Taking that one perfect picture for the family Christmas card can be a comical event. One happy, giggly girl plus one happy, silly dog equals lots of out takes. I thought the out takes were just as cute as the chosen picture.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Christmas Parade
I took Abby to the Atlanta Christmas parade. We rode the train downtown and Abby loved that as much as anything. :-) It was a beautiful, cold day - perfect weather for the event at hand. We found a nice section of curb which provided us a very close-up view. Abby's favorite part of the parade? Every single marching band. Yes, that's my girl! She did, however, express great concern every time a band marched by because the dancers/flag corp/twirlers had on no coats and very little clothing. The giant balloons were pretty cool too. I really dug the Grinch balloon but Abby favored the Coca-Cola panda drinking Coke. And she has never even had Coke.
Yay parade!!
After the parade and lunch at CNN Center, we decided to hang out at Centennial Olympic Park for awhile. It warmed up a lot that afternoon and the park was all decorated for Christmas.
The day after Thanksgiving
I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday. All the family, food, and time off work but none of the stress of holiday shopping. We went to Rome for the day. My mom cooked a delicious meal and for those of us not cooking, it was a very relaxing day.
My mom spent a few days with us after Thanksgiving. We even braved the shopping crowds of Black Friday. It wasn't too bad actually. I was expecting much worse. We also put up our Christmas tree. Abby loved looking at all the ornaments and decorations. She also loved reading all her Christmas books. And, like last year, our tree is definitely ornament heavy at the bottom of the tree. Just as it should be.
I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday. All the family, food, and time off work but none of the stress of holiday shopping. We went to Rome for the day. My mom cooked a delicious meal and for those of us not cooking, it was a very relaxing day.
My mom spent a few days with us after Thanksgiving. We even braved the shopping crowds of Black Friday. It wasn't too bad actually. I was expecting much worse. We also put up our Christmas tree. Abby loved looking at all the ornaments and decorations. She also loved reading all her Christmas books. And, like last year, our tree is definitely ornament heavy at the bottom of the tree. Just as it should be.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
The Pink Pig
One of the great Atlanta Christmas traditions is the Pink Pig. I have the best memories of riding the Pink Pig when I was a kid and now I get to take Abby to ride. Last year was Abby's first time riding it. The train looks different from when I was little. It used to be a monorail train with a cage. They have the old train displayed now and I get claustrophic just looking at it. Today's train is a regular train. Abby loves it. Abby even has her own little Priscilla Pig courtesy of our friend Vicki. Abby has slept with Priscilla every night since she got her.
Waiting to ride the Pink Pig!
When you go before Thanksgiving you can still snag the front seat! After Thanksgiving, the lines to ride are LONG.
Here you can see the original train behind Abby. Like I said, it is like a case of claustrophobia waiting to happen.
One of the great Atlanta Christmas traditions is the Pink Pig. I have the best memories of riding the Pink Pig when I was a kid and now I get to take Abby to ride. Last year was Abby's first time riding it. The train looks different from when I was little. It used to be a monorail train with a cage. They have the old train displayed now and I get claustrophic just looking at it. Today's train is a regular train. Abby loves it. Abby even has her own little Priscilla Pig courtesy of our friend Vicki. Abby has slept with Priscilla every night since she got her.
Waiting to ride the Pink Pig!
When you go before Thanksgiving you can still snag the front seat! After Thanksgiving, the lines to ride are LONG.
Here you can see the original train behind Abby. Like I said, it is like a case of claustrophobia waiting to happen.
And finally, Halloween
This year we went trick or treating with Abby's friends Isabelle and Roman, or should I say that Mrs. Incredible went trick or treating with Superman and Mickey Mouse.
The trio prior to the candy.
Later Abby and Roman dressed up in boas, high heels, and fancy glasses. It was the funniest part of the whole night. They stayed dressed like this for a long time too. We decided Roman looked like Elton John.
This year we went trick or treating with Abby's friends Isabelle and Roman, or should I say that Mrs. Incredible went trick or treating with Superman and Mickey Mouse.
The trio prior to the candy.
Later Abby and Roman dressed up in boas, high heels, and fancy glasses. It was the funniest part of the whole night. They stayed dressed like this for a long time too. We decided Roman looked like Elton John.
More Halloween
Yikes - I can't believe how long it has been since my last update. We have definitely had a lot going on.
This year Abby helped me carve our pumpkin. It turned out really cute. She didn't care a lot for scooping out the pumpkin insides but she did love the toasted pumpkin seeds I made.
Pre-carving...
And after the deed is done.
Yikes - I can't believe how long it has been since my last update. We have definitely had a lot going on.
This year Abby helped me carve our pumpkin. It turned out really cute. She didn't care a lot for scooping out the pumpkin insides but she did love the toasted pumpkin seeds I made.
Pre-carving...
And after the deed is done.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Burt's Farm
Last Saturday Abby and I met Avery and her mom at Burt's Farm in Dawsonville, GA. It is about 1.5 hours north of Atlanta. We drove up that morning and once again, it was the most beautiful day in Georgia. Abby was so tired from her school fall festival that she slept pretty much the whole drive. There is nothing better than a drive in the Georgia mountains as the leaves are changing.
There is a very fun hayride at the farm and we did that first thing. I kind of thought it would be a 5 minute ride but it was actually a nice long ride and was really fun. They even had a place with talking pumpkins. They were kind of evangelical pumpkins, something I never in this lifetime thought I would see. I was not quick enough with the camera but suffice it to say that those pumpkins had me laughing.
Checking out the hay.
Riding on the hayride. It was actually very comfortable!
How about this one?
They loved the wheelbarrow!
Success!! Both Abby and Avery picked out very pretty pumpkins!
Last Saturday Abby and I met Avery and her mom at Burt's Farm in Dawsonville, GA. It is about 1.5 hours north of Atlanta. We drove up that morning and once again, it was the most beautiful day in Georgia. Abby was so tired from her school fall festival that she slept pretty much the whole drive. There is nothing better than a drive in the Georgia mountains as the leaves are changing.
There is a very fun hayride at the farm and we did that first thing. I kind of thought it would be a 5 minute ride but it was actually a nice long ride and was really fun. They even had a place with talking pumpkins. They were kind of evangelical pumpkins, something I never in this lifetime thought I would see. I was not quick enough with the camera but suffice it to say that those pumpkins had me laughing.
Checking out the hay.
Riding on the hayride. It was actually very comfortable!
How about this one?
They loved the wheelbarrow!
Success!! Both Abby and Avery picked out very pretty pumpkins!
Fall Festival at school
Each year Abby's school has a fall festival a week or two before Halloween. The kids wear their costumes, eat food, get their faces painted, participate in a very cute parade, and run a lot with their friends. This year Abby's costume is "the mommy Incredible". If you saw the movie The Incredibles, you know that "the mommy Incredible" is Elastagirl. Abby has been excited about her costume for weeks.
The Mommy Incredible!!!
Lots of cute kids eating before the parade.
Abby and her friend Will, AKA Batman.
Abby and Alyssa spent a lot of time running on the playground with all their other friends. I wish I had 1/10 the energy these guys do.
Each year Abby's school has a fall festival a week or two before Halloween. The kids wear their costumes, eat food, get their faces painted, participate in a very cute parade, and run a lot with their friends. This year Abby's costume is "the mommy Incredible". If you saw the movie The Incredibles, you know that "the mommy Incredible" is Elastagirl. Abby has been excited about her costume for weeks.
The Mommy Incredible!!!
Lots of cute kids eating before the parade.
Abby and her friend Will, AKA Batman.
Abby and Alyssa spent a lot of time running on the playground with all their other friends. I wish I had 1/10 the energy these guys do.
World Partners Adoption Reunion
Every October World Partners Adoption, the adoption agency I used when adopting Abby, has a big reunion for families to attend. We are very fortunate that the reunion is in the Atlanta area so we have been able to attend each year since Abby came home.
The reunion is always fun and usually the weather in Atlanta in October is amazing. This year proved to be no exception. The weather was simply perfect. They have all kinds of things for the kids (face painting, playground, pony rides, rock climbing wall, and lots of bounce things for the kids to jump in. The only downside for Abby is they also have lots of people dressed up as characters. This has been a big fear for her since the first time she saw someone dressed up (she was one year old at the time). She was absolutely terrified of the guy (girl?) who was dressed up as Sponge Bob. I can't say I blame her. These things usually have huge heads, skinny arms, and don't speak a word. Aside from this though, we had a great time! It is always good to see old friends or meet new ones.
Abby's favorite event was the pony ride. Last year she was a little frightened by the ponies but this year she loved riding them (and did so without my help!)
Even though Sponge Bob was scary, Abby did not mind Cinderella painting her face. I remember the lady dressed as Cinderella from last year. She was really great with the kids.
After all the jumping, running, and playing, my girl was completely worn out.
Every October World Partners Adoption, the adoption agency I used when adopting Abby, has a big reunion for families to attend. We are very fortunate that the reunion is in the Atlanta area so we have been able to attend each year since Abby came home.
The reunion is always fun and usually the weather in Atlanta in October is amazing. This year proved to be no exception. The weather was simply perfect. They have all kinds of things for the kids (face painting, playground, pony rides, rock climbing wall, and lots of bounce things for the kids to jump in. The only downside for Abby is they also have lots of people dressed up as characters. This has been a big fear for her since the first time she saw someone dressed up (she was one year old at the time). She was absolutely terrified of the guy (girl?) who was dressed up as Sponge Bob. I can't say I blame her. These things usually have huge heads, skinny arms, and don't speak a word. Aside from this though, we had a great time! It is always good to see old friends or meet new ones.
Abby's favorite event was the pony ride. Last year she was a little frightened by the ponies but this year she loved riding them (and did so without my help!)
Even though Sponge Bob was scary, Abby did not mind Cinderella painting her face. I remember the lady dressed as Cinderella from last year. She was really great with the kids.
After all the jumping, running, and playing, my girl was completely worn out.
Pumpkins and Target
A couple of weeks ago we had a few errands to run (including, of course, Target). On the way we passed our local pumpkin patch so we stopped to pick out two small ones. Abby got one for her and one for her baby brother. Yes, she talks about him all the time! And a side note, we are still just waiting (and waiting and waiting!!)
Picking out the little one for Henry.
It's hard to smile with eyes open when the sun is so bright!
Our Target has these big red balls in front of the store. Abby always wants to sit on one when we go in. All summer the balls were just way too hot to sit on so this was a landmark day showing the beginning of fall!
A couple of weeks ago we had a few errands to run (including, of course, Target). On the way we passed our local pumpkin patch so we stopped to pick out two small ones. Abby got one for her and one for her baby brother. Yes, she talks about him all the time! And a side note, we are still just waiting (and waiting and waiting!!)
Picking out the little one for Henry.
It's hard to smile with eyes open when the sun is so bright!
Our Target has these big red balls in front of the store. Abby always wants to sit on one when we go in. All summer the balls were just way too hot to sit on so this was a landmark day showing the beginning of fall!
More soccer pictures
Soccer for 3 year olds is like betting on where a tornado will hit. Sometimes they are incredibly excited to play. Sometimes they are excited about the snacks. Sometimes they just prefer to do anything but play. It is really funny. Below is a collection of pictures from the last few games. I have no pictures from yesterday's game because Abby was the only one who wanted to play on her team.
The sharing of the snacks after the game. They actually all really played on this day. Aidan is going for Abby's Pirate Booty (healthy version of cheetos).
Champion team. They are the lime green team, or as Abby calls them "lion green".
Soccer for 3 year olds is like betting on where a tornado will hit. Sometimes they are incredibly excited to play. Sometimes they are excited about the snacks. Sometimes they just prefer to do anything but play. It is really funny. Below is a collection of pictures from the last few games. I have no pictures from yesterday's game because Abby was the only one who wanted to play on her team.
The sharing of the snacks after the game. They actually all really played on this day. Aidan is going for Abby's Pirate Booty (healthy version of cheetos).
Champion team. They are the lime green team, or as Abby calls them "lion green".
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
First soccer game
Abby is playing soccer. Our YMCA has a kiddie kicker league for 3 year olds and this is the first season Abby was old enough. I had to sign her up back in July and she has been asking weekly since then when she could play soccer.
For the first game we didn't yet have soccer shorts or socks but we did get the soccer dresses, er, shirts. :-) They are huge on the kids.
Soccer girl with team "jersey" tucked in to her knees.
First practice. Her coach's primary advice was "no hands".
She really got the hang of it by the first game!
Turns out balls make good seats too.
And the goal makes a good spot for a snack. :-)
Abby is playing soccer. Our YMCA has a kiddie kicker league for 3 year olds and this is the first season Abby was old enough. I had to sign her up back in July and she has been asking weekly since then when she could play soccer.
For the first game we didn't yet have soccer shorts or socks but we did get the soccer dresses, er, shirts. :-) They are huge on the kids.
Soccer girl with team "jersey" tucked in to her knees.
First practice. Her coach's primary advice was "no hands".
She really got the hang of it by the first game!
Turns out balls make good seats too.
And the goal makes a good spot for a snack. :-)