Wednesday, April 30, 2008

E Sings and A Rolls

From the kitchen, I could hear Elizabeth singing a song she must have learned at school. I loved the sound of her singing her own version of "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy Joy Down In My Heart!" So I scooped up the video camera to capture it, and it turned out I got a two-for-one. Watch carefully behind Elizabeth, and you will see Abigail's latest mastered skill. That's right, she's rolling over consistently now! So glad we caught it on tape. Enjoy!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Things I love about Abigail

It's been a while since I've had a three-month-old baby living in my house, so needless to say, I had forgotten what it's like. Sure there are CrAzY times with lots of crying (mostly me), feeling overwhelmed and inadequate, and loads of laundry. But there are definitely sweet times that fill my heart with joy. And since I don't want to forget THOSE times, I thought I'd write them down here. I am writing these mostly for me, but I knew you'd enjoy reading them as well.

Things I love about Abigail:
-- the way she smiles with her whole body. From her head to her toes, she lets you know you are one of her favorite people. More specifically, she stretches out her legs and curls her toes when she sees me, and she squinches up her nose and smiles when she sees Matt.

-- the sound of cooing. Just the other night we finally got it on videotape. As soon as I figure out how to upload it, I'll put it on the ol' blog. She is also experimenting with her voice and entertaining herself (and us) with all of the new sounds she can make.

-- the smell of her hair after bathtime. We use this lavendar shampoo, and she just smells yummy! Cuddling is no hardship, my friend!

-- the fact that she already needs a haircut, specifically her bangs. Now I recognize that this is not typical for most three-month-olds. However, our girls come endowed with oodles of hair.

-- the fact that she has found her hands and tends to stare at them for long stretches. She is also figuring out how to get her little thumb in her mouth, and when she does, the sound she makes as she is sucking on it is pure cuteness. Even as I write this, I realize that this might be hard to imagine as "cute" for my male readers, especially the single ones. ;)

-- the way she has discovered that someone is holding her. Normally, she looks out when I am holding her on my shoulder. However, just last week, she looked in and to her delight (and mine) was pleasantly surprised to find my face looking back at her. She looked at me for a long time then began smiling. Ah, I love it!

-- the way she loves Elizabeth and delights in her. In fact, the first laugh Abigail uttered was due to Elizabeth's shenanigans around the house.

These are the ones that come immediately to mind at this time. As I think of more or observe more, I'll be sure to update. Sorry there aren't any pics for this post. But I promise more soon.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Feedback, please!

Just for fun, I changed our template for the blog. I'd love some feedback from you all about readability, navigating, cuteness, etc. ;)

P.S. for those interested, I found this background (and many others) at www.cutestblogontheblock.blogspot.com. Many of them are free, including this one!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

The Bluebonnet Festival

This post is dedicated entirely to Matt's parents who were unable to meet us this year for our annual trip to the Bluebonnet Festival in Chappell Hill. They were greatly missed!









































































































It's possible that E was getting tired of taking pictures because to entertain herself she started trying to lick Matt's neck. :)















Pure JOY!



















Quick story about E: Although we didn't leave the house in a terrible rush, we still didn't take the time to clean E's room. Normally, we do before we head out in the morning to school, errands, a friend's house, etc. This makes it tons easier when we come home to get ready for naptime. Anywho, we didn't today by choice so that we could get to the Festival. When we got home, Matt and I were both doing various jobs: unloading the car, taking care of Abigail, directing E to get ready for naptime. E disappeared for a brief bit, and when we made our way back towards her room, we found her beaming. "I cleaned my room," she announced. As per her normal routine but without being prompted or asked, Elizabeth Morton had cleaned her room all by herself (and thoroughly, may I add). We were floored and amazed. We, of course, poured out praise and thanks to this little girl whom we have been training to be a blessing to others but who today blessed us instead.