A Good Day

Ok, so I really should be working on my activity for the Middle School Youth Retreat next week but I couldn't wait to share this day.
We woke up to about a foot of snow this morning and for the first time since we have been going to the Chapel, church was canceled. Then when we looked at weather.com I thought we would not go outside at all today. The wind chill was supposed to be in the single digits. At 10Am that seemed to be confirmed. How depressing all this lovely snow and I was going to be stuck inside all day with Abigail. I had even bought a sled Thursday and was waiting quite impatiently to take Abigail on her first sledding adventure.
But the internet was WRONG, wrong, wrong!!! Did I say WRONG?! The temperature climbed to 30 degrees perfectly warm to bundle up and go outside. And more importantly the wind died down and the snow slowed.
The adventure began at 3:30. Abigail who loves to go outside but hates coats, snowpants, boots and most especially gloves began to get dressed. I decided that while she flopped on the floor in disgust, I would get dressed. So after 10 minutes of torture we were outside. Since the snow is 1/2 as deep as Abigail is tall, she stayed where Chris had been shovelling on and off all day. She went to visit the dog. She fell down, she supervised the shovelling and the car clean-off efforts. Everytime she fell down someone had to stop to stand her back up.
Finally the time for fun came. Well after the call of nature dictated that the torture of undressing and dressing be repeated, the fun began. Abigail is light enough that the sled would not sink through the snow, so I pulled her around the yard. But, her balance is not all that great and she doesn't quite fill the sled so my footprints became speed bumps. Every so often she would roll herself right out of the sled and laugh. Chris's shovelling created the perfect Abigail sized hill to sled down. She loved it!. "Es! Ada." (Yes, Again) Chris got so excited he made a path for himself to the sledding party. (He did not wear his snow pants outside. Next time I bet he will.) I think we will all sleep well tonight. Abigail was ready enough to come inside that taking off her snow clothes was not even a battle. Of course they were so wet, we went straight to the basement.

Snow Troubles

Currently, Abigail's favorite thing is the "douk" (roughly translated anything with four legs and hair, more precisely: dog). Every day we try to take a walk with the douk and Abigail. When winter came, it also became necessary to provide Abigail with warmer outerwear. Hence, the monsterous snow suit.

Now that Abigail can walk well, I dont take her directly from the house to the stroller or the stroller to the house. She won't allow it as then she can't let the douk lick her hand. And she is just too cute walking over to see the douk.

When it was just cold that was one thing, but now the snow has come and made it slightly more difficult for Abigail to get around. Or even up. . . .

Poor Abigail, her father and I were so busy laughing (and taking pictures)she had to wait to be helped up.

That's Us

Ok, so I have been meaning to post something. Abigail is just way too cute for me to go too long without posting, but I haven't been able to take care of the pictures I have and so can't post photos. So I have avoided adding anything. Putting far too much pressure on myself.
Last night I was busy and Abigail and Chris were hanging out. Acutally he was trying to draft a plan for the breakfast nook seeing as how we now have an exclusively outdoor dog. Abigail chose to believe this was a good time to see if Dad would allow her to go inot an area I don't allow. Our new family photo is on the table in that area.

From the bathroom, I hear the following conversation.
"No, Abby."
"Wsssat?" (What's that?)
"That's us."
pause. . .

"No, Abby."
"Wsssat?" (What's that?)
"That's us."
pause. . .

"No, Abby."
"Wsssat?" (What's that?)
"That's us."
pause. . .

I can't tell you how many times this repeated itself. I don't remember if Chris was able to finish his drawing at that time. I do know that he did have to move from the area and bring Abigail with him for it to end. Later that evening he told me she finally responded with something resembling "That's us," but I have yet to hear it.
Well, I must scoot. Abigail has found a basket containing Post-it pads. She is posting the floor.

Catch Up

Wow, I can't believe it has been six weeks or so since I posted anything. I also can't believe how the addition of one little person makes the holiday season so much more. I don't know if Abigail caused the business or if deciding what to do with her on adult only outings added to the choas. Of course there was Christmas shopping with her and Christmas shopping for her and protecting the Christmas tree (and gifts under it) from her.

But that has passed, and we have officially entered a new year with all its promise and uncertainity. I think about resolutions and what I will resolve. I want to believe I have learned everything I need about the grace I need to be a wife and mother, but I am sure I have only begun. Abigail punctuates this with her Tarzan/yodeling fuss that today has been incessant.

She, though, is very cute and growing and learning. Still she argues with head wags and grunts, but any day now I am convinced she will speak. Maybe understandable speech will lessen my need for grace as I will understand better her needs. Of course, I know how I speak to God when He asks something of me I don't like. Quite possibly my need for grace will intensify.

Have I talked myself into a resolution? To dive so deeply into God's grace that Abigail will have grace poured out into her life. And Abigail's resolution: to demand such a measure of grace from my parents they must get it from God.

Happy New year!