very fair. This day was a perfect example.

Anyway, we left our house in a snow storm (literally) and arrived in Phoenix safely and on-time that day. I was an amazing girl on both flights (we flew through Dallas, Texas). Even though I don’t get to count Texas on my list of “states visited” because the rule is you have to go somewhere else besides the airport, I would say that I like the state based on what I saw in the airport. Of course, I made friends too. Daddy would try to tell you that I get my outgoing nature from him, and if you meet him socially, you might be lured into believing this. But those of you who know Mommy and Daddy know the truth. Back to me. I did not sleep except for 30 minutes, but did not have a meltdown. I got my own seat this time and Daddy and Mommy agreed that it would have worked any other way (me sitting on their laps, if you did not catch what the “other way” meant). I sat at the window, looked out at the clouds, talked about how I was in the sky, looked at the ground below, asked for every item that I could think of that Daddy had to get out of one of the bags that were not convenient to reach, watched a movie, took the headsets off and on and asked Mommy constantly to fix them because they were “bugging me” and talked to the people who sat in front and behind me.

February 14, 2010

2010-03-24T21:28:00.001-04:00

The next big event was Valentine’s Day and the long weekend because we celebrate President’s Day and Mommy and Daddy don’t have to work on that day. It snowed and snowed and snowed that weekend, which meant that we made a snowman and played inside. On Valentine’s Day, we did go to see our friends Kelly, Guy, Julian and Zoe and I got to go this time. I just love Zoe and want to be just like her. I love going to her house where I get to play with her big girl toys and she is really nice and plays with me. They have two dogs and “Big Cat” who all let me pet them (unlike Bella).

February 9, 2010

2010-03-24T21:27:00.000-04:00

The first weekend in February was Nana’s birthday weekend. Actually, her birthday was Monday, but I don’t usually see her on weekdays so this was close enough to me. Come to think of it, I don’t actually notice specific days and dates just yet anyway. Anyway, Nana came to our house for a special dinner for her birthday. My favorite part, as always, was when we sang and blew out the candles. I got to sit on her lap and help blow out the candles too. It was the “year of the ice cream sandwich” at our house, as for Mommy’s belated birthday celebration (since she did not feel good on the actual day) and for Nana’s celebration, we put a few candles in an ice cream sandwich. I am not a huge sweet girl (which makes Mommy wonder if I am actually her child), so the candles and the blowing out of the candles is a bigger deal to me than the sweet at the end. I bet Daddy would enjoy a mound of chips more than cake, so maybe this is a gene I picked up from him.

February 2, 2010

2010-03-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

February was a blur, really. Mommy was in the middle of the planning season and working on a “game changing” plan for her brand. She had been working quite a bit since last July, but in February, she worked more than Daddy and I have ever seen her and more than she would care to admit. Daddy was in the middle of a transition of roles too, and while a little less demanding, he too was working quite a bit.

The last weekend in January, Mommy left for a work trip to Florida. She got to see Aunt Shell for a bit, then listened to people talk about fiber for two days. As much as Mommy loves what she does, I am not sure if she would be the headliner at the “bring your mom to school day” with some of the topics she brings home. Now, don’t get me wrong, she has enough enthusiasm for what she does that she could wow us with the energy and her excitement for her job. Don’t tell her that I told you this, I am still thinking about the response I will give her when she offers to come to such an event.

While Mommy was out of town, Daddy rose in my “top 5 people” ranking and we had a great time. I am a different girl when it’s just Daddy and me, I know how to work it. He has not figured this out yet, so don’t tell him, okay?

January 24, 2010

2010-03-24T21:06:00.000-04:00

By the end of the week, Mommy was feeling a bit better and we were back to our normal schedule of seeing family and friends. On Friday night, I got to watch my friend Lauren play basketball. I am not well-versed just yet with the ‘basketball-watching along the sideline etiquette” and found myself on the court with Lauren a few times. Ryan was a fun diversion for me, which is why I did not spend the entire time on the court. Can you see Daddy’s face in this situation?

On Saturday, Nana came over to our house so Mommy and Daddy could go to dinner with our friends, Kelly, Guy, Julian and Zoe. Clearly they did not tell me where they were going because I adore Zoe and would have been quite disappointed to know that I was not included. On the other hand, Nana is in my “top 5 people” list so it would have been a tough call if I had a choice.

On Sunday the fun continued as we went to Dayton to meet Uncle David, Carmela, Uncle Robbie, Aunt Jeannie and Nana for brunch to celebrate Mommy and Aunt Jeannie’s birthday. My uncles are good for many things, and one of them is as the form of a jungle gym for me. It does not matter to me where we are, they are generally amenable to playing their role.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

2010-02-12T23:27:00.001-05:00

This year was a good, but probably not the best birthday Mommy ever had. Everything went well during the day, she just felt pretty nauseous the entire day, and came home at 5 pm and fell asleep on the couch. She did come upstairs, get me ready for bed, read me a book and put me to bed, but that was all she had the energy to do.

She had a few sips of soup for dinner then went back to sleep by 8:15. She did not feel that fabulous the next day either, but she was glad that at least she did not throw up like I did. After I was sick, then Daddy did not feel good on Tuesday, she was not surprised at least.

Daddy and I did a great job with gifts, though. I gave her the new John Mayer CD (which she only remembers hearing a few songs from since she fell asleep on the couch) and Daddy gave her a new running jacket. The jacket was on its way in the mail, which was fine, because Mommy probably would not have had enough energy to try it on that night anyway.

Monday, January 18, 2010

2010-02-12T23:21:00.001-05:00

The next morning, we all headed out early. Daddy, Mommy and I headed to a check-up with my allergist and Father Jeff was on his way to Florida. After my appointment, we went by Lenscrafters and Mommy got her eyes checked. Daddy and I went to Costco to pass the time, and then picked her up so we could get home for lunch. Mommy went to her dentist appointment while I was sleeping too. It was a busy day of errands!
I was still a bit sluggish but did start eating more by Monday night. As I started feeling better, Daddy started feeling yucky.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

2010-02-12T23:20:00.001-05:00

Sunday, January 17, 2010
Needless to say, we did not go to church on Sunday. I slept on Mommy or Daddy and did not eat anything. I did not throw up again but I was not myself. Mommy and Daddy knew that I did not feel good because I merely walked from place to place, or asked to be carried. I am usually running from place to place!
Mommy and I took a nap together that morning, we both really needed it! As much as Mommy does not want to get in the habit of taking naps or sleeping in the same bed as me, she thought it was really sweet and loved watching me while I slept. She woke up just in time to go to our friend Erika’s lunch/shower with Brandi and Mel. I don’t know why they call it a shower. I know that a shower is, and it is very small and could not hold more than two people. It was at the Mexican restaurant that Erika loves at the Union Centre exit (close to our house). Mommy was really excited to go be with Erika, Brandi and Mel, even if she was pretty tired that day. I was at home taking a nap with Daddy, so I didn’t miss her. Mommy and “the girls” talked about the fun they had at Heidi’s wedding, about the pictures from Heidi’s dog sled trip, about how Erika felt and how all of us kids were doing. Mommy felt so blessed for two days in a row to be spending time with her friends. She is always telling me and Daddy just how blessed she is to have such amazing friends!

That night (after Mommy got home from the shower), Father Jeff came to see us. He was on his way to Florida from northern Ohio and stopped to spend the night with us. He is so sweet and nice and fun. We had a good dinner. Actually, I did not eat anything, but their dinner looked good. Daddy opened a good bottle of wine because he said that Jeff appreciates good wine. Funny enough, he did not open a “good” bottle of wine the night before with Kristy and Teresa, but rather, encouraged Mommy to get a bottle from her section. He was quite disappointed when Mommy chose a bottle out of his section!

I went to bed early and Daddy stayed up talking to Jeff. Jeff has such great stories and knows so many people, Daddy and Mommy love to have him visit.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

2010-02-12T23:06:00.001-05:00

To celebrate Mommy’s birthday, Teresa and Kristy came over, picked me up and went to one of my favorite places, Jungle Jim’s. After our trip to Jungle Jim’s, including a fun time of me hanging over the sides of the cart and grabbing the kitchen gadgets as we looked for a nut chopper, we headed home to make dinner. I did not participate in the making of the dinner, I was too busy bossing Teresa and Kristy around and playing with my kitchen. I did not eat any of the dinner they made either, I mainly ate cashews and crackers that they had out before dinner. If you were watching a movie, I don’t know if this statement would be a foreshadow or not. I went to bed close to 9 pm, there was too much fun to be had! Mommy, Kristy and Teresa enjoyed their dinner and bottles of wine. Again, not sure if that would be foreshadowing or not. Anyway, they went to bed around 12:15 am (this is very late for Mommy, but she was having a good time and trying to be cool like she used to be back in college).

At 3:15, Mommy woke up and wondered why Daddy was not in bed and why he was walking through the bedroom with the hallway light on. She got up and walked to my room where Daddy and I had just put down sheets and blankets on the floor so we could sleep. You see, I woke up around 12:45 and was throwing up. Daddy came in to help me, changed my sheets and got my clothes changed. Shortly after this, I threw up some more. Daddy got me and my sheets changed again. Daddy was so proud of me because I did not cry at all and stood there with him when he changed my bed. One time I even stopped myself from throwing up until I got into the bathroom. After the second set of sheets, Daddy realized that there were not enough for another set so he decided that he and I would have a campout.

Mommy felt pretty bad that she did not hear us at all and that she did not help. Boy was she tired! But, Mommy did contribute by giving me a Pepto Bismol and a bucket. Then she went back to bed. I threw up the Pepto Bismol, which meant it was pink. At 6:45, I threw up again so Mommy came in to help clean me up. Daddy went to sleep for a bit so Mommy and I went downstairs to hang out to make sure that we did not wake up Teresa and Kristy who were sleeping in the next room.

Kristy and Teresa got up around 7:30, and it was funny because they thought they would disturb us so were being really, really quiet! They hung out with me for a little bit (although Mommy would not let them hold me because she was worried that I was contagious). They had a busy day because they were all getting their pictures taken as a gift for their mom (Miss Judy, or Neena, as Colin and Patrick call her) and dad.

Friday, January 15, 2010

2010-02-12T22:57:00.001-05:00

Daddy went out of town to Dallas for work for almost an entire week! Do you know what this means? First that Mommy and my nutrition went down significantly. Second, note that Mommy appreciates and admires single parents even more when Daddy is out of town. Third, note that Daddy loves me very much and does not like to be gone from me. I asked pretty much every morning and every night where Daddy went and continued to ponder where this “Dallas” place was.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

2010-02-12T22:35:00.000-05:00

Grandma and Papa missed me so much that they came to see me the first weekend after I went back to school. They picked me up from school that Friday and stayed until Sunday. I don’t remember a ton about what we did but I remember that it was cold. Grandma has a way of coming to visit on the coldest days of the year. I am sure we went to Costco and I am sure we played with my new kitchen. Beyond that, it was just a blur of fun!

New Year - 2010

2010-02-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

Friday, January 1, 2010
To celebrate New Year’s Day, Daddy decided it would be fun to run in the cold.Mommy and I went with him because the race was in Dayton, near where Nana lives. While Daddy ran his race, Mommy and I hung out with Nana, Lilly and Sophie. I love Nana’s house and all of the fun games we play when I am there. Of course because we were in Dayton, Daddy made a trip to his favorite meat market, Dots. After this trip, we are set for months!

Saturday, January 2, 2009
On Saturday night, we had a birthday celebration for Papaw at our house. Papaw could not come, but Uncle David, Carmela, Uncle Robbie, Aunt Jeannie and Nana all came and it was really fun. I don’t quite understand why Papaw did not come see me for his birthday, but I had a great time with my family!

We all went back to school and work on January 4th. I must tell you that I would have preferred to stay at home playing with Mommy and Daddy, but they did not give me a choice.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

2010-02-12T22:25:00.001-05:00

The week after Christmas can be called the “week of fun.” I played with my mommy and daddy and got to enjoy many activities that a girl usually doesn’t get to do on school days.

On Tuesday, December 29, 2009 it was our friend Teresa’s birthday (we won’t tell which one but Mommy and she have been friends for almost 17 years). Anyway, we got up early, went and picked up Kristy, Colin and Patrick and headed to a really cool place in Columbus called COSI. This is a place that Mommy used to go to when she was a Girl Scout and it was really neat. Anna, Teresa, Mommy and I played in the younger-kid section while Kristy took Colin and Patrick to the bigger kid section. We had such a good time running around and around. This place reminded me of the Cincinnati Museum Center that we went to back in August. After we played for awhile, Mommy brought in lunches (of course, like good Girl Scouts, they had lunches all prepared). We ate in a big, open section with life-sized chess and Chinese checkers games. Patrick built a race car and raced it down the track. He was having so much fun he almost missed the lunch break! Don’t worry, they would give him lunch.

We left COSI around noon, which you know is dangerously close to my nap time. We went to Teresa and Anna’s house instead of going home. Mommy knew that the day was going to be an experiment because I am not always really big on napping at other people’s houses, especially when there are fun things going on. She was almost right, because I rested for awhile, but I really did not sleep. I slept in Marin’s bed, which was all fine and good for me, because she is a little baby so the crib mattress was really high, and they had mobiles for me to play with. I am not sure how long I really slept, but after that little rest, I was ready for the day.
There was snow in Columbus even though there was not snow at our house. Mommy and Kristy had brought our snow outfits (again, good Girl Scouts), so after what seemed like ten hours of getting ready, we went outside! Mommy brought my sled and Anna had her sled, so we went to the open field behind Teresa’s house and pulled the sleds back and forth. Let me rephrase that. I sat in the sled and demanded that whoever happened to be pulling the sled at the time run as fast as possible from one end of the field to the other. Even though Mommy, Kristy and Teresa were exhausted, we played and played and played.

After our fun time in the snow, we went inside for hot chocolate with marshmallows in the glasses. I am okay with the drink but I really like the marshmallows. Anna has a really cool playroom, so after we played in there for awhile, I got to help Anna decorate the cake for Teresa. Anna’s daddy, Chris, is really fun and nice and let us help even though we kinda made a mess of it. Can you picture having two 2-year olds decorating a cake?

I was not sure when the fun would end, and it was not through yet! We ordered pizza and had dinner at their house too. Even though Anna and I don’t really interact with each other, I sure do enjoy being with her. I know that Mommy is excited that we will grow up knowing each other. We left that night feeling so good that we got to spend a full day with Teresa on her birthday!

Thursday, December 31, 2009

2010-02-12T22:06:00.002-05:00

I am getting used to the fish swimming over my head at the Newport Acquarium. Mommy, Daddy and I went again on the morning of New Year’s Eve. We even got there in time for the “penguin walk” which was not that interesting to me because I could barely see it and I did not quite understand why the penquins were in a covered wagon versus in the water like I usually see them. Daddy is not too much into ceremonies, so we did not watch the presentation after the “parade” and just headed downstairs to the fish exhibits. I mainly wanted Mommy to put her hand in the shark tank (this is allowed, don’t worry), but I did enjoy the sand, the frogs and the penguins who were in their right place at the end of the tour.

Mommy, Daddy and I celebrated New Year’s Eve together this year. Well, you know what I mean, this yea rand last year technically. I was supposed to spend it with Nana but she got sick so we took a raincheck. I don’t know what a raincheck is, but based on the fact that I did not see Nana that night, I figured that it meant “for later.” Anyway, Mommy and Daddy made a nice dinner and drank the champagne at dinner instead of “for later” because they don’t’ stay up that late.

December 25, 2009

2010-02-12T21:42:00.002-05:00

The next morning was Christmas Day and because I am new at this, I did not know I needed to get up at 4, 5 or 6 am. I was up so late the night before (I hope you remembered that tidbit from the paragraph before), so I slept until 8 am, which is a little late for me. I was perfectly happy hanging out with Mommy and Daddy in bed, but they said we needed to go upstairs to see if Santa came. I was not sure about this, who broke into our house? I remembered seeing Santa (and was not sure about sitting on his lap), but I was not sure about this coming to the house business. Even when I went upstairs into the kitchen and Grandma and Papa Larry were awake with the video camera (I also thought it was odd that they had the video camera out in the morning), I did not want to go to the other side of the kitchen to the tree to see about this Santa business. Mommy had to carry me around the corner and help me begin to tear the paper on a really big box. Finally, I saw the picture of the kitchen on the front of the box and was gitty to see that Santa really did bring me the kitchen I asked for!

Mommy and Daddy did learn that morning, that they should have asked Santa to assemble the kitchen. Of course I was very excited to have my new kitchen, and even more excited to play with it! It took Mommy and Papa two hours to put together the kitchen though, so you can imagine my frustration. They won’t forget that request again!

Santa brought me three gifts, just like baby Jesus received. My other two gifts were legos and a Dora plate set. The kitchen was so exciting that the legos were a bit overlooked. Luckily, Mommy and Daddy still love to play with legos, so there will be a time for them as well. We even sang happy birthday to baby Jesus. He was not in the room, but we often sing happy birthday, so I let it go.

After much fun and time putting together my new kitchen, we packed our car (it was really full with the kitchen in the back) and headed to Dayton to see Nana, Uncle David, Carmela and Papaw for Christmas. I was so excited about Christmas that I did not sleep in the car like I normally do. I fell asleep thirty minutes before we arrived at Nana’s so Mommy put me in my crib there and I did sleep for a little bit. But who can sleep on a day like this!

December 24, 2009

2010-02-12T21:41:00.002-05:00

Thursday was Christmas Eve, which meant that everyone (all of my “Connor” aunts, uncles and cousins) came over to Grandma and Papa Larry’s house and we opened lots and lots and lots of great presents! As I mentioned before, this was the first year that I understood what the Christmas thing was all about. The gifts were all in a back bedroom, so I went back to check out what was going on with my comment “what you guys doin’?” I carried my share of packages to the living room, but I still had no idea what they were. I got the first gift, which was the “little people barn toy.” After Mommy spent the five minutes opening it (can you believe the amount of material toys are packed in?) with my help, I was gleefully playing with it. I had no idea that there were more gifts coming! The gift opening went for hours. I was happily enjoying the gifts I had already opened, but more kept coming! I stayed up until after 10 pm that night. I have not stayed up that late for years (and I am only a few years old, so it seemed like a lifetime ago). We left a plate of cookies out for Santa and the reindeers that night. I was not really sure why we were leaving cookies out. For the first thing, Papa Larry loves cookies so much, Santa better come soon or Papa Larry will eat them!

December 23, 2009

2010-02-12T21:36:00.001-05:00

I did not know that Monday would be my last day of school for the year! Tuesday, Mommy and I finished the Christmas shopping and wrapped presents. That afternoon, JJ came over and the three of us when to the zoo! This time, they told me we were going to see the lights, so I was not so disappointed about the lack of animals. It was pretty chilly, but we did walk the entire zoo, then we rode the carousel several times. It takes me two or three times to get the hang of the waving, so it’s good that we get to ride multiple times. After our visit to the zoo and an almost-lost moment in a bad part of Cincinnati, we went to meet Daddy and Dan at the Silver Spring House for dinner. Two big nights in a row, what could come next?!

On Wednesday, we got up early and went to Toledo for the Connor-family Christmas celebration. I love Grandma and Papa Larry’s house! This year was the best ever. Partly because it’s the first year that I understood what in the world was going on.

The fun began after my nap on Wednesday. We went to the Christmas display, just like we did last year. Santa was there, and I did go up to him, but I only whispered my Christmas request (a kitchen!) and I only stood next to him, not on his lap. This year I rode in the first train car and rang the bell. Actually, I started off strong with the bell, but after the first lap, there was much to do with the looking around and waving at my parents who kept moving to different places. Who can keep track of that? After the train, I got my face painted with a snowman. I was very serious and still while she was painting my face, I knew it was a masterpiece in progress. There were two bouncing areas, and I really wanted to go in the one for the big kids. For obvious reasons to my parents but not to me, they did not let me go in there. The little kid play area was no less treacherous, though, as I was bouncing and bouncing and bouncing, fell down and some other two-year old fell on me! I was not hurt but was not thrilled about it. Daddy made me get out and I cried so hard that my tears erased my snowman painting on my face. A nice lady did make me an elephant balloon figure. Luckily, I could not really tell what it was to begin with, because it burst within 5 minutes and after I tried to eat it, Daddy threw it away. It was a fun time, really.

That night, Mommy and Grandma went to church with Cindy, Michael, Anna, Chloe and Christian. They said it was a wonderful service and enjoyed it very much. I stayed home with Daddy and Papa Larry. This was all fine, except that I did not want to go to sleep. I was still not settled when Mommy came to bed at 9 pm, so she decided to start the evening on the couch in the room outside ours in the basement. She was so tired that she did not hear Daddy come down and slept on the couch the whole night long!

Monday, December 21, 2009

2010-01-10T20:10:00.000-05:00

On Friday night (December 18), I had a special treat because Miss Tiffany came over to play with me. Mommy and Daddy went to dinner with Mommy’s Metamucil team. I love, love, love Miss Tiffany and barely noticed that Mommy and Daddy left that night.

Heidi got married on a Sunday, so Mommy was gone most of Saturday and Sunday. Before she left on Saturday, she and I went out in the snow to sled and make a snowman. This was my very first snowman and I enjoyed every minute of this magical creation-making. Mommy said that it was the best snowman snow she had seen in decades. This, by the way, meant that it was not the best sledding snow. I had grown out of my sled, so I barely fit on it, then the snow kept building up underneath. That made my 27 pounds seem very very heavy! After Mommy was freezing, we went inside. We did make some great tracks on the grass, though.

Mommy went to Dayton that afternoon so Daddy and I hung out the rest of the weekend. Of course, until Miss Tiffany came over to hang out with me again on Sunday so he could go to the wedding too. Miss Tiffany took me to the Children’s Museum, then to her house to visit for a bit. I did not miss Daddy or Mommy at all.

On Monday morning, even though Mommy was home, she did not get up and take me to school. She was pretty tired after the weekend activities! She said that Heidi’s wedding was beautiful, Heidi was beautiful and she was proud to be in the wedding. Mommy said that she hoped that I would have friends that last a lifetime, just like the ones Mommy has.

While I was at school, Mommy did some Christmas shopping and had lunch with our friend Lisa, who was visiting from South Carolina. They tried a new burger place called Smash Burger. Everything was fried! It was a fun place to try, though, and Mommy had a great time with her friend Lisa.
Daddy picked me up from school and we went to our friends, the Griffith’s house. As you know, I love to play with Lauren and Ryan and they have really fun toys at their house. We ate pizza and played games all night long. Ok, we had pizza, which I actually ate two pieces of (that is a ton for me), and we played until 8, but that is my bedtime, so it seemed like all night.

December 13, 2009

2010-01-03T20:39:00.001-05:00

This weekend was the annual cookie-making weekend with Grandma, Nana, Aunt Jeannie, Mommy and me. Grandma and Papa Larry came into town on Friday and picked me up from school. I loved it when they do that and run and giggle and jump I am so happy to see them. Mommy and Grandma started Friday night this year to get a jump on the sugar cookie dough. They were trying out new recipes because they decided that the recipe from last year just was not that good. Since the sugar cookies are a feature, they needed a good recipe! They found two that worked (of course they tried both of them that night and even had the expert taster, Papa Larry, confirm).

Saturday morning when Nana and Aunt Jeannie arrived, the girls all went to “breakfast with Santa” with Kristy, Patrick and Colin. I was a bit afraid of Santa this year but after some convincing from Mommy, sat on his lap for just enough time to get a picture. At first I was not into the crafts or games, but again, with some convincing from Mommy, had fun gluing an ornament and coloring a gift bag. We did not win anything in the raffle this year, which is odd, because we usually win. That’s okay, because Kristy won two things and she never wins.

We had some lunch, I headed for my nap and the rest of the girls started making cookies. I was a big part of the cookie making when I woke up and would consider myself a baker in training. I do a fine job of pouring, mixing, patting and even frosting. We had another fun and fruitful day and ended, again, with a table full of cookies. I am tall enough these days to reach right up and get my own cookie, which is a new learning for Mommy.

Deceember 9, 2009

2010-01-03T20:38:00.000-05:00

Today was Daddy’s 40th birthday. You would have thought that he already had his birthday because we have been celebrating it since July. I don’t know if we can count the number of gifts either he has bought himself or we have bought him. On this night, he ended up making his own dinner because he decided to pick me up early and we came home to prep everything. Mommy and Daddy had steak, potatoes (Mommy had sweet potatoes), broccoli and a bottle of wine that Daddy has been saving. My eating habits are somewhat erratic, so I probably snacked on carrots, crackers and drank some milk.

December 6, 2009

2010-01-03T20:37:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, December 5, Daddy ran his first trail race. It was a ten-mile race in Dayton. He was proud that he did it and finished and is ready for more. Mommy and I met Nana in Middletown for some shopping and lunch. Of course we had a great time! The next day, Mommy drove with Kristy to meet Teresa for lunch. Mommy feels so blessed to a) have such good friends and b) to have such a wonderful husband (Daddy) who encourages and supports her in seeing her friends. I stayed with Daddy and did some shopping. I am still a fabulous shopper, by the way.

November 30, 2009

2010-01-03T20:36:00.002-05:00

November was a bit of a blur to us. Daddy sent Mommy two-dozen roses on the Friday he got home because their anniversary was the 9th, but he wanted her to enjoy the flowers the whole weekend before. They were lovely and Mommy got to show them off to her friends at work! Mommy walked with her friend, Kelly, then we went to JJ and Dan’s house for dinner that Saturday. Mommy was a sponsor for a neat young lady named Hailey and went to an event after dinner with JJ and Dan. Mommy and Daddy celebrated their anniversary on Sunday (the 8th) because they like to spend more time making dinner and not rush like they normally do.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we drove to Toledo to see Grandma and Papa Larry. We even left on Friday night so we could be there for two mornings! We had a great time, as always. One exciting thing we did was go to the Toledo Zoo lights. My cousin, Morgan came with us and we had such a blast. I was a bit confused and frustrated that there were not animals to see, which is what I thought the point of the zoo was. We finally saw a few animals and lots and lots and lots of lights. After our trip to the zoo, we went to dinner. By that time it was pretty late and past my bedtime! By the way, my bedtime is closer to 8 pm these days, but I am the queen of stall tactics and push it as long as I can.

For Thanksgiving, the following weekend, we went to Nana’s house. Uncle Robbie, Aunt Jeannie, Uncle David, his girlfriend Carmela and her granddaughter Leah came over too. I had fun playing with Leah, she is four-years old and has fun toys for me to play with.

Friday morning after Thanksgiving, Daddy got up and went shopping. This day is called “black Friday” and there are lots of good deals to be had. Daddy made his second-annual trip to Dick’s sporting goods for shoes and a few other things. He was home and back in bed before Mommy or I were awake. We put up the Christmas decorations on Friday, because on Saturday, Mommy was gone most of the day for her friend Heidi’s shower and bachelorette party. Daddy and I made some sausages on the grill and played and played. I am a big fan of the Christmas tree, and love to take the ornaments off almost as much as Bella does. Bella loves to sit inside the tree, which I don’t do.

Mommy had a great time with her friends on Saturday and Sunday. Erika hosted the shower at her mom’s house, and then Mommy, Heidi, Brandi, Mel, Holly stayed at a hotel in downtown Dayton for the bachelorette party. (Erika could not go to the evening event because she is pregnant and needed to rest). These friends are ones from the ages, so they enjoyed every laughing, giggling minute of their time together. They had many minutes, because they did not go to sleep until 2 am. For those of you who know Mommy understand that she goes to bed at 10 pm so this was a bit past her bedtime. Mommy did learn a new saying from a 21-year old, “Hey girl Hey” and taught it to me too.

Mommy came home by 9 am in Sunday morning so we could spend time together. She was pretty tired and took a nap when I did, but before that, we went to a place called Findlay Market in downtown Cincinnati. It is a place with lots of different vendors who sell meats, fish, vegetables, pastries, coffee and even crafts. We bought some bison for burgers for lunch, some hot sausages for Daddy, vegetables and pork chops. After our tasty burgers, Mommy and I were headed for naps! Unfortunately for Mommy, Bella likes to cuddle and has a hard time getting situated. She paws at the blanket incessantly, which can be very distracting to someone who is very tired. Mommy tried to get Bella to stop pawing, but Bella jumped, the alarm clock got knocked down, Bella got scared and scratched the tar out of Mommy’s hand. This did not make Mommy happy, and cut her nap short!

November 8, 2009

2010-01-03T20:36:00.001-05:00

We got to Nana’s just in time for a quick dinner and for trick-or-treat. I put on my Elmo costume, got my bag, hopped into the wagon, and was on my way. It took me a few houses to catch onto the idea, but after that I was raring to go! I was all about saying “trick-or-treat” when the neighbors opened the door! I wanted to eat the candy as we went, but Mommy made me keep most of them in my bag. I made a tour around the neighborhood then went back to Nana’s. By this point I was pretty tired after a long week, so Mommy and I said goodbye to Nana, Aunt Shell, Lilly (Nana’s dog) and Sophie (Nana’s cat who lets me pet her, unlike Bella). When I got home that night, Mommy realized that I had a fever of 102 degrees! I am a trooper and my costume was pretty hot, so Mommy did not realize that I was not feeling well. Luckily, I woke up the next day feeling fine.

Daddy did not come back from his trip until Friday, so Mommy and I took care of each other. It was a busy week, including a trip to Dayton to get an H1N1 flu shot. Papaw met us at the school where it was being given in case we needed to wait outside or for a long time. Mommy wanted to make sure that I got one because of my asthma, so we got there two hours early and were third in line! Mommy felt very blessed because even though I am in the category of kids with “chronic conditions,” my situation is mild compared to many of the kids who were in the line that day. I didn’t even cry when I got the shot and afterwards, we all went to McDonald’s for dinner.

October 30, 2009

2010-01-03T20:31:00.000-05:00

On the way home from our trip, we learned that my great-grandmother Betty passed away. She was 93 years old and lived a long life. Papaw, Uncle Robbie, Uncle David and Aunt Jeannie were all with her when she passed away, which I am sure she appreciated. We were on our way home from Hilton Head, so we could not get there in time. Aunt Shell lives in Florida, so she could not be there either. But later that week (Thursday), Aunt Shell flew into Dayton and she, Mommy and I drove to Brockway, Pennsylvania to the funeral. Uncle David, Uncle Robbie and Aunt Jeannie caravanned together and met us there. Papaw was already there making the funeral arrangements.

Are you wondering where Daddy was? He had to go on a business trip and flew to Dallas, Texas on Thursday. We went in opposite directions!

I was a very good girl on the trip to Grandma Betty’s funeral. We arrived very late at night and had to get up pretty early the next morning. We were at the funeral home from 9:30 am until 2:45 pm and I even took my nap there. I was quite amused by the drinking fountain which kept me busy for much of the day. I ran around from room to room and was a nice diversion for everyone. I did talk the entire time Mommy said a few words about Grandma Betty, but no one seemed to mind and Mommy is used to me talking when she is trying to tell a story. Nana said that kids have an inherent need to talk over mothers and it will never stop. After the ceremony at the cemetery, we went back to Grandma Betty’s house. Some family came over later that night and we visited and laughed and played.

The next day was Halloween, so Mommy, Aunt Shell and I got up early so we could get home to trick-or-treat with Nana. I got to wake up Uncle David by staring directly into his face as he lay there on the couch. Boy was that funny! Then I rode on Uncle Robbie’s back and pretended he was a choo choo train. He made funny noises, just like a train.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

2009-11-02T21:18:00.001-05:00

We woke up at 6 am this morning so we could be on the road by 7 am. We did pretty well and drove away from the Marriott Beach and Vacation Resort at 7:07 am. It was a very long day, but I had my Nana, TV and lots of snacks for the trip. This was the best vacation of my life!

Hilton Head - Saturday, October 24, 2009

2009-11-02T21:16:00.003-05:00

Our last day was a great one! It was a bit cloudy, but warm again. Momma and Daddy went for a work-out while the rest of us had pancakes and eggs back at the villa. After they were ready, we drove to Harbor Town (back by the Marriott Vacation and Beach Resort called Grand Ocean, where we stayed the first year). We walked through the shops, looked at the big boats (really big boats). I was pretty mad that we could not get on the boats, but luckily there was a playground that was right around the corner. The people who designed a shopping area and a playground in one place were pretty smart! I love to swing, and swing I did! I am getting to be such a big girl too, though, as I climbed up the jungle gym all by myself to go down the slide. Daddy was quite impressed. We headed to south beach after that so Momma could buy me another Salty Dog t-shirt, like the one I have now, but bigger. She bought one just like it for herself so we could be twinkies!

Of course, it was lunch and nap time by this point. After my long (3-hour) nap, Daddy brought me down to the zero entry pool where Momma, Nana, Grandma and Papa Larry were sitting in the sun. Since it was Saturday and most of our other friends were already on their ways home, we talked to another family. They live in Akron, Ohio, near our friends Kim, Jay and Jenna. Their son, Jason, is two-years old too, so we played together. (Their younger son, Henry, is just 7 months old so he did not play with us). Daddy talked to Jason’s Daddy for quite some time. Again, Daddy can be such a social butterfly!

Nana and I went for a walk on the beach and had a fun time running back and forth into the water. We had such a fun time getting sand on our feet, running to the water to clean them off, then saying “thank you water for cleaning off my feet!”

We made steaks for dinner, and ate everything else we could think of in the fridge. We try not to waste any food on these trips, so our last meal is a mish mash. After dinner we started packing everything up for our trip home. Luckily for me, I was not sure what we were doing, because driving in a car for a long time does not seem like vacation for me. I am also very concerned with having the group separated, so having Grandma and Papa in a separate car does not work for me either. Throughout the week, I would let everyone know the issue if we split off into different groups. I want a full entourage, not a partial one!

As she did several times that week, Momma came in and lied down with me in my big, fancy bed. She read me my two books (“The Very Hungry Catepillar” and “Time for Bed”) and whispered secrets to me. This night, she started listing all of the things she loves about me. There were so many things, but when she stopped for a minute, I said “more” and she told me even more things she loves about me. All I can say is that she had a pretty long list so I must be a pretty special girl.

Hilton Head - Friday, October 23, 2009

2009-11-02T21:16:00.001-05:00

At the aqua fitness class, Rachael mixed it up and in the middle of the class, had a race. Did you know that Momma is competitive? Rachael mentioned the word “prize” too, so Momma was immediately in “go mode.” Momma was worried in the first part, because she is not the fastest walker in the water and Anne (the person they talked to on Monday night) was in the lead. But, the second leg was holding the water weights in front and kicking, which Momma pulled ahead doing. She was not sure how far ahead she was, so she kicked and kicked and kicked and even got her hair wet (you usually don’t have to get your head under water in this aqua fitness class). Her first place prize was a canvas Hilton Head bag, and because Rachael likes me so much, Momma even got a first place medal and ribbon and a pink bunny for me.

Momma stayed longer in the pool and hot tub talking to Anne for awhile, so Nana, Grandma and I went for a walk around the common area between all of the buildings. We were just about to go outside again after Momma got her clothes changed and it started pouring down rain. When it stopped, we headed to the beach pool area for another picnic lunch. Luckily, they have really, really big umbrellas, because it started raining again. We did not get wet at all! It was a big chilly due to the wind and the rain but we sat there long enough for the sun to come back out. I rode my bike again and talked to all sorts of people (actually, they talked to me, but I am a polite social girl so I talked back).

After my nap, Daddy and Papa Larry were home from golfing and we headed to the front porch for the Root Beer Float activity. I at first was not interested in this activity and said “no root beer float!” but after we arrived and Leslie gave us a big scoop of ice cream, I thought it might be okay. I mainly spilled it all over my shirt.

After that, we went to the “zero entry” pool. By this point in the week, I was not interested in swimming and would say “no swimming!” They would take my suit anyway because every time we would get to the pool area (which was about 5 minutes), I would then want to swim. It’s good they come prepared for a two-year old. This pool was by the beach and was not headed. And I will tell you, it was pretty chilly. Luckily, it was in the mid 70’s by the end of the week, so it was warm if you just walked around in it. There were fountains with water shooting out and a big umbrella over part of the area too.

Anne’s daughter, Sarah, was at the pool and she convinced me that it would be fun to swim that day. I loved Sarah! She was nice and smart and sweet to me. Even after she went and sat with her friend Katie (who was great too), I kept going into the water, then back to them to dry off, then down the stairs, to the water, up the stairs, back to them. Anne talked to Grandma and Papa Larry about time shares and how to work the system. Grandma is on a quest to better work the system. If anyone can figure it out, Grandma can!

I met some little boys who were nice and shared their toys with me. I cared less about the boys and more about the toys, but I am two years old, so you can’t blame me. There was another section with a little tiny pool and a turtle with little fountains. We did go over to that pool too, and I got to sit on the turtle and jump around in the little fountains. The little girl, Joanna, was over there with her grandmother one time too. It was even more fun to have a friend to play with in the water. Daddy made some friends in the pool too. He had such a good time talking that Momma had to come get him when she was grilling. That Daddy, he can be such a social guy!
We made kabobs on the grill that night, with shrimp, pineapple, onion and yellow peppers. This time Grandma came down to make sure that Momma and Daddy did not get distracted and take too long.

Hilton Head - Thursday, October 22, 2009

2009-11-02T21:15:00.001-05:00

We slept until 8 am on Thursday, which was pretty late. Oh right, I did not fall asleep until close to 10 pm the night before, so I was a tired girl. The weather was getting much warmer, so when we went to swim, we did not shiver as much.

We stayed in the pool area on Thursday. It was such a fun, lazy day that Momma cannot remember anything big that we did.

That night, Momma and Daddy grilled out barbeque pork chops and we baked some potatoes too. Oh, right, we also had some peas. I love peas. I am a good eater, especially when I have not just had a snack. I don’t know why it’s so surprising to the adults in my life that I am not as big of an eater at meals when I have had a snack in the last hour. Hmm. Some mysteries could easily be solved with simple logic.

We did not have ice cream, but we did have brownies for dessert, then we went to the outlet malls for a little shopping. I was a very good outlet mall shopper and Nana even let me ride in the toy fire engine that moved up and down like a real fire engine (except of course it is much, much smaller than a real fire engine). I was pretty tired when we got home.

Hilton Head - Wednesday, October 21, 2009

2009-11-02T21:14:00.000-05:00

Momma went to her aqua fitness class again on Wednesday. Nana went with her this time. After the class, I got to go swimming with Nana. I loved to jump and jump into her arms too! Daddy and Grandpa went golfing on Wednesday morning, so they were not there for the fun times.

There were not many activities on Wednesday, so instead we made our own activities. Instead of eating in our villa, we made a picnic lunch and ate outside by the beach. We brought my tricycle and I rode it all around. As you can imagine, I am a big hit with the many grandparents who come to stay at places like the Marriott’s Barony Beach and Vacation Club. They all talk to me and ask me what I am doing and tell me how pretty and sweet I am. Of course I already know this, but it’s nice to hear.

Guess what we did after my nap? We went to the beach. This time I was better at walking on the sand (it works better for me if I am carried across the dry sand that is harder to walk in and really gets into my toes). I don’t mind walking on the hard sand close to the water because it is hard like the concrete by the pool. Momma, Daddy and I made some sand sculptures too. Actually, I mainly supervised. Daddy and I walked to the ocean several times to get more water. Daddy used it for his castle, and I used it to pour out wherever I felt was right. This is a cool thing about being on a beach. You can also run and run and never run out of room. Momma made a turtle, an alligator and a flamingo creation out of the sand.

After our jaunt on the beach (which was a bit short because it was windy and a bit cold), we headed in to the pool area. We met more fun people, including some who live in Centerville, where Nana lives!

That night we did not grill, but instead made our pot pie. It was warm and a good night for grilling, but we brought all of the stuff and we were not taking it home. We love our pot pie anyway. Nana made a new treat too, her artichoke dip. We will need to add it to our list of necessities.

After dinner, we had ice cream sundaes with the brownies we made. Note to the adults. Too much sugar keeps a child awake.

Hilton Head - Tuesday, October 20, 2009

2009-11-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

Momma and Daddy went to the exercise room on Tuesday morning. It was a treat for them to have treadmills and weight machines to use, so they took advantage of it! The fitness center was right by our villa and right next to the indoor and outdoor heated pool. They also had three adoring grandparents to mind my every want and need. At 9 am there was a welcome breakfast at the heated (outdoor) pool by our villa. Isn’t it great that so many activities are by our villa? Anyway, when everyone got up, they decided that they did not want to go to the welcome breakfast because they were hungry. Oh, did I tell you that I am the alarm clock in the villa? I was ready to be up and playing by 7:15 or 7:30 and my job was to make sure that everyone else was ready to go too!

Anyway, Momma finished her workout close to 9, and knew that Papa Larry would want a danish (he has a real appreciation for danishes). She grabbed a plate and picked up a raffle ticket too. Last year, Momma and Nana went to the welcome breakfast (which had to be moved inside because it was so cold and rainy) and won a couple of things. This year, Momma wondered if their luck would be the same. She headed up to the villa and told the rest of the crew that the breakfast was starting but the raffle was not yet underway. Grandma and Papa Larry hustled down there to get another danish and some raffle tickets too. When they arrived, the raffle started, and guess what? Momma won a sun visor and Papa Larry won a mug. What fun times! Momma came down to pick up some more goodies along with Nana. You need to get your value out of these places!

After the welcome breakfast, I got to go swimming. This time, Daddy took me in the pool. It was still chilly so we stayed inside. I spied the hot tub (although I just called it “that”) and really, really wanted to go in. Daddy had gone in there the night before and it looked really fun. He let me put my feet in when he sat in it. Boy was it fun, and much warmer than that pool, even though it was heated! While Daddy and I were swimming, Momma and Nana were at another activity, writing postcards. They were the only ones at the activity so were able to make more than just one postcard and talked to the very nice activity coordinator, Rachael. It’s amazing how much information you can get from someone in a very short period of time! At least if you are one of our group. You already know that Momma and Nana are talkers, but Daddy, Grandma and Papa Larry also can strike up conversations with people, especially ones who see one of Daddy’s shirts. He had many people talk to him about Toledo (because he had his Toledo shirt) and Cincinnati (because he had this Bengals shirt). There are many people from Ohio that visit Hilton Head. Rachael lived in NY, though, and Daddy was not at the postcard activity because he was in the pool with me.

I love to play in the villa. We brought my baby, her stroller and blanket, my colors, some books, some balls and even my puzzle. I don’t think I told you yet how good I am at putting together my puzzle. It is a little Mermaid picture and I might not be the one who decides where the puzzle piece goes, I am good at putting it in place once I know. I don’t even need to know the exact place; I am getting better every time at turning it in different directions so it will fit just right.

You know the next drill. We got dried off, had some lunch, then I took my nap. Momma was on a tear on Tuesday, trying to get to as many activities as possible. At 1:30 (while I was napping), Nana, Grandma and Mommy went to Facebook 101. Momma knew she was in trouble when a) she brought down the average age by 30 years and b) the first question was “what is Facebook?” The woman next to her said she did not like the invasion of privacy, would never use Facebook, but wanted to learn about it anyway. She was mildly disruptive. Momma hung in there because she thought that there would be a nugget she did not know yet. There was just one.

The weather got progressively warmer throughout the week, and until Friday, there was literally not a cloud in the sky. It was such a beautiful bright and deep blue color; it almost looked like a picture. You just can’t recreate a sky like that, so I won’t even try. The pictures won’t even be able to do it, and pictures can recreate lots of memories.

I got to go swimming in the outdoor heated pool after my nap. There was a little boy named Adam who was jumping and jumping in the pool. By watching him, I got the nerve to do it myself! So I started jumping in the pool too. Daddy was not there, but Nana saw me do it. After I was done (I only swim for 15-20 minutes), Momma and I went to the “Dr. Seuss” Reading time at the pavilion. I was the only one there, so Miss Rachael read “The Cat in the Hat” as a private reading. One other little girl came, but I had my one book and was ready to go. I did get some lemonade too, and that was good.

Daddy and Mommy made burgers and brats on the grill. Daddy would not let Momma go back to Publix (due to the incident, he was not very happy with the customer service of that store), so they went to the Piggly Wiggly. I think that is a funny name for a store, but I did not go there either, so cannot comment on the experience. Besides Momma and Daddy taking forever to grill the food because they met some nice people at the grilling area, it was an uneventful night. The person they met that night was actually someone who was in the aqua fitness class that morning, named Anne. She was there with her daughter (Sarah, who I met later in the week) and Sarah’s friend Katie. After dinner, with much playing and running around, I, again, was a bit excited about vacation took a long time to fall asleep.

After dinner, we went to another activity, making smores with Rachael and the Activities Intern, Leslie. This event was on the garden side, which is across the street from our area. At first, we were the only ones at the activity. But as we were finishing, more kids were coming over, which we thought was good for Rachael and Leslie because they worked so hard to make nice activities. I did not quite understand the concept of a smore and just ate the pieces separately. I did not want the marshmallow roasted either because I am not a fan of hot things. Even with dinner, I would prefer things cold.

Hilton Head - Monday, October 19, 2009

2009-11-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

Besides being so excited about being on vacation and not being able to fall asleep, I slept just fine through the night. I love my fancy bed with pillows all around me. Nana even gave me her blanket so I could cuddle with it (along with Ellie, Boo, Cow and my two books, of course). This year, Momma and Daddy slept in the room with me and Nana slept in the living room on the hideaway bed. Nana gave up her bed so I could have my special bed. She is special like that.

When you come to a nice “Marriott Vacation and Beach Club” like the Barony, you not only stay in a “villa” that has two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining area, TV area with a pull-out couch and patio, but you also have several swimming pools (3 at this one), even more hot tubs and really nice people who run activities every day. If you know Mommy, you know that she is all about the activities, and winning stuff. So keep this in mind as I tell you about this vacation adventure.

Mommy started Monday with a class called “aqua fitness” at the indoor pool (our first activity). It was chilly that morning, so it was good that the “aqua fitness” class was inside in the heated pool. Mommy remembered many chilly mornings the few summers that she was on the 4 Seasons Swim Club swim team, and she was not looking forward to being cold. Anyway, it was a fun class where she did stretches, aerobic exercise (walking, skipping, jumping and running in the water) and even weights in the water. There were about 10 people in the class and Daddy said that Mommy brought the average age down by 30 years. Mommy stood in the front of the class so did not really notice this sort of thing, and of course she was just focusing on getting a good workout so did not notice the other people in the pool either.

I got to come over (as she was finishing and I got to yell “Hi Mommy” from across the pool) for my second swim of the trip. My entourage came with me because they love everything that I do. This time, Mommy swam with me (because she was already wet). I did not want to explore very much, but instead preferred to hold onto Momma’s (yes, I have started calling her Momma during this trip) neck. As much as she wanted me to explore the water and kick and swim on my own, she enjoyed the fleeting moment of me holding on instead of pushing away.

At the pool, I met a little girl named Joanna who is a few months younger than me. Her Daddy (Randy) flies airplanes for the Airforce and just came home from Afghanistan. Her Mommy (Erin) is pregnant with twins who will be born in January. They are living in New Jersey right now but will be moving in another year or so. Joanna had a swimming vest on and swam and swam and swam, all by herself. Her daddy said that she got to visit her grandparents who live in Phoenix for several weeks and learned to swim. I was not ready to go off on my own yet. Momma and Daddy are going to get me some swimming lessons this winter so I will be able to use a swim vest and swim on my own next year (not really on my own, but not having to hold on so tight).
After my swim, since it was still pretty chilly, we went back to the villa (in the bayberry building, number 9315) to get warm clothes on so we could go walk on the beach. It was going to be a fun walk (or so they all thought) with me running with delight across the vast beach. But, once we arrived at the beach, I immediately decided that I had no interest in putting my precious toes into the sand and did not appreciate getting sand in my shoes either. So, I was carried most of the time.

Daddy and Papa Larry (yes, I have come up with a new name for him, and everyone thinks it’s pretty cute, so I am going with it) went golfing. Momma, Nana, Grandma and I had sandwiches for lunch then I went to sleep in my fancy bed for my nap.

After my nap, Grandma, Momma, Nana and I went shopping. Actually, first we went to “Margarita Monday Madness” at the pavilion near our villa (activity number 2 for us). They each had a margarita and some chips. I got to have some chips too, but no margaritas. I may seem very grown up, but I am only two years old, you know! After that, we went to Wal-Mart to get some postcards and a few things, then to Publix to get food for dinner. It was an uneventful outing, except for the “mayonnaise incident,” but I was waiting in the car, so you will have to ask Momma how she got a free container of mayonnaise.

After Daddy and Papa Larry came home from golfing, we went to the beach for awhile, then went back to the villa to have our Mexican dinner. We brought everything but the chicken (which we bought when we were out that day).

October 18, 2009

2009-10-18T20:55:00.002-04:00

We got up and went over to Lisa, Joey, Tate and George’s house to play and have breakfast. I mainly played because who can focus when there are two weiner dogs to chase and love? After this, which did feel more like vacation, we got back into the car. You know what we did? You got it, we drove and drove. I did not say “drove” three times this time because we only drive for five hours, not eight.

There was one incident on the highway that made us praise God. It was a situation that could have turned out horribly, but did not, even though it was not the best end-result. After lunch (at the same Wendy’s we realized, that we ate at last year), we headed back onto the highway. There was a Penske truck pulling a trailer with a car that was driving quite eradically, at 70+ miles per hour. This was not your “run of the mill” eradic driving. He merged into us and if it weren’t for Daddy’s quick thinking, we would have been run off the road or hit. This truck was in front of us for several miles, swerving from lane to lane, cutting off other cars. There were three 18 wheelers hauling full loads in the left lane that were causing a mini-traffic jam, so there was not much cars could do to get out of this truck’s way. Daddy slowed down to let this Penske truck get well ahead of us. Within a few minutes, the truck swerved off the left side of the highway into the median (which, luckily, was very wide and had a mini-forest between our direction and the other side of the highway). We did not see what caused him to swerve, but he did not hit any other cars and all of the other cars stayed in control. The driver had enough control of the truck to keep it upright and did not slam directly into the woods. The windshield was crushed but he seemed to be moving fine as we passed by. Several cars stopped to help him. Within a few miles, there was a truck stopped on the same side of the highway with a person standing behind it. What are the chances that the truck swerved off when it did, that Daddy and Papa were far enough back to avoid any accidents, that all of the other drivers maintained control? We hope that he is okay and it’s too bad that he had an accident, but thanks to God for keeping us and the other people on the highway safe.

It seemed like no time at all and then we were in Hilton Head! It was sunny, even though it was cool. At least it was warmer than it was the day before in Kentucky and Tennessee and even Anderson South Carolina! We checked in, took everything to the room, unpacked and were ready to swim in less than one hour! Daddy took me into the pool and we played with the ball and just floated around too. After that, we got dressed and went for a walk on the beach. I don’t think I am sold on the beach idea. I got sand in my shoes (I don’t like stuff in my shoes) and it was hard to walk because of the sand. It was a quick trip. We went home, ran around (literally) and shut as many doors as possible. I figured out how to turn on the dishwasher and am good at opening all of the cupboards.

After dinner (a yummy spaghetti that Grandma made) and my bath, I went to bed in a special bed. Instead of a pack-and-play like last night, my bed is a big bed with rails and pillows all around me. We’ll see how that goes!

October 17, 2009

2009-10-18T20:54:00.002-04:00

I am not so sure about this vacation thing anymore. Saturday morning, we all woke up, ate breakfast, then packed up the cars (this took some time because we had quite a bit of stuff, even though Mommy packed much of it the night before). After that, we drove. And drove. And drove. Now, I like the car as much as any 2-year old, but this was not vacation in my mind. We got out a few times, but it was cold (30 degrees) so it’s not like we played outside for any period of time. Nana sat in the back of the van with me, I got to watch some videos, I did take a nap, I took off my socks (and lost one), I ate Twizzlers (both red and black and liked them both) and was overall ready to be done with this part of the vacation.

We arrived at what I thought was vacation that evening, but again, I was fooled. We stopped for the night in Anderson, South Carolina where our friends Lisa and Joey (and their two dogs Tate and George) live. We were at a hotel with a pool right outside our window, but it was there just to torture a sweet little girl, because Mommy said that it was too cold to swim. Luckily, I am good natured and there was a cat that looked just like Bella walking around the pool, so Mommy quickly changed the subject from swimming to the cat.

For dinner, we met our friends Lisa and Joey at Outback Steakhouse, which is right across the street from our hotel. By this point, it was getting late (7 pm) and I was in no mood to sit. How could these adults tolerate sitting down any longer? But what was the first thing we all did when we got to the restaurant? We sat down. I started throwing menus and crayons and trying to stand on my chair. Finally they recognized my signs of restlessness and I got to walk around the restaurant with Mommy. Everyone took turns walking, holding, talking to me throughout dinner. By 8:45, it was time for bed! I went back to find the cat (less interested in the pool this time) who I guessed was sleeping since he was not at the pool.

October 16, 2009

2009-10-18T20:53:00.003-04:00

So far, this vacation thing is working well for me. When I woke up this morning, DaddyMommy told me that GrandmaPapa were picking me up from school early. That is vacation all on its own! Now, they usually take me to Costco, not swimming, so I was not sure how the swim diapers fit into this. To be sure they understood the full scope of vacation, I told them all about the swim diapers. And yes, after my nap, we did go to Costco, not to buy anything, but to have some good treats. That night, Nana came over! So far so good on the vacation thing!

Hilton Head Vacation 2009

2009-10-18T20:53:00.001-04:00

October 14, 2009
I have been talking about vacation for weeks. This started when Mommy started “staging” our vacation supplies (yes, supplies, we take enough food for weeks) that included my swim diapers. I think I have mentioned that I love to swim. If you don’t remember from past stories, remember it now. Anyway, I saw the swim diapers and Mommy told me that they were for vacation. If vacation means swimming, then “I am in.” Then MommyDaddy mentioned that GrandmaPapa and Nana were also included in vacation. Could a girl ask for more? So, in preparation, I started packing myself. I can open drawers now so started pulling items out of my dresser. I found two bathing suits, 3 pair of sunglasses and that was it before Daddy shut the drawer. I was only consoled when they assured me that the bathing suits would be properly packed with the swim diapers for vacation.

October 2009

2009-10-18T20:52:00.002-04:00

The Going-Ons of Abigail Connor
In case you were wondering about my day-to-day activities and habits, here is an update.

I still love to color. I color with crayons now and in general, can be trusted not to color on furniture or walls. Mommy made me a binder with scrap paper and a special holder for crayons, and I love to sit on my picnic table and color. I also have some of my stickers (return address labels that Mommy gets in the mail) in the binder and stick them on papers sometimes too. I am also rather trustworthy with stickers, as I like to stick them on paper (versus furniture or walls).

I point out activities and cause and effect relationships. I keep track of Bella’s activities and tell MommyDaddy about them. “Bella sleepin’” or “Bella runnin.” I am learning about how things work, like what happens when I throw a decorative gourd (instead of a ball) and it breaks. Then after Mommy tells me that it’s broken, I say “Mommy fix it” over and over again until Mommy fixes it. Luckily, Mommy is good at fixing things.

I am very particular about my routines. I get a bath every other night. I could not tell you for sure the frequency of the bath, but if you asked Mommy, that is what she would tell you. I am okay that I don’t get a bath every night, I do not put up a fuss when we go into the bathroom and head to the sink, not to the tub. I want lots and lots of bubbles in my bath. I like to pour the bubbles into the bath, which is something that the people at Johnson & Johnson probably like, because I am not as specific where I pour the bubbles. Sometimes they go into the tub, sometimes not. We still use a plastic tub inside the big tub (of course, another thing that Kim and Jenna gave us), one to save water and two, because I fit just right. I have 3 plastic balls with a hoop that sticks to the side of the wall. I also have a blue plastic cup, with two plastic ducks, one big and one small. In this cup is also a slowing disintegrating piece of soap that I love to drop in the water and ask Mommy to find. I pull the balls down from the bathtub ledge and throw them in the water to see them splash. I lay my head back these days because this allows me to keep as much of my body under water as possible. I don’t like water in my eyes, so I put a washcloth over my face while Mommy uses the sprayer to wet and rinse my hair.

Every night, whether I get a bath or not, I floss and brush my teeth. Daddy brought home some really great Disney flossers which have different shapes can colors and come in individually wrapped packages that I like to open. Mommy and I count as she flosses between each of my teeth. We count to 8 on the bottom and 7 on the top. Soon, though, we will count 9 on the bottom because I am getting another molar as we speak (or write, but you know what I mean). I am learning how to spit, although I would say that I have not mastered the skill just yet. I actually am good at spitting, especially food that I do not like, but it is a different thing to get toothpaste (that I like) in my mouth with a brush, then be asked to spit it out without swallowing it. Mommy has a toothbrush in my bathroom so she brushes when I do and shows me how to spit. If she forgets that she is supposed to brush, I yank the brush out of the cup (it is dual-purpose because we keep the brushes in there and I like to drink out of it too) and say “Mommy brush too.”

My bedtime routine has changed a little bit in the last couple of months. I used to sit on the rocking chair or stool (it changed every night) and Mommy or Daddy would read me a book. Now, I love to play with the plastic beach ball Terra, Julie and Deena got for me at the volleyball tournament. I still must have my sound machine (that JJ gave me), my nightlight and my “fan” (the humidifier since I have this cough and it’s winter and not humid outside).

We all have to sit on the floor, and sometimes I sit on the beach ball (because I have watched MommyDaddy exercise using their exercise ball, this seems normal to me). Sometimes we throw the ball too. We count because if we didn’t, I would play all night long. And if you know anything about being two years old, you know that we do not like having activities change abruptly, so we need some pre-warning (like counting).

After the activities in my room, I now like to climb into my bed (crib) by myself. I still need a bit of help but I can’t just be lifted into bed, I am too big of a girl for that. After that, since it’s getting cold, I get all of my covers pulled up (the blanket that Aunt Sarah made me on the bottom, then the sheet that Nana made me in the middle, then the blanket that was Mommy’s on the top). Because Mommy was worried that I would get cold in the night (she worries about this because many times she comes in to check on me and I am cuddled in a ball with no sheets or blankets on top of me), she has showed me how to pull up the blankets by myself. I practice this now every night.

Next I need to dip my paci into my water cup (with ice, please), then I try to sneak a drink of the water without the lid on. I don’t want the lid on cups, because I don’t have them at school. Mommy is much more liberal in taking the lids off than Daddy, but she also cleans up more messes.

Anyway, after that we say my prayer. It’s the same one every night. “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Watch me through the starry night and wake me when the sun shines bright.” Then we say “God bless…. And list the many people that I love in my life.” After that, I ask for more water, sometimes get another kiss from Mommy, ask where Daddy went (he usually leaves the room first), then just as Mommy gets to the door, ask for more water. She usually comes back a few times, then says, this is the last time, and she closes the door.

I mimic what people say, and pretty well if I don’t say so myself. Be careful what you say around me, I will probably say it too. If you whisper something, I will whisper it too. I understand nuance of intonation and expressions. If you want to tell a secret, I will welcome it.

October 11, 2009

2009-10-18T20:52:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, October 10, MommyDaddy and I got up and headed out to the Newport Aquarium. They were following the principle they learned about the zoo, that the animals would be out but the people would not. Note to self, this principle does not hold true. We arrived 15 minutes after the aquarium opened, along with a mass of other people who either thought this principle was true or who did not care and wanted to get up Saturday morning to go to the aquarium. I am still a bit afraid of the aquarium with all of the tunnels, dark areas and fish moving in unpredictable ways. The penguins were my favorite (and the last exhibit, so might have just been the one I remembered the most). They were very active, jumping and splashing and playing around. They reminded me of myself!

On Sunday, October 11, we went on a new adventure. This time it was pumpkin picking with our friends the Vanasse family. It was a cool, but sunny and beautify fall day, perfect for pumpkin picking. We drove to Kentucky (which seems like a very long way away, but is really just 30 minutes south of our house). We went to a couple of pumpkin picking farms that Mommy went to with Kelly and Guy and Julian when Julian was just a little baby. I got to sit on a really big tractor and stand in front of a tractor that was taller than two daddies stacked in top of each other! I picked my very own pumpkin and tried to carry it around. There was one unfortunate incident at the end of the adventure. Zoe and her friend Nicole were throwing gourds and me be me and wanting to be the by big girls was right in the middle. One of the gourd throws went astray and the gourd landed right on my head. It was a rotten gourd so it burst on my head and it also hurt. I cried. I got big hugs from Kelly and apologies from Zoe and Nicole, then I stopped. All in all, it was a fun trip, even with the gourd incident.

October 8, 2009

2009-10-18T20:51:00.003-04:00

Mommy went on a trip to a place called New Jersey. I don’t know what is new about this place, because I think it has been around for a long time. Anyway, she woke up really early to get to the airport for a 6:40 am flight. Needless to say, I did not wake up to say goodbye. Instead of sending me a story from “Trekker,” she wrote a quick story about her and me. Here is what she wrote:

Late night moments with Abigail:
In the middle of the night when I creep over to your room after I hear you call, you look so cuddly in your bed. You usually are calling for “paci” and sometimes you ask for a drink of water. I speak in hushed tones, as not to wake Daddy and Bella, and you follow my cue, as every sweet word you speak is a whisper, (even though they are also generally commands). You often say “hold you” or “sit” which of course I know means “pick me up (bring my blanket even if it is ridiculously cumbersome and often stuck in the bed) and cuddle with me on my rocking chair.” How can I turn down such a genuine invitation? No matter how tired I am or how much I want to be back in my own bed, I can’t resist a quiet moment showing you merely and ounce of the love I have for you. You curl into me (once, of course, I adjust the blanket and myself the way you want). You compromise too, as even though you are never sure what to do with your right arm, that you do not complain about. I know you are not sleeping because I can feel your face moving next to me and you constantly shift your arm, trying to find a comfortable spot. Often, I talk to you, and you respond in a quiet, almost secretive whisper.

Since I know that neither you nor I will actually sleep, as I begin to dose off, I start giving you the “two minute warning” about us both going back to bed so I will not be greeted in less than secretive tones of “no” if I dare give an abrupt declaration of returning to bed. I usually have no idea how many minutes go by and I so savor your cuddles in the quiet night, so I wait until my head nods again before getting you back into bed. Even if I know I will pay for it later, I would not miss those sweet moments as we fit perfectly (almost) in that chair together in the night.

Thank you my darling sweet girl for teaching me daily something that I did not know. Thank you for showing me the way you approach the world. As each hour we share rushes by like rapids in a river, thank you for reminding me to not just focus on getting through, but thank God for a beautify day and you to share it with, for challenges that we will conquer together and most of all, to enjoy the ride.

Even in your saddest moments, you are usually just seconds away from an all-out belly laugh. There is something to be said about that resilience that seems often lost in the grown-up world of seriousness. Thank you for teaching me, without every directly saying a word, about pure joy and the ability to find it at any given moment.

October 2009

2009-10-18T20:51:00.001-04:00

Again, back to the Story about School
I don’t remember the exact dates (which should be obvious to you because I don’t understand what a date is yet), but from the time I started in my new room in school through October, I had a bit of trouble with another little girl in my class. If you are familiar with how two-year-olds interact, you know that we are not big on respecting “personal space.” This is especially true when there are toys involved. On three occasions, this little girl bit me when I inadvertently (another big word to impress you) invaded her so-called “personal space.” There was another potential scratching incident, but as Daddy reviewed the video with the directors at school, it was determined that I had actually scratched my own face. (That night Mommy cut my fingernails).

The third time this bit me, she drew blood through a long-sleeved shirt and MommyDaddy were fed up. Daddy picked me up that night and did not know how bad the bite was, he just saw the incident report. He told the directors that he did not want me with this other little girl. The next two days, Mommy and Daddy both had conversations with the directors and then a conference to get the situation resolved ASAP. The directors made a switch between students and now my new teachers are Miss Tiesha (my teach from my 6-12 months class) and Miss Tiffany (my teacher I already mentioned). I would still have some time with the other little girl, but throughout the day I would be with other teachers and my friends from when I started. Mommy and Daddy were frustrated just as much about the conversation with the director, because part of the reason I got switched to another teacher (even when they originally said I would be with Miss Tiffany) because other parents requested her. They will not re-learn that lesson!

September 20, 2009

2009-10-18T20:50:00.003-04:00

Daddy went on his golf trip, like every year, September 17 through September 20. As usual, Mommy had a “full dance card” so to speak while he was gone. On Friday night, Mommy picked me up and instead of going right home, we went to Costco (as you know, one of my favorite places). Then we headed to Target, because our friend Terra sent a gift card for me to buy a fun Halloween shirt. After that successful trip, we went to Once Upon a Child to search for my Halloween costume. We were lucky shoppers, as there were two Elmo costumes hanging on the rack as soon as we walked in! One fit perfectly so we were on our way. For dinner, Mommy let me sit on the bar and eat with her (you know that Daddy does not allow that sort of thing). I did not have the best night’s sleep, but the next morning we were on the move again! We ran some errands, went to see our friends Kristy, Bryan, Colin and Patrick, then even stopped by to see JJDan and Regan and Reilly the dogs.

After lunch, both Mommy and I took naps! But the fun did not stop there! After our naps, we went to Dayton to celebrate Uncle Robbie’s birthday. Like in August, we congregated (what a big word for a 2-year old, huh!) at Uncle David’s house for a cookout and cake. I am getting really good at helping people blow out candles, so keep me in mind if you ever need help. I got to see Uncle Robbie (of course, it was his birthday, it would have been awkward to have a celebration without him), Aunt Jeannie, Uncle David, Nana and Papaw. It was a late night but that night Mommy and I slept much better.

The next morning I was on to another new adventure! This amazing adventure was at a place called King’s Island and I went with Mommy and Nana. Oh what a mystery land this is, it has a gi-normous water fountain (I know gi-normous is not a word, the computer program even has it underlined, but I am doing it the P&G way, trying to make up a word that could possibly be real. My next step will be to post it on wikkipedia which will indeed make it real). Anyway, Mommy was very proud of herself because instead of just following the herd of people parking far away, she drove all the way to the “gold pass” parking lot and lo in behold, the gentleman said that it was all access that day! Mommy has been coming to King’s Island for over 20 years and has never had such a close parking spot. This made life much easier later in the day.

We arrived at King’s Island at 9:30 am, in good time to pick up all of the P&G goodie bag items and to get some pictures in front of the big fountain and Eiffel Tower (no, not the real one, but a structure that looks just like the real one in Paris, just smaller). Oh, and also a picture on the Charmin toilet that was taller than Nana and Mommy. Mommy took our bag full of goodies back to the car (because it was parked so close, she could do this), and Nana and I walked along “main street” and admired the fountain and Tower from all directions. There were a few characters walking around too, but they were pretty scary so I avoided them. When Mommy returned, it was almost 10 am and the rides were about to open. At this point, it started to rain. Just a little at first. We had positioned ourselves by the entrance of the Grand Carousel, and we were the first in line. I love the carousel at the zoo, and this is just like that one, just bigger. There were not people standing around for me to wave to at this point (because we were the first ones on it and because it was raining), but I enjoyed it just the same.

After the Grand Carousel, we headed to the Nickelodeon area where there were rides for kids my size. There was a carousel there too! I rode it several times, partly because there was not a long line, and partly because it was covered and we were out of the rain when we rode it. Mommy took me on one other ride, which she realized halfway through the line, was not the optimal choice, but it was pretty fun anyway. It was a helicopter that went on a track really high in the air. I got to wave and yell “hi Nana” as she stood in the rain watching us. At this point, although Mommy’s inclination was to “storm on” and ride as many rides as possible, she thought maybe I did not know what I was missing and Nana was probably wet and cold, so we left. This is another time when having the car very close was helpful. Although we did bring the plastic rain cover for the stroller, I was not a huge fan of having an obstacle in my vision, so repeatedly pulled it off.

We went home for lunch, then Nana left and I took my nap. That night Daddy came home! It was after I went to sleep, but he told me the next day that he came in and gave me kiss while I was sleeping.

September 2009: Back to the school story

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I have had some trouble sleeping in my new classroom. There are several reasons for this, but one of the biggest issues is that in my “rotation” with Mr. Matt and Miss Emily, there are some kids who are closer to 3 and do not need to nap like me. They end up talking the entire time, which I find to be distracting. Also, I am very used to having my back patted as I fall asleep in school, and when the teachers have to spend their entire time controlling the talkers, they do not have time to pat backs. To help solve this, I started going to the other “rotation” with Miss Tiffany and Miss Betsy to sleep. This worked pretty well, especially when Miss Tiffany was there because she had a couple of tricks to keep me settled enough for me to get to sleep. MommyDaddy were not really happy with the whole situation, because they really wanted me to be in one class rotation throughout the day and would have preferred for me to be with the kids I have been with since I started. But, they thought this is how it worked, so they kept working with the directors to help me sleep. More of this story will come later.

September 12, 2009

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The next weekend (September 12), we headed to Toledo to see GrandmaPapa. It was a short visit because we left on Saturday morning and came home on Sunday, but we packed as much fun in as possible. Aunt Cin-Day, Uncle Michael, Anna, Chloe, Christian and Uncle Mike all came over (to see me, of course). I even got to sit on Uncle Mike’s motorcycle and go for a walk with him and Aunt Cin-Day (do you remember that her name is actually Cindy but she thought it was pretty funny when she came to our house one time that the exit to our house sounds just like her name “Cin-Day.”

September 5, 2009

2009-10-18T20:49:00.001-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend, Daddy’s “girl” friends Terra and Julie came to visit and watch the AVP (volleyball) tournament nearby in Mason like they did last year. This time, Terra’s friend Deena came to visit too. I woke up Friday morning and all of these fun people were at my house! Needless to say, I was not very happy when everyone else seemed to be headed in one direction and I was going to school. I certainly did not yell “Yeah School” that day! I did not know this (and it’s best that I didn’t), but our friends Kristy and Patrick met the rest of the crew at the volleyball tournament that day too. They watched lots of amazing matches and were within five feet Olympic athletes. Mommy still could not get over that amazing fact. And, in Mommy’s style, she got enough freebies and won enough games that she made up for the whopping $5 ticket. That night, Mommy, Terra, Julie and Deena picked me up that night and I had a great time with the gang. They cooked out and the weather was fantastic, so they took turns pushing me in my swing on the patio. We played ball in the backyard too. I think they might have been trying to play a different game than me, but I still live in the bliss that everything revolves around me, so I ended up constantly changing the game back to mine. Do note, I am a darn good throw but have not quite mastered the balance between power and distance, so watch your face (as Mommy would say) when you are throwing with me within a close distance.

The next morning, I got to see Nana again! Mommy dropped me off at Target in Middletown and off Nana and I were for a fabulous adventure! I did not mention MommyDaddy at all when I was hanging out with Nana and Lilly (Nana’s puppy dog that I love). I was actually usually too busy to talk to MommyDaddy when they called to say goodnight or good morning to me. Girls have priorities! MommyDaddy had a really fun time at the volleyball on Saturday and after they found out that Deena is a fabulous cook, they ate their way through the weekend. On Monday after Mommy dropped Terra and Deena off at the Dayton airport, she picked me up at Nana’s. You can imagine that I was not very happy to be leaving, but I guess all good times come to an end. I did get to see Julie before she left on Monday, though, and continued talking about our house guests for the week after they left.

August 28, 2009

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Miss Shayla, one of my other favorite teachers from the 18-24 months class, came over in August so MommyDaddy could go to Kelly and Guy’s house for dinner with our friends, Doug and Tara Hood. They had not all been together since before the Vanasse’s moved to Boston, so they had much to catch-up about. Again, I was happy because I love Miss Shayla and she and I played and played and played, just like at school.

August 22, 2009

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GrandmaPapa missed me so much that they came to see me in mid-August. I got so excited when I see them that I kicked my feet with happiness when they picked me up. On Saturday morning, we got up early and went to the zoo to see the animals. It was a chilly, overcast morning, but it was perfect because the animals were out and the mass of people were note. One of my favorite books these days is one with all different types of animals and their sounds. Mommy did her best to point out and say the sound of the animals we were seeing from my book. Yes, it was pretty funny to hear Mommy make the animal sounds in front of the animals that naturally make these noises. They must not have been in the mood for talking because they generally just looked at her and continued eating or turned around and went to the bathroom in front of us. The giraffes (one of my favorite animals and exhibits at the zoo) were eating out of feeders right in front of us! The cool thing is, we were two stories up and their heads were right at our level! The tiger cubs were running and playing, including jumping on their mom, much like I do with Daddy. After we left the zoo, had some lunch and I took my nap, we did our usual trip to Costco, being much more careful to avoid any taster-day treats with peanuts. It was still really fun! I sit in the “double seat” of the Costco stroller and happily chomp on the treats from the taster ladies that Mommy be-lines to while Daddy tries to keep up. After such a fun day, I was sad when GrandmaPapa waved good-bye and kept waving well after they had pulled away.

August 2009

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Our friends the Vanasse family (Kelly, Guy, Julian and Zoe) moved back to Cincinnati from Boston in July. I have talked about them before, especially Zoe, because I think she is pretty terrific. She and Kelly came to see me a few times and Zoe played and played with me. I want to be just like her. Mommy and I went over to see them after they moved back in August and I not only got to see Zoe but I got to play with her toys. Big girls have really fun toys like doll houses. The Vanasses live in a cool town that Mommy, JJ and I actually visited in 2007 called Mariemont. (Mommy, JJ and I went to see a movie while Mommy was at home with me). This time, we went to get something almost as good as a movie (especially since when I went to the movie, I slept through the whole thing and did not get any snacks or anything)…ice cream at Graeters! You know how much I love ice cream!

August 9, 2009

2009-10-18T20:40:00.001-04:00

The same week we returned from our vacation, MommyDaddy went to see Jimmy Buffet perform at an outdoor concert in Cincinnati with our friends, Paul and Gail Griffith. I was fine with this because Nana came over for a sleep-over. MommyDaddy had a really good time going out to dinner at Arthur’s, a restaurant in Hyde Park that they really like, then going to the concert. Mommy went to a Jimmy Buffet Concert with her friends Teresa and Kristy in 1993. She said that the experience was about the same; lots of very happy people singing at the top of their lungs. Mommy, of course, made many friends that evening.

I probably mentioned that I coughed and coughed while I was at GrandmaPapa’s house so when I got back, Daddy took me to the doctor. Even though I am a very big girl, I still don’t like the doctor and cannot be convinced otherwise. Well, I have another experience that solidified my distaste for doctors. Dr. Ringel recommended that I visit a special doctor (this time, not for my ears or eyes, but for my cough). Daddy took me to this doctor too. It might have been the worst doctor visit in my life, except for maybe when I got my tubes and had to be put to sleep. They did allergy testing on me, which means they stuck my back 15 times with pins, then waited to see what would happen for over 15 minutes. Saying that I was mad about this was an understatement. The doctor expected that I would be allergic to “environmental” allergens like dust or mold. Instead they found that the only thing I am allergic to is peanuts. This did explain why I was coughing so much while I was at GrandmaPapa’s house, because the one night I coughed the most was the day someone unknowingly gave me peanut butter. I am not allergic to tree nuts, I can have food made with peanut oil, and it seems that I can be around peanuts, but cannot eat them. Of course MommyDaddy have taken every precaution, ridding the house of any peanuts, reading every label of the common foods we eat and getting Epipens for the house, school, diaper bag and cars. You would be surprised how prolific peanuts are! One interesting fact is that Honey Nut Cheerios does not have peanuts, but instead use almonds. Do you think they know that kids have this allergy and want kids like me to be able to eat them? The saddest thing for me is that I cannot eat M&M’s, which I love. Even the plain M&M’s say they have peanuts because they are made on the same line as the peanut M&M’s, so I cannot eat them at all. Mommy has been creative and has convinced me (so far) that Junior Mints are also called M&M’s.

2009-10-18T20:35:00.000-04:00

September 2009
I think I need to give Mommy a performance appraisal and put her on a performance improvement plan (PIP) for her blog update timeliness. We have been home from vacation for a long time now and do you think that she has properly documented all of the important activities in my life? You should be able to tell in the following paragraphs that the answer is “no, she has not properly documented the important activities in my life.”

When we returned from our not-so-much a family vacation, but rather a vacation for me with GrandmaPapa and Daddy’s surprise trip for MommyDaddy, I moved into my new class. It is called “Gard 2” and it is for 2-3 year olds. At my school, at 2 years old, you start a whole new world. The daily schedule includes moving from room to room throughout the building every 30 minutes. We go to art, music, dramatic movement (gym and tumbling and dance), Spanish and computer class. You also have to wear a uniform Monday-Thursday. It might seem like a lot of moving around for young kids like me, but boy is it fun! MommyDaddy don’t really like the idea that I have to wear a uniform since I have so many nice clothes that Jenna and Kim gave me, but so far it is working out just fine. When I started in the class, my teachers’ names were Mr. Matt and Miss Emily. I will get into that later. For the first couple of weeks, I was really tired when I came home! I also missed my teacher in the last class (Miss Gina). I stopped yelling “yeah school” when we pulled up but started saying “no school” because I was not really into the new routine yet. I was also not with all of my friends. MommyDaddy originally thought that I would be with Miss Tiffany, the teacher that I loved when I was in the 12-18 month old class, but something got changed at the last minute. I liked my new teachers, but was just not getting as much cuddling as I did before. Do you know that I love to get cuddles? As I mentioned earlier, though, my teachers have changed. You will need to hold on because I am a chronological girl. That’s how I roll. Or, that is how Mommy rolls and she does have say on how we do this.

Sharing the last view days of Summer Vacation #2

2009-08-08T14:53:00.002-04:00

I was so surprised and excited when Mommy and Daddy came around the corner of Bamma’s house that afternoon! I did not run to them but I did run all around. I showed them all of the new tricks I could do, including opening the screen door, going inside the house, opening the snack closet door (to get some sugary treats, of course), taking my sandals on and off, standing on the stool in front of the sink to play in the water and making sure that everyone knew which chair was Papa’s chair to anyone who dare sit in it.

For dinner, we had hot dogs and corn on the cob. Have I told you that I love to eat corn right off the cob? I have a hard time holding myself back even though it is really hot at the beginning. I blow and blow on it and then just start taking some big chomps out of it. That evening after Katelyn and Madison (Maddy) got up from their naps and after we finished dinner, we all played in the Jones’ yard again. This time we used measuring cups and made a path from the bird bath in the middle of their yard to the patio where we dumped the water out. This went on for over an hour! Katelyn, Maddy and I play pretty well together. I am still not a big fan of sharing so some moments were touch and go, but they usually did what I wanted so it worked out pretty well. The Jones also have a plastic slide that is just the right size for Maddy and me. We did pretty well taking turns going down the slide. I decided that I wanted to climb up the slide which did cause some confusion and frustration, as Maddy was still in the “take turns game” and that assumes that the person not going down the slide is behind the one going down the slide. You can see how we had a stalemate due to my change in the rules. When we were all outside playing; Bamma and Lynn realized that Daddy went to school (and graduatied the same year) with Katelyn and Maddy’s daddy (Lynn’s son, Rob). What a small world it is! I was pretty tired by the end of Friday night! I did cough some during the night, but not like during the beginning of the week.

On Saturday morning, we all just played and played. Mommy and I ran back and forth between our house and the Jones’ through the sprinkler system. Daddy helped me fill the watering container to fill the bird bath again. Yes, the bird bath was still a favorite toy, even a day later. In a little while, Aunt Cin-Day, Anna, Chloe, and Christian came over to play with me. We played stickers, I knocked down Christian’s towers (he called me “Abzilla”), and I ran around in the backyards again. After my long nap (almost 3 hours!), we went back to the Jones’ house to play in a new toy, a swimming pool! Christian and Chloe even got their bathing suits on and got in too. I love playing in my bathing suit and I love my new friends! Of course I love my cousins too! We played and played and played until it was time for us to have dinner and time for Daddy to go to his elementary school reunion. My uncle Mike came over to see me and had dinner with us too. It was fun seeing him, I don’t get to see him very often.

After dinner, even though it was 7:15 pm, we went back to the Jones’ house to play. The pool had no water but Katelyn, Maddy and I still played in it. I am a water magnet, so within ten minutes my outfit (not my bathing suit anymore) was completely wet. Luckily, this does not bother me very much so I resumed normal activity after I announced to Mommy that I was all wet. I did not go to bed until 9:15 that night!

Sunday morning I slept until 8:15 am (which was good, because Daddy did not get home from his reunion until midnight and Mommy was up with Bamma and Papa on facebook until 11:30). We had a great breakfast (Bamma made pancakes, eggs and sausage), then got all of our stuff in the car to leave. I said goodbye to Bamma and Papa and off we went! Only three more hours of our vacation.

Trekker’s Adventure with Mommy & Daddy

2009-08-08T14:53:00.001-04:00

Dear Abigail,

I hope you are having a great time with Grandma and Papa! We are having a fabulous trip here in Traverse City, Michigan. This city is about five hours north (look to the top of a map for north) of Toledo, where you are. We arrived here on Saturday night after we dropped you off. Our friends, JJ and Dan (along with their dogs Reagan and Reilly) are here with us.

Saturday and Sunday were rainy and cold days here in Northern Michigan and we were worried that we were on another “Raincation.” Because this is Daddy’s surprise trip, he only knew where we were going, he did not know any other details. For example, he did not know that we were staying at a house on a lake with a boat! He did not know that JJ was going to decorate the house with lots of “40th birthday” decorations. He did not know the plans for the day until either the night before or that morning.

On Sunday, we went for a run on the Traverse City bay in the pouring rain. It was not raining that much when we left but of course it was really raining by the time we were halfway out there (and the furthest away from the car). Dan has a bum knee right now so he did not run, but he walked the dogs. He did not start the day well, as it was raining and cold and he was not warm because he was not running, but also because the bag he used to pick up the doggie poo had a hole in it. Hmm. The day could only get better after that! After we got cleaned up (in all respects), we took the winery tour up the Leelanau Peninsula. We visited five different wineries, had lunch in Sutton’s Bay and even went to the tip of the peninsula to see the Leelanau lighthouse. It did stop raining for much of the day, and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Michigan is known for sweet and dessert wines and Michigan is known for cherries, so that is mainly what we tasted. Mommy even bought a bunch of cherries from a roadside stand! That night, we made hamburgers on the grill and watched the rain come down over the water.

Monday we headed out to a different type of adventure. Instead of working out first, we kept our exercise clothes on and went to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, which is on the western side of the state, overlooking Lake Michigan. We packed a lunch, water and snacks and headed to our adventure. The first path we trailblazed was about 2.5 miles and it went over several rolling dunes and back through a forest. Daddy said it was just like being back in his trail races. We were not ready to be finished by this point so headed to the “Dune hike” next. The first hike was supposed to be strenuous so we figured since this one said the same thing, it would be about the same amount of work. That was not actually the case. This trail is the one that everyone has pictures of, with the sand dunes so tall that you can’t see over them. Running down them was great, but going up them was quite a challenge!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009:
Dear Abigail, it’s Trekker! Today is Tuesday and today we went to see Mommy’s friend, Val, who lives in a place called Charlevois. This is a cute town about an hour north of Traverse City on Lake Michigan. Like every day on vacation, it was a really fun day! We arrived at lunch, met Val at a café, bought some sandwiches, and had lunch on the square, overlooking the harbor. Mommy has not seen Val since September, 2007, so they had much to catch up about. JJ, Dan, Reagan and Reilly went too, but they had their own picnic and walked out to the lake. Reagan and Reilly are such good dogs, they make friends wherever they go. They met some interesting people in the little town who shared all sorts of information that JJ and Dan did not really want to know. But, that is the way it works with friendly people. Anyway, it was a gorgeous day, 75 and sunny. It was so sunny that Mommy and Daddy got sunburned. They did not expect to be in the sun so they did not have their sunscreen on! On the way back from this little town, we stopped along the side of the road to buy some cherry goodies like jams and salsa. It was a long day and we were all very tired when we got back. We made Mexican dinner and had some margaritas, which made everything better again. We rented the pontoon boat to use the next day and the owner let us take a drive on Tuesday night. It was chilly but really fun to tool around the lake at dusk.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Because it was such a long day on Tuesday and because the weather forecast said it was going to be warm on Wednesday, we decided that would be the day to rent the pontoon boat and cruise the lake. Cruise the lake we did! We started at 10:30 in the morning and made seven laps around the lake throughout the day. We would take a lap, come back for a snack, or lunch, or dinner, then headed out again. Dan drove the boat and JJ, Daddy and Mommy all read books. It was another gorgeous day, the warmest of the week. There was barely a cloud in the sky and it was almost 80 degrees. The boat had a radio in it so we listened to classic rock all day and Delhila (a music program that plays slow songs) at night.

Thursday, July 30, 2009
We got up early today so we could drive to Mackinac Island. It is a 2+ hour drive so we wanted to get an early start. The weather was cool to cold and it looked pretty rainy on the drive. The weather did not get any better but we still had a good time. Mackinac Island is reachable via a ferry (big boat) that crosses Lake Yuron. You are not allowed to drive any motor vehicles on the island, so people either walk (like we did), ride bikes or take a horse and buggy. You would have loved the horses walking up and down the street! There is one main street with lots of shops and restaurants. We had lunch at an outdoor café because Reagan and Reily were with us. After that, we walked around the water area. It was pretty chilly and it started to rain. It reminded us of the weather we experienced in Chautauqua, and yes, there were many puddles that you would have enjoyed jumping in After Dan and Mommy tasted as many different fudge versions as possible, we made our purchase (Mackinac is known for its fudge!) and headed to the famous Grand Hotel. This hotel is huge, with a 660 foot porch and towers over the island, overlooking the lake. There was a $10 fee to go into the hotel, so we just took some pictures from the street. After that, we figured that we had enough fun and headed back to the ferry.

We packed sandwiches for lunch but since we did not eat them, we decided to have sandwiches and chips for dinner. Daddy had said at the beginning of the trip that he really wanted a Burger King Whopper for one of his meals. Luckily, there is a “BK” on every corner in northern Michigan, so we stopped by one on the way home and bought him his special meal. We were all pretty tired from our day in the rain, so played some Frisbee and hung out at the house after dinner. Wait, Dan and JJ actually went to the Ice Cream Vixen for dessert and Mommy and Daddy stayed at the house.

Daddy has really missed you. Mommy has missed you too, but Daddy can’t stand it anymore. So much so, that Friday morning, he said that he would really like to get back to Toledo to see you.

Friday, July 31, 2009
We got up this morning and went for a run at the park on the other side of the lake. Daddy did six laps and a little on the trail. Mommy did several laps and lots of time in the woods/trail. They did a cool-down lap and Daddy confirmed that he really wanted to see you today. So, when we got back, we packed up our things, and called Grandma to let them know that we were coming back. JJ and Dan came back from their run, got ready for the day and we all headed to downtown Traverse City for our last lunch together. We had a Pastie (which we had seen on our way back from Mackinac and thought was a misspelling), but it is pronounced PASS-TEE and is an English pot pie. We walked the city a bit and then parted ways. Mommy and Daddy, as you know, are very efficient packers so within 10 minutes of being back at the house, we were on the road.

Daddy said that he loved his surprise trip and appreciated all of the work and planning Mommy did for it. Mommy really enjoyed planning the trip and she highly recommends for parents to have some time away from their kids. They have missed you, but are glad that you are having a great time and spending time with Grandma, Papa and your aunts, uncles and cousins.

Abigail’s Summer Vacation with GrandmaPapa

2009-08-08T14:51:00.001-04:00

I was a bit confused when I awoke from my nap after MommyDaddy left. You see, Aunt Cin-Day, Uncle Michael and Christian came over to stay with me while GrandmaPapa went shopping with Anna and Chloe who had a birthday on that day. When I woke up, I expected to see either GrandmaPapa or MommyDaddy. Because I love my family, I did get over it, but it was a little bumpy to start. When everyone returned from the shopping trip, we went to Red Lobster for the birthday dinner. I was not very much into dinner, not even the French fires. Luckily, Grandma Papa know how to treat a girl so they gave me ice cream for dinner when we got home.

After an “ok” night sleep, I woke up at 6:50 am for another fun-filled day. We went to an art festival at the University of Toledo. My favorite part was the kettle corn. I started eating a little better that day, but my coughing got worse, especially when I slept. Grandma called Mommy at 11 pm because they were not sure what to do about my coughing. Luckily, after some albuteral, I got to sleep (and so did they).

On Monday my big event was going swimming with Aunt Cin-Day, Christian and Papa (Grandma was there but she watched from the side while we were in the pool). I love to swim! I might have already told you that I often get my swimsuit and swim diaper out at home because I love it so much. Aunt Cin-Day’s pool has a special section, just for little kids like me. I did also get to go to the big kid area because Aunt Cin-Day carried me around in there.

On Tuesday, we went to Costco (you already know that I love Costco) and played with GrandmaPapa’s neighbors (Lynn, Bob and Nicki Jones) who are really nice. When Mommy called that night, I had just gotten really mad at Bob because I decided I did not want him to talk to me at the moment but otherwise I had a great time. I did not sleep well at all that night, I was up for a couple of house coughing and Grandma was really worried about me. I finally stopped coughing and slept from 11 pm to 8 am the next morning.

On Wednesday, my big event was going to the zoo with Grandma, Papa and Christian. My cousin Christian is such a good friend to me! He helped me stop crying, showed me all of the animals at the zoo and helped Grandma (who I now call Bamma) and Papa navigate our way around. I felt like being mean to him in the car, so I pulled, bit, kicked and hit him. He took it from me and did not hit me back. When he got out of the car, he told Bamma and Papa “Boy, no one is going to mess with that kid!”

On Thursday, Anna and Chloe came over to play with me. They would not let Christian come because they said that he hogged time with me when they were all together. They learned earlier in the week that I love stickers so they brought a ton of stickers! We made pictures together, and Anna even helped me write my name on one of them. Mommy brought me a new sticker book (composition notebook) for my vacation and by the end of the week it was practically full! Thursday afternoon, Bamma, Papa and I went to see my other cousins, Morgan and Keghan. We could not stay very long because Papa was going to see Christian in a play that he was in at vacation bible school. Aunt Cin-Day said that next year (when I am 3 years old), I could go to vacation bible school if I come on the right week. That sure is something to look forward to!

I did not know that Friday would be my last day on my vacation without Mommy and Daddy. In the morning, Bamma and Papa took me to a friend’s grocery store so I could get a donut. Who would not love a trip to their Bamma and Papa’s house with this type of activity every day. After that, Bamma took me over to the neighbor’s house again, but this time their grandkids (Katelyn and Madision) were over visiting. Katelyn is 4 years old and Madision will be 2 years old in October, so they are just the age of the kids I usually play with at school. Actually, Katelyn is a bit older but she is a great big sister and was fun to play with. Bamma let me stay up a little longer in the morning so that I would not be too tired in the afternoon when Mommy and Daddy arrived. After my nap, Papa and I made chocolate chip cookies! I love to help Papa and Bamma cook and bake! I really love the sweet treats we make too!

Summer Vacation #2

2009-08-08T14:50:00.002-04:00

July came and went pretty quickly, because before you knew it, we were headed on vacation again. This time, though, the three of us were not going to be together. This was Abigail’s special vacation and Daddy’s surprise 40th birthday trip that he has been talking about since his last birthday (in December). On Saturday, July 25, we packed up the car (actually, you know Mommy well enough now to know that all of the necessities were staged weeks before the trip and the car had been packed the night before) and headed to Toledo. Daddy drove his old car and Mommy and I drove in the van (which I now call “Abigail’s new car” as well). Daddy drove his old car because we sold that car to Daddy’s aunt, it worked well for everyone involved! Anyway, it seemed like a normal trip to see GrandmaPapa to me. We arrived, had some lunch and as MommyDaddy walked out the door, I stuck up my hand and said “bye!” They had to pull me away from Papa to get a hug and a kiss before they left.

This is the point where our separate adventures begin. Trekker (remember him, he is the one who travels with Mommy and tells me about all of her travels) will give us all of the details about MommyDaddy’s trip. I will give you the account of my vacation with GrandmaPapa.

My Birthday Weekend - 2009

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On Saturday (July 11th if you got confused from all of the excited on my birthday), I played and played with Baby, GrandmaPapa and MommyDaddy. In the afternoon, Nana and Papaw came over too! We cooked out and I got more presents. Nana gave me some toys and a few outfits. Since I am two, I care about the toys and ignore the clothes. The most interesting part about clothes is pulling them out of the gift bag.

The other thing I got for my birthday was a cold. Do you remember what this means? It means that I got a fever and coughed and coughed and coughed. I do not follow the “7-10 days” business either. I started taking both of my breathing medicines again too. I did not go to the doctor and have to get chest x-rays this time, though. At least not yet.

The week after my birthday I got to go visit Nana again. This time she picked me up in the morning and I got to spend two whole days with her. We went to Wal-Mart, garage sales and Lowes. Her friend Julie came over to visit too. On Thursday night, MommyDaddy met us in Dayton for dinner and picked me up. They were so excited to see me that they ran to the car and cheered. I cried desperately for Nana in return. The reason they came to Dayton, though, was because we bought a new car! Daddy now has a Honda-CRV. I love to call out when I see it “Abigail’s new car!”

My Birthday! July 10, 2009

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Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday dear Abigail, Happy birthday to me! I love to have people sing happy birthday to me. I look from face to face and giggle, then say “more!” I can tell you that I am two years old. I can actually count to ten, but I know that I am two and can tell you. My birthday was on Friday this year. Mommy took a bottle of bubbles for us all to play with and a special hat for me to wear. The bubbles were fun and everyone wanted my hat so Mommy said that maybe next year we would wear the hat around the house versus at school. Mommy and Nana picked me up for lunch, which I found to be very confusing. My class started eating lunch but I just got to have a little fruit. We went to a place called McCallisters. Mommy and Nana seemed to have fun, but I got mad half way through and cried for most of lunch. When we got back to school, everyone was already lying down for naptime. I went right to my bed and got on it, but then was very upset. It was another key learning for Mommy, maybe not the best thing to disrupt my day. Later that afternoon, Grandma (which sounds like mamma) and Papa picked me up from school! That was really fun, but then I had to go to the doctor. Why do I have to go to the doctor on my birthday? I could help my parents if they would make some minor adjustments to schedules, like DON’T TAKE ME TO THE DOCTOR ON MY BIRTHDAY! I got another shot but otherwise the doctor said I was doing very well!

That night Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Papa all sang happy birthday to me (several times). Mommy had a cupcake for me too. I might care about something like this later in my life, but right now I don’t; Mommy got the cupcake (with a sign that says “Happy Birthday” on it) from work because someone else had a birthday and brought them in. I mainly like the icing anyway.

Baby and stroller:
GrandmaPapa (I usually say couples’ names all in one word) gave me a baby that talks and moves and a baby stroller too! I love “Baby” (another doll named Baby) and played with her all night and all the next day. She has a pacy and a bottle that makes her stop talking and moving, although it is hard to get them into her mouth. Sometimes I put the pacy into my mouth too, and that makes me happy but does not quiet her. I also know that I am not supposed to do this so I have to walk away from MommyDaddy and GrandmaPapa so they do not see. The pacy is also on a very short string so it’s a little difficult to get the pacy in my mouth and hold Baby at the same time.

July 6-9, 2009

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We arrived home from our New York “Raincation” (named because it rained the whole time, of course) and jumped immediately back into work and school. I was glad to be back with my teachers, Miss Gina, Miss Shayla and Miss Nisha along with my friends. When I got home from school on the following Monday, though, I was a bit clingy to Mommy. After spending that much time with her, I missed her during the day!

Trip to Nana’s house:
Mommy and I drove to Dayton on Tuesday after we returned to have a cook-out for James’ birthday. He and I have the same birthday, but we all wanted to make sure that James had a special dinner for his special day. Then guess what happened? I stayed in Dayton at Nana’s house for the night and the whole next day. We had such a good time, but you would assume this because Nana is so fun. We played with Lilly, we went to the store and just laughed and giggled like we always do. Then, on Wednesday, Nana, James and I went to the Newport Aquarium to see the fish. James is great with me and we enjoyed the hour visit. This is about how long I last at the aquarium at this point. I am still afraid of the fish swimming over my head, but am more interested in the fish in the big glass containers.

Abigail would prefer Twitter!

2009-08-08T14:48:00.000-04:00

Mommy pulled this quote from a mommy site and thought it was so true.: A young preschooler wears her heart on her sleeve — and in her voice, her fists, her stamping feet, and her crocodile tears. You seldom have to guess about a 2-year-old's emotional state.”

Along this line, I must tell you that I prefer Twitter over this blog. While is it well and good that Mommy captures the weeks and days of my life, she really does not capture the essence of my activity and emotional state with such broad time periods.

An example of what Abigail would Tweet: on any given weekend day:
9:15 am: I am happy, playing with (fill in blank): colors, baby and baby stroller; cards; books; basketball
9:15:30 am: Mommy gets a phone call and begins to speak to the person on the line.
9:15:31 am: I have decided that Mommy needs to give me her full attention right now
9:15:45 am: Mommy does not give me her full attention
9:16 am: I am mad at Mommy and let her know by crying and screaming and grabbing for the phone, saying “Abigail hold it, Abigail hold it” over and over again.
9:17 am: Daddy tries to distract me by asking if I want to go play with (fill in the blank) cards, baby and baby stroller, toys
9:17 am: As Daddy is trying to talk to me, I yell “no Daddy, no Daddy!” over and over again, louder with every passing second
9:18 am. I am distracted with something and am happy. I play by myself with (fill in blank) cards, baby and baby stroller or long-lost toy I have rediscovered in my playroom
9:25 am. Mommy and Daddy come over to play with me and I yell “Abigail do it” when they try to play.
9:30 am. I decide to sit on Mommy or Daddy’s lap to read a book.

Vacation Summary:

2009-07-05T21:32:00.001-04:00

We traveled almost 1,300 miles through three states, two lakes and four lodgings. We had one sunny day, less sleep and exercise than normal but more food. We were able to visit several friends and reconnected as if we had just seen each other yesterday. We are blessed to have such dear friends, and for them to all be on the same roads! I was a very good traveler, especially fantastic in the car. The van is a wonderful automobile and absolutely necessary for road trips like this. We loved our adventure, especially seeing our friends, but it will be good to be home.

We learned some valuable lessons;
1. Almost 2-year olds like routine and much whining ensures without said routine.
2. Sleep is more important than any other activity and should be valued as such. Separate rooms for parents and children are a luxury and one worthy of paying for.
3. Rain, while it will not ruin a good time, does make an “outdoor” vacation more challenging.
4. Sharing is a challenge no matter where or who is involved.
5. The maximum number of lodgings should be three. The packing and unpacking for four locations was probably too much.
6. Live performances, especially with Elmo, are big wins. There is nothing quite like being “there” so we will look for more opportunities to do this in the future.

Richfield OH (July 2-4, 2009)

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It was only a few hour drive to our next stop, just outside of Cleveland OH to see our friends Kim, Jay and Jenna Gaebelein. Kim, Jay and Mommy have known each other a very long time, since 1995. Mommy used to spend many evenings and holidays with Kim and Jay before Mommy and Daddy met. Mommy was very good at arriving at their house just about dinner time. Then Daddy and Mommy went to Kim and Jay’s for the famous Gaebelein Pumpkin Carving Party. Jenna is 5 years old now, and I want to be just like her. Do you know what this means? It means that I want everything that she has and follow her around the house.

Kim and Jay built a beautiful house with lots of cool things, include a guest suite with a separate room for me too! This was very exciting news for Mommy and Daddy who were glad to get more sleep. The first night I slept from 7:45 pm to 8 am! That is the longest I have slept all week. On Friday, we played with all of Jenna’s toys in the morning and went to the Akron Zoo in the afternoon. It was really fun to see the penguins, dugs, turtles, tigers, lions and birds. We were only there for an hour, which is the perfect amount of time for me. Plus, we had to get home because Jenna’s Nana and Papa were coming over for dinner. Jenna has a swing-set that I would love to have. She has three different types of swings and a slide. She also had a big wheel that was almost my size (a little big). We rode bikes, ran around the yard and swang. You don’t get much better for an almost 2-year old.

On Saturday, July 4, we got packed up (again) and left our friend’s house. We made a quick stop in Columbus to meet a new friend. Her name is Marin and she was born on July 1. Her mommy is Teresa (my friend Anna’s mommy). It was a pretty busy house when we arrived but Mommy got to hold Marin (and I screamed so Mommy did not hold her very long). We visited with Anna for a few minutes too then we were off on our last leg.

Chautauqua NY - a few more details

2009-07-05T21:30:00.000-04:00

Mommy, Susan and Susan’s friend Taralynn saw the movie “Sunshine Cleaning” which was made by the same people who made “Little Miss Sunshine.” It was a very good movie and well acted but not the most uplifting movie ever made. The theater was converted from a church so it had really cool, tall ceilings too.

The next morning (Thursday), we got all packed up (again) and a different nice Man came to take our things. Daddy arrived with the van and we (meaning, Daddy and Mommy) loaded it up again. We off to see the Sesame characters after that! We passed by the amphitheater as the morning church service started, Mommy really loved to listen to the organ play! After a visit with Elmo, Zoe, Cookie Monster and Grover (and pictures too, like I already told you), we went to see our friends Susan, Michael and Madeleine again (Julia was at the kid’s camp). Susan’s parent, Jim and Judy were also there this time (it is actually their condo but they let the Clarks stay there). After playing with the kitchen for a little bit, we were off into the rain again to head to our next stop.