Beautiful days

We had some gorgeous spring weather earlier this week, and the kids and I thoroughly enjoyed all the time we spent outside. We especially enjoyed our trip to the park (when Eli rode his bike all the way there and back!). Abby's favorite part was the swing, and Eli had a great time pushing her as she giggled away. Eli's favorite part, of course, was riding his bike. A close second, though, was rolling down the grassy hill with his good friend Evelyne. Notice that he didn't want to take off his bike helmet! :)
I am really looking forward to an increase in this wonderful weather! Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful sunshine!!

On another happy note, Abby is 11 months old today! I suppose I don't need to say much about her development, as you've seen a lot of that over the past week! :) And it probably goes without saying just how much fun we're all having with our precious Abigail. She is a darling little girl and we are all so very blessed by her!

Eli rides!

Well, poor Eli has been pretty neglected on this blog of late, so he decided to get in on the Milestone Madness! Eli has officially learned how to ride his big boy bike all by himself! As soon as he got the pedaling down, he was off like a shot... On Tuesday he was just riding around on our street and the sport court...Wednesday he rode all the way to the park and back! (This was in addition to practicing on the court before we left, and riding along the path while we were at the park - he just can't get enough!)Before we get to the video, please note that the only reason he's not wearing his helmet is because he was just riding back and forth on the court at low speeds. Anywhere beyond the court, the helmet goes on!

Thanks, Aunt Deb, for the awesome bike. Clearly it's going to get a LOT of use this spring and summer!

Abby steps!

While most of the country is currently wrapped up in March Madness, around here we're more excited about Milestone Madness!! In the past week, Abby has just exploded with new words and skills, the latest of which is taking steps with the support of a push toy. Take a look...

Abby is also now eating with a spoon...and is quite skilled at making incredible messes!

Despite all of this, I still can't believe my baby will be 11 months old on Friday!

Abby stands!

Yet another milestone...Abby can stand without support. Before we know it she'll be walking! In the meantime she's definitely enjoying the sunshine. She was a little unsure about playing outside at first, but she caught on pretty quick watching big brother. :)

Abby speaks!

I'm finding it harder and harder to live in denial of the fact that my baby girl is getting awafully close to turning 1!

On Wednesday, March 10th Abby said her first word..."doggy." Considering that Eli's first word was "Zoe," there's no denying that our kids love their precious pet. Ryan and I have definitely been given our place in the hierarchy here!

Anyway, now my little girl is really messing with me...Tuesday I was changing Abby's diaper when Zoe walked into the room and Abby giggled and said, "Zoe!" Okay, let's recap - 1st word: doggy; 2nd word: Zoe. Jeesh! So, naturally, I start coaching her, saying "Mama...Mama." At this point my precious daughter gives me a huge grin and says, "DADA!" Seriously, she is messing with me! :) I do have to admit that later in the evening when Ryan was encouraging Abigail to say "Mama" she did say it twice.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happy Days!

As evidenced by my complete lack of blogging, the past month has flown by...Abby is now 10 months (and three days) old! We see more and more of her sweet personality each day, and she and Eli both continue to be SO much fun! We are so very blessed by these wonderful children. In the past month Abby has added the sign "dog" to her repertoire and is enjoying Zoe more and more. She has also begun standing on her own occasionally; she pulls herself up with the help of furniture, and then lets go briefly...she ends up on her rump and usually sits there in amazement for a moment. :) The other fun change we've seen this month is more "talking." Abby often tries to mimic what she hears, and it's pretty amazing how often she accidentally says actual words. The first time Eli heard her, he was so excited. I had handed Abby her baby doll and she very clearly said "baby." Eli's eyes grew large and he said excitedly, "Mommy, Abby is starting to use words!!" These kids are so precious!

We are also enjoying the blessing of some early spring weather...it's amazing what a difference a little sunshine makes to lift everyone's spirits. The kids and I took a nice long walk to the park today to play. Abby got to swing and crawl in the grass for the first time. Both kids (and I) had a great time at the park. Thank you God for beautiful weather and wonderful children!

Here are my favorite photos from our trip to the park today...