Our playgroup friends

Abby the Ladybug and Libby the puppy dog.... So cute:)
Miss Libby
And this is one of my friend Amy's daughters....she is a twin, so its either Ava or Alyssa...I can't tell them apart!

Halloween Playgroup Day

This week's playgroup was a halloween costume party (one of two they are having this month, so you might see ladybug pictures again next week if we make it to that one too). All the kids came dressed up! Here are a few photos of our Ladybug Abby
Mommy & the Abby ladybug at playgroup
This is the back of the ladybug....she has such cute feet!
The WHOLE ladybug!
Ladybugs drive cars, you know!!

.....And more pumpkins!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

My friend Lisa & I took Abby to her first pumpkin patch today in Ventura! I'm not quite sure what she thought, beyond wondering why there were so many round orange things just laying around in the dirt.....who knows! But she liked touching them!!

Rollin' like a big kid in her new ride!

Aunt Amy bought Abby this fabulous radio flyer wagon for her birthday! We took it out for its maiden voyage tonight for a ride around the neighborhood, and she loved it! It has 2 seats with seat belts, back rests, and 4 cup holders! Its a regular toddler mini-van!! She just sat back and held on tight.

Not the greatest shot, but she wasn't in the mood for photography.....imagine that.

To eat or not to eat......crayons....

Last weekend we went to lunch at El Torito with Grandma Donna, Aunt Sarah, and Ricky. She wore her kids hat, ordered off the kids menu, and even tasted the crayons....first time seeing those!

Attempting to draw.....she made marks!!! I think she knows the general idea!
Hmmm.....eating or smoking the crayon.....neither work!!!! But its cute!
Ahhhhh.....Silly Abigail!!

Just too cute not to share

New "Laugh & Learn House"

I got this for Abby with the birthday gift cards she received, and she LOVES it! My girlfriend had one she has played with, so I knew she liked it. It is 100% interactive, so everything on it makes sounds and teaches her the cause and effect of doing things, like open/close the door, ringing the doorbell, turning on the light switch, changing the numbers on the address, etc, etc. She spends so much time crawling in/out of it all day!

Peeking out the door to watch Elmo on TV!
Such a big girl!!

And the 2nd new addition.....

And Great Grandma Fran bought Abby this adorable sandbox too! It is a "Purple Stegosauraus" and it came with great sand! All the kids at the party had a blast playing in it! I think we had 4 or 5 kids in it at once! Thanks Great-Grandma!!!

I'm just excited that now we have outdoor things to playwith! We have such great weather down our way that it makes being outside that much more enjoyable and entertaining.

The first new addition......to our backyard!!!

Grandma Donna's birthday gift to Abby was this fantastic gently used playhouse for the backyard! Its just her size, and as soon as she's walking she will enjoy it even more! Roxy likes it too!! Thanks Grandma!!

Abbys 1st Bday party with friends

We had a GREAT celebration today in the backyard for Abby's birthday! We had about 30 adults/kids come to share with us. The kids ate pizza and decorated cupcakes, then played in the yard and then we opened gifts inside! PHEW!!!!!! I'm exhausted!!! 1 Birthday down.....and 17 more to go......and thats just kid#1!!

Mom, Sarah & Ricky came down to help and celebrate, and I couldn't have done it without them! Ricky was my videographer, mom & Sarah took photos, and generally kept things going smoothly as I ran around.

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate Abby's first year!!

The Birthday Girl!!! She loved eating hers! The kids decorating their cupcakes! They seemed to love it!(tired) Mommy & Abby
Aunt Sarah and Abby
Opening gifts! The cards were the best, as usual!!

FINALLY!! We drink!!!

So, its been quite the drinking battle at our house these days. I've been trying for months to get Abby to accept the sippy cup, but she refused to learn the concept of tipping her head back and raising the cup at the right angle, so she would just get frustrated at her sucking attempts with nothing coming out. So I had ventured into the world of straw sippy cups, and she does well on those, but they are such a pain to clean. Now that she is done with the bottle stage, I'm happy to say that last night she FINALLY learned (don't ask me why now) to drink from a regular sippy cup! She loves it and thinks she is so funny when she tilts her head back and sucks! It may seem like a silly feat to some, but for me, as a mom, it was a huge accomplishment!

Now I move on to the battle of getting her to eat fruits & veggies!!