East Coast Hawkeye Ball 2009

Well, even being 8 months pregnant and 4 weeks away from delivery, we managed to attend the annual Hawkeye Ball. We haven't been to the large East Coast ball in 3+ years and missed the past 2 West Coast balls due to deployment and Abby's birth, so it was fun to see so many familiar faces that have crossed paths with us over our years in California. This small military community we are in is such a blessing, with such great friends. We didn't stay too late though, my pregnant feet were screaming at me. And the great grandparents stayed and watched Abby for the night. Everyone had a good time.

Visit with Grma & Grmpa Reiss in Virginia

Abby's Great-Grandma and Grandpa Reiss came to visit this past week and Abby has really enjoyed the extra company around the house and our daily outings.

At the beach splashing in the water....which ws amazingly warm for the first week of October!
Great Grandpa Bob showing Abby how to dig a hole and find the little crabs below

Fun walking in the water wih Great Grandma Paulette

Some at-home time with the great grandparents. Abby loves showing off her toys. The funniest thing lately is her insistence on having everyone sit in specific spots on the couch. So she grabs your hand and says "sit" and brings you over to the couch to do just that.

Bedtime reading with Great Grandpa Bob

Last day of Sept...a little Fall-like

We went up to the Navy Base today to meet friends for a craft fair and lunch. The girls ran around outside for a while to burn off some energy.

Covering her ears because a plane was taking off nearby on-base.

Holding hands with her friend Emily

First Salon Haircut!

We took Abby for her first official salon haircut! Until now I've been trimming her bangs regularly, but I've never touched the back, and it was getting a little shaggy and wild, so I decided to have a professional take a stab at it. She trimmed up the back so it was closer to one length, and touched up her layers to take the baby hairs off the ends, and cut her bangs!

Abby was great! SUCH a big girl without a single squirm, worry, or cry. In fact she was silent through the whole thing and sat very still for the stylist. I was worried she would get scared because from the moment we walked into the salon the other 1 year olds getting their haircuts were screaming; not exactly the best first impression of what was to come.

Getting started. She even kept her arms under the cape, even though she kept wondering why she couldn't see her hands.

It was hard to get a smile out of the kid.....this was the closest I got.

Cute piggie tails too!

Her favorite part was definitely the dum-dum pop at the end!

Sept Swimming....

Well, it seems our swimming days are coming to an end this season. Mike took Abby in the pool last night but the water temperature was about 69 degrees.....WAY too cold for mommy!

We hadn't been swimming for about 3 weeks since Grandma was here. Our weather has cooled off so much that we have been able to turn the A/C off for the last few days/nights with the nice breeze that has been in the area.

But Abby never seems to mind the temp and jumps right in! It wasn't until she got out after some time in the water that she realized she was cold and shivering.

So unless we have a random HOT week, I think our water days are numbered. She did have fun with daddy though, as always, he's her favorite swim partner, especially when mommy is a wuss and refuses to be any more uncomfortable than just being pregnant.

Pointing at the airplane flying by!

Girls Rooms COMPLETE!

So my handyman husband has finally finished painting the girls rooms! The rest of the house is on the list, but their rooms were the priority so no one would be put out of their rooms once this baby arrives! We updated the wall color, and changed the trim and baseboards from wood to white.

Abby's room is purple & sage, and the baby's room is two shades of purple.

Abby's 2 closets...so much storage

Baby's room!

Bedroom door on the left and closet on the right.

Puppy and Baby Love

Abby LOVES her baby dolls. And even more, she loves to interact with them like a real baby these days. She even requests (requires!!) to sleep with them sometimes too. Mike caught her in the kitchen saying "Ride Roxy". I was a little worried she was actually trying to ride the real Roxy, but luckily she was just immitating her previous actions and showing her baby how to ride the pull-doggie. Abby has tried on many occasion to straddle and ride Roxy these days, so I wouldn't have been surprised!

And when Roxy is no longer amused with Abby's "affection", she loves dragging this barking dog around the house in circles. Quite the companion.

Funny Sept Shots

Abby in her cowgirl/horse costume that Grma Donna brought for her
Caught being cute watching "Curious George"...one of her favorites

I was fighting with her the other day to get dressed and in protest she managed to get her shirt half off but it got stuck on her head and frustrated her.....so I laughed and grabbed the camera of course.

I heard some cackling in the other room while I was doing dishes, and the dog was missing and I knew Abby had crackers in hand, so of course some teasing was surely going on. I snuck in and caught her teasing Roxy with veggie sticks over the play house, occasionally throwing them at her for fun......2 year olds!! How many times must I tell her "Roxy doesn't eat this, or that, nor does she like it when you sit on her or brush her hair!!!"

I'm sure Roxy is wondering where the next treat will be coming from......over or under....she just waits patiently knowing it will come eventually!

"Hi Mom, no of course I'm not teasing Roxy, she's just watching me eat my snack"

Tiny Dancer in Action

Video clip of Abby's dance moves

Rockin' Out....Rockstar in Training

We had a fun night out for dinner with our friends last night, and headed back to our place for a little "Guitar Hero" fun. As soon as Mike set it up in the family room, Abby was all over the drums and microphone! She was really into the songs while the guys were playing and just had to join in the fun.

Our little singer

Singing along with the big boys! I love the one-handed microphone with the other hand out for musical stability!!!

The Boy Band

Groovin' to the music

Sitting with the cute drummer....she's such a groupie

Philly!!

After the museum we drove into the historic Independence Hall area in downtown Philly, treated ourselves to a traditional Philly Cheesesteak lunch of course, and stopped to see the Liberty Bell exhibit. Abby napped in the stroller after lunch, so it was a good hour of quiet time to see a few walkable sites! But my belly is just too big and my feet were too tired to do much more, so we headed home from there.

Bye Philly! See you again down the road for another visit.....next time with 2 kids in tow!

Mike and I in front of the Liberty Bell.
Benjamin Franklin's gravesite