TIffany's Graduation Ceremonies

Abby's first graduation ceremony! We discussed in 2031 we hope to be at her college graduation!

Friday night we drove to San Marcos to watch my sister Tiffany receive her Master's Degree with Honors in Education from Texas State. Look at how proud K&C look holding her diploma! We are all proud- she has completed this entire degree as a wife, Mom, and full time employee. She did it!

These are all of the graduates- 1 Doctoral graduate (in philosophy!), lots of Master's candidates and even more with Bachelor's degrees!


We think this is Tiffany on stage - one behind the person shaking hands with the President. We think :)
We did our best during the 90 minutes we were there to entertain Abby. We had 4 people to hold her, quiet toys, soft balls in case she hit anyone around her, simple books Kyleigh could read to her, a bottle, Mum Mums and her new favorite, a pacifier laced with toothpaste! It immediately quiets her for 5 minutes as she works to get the paste off and taste it all!I think we convinced Kyleigh to be a graduate for Halloween! She wore the hat and tassel all during dinner. Plus, Tiffany would love to get another use out of her $65 outfit!

Have you met my friend Abby?

Isn't this the funniest picture?

We were early to Tiffany's graduation, so we killed about 30 minutes at the outlet mall. Marcus walked around with her in the front loader since we hadn't used it in a while and had planned to take her to the coliseum for graduation in it. She loved it and did great. Walking past a mirror was her favorite part.

We are constantly amazed at the attention Abby can draw. Strangers are always commenting when we have her in public at what a happy baby she is!

Abby's 7 month Photos

I could stare at these all day long! We had Abby's photos done by a photographer friend Rachel late last month and she sent us the images this morning. She is still playing with edits, but I love love them already! I can't imagine what more can be done to them!

We took them on a Sunday afternoon on the square in Georgetown. It was super hot out, but you can see that Rachel captured some classic Abby faces- the old man face, the crooked tongue, a big smile for Daddy and a studious smile. We are meeting Rachel again on Saturday to try and capture a good in the grass picture with a big smile!
Can you tell how much this girl loves her Daddy!She also loved the cold marble inside the courthouse!

We stopped and took a water break and someone made a little mess on her shirt!

I just love this little dress! I bought it for the wedding we attended in June, but had to get one more wear out of it. I saw it on a child on another blog, contacted the blogger for the brand, googled it and found it on sale at a small boutique in Arkansas. It was well worth my search!

What is your favorite?

Abby Loves Bubbles

We had been told that the teachers like to blow bubbles at daycare and Abby loves them. Marcus bought some for Abby today and they sat in the hall blowing bubbles together. She watched them with great focus.... and then got tired!

Peaches are Yummy!

All of these food pictures keep running together. Everything she eats is orange, she always eats in her highchairs and she normally eats in just her diaper.... nothing exciting here!

Abby ate peaches tonight and she gives them 2 thumbs up!Marcus thought we should take a picture from the spoon's perspective... this is the last thing it sees before entering Abby's mouth.Obviously, not all of the peaches make it inside :)

In case you are counting, Abby eats:

MEAT: chicken, beef and turkey is up soon!

VEGGIES: peas, sweet potatoes, avocado, squash, rice and carrots

FRUITS: bananas, apples, pears and now peaches

Our First Halloween Costume

When you are waiting to have a baby, certain times of year are harder than others. For me, hearing other people announce their pregnancy, Christmas and Halloween were the hardest.

I love sweet baby Halloween costumes and hated not pulling our little red wagon around the neighborhood. Knowing that we have Abby this year, I am really looking forward to her first Halloween. We'll likely dress her up, take lots of pictures, visit the homes of a few friends and still go to bed early. But, it'll be wonderful!

Marcus and I looked through a few different catalogs and online for her very first costume. We had strong opinions- it should work in warm or cold weather, it can't constrict her legs (she's a kicker!) and it needed to be something different that she wouldn't likely pick herself. I know the princess and cheerleader years will come.

Look at this cute glow worm costume we decided upon! It is on eBay so we didn't have to spend a lot and we can put tights and a shirt underneathe it depending upon the weather. I just know we will have great fun taking glow worm photos in the grass.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Abby Meets Jean Grey

We let Abby pet Jean Grey and the results was funny! Abby loved it and Jean Grey tolerated it better than we thought.

Sunday Funday

Sweet Abby had a fun day today- lots of sleeping ,eating and playing! After her bottle this morning before church, she fell asleep sitting up while holding onto her bottle.After church and a long nap for the whole family (hooray!) she played with Daddy. Classic toys are the best- look at that smile. She loved hearing all of the animal sounds. Thanks Grammy!
Her and Daddy played on the floor doing seesaws, also known as sit ups with a weight on your stomach. Daddy could only see saw for a few times :)Abby also played with a Sonic cup. She kept reaching for Marcus' drink. He gave her the straw and that didn't contain her. He then gave her a piece of ice and she kept reaching. So, he emptied his drink into another cup and she had fun biting, licking and playing with his cup.

Tonight, Abby's cousins Bella and Landry stopped by to play. They are such little mothers to Abby and just love her to pieces. They brought out every toy Abby owns and showed it to her then sat it in her reach on her blanket. She smiles and giggles with them!

Bella and Landry brought over some of their Mimi's bread and butter pickles for Marcus. He is excited to have some snackin' pickles on hand. Thanks Mary for thinking of Marcus!

Go Badgers!

Marcus' school is having an all classes reunion in September, so we will be driving to Merkel to attend the Merkel High School football game. I love a good crisp fall night and high school football.

We wanted to dress her in his school colors- yellow and purple which isn't a common color combination. Ralph Lauren to the rescue! I was thinking I could find a solid dress online for her and then add a bow of the opposite school color; however, RL did better than that! They have a Create Your Own collection. You pick a shirt or dress (baby, kids or adults) and can then select to monogram it or put a pony on it and you pick the thread color. It was perfect for what we wanted!

I even got the dress on sale for $19.99. We chose a purple pony (I hate to monogram everything and then have nothing to pass down or donate!). I ordered her a big purple bow from my favorite bow maker on Etsy and Abby is all set to cheer on Daddy's Badgers! If only finding myself something to wear was so easy!

Because Momma and Daddy wear glasses...

... we decided to introduce carrots early!

I made a fresh patch of peas and carrots for Abby last night and we fed her carrots this morning. She did great! I am still waiting a food that gives us a yucky face!

Swimmin' Time

We love our neighborhood pool and have joked that once Abby recognizes it, she is going to be very unhappy when we drive by it and don't stop. It is the only real way in and out of our neighborhood- I picture hissy fits from a toddler wanting to swim in the middle of winter!

Today though was not one of those days- we did stop! We took Abby swimming about 9:15 this morning. It is our favorite Saturday morning activity. Nobody is there, it isn't killer hot yet, and it primes her for a 2 hour morning nap! This morning I carried her into the entrance and stopped for her to look around. She saw the pool and gave me a big grin!
We played a little in her floating ladybug, but it prevents her from splashing herself in the face which really makes her happy. So, we sat her in the most shallow end and let her splash away!
Can you see the water all over her face? She loves it!

Congratulations John!

Marcus and I bought this sweet little dress in Kauai last October when we visited as part of Marcus' company's incentive trip. The results are in for the 2008-2009 fiscal year and Marcus isn't going, but the next best thing..... his co-worker John is!

Abby put on her litte Hawaiian dress this morning to send a big Aloha and Congratulations to John and Delia. Have fun in Maui and enjoy Pat Benetar! (I think she sure beats Styx!)

I had a "moment" this morning pulling out the dress. We had so many hopes and dreams when we bought it and to know she is prettier, sweeter and better than we had imagined is amazing!

New Poll

Check out the poll on the right- I am curious how my readership is breaking down. I was recently asked if strangers read my blog. I think so, but wondered who exactly is reading. Take the poll and help me know!

Thank you Katie

Look at Abby's sweet little velcro pink bow! Her friend Katie gave it to her last night along with a sweet swimsuit Kate recently outgrew. I am constantly amazed by the wonderful children our friends are raising. They are all around us- I sure hope Abby Lu is as sweet, giving, and gentle natured as these children.

Connor hanging out above ran and got Katie a bow so that she matched Abby. So sweet!

We were at Heather and Jay's house to watch the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance. It was a great time with yummy food, good dancing, happy children and the winner we all wanted. Good job America!

Giraffe Dress

This sweet dress was a gift from one of my association's members. Dr. Siy gave me a wonderful gift bag of goodies before Abby was born and brought her this dress when I was in Arlington last month for my convention. Isn't it cute! I thought of you Aunt Vicki!
The subject of these photos is pretty cute too!

And now, for Abby's newest trick.... she has learned to clap. She claps all day long. If she is holding her bottle, she claps it. I guess she just discovered that she has 2 hands and they can touch. I wonder what else she doesn't know that we think she does?

Quite a Pear

Abby tried and liked pears tonight! Honestly, I haven't found a food she doesn't like. I will say that the meats are her least favorite, but she still opens wide to eat them. I just don't get the same excitement on her face when she realizes it is chicken on the spoon. I think I'll get to start mixing things pretty soon- apples and pears together or chicken and peas. Mmm!

We have also upped her intake in the past week and she is still eating it all. Our pediatrician recommends 9-16 tablespoons at this age and we are working our way up. We are currently taking 5 T in the morning and 4 T at night.

Girls' Night

Marcus had a business dinner tonight so it was girls night. A proper girls night begins with a little shopping (Hobby Lobby) and getting in the proper attire. Abby Lu loved her feather boa. We left a trail of pink feathers throughout the store. I have never seen her love anything this much... until I took away and she started sneezing. Uh oh!

After shopping, we had a couple of drinks. Water for Abby and vanilla coke for Mommy.
Finally, all girls nights end with food! Abby loved her homemade sweet potatoes tonight. It was her first 3 course meal- chicken, sweet potatoes and apples. My dinner- string cheese, animal crackers and soup. Good thing we didn't share!

Abby is a wild and crazy party animal on girls night- the evening ended with food flung on the cabinets! I try to follow the advice of experts that recommend keeping mealtime fun and after they eat giving them the opportunity to play. My inner neat freak wants to wipe her hands and mouth immediately, but I give her a few minutes to handle the spoons and learn how to use and not use them.

Presents for Being A Good Girl

My parents used to bring us toys/clothes/gifts when they went away on business trips or vacations and I always looked forward to seeing what came out of their suitcase. We started the tradition with Abby Lu and brought back two things from our trip- one toy and one toiletry item. We didn't know she would LOVE them both!

We brought her back a set of 3 soft balls. They rattle, crinkle and are super soft and squishy. She is at the wild stage where her arms go crazy and we thought soft balls would be good. They will also help with her grip as she is learning to use her fingers to pick up items. She had fun squishing them up so they would fit in her mouth.

We also brought back a Baby Oragel "toothbrush". It slips over your finger and has soft bristles on one side to clean the gums and little baby teeth. She loved it- I would wiggle my finger around in her mouth and she just laughed!

Pardon the bed head- we had just finished her bath and hadn't wiped it down yet. Her hair is baby fine and fly aways are predominant. You can also see how much darker it looks when wet.

Our 10th Anniversary Weekend

We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this weekend and it was a wonderful weekend of shopping, eating, sunning and spaahhing. Here is the recap.

We booked 2 nights at the Westin La Cantera in northern San Antonio. It is our favorite hotel and it did not disappoint. I have booked lots of meetings with Westin hotels and my points were used to pay for the room. Based upon the number of points I have, they upgraded us to a casita. It is like a condo in a separate area of the resort's grounds. This is the private pool at the casitas. We also had our own patio, a private hot tub and golf cart shuttles to and from.

As soon as we checked in, we changed clothes and went to the casita pool. We were in the pool for over an hour and saw NOBODY. It was nice and odd at the same time. We decided to go back to the room and head out to dinner and shopping at the Shops at La Cantera, a nice outdoor mall. But first, I had a present to open.... what could be in this blue box that every girl dreams of opening?

A wonderful classic silver bracelet- love it!

I had given Marcus his gift before we left- it was too big to pack! I gave him a framed photograph of Jones Stadium where Texas Tech played. It represents our graduate school years where we both knew we had found the "one".

So, for dinner Friday night, we ate at Bravo! Italian Cucina. It was much better than expected. I had cheese ravioli in three sauces. It was by far the best I've ever had. The pesto pine nut (green) sauce was delish! We also had yummy rosemary bread with a tomato olive oil dipping sauce and homemade Strawberry Shortcake with limoncello cream cheese sauce. Yumm-o! Here is the classic picture for our anniversary wall.... 10 years!Saturday morning we slept in, enjoyed room service and then spent 4 hours lounging poolside. We got there earlier than most and found a partially shaded cabana. We slept, listened to music, read good books, ate and drank. Time really flew by!

We left the pool around 3 to head to the spa where we had booked a hot stone massage (Marcus) and facial (Anna). Loved the hot stones! After the spa, we showered and got dressed for dinner at La Fogata, a classic Mexican restaurant in an older part of San Antonio. The food was okay and the environment was noisy and stuffy. We ate outside, but there was no breeze. So, we didn't stay long. I did enjoy an awesome mojito- it was super sweet and limey. I didn't think it had much alcohol until my head felt a little funny. Luckily, our food came shortly thereafter.

We slept in this morning, ate breakfast and drove home. So, where was Abby during this time? Her Nana spent the weekend with her and she did wonderful! Mom said she is an easy baby! She slept, ate, napped, and played like normal. I am happy she was herself all weekend without us. She also showed Nana her scooting skills. Very exciting!