hodgepodge

Hey there folks. How's it going?

Abs and I have been in full summer swing this week. I feel like every second of every day has been full of something. We've done a lot of stuff this week and kept busy. Which, is great. Except that it makes it hard to blog because when I finally sit down at the end of the day, I usually end up watching my eyelids give out.

So, here are a few shots and tidbits from our week. I apologize for the randomness.

I should preface this by saying our house is being re-painted. It was in dire need of a new paint job, so this is pretty exciting. Except that for the past few weeks, we have had crews outside power washing, sanding, taping, painting, etc. It's not the world's quietest activity and as much as I'm looking forward to having things look nicer - I'm very much ready to have things a little cleaner and quieter again too.

Anyway, on to the other stuff. The other day I was cleaning and I noticed things had gotten quiet...too quiet. I peered around the corner to see this:

She was totally about to dig in with her spoon. She jumped when I said her name, then just pretended to eat it while laughing. ;)

She puts everything she eats in her hair now. It's a phase, right?

On Wednesday, we went to a pool party with several of my co-workers to celebrate the addition of a few new babies in the department. We had a great time, swimming, eating, playing, and chatting with a group of some of my favorite people I work with. Abby loved the pool of course...and the attention from others. We didn't get home till about 9:30 and were both exhausted from all the activity, but had a really nice time.

So far, I've worked out in some fashion 6 out of the last 7 days. This is good. Most days, I've been able to make it to the gym either in the morning, or after Abs goes to bed. On the days that I can't make it to the gym, I make sure that I take Abs out jogging/walking. We are loving our new jogging stroller, and I'm so pleased that I'm actually using it. I'm not a marathon runner or anything, but we have a 3 mile loop that we jog/trot/walk fairly regularly. Lucky for Abby, that loop just happens to stop at the local park.

The other day on our jog, we noticed this sign and thought it was a nice gesture

Speaking of the park, Abs made a new friend the other day. A little 2 year old girl. They got along pretty well and were sharing snacks and giving hugs by the end of our visit. The mom just moved to the area in April and we got along pretty well too. She lives close to us and I'm hopeful that we can set up some future play dates, so that will be fun.

Last night we were fortunate enough to have some friends come over for a BBQ. We very much enjoyed hosting and cooking some yummy food and basking in their good company. It's always fun to have people over. :)

Today my friend Ashley from Conway (who now lives in MS) was in town for a conference. She had some free time so Abs and I joined her for a quick freedom trail walk. We rode the swan boats for the first time, and Abby really enjoyed it. I mean, there are ducks everywhere - she was excited.

first swan boat ride

part way through the trail, we let Abby stop and play in a little green space where the city had provided a bunch of toys for kids to play with. Abby loved the hula-hoops.

She also loved this little fountain. She kept bending over, washing her hands in the water, then she would stand up and rub her hands together...

...and wash her face. Then repeat.

It's not a freedom trail day without a visit to Mike's. So, I introduced Ashley to her first cannoli and Abby scored an M&M cookie. I love this picture - she has more crumbs on her than she probably got in her mouth, but she is so happy.

She also kept asking me to pick off the M&Ms for her. She wanted to eat them like candy, not in the cookie. She was, eventually, convinced that the cookie was worth her time as well.

In between the gym, taking walks, playing at the park, and visiting with friends, we have filled our days with coloring, reading, playing, running, dancing, coloring some more, playing with bubbles and play-doh and side walk chalk. Then Abby naps and I clean and cook and clean (and nap) and then we run errands, get groceries, pick up Kyle and come home to cook dinner. We've been keeping busy. Not with anything especially extraordinary, but with the day-to-day things that fill our time. And really, we're having a blast.

Yesterday, Abby turned 20 months old. She's no longer a teen-toddler. ;) Just 4 short months until she's the big 2. It's so odd. This year has really flown by. Much much faster than the first year. Much.

She's such a little person and I just love watching her grow and learn and blossom. We're having a really really great summer. :)

Ok. I gotta go. I see that she's been redecorating - I think our ottoman and a bookshelf have some new crayon marks. :-/ Do those magic erasers work?

(As a sidenote, she just came up to me saying "an A! Mama, A! Oh my! A!" In other words - she thinks she just wrote the letter A and is wanting me to come see. Sigh. She's very excited.)

Have a great weekend.