First Day of School

Abbey did great on her first day of school. She was a little nervous when we first arrived, but when I went to pick her up she was swinging and talking to everyone. I called and checked on her half way through the day and she had played well outside and took a two hour nap in the afternoon. They give you a daily "report" of the child's activities and at the bottom of the report "Miss Michelle" wrote that she was very sweet and had a great first day! I'm so pleased with our decision and with the way Abbey did. She was worn out last night and asked to go to bed at 7:00, so I think this is going to be a great routine to have her in. I hope she does this good tomorrow on her second day!

School

Well, I've avoided it for as long as I can, but Abbey will start day care next Monday. I'm actually excited about it. My SIL has become very unpredictable about keeping Abbey and mom is still limited to what she can do so we started looking into the University Child Care Center here on campus. It is amazing! They run it like a pre-school and the kids are in a good routine. They have to bring healthy meals from home for snacks and lunch (so I have to research that a little to make sure she is getting what she needs) and they go outside twice a day, have story time, self chosen activites and planned activites plus a two hour rest (nap) time in the afternoon. The best thing is that Abbey will be in class with her cousin Aila and other little boys and girls. I think she was getting bored playing by her self or with only adults at home. I really think it is a good time in her little life to be around other kids. She loves her Sunday school classes and Wednesday night classes at church and knows the other children by name, so I think it will help her. Plus they really learn at the center since it is run like a pre-school. I have a good feeling about it. I don't think it will be like just leaving her at a day care. Everyone I have talked to that has a child there or has ever had a child there is positive about the experience and since me staying home is just not a possibility right now, I think this is the next best thing. We are really trying to make it a big deal for Abbey. We have plans to go shopping this weekend for a lunch box, school socks and other things that she will need to get started. Please keep us in your thoughts as we make this transition and I'll let you know how things go next week.

Songwriting

Some of you may know how much I love music. I have taken piano lessons, although I didn't practice and now I'm not very good, and I sang in choir in junior high. Since high school graduation I have sang in a few bands including a couple with my husband and I have written tons of songs, even got a Christmas song recorded when I was in college. But over the past few years, both Clark and I have focused more on family. Once Abbey was born Clark quit his band, Two Dogs Rose, and just plays at home with friends and records. I haven't done much of anything. Although I listen to music all the time, I just haven't taken the time to be creative like I once was. I'm so glad to say that I have found that love for music again and it is making me so happy. I think if Clark would go, I would move to Nashville tomorrow to work on my songwriting career, but in the mean time I'm just enjoying writing again. I have a different view on life and things around me and I can really see it in the songs. I've also had a greater hand in the melody and production of my songs. Always before I would refer to myself as a lyricist and not a songwriter, because I wrote words and seldom came up with the melody. That's what co-writers are for, right? But this time it is all about pushing my limits and trying to get the most from my music. Clark and I are even playing some with his sister who writes and sings bluegrass. Not really my favorite genre, but it gives another twist to my writing style. I've been very down the past few years, feeling as if I were in a rut, stuck in my life with no where to go, and very limited to what I can accomplish with the years just slipping away (I am already 33 yrs. old after all). I'm very excited that I have found a hole to slip through and freedom is in the music on the other side. I just had to share and hopefully by the spring I will have my first album of songs to share with the world. If you have a dream, no matter what it is and no matter how much it looks like it will just slip away over the years, back up and give it another shot. You might be surprised. And I'll let you know when Reba, Tim or Keith decides to cut one of my songs. :)

Granddaddy's Farm

We had a wonderful family day at Granddaddy's farm. Clark, Abbey and I went to this wonderful Fall haven of bliss with my cousin Shanna and her family, Josh and Maeson, and my dear friend Jana and her sons, Gavin and Justin. We had a blast! There were farm animals to view and pet, a box full of corn to jump in, rubber duck races, swing sets to play on , wooden vehicles to "play" drive, a haybail maze for the kids and a hill slide. It was a beautiful day and a great chance for our families to spend some time together. If you are in the Franklin County (Winchester) area, I highly recommend going for a visit. If not, see if there is a farm/pumpkin patch in your area. We didn't even go on the hayride or go through the corn maze, there was just too much to do. And yes, we had to bring a "punkin" home for Abbey. This is my favorite time of year!!!!!

Slump...

Well, if there is anyone out there still checking my blog from time to time you have noticed that I have been in a blogging slump. It seems a lot of my friends have been lately. Either we have gotten busy with everyday life or maybe we are more interested in Facebook, but whatever the case may be there has been much less blogging among my friends (with the exception of Mindy who blogs almost everyday). I still check all my friend's blogs every morning to see if anything new is on there, but just like me many don't change. What is wrong with me? I love blogs. I just don't feel like I have much to say I guess, but I want that to change. I have looked at some of the blogs that truely interest me and what about them that keeps me coming back, to hopefully inspire me in my writing. Other than my true friends blogs that keep my informed of the happenings in their live, I love home blogs, the ones about cooking, organizing, homemaking, family, etc. and I look for them in other friends blogs as links. I'm not good with Mr. Linky or any of that yet, but why not make my friends and others on the web want to visit my blog everyday like I visit other bloggers. That's it...I just need daily routines or topics to blog about and I need to dust off that beautiful camera that Clark gave me for Christmas and remember how to use it on a daily (or almost daily) basis. This could be something big, or another promised disaster. Just wait and see...

The Nashville Zoo

We had a wonderful time with the Stokes at the Nashville Zoo last week while we were on our way to Memphis (Memphis photos will come soon).

It was a beautiful day and we got to see some great animals.

I think everyones favorite parts were the play gym at the end and Abbey seeing the "feesh".

This has been such a busy summer. I can't seem to keep up. We have had a wonderful harvest from our garden this year and I'm so glad that I have been able to work in it a little more this year. I still need to make more time to garden to get the most out fo it, but I have been pleased. I finally got my first cucumber and I have a watermelon the size of a softball growing. I have had more okra than I can pick and the tomatoes are really starting to come in. I will be making my first batch of sauce in the next day or two. Other than that, we have a trip planned to Memphis in August to visit with Clark's family and then a small get away to Nashville at the end of the month, just the two of us (oh, and all the wonderful people at the airport conference). :) So, it is a business trip, but it will be fun and Clark gets to come too. Nothing else going on here lately, just the normal work, eat, sleep routine. Abbey is growing like a little weed and she is saying so many words that we can't keep up. She is at the stage now that you can ask her to say something and she will give it a try. She can count to five, if you count with her, start her off by saying "one", and if you are alright with the number six or nine coming after two. We are working on it. She can say her ABC's up to the letter "D" because those are the letters on her barn toy, so we have been working on that one too. She is really getting independant which in turn makes her fussy at times. She wants what she wants, but what kid doesn't. Well, that will get everyone caught up for now and here are a couple of pictures to tide you over until our next event.

This morning's bounty

Just had to share a little from my garden. This is what I picked this morning and the other pictures are from last weekend. As you can tell, Abbey had a ball playing in the sprinkler. Please ignore the weeds. Clark mowed, but didn't trim and I hadn't weeded the garden when we took these pictures.

Update...

Well, I haven't posted anything in a bit, but it is because I've been so busy lately. I'm sure you understand. Between work, home, baby and best of all the garden, I've had no time for me. Enough with the excuses, I'll just give you a quick update. Home life is pretty normal, we go to work, we come home. I have enjoyed the fruits (or rather veggies) of my labor. We have had great success with our zucchini and green beans in our garden. The squash is coming along, but I've only picked a couple of them. We also have numerous green tomatoes that I'm just waiting to turn red. The pumpkin vine has grown out of the garden into the yard about five feet and I have to stay on Abbey not to walk on it. We have a three foot watermelon vine and very small cucumber vines (I planted the cucumber late). I cooked a large batch of the green beans last night and couldn't be happier with the results. Finally, I have some one inch okra starting to come out on the plant and my sunflowers are about 5-6 feet tall, no flowers yet. Abbey got her first watering experience last weekend. I put her in her swimsuit and turned the sprinkler on to water the garden. She had a ball. We have pictures and maybe I'll get those on here by this weekend. Otherwise, we are just doing the normal stuff. For those of you who get the Herald Chronicle, I should have another artcle coming out in Friday's paper so look for that. I was very excited that my last article made the front page, but I doubt it will happen again. This is a follow up article to the first one so I'm sure it will be buried in there somewhere, but look for it. We have a family reunion this weekend and then the July 4th weekend. I'm very interested to see how Abbey will do with the fireworks this year. Well, until next time.

Summertime

Well, Abbey is enjoying her first real summer. She was only 5-7 months old last year so she didn't really get to do much, but now she is mobile and she wants to go out everyday when we get home. I came home from work a couple of weeks back and after going through the house looking for them, I found Daddy and Abbey outside. I don't have a picture, but she loves to pull on the branches of the weeping willow trees in the yard.

She loves to play music

But then again I guess I should have expected that. Look at who here parents are. Thought you might like this video of Abbey and Daddy playing music. This has become a regular thing. The most used entrance in and out of our house is through our music room, so now I have to make sure we are ready in plenty of time if we are going somewhere because Abbey can't go pass the instruments without playing something.

I guess we need to watch what we say...

Abbey is learning so many new words, and fast. She can tell you about her "toes", "knee" and the "stick" she likes to drag around the back yard. She knows where her "nose" is and asks for either her "Meme" or aunt "Nina" every morning when she wakes up. The one that we might have done differently came to bite me back a couple of weekends ago. On Saturday mornings I get Abbey up, bring her into our room and put her in bed with Daddy to watch Mickey Mouse for a few minutes. This particular Saturday morning she noticed Daddy didn't have his shirt on and she pointed at his tummy and said "What's 'at?" I told her it was Daddy's "gut". She repeated "gut" and we laughed. It was so cute the way she said "gut". The next day we went to my mom and dad's on Sunday afternoon after church so she could play with her Papa and Meme. While Papa was sitting at the table in the kitchen, Abbey came over and pointed to his tummy and said, "What's 'at?" Papa told her it was his tummy. She looked straight at him and said "gut" and walked off. I couldn't help but snicker because it was funny, but I was a little embarrassed too. I don't think it bothered my dad, he was just surprised that she called it a gut. (My mom laughed too, by the way) We should have taught her to call it a tummy I guess. It is a much cuter term. Last night she was in the kitchen watching me cook dinner and we were talking, going over animals sounds and body parts, and we got to her tummy. She pointed so I asked what it was and again she said it was her "gut". I guess from now on we need to be careful what we call things. Although it is correct (especially for those of us that have a true gut and could stand to lose a few pounds), I don't want her offending anyone. I think coming out of the mouth of a one year old, she can get by with it but it just makes me realize how much she is learning and paying attention to what we do and say. Clark and I have to think before we speak now.

First Haircut

I decided at the last minute that Abbey needed a haircut before Easter Sunday, Trisha was nice enough to let us drop by on Saturday at 2:00 pm for her first haircut. She did so well. I put her in the chair and she didn't move an inch. She never cried and thought she looked so pretty when it was over. I was so excited that she acted so good that I paid Trisha and left without getting any of her cut hair for my scrapbook. Thankfully, Trisha is a very good hairdresser and put her hair in an envelope and gave it to my dad the next week when he went in for a hair cut. So, here are the pictures I got of Abbey's first haircut.

The Hot Dog Song

I wanted to try posting a video so here is a sweet one from February. Abbey has always danced to music, every since she was born, but she fell in love with the Hot Dog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Check this out!

Abbey's First Birthday

Well, since I have a good start on this I thought I would share some pictures of her first birthday as well. She had a great turn out at her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party (and yes we did still have the Christmas tree up on her birthday).

Abbey's First Christmas

As promised, here are some pictures from Abbey's first Christmas.

I've been busy.

I have extended my garden this year to a 30x18 spot and boy has it been fun filling it up with seeds and plants. Last year we did fairly well with the tomatoes, but not so good with the other veggies (mostly due to the fact that I could seem to keep the weeds out). Well, this is a brand new year. Clark worked up a wonderful spot for me this year and I laid down garden fabric to help keep the weeds under control. So far I have planted 4 Brandywine tomato plants, 1 Cherokee Purple and I have one Sweet 100 to set out and some tomato trees that my father in law is giving me (I have no idea what they are, but the plants and the barrels to grow them in are free). I have also planted 12 cabbage plants and 4 pepper plants. From seeds I have planted one giant pumpkin, one baby pumpkin, one watermelon, two rows of sunflowers, four rows of bush beans, two rows of carrots, two rows of okra, 2 crook neck squash, one patty pan squash and one zucchini. I actually still have to plant my cucumbers and have room for one or two more rows. I think I will throw some lettuce out and see if I can get a late harvest of lettuce. I'm so excited to be growing so much of my own food this year and Clark has really pitched in to help. I've even bought Abbey her own trowel and hand rake so she can help too. This will be a big project for me this year so I will try my best to post pictures as things progress. If you can think of anything that I have missed that might work well in the spot I have left, let me know. We like to try all types of food and I especially like to try to grow things that other farmers around here don't. I can always go to the farmer's market to buy the normal stuff. Until next time, happy gardening!!!!!

Back on the Blogging trail...

I have figured out how to download my camera (pictures and videos). I've only had the camera since before Christmas and it has been full since February. I've missed some great Abbey moments, but I have it fixed now so expect some catch up blogs with tons of pics and video soon. :)

(Now, if I could just figure out how to work the video camera we bought before Abbey was born.)

Happy Birthday!

Today is my birthday, da da, Happy Birthday to me, da da!

Happy Birthday to me

Happy Birthday to me

Happy Birthday dear me

Happy Birthday to me.

I hope the hubby remembers this year. Maybe he will surprise me with a vacation. I doubt it, but a girl can dream on her birthday, right!