A few more pictures...

She likes sticking her tongue out for pictures sometimes. (I didn't order this one but it is awfully cute!)

Her serious look

Here's just a few more pictures of Abbie. The first one is just too funny! I didn't include one of my favorite shots here because it didn't show up well. I had hoped to get the girls picture made together too but Sophie's lips were really chapped and I didn't think she would photograph well. I hope we can get one of them together this spring!

Sweet Pictures of Abbie

She's sitting still-hard to believe!

She just might be a drummer!

Here are some pictures that I thought I'd share from a few weeks ago. I took Abbie to have her 13 month pictures made at Portrait Innovations. Overall, we got some good shots but sometimes she's not the easiest person to photograph. By the way, I didn't really order the two in the middle (except the last one I have one where there are 3 poses to a sheet). She was so happy when she was drumming. =)

Enjoying the Warm Weather

Abbie in her floppy hat

Here's Abbie trying to mow the grass by the sidewalk for the 1st time with the bubble mower.

I haven't posted in a while but this has been a rough week for us. Sophie ran a fever all weekend and didn't have a great appetite. Abbie had also been fussy and had a runny nose for about a week so I took them both to the doctor on Monday. We found out that Sophie had strep throat!! She was not excited about having to get a shot but her Mama thought it would sure beat having to give her antibiotics 3x/day for 10 days! She calmed down after we told her that she could have a chocolate shake after she got the shot. =) She's feeling better now. When we went to the doctor, Abbie's ears were red but not infected. One of them also had fluid in it. The doctor said that an ear infection could develop in a couple of days and to call back if she became increasingly fussy and kept waking up a lot at night (just what every parents loves to hear). The last 2 nights have been terrible so I called the doctor to see if she'll call in a prescription so we'll see...

Although we were dealing with some sickness, it didn't stop us from getting outside a little bit and enjoying the beautiful weather while it lasted. Sophie and Abbie took turns mowing for us. Sophie was really looking forward to having Abbie ride in the wagon with her and it was so cute! Abbie did great staying seated across from Sophie as I gave them a ride (our wagon doesn't have any seatbelts and Sophie used to always stand up in it). I didn't get a picture but maybe next time. I love springtime!! It just makes me feel better.

Abbie has continued to be very mischievious. One night Matt discovered her standing in a plastic chair in our play room looking out the window. Another day, she was pulling cereal boxes out of the pantry (while I kept an eye on her) and I discovered her trying to stand on the box that our garbage bags are in to get a better reach of the shelves. She is definitely a climber!

New Experiences

Paula with the girls

Abbie loves sitting in this chair!

Well, on Sunday, we woke up to about an inch or so of snow. We went on to church but the back roads were a tad icy. Mostly the roads were clear though and we didn't have any problems. I had hoped we'd get another snow but since it came on Sunday, the girls didn't get much chance to play in it. By the time we came home from church, it was all melted (pretty much) except for our deck which is in a shady spot. After we ate lunch, I wanted a quick picture with the girls in the snow because I had never taken Abbie out in it. The girls "snow outfits" are cracking me up in this picture but, "oh well". I had asked Matt to change Abbie into a purple velour outfit to keep her warm. Instead he brought her down in her leggings, and sheepishly said, "is this what you meant?" "Uh, no, not really but I guess it will do for a quick picture." Also, Sophie kept her tights and dress on but changed into tennis shoes. I didn't feel like arguing with her since we were just going out for a minute. =) The girls are also modeling the "do-rags" that Matt got for them at the Vandy game. It started with me not being able to find Abbie's winter hat.

On a side note, Abbie loves going to sit in this chair now. Sophie got it when she was little. It's interesting to watch Abbie try to get out of it sometimes though. She occasionally gets a leg stuck in the side of the chair or something.

Visiting with Cousins

Here's Matt and his cousin Mark, each of them with his kids. Mark's boys are close in age to our girls. Layton is only 2 months younger than Abbie and Luke is about 5 months younger than Sophie. They live in Lexington, KY and had come down to visit family on their mom's side but we were able to get together with them on Saturday. We really enjoyed seeing them because it had been a long time. All of the kids had grown up a lot!

Funny Stories on Abbie

The other day I was holding Abbie and her face was right up close to mine. She reached out and squeezed my cheeks! It was pretty funny!

Lately when I give the girls a bath, Abbie likes to stand up sometimes which is scary because the bottom of the tub is slippery. She has slipped and fallen a few times. Anyway, a few days ago, I just had Abbie in the bath and she kept wanting to stand up and pull the button up that turns the shower on. She did this twice and gave herself a little shower. It was cracking me up but of course, I turned the shower off immediately. Now, though, when she tries to stand in the bathtub she gets a little slap on her hiney!

Abbie also enjoys hiding things. I think I've mentioned this before. She loves getting into the drawers in our bathroom (now Matt has fixed it so that she can't for the most part). A few days ago, I found two things of deodorant in our laundry basket (with clothes in it too!)

Girls Playtime!

Abbie V., Abbie C., & Sophie (Do you notice that both of my girls have things going on with their tongues? What's the deal?)

Abbie loves spaghetti and she loves things that she can feed herself!

Well, we were able to get together with my friend, Jamie, and her little girl, Abbie, this week. Yes, that's right. We both have Abbie's and we spell it the same way!! =) Her Abbie loves babies and is especially excited about our Abbie since they have the same name. Jamie brought lots of clothes for me to go through and I bought a bunch of them for Sophie that her Abbie had outgrown. Jamie has wonderful taste and there were a lot of cute clothes so I had fun "shopping". Last week, we were able to get together with another friend of mine that we hadn't seen for a while. My friend, Laura Ice, and two of her girls. We had a nice time with them too.

Abbie is becoming more and more confident with her walking. Now she tries to carry more things around so she with this extra challenge to her balance she is falling more. We never know where Abbie is going to hide things. She'll hide her shoes in the girls' tent or put things in our laundry basket. If you don't know where something is, just ask Abbie. =)

Here's a couple of cute quotes from Sophie:
Tonight after dinner Sophie said something sweet and I told her that I loved her. She said, I love you too Mommy. She said, "when you tell someone that you love him it makes their heart happy." Oh, the wisdom of little kids. She said it well.

Sophie recognizes Taylor Swift when she hears her singing on the radio. We hear the song, "Love Story" a lot and she knows parts of it. Well, today sang along with part of it, "Daddy said to stay away from Julie Andrews." but the song says, "stay away from Juliet." Matt & I were laughing about that one. Sophie is familiar with Julie Andrews because she has the Muppet Show where it features Julie Andrews as a guest star. Sophie also likes the part of "Love Story" where it says, "Baby just say yes."