Abbie's words of wisdom

Abbie has clearly discovered her voice and is practicing all of the things she can do with it. I took a little video of her the other night just chatting away. She also loves it when we hold her up and she can look out the front window --then she talks to whatever she sees out there. I'm sure the grandpas and grandmas will appreciate this video the most, but feel free to enjoy even if you're not related!

just me, my mama, and my auntie and uncle

Miriam and Abbie have wonderful aunts and uncles. We are so thankful for our brothers and sisters and love that they like to spend time with our girls! Well, the day after the 4th of July (or July 5th --which I guess would just have been easier to put in the first place), Miriam's Uncle Ryan and Auntie Kim invited us to go to the good 'ol Minnesota Zoo with them. Uncle Ryan had the day off and we thought it would be fun to show Miriam the zoo (and also while it's still free for her to go... we've only got about a month left for that). We thought it would be easiest to have Matt stay with Abbie and just take Miriam for the day. So, off we went.

We weren't sure if it would be extremely crowded because of the holiday, or if that would actually be in our favor. It ended up being not too bad at all. We were able to get through the exhibits without having to wait too long and still see most of what we wanted to. Unfortunately, one of the paths we had intended on going on was closed for construction, so we had to take a different route. Because of our detour, we passed by these huge fountains that people can run around and play in. We did bring Miriam's swimsuit with the intention of her being able to play in them, but we were hoping she wouldn't see them until the end. So, she saw the fountains right away and spent the next hour or so asking every minute if she could go play in them. I'm sure she would have actually wanted to stop and watch the animals a little more if she wasn't so anxious to play in the fountain. But, oh well. She still had a good time and did end up having a wonderful time in the fountains, too. Here are some pictures from the day.

Here is Miriam greeting the prairie dogs.

Yes, those are grizzlies 20 feet behind her.

She had fun playing in this replica of an archaeologist dig.

The wonderful fountains.

Thanks for the fun day, Auntie Kim and Uncle Ryan!

take two

Sisters, sisters... can you tell?

happy summer!

Once again, I do apologize for my lack of posting lately. After getting back from my parents' house last weekend, we've been slowly getting adjusted to life back home. But, here are a few things that happened while we were there and since we've been back! Smiles from everyone!

book review

This book is so good. I'm not sure that I can give it a proper review since I haven't read the whole thing yet, but the little I have read is wonderful.

My dear friend Heidi gave it to me a few weeks ago as I was sharing with her some of the challenges and anxieties I had been dealing with as of late. As much as I adore being a mom, it sure can be tough sometimes! But God continues to guide me and give me strength and wisdom to make it through each day. But anyway, back to the book... each page is a devotional for each day of the year. The devotionals are brief (usually a paragraph or two) and are just perfect for busy moms. I actually think this book is so good for women in general (I'm sure men can gain a lot from it as well, but it seems like women would really really like it). Each devotional is written as if Jesus is talking to you. They are taken from Scripture (cited at the bottom of each page) and written in a way that make me feel like He is whispering in my ear. It often deals with anxiety and worry that so many of us tend to battle with (this is why I think it's so good for women). So, that is my humble review on this amazing book! I highly recommend it -even though I just started it!

just hangin' out

I've been having far too much fun with my parents' nice new camera while we've been visiting. This was Abbie this afternoon just sitting on the chair. She seems to enjoy being able to sit -it will be nice when she can do it on her own! We've also really noticed that she is starting to play with toys a little now. It's fun to see her grab for things and, of course, bring everything right into her mouth.

four months on the fourth

Abbie turned four months on the fourth of July. It's hard to believe! We had a family gathering in Hudson on the fourth with some relatives visiting from California and Oregon. It was fun to see them and also to have them meet Abbie! The girls were nicely coordinated in patriotic attire as well. We had a great day followed by a fun evening watching fireworks. Miriam watched them for the first time and surprised me by not being scared at all. She thought they were great -but was awfully tired the next day!

A-baby

I was told yesterday that my sister-in-law calls Abbie "A-baby" because when you spell Abbie really fast, that's what it sounds like. I think. So, here's some pictures of our A-baby.