Where to start...

Good grief, I don't even know where to begin. I feel like so much has happened since I posted last, and I just can't get it all in to get caught up.

I guess the most important thing to mention is the passing of my amazing Papaw. He struggled for so long, but he was finally able to rest on Christmas day. He was such a wonderful person, and the best representation of a Christian man/husband/father/grandfather I have ever known. I am so glad he is not in pain anymore. I really am happy for him, but that doesn't make me miss him any less. I am also so grateful he got to meet Abby. He was there the day she was born!

All 12 of the cousins were able to come for the funeral, and it was so good to see everyone. Word on the street is we hadn't all been together since 1995! We somehow all managed to make it through singing a song at Papaw's funeral, and I'm so glad we could do that. Here we are... all grown up. :)
Casey, Abby, and I started our Christmas break in Ohio with Casey's family. We had "fake Christmas Eve" with Casey's Aunt Lana, Jeff, and Grandma Jean. That night after everyone went home, Abby decided she was ready to sit up by herself! It was so cute, and I actually got it on video! She's been sitting and playing nonstop ever since she realized it was a possibility. Then the next day was our big Christmas lunch, and Abby got to try her first vegetable: sweet potatoes! She loved them. We've eaten some here at home since then, and this is how Abby usually looks after a few bites:
She's not quite as messy now that she's had a little more practice, but she usually manages to get quite a bit on her face. Now that she knows she likes food, she lunges for the spoon when it gets near her mouth. We've had quite a bit of squash end up in her nose. Lovely. :)

There are many more pictures I could share from the holidays, but I'll leave you with my 3 favorites:

It's just so stinkin' funny--look at that face! haha

Abby in her Ohio State cheerleader outfit, playing with Daddy and a new toy

She's sitting up and so proud of herself!

That was really long, but I had a lot to make up for. I hope you had a good holiday break!

Another Tag

Once again, I've been tagged. So.... Tiffany made me do it. :)

*i am ready for Christmas break to get here.
*i want to have a little more money to buy some clothes.
*i have a very sick baby. :-(
*i miss my Melissa Jean.
*i fear being alone and failing as a mother.
*i hear Abby's swing.
*i search for ways to live as I should.
*i wonder if it will ever get easier.
*i regret eating that extra cookie.
*i love my family more than words can express.
*i forgive less often than I should, but I'm working on that.
*i ache all over.
*i always eat the edges of my sandwich before eating the middle.
*i try to be a good wife and mother.
*i seem more outgoing than I really feel sometimes.
*i know that my Redeemer lives. :)
*i feel silly that I am filling this out.
*i dance when I'm at home.
*i dream about weird stuff.
*i give when I see a need.
*i listen to Disney music. A lot.
*i sing constantly.
*i laugh when Abby does something new or weird.
*i can't believe Abby is already 4 months old.
*i cry when it seems too hard sometimes.
*i sleep less than I should.
*i am hungry.
*i see my parents' Christmas tree.
*i need to get some thicker socks on my feet--it's cold!
*i should do some laundry since Abby's illness is making everything gross.

Wasn't that fun?? I tag Casey (because he hates these things but can't keep from doing them), Becka, Christy, Joy, Nicole, Sara, Stacey, and Trisha.

My Little Roller Over-er

Abby is such a big girl now--4 months old! She rolled over from back to front the other day... while Aunt Tara was babysitting. What a goober! But I did manage to catch her in action today, and I even had the camera ready! Here's our little roller over-er:


I love that last picture: "Hey, did you see that??" :) We are getting ready for Christmas, and Abby is so excited! Well, not really, but she does like our Christmas tree with the lights on it. It's a sad little tree, but it works for us. Here it is in all of its glory:

Merry (almost) Christmas! :)

Thanksgiving

Happy 4 days after Thanksgiving! :) We spent the day with Mom's family in Heber Springs again this year. Here are just a few pictures to document the occasion. I think Abby enjoyed her first Turkey Day. I hope yours was good, too!

I know I'm way behind on blogging--sorry! I'm up late for no good reason at all, can't sleep, and so here we are. I do need to get to bed soon, so this will be a quick update with a few Abby photos.

Item #1: My coaster business is really taking off! I now have the online shop (with one order filled), there is a gift shop in Searcy selling them (Corner Gift and Florist), and now I have an order for Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Memphis. Yay! I plan on spending all of tomorrow and most of Sunday trying to get all of the coasters made for DK so I can take them over there this week. I have a couple of days off at Payless this week, so I can manage a quick trip to Memphis. Plus, I don't think Nana would mind having Abby there for a couple of days. :) Between these stores and the individual orders I've gotten from family and friends, I've got a lot to do!

Item #2: We had a great weekend "camping" in cabins with our family and a few other families from our church in Memphis last weekend. It was so good to get away for a while, see friends, and enjoy nature... a little... when we weren't in the cabins. :) I would like to post pictures from that eventually, but they're all on Tara's camera and I haven't gotten them from her yet. Hopefully, more to come on that later.

Item #3: I finally got my hair cut after a year of growing it out! I wasn't trying to grow it out, but I never made the time to get it cut. Six or seven inches later, here we are:


Item #4: I have decided that having a baby makes the holiday season much more fun and exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing how Abby will respond to everything this year, and I can't wait to put her in all of the cute Christmas clothes we have! I know she is going to be spoiled rotten since it's her first Christmas and she's the only grandchild on both sides of our family. Speaking of my cutie, I'll leave you with these pictures from today. 3+ months old--can you believe it??

Tummy time!

Does that smile look like trouble, or what?? :)

I know she looks pitiful with the lip sticking out, but she really wanted to try sitting up and was actually really happy!

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a happy (and relaxing) Halloween. :)

New business

Well, it's been a long time coming, but I'm finally starting my own business... sort of. :) I have an online website to sell my coasters, and I've added a link on the side of this page if you'd like to check it out. Christmas is coming, so tell your friends and family:

simplecharmcrafts.etsy.com

I have several new stamps that I'm anxious to try out, so check back often for new designs! I'm really excited to get this going, and I hope it all works out. Let me know what you think! (Or even better, place an order!) :)

Abby's first pumpkin

For those who don't have Facebook, I put together a slide show of my favorite pictures from when we took Abby to pick out her first pumpkin this weekend. Mom and Dad were in town, so it was a fun family day!

Fun Photo Tag

Kim has this on her blog, and it looks like fun. I believe the concept is to take the first picture of the first folder on your computer, the second from the second folder, etc. up to 10. This should be interesting... :)

First from the first:
This is from January 2006 (or was it 2007?) right after Christmas. We wanted to take some family pictures, and believe it or not, we did not plan the color scheme. :)

Second from the second:
These are 3 of my 4 HU Posse girls: (from the left) Lindsey, Melissa, and Jessica. We had a great weekend together in Memphis in January 2007.

Third from the third:
In July of 2007, Casey's friend, Tyler, came back from teaching English in China to visit us. His gift to Casey was a Jedi robe made from material he bought in China. Yes, Casey does wear this around the house when it's cold in the winter. :)

Fourth from the fourth:
This is my other HU Posse girl, Sara. I went to visit her and her husband at their house in Alabama in October of 2007.

Fifth from the fifth:
Also in October of 2007 was the Race for the Cure in Little Rock. This was my first time to do it, and I was amazed at how many people were there!

Sixth from the sixth:
Apparently, October of 2007 was a busy month. This is Casey in the Seizure Investigation Unit at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock. His first nurse, Phyllis was SO sweet! It was a long week, but doesn't he look great?? :)

Seventh from the seventh:
Sara is also my stamping/scrapbooking friend. We got together for a weekend in November of 2007 at Mom and Dad's house to work on scrapbooks we were making for Christmas presents. She made one for her grandparents, and mine was for Tara. It was a mess, but we had a blast!

Eighth from the eighth:
Thanksgiving in Heber Springs, November of 2007. I think I ate a ton of those rolls to make up for the ham that made me feel sick. Little did I know, I was pregnant at that time!

Ninth from the ninth:
More family pictures being taken, this time out at Mamaw and Papaw's farm in November 2007. Yay for sisters! :)

And finally, Tenth from the tenth:
These are my BEAUTIFUL parents! This was this past Christmas (2007) right before going to a Pfizer, Inc. Christmas party. Don't they look amazing?? I think this is one of my favorites of them together.

Ok, that took quite a bit of time, but it was fun! Thanks for the idea, Kim. I needed something to do while Abby was sleeping other than clean. :) Feel free to do this on your blog, too!

Just one word??

Apparently Deborah has "nominated" me to do this tag thing, and I actually have a moment to do it! Work is over, I'm finally eating dinner, and Abby is asleep. Yay!

To accept this nomination, I have to answer the following questions with one word answers (this could be difficult :)) and nominate 10 other blogs for the "I heart your blog" award. Here goes...

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Where is your significant other? here
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? lovely
5. Your father? giving
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your dream/goal? heaven
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? stamping
11. Your fear? loneliness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? chef
15. One of your wish-list items? Chuck
16. Where you grew up? Memphis
17. The last thing you did? work
18. What are you wearing? PJs
19. Your TV? off
20. Your pet? nonexistent
21. Your computer? sufficient
22. Your mood? tired
23. Missing someone? girlfriends
24. Your car? huge
25. Something you're not wearing? socks
26. Favorite store? book
27. Your summer? pregnant
28. Love someone? yes
29. Your favorite color? blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Sunday

Okay, here are my 10 nominees:

Casey
Amie
Becka
Brooke
Christy
Emily
Joy
Nicole
Sara
Tricia

So strong!

Well, I hate that I wasn't home for this, but at least Casey took a few pictures. Abby pushed up on her hands today! She's been lifting up on her forearms for a couple of weeks now, but Casey said she got up on her hands and pushed herself up. She has also been rolling over from her tummy to her back for a couple of weeks now. She doesn't do it all the time, but it's funny to watch her face when it happens. Between that and the scooting across the floor with her legs, I really have to keep my eye on her! I predict crawling by Thanksgiving and walking by Christmas. :) I'm thinking we might have a future athlete/gymnast/ballerina on our hands with muscles like these! Or as the grandmothers both like to say, "She's so advanced!" Ok, so maybe they're a little biased...

Here's the best picture Casey got of the momentous event (thanks, honey!):

And here's one I took a couple of days ago... just because it's cute. :)

Catching up

I'm a little behind on blogging, but we've been busy! Here are a few recent events in pictures:

Abby showed Daddy that she can take him down in a staring contest.
We tried sitting up in the high chair for the first time.
"Aunt" Sara came to visit for a few days.

***Additional story: Sara and I had a great visit while she was here, and she was so helpful with Abby. She spent the first half of her fall break hanging out with us--I miss her so much! Sad part--our last night to hang out was Tuesday, and it was cut short because Sara had to take me to the ER. Didn't you think we were all done with those pesky ovarian cysts rupturing?? I know I did. Apparently not. They didn't find any more, though, so hopefully we're done with that again. Other than the excruciating pain, the ER visit, and being doped up on pain pills into the next morning, we had a really great night out while Casey stayed home with Abby. (Thanks, honey!) Moving on...

Grandma Rhonda and Grandpa Terry came to visit (it was the first time Abby got to meet Grandpa Terry!)
Cutest. Dimples. Ever.
Then we took a quick trip over to Memphis to visit Nana and Grandpa Curtis. Here's our big girl taking a bath in the sink--no baby bathtub (won't be doing that again for a while)! :)

Nana decided to experiment with the video on her digital camera, and this is what we ended up with:

2 months old!

Growing up is hard work! Here she was at 3 weeks:

And now at 2 months!

It's going by so fast, and I am trying to savor every minute of it. She's really starting to smile and laugh a lot, which is so much fun. Who knew I could be so funny?? :) She is trying to lift up on her arms when she's on her tummy, she could scoot across the room with her legs if I'd let her, and she'd rather be standing than sitting or laying down. Her eyes are always focused on something, and she could beat anyone at a staring contest. Music almost always calms her down, and her favorite Veggie Tales song is "Think of Me."

Uh oh--I think nap time must be over. Stay tuned for more on the exciting life of Abby! :)

Normal

Look what you've started, Elizabeth! :) Ok, my turn to list out what is "normal" for me in a day. In thinking about this, I've realized it's all pretty much focused on Abby. Anyone surprised?? :) Like Kim, I think I'm going to have to use the list format. Here goes:

Changing diapers
Preparing bottles
Washing bottles
Feeding Abby
Singing songs (over, and over, and over again)
Doing laundry
Cooking dinner
Rocking Abby to sleep
Picking up around the house
Cleaning whatever I have time to get to
Facebook
Blogging

I'm a major multitasker, so some of these things are done simultaneously. :) Here's our girl today--8 weeks old!

The cute watermelon ensemble is courtesy of Uncle Russ, Aunt Janet, Bonnie, and Becca

Hmm... let me think about it... :)

Got it!

We have captured the smile on camera! There were too many cute pictures to choose from, so I just stuck them all in this slide show. Enjoy! :)

Little Chef

Apparently, I need to start hiding the camera before I take a nap (not that I get to nap often). Casey decided that he and Abby needed to make a cake for me (yay!) while I was asleep the other day. To document Abby's first cooking experience, these are the pictures he took:

Looks like someone is getting a little bit sleepy...

Yummm.... fudge topping!

I guess she got a little sleepy, so Casey gave her the ducky to use as a pillow. :)

My little girl is getting so big! She is now 7 weeks old, and growing by the day! We've had to move out of the 0-3 month sleepers because she's so long. I've already had to start packing a tub with the clothes she can't wear anymore. Some of the 3-6 month stuff still looks big on her because she's not too chubby, but we need it for her long torso and legs! She has also started smiling a lot more--so cute! I have yet to capture a good smile on camera, but I am determined. In the mean time, they're all for me! :) Here's my big girl, fresh and clean after her morning bath: