New shoes

I just bought these for Abby with some of her birthday money. Are they not the coolest/cutest/sweetest little toddler shoes you have ever seen? I know she's going to love them- she goes crazy over new shoes!



I normally would not have gotten such nice shoes for her, since she grows out of them so fast, but it was her birthday money and isn't that what birthday money is for? To get those things you would love but wouldn't normally buy for yourself? And plus, she got at lot of fun toys for her birthday and is about to get even more for Christmas, and she just grew out of the amazing Robeez sneakers she got from Bruce and Trisha a while ago. So, new shoes it is!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Wise!!

Two!

Abby turned two a week ago! I know everyone says this will happen, but the last two years have really flown by. It really is true that they grow up so fast. I almost can't remember what it was like before she could walk (or RUN!!), talk, play by herself, brush her teeth, or any of the typical two-year-old things she is doing right now.

I'll post a more in-depth update later, but for now, here are some pictures of her birthday:


My mom came down for a few days to visit with us before Abby's birthday. We had a great time going Christmas shopping, playing, and watching movies. Abby loved curling up next to my mom on her blow-up bed to watch movies.



That is, until the Nor-Easter hit!! We lost power on Thursday morning and didn't get it back until Saturday. Thankfully, Andy's parents live nearby and we spent the rest of the week and weekend with them. We did spend a little time in our house playing by candlelight before packing up and heading out. It was quite an adventure!!



On Saturday we had a party with Andy's family to celebrate Abby turning TWO!!


Abby insisted on wearing her wings from her Halloween costume. She loves all things butterfly, fairy, or princess...


Playing with cousin Anna


She LOVES playing with her second cousins Spencer, Brady and Anna. We are so blessed to be close by to them and to be able to see them so often. It is really fun to watch them play and interact with each other.


I made her a butterfly cake, since butterflies (or, as Abby says, "fuh-byes" are one of her favorite things right now.






We are in for it this Christmas- Abby LOVED opening presents. She would open one, get really excited, and then say "more pees!" She was especially excited because ALL of her presents had to do with princesses. Princess books, princess clothes, princess blocks, princess balloon... we are in for it!


She insisted on putting on her new princess pj's right away, and reading through the princess books she got from grandma and grandpa. Oh goodness!

28 Reasons

28 Reasons Why I Love My Husband On His 28th Birthday:

1. The first time I met him, he showed me a hat he got from Russia and told me all about the amazing Russian Banya's. I have heard him talk about said hat and the banya's about 1,056 times since then.
2. His laugh
3. His servant's heart
4. His heart for "outsiders" and people on the fringe- in college, when we would go to various IV events, he was never concerned with just catching up with his friends, or with being seen by others. His first steps were towards those who looked "out of place," or lonely, or new. This humbles me.
5. How he loves my family.
6. The look on his face and the tears in his eyes when he saw Abby for the first time. I will never, ever forget it.
7. How 4 1/2 years later and 10 pounds heavier, I still believe without a shadow of a doubt that he thinks I am the most beautiful and desirable woman on the planet.
8. He is slow to speak- he listens well, and shares what he thinks only if it is beneficial and not just to hear himself speak or to air his opinions.
9. He thinks I'm funny
10. He cares deeply about his friends.
11. He went to Young Life camp to meet girls, and met the Lord there instead.
12. He understands his brokenness and His need for Christ daily, hourly.
13. He provides for us well
14. He is a hard worker, and loves to be challenged
15. He loves to work with his hands and create- he has built a beautiful bookshelf, a bench, and an entertainment center for our home. I am so proud of him!
16. He is an amazing father
17. He doesn't get upset or stressed out if the house isn't perfectly picked up for him and dinner on the table just right when he gets home from work. I want to keep a clean home and provide yummy, nutritious meals for him and be a good help to him not because he demands it but because he is so gracious with me and appreciative of the things I do for him.
18. He is so quick to forgive, and doesn't hold a grudge.
19. He doesn't complain when I ask him to change poopy diapers or wash the dishes for me.
20. He reads wayyyyyyy more books to Abby at night than I ever do, prays with her, and sings her to sleep. I listen to it all on the monitor and it melts my heart every time.
21. After months of pestering from me, he finally read the Harry Potter series. I have never seen him read a book so fast. EVER.
22. He makes me think about things in new ways
23. He goes to work at 6:30am every morning so that he can get home earlier, and spend more time with his girls.
24. He will always be a beach boy at heart, and now he also shares my love for the mountains
25. He loves to be outdoors- throwing a frisbee, hiking and camping, surfing, snowboarding...
26. He loves the Lord more than he loves me, and this is why I can trust him and follow him.
27. He puts my needs before his own, and loves me so well
28. He is my best friend

Every year there are more and more reasons why I love you, Andy. I am thankful for your life, and for the man that you are and the man God is molding you into. I am humbled by you, delighted in you, and blessed to have been chosen by God to be your wife.

Happy 28th Birthday!

Little Piggies

Alright people, call off the dogs. The harassment can stop now. Blogging has resumed. And seriously, how could I have had any time to blog in the last month, with moving, unpacking, and watching an almost two-year-old?

Actually, in all honesty, I LOVE it when people start getting on me to update our blog. Because it means that there are people out there who still read it and check it, and love us. If no one every bugged me about it I would probably start to wonder, "does anyone even care?" So, thanks, and as a sign of my gratitude, here is the first of many updates to come!

LITTLE PIGGIES:
Abby's hair has ben sloooooowly growing. I have trimmed the back a few times to keep her from getting a mullet as I try to get it to grow out. I have visions of Abby with her long hair pulled back with clips, bows, and pony tail holders. Oh the joys of mothering a little girl! But right now, her hair is just caRAzy! And by crazy I mean all over the place. Almost falling in her eyes, shaggy over her ears. And I refuse to give her bangs. REFUSE. If you have ever seen pictures of me from ages 3-13, you understand my almost irrational fear of childhood mullets and huge bangs. Thanks, Mom.
However, lately I have been able to pull her hair back into two little pigtails! UGH how I LOVE them. SO much.









More to come!

(And in all fairness, I have to admit that it wasn't really my Mom's fault I had a mullet and then HUGE bangs until I was 14. It was the trailer, in Ruckersville, called "New York Cuts." Nice)

Chocolate Paci

Our good friend C.J. sent Abby a chocolate pacifier in the mail the other day. She has been eating little bits of it every day for the past few days. Every time we say, "Abby, do you want some chocolate paci?" she nods her head vigorously and runs towards the fridge where we are keeping it. It's a hit! Good thing, because the last time C.J. tried to put chocolate on her paci, things didn't go so well. She burst into tears and screamed for several minutes. Then for the next week she kept pulling it out of her mouth, forwning, and saying "uh oh." I was beginning to get a little worried- I mean, what child hates getting chocolate on their paci? My fears were settled with the arrival of the chocolate paci. Dan, Matt and Chris, it looks like you've got another contender for Uncle of the Year! Uh oh!

I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Summer favorites..... (how we love a Blacksburg summer!!)

This has been a wonderful summer! Here are some things we have been up to lately:

Finally growing longer hair!


Taking after-dinner walks on the Huckleberry Trail



Tasting Honeysuckles for the first time!!!



Looking cute


Enjoying music on the Drillfield



Resting with Bruiser


Loving popsickles


Curling up with "Melmo"


Playing with Playdough






Hiking the Cascades with the Barts'




Playing on the playground


Packing for our move to Norfolk