Craft Family Blessings

Catching Up...

2011-02-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

Here we are again...I seem to be behind on a lot of things lately: behind on blogging (and several other projects), behind on cleaning, VERY behind on organizing....but I keep reminding myself that as long as I'm not behind on spending time with my babies then I'm doing o.k.! Pretty soon they'll want to play by themselves and I'll miss this!
Anna will be 6 months old in a couple days - wow, this is going fast! This picture in the exersaucer is about a month old, and she's already changed even more. She is a funny, giggly, cuddly baby! She is incredibly laid back, and rarely complains about anything (in fact, I have to be very careful to watch the clock on her feedings, because she won't let me know she's hungry until she's starving!)
Abigail is totally cracking us up! She can pretty much carry on any conversation with us, and it's really funny when, in casual conversation, she uses phrases that she hears me say..."Here's the deal, Mommy..." or "Bye! See you guys later!" She IS two and a half, and naturally there are challenges that come along with that age, but she is getting better at listening and obeying, she's working on having good manners, and the majority of our days are filled with laughter - I think she has her daddy's sense of humor!

When the January snow came, Abigail was thrilled! Casey wanted to help her "sled," so being the creative Daddy that he is, he took apart my wreath storage box and made it into a perfectly Abigail-sized sled. As you can see, though, it had a little trouble with snow collection - but she didn't seem to mind much. We took her out several times over the course of those few days, and the first thing she wanted to do was run out and scoop a handful of snow into her mouth. Of course, the day the snow falls, that's fine and dandy, but after that...I mean, we DO have dogs, and wild animals out here, etc....I finally had to forbid the random snow-eating!

Here's Anna's "snow look"...she's happy enough, considering that she can barely move! Ha ha!

Casey and Abigail brought in a huge bowl of snow and I made some snow ice cream - dairy-free, of course! It actually turned out yummy - Casey had seconds (maybe thirds??)!

We are truly having so much fun...these little girls love each other very much, and boy, do they love their daddy!!

Two Growing Girls

2010-10-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

Abigail's second birthday was just 2 weeks after Anna's birth. Casey stayed up the night before and put her present together - this adorable kitchen! When she woke up in the morning we took her out to the living room and showed her the new kitchen, and she was SO excited. That was definitely a worthwhile gift...she plays with it every day and I love it when she brings me something she has "cooked" for me! This pic is from that morning (hence the crazy hair)...she's talking on her new kitchen phone!

When we were talking about her birthday (ahead of time since we knew there would be a new baby), she insisted on having a butterfly cake and a party hat!

Enjoying "fie" (shaved ice) with her Nonnie and Auntie Kari...

Little Anna (Abigail calls her "Baby AH-nee") is precious, and growing so fast! Look at those cute cheeks! She pays attention to everything, and she LOVES to be talked to and sung to. She even likes to sing along!

Here's what happens when I put Anna on the Boppie to rest...

Little Anna Joy

2010-10-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

It's about time I get these pics on here!! Anna arrived on August 6, and we are having a BLAST! She's already 8 weeks old, so she looks quite a bit different than these pictures, but maybe it won't take me months to post next time! Abigail has been a super big sister from the very beginning - Casey and I prayed a lot for her, and God definitely answered those prayers - and all the others - above and beyond what we could have hoped for!

I cannot express what a joy it is to have TWO sweet little ones, and to have the privilege of spending every day with them, watching them grow and learn and laugh! I am honestly married to the most wonderful man alive, who makes his family his highest priority, right under his relationship with the Lord!

Our two precious girls!

Kari did SUCH an awesome job taking pics, it's hard to know which ones to post! But these are a couple favorites...

Baby Sister!

2010-03-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official...baby number 2 is another precious girl! We are SO excited! This week had a few little bumps, though...our ultrasound Tuesday showed a possibility of placenta previa, and the tech also seemed to think I had low amniotic fluid. But these last two days we have definitely seen God's divine intervention...
Divine intervention #1: Our OB, Dr. Singleton, is a "straight shooter" when it comes to info., but is also wonderfully calm. He did not feel that the pictures necessarily told the whole story, but wanted to double-check anyway. His reaction totally helped our peace of mind.
#2: We had to set up an appointment for an ultrasound with a specialist...something that usually takes weeks to get on the calendar. However, they "happened" to have an opening at 10 this morning!
#3: Casey was supposed to fly out early this morning for business...he called the airline and was able to get his flight changed within minutes so he could make it to my appointment!
#4: At our appointment this morning, the doctor spent a lot of time with us and checked on every aspect of our tiny girl...and EVERYTHING checked out perfectly! The placenta is a little low, but not unusually, and will continue to move up as the baby and I grow. In addition to that reassurance, we had the opportunity to see so much more of our little one than we would have, and he explained everything we were looking at - her little heart chambers, stomach, bones, spine, brain, tiny fingers and toes - all the parts our Lord has knit together. We are so thankful for what God chose to do in our lives this week, and how He chose to show Himself! And here are a couple pics of our newest addition...

Trying new things

2010-03-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, Abigail somehow managed to catapult from her crib with a huge crash in the middle of the night! SO, much sooner than planned, we converted to her "big girl" toddler bed. She and I stayed in her room while Daddy made the transition...she was pretty distraught at first (her bed is one of her absolute favorite things in the house), but once she saw how easy it was to get in and out on her own, she was thrilled! Bedtimes have gone much easier than I expected them to, but we've had some days with naptime challenges...overall, though, the transition has gone pretty well! Yay! One less thing to change when it's new-baby-time!

We can't go anywhere without Abigail's "nummy" (blanket)...This is usually where it is located...(needless to say, it has to be washed often!)

She is taking an interest in plates and bowls during snack times and meal times, but on this occasion she decided to try eating like Drake and Belle. Then Baby Bunny had to join Abigail for her cereal snack.

Following in mommy's footsteps...literally and figuratively! Abigail has recently decided to try walking in any shoes that get left out, and she loves playing high notes and low notes on the piano!

Way, WAY Behind

2010-02-04T10:54:00.001-08:00

Well, these first 13 weeks of a new pregnancy have found me using any and all spare moments to clean, rest, and try not to feel pukey. In the meantime, I have missed posting a TON of cute pictures, from family holidays, to baby Selah's birth (new niece), to my growing little toddler! Hopefully in the next week or two I can at least get myself organized enough to post a few cute pics! For now, we praise God for a healthy first trimester!!!

Early Thanksgiving

2009-11-20T13:55:00.000-08:00

This year we set aside the first weekend in November for the Clark family Thanksgiving. Since Cristi is getting close to her due date, we decided we'd all meet in Branson. We stayed in a 4-bedroom condo, which was perfect! We had a full kitchen, every family had their own room & bathroom, and the kids had plenty of room to play. We went on Friday, had our big meal Saturday, and returned Sunday afternoon. It was such a sweet, wonderful time - I really treasure any time we can grab with my sisters, because it seems so hard now to get us all in one place at the same time! It was especially fun to watch Michael and Abigail play, now that Abigail is old enough to interact. One of the funniest aspects of the weekend was that both Abigail and Michael are currently undergoing "sharing lessons." Abigail is only at the beginning phase of these lessons, but Michael is doing quite well. He calls her "Agigail", and he would tell us, "I share Agigail...car" when he was giving her one of his cars. SO CUTE!! What a great time!

Saturday we also celebrated Michael's birthday. What a cute, sweet boy! He wasn't too excited about his hat, but he was VERY excited about the dump truck that Pops and Mimi got him!! (Abigail was pretty excited about it too...another lesson in sharing...poor Michael!)

Both babies got some great Auntie and Uncle time in - we loved it, too!!

Saturday night after dinner we went down to Branson Landing. The kids loved the water show - here Abigail is watching with Auntie Kari!

Kari did some maternity shots of Cristi...this is one of my favorites.

Kari snapped pics of the kids all weekend, and boy, were we grateful! In fact, nearly all of the pics on this post (except the super grainy ones, of course) came from her...here's my plug for KariNicholsPhotography.com!!

Sunday morning before we left, I went into our room and saw both babies had just flopped down on the floor to visit! It was so cute, I took 3 or 4 pictures.

Piggytails and Poodle Skirt

2009-11-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

Abigail's hair is now long enough to put in pigtails, and I love it!! She gets to "brush her teeth" and play in the water while I fix her hair - hopefully she'll continue to enjoy that routine for a while. She's starting to look like a little girl, and not such a baby anymore, which makes me a little bit sad. But we're having a LOT of fun together - she's learning new words and new signs all the time, and figuring out things on her own...I'm enjoying watching her become more independent (most of the time).

Our church's Fall Festival, GSFest, was Friday night. I made a poodle skirt (well, really a "puppy" skirt, not a poodle) for Abigail - it was so easy, and it turned out cute! At first, she didn't seem crazy about leaving it on - as seen here, in our kitchen - but once she got used to it, she was o.k. We went out to eat with my mom & dad, and then on to GSFest, where we met up with Wendy & Ryan & kids. All the lights, music, and rides fascinated Abigail, and she randomly broke into delighted giggles.

Abigail adores animals, so when we saw the ponies, I knew we'd have to try letting her ride. For most of the ride, she was tickled to pieces...towards the end, she was ready to get back to mom!

Laughing with the "Chik-fil-A" cow

One of Abigail's new favorite activities, ever since that pony ride - riding on Mommy's back!

Hey MICKEY!

2009-10-19T19:20:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of October, Casey had a work conference in Orlando. He has had to travel a lot lately, and we miss him terribly, so we decided to add a couple days onto this trip (at our expense, of course), and make it a family vacation. The conference was at the Ritz-Carlton, which was an amazing place to stay! Casey asked for the crib when we checked in, and by the time we got to the room it was there, along with a little gift bag. Inside the bag were outlet guards, a nightlight, travel baby items, a tub faucet guard, etc. - so cute! Casey had to make some calls, so he went out to the balcony (check out the great view), while Abigail explored the room. I don't know if we've ever stayed anywhere where we were taken better care of! The staff were very friendly, and sweet to Abigail - in fact, just about every time we had to wait in the lobby for something, someone would bring Abigail a little stuffed animal! We went home with several extra little toys!

Abigail is funny about hotel cribs - she thinks they're totally fun! In the mornings while we got ready, she stood in the crib and watched her Baby Einstein movies.

Friday night we ate dinner and hung out in Downtown Disney. It definitely got us in the Mickey Mouse mood!

Saturday morning, we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom! Being a weekend, it was a little crowded, but not terrible - we didn't wait longer than 20 minutes for anything (of course, we only did the kiddie stuff).

The very first thing we came across was the Celebration Parade - and look at this little face! Abigail's favorite characters in the parade were the chipmunks, Chip & Dale.

Just when we thought we might need to go back to the hotel to get a decent nap in, sleep overtook our little angel - but only AFTER we gave her the blankie! Yes, that's right, 95 degrees and she wants the fuzzy hot blanket - hopefully people didn't think we were abusive parents! While she slept, Casey got some great pics of the castle.

We rode "It's a Small World" a couple different times - one of my favorites when we were little. This is pretty much how her face looked the whole time...

Abigail loved riding the Cinderella Carousel with Daddy!

This is a good reason to leave the bow in the hair...currently it's in her mouth...

We went to dinner on Main Street - while we waited for a table, Abigail and Casey walked around together. I LOVE this picture! When she wasn't holding his hand walking, she wanted to push the stroller around.

Let me just take a minute to say how WONDERFUL Disney World is to people with food allergies! I've gotten so used to being a "hassle" to waiters when we go out to eat, but not at Disney! In fact, at this family-style restaurant the chef came out to ask us what Abigail's specific needs were and then brought out a plate just for her, free of anything that could cause her problems! Every single place we ate, from Downtown Disney, to the quick places in Magic Kingdom, to Epcot, EVERY place was so accommodating. At the ice cream place on Main Street, I even got Tofutti chocolate ice cream (really good, by the way)! What a blessing they are to parents of kids with allergies!!

The second nap came after dinner - once again, blankie a necessity...

That night we stayed for the parade (thank goodness for that second nap). All day long, Abigail had been going nuts with "OOOHHH"s every time she saw a balloon. So Casey bought her a Mickey Mouse balloon, and she was thrilled with it.

Abigail was fascinated by the SpectroMagic parade - she loved the lights! However, when one of the bears came over and reached out to touch her, I thought she was going to climb over my head! It was hilarious!

Sunday we went to Epcot for the first part of the day (Casey had to be back that afternoon to start the conference). We didn't take many pictures, but it was a fun - and hot - day. Abigail seemed to really enjoy the Nemo ride and the aquarium. We also happened to be there during the international food & wine festival, so there were many extra booths set up with all kinds of international foods to try. Of course, a highlight for Casey and me was the pastry shop in "France." Yummy! We also took turns riding "Soarin'", which was the only grown-up ride I went on this trip! (Casey rode "Test Track" while Abigail was sleeping - those were his only 2 grown-up rides since Space Mountain was closed this time).

On Monday, Casey had to work all day, so Abigail and I spent a lot of time at the pool - or should I say, pools - what a life! There were about 6 or 7 pools, all connected by a lazy river, with waterfalls and bridges along the way. I couldn't believe how long we spent in the water, but we were having such a good time together. It was one of those "cherish forever" mommy moments. We laughed and splashed, and found fun water spouts, and every time we went by the waterfalls Abigail would sign "water", which I hadn't been able to get her to do until that swim! I wish I could've taken more pictures, but it wasn't really possible to keep the camera dry, watch a one-year-old, and keep my sanity...

Later that night when Casey was done we went to eat at a Latin restaurant, and Abigail finally got to eat one of her favorite things - black beans! After that, back at the hotel, we took a stroll around the pools and spent a little time wading in the baby pool with the alligator Abigail liked.

Well, we couldn't stand it - we had access to discounted afternoon-0nly tickets when Casey was done with the conference, and he decided we should go back to the Magic Kingdom one more time! YAY!

I think her favorite ride was the Dumbo ride - this was one of the rides we didn't get to take her on the first day, so we were really glad we went back!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

2009-09-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

Abigail turned ONE on August 21! Wow, this past year has gone quickly! We are incredibly thankful for this precious little girl God has entrusted to us - her little personality is blossoming, and it's adorable! We had her party on the 22nd - and thank goodness for a beautiful day, because we couldn't have fit everyone inside the house. Her party was ocean-themed - the little ones enjoyed the pool and baby water toys, and the big kids played in the sprinkler and on the slip-n-slide. All her cousins, aunts and uncles were here, and even some great-aunts and uncles. And, of course, some of her sweet friends from church. These pictures were all taken by Kari & Caleb - my lifesavers for the day!! They helped get a lot of things ready too!

The cakes turned out so well, I was totally proud! I started working on the sea creatures for the big cake almost a week ahead of time. They were all made out of Starburst and Laffy Taffy! It was really fun working on those. But stacking it was an adventure....Casey and I had quite a time getting that all figured out! Lots of laughs!! For Abigail's smash cake I had to be creative on the icing because of her allergies - but it worked out too! I colored it with beet juice - just a little bit - it didn't even change the flavor (actually, though, maybe she would've liked it better if it HAD tasted like beets!). I couldn't believe the beautiful color I ended up with! Yay!!

"A hat? Umm, no thanks."

Abigail liked looking at her cake, but once she got it on her fingers she wasn't so sure...and she definitely didn't want it in her mouth! (She doesn't like pancakes either - a texture thing??)

She had a blast in the water...we were so thankful the Lord gave us beautiful weather!

Tyler and Thomas were helping Abigail open her presents...

...while another cousin quietly worked on finishing the cake!

Michael and Abigail were both excited about the new wagon!

A couple "man pictures"

Updates

2009-08-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Our little girl is growing so quickly! I realized that she is doing many new things since the last time I posted about her activities. Right now Abigail is cutting 3 more bottom teeth - including one molar! Yikes! She is not walking without assistance yet, but she certainly can scoot around the living room with her walking toy. She can also reach a lot more surfaces - especially up on those cute tippy toes! She does a few animal sounds - she'll tell you what the lion says, what the fish does (adorable!), and Casey's teaching her what the snake says (can you believe that? Of all things, the one he's most terrified of!) Every day is full - full of joy, full of surprises and new accomplishments, full of cleaning...ha, ha! We're having a blast!

Well, she has officially decided, NO more pureed baby food! Abigail wants finger foods only, thank you very much! She is getting to be such a big girl - this makes dinner time easier in some ways, as we are able to eat at the same time; but harder in others, as the clean-up time has greatly increased. (Here she is eating rice noodles with butternut squash - yum!)

Last week Casey had some dirt work done in the front yard. They started on Friday and didn't finish, so the bulldozer stayed at our place over the weekend. Abigail wanted to look out the window several times a day to watch the dozer (I think in this picture they were working), and when we went outside, that was the first thing she wanted to go see.

One of Abigail's new favorite toys is this whistle. I think Mimi showed her how to blow it, and now she'll just stick it in her mouth and crawl around while she whistles - she's pretty proud of it! We have a great time just watching her explore everything...and picking up the "path of destruction" she leaves behind!

Casey is constantly making up new nicknames for those he loves - especially the little ones! He likes to change the first part of Abigail's name to fit whatever she is doing at the time. Some of my favorite examples: "Sleep-igail," "Destruct-igail," "Explor-igail," - you get the idea! It's so funny, and always perfectly descriptive of her in that moment. She gets a huge smile on her face when her daddy gets home, and now she can simply hear the garage door open and she starts to get excited!

SO Jealous!

2009-07-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last week Abigail and I missed Casey terribly when he had to travel to Alaska for work - no, really, he DID work hard - but on his last day there, he was able to take a train tour. Here are a few of his pics. He saw mountains, glaciers, wildlife, waterfalls - I think he's decided that we, at some point, have to make Alaska a family vacation! I won't argue with that!

Believe it or not, there are people in this picture - They comprise a tiny dot, too small to see, in the lower right corner. That gives a little better idea of how HUGE these glaciers are!

Albuquerque

2009-07-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we took Abigail on her first plane trip. We traveled to Albuquerque to see my grandparents on my dad's side. They had not met Abigail yet, and it's important to Casey and me that she knows all her great-grandparents. She did wonderfully on the plane (HUGE answer to prayer) and we had a sweet time with Poppy and Nanny!

Here we are, on the airplane and ready for a ride! (Abigail is hugging her baby doll - isn't that cute??)

Looking at the planes during our layover

Spending time with Nanny and Poppy

Daddy's Day!!

2009-06-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

What a joy it was to celebrate Casey's first Father's Day. I am incredibly blessed to have him as my husband and Abigail's daddy. Casey always puts the Lord Jesus first, and we're very next on his priority list. I'm thankful that Abigail will grow up knowing that her daddy loves us that much! Through Casey's generosity, integrity, and consideration for others, he is already setting examples for her of what it means to live a life directed by the Holy Spirit.
Sunday, as well as Father's Day, was also Abigail's 10-month "birthday" (that's what Casey called it). We are just amazed that we're only 2 months from having a one-year-old!

Saturday we went to the lake. Abigail is not crazy about her life jacket, but she loves the water enough to put up with it for a while.

A Visit - Finally!

2009-06-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

We have not seen Cristi, Nate, and Michael in SO long. Nate was on a mission trip last week, so Cristi and Michael came down and stayed at Mom and Dad's house. It was a blast to FINALLY get to spend some time with that little guy - he's become a little boy instead of a baby! It's funny to think that, when Abigail was born, Michael was about the age she is now. They interacted a little - but mostly, Cristi and I found ourselves running all over opposite corners of the house trying to keep up with one or the other!

With little ones, if it gets quiet, you know something's not quite right! With the grownups out of the kitchen for a matter of seconds, Michael managed to spread his yogurt completely out on the kitchen table! This must've seemed like a much more enjoyable way to eat it than out of that tiny cup...

Play Date

2009-06-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

This week Abigail and Lylah Young had their first playdate together. We went to the Wonder Place - it was Abigail's (and my) first time there, so Lylah and Emily had to show us the ropes! You can tell from these cute pics that the girls had a great time. And what a neat place - it will be even more fun when they're a little older and can play in all the different rooms!

Water Baby

2009-05-31T20:00:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we took Abigail to the lake for the first time. We stayed mostly on the sand, because the water was cold, but she did enjoy putting her little feet in the water. She didn't, however, like the sand on her toes, but was very interested in putting it in her mouth! Abigail is not a big fan of bows or hats - BUT, thanks to Josie's hand-me-downs, I was able to find this hat she will usually leave on....as long as I leave the ties hanging down so she can put them in her mouth to chew!

Saturday was Abigail's first trip to the swimming pool. When she saw the water she was totally excited! She loves the bath, and has even been putting her face in the water, so we were looking forward to seeing what she would do at the pool - I think we'll be spending a lot of our summer in the water...

You can tell from Mimi's face in the first picture that the water was a bit chilly...but Abigail didn't seem to mind! We eased her in, and she let her daddy take her out to the middle of the pool, where she splashed and had a blast!

Summer Begins...

2009-05-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

One of Casey's first summer priorities was to get a swing for baby Abigail. Her first time in her new swing was pretty funny - we can't push her very high or she gets "tight" and a little upset - but she's enjoying it more and more now.

This is her normal "sitting" position...one leg back for balance (and easy transition to crawling), and one leg forward. But notice the toes on the forward foot - all her toes except the big toe "cling" to the floor, and her big toe sticks straight up! It's SO cute!

Anyplace Abigail can find to stand up - especially if it involves reaching something - that is her goal!

My New Favorite Day

2009-05-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

Well, this Mother's Day was such a wonderful time for me to reflect on God's goodness to me in allowing me to be Mommy to such a sweet baby girl! OH, I am SO thankful for her! And Abigail and her daddy (he won't let me give him full credit) TOTALLY surprised me - I got DIAMOND earrings for my first Mother's Day! How fantastic is that? What a precious husband I have - he is a blessing and a rock for us. I already told him, there is just no way we can top the diamonds when Father's Day rolls around!

This Mother's Day I also spent a lot of time reflecting on what I want my kids to remember about me when they are my age - meaning, I spent a lot of time thinking about MY mom and how AWESOME she made our childhood. If, when Abigail is grown, she considers me to be even half as great a mom as my own mom was, I think I'll be happy. I am realizing just how incredible a job she did - Mom stayed home with us, and for many of our growing-up years, she was homeschooling one child each year, then two, then all three of us. She always had the laundry done, dinner on the table (from scratch, of course), and the house clean - now, that doesn't mean there were never any piles, but I'm talking clean - dusted, vaccuumed, bathrooms spotless, kitchen floor shining - pretty much, if you wanted to, you could've eaten off any surface in the house. But, even though all those things got done, those were NEVER the important things to mom, and we knew it! I do not remember ever having to sacrifice any time with her whatsoever in order for those other things to be accomplished! Mom spent serious TIME with us - she played little kid games, helped us with our music practice, taught us about true worship, found fun things for us to do on long car trips, drove for just about every field trip, got us to every practice and usually stayed to watch....the list goes on and on. She was out flying kites with Cristi and me the day before she had Kari! Most importantly, she prayed - fervently - for us, even before we were born. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing Mom as our example! I've barely scratched the surface - but my prayer now is that the Lord will help me remember, and follow in those incredible footsteps! Love you Mom!

On a lighter note...

Abigail has figured out how to open some cabinets - and empty them within seconds!

Hmmm...I try to tell her, let's get the walking thing down before we skip to climbing!

Sweet Baby

2009-05-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

I love these smiles! Abigail is crawling around so fast, and pulling up on everything she can find...time to alter our home decor a bit...

Anything that can be reached will be chewed!

Kissing - and, maybe chewing - Pops' head...

Reeeaaaching....

Got it! (But Mommy will have it shortly...)

Eight Months

2009-04-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Teeth, teeth, and more teeth! Abigail turned eight months old today, and this weekend she cut her eighth tooth. It seems like every time we turn around, another tooth is emerging! It can also make for some long nights - but teething seems to make her hyper, rather than fussy - so we can count that as a blessing, even when we're up at 3 a.m.!

We have a great little eater, but she's not really sure how she feels about fruit yet...here she's eating pears!

Abigail loves to give kisses...she's been kissing mommy & daddy for a while now, but she just recently started kissing her animals too.

Here are a couple more pics of her playing in the kitchen - these were just too cute to pass up!

Easter

2009-04-19T14:39:00.001-07:00

We had such a wonderful, worshipful Easter Sunday! Church at Geyer Springs was truly a blessed time. Then we had a lot - a LOT - of family over for lunch...it was a blast, even though the weather wasn't great. We had an indoor Easter egg hunt (plastic, of course) for the kiddos this year - I think they still enjoyed it. Once again, Kari and Caleb took some fantastic pictures for us - good thing, because I barely managed to get my camera out at all. Thanks, Keb!! I had planned to take some "cousin" pictures myself, but the timing never quite worked out....maybe next year when Abigail doesn't need so many naps!

Kari couldn't resist taking this one - look at those chunky legs!

I love this one of her with "Auntie Kebbie" - and she absolutely LOVES Uncle Caleb - his beard fascinates her!

As always, fun with the grandparents - Nonnie, Popo, Mimi, & Pops!

Growing Girl

2009-04-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, Kari had a bridal show at Garvan Woodland Gardens, and we were able to go for a little while. Kari's display was fantastic! We were hoping to get some great pics with Abigail, but she was so completely tired the whole time (since she will NOT sleep in the car!) that we spent much of the time trying to get her to take a little nap. We took a few cute ones, though.

Ooohhh, what a daddy's girl!

We are adding more foods...slowly, of course...but Abigail's new favorite FAVORITE food is BEETS - YUM!!

She is getting quicker at crawling by the day! These pics are from one of her first crawling days - she is so proud!

This week I've been able to get much more done in the kitchen - now that Abigail is more mobile, she loves to play with "grown-up things" on the kitchen floor.

Family Time

2009-04-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are the AMAZING, precious pictures Kari & Caleb took on the day of our Parent Commitment service. What a wonderful, special time with family! You can tell sweet Abigail had lots of fun...

Milestones

2009-03-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Abigail turned 6 months old (already?) on Feb. 21…and wow! Right around that six month mark, things started happening so fast we can barely keep up! She has been sitting up for a while now, having so much fun playing from a different angle. Her two little bottom teeth are in, and her top two are trying so very hard to come in as well. She is enjoying starting to eat from a spoon. AND, believe it or not, the week before she turned 6 months she started saying “Mama”! O.k., I can hear the doubters – honestly, I didn’t believe it either – because she usually only says it if I am out of the room – but I finally heard it! And what a beautiful word it is!! I realize that there may come a day when the choruses of “Mom,” “Mommy,” “MOMMA!” will ring in my ears and I'll wish for just 60 seconds of quiet – but for right now, as a new mommy who so longed for that position, I will cherish every precious time I hear my new name come out of that cute little mouth. And I pray that, in those later-on moments when I do wish for some peace, the Lord will gently remind me of this time. To you more experienced moms, just think back for a moment to the first time your little one called you….remember the sweetness? We are so blessed!

Dedicated to the Lord!

2009-02-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening was our Parent Commitment Service at church - it was an honor to publicly present Abigail back to the Lord, who so graciously gave us this sweet girl! We had a great afternoon with family, and it was such a special night. It was also wonderful to be making our commitments alongside friends with little ones the same age as Abigail. I know that she will grow up beside sweet girls with parents who love and serve the Lord. Kari took a LOT more pictures of this day, so I'll be posting those soon. But Audrey took this one of us in the nursery, right before the service.

Sunday morning Michele James gave Abigail this headband with the HUGE flower! It's as big as her head! So after all the festivities, we tried it on, and I think she likes it - we cracked up!

New Toy

2009-02-16T12:15:00.001-08:00

I used some Christmas money to get this bouncy toy for Abigail - she is hilarious in this thing! It was definitely a worthwhile purchase. She loves to talk and play in it, especially while I work in the kitchen. I so wanted to put the video on here of her jumping, but I couldn't get it to load...

A Musician??

2009-01-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

We have been singing to Abigail since before she was born - and she LOVES music! Here she is with her daddy, just playing away on the piano...look at that intensity! She likes to play the high keys the most, and she really concentrates on what she is doing. Yesterday she even started "singing" a little with her playing. Maybe we should have named her Abigail Faith Mozart Craft!

Toes

2009-01-25T09:41:00.001-08:00

Abigail has been having a blast with her toes...they often find their way into her mouth, which is SO cute. And she's still loving tubby time - she kicks and splashes, laughing the whole time! I can't wait to get her into the pool this summer!

Christmas (continued)

2009-01-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

On Dec. 27 (which was also Casey's birthday), we had Christmas at Casey's parents...Abigail got her first rocking horse from Nonnie, and her cousins gave her a present bigger than she was!! What a fun first Christmas for this special girl!

Christmas!

2009-01-14T20:35:00.001-08:00

Oh, what an amazing Christmas! Early in the season, my sweet friend Marla shared with me the verse that the Lord laid on her heart - Luke 2:19 - "But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." Marla expressed that she planned to treasure and ponder her children and all that happened during the season, and invited me to do the same - and did we ever! Every single day, I thought of that verse! I spent time just dwelling on those words as I held and played with Abigail at home. Last Christmas we found out on the 23rd that we were pregnant - so that day was extra special this year, and a day of thanks to God. I wonder what things Mary must have treasured and pondered - knowing that her son was GOD'S SON - and realizing how fast her time with him was already passing. This year definitely presented a new perspective on the Christmas story.
We enjoyed the Christmas Eve service at Geyer Springs - it was packed! It was a truly special time, and both Abigail and Michael did amazingly well. We spent Christmas night at Mom & Dad's. Abigail loved opening her gifts - it was hysterical to watch her actually get excited when I tore the paper and she saw what was inside! We were all cracking up!

Good Times

2009-01-14T20:24:00.000-08:00

We had a blast in December - so many new experiences, spending the night at grandparents' , spending time with cousins & aunts & uncles - what fun!

In December we took Abigail on her first trip to Branson. The trips up & back were a little hard, since she detests her car seat, but once we got there, she did great! We kept her bundled up and attached to her daddy most of the day in Silver Dollar City. We tried Dixie Stampede, too - but loud sounds at bedtime are not her favorite....maybe next year she'll love it!

Behind Again...

2009-01-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

Aaarrgghh! I've managed to get behind yet again! And the funny thing is, over the holidays, I kept taking pictures & thinking, "Oh, goodness, this one HAS to be on our blog!" But I never made it to the computer - oh, well!

This Thanksgiving & Christmas, we spent a lot of time reflecting on how much life has changed since last year's holidays - and a lot of time weeping with JOY over the sweet gift God chose to give us this year! Praise the LORD!
This is one of my favorite pictures ever! What a happy Thanksgiving it was!

Cousins on the Craft side...what cuties!

Michael is one!

2008-11-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

Friday we traveled to Springfield to celebrate little Michael's first birthday!! Wow, I can't believe he's already ONE!! I was very thankful for Aunt Kari & Uncle Caleb keeping Abigail entertained and fed on the trip up and back - it made for a much smoother journey! We had such a great time up there, and Cristi did a wonderful job on the cakes and decorations...I think Michael would agree as far as the cake - he inhaled his! What a cutie!

Here is a cute picture we took of Abigail last week...just look at that belly!

Little Angel

2008-11-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Friday night we went to GSFest at our church. I was down to the wire on finishing her costume (even had to send daddy on a run to the store), but it was worth it! Look at this cutie-pie!! She spent most of the evening in her daddy's arms, and was pretty overwhelmed by the lights and noise - yikes! But she got to meet several of our church friends who hadn't seen her yet. I wish we had taken "after" pictures - obviously, these are the "before." She was exhausted by the time we left, and conked out on Casey's chest!

Chub!

2008-11-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

O.k., I know all parents are supposed to be biased about their own kids, but Casey and I have decided that this is definitely the cutest pair of chubby cheeks we've ever seen! Check out that third picture! Abigail has found her hand...she was skeptical about the paci before, but now she REALLY doesn't want a paci - she'll take the hand over that plastic stuff any day! And on those days when she manages to get her thumb in her mouth - well, that's the best thing ever! I know, not great for the teeth, but oh well. I've resigned myself to the strong possibility that we have a thumb sucker - we'll see!

Two Months Old

2008-10-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

Our sweet girl is doing new things every day, it seems! She turned 2 months old yesterday, and today was her doctor's appointment (the shots were pretty hard on mommy & daddy). Her weight, 13 lb. 2.9 oz., is in the 95th percentile; and her length, 24 3/4 inches, is in the 99th percentile!! Guess she got the tall genes! She is so much fun, smiling all the time and starting to giggle and "talk" to us. Casey put together her little floor gym thing, and she really likes the monkey that hangs down with the smiley face - she was smiling back at it! Too cute!

O.k., so I've been referring to my dad as "Pop," Casey has been calling him "Pops," but apparently it's supposed to be "Pa." - I guess it'll be up to little Michael as to Dad's official "grandpa title"! Whatever we call him, we were SO glad to see him this past weekend. Abigail got to spend a little bit of special time with him - we're looking forward to having him back home!

Uncle Ward (Abigail's great uncle) came for a visit - he's headed overseas, maybe for a couple years, so we were thankful she got to meet him before he left!! We missed Aunt Shari, though!

At home after church...on her way to dreamland...

Up to Date!

2008-10-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Abigail turned 7 weeks old on Thursday, and this post means I'm FINALLY caught up - woohoo!
Last night we went to Glenwood to celebrate Papaw's 60th birthday. This baby got lots of lovin'!

Road Trip

2008-10-10T10:30:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Casey had to travel to Kansas City for work...so we decided to make it a road trip! It was Abigail's first long trip, and she really did great. On the way up we stopped in Springfield to see Cristi, Nate, and Michael. It was Abigail's first time to meet her Uncle Nate. It's always fun to see little Michael, because he is SO CUTE, and doing something new every day! He'll be walking pretty soon...yikes!

6 Weeks!

2008-10-10T10:21:00.001-07:00

Our sweet baby is growing so quickly! We wanted to see how much she weighed, so I stood on the scale by myself, then got back on it holding Abigail. I couldn't believe my eyes, so I had Casey try it when he got home. Sure enough, he got the same results. At 6 weeks, she was somewhere between 11 and 12 pounds! Wow! Her little cheeks are getting VERY chubby - I just want to kiss them all the time. And her hair keeps growing, and sticking straight up! Abigail's Pop (my dad) is in New York working, and wanted to see how much she had changed. I took most of these pics to send to him. I realize one has my finger in it, but it's too cute of a picture to pass up - I'll crop it later.

Our Little Model

2008-10-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

At five weeks, Abigail had her first "photo shoot" - with Aunt Kari, of course! We were going to do it at six weeks, but she is growing SO fast that I wanted to make sure she'd still look like a new baby! I had her well-fed when Aunt Kari & Uncle Caleb got to our house, but, naturally, as soon as we got started, Abigail wanted to eat...I've been told that's "Murphy's Law" of baby picture-taking....

Poses

2008-10-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

During those first couple weeks, I don't think Casey and I did ANYTHING besides sitting and watching our sweet little girl! We took so many pictures - she is just too fun!

Lots of Love

2008-10-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

During Abigail's first week, she had the privilege of meeting her "Great" and some of her new buddies: Connor & Emma, Grayson & Blake, and Ava all came to visit. What treasures!!

Sweet Pictures

2008-10-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

We are thankful to have a professional photographer in our family, Aunt Kari! She and Uncle Caleb took TONS of adorable pictures - I think they took some of the ones I've already posted - but here are just a few of our favorites!

Aunts, Uncles, & Cousins

2008-09-19T10:40:00.001-07:00

God has blessed us with an amazing family who "camped out" at the hospital waiting for our little one to arrive. Some were there for 12 hours! Abigail got to meet Aunt Kari, Uncle Caleb, & Aunt Wendy the morning she was born. Wendy brought the cousins back a little later that day, and they were so sweet and excited to hold her. Aunt Cristi came a few days later with little Michael, who also showed enthusiasm about his new cousin - his mommy worked hard to teach him about touching babies "gently," while we laughed and took lots of pictures!

Birth Day

2008-09-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

August 20 was a LONG day (and night!), but it was all worth it when Baby Abigail was born at 4:48 a.m. on August 21! She wasn't due until the 31st, but since she was already 21 3/4" long and 7 lb. 11 oz., we were glad she made an early appearance!