10 on Tuesday

1. We went to the beach on Sunday with a few other families. It was fun to enjoy the beautiful weather with friends. My friend Alison caught these cute shots of us.

2. Cooking update: So I definitely met my goal of spicing it up in the kitchen this week for Abby. I was pleased with the way it all turned out and Abby liked it too :) Here are a few snapshots of what I made...

Cheesy pasta risotto with zucchini, peas, and carrots

Beef Stew

Roasted butternut squash with cinnamon and brown sugar

I'm going to attempt a few more new recipes this week too... I'm definitely feeling more motivated!

3. Reading update: I read Heaven is For Real this week and loved it! It definitely encouraged my faith and gave me a renewed enthusiasm for prayer.

4. Abby loves music and has been enjoying this super cool dog-shaped guitar that she got for her birthday... She loves putting the strap over her head like a rock-star
5. On the music topic... we started a new tots music class tonight. It was a little chaotic with 17 kids, especially with Abby being on the smaller side of the group, but my little outgoing child loved all the new faces (and the music of course). She definitely takes after her mama in that she wanted to be at the front of the room and was fascinated with the teacher, Miss Wanda. (I was definitely a sit at the front and pay attention kind of kid who even liked homework... weird... I know!)
6. Last week, my mom was a guest speaker at my Mommy-and-me class. She spoke about the 5 love languages and relationships in prep for Valentine's Day. She did a great job and as I expected, Abby wanted to be with her, so my mom held her on and off the whole time she spoke.
7. One of Abby's favorite things to do lately has been to grab pillows (or anything that resembles a pillow) and lay them down on the ground and "snuggle." It's pretty cute.
8. On the sleep front, Abby's finally sleeping through the night pretty consistently. Yay! It's been a long road to get here but we've felt really good about our progress with her and are so glad we've finally arrived here!!!

9. As relationships seem to be falling apart all the time in the world around us, I'm especially thankful this week for my amazing husband. He has such a servant's heart and serves Abby and I, as well as his friends, students, and co-workers so selflessly and faithfully. I am so blessed to have him in my life!

10. A funny shot to leave you with... getting her game face on:

Monday Mentions...

1. My friend Alison has been getting really good with her camera and took a few shots of Abby during our playdate on Friday (she has a daughter a few weeks older than Abby). I'm impressed with her skills...




2. I've been in a cooking rut lately... this is especially true in the area of cooking for Abby. I picked out a few new baby friendly recipes last night and have grand plans of cooking up a storm this week... we'll see how that goes. Hopefully she'll appreciate my efforts :)

3. I made a New Year's resolution to read more and just finished one book, Bittersweet. On my list to read in the next few months are The Help and Heaven is For Real. Has anyone read a good book lately that I should add to my list? I welcome any recommendations!

Happy Birthday David!

We celebrated David's birthday on Monday. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the events of the day (big breakfast, lunch with my dad and brother, and big family dinner), but here are things he scored for his birthday...

The Office Trivia Game

And this gem of a shirt

So, who's up for an Office Trivia Game night????

Disneyland

On New Year's Day we got up early and ventured to Disneyland with Abigail for the first time. It has been a tradition for my family to go every year in December, but this year December was so crazy that we just couldn't fit it in until the 1st of January. We had a fun, albeit tiring (of course!) day, but it was a fun family experience with my parents, my brother Matthew and his wife Tara. Abby was a trooper despite only one 45-minute nap throughout the day. Perhaps her favorite part of the day was when my mom bought her a Minnie Mouse balloon that is still floating around our living room. Every time she sees it, her face lights up and she points at it. She officially learned the word "balloon" (understanding, that is... she just calls it "bah"). Here are some snapshots of the day...

On her first ride... the Carousal with Daddy!

Having fun waiting in line for the Storybook Ride

Exploring Tom Sawyer's Island

1st pair of mouse ears :)
(you can also see how badly I need a haircut in this pic!)

1st Character visit with Pluto

Enjoying Toon Town

Ahh, the wonder of Disneyland!