First Comes Love...

In honor of Abigail's favorite song (and because we bought a membership that we've only used once), we went to the Aquarium last weekend. Abigail had more fun this time;  she is starting to pay more attention to things, so she was delighted to see all the jellyfish, starfish, octopus, and sea otters. Of course, they we all Ca's in her book. The Aquarium adventure begins by kissing the fish. Good call, Bits. Pit stop to the gift shop She was not amused by the shark mask.  She wanted it off immediately Touching star fish The next series of pictures crack me up. One of the volunteers was explaining the difference between male and female jellyfish.  I don't remember it making a huge impression on me, but apparently it did... Inquisitive Shocked Satisfied  Abigail was equally intrigued. (we spent the majority of our time at the jellyfish tank...) Then it was on to Octopus! Creepy Heading outsid...

Lots of singing and dozens of steps on her own today!!!  Usually between four and eight at a time - always holding bunny rabbit and duck.  She did even more to show GPA.  Most of it was after her nap.  She also pretended to sneak up behind me to surprise and tickle me.  Obviously something you or Kevin taught her  ;-) since I saw some parts of that at your place - especially the hugging of stuffed animals. She is also making lots of sounds like she is talking with the base word she uses for animals but mixed with singing..    Sometimes she says what sounds like gatch ya.   So many hugs for her bunny today.   So many changes since she was last here.  She is such a delight! Love, Grandma and GPA.

Remember when I used talked about weekly date nights ? I was pretty funny... and completely delusional. For Father's Day this year, I got Kevin a Cajun cooking class at Marcela's Creole Cookery and on Wednesday night, we finally made a date of it! Kevin is a huge fan of Cajun cooking, and I'm a huge fan of food in general, so it was the perfect night. We received tons of good Southern cooking tips, and ate lots of delicious food, but there were a few dishes in particular that were outstanding, so I wanted to share them (measurements were not given for everything, but just think in proportion). Creole Garlic Shrimp Crostini: Melt butter (1/2-1lb!), add garlic, pinch black pepper, creole seasoning, and finely chopped green onion.  Add shrimp and saute until shrimp are done.  Place atop toasted crusty french bread, or bread of choice. Smothered Chicken: Salt and pepper bone-in chicken tights and brown in frying pan with a little oil (in southern coo...

Happy Birthday, Miss Abigail! I can't believe you'll be a year and a half next month.  It's crazy how quickly you've gone from a baby to a toddler in these past 5 months. As a tribute to this just-shy-of-a-year-and-a-half milestone, I thought I'd share "17 reasons why Abigail is Awesome" (like this one I did for Dad) 1)  You wake up singing- every morning 2) We got you a mini table and chairs (above) and you think it's amazing.  You'll eat anything I put in front of you while sitting there like a big girl. 3) You love your baby doll and pat her back to soothe her.  You've also started sleeping with her and will gab away as you fall asleep. 4) You and Minnie are best friends.  Ca's for life! 5) Your smile lights up a room. 6) You and Dad have a secret language- you think it's pretty funny. 7) Your hair is so curly that we had to start a deep conditioning treatment to keep the fro at bay. 8) Johnny Walker is by ...

This year we headed to a cabin in Naches to celebrate the New Year. Nestled in the woods with two feet of snow, and surrounded by snow covered trees, a hot tub, lots of games, and a cozy fireplace to snuggle next to, we enjoyed a perfectly relaxing weekend away from it all. View from the living room The cribbage board we purchased from the general store.  They had everything! Abigail and Mamie play iPad games   While we spent most of the time relaxing, we did venture to White Pass on Sunday for some sledding fun! The only expression we got out of her...  It was chilly in the shade, so we headed to the sun where Mamie ran back and forth with Abigail in her sled.  She was less than thrilled, but looked so cute. People would comment: "oh, it's a baby!!" "how cute is THAT!" After a few minutes (yeah, we're hard core), we headed back to the car; but not before stopping for one last run. (check out Abigail's ...