Forever, a Day, and Then Some

PowMow

2010-03-13T07:08:00.001-08:00

The past 3 years the Abelsons have taken all of us on a family vacation to Powder Mtn, UT. We stay at a house up there right at the resort so we can ski in and out of the house-no driving! This year was by far the best. Lilly was old enough to actaully go out and play quite a bit and we had a blast. Grammie(Pete's mom) doesn't ski/snowboard so she and Lilly spent all their time together. I know they were both loving every minute of it.

Making a snowman with Grammie

Visiting the snowman

View from the porch

Playing memory with Uncle MD

Riding her bday present from Grammie and Bampa

Making her bday cake

Snowball fight with Unlce Stephie

Momma time

Happy Birthday LillyBug!

2010-03-13T06:52:00.000-08:00

We had Lilly's party at MyGym this year. It was a blast! They do everything, all we bring is the cake and drinks. Lilly picked who she invited and it was perfect.

I am so blessed to have her in my life...happy birthday cutie!

3 years old!!!

2010-02-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow! I can't believe Lilly is 3 years old! Wasn't it just yesterday I was calling Jessica to take me to the hospital? My how time flies! Lilly is 37 inches now and 30 lbs. 50% on both height and weight...awesome because when she was born she was under 5% for both!

Lilly at 3 days old..yes she is on our couch!

Lilly 3 years old...same gloworm!

I am the luckiest gal in the world to be blessed with the most wonderful daughter. Love you, Lillybug!

Dew Tour

2010-02-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

The Dew Tour came to Snowbasin this year..about 30 minutes from our house. we went and watched some of the ski jumps and walked around the vendor area. Lilly's favorite part..of course....going on the ski lift!

They're Pinkalicious!

2010-02-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

One of Lilly's favorite books lately is Pinkalicious. A little girl makes pink cupcakes with her mommy, eats too many and turns pink! Very cute! So Lilly and I decided to make pinkalicious cupcakes one afternoon....

The best part....

Showing off the fun!

What's to come....

2010-01-29T07:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know I know....I haven't posted in about 6 months. What a slacker I am. Forgive me! I vow in February to start updating the blog weekly! Pictures and stories(as long as there are some to tell, but when is there not with a 3 year old!?) here is a little picture preview....

making cupcakes

we made colored snow then had a picnic

snow fun time with dada

Future Musician?

2009-06-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

2009-05-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Lilly meets Elmo!

2009-05-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

My Gym had an open house last week and had Elmo visit the kids. Lilly, who is Elmo and Dora obsessed, was in heaven.

Bubble blowing

2009-05-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

Yoga

2009-05-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Downward dog with a leg raise

Triangle

Downward dog

Long time no post.....

2009-05-04T19:02:00.001-07:00

I know it has been almost a month since I last blogged. SO SORRY! We have been trying to stay busy to make this deployment fly by. It seems to be working so far. Pete has been gone about 6 weeks. Only 5 1/2 months to go! Here are lots of pictures....

ABCs

2009-04-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

For Pete....

2009-04-09T20:32:00.001-07:00

Giving Haya a kiss!

The 12 days of.....

2009-03-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

FAMILY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got to spend 12 wonderful days as a family before Pete deployed. Pete figured out it was the longest we had all spent together since October!!! OY! We had a great time. Pete came home for 4 days and then we all flew to California. We went to our last duty station, 29 Palms. It was definitely a bittersweet trip. Bitter for the obvious-Pete deploying...but sweet because we (Lilly and I) got to see some of my friends and meet their friends.
We stayed with the Farmers; Wendell, Brittany and Kaydence. They were so amazing to put us up for about 9 days. We have known the Pete and Wendell have been friends since 1999 and were the head sword detail for each other's wedding. And Lilly was born on Kaydence's 1 yr birthday! They are a very special family to us. We love y'all. Lilly and Kaydence played like crazy..pictures to come...

Lilly finger painted a sign for the airport and picking Pete up.

Learning to ride her "motorcycle-just like dada"(Lilly's words)

We got to spend 2 nights in Big Bear(our favorite mtn town) right before he left. We ate at our special restaurants, went to the zoo, and went to see the water. We loved going to Big Bear for the night when we lived in 29 Palms. One Valentine's Day Pete surprised me when I got back from work. He got off work early told me to get dressed when I walked in the door. He drove me to Big Bear for dinner and going around the little shops. It was so special.

Terrible Two's are a comin....

2009-02-20T13:47:00.001-08:00

February 1, 2009...Lilly turns two. We are officially in the terrible twos....well only some of the time. For the most part, Lilly is such a good girl. She just is too young to understand patience, what a joy it will be when she learns it! She is in the "I want it and I want it NOW" stage. "oh I can't have it? I will scream!!!" But she is sooo much fun right now too. We do crafts, we sing, we play, we dance, we go on walks. We have so much fun together. I do love this stage mostly.

On Feb 1 she woke up and got to open her presents that came in the mail. Thank you Nana, Pops, Grammie, and Bampa for the wonderful goodies.

Holding her new baby Abby Cadabby

Trying to put on her new dress

While we were in San Diego, Lilly caught a virus that shot her temp to 102! We had to leave Sea world early and lay low the next day. Luckily the temp when down with the motrin/tylenol alternating combo. She broke the fever sat morning. But i didn't want to chance it on her birthday of her not feeling well and getting other kids sick. So we postponed her party. To still make it birthday-like, we made mini cupcakes on her birthday. She had the most fun decorating them...

Sunday, Feb 8 we had her birthday party. It was a crowd! We had 5 little girls and 3 infants come over. They colored, did a craft, played, and had cake. They girls had a great time together and there was only a couple of small arguments over toys, and Lilly only had one small meltdown. But hey, it was her party and she could cry if she wanted!

Sneaking away to try and open presents!

"Blowing out" the birthday candle on her Elmo cake.

Opening presents after everyone left

2009-02-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

The last week of January Lilly and I got to take a trip down to Camp Pendleton(San Diego) to see Pete. Needless to say we had a WONDERFUL time. We rented a cabin(trailor) on the beach. We took a trip to south of LA to visit Grandma Eve(Pete's great aunt) and spent a night with her.
We took Lilly to the beach, which she LOVED and still asks to go to a couple of times a week. We also took a trip down to Sea World. Lilly's favorite were the dolphins. (just like dada) Unfortunately we had to leave early, she got sick with a fever of 102! We didn't do much the rest of the trip except hang out and go down to the beach again.
Lilly's crazy hair courtesy of San Diego humidity!

Looking for seashells

Because it was too cute not to post!

Pete's favorite-feeding the dolphins

Looking at the turtles

I love the way the light reflection makes it look like our footprints are popping up

2009-02-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

Helping me make muffins

My 2 Number 1s

2009-01-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

With Pete being gone the next 11 months, yup 11; I have some time on my hands. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have Pete and Lilly in my life. Some gals aspire to be CEOs or lawyers or doctors. My whole life I've wanted to be 2 things: a teacher and a mom. I am so lucky to have been able to do both.
Pete is the most wonderful husband and father. Aside from the poop(haha) he is better than I expected. He loves Lilly more than anything and you can tell she feels the same way. Just watching them together makes me so happy. Here are some recent shots of the two of them.

At Powder Mountain

PowMow again

At the airport the day he left

More aiport-probably one of my most favorite photos

Just playing

Peter-Thank you so much for making me a mother and a wife. I could not be happier.

New Year, New Bed

2009-01-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official-Lilly is a big girl! She got her big girl bed on New Year's Eve. We bought bunk beds and just set up the top bunk with rails on 3 sides. Then a collapsible rail on the outside.
Lilly is LOVING her big girl bed. She climbs in it and plays without any problems. She hasn't gotten the getting out part yet-which is probably a good thing.
I though we'd be in for a couple of long nights-Lilly waking up and needing us to help her go back to sleep. I was wrong. Pete put her to bed, then we heard her about 5 minutes later. He laid there until she fell asleep and she slept all night! He left her awake for the nap and nighttime the next day and no problems! I guess all the no sleeping when she was little was worth it for her to sleep well now.

Lilly "helping" Dada

Checking it out...

Pete putting her to bed

Pow MowMow

2009-01-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

Or Powder Mountain as it is usually known....We had our second annual PowMow Trip last week. The guys and I had fun skiing/snowboarding while Debbie and Lilly hung out at the house.
Mark took me on a couple if runs by myself and helped me get more comfortable skiing. I even went down a blue run! (green-easiest, blue-middle, black-hardest). This is a big step for me considering I am so scared of the steep runs(which blues are mostly that way). I even went down a blue ungroomed run-even harder. It took me a while but I did it only falling twice. I ended up having more fun this year than last.
When the guys were alone they were going down blues and blacks all day. Fearless they are! They had some great father/sons/brothers time and they had so much fun together.
Lilly has learned to love the snow! She wants to play in it and walk in it all day now. We haven't gotten her to eat it yer, but the day will come!

The view from the house we rented

Lilly, Bampa, Grammie

Lilly, Uncle Stephi, Uncle Muhd(MD)

Lilly with her snow she got from the porch

A couple of good family pics

In a chair made out if skis!

Happy Hanukkah

2009-01-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Chanukah! Yup, I spelled it different both times. There are actually I think like 5 different ways to spell it, but those are the two I use. We had a nice Chanukah this year. Lilly and I went to the synagogue Hanukkah party on the first night. We lit candles, at latkes(potato pancakes), and decorated cookies. As you can see, Lilly thoroughly enjoyed the cookie decorating(and eating).

We celebrated Chanukah/Christmas with the Blausers(our next door neighbors) on Christmas Eve. After eating and present opening we played ring around the rosies about 20 times-Lilly's new favorite game.

Lilly is getting use of all her wonderful gifts this year. She plays with her leappad learning system daily(thanks Nana and Pops) and attempts to ride her trike. She also LOVES her play kitchen. We cook every day. One morning we were having pancakes so Lilly made some also. Then she enjoyed it...

Happy Chanukah/Hanukkah to all!

Photo Phun!

2008-12-21T19:09:00.000-08:00

I recently became the owner of Photoshop-the best of the best in photo editing and enhancemnet. Of course I have been playing nonstop! Here are the results of some of my fun.
Can you find the differences?

Straight out of the camera on the left, edited on the right

More wedding....

2008-12-20T20:53:00.000-08:00

The day before the wedding was so much fun for me. While everyone was out running around, I got to take care of Lilly and Sienna the whole day. The girls were so cute together and they had so much fun. They played well and only had a couple of tiffs over toys. They colored, played music, watched a movie, and just played together. I am so glad Lilly has a cousin her age, I hope they grow up to be great friends.

Nana and her girls pick out coloring pages

Pops and his girls make music

Lilly and Nana cook eggs

I've got a new...

2008-12-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Sister-In-Law! Last weekend David and Vanessa got married in Houston. The wedding was in the Houston Rose Garden. Though it rained a bit, the ceremony was beautiful and the reception(at a mexican restaurant) was fun.

First dance as hubby and wife!

Me and Vanessa

The happy family!

Lilly was pooped about an hour into the reception

Sienna danced well into the night! Here I am with her

Cousins

2008-12-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

Lilly had a great time playing with her cousin Sienna(my brother's daughter) when we were in Houston last month. Sienna is 3 months older than Lilly and they are so cute together. They played and even took a bath together. It was so much fun. I can't wait for them to play again next week at for my brother's wedding! yay David and Vanessa!!!

Stickers...

Me, Lilly, Zayda(my grandpa), Sienna, my brother David and his fiance Vanessa

2008-12-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving. We went to Fort Worth and spent time out at the ranch.

Lilly's hambone smile

One of my all time favorite photos

My birthday pecan pie--I LOVE pecan pie!!!

One of our best family photos

Happy Birthday, MC

2008-11-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

Last Monday we celebrated the Marine Corps' 233 Birthday. The Birthday Ball is one of my favorite parts of being a Marine wife. We get to dress up, do our hair and nails, and have a party. This was definitely one of the most fun balls we have been to. It was in Wendover, NV just across the Utah border. It was a small ball but that made it so much more fun. After the ceremony and dinner some people hung out drinking at the bar while a couple of the wives and I danced 'til the DJ was done. Then we went upstairs for some Blackjack.
Thank you Mark and Debbie for joining us for the evening. We had such a blast.
Happy Birthday, Marines everywhere.

Bees say Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2008-11-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Following suite from last year, Lilly was a bumble bee this year for Halloween. (ladybug last year) We followed our tradition from last year with our neighbors of having pizza and beer on the front porch during trick or treating. We took turns with the neighbors taking the kids to the houses.

Lilly had a BLAST! She loved getting the candy put in her basket and took a bunch from our neighbors and put it in her own basket(see below). I think she loved handig out the candy even more though. Whe kids came up we'd give her a piece and she'd put it in their baskets.

There are too many pictures to post but here are a few...

And so it begins...

2008-11-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

So I thought tempet tantrums weren't supposed to start until the terrible two years old, but oh was I wrong! Lill yhad her first temper tantrum a couple of weeks ago. Our neighbors gave us a swing set. I took Lillly out to see if she wanted to swing or slide. She kicked and screamed in both mine and Pete's arms. So we brought her in. We closed the door and she starts calling for the swing! I told her that she didn't want to do it and we would try tomorrow(it was almost 7pm). She continued to cry and then laid herself down on the floor(as you can see below) and screamed for about 15 minutes. We just left her there. I told her I would talk to her when she stopped crying. I peaked in on her every now and then and she would be looking to see if we were looking. When she saw us she screamed harder! It was a frustating but funny 15-20 minutes. Let the games begin!

2008-10-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Learning Overload!

2008-10-15T14:11:00.001-07:00

There is an awesome Children's Museum near us called the Treehouse Museum. It has tons if different themed areas for the children to explore. Lilly did everything from sit in the "oval office" to build with blocks. we didn't get rhough everything and she was having a blast. We will definitely be going back.

Learning about safari animals

Music room

At the arts and crafts we made a cat hat. Lilly wore this for about 30 minutes-the longest she has ever had anything on her head!

Down the tree slide with Pete

Having a puppet show with mommy

And a tea party with daddy

"Easting" sushi with mommy

It's beginning to look a lot...

2008-10-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

Chanukah! No.. wait a minute....We got the first snowfall of the year. It was a light dusting in teh afternoon andthen we thought it was over. NOPE! We woke up to about 3 inches on the ground the next morning. So we got Lilly in her snowsuit and played for a bit outside until she had enough-all of about 10 minutes outside! She looked adorable and hopefully will get more used to the snow, or it will be a long winter for the two of us!

Pink Michelin (wo)man

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

Friday evening we went to a local pumpkin patch. We went on a hay ride out to the patch, though there was no hay on the actual ride..hmmm...We got to pick out a pumpkin for each one of us. Pete and I got the largest ones we could find and one that Lilly could hold herself. Guess what, this was not only Lilly's first time at a pumpkin patch but also the first time for both Pete and I! It was so fun. Unfortunately Pete's schedule only permitted us to go at night. I'd love to go back during the day and take more pictures-it was so cool.

Lilly's solo hike

2008-10-06T20:50:00.001-07:00

We went on what might be our last hike of the year. The weather is cooling down and we even got snow in the mountains this weekend. Lilly, aka busy body, got tired of the backpack so we let her hike on her own this time. She had a blast walking around and playing in the leaves. Enjoy....

Random cute pics

2008-10-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Playing glow putt-putt on our date

She put my slippers on all by herself

Hollywood!

After a chilly morning run

from 1 kid to 4!

2008-10-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

Nope I am not having triplets! I'm not even pregnant! Bet I fooled (or at least confused) you-haha. My friend Alison's husband is a pilot. They also share a wall with us. Alison has 3.5 month old twins and a 3 yr old. Last week, she got to have her first ride in her husband's plane-ever! How cool is that!?! Well I agreed not only to watch Luke but also the twins for the afternoon. Lilly was thrilled! She loves all babies and adores Luke. We had a great time. All the kids were great. Luke and Lilly even took naps with no fighting, Lilly was just sad not to be right next to Luke when I put her in her crib. Once I got the big kids down for a nap, it was time to feed the babies. Alison has these handy bottle proper things(Erica-you totally needed these!) which made feeding a breeze. Then burping and holding babies the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't nearly as tough as I thought it would be. I even agreed to watch the babies again-today and Friday! Having babies around is fun....makes me want another one...

My house with 4 kiddos-3 yr old, 20 month, and 2 3.5 months

Look-no hands feeding!

Lilly "helping" me feed the twins today

Is is Black? White? Color?

2008-09-20T20:33:00.001-07:00

More fun...

Phun with Photography!

2008-09-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm learning how to play with the photo editor on my computer. Tell me what you think of the before and afters...

Run Like the Wind...

2008-09-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

As you know, I LOVE to run. It clears my mind and keeps me in shape-not to mention lets me eat those oreos I so dearly love. The past 2 Saturdays I have run half marathons. Yup 2 weeks in a row! Aug 30th I ran with my girlfriend Kate in downtown Salt Lake. We ran and chatted and laughed our butts off. Kate and I always have a great time together. Last week I ran by myself in Huntsville, UT. That was the most scenic and beautiful run I have EVER done. It was right near the 3 ski resorts by us. I could even see the runs at one of the resorts. It was great. I listened to my music and zoned out. Some was trail but most was road.

Here's the best part about this last run....Before this, my best time was 2 hrs 9 mins and 42 sec. Guess what this time was...2 hrs 2 min and 32 sec! I beat my best by 7 minutes!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I am so happy and proud of myself. I will train hard for the next one and try to beat 2 hrs. Not sure when that will be, but it will happen.

Here are some pics of what I saw during my run...

Waving to my family

Crossing the finish

My supporters and most important people to me

After the race downtown

One of my many hobbies

2008-09-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

I have always loved photography-thanks to my dad. I have wanted a fancy schmancy camera for a ling time but don't have about $600 to drop. For now I am learning how to use my camera to take some cool pictures then enhancing the a little bit on the computer. Here are some from hiking.Yup, I got this close with my zoom...

More Hiking Pictures

2008-09-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

America the Beautiful

2008-09-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

Pete and I were chatting the other day about how much we love where we live. Some of you may know that when Pete and I were engaged I told him that I would follow him anywhere with te Marine Corps but we had to retire in Texas, near our families. He agreed. He came home the other day and said he wasn't sure we cold live in Texas because of how amazing it is here-we may have to live here! At first I wasn't sure. I told him we could have two houses-one in Texas and one here('cause we're gonna be millionaires!).
We went hiking at Powder Mountain-our favorite ski resort. After looking at these pictures I think you'll understand how we feel...

18 month check-up

2008-08-26T11:08:00.001-07:00

3 weeks later, we finally had Lilly's 18 month check up. Here are here stats from birth and now:

Weight: 5lbs 1 oz---->22 lbs 8 oz below 5th %----->50th %

Height: 18.2 in------>33.75 in 5th%------------>50th%

I can't believe how much she has grown. Now that she is finally walking, she is like a little person instead of a baby. Her word count is too many too count and she talks all day long. I can understand about 85% of what she says. They say at 18 months a toddler can understand up to 800 words but only speaks 4-10. I am proud to say my chatterbox speaks probably 50 words.

Her favorite things right now are coloring(thank goodness for crayola color wonder), chalk, and stickers. She loves balloons and the water hose. I don't know where she learned about him other than 2 books that we have but she LOVES Elmo!

She can recognize a circle, heart, and star when I draw them. She also knows tons of animals by picture and makes the sounds: cow, horse, sheep, pig, bird, lion, bear, monkey, dog, cat to name a few.

As always, here is the first gloworm picture and one from today:

Dress Up

2008-08-15T19:44:00.001-07:00

Little girls in dresses are so cute to me. Especially when they have just learned to walk and still toddle around. I just love it! This one girl in particular....

Enjoying the ducks at my aunt's house

Beach beauty

2008-08-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

Lilly had her first trip to the beach last week! No beach here in SLC, we were in Charleston, SC for my grandma's funeral. We went to the Isle of Palms beach and Lilly had a blast! She loved the sand and the water. She wanted me to hold her and go deep so the waves would hit her but i was too nervous by myself. She did like sitting on the edge where they just barely hit her though. I can't wait to take her again sometime!

First time the waves came up

Enjoying the cool water

Telling me to go deep in the water!

Playing in the sand

18 months old

2008-08-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Woweeee!!!!!!!! 18 months have passed since Lilly joined us and made our lives complete. Every day I thank G-d to have her in my life. No check up yet since the dr was all full. I will post her weight and height after the appt. Until then here are some recent fun pictures...

Playing in the doghouse

Her new favorite face to make

Playing with Pete at the park

Using her fork all by herself!

Whee! Down the slide

Isn't that illegal on base?

Peekaboo

Loving her sand and water table

suprise!

2008-07-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Lilly loves to be suprised, especially when playing peek-a-boo. She has figured how to be the supriser and loves to suprise Pete after dinner.

all in good time....

2008-07-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here is what many of you have been waiting for....

Lilly is walking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't she so cute!?

There used to be snow here....

2008-07-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we hiked around Snowbasin, one of the many ski resort mountains near us. It was just as beautiful without the snow! We hiked out and had a picnic lunch while the dogs played in the small pond/lake. Unfotunately now that Lilly is so mobile she doesn't care for the backpack as much. She was a bit fussy for quite a while. Luckily it ended on a happy note and it was enjoyable.

How huge is that wish flower!?

Lilly discovers dirt and then touches her eye!

Fun on the Fourth!

2008-07-09T10:00:00.001-07:00

We hope everyone had a fabulous Fourth of July! We had a relaxed, but fun time. In the morning we went to a local celebration and Lilly enjoyed the petting zoo as you can see below. Then in the evening we had our neighbors over for a BBQ and we lit fireworks in the street. Then off to bed!

Bampa visits!

2008-07-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Actually, Grampa visited, but Lilly likes to say Bampa instead. Pete's dad(Grampa) came to visit for Pete's promotion. It was so great not only to see him, but watch him and Lilly together. We had a great time eating Cafe Rio(some of the best mexican food I've had outside Texas), going to the zoo, and hanging out. Grampa and Lilly even had some alone time where they went for ice cream. I know she enjoyed it just as much as he did. Are you ready for the big news?..........Grampa even changed a massive poppy diaper-more htan Lilly's daddy has done! Way to go Grampa! Thank you so much for coming!

Eating popcorn and looking at the monkeys

Grampa holding Lilly's stroller up to see the birds

Watching the rhinos eat

Playing with the sand and water table(minus the sand)

Captain, My Captain!

2008-07-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Congratualtions, Pete!!!!!!!!!!!! On July 1st Pete was promoted to Captain. I am so proud of him(and thankful for our pay raise!). We joined Pete at work for the cermony, then went to the zoo for a bit, and to PF Changs for lunch. It was a great little celebration. Thank you to Pete's dad who came in, and gave Pete his oath. It was very cool to see.

Stampede...Sort of!

2008-06-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit to Yellowstone National Park last week. We saw buffalo, elk, fox, and little critters. The only thing we did not see was bears, I was a bit dissappointed. We did get snowed on though! In june! Oy! The animals were right by the road, sometimes in the road. we saw lots of baby animals, hence spring. We rented an RV, which was great since we got snowed on. The animals were amazing and so was the scenery. Here is something amazing we got to experience...

Hangin' with Daddy

2008-06-02T20:32:00.001-07:00

Lilly and daddy have been making up for lost time. She LOVES her daddy and hanging out with him. Every night they sit in his chair while she drinks her milk. I love watching them together. Hope you do too...

Just a few more steps...

2008-05-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

Lilly is sooooooooo close to walking it's crazy! She could totally do it herself if she'd just try. But like crawling and standing, she won't do it until she is completely ready and confident. Just watch this video and you too will agree she is right around the corner from walking....

A visit from Grammie

2008-05-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Debbie, who came in for the weekend of my half marathon. Pete had to be gone and someone had to watch Lilly! Debbie was graciuos enough to fly out for the weekend and LIlly had a great time with her. They had dinner together, we all went to Kindermusik, they played played played! Here are some great memories...

At Kindermusik

Lilly in Debbie's dress from when she was 1 yr old

Loves

Yardwork

2008-05-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the dogs, we had to fill in some holes this weekend. We got a wheelbarrow from our maintenance office and shovel and picked up some dirt. We filled in the holes. Lilly had a great time helping us. As you can see she had to rest after a hard afternoon's work..

Peak-a-boo!

2008-05-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Peak-a-boo is Lilly's favorite, as with most babies. She hides her face with a blanket or scarf. Enjoy...

15 months

2008-05-20T09:09:00.001-07:00

Well, Lilly is 15 months now! She is stil chatting like crazy, her word count is almost up to 30! She doesn't say them all on a regular basis, but can or has. She is so smart! She is cruising on the furniture, getting closer and closer to walking. Here are her first and most recent gloworm pictures:
4 days old...

15 months old...

Success is Soreness!

2008-05-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a great day for me. I accomplished another of my goals. I ran a half marathon. 13.1 miles down the Ogden canyon. It was the most beautiful run I have ever done and one of the most enjoyable. Throught the course were aid stations where they had treats, water, powerade and music! People were cheering us on nonstop.
I ran with a group of gals(and one guy), we called ourselves the Marathon Mamas. All but one of us were mommies, but she will be one day! We had shirts made up with our name on the front and our team name on the back.
I finished in 2 hrs 9 min and 34 seconds, beating my last time of 2hr 9 min 52 sec! That's about just under a 10 min/mile the whole way. My mother-in-law brought Lilly to the finish to support me, as Pete had to be away for the weekend. Thank you, Debbie!
Funny enough, I can't wait to do another one!

Drumming Away!

2008-05-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Lilly in Kindermusik. Sorry for the sidways video, I used my camera and forgot it needed to be horizontal, not vertical! OOPS!

Music to my ears

2008-05-12T08:46:00.001-07:00

I'm sure you've heard me talk about going to Kindermusik every Thursday. And you're probably wondering what it is all about. Last week was bring your camera week and that was great! I got to take pictures of Lilly and the other kids in the class. And even some videos! Kindermusik is so great because it exposes children to music, rhythm, beat, tone, pitch, high, low, fast, slow, and so so much more. It is parent interactive for younger ones. You can start as early as 6 weeks. The little ones interact with mom or dad(we do have one in our class!) and the other children. The children play with shakers, drums, flowers, bags, scarves, and we do dances.

Dancing with streamers

Intentional touch with a soothing song

Playing with individual size drums

Scarf play

Shakers galore!

Lilly's first date...

2008-05-12T08:37:00.001-07:00

...was with her daddy! Pete was in charge while I went to an evening meeting. They went to Burger King on base and Lilly got a kids meal with a scary ironman toy. Pete said he had such a great time just he and Lilly, and that made me so happy.

Sharing is caring!

2008-05-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes moms get concerned their babies won't share well with others around this age. We don't have to worry about that with Lilly, just watch what happens after she spilled her crackers on the floor....

14 month update...

2008-04-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

Lilly is 14 months old now, and Pete has officially been here half her life! Yay! She is getting to be a big girl. All the crawling around is thinning her out. Don't worry she still has her cute little belly and rubberband wrists.
She is signing and talking like crazy.
She signs:
all done
please
thank you
chicken
more

Add these words to the list:
chicken and juice

She loves to "explore". By that I mean get into whatever she can! she loves to open and close doors. When one of us is in the restroomm she will crawl over and say "bye" and she closes the door. Then she opens it and says "hiiii". It is too funny. And she never seems to get tired of it.

She is starting to pull up to stand using the furniture. She even tries to climb in my lap, on Haya, and once tried to climb onto her toy bins. She babbles to herself all day long while playing with her toys and reading books. Reading is one of her favorite things! She wants me to read to her all day long. She gets that from her daddy! Her 1 year molars are on their way to join the other teeth in the eating fun. Though it is not too fun for Pete and I right now.

Food: For the most part Lilly is a very good eater. She loves her whole milk(thank goodness!) and of course her juice. She LOVES fruit-blueberries and grapes are by far her favorite. She eats a lot of chicken and chows down on grilled cheese! We are feeding her everything we eat and she enjoys it right along with us. We have cereal for breakfast every morning (Life for her) and sometimes we'll have eggs too. I haven't found much she doesn't like. Phew!

Bison Burgers are Best!

2008-04-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Just west of us is Antelope Island, one of the islands of the Great Salt Lake. It's about a 15 minute drive, and so worth it! We went hiking a couple of weeks ago and had a blast! I packed us pbj's and tons of water, we put Lilly in the hiking backpack and we were off. There is so much to do there-hiking, camping, the "beach", and relaxation. We chose hiking for the day. As we are just beginning our hike, lo and behold a few hundred yards away are bison(buffalo) out roaming around. We saw them throughout our hike, not bothering anyone. Until....as we are finishing lunch we didn't see the dogs. Then...first we see a buffalo run by and then 2 small black dots. Yup, the dogs chased the buffalo! Pete had Lilly so I took off after the dogs praying they wouldn't get trampled to death by the buffalo. Luckily they gave up and came back to us. It was close though, my heart definitely was going crazy with worry. The dogs were tired after that, they stayed with us the rest of the time.
After finishing our hike, we couldn't pass up the concession stands. We split a bison burger an bison bratwurst. D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!!!!!

Lunch break

Pete explores

Tuckered out

Take me to the Zoo!

2008-04-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

We took Lilly to the SLC zoo a couple of weeks ago. Though Pete thought she wasn't old enough to enjoy it, she did! She LOVED the black bears! Who knows why but we walked away and she wanted to go back 3 times!

It's official...

2008-03-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Lilly is officially half my size! Nope she is still only 20 lbs, but she is 30 1/4 inches! I am only 60 inches(5 ft). Holy Cow! I guess she got her daddy's height!

I am so blessed to have such an amazing daughter and be able to watch her grow and learn.
She now does 3 signs: please, more, and all done. She is attmepting thank you and getting very close.
Add 2 more words to the list: cracker, doggie
When I say fish she sucks in her lips to look like a fish.
She has become such a cuddle bug, always leaning on us, our legs, chests, shoulders, whatever she can to give us a hug. She'll even lean in when you ask for a kiss. She doesn't always kiss back but will let you kiss her.

The latest exciting news: Tonight when I was running her bath, she wanted to see what was going on. She held on to the side of the bathtub and stood up! Twice! We are getting closer to walking each day! Unbelieveable!

Splish Splash I was taking a bath...

2008-03-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

... all upon a Monday night! Lilly had her first big girl bath Monday night. Until now she has been in either the sink, baby bathtub, or her inflatable duck bathtub. She had gotten a bit too big for the duck, so I got some of the no-skid sitckies for the bottom of the tub and made it safe. I put in a couple of inches of water and she had a blast! She liked being able to move around and play with all her bath toys. Here are some pics...

Lilly 13 month update

2008-03-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

13 months! Holy Cow! Where does the time go? Lilly is crawling all over the place and she is superfast! I sometimes call her a roadrunner she is so quick! No walking yet, but she pulls up to her knees a lot. I am in no rush for her to walk, I know I won't be able to keep up with her then! She loves to make all sorts of noises and figure out how her mouth works. Her new favorite is pfffft. You can see it in the video below.

She did something so AWESOME yestderday, she signed please! All that signing and I wasn't sure if it would ever pay off! She is talking like crazy too! Here's her list of words:

Mama, Dada

Uh-oh, Bye bye(with a wave)

Hi(with a wave)

Dog, duck, ball, baby, and tickle(and she tickles herself)

Welcome Baby Reagan!

2008-03-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

Reagan Michelle Pinkerton is finally here after 9 months and 2 days! She made her entrance into the world at 5:47 pm eastern time on March 11. She was 7lbs 2.5 oz and 20 inches long. Jessica was a champ through almost 12 hours of labor. Mom, baby, and dad are all doing well and spending much awaited family time.

Welcome, Baby Reagan, love you already and can't wait to meet you!

Grandparents really are grand!

2008-03-01T19:39:00.001-08:00

Well I realized that I hadn't posted any pictures of Lilly and her grandparents recently. Pete and I are so lucky that both sets of grandparents were able to fly out for Lilly's birthday. It made the weekend that much more special to have the people we love most celebrate with us.

Have you ever been so tired....

2008-03-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been so tired you fell asleep in your food?
Lilly refused to take a nap the other day so she was up for almost 7 hours. She was playing and happy, not cranky at all. We sat down to eat and she literally fell asleep in her for before she even took one bite! Needless to say she didn't eat much dinner that night and went to be a bit early!

It's a full moon tonight!

2008-02-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

Now that Lilly can move around and realized that, she now tries to escape during diaper changes. She has succeeded a couple of times. I couldn't resist and took this....

She moves in mysterious ways...

2008-02-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

It has finally happened...Lilly is crawling!!!!!!!!! We can begin to tell you how excited we were about 2 weeks ago when Lilly began to crawl! As many of you know we were going to see a specialist because we thought she was developmentally delayed. Thankfully we do not have to make that appointment. Here is a short video of her crawling the first or second day...

Miss Photogenic

2008-02-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

We had Lilly's 1yr pictures done at Kiddie Kandids in the mall. We had to go back a second time because the gal did an awful job the first time. I don't really recommend them unless you get a graet photographer. The second gal did an amazing job and I am finally so happy with the pictures. The first 2 are from the first session and the rest are from the second.

We also had her 1yr check up. She is 20lbs 29.75 inches. She is on all solid foods (has been for a while) and organic whole milk. She didn't care for it at first but now LOVES it!

The big 1!

2008-02-10T12:50:00.001-08:00

Holy Moly! A whole year has passed since Lilly was born. We can not believe that she is already 1 year old. She is doing great, making us laugh every day. She is 20 lbs and 29.5 inches, alomst half of my height! We celebrated her birthday with a ladybug theme and very small party. Just the grandparents and our neighbors Alison and Luke joined us for dinner and cake. Here are some pictures:

the birthday girl

Not to sure about the candle

First taste of cake

Before...

After...

Messy girl

Helping clean herself up

We are so tricky!

2008-01-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

Why are we tricky you ask? Lilly and I planned a very special surprise for one of my best friends, Jessica. Jessica was not having a baby shower in Charlotte, NC where she recently moved so Lilly and I coerced with her sister and husband and planned a surprise trip out for the weekend! Jessica thought she was going to the airport to pick up a friend of Karly's(Jessica's sister) who was coming to look at UNC. We got off the escalator to see Jessica looking around for some"tall blonde girl" named Margaret. Next thing she sees, we run up to her and yell SURPRISE!!!! Needless to say she was blown away! She had no idea we were coming and was in total shock. She had one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen. See, Jessica and I have not seen each other since she moved away from 29 Palms in late July. What else is so cool? Lilly remembered her! Lilly wanted Jessica to hold her right away and pretty much for the whole weekend.

Wait there's more! Driving Jessica to the airport was our friend Allie, also from 29 Palms. She was in the area visiting her parents and popped down to see Jessica for a couple of days. Of course Jessica didn't know but Allie planned the trip to coincide with ours.

In lieu of a baby shower, Allie, Karly, Lilly and I took Jessica out for Saturday lunch at a cute little bistro in town. There she opened presents not only from us, but also from some gals in 29 Palms who sent presents. (I emailed them to set it up!) We figured it was a distance baby shower of some sorts. I think it was very special to Jessica. Every gal's gotta have some celebration for her first baby coming! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

At lunch
L to R: Karly, me and Lilly, Allie, Jessica

Allie and Jessica enjoy the softness of a baby blanket

Lilly tuckered out from a day of eating and shopping

Lilly and Jessica practice standing

Jessica and I

It was a very special weekend that way too fast. I am so glad to have seen Jessica and feel baby Reagan kick. Love you, Jess!

More snow pictures

2008-01-07T15:54:00.001-08:00

A better picture of Pete, Lilly, and Chesty sledding

Chesty gets in Pete's way of snowboarding

Lilly being cute and watching Daddy and Heather

Heather and I at her house for Christmas Eve lunch

Fun in the Sun, I mean SNOW!

2008-01-07T15:40:00.000-08:00

Lilly had her first actual snow play day yesterday. She ate snow while Pete and I shoveled the driveway. She was mad when I put on her gloves and then she couldn't eat it any more. Somehow she managed to get the snow to stick to her gloves and put it in her mouth! She was cold but happy!

Pete pulling us around the yard

After playing in the yard we decided to go to the sledding hill about 2 blocks from our house with neighbor Heather. Lilly went down the hill and was indifferent. Pete, Heather, and I had a great time, though we got lots of snow in our clothes. We were cold but had tons of fun.

Lilly's first time sledding, down the hill with daddy for the first run. Chesty wasn't far behind.

Now with mommy

Pete snowboarding down the sledding hill

Lilly update

2007-12-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

Just a quick Lilly update..

Teeth: 2 bottom and top incisors working on coming through
Weight: 19lbs
Length: 27 in
Eating: just about anything we put in front of her, which is everything we eat; almost
Crawling: not yet
Walking: not yet
Sleeping: from about 8pm-4am with a slight stir once in a while around 1am
Eyes: still blue!
She is happy as can be most of the time. Unless she is hungry or tired then she gets M A D!!!! And she will let you know she is mad too, sometimes I wonder if the neighbors can hear her through the walls!
She is a true joy and blessing. We love her more than words can explain.

Cousins

2007-12-23T19:31:00.001-08:00

While in Texas Lilly got to see her cousin Sienna who is 3 months older than her. The girls spent the afternnon together eating and playing together. It was all fun until Sienna accidentally whacked Lilly in the face when she was trying to pet her. I guess she didn't know her own strength! All in al it was a fun and I'm glad we got some pictures together.

In the car on the was to the grocery store

Snack time

Sienna being camera shy and crawling away

Bathing Beauty

2007-12-23T19:24:00.001-08:00

Nope, no naked pictures here! Just Lilly looking super cute in this very special robe. My grandmother(Bubby we called her) passed away in 2001. She got this robe for my newphew Zach. He used it and my stepmom saved it. She passed it on to Lilly for two special reasons..1-it came from my Bubby whom I was close to and 2-because my mom loved Winnie the Pooh. I am so glad Lilly fits into it and she does look so darn cute! Thanks Nana for saving it!

Bookworm

2007-12-23T19:19:00.001-08:00

One of Lilly's favorite things to do is "read" books. She LOVES to turn the pages. When playing, she pulls out all the books from her book basket and plays with them. She picks them up and turns them over as if she is reading them. She loves when we count all the things on the pages. Here she is picking them up...

Happy Chanukah!

2007-12-23T19:11:00.001-08:00

Or Hanukkah or Chanukkah or one of the other million ways it can be spelled! Lilly had her first Chanukah a couple of weeks ago. She wasn't too sure about the candles as you can see below. we lit candles and then Lilly opened a present each night, with a little help from mommy and daddy. Just as my family's tradition, she opened her big present on the last night...a whopping 3 books! Other night she got tights, a pair of shoes, and a toy dreidel of her own. One night we had the neighbors over to teach them about Chanukah and we ate delicious latkes(potato pancakes) and matzo ball soup. You can see us below lighting candles...

1st night

2nd night

Lilly plays with her very own dreidel

Last night(night 8)

Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

2007-11-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

What a great birthday suprise I got from Mother Nature....snow!!!!!!!!!! We got about an inch on the ground. It was so special for me, seeing that I have been waiting for snow and love it so much. It puts me in a great mood! The next morning Lilly, the dogs, and I went for our first real cold eather run..it was 30 degrees outside! We wore lots of layers, Lilly had a mohair blanket and her stroller weatherguard on. Needless so say when I picked her up at the end, she was nice and toasty, I was jealous! Hopefully there is more snow to come soon. Enjoy!

Our backyard

Veiw from the front door

The running trail

A fox that was on the running trail!

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yet another first has come and passed...Lilly's first Halloween. She had a great day! We started off with a morning run, she loves to be outside in the stroller. Then we headed to a halloween party with our playgroup. The kids dressed up, we ate yummy treats, and the moms chitchatted. I got to meet some new people which is so nice! Then it was off to lunch with Alison and Luke, our neighbors who share a wall. We went to my new favorite place..Jason's Deli. I've always loved it but more so now cause it's so close! A couple of old ladies were oohing and awwing over Lilly's supercute costume. (She does look pretty darn cute!) This evening we sat outside, Pete and I in camping chairs and Lilly in her exersaucer while we handed out candy and chatted with the nieghbors who were doing the same. Lilly had a blast watching all the kids walk by and come up to us. She got excited when a big group came. She's finally to the age where she LOVES other kids. She squeals whenever they come near. It is too funny! Enjoy the pictures!

Our little Lilly the Ladybug....

Rain Rain go away....

2007-10-08T19:47:00.001-07:00

Let snow come today! It did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only 1 week after we were here did it snow at our house! We woke up Saturday morning to snow falling all around. It didn't stick much to the ground but stuck to the roofs and cars. That was enough for us. We bundled Lilly up and got her first pictures with snow.

What I see on my morning runs....

Driving on base...

Standing in the commissary parking lot...

Are you jealous yet?

Fun in Funkytown

2007-10-08T19:37:00.001-07:00

OUr first stop on teh way to Utah was Fort Worth where we saw Pete's side of the family. Much relaxation was had by everyone and it was greatly needed! We had a couple of nights to ourselves while Grammie and Grampa babysat, they were enjoyed by everyone. We had one dinner at the Meltong Pot a fondue restaurant-delicious! Of course there was the homecoming party-fun, family, friends, and skinny dipping as usual.

4 generations of Abelsons

Lilly shares her pacifier with grampa

Pearls are Pretty!

2007-10-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

Lilly has joined a new club, the peirced ear club. While in Texas we took lIlly to get her ears peirced. She was great until I had to hold her head still while they marked the spots. She didn't like that at all! Then came the pericing which was just as bad. She cried for about 2-3 minutes after and then was fine. By the time we got to the parking garage she was smiling again. NOw she just looks cuter than ever with her pearls.

Before...

After...

Happy again...

Notice the matching pearls? Matching as always!

Having Fun in HTown

2007-10-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

Before heading to Utah we made a stop down in Houston to visit my side of the family. It was so great to see all the extended family for a delicious Greek dinner. During our visit Lilly and her cousing Sienna went to their first baseball game. It was a ton of fun. Lilly lasted until about the 9th inning then fell asleep in the BabyBjorn. She did great with all the cheering and music. Thank goodness the Astros won! Lilly had another dip in the swimming pool which she loved as always. And more time with Nana and Pops, always a treat.

Wings and Whoopin'-Nothin' Better!

2007-10-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Lilly had her first College Station experience when we were in Texas. We took her for her first meal at Wings'N'More(Petes favorite restaurant), those she didn't have the wings directly! She got a short tour of campus and of course got lots of Aggie gear. She went to the MSC where mommy and daddy were married, saw Rudder Fountain, Kyle Field(where the soil she was born on is from) and of course the great Hillel(where we met). It was a whoopin good time by all. What is a visit to CS without seeing Lilly's godmother, Stephanie? Lilly enjoyed seeign her, as did we all!

Love at First Sight

2007-08-30T21:45:00.001-07:00

The has finally come(and gone)! Friday was one of the most special days in my life. Pete and Lilly met for the very first time. I waited at Victory Feild with nerves and excitement for the moment I'd waited almost 7 months for. It was more amazing than I thought. Debbie, Lilly, and I stood sort of patiently as the Marines and Sailors flew off the buses and flooded the field. I made a sign the said, " Lt Abelson we're down here" with an arrow pointing down. Silly me though he'd for sure see that. Nope. He didn't see us so he headed to the New Daddy tent which I'd told him about and he still couldn't find us. To me it seemed like everyone had found each other except us! I had a Carolyn moment and got super nervous that for some reason he didn't come home that day! Just as tears were welling up in my eyes did I get a touch on the elbow. Thankfully it was my husband! Thank goodness for Treena, who Pete saw before he even saw me so he knew where to go! Of course all those tears turned into tears of relief and joy, and came flooding out. I hugged and kissed Pete, then handed him his daughter. It was such a special moment in all our lives. Here are some pictures of the first meeting...

Pete and Lilly's first picture together

Lilly checks out her daddy for the first time =)

See the gift he brought her? What a great dad!

Our family photo!

Waiting for Daddy

2007-08-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

It was one hot afternoon when...Last Friday was a most exciting day, Pete came home!
Homecoming day is such a special day, obviously! All the families and friends gather at Victory Field waiting for the buses to arrive with loved ones. Luckily ours was an evening arrival so it was only 110 degrees instead of 115! I am so lucky to have ahd such awesome friends come out to support us, THank you Nikki for taking pictures and Treena for videotaping. Thank you Michelle, Ben, and Tera for joining us at the field for support.

Here are some pictures of Lilly and I waiting to see Peter.

Lilly amuses herself with her pacifier

Debbie holds up the sign Pete never even saw =(

Food Update

2007-08-14T21:20:00.001-07:00

Lilly is 6 months old now and is up to two "real" meals a day. She has fruit in the morning after our run and veggies in the evening. Dinner time is fun. We eat our food, Lilly first then me and we talk about what we did that day. Lilly tried her first fruit on Monday, bananas. She loved them! It has been the easiest baby food I've made yet-just mash and eat! And yup, I'm still making her food at home. It's easy-cook, puree, freeze, done! The pictures below are of her eating the bananas.
Here's the food opinons so far:

Butternut squash yum!
Sweet Potato yum!!!
Yellow squash yuck
Peas yum
Green Beans only with SP
Bananas yum!

Do you like seafood?

Trying to feed herself

Reaching for the food!

Do you hear that?

2007-08-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Lilly has discoevered her voice and is making all new sounds! Here is how she gets my attention!

Happy Half Birthday to Lilly!

2007-08-03T21:24:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, Aug 1 was Lilly's 6 month birthday! A whole half year has passed since she joined us in this world and made my life better than I ever imagined. She is such a blessing and I am so thankful to have been blessed with her.

We had a wonderful birthday together. We cuddled on the couch and had a special dinner. The Wolfenbargers came over for dinner and cake to celebrate with Lilly. I even made a birthday cake from scratch. Lilly had a teeny tiny peice and thoroughly enjoyed it and the sweet peas I made her. Lilly even recieved a VERY special gift-flowers from Daddy to Lilly.

Official Stats:
Weight 13 lbs 13 oz
Length 25 inches
Head circumference 40cm

Thank you Craig, Treena, Grace, and John for helping us celebrate a special day.

Lilly enjoys some sweet peas.

The cake I made and the flowers Pete sent to Lilly for her birthday.

Lilly enjoys the teeny tiny piece of cake.

Growing like a weed!

2007-07-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

Lilly will be 6 months old this week! Can you believe how the time has flown by? I just can't believe it. It feels like yesterday I was holding her teeny tiny body in the crook of one arm. Now I have to use both arms to hold the little chub! Just look at the pictures below to see how much she has grown.

Lilly-less than 1 week old

Lilly-one week shy of 6 months old

Play Date Fun

2007-07-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

Lilly had another playdate with the McNicoll girls. It was a grand time-Erica cooked lunch, we chatted and the girls "played". You know that famous saying "It's alll fun until someone loses and eye"? Check out the picture below! Can you tell when playtime ended? Luckily no one was hurt!