Thanks

Abigail got up to 195 votes for the Gerber Scholarship, the last I checked. Thank you everyone who voted for her! I know I saw someone with over 1,000 votes though (how is that possible??)...oh well, we tried!

Abby at 6 Months

Abigail turned 1/2 a year old on Friday! She's such a big girl! We celebrated by making a Jell-O No Bake pumpkin pie (that she couldn't eat anyhow). At least Caden got to enjoy this 1/2 year celebration since he couldn't enjoy his own (click HERE to see pictures from then).

I used pumpkin seeds to spell "A J" and the thing at the bottom represents the fraction 1/2...I know...it's a stretch.

Other Abigail info:
- I love that she still pretty much stays in the same place I put her, still just rolling or turning herself around.
- I think she suffers from sore cheeks from all her smiling, especially when meeting new people.
- She enjoys rice cereal, green beans, carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes.
- She continues to love to sleep/take naps...just like Mommy!
- She has 4 teeth now, two top and two bottom (the top 2 came around 5 months).
- She is just the perfect little size to snuggle with in my arms.
- I've had to pack away yet another set of clothes for her (sniff).
- Going "Up and down, up and down, up and down and all around" always puts a smile on her face.
Favorite toys:
- Taggie blanket
- Winnie the Pooh crinkly book and rattles
- squishy blocks

Caden the Magnificient

On 10/18 (I'm a little behind) Caden put on a magic show for Abby and me. He was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that morning and Goofy put on a magic show too. Caden tried to say the magic words "hocus pocus" but kept saying "pocus pocus". I guess they work too. He did have some help with coming up with tricks to perform, but he was the one that wanted to do the show and set up the "stage" for it.

His first trick was making two blankets disappear. Bet you can't guess where they went!

I think he was just drumming on his "stage" in this picture. (The blankets are still gone!)

Getting ready for his second trick...

making water disappear!!

His final trick (before he disappeared under some blankets) was making a tower out of "wood" (a.k.a. magnets).

The cutest audience member.

Tunnel Faces

You apparently need to have the ability to make many faces if you want to play in a tunnel.

Skillet Kielbasa

I know it may seem like I feed my family kielbasa every day (I probably have enough recipes to do so), but anyhow..here's another recipe:

1 lb kielbasa, halved
1 medium onion, sliced
3-4 med potatoes, cubed
1 can beef broth
1 can green beans (drained)
carrots - any amount
(I might add some minced garlic next time for extra flavor)

Place everything in a large covered skillet except green beans. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes. Add green beans during last 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Pose

Here's the pose I mentioned before...right hand up by her head. She does it almost every time she sleeps and nurses.

Notice anything funny about this one?
(she has her pacifier in upside down...she must have put it back in herself:)

Eye Sore No More

Again...we are just so excited that I have to post about this. We have had these pallets of blocks sitting along side of our house for about 5 months. We finally found a reliable landscaper (Mark's Landscaping 570-655-0249) to build a much needed retaining wall between our house and our neighbor's.

They went from the side of the house to the front. The big green truck in the distance was actually between the wall and our garage at one point...not sure how they did that, but they did!

They provided hours of entertainment...

Proof that it was really needed...

The final product. There's actually 7 rows of block (it was up to my eyes), but they brought in a lot of topsoil. This is off of our deck.

This is from the front looking back.

Fun with Markers

"Kelly"

When my mom and sister came to visit, they brought along Abby's first doll from her GG. Caden named her Kelly (after Kelly from Handy Manny). She's pretty good at grabbing her.

Caden saw how much of a fuss we made over Abby holding her, so he wanted to too.

Gerber Scholarship Update

Thank you to everyone who has voted so far! Abigail has over 110 votes! Please continue to vote every day by clicking on Abigail's picture to the right until October 31st.

A Full Bed

The other night Caden decided he wanted Charlie to sleep with him. Talk about a full bed! I took these pictures in the dark, so I had no idea what I was getting or where Caden was.

This was the first shot...no Caden...

The second shot...getting closer I think...I see stripes and a sock...

There he is! He loves to hide under his pillows.

This is Abigail's new favorite toy. She makes beautiful music when she's not trying to eat it.

A Recent Discovery - Frances Slocum State Park

We have driven past a sign for Frances Slocum State Park (a very beautiful park that we'll definitely be visiting again - like for our 1st family camping trip) for months now, but never actually tried to find where it is. Well, this past weekend my mom and sister came to visit, and we decided to go there for their Heritage Days. It was a free day with lots of crafts for kids, music, and other fun things to see.

Caden and Daddy checking out a harp.

These were some gourds to use as a craft for the kids. All Caden wanted to do was transfer them from one bin to another; he wasn't as interested in the craft part.

Mammy helping Caden put a hat on his gourd.

This picture annoyed me at first, but now I think I like it.

This was a group effort project. I think everyone put in a tile on this trivet.

Caden playing the drums...a favorite part for him.

Erin, Abby, and me.

They also had some live animals like these deer to pet. Caden liked them as long as they weren't paying attention to him. Once they turned around, he wasn't so sure.

This one just jumped over another one right in front of him and scared him a little.

My view of the scenery while I was feeding Abigail -so peaceful.

This was a fun craft too. They used this little machine for taking corn off the cob, and then they attached feathers to make a fun toy to throw. Caden was able to help crank the machine.

Throwing with Daddy - he really winds up for it!

Checking out some other animals like the mule which was a lot bigger than I thought they would be.

They also had live music that we unfortunately missed. We were walking by as this nice man (didn't catch his name) was putting away his banjo. We pointed it out to Caden who likes banjos, washboards, etc. He heard us, and then pulled it back out to sing, "Oh Suzanna" for Caden. What a nice guy!