This Little Piggy...

Our first attempt at pig tails.

As we continue to count down the days till the baby comes, there seems there is more and more to do! Yikes!


224. turning off my brain at night (was it on during the day?) and relaxing
225. great movies that grant and i both enjoy - thx netflix!
226. dinner on our lovely new patio (why did God invent mosquitos?)
227. early birthday present for a certain little girl (more soon!)

Happy Hop Hop!

Easter was a wild event around here this year. We had some family visiting before hand and had lots of fun. Cousin Abram (2 months younger than Abby) brought this awesome lawn mower that Abby commandeered immediately.



Who needs a double bob stroller? Aunt Stace threw both kids in her single and away they went.




We even got to paint Abby's room (thanks, Uncle Ryan!!)...



And then the real Easter fun began. Isn't this a look you'd give your brother? I love this...



As we got ready for church, Abby was anxious for the day to get going...



So she spent some time eyeing her new favorite dog Debo who she called "Deebs" and "Deeby" by the end of the trip...



Opening her basket...



Learning to share...




An egg hunt (with m&ms in only 4 of the 12 eggs -- you gotta work for it!) and her shoving in the candy...




Some family shots...




220. He is risen, indeed!
221. church down the hill for easy holiday church-going
222. having some room to have company over
223. family. we love them all!

Thanks, Auntie Emi!

Sweet Auntie Emi stopped by the other day and took a few shots of Abby and I. Don't you all wish you had an Auntie Emi to capture the precious moments that pass too quickly in your life. Ahhhh... we are so blessed by her -- and not just because of her photo talent! Here are a few winners from when she stopped over...










217. auntie emi
218. braxton hicks that don't hurt
219. feeling more and more emotionally "ready" to meet our little boy

No Nap, Mom!

Everyday, right before Abby takes a nice, long nap (this is new!) she says, "no nap, mom!" She fights me, but she goes down after a few good books.

And when she wakes up, I love her crazy hair. I refuse to fix it for the rest of the day.




213. after a 6 hour bout of throwing up, being healthy!
214. cake
215. making cake being therapeutic
216. friends from afar visiting

Cousin Katy

Cousin Katy visited this week on their way to the Disney Cruise that left out of the port of Los Angeles. Abby really, really loved playing with Katy, having Aunt Christi hold her and knowing where Uncle Kevin was at all times. When they left, she got naked, ran out on the front rock and waved goodbye (what parent allowed this?). Hopefully, with that farewell, they'll come back! Bon Voyage Disney!

Easter Eggstravaganza Early

We headed to the Arboretum's version of Easter Insanity last weekend. It was really hot, really crowded and I frankly think Abby and Pema could've had just as much fun in our backyard but it was worth it. Abby's been reading a book about Pooh Bear's egg hunt so she "got" the grabbing all the eggs in the grass idea.






And she thought she'd plump up her top half with the eggs she found...




She did a little sidewalk chalking...



Had a nice, cold Jamba Juice...


Had some fun with Abby's big sun hat..




And we ended the day holding hands. Bffs. Too cute.






Now we're working on the word "resurrection" for this Sunday. Whew.

209. the resurrection.
210. a husband who steps up
211. bible study fellowship
212. not worrying about her next doctor's appointment

Where's The Baby?

Abby knows. As if it wasn't obvious. To everyone. :)

This was taken a week ago... now we have only 3 weeks to go. Knowing that Abby was born a week from now freaks me out just a bit...but I'm going to focus on getting through Easter without a hiccup. Come on, baby... cook a bit longer!

I got a "reminder" card from Abby's cardiologist this week. Time to head back in there and make sure everything is looking good. I'll keep you posted!

205. the ever increasing tendon/ligament pain in my leg that reminds me how thankful I am to be pregnant again
206. not being out of breath every minute of the day (only about half the time)
207. thinking about abby's 2nd birthday -- that's crazy!
208. looking forward to family visiting

A Day At Descanso

It was a beautiful 80 degree day today so we decided to meet Gracie at Descanso Gardens. It was fabulous! Abby & Grace sat next to a babbling brook,


fell down amid the roses (which gave her scratched knees but no crying), ran through the grass with no shoes on, stared longingly at a fountain,

and explored to their hearts content. We finished off the day under a lilac tree (heavenly!)
and a croissant turkey sandwich. This girl loves to be outside. All. The. Time.

201. super close gardens like this
202. holding hands (see last picture)
203. no bib and no mess at lunch
204. walking. not always being held

First Date

If only her first date could go so well. A little bible reading before dinner... a nice view in the back ground...a nice cold cup of milk and playtime to follow. Oh, how we love to hang out with our friend Caleb!

197. open windows, fresh breeze, perched on a little hill
198. groupons with great memberships to great parks nearby
199. sleeping in till 8pm
200. a super duper handy hubby who can pull anything off

Calling All Babies In The Womb

Ways to communicate with your unborn brother...

1. try to shove feathers into mommy's belly button to give to "baby ford"
2. pat mommy's tummy and say, "milk? like it?"
3. hug and kiss mommy's tummy when it's bed time (in a supreme effort to stall and not to go bed) saying, "ford...ford..."
4. run through the house saying, "eddy ford! are you?!" -- as in, come on out, it's time to play!

and on a sick day, watch TV glassy eyed and forget he exists at all...



193. spring, spring, spring
194. new babies being born across the country (hi, baby rose!)
195. neighbors that care
196. a washer and dryer inside the house -- it takes half the time!

Outside!!!

Most days Abby is screaming to go "outside!" Either that, or she's running through the new house saying, "Mommy! Are you?" meaning, "Mom! Where are you?" It never ceases to be cute. Probably because I'm doing laundry in the back of the house, or organizing a box that has yet to get unpacked and hearing anything other than the sound of my own pregnancy-swollen nasal passage breathing is a delight.

When we do go outside, she spends most of her time exploring...or dumping all of her favorite things in a "hole"...



189. a 24-hour cold. Who had heard of such a thing! Thank you, God!
190. Have I mentioned the joy of a self-rimming sink? Oh yeah, I did. But it's worth a repeat.
191. having church on the patio
192. conviction