Picnic at the Park

Last Saturday, in between General Conference sessions, most of my family got together at a park near my parents' house for a picnic. It was a last-minute decision and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Sophie especially liked the baby swings.











This is a gesture that Sophie invented. Chin up, wrist high in the air or behind the back. It basically means that she's really excited about whatever she sees. It most always applies to seeing a person, such as a grandparent.

(Cathy, Nana, Abbie, Stephanie)

It looks like I need to get myself a pair of big sunglasses.

What Can I Say? We're Fans

Last Thursday, Jake, Sophie, & I went to the Diamondbacks game. Jake's brother and dad, and my sister Cathy were also there. It was their second playoff game against the Cubs. We had a great time. We were in deep nosebleed seats, but it turned out to be quite the advantage. The game started at 7 (aka: Sophie's bed time) and turned out to be the LONGEST game in baseball history. It ended at 10:54. BUT, since we were at the top of the stadium, there was a lot of room to roam around. Plus, how awesome is it to watch an entire baseball game without having to move your eyes or rotate your neck at all?

Sophie spent the majority of the game playing at the top of the stairs with me, Jake, or her Grandpa Bard.


I made her this sign, and to our surprise, she spent a couple minutes just holding it and waving it around. And then she ate it.

The First Year

My baby turned one yesterday! Tomorrow I will have more highlights from my weekend, including Sophie's birthday party. But for now, enjoy seeing her grow over her first year of life.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Comprehension

I've noticed lately that Sophie is beginning to really understand what things are. For example, she picked up her shoe the other day, and instead of it going directly into her mouth like usual, she tried to put it on her foot.

Yeah.

Like a big girl.

And this morning, we were playing with some of her toys, and this is what she did:


Again. Like a big girl. Who exactly does she think she is?

But to really top it all off, I need to show you this:

Now, how big is that?

The "In" Guide: Fall Decor

I know what you've been thinking. "I wish Abbie would tell us what's 'in' these days". Well, your wish is granted. First up: Fall Decor.

And if I may be so bold:

Pears are the new Apples

This season, it's all about the pear. Say goodbye to your fall fruit bowl filled with apples, and hello to beautiful pears. Pears come in a variety of colors, look great paired (get it?) with pumpkins, and offer plenty of recipes to suit your fall food needs. An example: Pear Walnut Salad.


Enjoy decorating in style!


* photos from BH&G, Pottery Barn, and my house

8 Simple Rules

There's a new Sheriff in town,
and her name is Sophie.

Her rules are simple.




1. The coffee table must be cleared off at all times.






2. Any newspaper found on said coffee table must be hand shredded immediately.





3. All books must be opened and read.








4. Due to an unseasonably high stink time, all diapers must be changed at least 5 times daily.






5. Bags and wallets will be searched several times a day, without prior notice.






6. Dressers and closets are also subject to search.






7. Door should not be left open. Or closed. They should always be the opposite of what they currently are.






8. All parents must be in a position to be easily climbed on/over at the Sheriff's convenience.






If you follow these rules, you won't have any trouble with her. If you don't, you're taking your destiny into your own hands.

A Video . . .

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pay It Forward

This is a Pay it Forward Gift Exchange.

(my hand-stitched gift from Natalie)

I am participating because I received a beautiful handmade gift from Natalie, with the promise that if I accept it, I will pay it forward with my own handmade gift to 3 other people. Here are the rules:

You must be one of the first 3 people
to comment requesting to join the exchange.
The only thing you have to do in return
is pay it forward by making the same promise
to 3 people on your blog.
(So, you must have a blog to participate.)

I have yet to decide what I'm going to make, so it'll be a surprise. Good luck and happy giving!

Journal Jar #19: Learning to Drive

Describe Your First Driving Experience

When I was 15, my cousin Robin lived about a half a mile from my house. We enjoyed each other's company, but didn't have vehicular privileges to get to one another's houses. This often led to us "meeting half way", meaning we would each walk toward the other person until we met, then we would walk together back to one house.

One sunny afternoon, after conversing with said Robin on the phone, and agreeing to one of the aforementioned "meet half way" rendezvouses, I convinced my dad to let me drive his suburban for my half of the commute.

This did not pose a problem to my father, seeing as my half involved tiny residential streets with little or no traffic at all times. I got in the drivers seat, and while my dad was buckling up on the passenger's side, I followed all of the safety precautions learned in my Drivers Ed course. I adjusted my seat and mirrors, fastened my seatbelt, and checked my blind spots.

Then we were off. I pulled out of the driveway with ease. My dad must have been beaming inside, since his daughter - at the fragile age of 15 - was a driving pro. I headed down my street to the end, where I was forced to take a right. I used my blinker. We hit the end of the next street. Blinker again, and looking both ways, I headed left. As we proceeded down this street, we could see Robin fulfilling her part of the agreement, but on foot. Oh, I could see the envy in her eyes from 300 feet away.

"Is that Abbie in that hot '84 burb?" she was thinking, "She looks SOOOO mature. And popular."

We drove up to Robin, and she got into the back seat. Well, actually the middle seat, since it was a suburban. I'm sure she started gushing about how cool I looked and whatnot, but I don't remember the details.

I pulled a swift 3-point-turn and headed back home. Again, my dad was overwhelmed with pride. As we neared my house, as luck would have it, my mom and all of my siblings were in the driveway. They ALL got to see me driving WITH PASSENGERS. I approached the driveway, turned the wheel, and prepared to glide effortlessly into my parking spot. Everything looked good.

Everything except for the look of horror on my little brother's face.

I glided the suburban effortlessly into our other car. The wheel wells of each car skidded into each other, causing the worst car-crash noise I'd ever heard in real life. My dad may or may not have sworn at that point.

I froze. He told me to put the car in park. I did. I got out, and without even surveying the damage or looking back at Robin, ran into the house crying.


It turns out that the damage wasn't that bad - hardly noticeable. The cars just exchanged some paint. Needless to say, it took some time before I headed to the drivers seat again. And who knows when my dad will ever trust my driving.



What about you? Any awesome driving experiences?

Hide and Seek

I only left the room for a second.

When I came back, she was no where to be found.

I think back. As I left, I saw her heading toward the bathroom.

I look there first - but it was empty.

I turn the corner into the family room. At this point, I am in the fork in the road of my house. Do I proceed forward into the kitchen? Do I take a left and search the bedrooms? Right in to the den? Should I turn around and look in the office?

I become worried. This search could take a while with no direction.

I call out her name. (Calling out her name is usually followed by the sound of crawling knees scuffling across the tile).

"Sophie"

Nothing.

"SOPHIE"

Still nothing. Heart starts to beat faster.

I now have to make a decision at this fork.

But wait. I DID see her traveling in the direction of the bathroom. Could I have missed her in there?

I decide to open the shower curtain.

And that's when I see it.

THE MISCHIEVOUS GRIN

(dun dun dun)

Friday Fun

Friday was a day full of activities. We started the day early with a trip to the zoo. Sophie and I have never been to this zoo, so it was a great trip. We met up with Macey & Kiley for a morning of zebras, rhinos, & elephants.



While I didn't get any pictures with actual animals in them, we WERE really at a zoo. Sophie didn't really grasp the whole zoo concept, but she did like the giraffes and ostriches.

Then that evening, we went to the park for the beginning-of-the-year law school party. Luckily, Nana was in town, so we had a nanny to watch the little one while we mingled.












One of Sophie's new favorite games is peek-a-boo. Actually, it just seems like she doesn't like other people to wear her blankets on their heads.



p.s. Cathy:

Motherhood Solution #1

How do you make sure that your baby's

favorite blanket is clean whenever she needs it?

Answer: You make 5 of them.

This summer I faced a dilemma. Sophie NEEDS a blanket (with the corner stuffed in her mouth) to fall asleep. And with a blanket, she can sleep pretty much anywhere. So her blanket is a powerful tool. The dilemma though, was that it's 115 degrees in Arizona during the summer - not exactly blanket weather when she's trying to sleep in her car seat. My solution was to make super-mini summer blankets. I bought 2 types of fabric - silky & flannelly, and made her 2 blankets - both with a soft velvety back.

Well, last night, both blankets were dirty, so I decided, after Sophie went to bed, to use my extra material to make some more blankets. Boy did I have a happy baby this morning. She hardly knew what to do with so many blankets. She just kept trading off, checking all of them out (all 12 corners). She's in blanket heaven.

And I don't have to worry about a dirty or lost blanket anymore.

Sophie's (current) #1 Fear

This is Sophie's #1 fear. I don't even know what one of these is called. This thing lives in our big bookshelf, the same bookshelf where Sophie's toys also reside.


The mere sight of this thing makes her clingy (as pictured), and the sound of it makes her cry the saddest scared cry in all of Babyland (no picture. I'm not going to make her cry).

I'm not quite sure what makes her so afraid of it, but I've never seen her act like this before. If someone touches it, Sophie is immediately on the move - breathing hard and heading toward the closest parent she can find. I'm thinking about storing it away for a while and seeing if she forgets about her fear.

Journal Jar #18: My Family

Describe Each Member of My Family

Dad: My dad is currently the bishop of his ward. He's been bishop for almost 6 years now, and (knock on wood and don't tell my mom), I predict he's on his way to the Stake presidency. He loves to SCUBA dive. He likes camping in Mexico. He loves the boy scout program. He retired this year, and now volunteers at the Bishops store house 3 days a week-like it's a part time job. I get my excitement for planning & executing big projects from him. He loves to plan ways to tear his house apart and remodel it.


Mom: My mom works full time as a lawyer. You know when you were a kid and you thought that all teachers were girls and all firefighters were boys? I thought that all lawyers were girls, since my mom was a lawyer. My mom likes to SCUBA dive too, but only in warm water. She loves being a Nana. She likes to know all the gossip. I got my excitement for a good find from her. She likes to shop garage sales and thrift stores just like me. She can sing. I did not get that from her.




Mike: Mike is my older brother. We are 2 years and 2 days apart. Due to his 2-year mission, Mike and I graduated the same day as each other from BYU. Mike owns a small business. He enjoys building his business, spending time with his wife, and playing with his kids. He's smarter than I am. He's the only kid in our family that can carry a tune. He has a great sense of humor. He's an artist, but I haven't seen any work from him lately.



Danny: Danny is my younger brother. He served a mission in Australia, so naturally, he now speaks Chinese. Danny is very athletic and is the smartest of my siblings. Danny doesn't read my blog, so I can say whatever I want about him. But really, he's always been the most genuine guy I know. He also has a strong testimony.




Cathy: Cathy is the baby of the family. She was a tomboy, and grew up with a perma-pony tail until about high school graduation. Then she turned into a girl. She's super athletic and quite hilarious. She enjoys playing on co-ed softball & soccer teams. She's the most amazing person with kids I've ever seen in my entire life ever. Cathy likes spending time with her friends, buying new clothes, and trying new things.



And there you have it. My family in a nutshell.

Motherhood Question #3

Do bookshelves serve a purpose?

Motherhood Question #2

This is how your toilet paper looks too, right?

Notice the little white thing hanging out of her mouth.

This is her best move. Hold TP in mouth, steady self with one hand, rip lengthwise with other hand.


p.s. Thanks Lily & Leo for Sophie's new top. It finally fits!

Motherhood Question #1

Is this how all moms of

10-month-olds spend their days?

Pop Quiz

Pop Quiz:

. . . . .
Which hand did Sophie use to eat her bananas this morning?

Journal Jar #17: Being a Kid

What Toys/Activities Was I Into When I Was A Child?

Everything I was into, my best friend Kellie was into at the same time. This was extremely convenient for me, because her parents bought her pretty much whatever she wanted. We started off with Barbies. Our Barbie stage was definitely our longest stage. We then moved to Trolls. We also did a lot of playing outside and swimming.

We were very creative without toys too, if I do say so myself. Kellie and I invented an entire universe (that we were, of course, rulers over). The universe consisted of several planets, all of which had different characteristics and languages. On one of the planets, all of the people spoke their words backwards. This is how I know how to sing the words to "Jingle Bells" and "Happy Birthday" backwards (It's important to be able to speak the language of your subjects - to be a good ruler). But I'm not a singer, so it's not easy to get these songs out of me.

Other favorite childhood games: Playing "Saturday's Warrior", playing "Hobos" whenever it rained, drawing out our dream houses, creating Barbie movies, and jumping on the trampoline with the hose spraying on it.

Back to Real Life

After 3 months away, we're finally back to our house. It's nice to be home, but being home means unpacking, unpacking, unpacking, and studying for school.


Sophie has been a little nervous here. Obviously she doesn't remember it at all. The last time she was here, she was immobile. She has been very clingy, but is slowly warming up to the place. She seems to relax a little more each time we unpack a toy or book she had with her over the summer. She's also getting used to her crib and her OWN room. She almost slept through the entire night last night! And I'm still getting used to not having grandparents around to feed her breakfast and watch her while I run to the store.


We all enjoyed our little vacation, but we're ready to get back to our regular lives again.

Journal Jar #16: Ideal Location

If I Could Live Anywhere, Where Would It Be? Why?

Jake & I have decided that where we're old, we'll need 2 vacation homes: one for me, the beach vacationer; and one for him, the skier. As for MY dream vacation home, I think I would pick Mexico (Jake's would be Jackson, WY).

For me, nothing beats a nice, relaxing time at the beach, and what better way to enjoy the beach than with a shrimp taco in your hands? Now don't get me wrong, I love other types of vacations too, not just the sandy kind. But that's what Jackson is for.

Our Daredevil

(Note to all Grandmas: Do NOT scroll down)

Ever since Sophie was 4 months old, I've always said that we've got a little daredevil on our hands. She LOVES being upside down, and her biggest laughs always come from big tosses in the air. Sometimes if I'm holding her, she'll just flip her head back and turn herself upside down.

Where did this free spirit come from?

Check Out My New Skills

Sophie has been doing a lot of growing lately. Lucky for you, I captured her 2 newest accomplishments in one photo.

Here she is STANDING on her own and WAVING. Yes, she's waving to herself, but she means well. She only waves at someone if it's the first time she's seen them that day, and she only waves hello, not good-bye.

Fun Times with Papa

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Family & Friends

Stephanie says it beautifully here.

In times of mourning, it's good to know that you have a strong support group of family and friends. I hope our friends know that we are there for them during this time. I will try to be the friend I hope I would have.