Our Growing Girl

Abigail is at such a fun age: fun, but challenging.  It is hard to believe that in a few weeks she will be turning two! We haven't posted about her growth for a while, so we thought we'd dedicate this blog post to some of the exciting things that she is doing.

One of the biggest changes is her growing vocabulary.She is talking most of the time.  She loves pointing things out, such as truck, tractor, plane, flower, doggy, trees, phone, girl, boy, friend.  She wants to know what everything is.  She will point to people or things and say, "this?" (i.e. who or what is this?).  Abigail is even starting to put words together into phrases: "I love you," "big sister," "It's pretty," "You ok?," "Come 'ere."  Every day she surprises us with new things that she is saying.

She is also developing much more pretend play.  She loves her baby (doll).  One of the first games she started playing with baby was to put baby in her shopping cart, push it over (resulting in baby crashing to the floor), and then rush to baby's side saying, "You ok? Come 'ere, come 'ere" while patting baby on the back.  I wasn't sure whether I should think it was cute and endearing that she wanted to comfort her baby, or be a little worried that she would push her over first.  She will also ask baby (or monkey, or turtle, or other toys that she is carrying) if it wants a snack when she has one, if it needs to go potty when she is sitting on the potty, or if it needs a diaper/clothing change when she gets one.

Abigail is starting to exert her independence in many ways.  She likes to help choose her clothing for the day.  Sometimes I am a little more lenient than other times in her clothing array.

She also insists on trying to put her own shoes on and throws a little fit if mommy or daddy step in to help.  She love to choose other things too: breakfast, lunch, and snack options; what we play; shows to watch. She still won't sit and watch, but loves to dance to the music. Incidentally we have watched Tangled and Little Mermaid multiple times.  It is so fun to watch her dance around to music.  She also loves to sing along (still mostly the last few words of a phrase).  She is adding Disney songs and songs from our iTunes to her Primary and Glee line up.

It is fun to see her personality develop.  She is still a little timid in trying certain things, but can also be wild and crazy.  On Memorial Day we went to a family BBQ.  There was a kiddy pool set up.  She kept wanting to try it, but whenever I would lift her to put her feet in the water, she would quickly pull them out and refuse to get in.  When I tried to set her down on the grass, at first she just walked on tip toes and wanted her shoes on.  But then she would also run wild on the trampoline (as long as the big kids weren't jumping).

This week we went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point.  Abigail had a great time despite the crowds.  She liked dancing on the stage, building with the legos, climbing around on the little kids area, and placing fruits and veggies in baskets.

She still needs mom's help a lot when playing and exploring, but she is getting braver each day.  It is nice to witness her growing independence, but also bitter sweet that our little girl is not so little anymore.

Easter

Last month Abigail celebrated her second Easter.  It was definitely a busy, fun-filled weekend.  On Saturday morning she did her first ever Easter egg hunt at our ward party.  Daddy was able to help her find and pick up eggs, while Mommy helped make loads and loads of pancakes for the breakfast to follow.  She seemed to like the hunt.  When Mommy showed her that there were treats inside the eggs, she was even more excited.  From then on, she has been a treat monster!

Later that day Abigail searched for her own Easter basket at home (we try to keep Easter Sunday just about Jesus' Resurrection, so extraneous events happen on other days).

 That night, we hosted a Birthday dinner/Easter celebration for Grandma Kathy (Alison's mom).  Grandma brought cupcakes to decorate, butterflies to create, and little Easter baskets for the grand kids.

Sunday was a wonderful day. Abigail wore her special Easter dress and we had a nice time at church.  That evening we went to Grandma and Grandpa Harris's for ham and funeral potatoes.  The cousins did a mini Easter Egg hunt.

As or kids get older we hope to add more Easter traditions to our celebrations, especially teaching them about our Savior Jesus Christ and how He lived and died for us that we might all live again.

Abigail's BIG Announcement...

Well, as promised we are writing again quickly and for good reason.  Our family has a big announcement to share with family and friends.  To give you a hint, here is a picture of Abigail:

We wanted to make a shirt that said, "I'm so cute Mom and Dad decided to make another one," but that wouldn't fit :).  We are not sure Abigail understands yet that we will be having a baby and that she will be a big sister, but we are hoping as she gets a little older and as I start to show she will begin to grasp the concept more.  For now we just remind her every now and then that "our baby" is growing in mommy's tummy.

We had our first doctors appointment today (April 7).  They did a sonogram/ultrasound to see the baby and measure progress.  We were able to see our sweet baby's profile and even received a wave from baby.  The doctor said that the heartbeat is strong, which I think is what I was most anxious to hear.  We also received our official due date of Oct. 23.  So we will be having a Halloween baby.

Baby's profile (sorry I couldn't figure out how to rotate the pic)

Overall, I have felt pretty good.  I feel mildly nauseous much of the time, but with frequent snacking, gum, and mints I make it through the days well.  Each day seems to be getting better too.  Luckily I haven't thrown up at all!  The biggest change to me is feeling tired a lot.  I nap during Abigail's naps, which means housework and extra projects are mostly on hold.  But even with these minor set backs, I feel so much gratitude to be able to have another baby, especially as many we know are struggling with such things.  Our hearts and prayers go out to them.  We are so excited for this new adventure as we add to our family.

From Christmas to St. Patrick's day or from evergreen to shamrocks

I guess a few months and a few holidays have past, and yet we failed to keep up with the blog posts.  So, we are once again cramming in a smattering of events into one massive post.  In January we decided to buy Abigail a potty because she was showing a little interest.  For the first couple of weeks, so loved going potty in the big girl potty.  She had several successes and we were thinking that this potty training thing was going to go quick.  But after the novelty wore off, she has not been excited to sit on her potty.  She still will a couple times a day, but that doesn't necessarily correlate with dry diapers and full toilets. (Warning: graphic images ahead).

Also in January, Abigail and mommy went to the Natural History Museum at Thanksgiving Point.  Abigail got a dinosaur book at Christmas, so she was excited to see the dinosaurs.  She was not a big fan of digging in the wet sand (she tends to dislike messy things on her hands).

In February we celebrated Valentine's Day together as a family. We got each other simple gifts, played, and danced.

We gave Abigail a coloring book and a lift the flap book

Steve got Peanut Butter Snicker (one of his favorites!) and a Jim Gaffegan DVD

Alison received a beautiful heart pendant necklace

At the end of February we took advantage of Free Zoo Day at Hogle Zoo.  Steve took the day off of work and we went together as a family.  It was such a fun day together and the weather was amazing!  Abigail liked the seals, the otters, the Polar bear, the monkeys, and pretty much all the other animals.  Some of the animals were really active, such as the tiger, who was prowling and growling around his exhibit.

In March Alison's cousin got married in Manti, so we made a day trip down there.  Alison was able to go to the sealing in the temple, while Steve and Abigail waited outside.  We played at a park between the temple and luncheon and Abigail got to see her "second" cousins (or 2nd cousins once removed? The kids of Alison's cousins).  We also had a dinner with some family on Alison's other side and Abigail got to see more "second" cousins.

At the end of February, Alison's brother Travis (and Malory) had a baby girl--Violet.  She was born 4 weeks early, and Abigail was sick, so we had to wait a couple weeks to visit.  We were able to see them again yesterday, and Abigail couldn't get enough of that sweet baby.

A few other fun things about Abigail that have been happening recently that we don't have pictures of: She has started singing along and doing actions to Primary and other songs.  She mostly says the word at the end of a phrase, but it is so cute.  For example, singing "Popcorn Popping," she says "tree," "surprise," "eyes," "sweet," "treat," and does the popping, treat, and smelling actions.  I think the most tender experience was when I sang her "I am a Child of God," and she sang some of the words with me.  I hadn't even realized that she knew that song.  Another event is that she transitioned from her crib.  She started trying to climb out and was getting really close to falling, so we took the front off her crib and added a safety rail.  We were not looking forward to her new freedom, but after a few nights she has gotten used to it and now sleeps and naps just as well (Thank Goodness!).  Well, until next time (which we promise will be soon).

Christmas Tree Hunting and Holiday Update

It's hard to believe that 2013 has come and gone, and with it another Christmas has past.  We had a wonderful Christmas season this year.  To kick off our Holiday, we went Christmas tree hunting (we cut down our own tree).  We left the day after Thanksgiving for Star Valley, WY.  This was Abigail's first trip up to Star Valley.  We were able to stay the night with Steve's grandparents.  On Saturday, we went with the Harris' and Oma and Opa to find the perfect tree(s).  We had a few hiccups, such as Abigail falling asleep in the car and having to carry her up a snowy mountain and the chain saw losing it's chain after cutting down 3 out of 5 trees, but all in all it was a good experience.

For our Family Home Evening the following Monday, we set out to decorate our tree and the rest of our house.  Here is the finished product--it has a nice unique personality all it's own.

There is just something about Christmas decorations that warm my heart.  Some of our other Holiday events included hosting a Christmas party with my friends from high school, the annual Harris (I guess technically Johnston) Candy Making Day, making goodies for neighbors (matching aprons thanks to Grandma (Shirley) Harris), and our ward Christmas party where Abigail was able to meet Santa.  She started to understand Santa a little bit this year.  She could say "Santa," but didn't necessarily grasp that he is the one who brings presents on Christmas Eve.





 

Santa definitely visited our house this year.  We were all very good, so we received some nice gifts.

We were able to spend time with each of our families over Christmas Eve and Christmas. Abigail has been enjoying all of her gifts since Christmas.

Other events of note:

Abigail had her first dentist appointment, and everything looks good.  She enjoyed riding up and down on the chair.

We celebrated our one year move-in anniversary in our home on January 1, 2014.

Happy Halloween, Viva Las Vegas, and Over the Hill

We had a fun Halloween season this year.  To get into the festivities, we decorated our house...well as much as we could with the few Fall decorations we have.  It's always fun to add a little color and splash.  We also carved a pumpkin this year. Abigail helped scoop out the seeds, though she wasn't quite sure what to think of the squishy texture.

We once again decided on a family themed costume (we have to take advantage of the time before Abigail wants to choose her own costume).  After some deliberation, we decided on the Three Amigos, since this will most likely be our last Halloween with just the three of us (NO! This is not an announcement, just a general assumption based on our plans).  We dressed Abigail up in her costume for Steve's work Halloween party.

 Then we all dressed up together for Halloween.  When we took Abigail trick-or-treating, she couldn't say "Trick or Treat," but when people gave her candy, she would say, "Tank You."  It was adorable!

The next day, we made our way down to Las Vegas to see Chris (Steve's brother) graduate.  Abigail did great on the car ride.

On Friday night, Steve took me out to celebrate my 30th birthday (yep, I guess I am now over the hill, at least the small hill that is the 20's).  Abigail stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and went swimming with the cousins.

On Saturday we went to see Abigail's cousin Ryan play in his soccer game.  That night the whole family, plus some of Chris's friends, went out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory.  Sunday was the graduation.  Chris was one of the speakers.  He did a great job.  We were all very proud.  It was a fun trip.  Abigail enjoyed playing with her cousins, grandparents, and great-grand parents.

Cousin love (just missing Tyson)

Isn't this just such a precious picture!

I guess Adios would be the most appropriate sign off for now :)