Piedmont Park
Atlanta has one of the most beautiful intown parks. Piedmont Park has a large lake, lots of walking trails, two playgrounds (one from the 70s I do believe), and tons of interesting people to watch. Last week I had to go to Boston for work. Before I took Abby to our good friends where she would be staying while I was gone, we spent the afternoon at the park. It was a beautiful early fall day and we both had a great time.



How cute is she!



Watch me mom!!



There is a Willy's at the park. You can't beat their black bean burritos!



Swinging on the 1970s swing. This thing goes HIGH! The 1970s slide is really fun and exciting for kids because it is huge, metal, and FAST. The ladder, however, is about as far from safe as it can get. It is a wonder anyone survived the 70s.



Beautiful girl in front of the Free Nelson Mandela structure.

Weekly playdate with Alyssa and Jack
Abby and Alyssa play so well together and it is so much fun hanging out with them. They are both very similar temperments and just truly get along.



Follow the leader.



Best buddies.

Labor Day at the Children's Museum
We went to Imagine It (the Atlanta children's museum) for Labor Day. It is a great place for kids to explore and play and touch everything.



One section of the museum includes this crane where the kids move balls from one section to another. Abby has never really been able to manipulate it before but this time she did it with great perfection!



I don't remember what these building things are called but the giant size ones sure are cool. They can also be weapons for some of the kids. One little boy thought they were really for bonking other kids on the head. And of course, this kid is the one who had not a parent in sight.



Very fun tunnel thing under the water section.

Family photo
One night I decided to see if I could get a picture of Abby, Lucy, and me all in one picture. By the end we were laughing so hard. Getting Lucy to sit still and look at the camera was just a concept she simply could not grasp. The end result was really funny. Here are just a few of the pictures that managed to have at least some portion of all three of us them.

Playdate with Alyssa
Every week we try to get together one afternoon wtih Alyssa and her baby brother, Jack. We go to a park or somewhere for the kids to play and then go out to dinner. Every single day we don't get together both Abby and Alyssa ask if they will get to play after school. They are the best of friends.



When we go to Alyssa's house, Abby and Alyssa immediately pull out Alyssa's princess dresses. They both love dressing up and will play all afternoon looking like 2 adorable little princesses.

Grandma Margaret's birthday
My grandmother's birthday was at the end of August. Abby calls her great-grandmother Grandma Margaret. Abby loves to assist in the blowing out of candles and the opening of presents. And, basically, any aspect of birthday celebration.



Grandma Margaret reading to Abby.



Abby putting a new pin on the birthday girl's shirt.

Artwork
Abby has really gotten interested in drawing and coloring. And I may be a bit biased but I think her drawings are quite good for a 3 year old!



She now draws people. I love that she includes eyebrows!! She told me she didn't know how to draw hands so I suggested she trace her own hands. I just love this picture.



She still likes to draw abstracts too.



The artist at work.

No more naps
Well, I don't think I was quite ready for the naps to be done but Abby had gotten to the stage where naptime was a battle and she really wasn't going to sleep at all. Combine that with all the sleeping problems we had upon returning from vacation (let's just say it was a rough month), and it became evident that it was time for no more naps. We still have "quiet time" after lunch and Abby goes to her room but she can put together puzzles, look at her books, play with blocks, etc. This has helped so much with bedtime.

There are still days, however, when Abby is absolutely worn out after school and will fall asleep on the way home. It's funny because it is a 12 minute drive but a couple of times that first week or so she would crash so hard that it was hard to wake her up when we got home.



Completely out!

I am happy to write that the combination of no nap and a slightly later (8:00pm) bedtime have worked wonders. Add to that the bonus of "pink milk" every morning she stays in her bed all night long and we have moved back to a routine that is working. Pink milk is really strawberry milk and is a true motivation for her!! And most mornings she earns her pink milk now. I am very proud of her!!!

Alec's birthday
Whew! I am a bit behind in posting. Alec's birthday was at the end of July. It is hard to believe he is now five years old. When I first met him he was just barely two. We met Alec and his mom and grandparents as well as Avery and her mom at the Georgia Aquarium for his birthday celebration. The Georgia Aquarium is amazing and as such it makes it a very crowded place - especially on weekends. That Saturday was no exception. But once we got inside we had a fun time.



Alec, Avery, and Abby watching the fish.



Alec's grandpa (Bahnka) getting all 3 kids to cheer about something.



The Beluga whales are Abby's absolute favorite (and mine as well). They are absolutely huge but so gentle and have the sweetest faces. This picture is deceiving because it makes the whale look so small.