Christmas Video: Abigail and Mike on the car!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year { Christmas 2012 }

Our first Christmas as a family of three was magnificent!  We enjoyed every second of Christmas music, , holiday parties, and reindeer pajamas.  This was our first year to go to the Charles Dicken's Festival in downtown Franklin, so we dressed Abigail up in her pretty Christmas dress and strolled down Maine Street soaking in the Christmas season! 

Mike and I wanted to get Abigail a few special gifts for her first Christmas and since I am super sentimental, I thought it would be fun to write her a little note and tuck it away in an ornament that she can always keep.  I have to admit that signing her note as mom brought tears to my eyes.  It was such a surreal moment for me.  

We also picked out 2 of our favorite books for Abigail and wrote her a sweet note inside those as well! 

And then there were grandparents...and a whole lot of toys!  Here are a few of her favorites. 

This Christmas was also very special because Mike's family came to stay with us for the holiday! We enjoyed having our house full of family and we will always cherish the memories we made this year! 

A big thank you to Abigail's Grammy for picking out the sweetest dress for her Christmas picture!

Christmas 2012!

11 Months Old!

This little girl is now 11 months old and such an explorer!  This basket is her favorite " toy" right now and keeps her busy!  She loves to pull everything out and occasionally I will see her put her toys back in.  If only I could keep that going! 

My consolation for the fact that she is growing up so fast is that she is SO much fun!  She loves her books and it is so fun to see her figure out how to pull the little tabs and lift the flaps.  She also laughs a lot and and loves to play with her little cousins.  

Recently, she became quite the crafty ninja during her naps. One day she unfastened all the velcro on her crib rail protectors and pulled the whole thing in the crib with her!  We thought she was fast asleep of course...

Here are the new things this month with Abigail Elizabeth:

* She said "mama" and I think she meant to!
* Her new favorite food is humus!  
* She is still taking 2 naps but it looks like we are getting close to one long afternoon nap.  
* She learned how to throw her plate off the table
* She didn't know what she thought about us putting a tree in her house but she slowly warmed up to the idea and loves the lights!
* Cabinets have also become super fun!  She loves to pull everything out and is pretty happy with herself when she is in a pile of spices! 
* She learned to climbed up the stairs all by herself
* She is learning how to get down from the couch by herself

This year has gone by so fast and it's hard to believe that I am about to start planning her 1 year birthday party...tear.  Tomorrow is her first Christmas and  I can't wait to see Abigail enjoy all of her new books and toys. I am super sentimental and sappy so of course I had to get her a few memorable first Christmas gifts!  More on that to come!  

Merry Christmas Ya'll!

Our trip to Washington D.C.

Mike and I took a day trip over to Washington D.C. while we were visiting family in Pennsylvania.  We love to stroll through museums and tour historical landmarks whenever we can.  Since Abigail is easy to travel with right now, we decided to brave the cold wind and go on a family adventure! 

Despite the cold wind, it was a gorgeous day for exploring this amazing city!

My uncle Lee served in the Vietnam War and I thought so much about him as I walked through the park and saw the Vietnam Memorial.  

We also got a chance to see the reflecting pool, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial.  

We enjoyed every minute of this mini vacation and packed in a full day!  We saw the Civil War Museum at the Smithsonian as well as the Capitol Building.  Don't we scream tourist!?!  

Abigail's favorite was probably the Museum of Natural History.   I say it was her favorite because she slept through most of the other ones!  This little girl does love to watch people though, and I think she enjoyed seeing all the children playing and gasping at the sight of the amazing exhibits! 

Finally, what will forever be ingrained in my mind and on my heart are the haunting memories of the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.  I didn't take any pictures there, and yet I'm certain that I will never forget the horrifying details of the Holocaust.  I will never forget seeing the footage of innocent people tortured for the purpose of research; treated as if they were sub-human.  I can't get the picture of rooms filled with decaying shoes out of my mind.  I walked around for a solid hour thinking to myself, " how could this have ever happened?"  

I hope that one day people will be just as appalled at the idea that we as a society kill babies and convince each other through political agendas and propaganda that it's okay.  I hope that people are sickened at the thought of genocide and abortion one day and wonder how we ever let it happen.  

Proverbs 31:8 says to " speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves" and I feel more convicted than ever to speak up when I see injustice.  There was a quote mounted on the wall of the museum as you exit and it continues to challenge me and how I speak up for the least of these...

"First they came for the Jews"

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

~by Pastor Niemoller

10 Months

My baby girl is 10 months old and ready for Christmas!!  She wasn't sure what she thought about us putting a tree in her house but she is slowly warming up to the idea!  So far, she doesn't seem too interested in it, but she is quite the explorer so time will tell...

This little cuddle bug wants to get down and play now and is constantly on the move so getting her to sit still for a quick picture is next to impossible...unless you have Puffs!

Enjoying her favorite snack!

Here is what is new with Abigail: 

* She said a new word, Puff of course! 
* She cut 5 new teeth, now has 7!
* She is learning what " no" means and when she hears it, she shakes her hands at me
* She has learned I don't want her to eat the dog hair on the floor so she holds it up for me to take 
* She has learned to arch her back and fling her head back when she isn't happy...awesome
* We have started teaching her a few signs and she tries to communicate with us
* She had her first cold 
* My good little sleeper went through a phase where she started waking up at night.  I can't blame her though - a few nights she was coughing, teething, and sleeping on a wet sheet that was soaked with snot.  Poor baby. 
* She tried turkey for the first time and really liked it!  She even picked it up to feed herself!  She still prefers not to touch her food of course...
* She went to Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.
* She went to the Nashville Zoo
* She loves to sing Pat a Cake and thinks it is the funniest thing ever if you pat her hands together!
* She is pulling up and cruising a little bit
* She is learning how to wave and is very happy when you wave back to her!
* Peek a Boo is the bomb!
* We made the switch from the infant carrier to her big girl car seat and she was very happy about it!  

We love you sweet girl!  I love seeing the person you are growing to be and I am so thankful for your sweet little smile!

Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania

This year we traveled to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to spend our Thanksgiving holiday with Mike's extended family.  And by extended family, this is what I mean...

Mike's Grandpa Noll is surrounded by all of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren!  Grandpa is 92 years old and still flies his airplane!  He also still serves as a greeter in his church and takes care of his own yard work!  It is such a blessing to see the legacy that extends from this sweet man! 

We also got a chance to spend a few days on the farm with Mike's aunt and uncle.  This was really special because they opened their home to Mike when he moved here from Bogota, Colombia at age 17.  Here is a picture of Mike with his Uncle Bob. 

I learned something about myself on this trip.  I am scared of heights!  I climbed 80 feet up the side of this silo in my TOMS with my hair in my face and nearly had a panic attack as I got near the top.  I remember looking down at Mike and softly saying " I think I want to go back down".  My dear husband put on his serious face with his raised eyebrow and told me to keep on trucking!!  I am so glad I did, because it was beautiful to look out over the farm!

Uncle Bob and Aunt Darlene were so incredibly sweet to us!  They babysat one night so we could go see a late movie!  They also fed us well and at least pretended they didn't hear our screaming, teething baby at 2:00 in the morning...

I can definitely see why this farm has such a special place in Mike's heart!  I am so thankful for the memories we made on this trip and I hope that Abigail will get to run around one day exploring like we did! 

Fall Family Photos 2012

Wow!  The last month has been a blur as we hosted family for 2 weeks and then traveled to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving.  Today, I finally have a chance to sit down and catch up on our blog and I am so excited to share a few of my favorite pictures from a recent photo shoot!  

We had these taken the Sunday that Abigail turned 9 months old and I am so thankful to have such good pictures of our family.  

This little book is her favorite right now and one we received from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program that sends children free books each month! If you haven't heard about this, check it out and sign up your little one! 

Abigail is growing and changing so fast.  I love these pictures and our photographer was wonderful to work with!  Here is her site and if you like her facebook page you can keep up with her specials!!  

A day at the Nashville Zoo!

My sweet little girl has been under the weather the last few weeks and she cut 5 new teeth within a few days so there have been lots of tears around our house.  She finally started feeling a little better this weekend so off to the zoo we went!
We had the best time strolling around and letting her take in all the new sights and sounds.   The weather was beautiful in Nashville and we were accompanied by a few of my favorite Colombians!  The Enciso family has been staying with us for a few weeks and we have loved having our home filled with giggles and excitement.  

I love making memories and that's what the last few weeks have been all about!  Here are a few pics of Abigail with her cousins and family at the Nashville Zoo! 

9 Months Old!

Abigail is 9 months old today and FULL of personality!  It seems like each time I pack up the clothes she has outgrown and start looking back at her newborn pictures, she does something so cute and silly that I forget how sad I am that this year is flying by and laugh out loud with this sweet girl!

She is really starting to interact with us and her personality is hilarious!  This is her new favorite toy right now. 

I was cooking in the kitchen this week and I could hear the most adorable baby giggles coming from the living room.  Mike was on his hands and knees pushing her through the house on this puppy toy!  Her Doo Dah brought this by earlier in the week and she is loving it!  You can also feed the puppy little shapes through his mouth and reach in on the sides to get the toys out.  Once she is standing and walking, there is a handle that pops up so she can walk along with it too!  I think she will get a lot of use out of this one! 

Of course her other favorite toy is Miller.  She crawls all over the house now and Miller is the perfect jungle gym.  Miller is such a sweet dog and just lets Abigail climb all over her! 

Watch out Miller, here she comes!

Busy little lady!

Here's what Abigail is doing at 9 months:

* pulling up on the furniture and playing in tall kneeling.  She will try to stand if you help her but hasn't tried on her own yet
* laughing a lot! She seems to understand when things are funny and she gets so tickled 
* she loves the laundry basket and pulling all the clothes out.  She recently reached out of her crib to the near by basket and pulled her dirty clothes back in the crib!  Little stinker!
* lots of jibber jabber.  I love to see her get on a roll and talk to us or her books 
* working on her pincer grasp and finger foods.  She mostly picks up her food and drops it for Miller...

Look at this serious face as she tries to pick up her food!

So far she likes to hold her food, but no way is she going to put it in her mouth!  However, she is happy to eat anything that I give her on a spoon...

And Miller just camps out under her chair waiting for little puffs to fall from the sky. It's like Manna from Heaven! 

Mike and I have been really busy with house renovations and work days at the new church building, but we are trying to spend as much time outside as we can because middle Tennessee is gorgeous in the Fal!  Yesterday, we decided to celebrate Abigail's 9 months by taking a family trip out to Gentry Farm and getting a few pumpkins! It's hard to believe that next year she will be running around and picking out her own pumpkin.

Happy Fall Ya'll!