We enjoyed an extended winter break when we headed to Florida on January 4…  The night before, we found a deal at the Americinn in Richfield, near the airport, so stayed there to be a little closer Monday morning.  Our plane left at 6:52 a.m., so we had to be there pretty early.  Check-in/security went well, and we had some time to hang out at the gate before our flight took off.  Abby did very well for the first flight to Atlanta–we sat next to a very nice woman who thought Abby was well-behaved and even helped entertain her.  Our layover was very short–just enough time to get to our gate, then time to get right on the next plane to Tampa.  This was a very short flight, but again went well for Abby.  We can no longer just read a good book or take a little nap, though…traveling with Abby means being a good entertainer the entire time.    Our plane got into Tampa as scheduled, we made it down to the baggage claim as our bags came out, and Betty and Ron were right there to pick us up.  Since we were near Clearwater Beach, they decided to drive us there for lunch/a walk along the beach.  It was in the mid-50s, so chilly for Florida.  It was funny to see people dressed in their winter coats, hats, scarves, etc. for a walk on the beach when we thought it was pretty nice in just our sweatshirts.  After walking along a couple of beaches, we made the drive up to New Port Richey.  We relaxed for the afternoon/evening at Ron and Betty’s.

On Tuesday morning, we woke up and headed to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.  We went here in April, too, and loved it.  It’s great that we can get in free with our MN Zoo membership.  We enjoyed seeing the animals, even though some were not out due to the “cold” weather (it was chilly this day–40s/50s).  Abby really enjoyed the “kitties” (the panther and white tiger) and loved the duck that was not really part of the zoo, but was just wandering around.  We went back to Ron & Betty’s in the afternoon, then later that night, Dave and I were able to go see New Moon in Port Richey.

Wednesday, we had some down time and hung around the house for most of the day.  We did go to Green Key park/beach in the afternoon, and it was a little warmer than it had been.  Abby had a blast playing at the park and digging in the sand.  She also chased some birds up and down the beach while Dave took pictures.

On Thursday, we got up early and rented a car to drive to Orlando for the day.  Dave, Abby, and I went to Magic Kingdom and had a wonderful day.  We were also here in April, but it was MUCH busier then due to spring break.  This time, it seemed like there were still quite a few people, but the lines weren’t bad at all.  The longest we waited was about 25 minutes for Dumbo; otherwise most lines were only 10-15 minutes long.  We walked right on some rides, like Pirates of the Caribbean.  We were able to get on most of the rides (Abby too!), except Abby didn’t join us on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  We got FastPasses and took turns riding/watching Abby.  Abby also met Mickey Mouse right away (totally scared of him!) and Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella (they weren’t as bad).  We left as the light parade was going on, so missed a big traffic crowd.  It was so much fun to be there, and we even had the best weather of the week that day–mid 60s and sun!

Friday was our last full day in Florida.  We went to a couple of beaches in the morning, stopping to walk around for a little bit at Howard Park.  It started misting/raining on us, so we drove back to the house for a late morning nap.  After a nap, we went to Golden Corral for lunch and then to the big USA flea market.  It was a huge place, but many of the little stalls were closed because it was almost ending for the day and it was so chilly.  On the way back to the house, we stopped at a preserve to go for a hike.  The rain had stopped, so it was just a little chilly, but the scenery was neat.  We didn’t see any animals, though.  Friday night, we played games and watched a movie.

We got up Saturday morning, had breakfast and packed for home.  Ron and Betty drove us to the airport, where we made it quickly through check-in/security (apparently, having a stroller can put you in a special short line!) and had plenty of time to relax before our flight.  Tampa has a great airport, with fun play areas for kids, so that’s where we spent most of our time before and after we ate lunch.  Our flight ran a little late, but we still made it to Atlanta with some time to spare before our flight home.  Abby fell asleep about 20 minutes before landing in Atlanta, and woke up REALLY grumpy…she cried while we were waiting to get off and for most of our time at the Atlanta airport.  The only thing that distracted her enough to stop was a baby who was in line with us to get on the flight to Minneapolis.  Luckily, we made it back just fine–Abby was pretty restless for the last flight, but made it.  We were sad that our vacation was over!

We somehow made it through our week back–Abby started up at her new daycare, which she seems to be liking.  Our new provider is very kind and inviting and has lots of good things to say about Abby.  It seems to be a good fit!  Abby also started her winter/spring session of ECFE classes on Monday.  I had a bad migraine, so Dave just took her this time.  Apparently, they played with shaving cream and Abby loved it!

This weekend, we took Abby to see Sesame Street Live with some of our friends.  Abby LOVED the show, especially the first half.  She did lots of clapping and dancing along with the music.  She was definitely tired by the end of it, though.  We stopped at Old Country Buffet to meet up with Dave’s parents and sister for a birthday meal for Dave’s mom, whose birthday is tomorrow.  Abby was pretty crabby/clingy/tired, but she enjoyed her ice cream cone dessert anyway.  It was a long day for Miss Abby!

Today, after the Vikings WIN, we took Abby and Madi over to the golf course to run around in the snow.  Once Abby warmed up the idea, she had fun playing and even tried making a snow angel.  She didn’t want to leave!

It has been a busy and fun Christmas time for our family!  We began our celebration the weekend before Christmas, down in Rochester.  My family spent some time together enjoying yummy food and opening gifts.  After putting Abby to bed that Saturday night, we decided that it might be a fun idea to try some laser tag…we headed over to “House of Bounce” where we purchased the 2-hour pass where you had access to unlimited laser tag, bounce equipment, and the “monkey jump”.  We had a blast, and each of us tried the monkey jump once.  (You’re harnessed in at the waist and thighs and you are bungeed to the contraption that lifts you upward, so you can bounce really high–something I never pictured myself doing!)  We asked if anyone “old” had ever done it, and the girl at the counter said that yes, a 35-year-old had done the monkey jump before.  That comment made my dad feel pretty old, but now he can say he set an age record on the monkey jump.  Dave was the only successful one of us to do backflips–2!  We had a fun night, then made it to church with my parents for an advent service the next morning.

We weren’t sure what the weather was going to bring, but we managed to make it to Iowa as planned before the big snow came.  We headed down a day early, so enjoyed a bonus day in Webster City playing games, swimming at the hotel my parents decided to stay at, and hanging out with Miriam, Scott, Ben, Sarah, and Keith (unfortunately, Mara, Bryan, and Connor weren’t able to come up this year).  Abby was about as thrilled to swim as she has been to take a bath lately…I’m not sure what’s going on with her fear of being in water, but I hope we can get it figured out before too long!

Christmas Eve day, we headed down to the farm for a meal/gift opening with my mom’s side of the family.  It’s always a big crew, but a few were missing this year.  Abby was excited to get some great gifts, including a new doll and a doll bed handmade by my uncle Steve.  My grandma made the mattress/bedding.  Abby thought that it was a perfect bed for her, so we’ll see if she shares it with her dolls!  Later in the afternoon, we braved the roads/weather and all headed over to the nursing home to visit my grandpa.  I’m glad that we all got to spend a little bit of time with him, and he even got to enjoy some homemade ice cream.  From the nursing home, we stopped back at the farm to pick up our things, then headed back to Webster City for the night.  Abby got to set out her stocking, cookies, and milk for Santa, although she doesn’t quite yet understand what it’s all about.

Christmas morning, Abby was up by 7 and enjoyed seeing what Santa had brought her.  She was excited to get some fun things in her stocking and a doll playset for her babies.  After stockings, we had a delicious breakfast made by my grandma, then opened gifts once everyone came over from the hotel.  Abby has turned into quite the “gift monster”…she LOVES opening gifts, doesn’t care too much what is inside, as long as she can tear open the paper.  A special gift was the recordable book “The Night Before Christmas” read/recorded by my grandma Nass.  This is such a special keepsake.  We spent the rest of the day playing games, eating a delicious meal of chicken and noodles, playing our traditional gift-opening/stealing bingo, and playing more games.  “Bang” was a new hit this year.

We stayed in Webster City until 2 on Saturday, then drove up to Albert Lea for Christmas celebration #4…a turkey meal at Dave’s aunt Betty’s.  We stayed until it was time for Abby to go to bed, then brought her over to Dave’s parents’ house for the night.  They stayed with her while we went over to Ken and Karen’s house for some games.

Sunday morning, Abby slept in until 8 (woohoo!).  Santa had come again, this time to Albert Lea, so Abby enjoyed opening up her stocking again.  We had a french toast breakfast, then opened gifts with Dave’s parents and sister.  Abby received many more nice things, including a Little People house that has a flushing toilet.  Little People stuff is much fancier than it was in the 80s…  It was time for naps after gifts, so we all rested up for the afternoon.  In the afternoon, we went back over to Betty and Ron’s for treats and Santa.  Every year, Dave’s mom dresses up as Santa and comes to bring treats/visit.  Everyone sits on Santa’s lap for a picture.  Abby was not prepared when “Santa” came in the room–she screamed louder than I have ever heard her scream before and was shaking in fear.  Fortunately, she was able to calm down and sat on Dave’s lap for a family picture with “Santa”.  It was definitely traumatizing, though!

Our Christmas celebrations came to an end for this year, so we headed back to Rochester for two nights, then back to New Prague for the rest of the week/weekend.  We are getting excited to head back to Florida on Monday!  Even though the weather will be on the cool side (50s), it will still be a nice getaway.

Besides all of the Christmas celebrations, we have been busy with trying to make new daycare arrangements.  Our daycare provider, whom we love and will miss greatly, has to close her daycare.  We found this out a few weeks ago, so spent about a week and a half before Christmas calling/visiting/deciding.  We found what we hope will be a good fit for Abby, but still are a little anxious about the change…hopefully the transition will go smoothly!

Well, off to enjoy the rest of winter break…looking forward to a quiet New Year’s this year and some time to start packing for our trip!  Happy New Year!

Well, somehow November came and went and I managed to not blog at all…  Sorry for the lack of updates!  It was a busy month of report cards, conferences, and Thanksgiving…  Abby is now 20 months old (4 months until age 2…what?!?) and is quite the busy toddler.  Her vocabulary is expanding daily, with her latest being Mary, Jesus, Joseph, and donkey (she loves our new nativity set that is sitting on our mantel).  She thinks the sheep is a dog, though…we’ll have to work on that one!  She also has been saying “monkey” whenever we ask her to say Grandma or Grandpa… (I wish I knew how to rotate videos on youtube, but I can’t figure it out!)

Abby’s latest obsession is blankies–as soon as she gets home from daycare, she wants to go right upstairs to get a new blankie out of her dresser cupboard.  Blankies have to sit with her while she eats meals, and sometimes we catch her heading over to the stairs on her way up to her room to get more blankies.  They seem to be equally as important as her babies (dolls).  Abby had fun spending a few days at Thanksgiving with my family, then over the Thanksgiving weekend with Dave’s family.

Abby got an early Christmas present from Santa…a play kitchen!  It fits perfectly between our kitchen and living/dining room, and Abby loves it!  We’re hoping it starts to help her stay distracted while we get meals ready…

Abby’s ECFE toddler class ended last Monday, so now we won’t know what to do with our Monday nights until mid-January.  She has come to LOVE all of the songs she’s learned at circle time, and will happily join in with some actions when we sing them.  By the end, she was also having fun doing some activities outside of the playing house/baby area.  It’s been a great experience for her, and we’re excited to start up again in January!

We decided to get a real Christmas tree this year, after not doing ANY decorating at all last year (having the house on the market and a baby was a bad combination, I guess) and tossing out our sad-looking artificial tree.  I was excited, because Christmas just isn’t the same without a real tree!  It was fun to have Abby “help” decorate it this weekend.

Abby went to see Santa at our local Alco store last week…we decided to test out the Santa visit when the pictures were free.  As expected, she was terrified of Santa and did NOT want to sit on his lap (last year, she loved Santa).  She managed to pose for an okay picture when I sat with her on his lap.  We had to hang around to get a copy of our picture, so she started to warm up to him a little.  He said that he’ll be in New Prague every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday this month and he thought he’d be able to get her warmed up to him by the end of the month.  Nice offer, but I don’t think we’ll follow him around town…

After saying we weren’t going to spend money to see Santa this year, we decided to take a trip up to Macy’s in downtown Minneapolis.  We took the light rail from the Mall of America, which Abby had fun trying out for the first time.  After a chilly walk from the station to Macy’s, we had to wait in line for about 30-45 minutes to see the 8th floor display of “A Day in the Life of an Elf”.  It was a tough, squirmy wait for Abby–we couldn’t put her down because she wanted to run around by herself–but once we got into the display, she was awed by it all.  She loved seeing the elves sleeping in their bunk beds, the puppy sorting the mail, and the animals decorating the tree (still thought the sheep was a dog).  On the way out, the line for Santa was really short, so we decided to give it a try.  Abby screamed (poor Macy’s Santa…), but we got a family picture which will end up being great blackmail someday.    We braved the Mall of America for lunch on our way back, and Abby had fun running around Carter’s while I found some great deals (she definitely has a shopping instinct!).  All in all, a busy but fun day!

Now it’s crazy to think that Christmas is less than 3 weeks away!  Our first of many celebrations is just 2 weeks from today…  Hopefully we can manage to cross everything off of our to-do lists and enjoy the traditions/festivities of the season.

We’ve had a great time celebrating Halloween this weekend!  Abby actually started the celebration last weekend in Rochester…she got dressed up in her duck costume to do some trick-or-treating at her grandma and grandpa Nass’ and neighbor’s houses.  She hates the costume (mostly the hood part), so it was good to get her used to it early…

On Monday, she got a chance to wear it again when we went to our ECFE class.  At class, we had to try to follow the path of our toddler around the different stations in the room.  The challenge was to try to get Abby to do some other activities besides playing in the doll/house area.  She LOVES that area, but we managed to get her to some other stations by having her bring a doll along.  She wasn’t quite sure what to think of everyone dressed up in their costumes, but warmed up by circle/song time.  This is becoming one of her favorite parts of class, and she decided that she wanted to sing and dance in the center of the circle on Monday night.

On Friday night, the celebration continued…we first went to Coborn’s, where they had treats/games at some of the different areas of the store.  Abby picked up a few treats and coupons before we headed over to the ECFE Halloween party.  It was so much fun at the ECFE party!  Abby was pretty nervous/clingy at first, but once she warmed up, she really got into it.  She was able to play lots of games, and “won” stickers for the sticker sheet she got.  She also enjoyed seeing lots of her buddies, and went home with a great goody bag.

On Saturday, we ran some errands in Shakopee (stopping for a free craft/beach bucket & treat at Michael’s), then spent the afternoon carving pumpkins.  Dave did a great job hollowing out the pumpkins and helping to do some carving.  Abby was not too interested in helping, but played very nicely with her new doll accessories which she purchased at Wal-mart with her $5 Halloween money from her grandma and grandpa Olsen.

Abby went trick-or-treating to a few houses on our street, but we mainly stayed home to greet trick-or-treaters.  It wasn’t a big year for us…we had almost 40 trick-or-treaters, but Abby enjoyed organizing the candy and handing it out to kids who came to our door.  Dave once again dressed up as a gorilla, but this year Abby wasn’t so sure about going to him.  She warmed up to him when he gave her some chocolate. 

After relaxing and not thinking about work Friday night and Saturday, it was nice to get some time this afternoon to get a bunch of stuff done.  Dave, Abby, and Madi headed to Albert Lea to watch the Vikings/Packers game.  Back to reality and a busy few weeks!

It has been a WONDERFUL, relaxing MEA weekend so far…only one day left, and then it’s back in the swing of things until Thanksgiving (the next long weekend).  It has been so much fun spending full days with Abby.  Here’s what we’ve been up to:

Thursday–Abby had her 18 month check-up with Dr. Mark in the morning.  She weighed in at 23 pounds, 1.5 ounces and her height was 31.5 inches.  All measurements were between the 25th-50th percentiles.  She did a great job for Dr. Mark when he came in to check her out, then made it through the shots okay.  She didn’t cry during her flu shot, but the MMR hurt her a lot!  Poor girl…  We got a little stir-crazy Thursday afternoon (being cooped up in a small townhouse due to cold, rainy weather gets old…), so we decided to check out a few places in downtown New Prague.  Cranky Alice is definitely worth visiting again, without a busy 18-month old.

Friday–Abby and I met up with our friend Kristina at the Children’s Museum.  We had fun playing in many of the areas of the museum, and even sat and listened to story time.  After Abby was worn out from playing, we met up with friends Bill and Katherine in the skyway system to head to lunch.  We ate at a yummy pizza place called Chris and Rob’s.  It was fun to see everyone again!  By the time we got home, it was naptime for Abby…she was SO tired that she napped for 3 hours!  Later in the afternoon, we took a walk with our friends Kelly and Mitchell (which Madi definitely appreciated–it’s been so yucky out for walks lately) before supper.

Saturday–Today, Abby slept in until 9 (yay for sleeping in!).  We headed to Minnesota Harvest apple orchard to enjoy the nice weather.  We taste-tested apples and decided that Dave and I have very different tastes in apples…so, we ended up with two different bags.  Abby enjoyed an apple cider donut, then was willing to pose for a couple of pictures with the pumpkins.  Unfortunately, the petting zoo was closed because of how muddy things were out there, but Abby did get to see some horses.  The rest of today has been pretty uneventful…Dave left for work at 2 (last night security shift of the season!) and Abby and I have been trying to soak up the decent weather by going to the park and then on a long post-supper walk.

Well, last time I wrote, we were only four days into the school year having just survived Abby’s first bout of the flu for the season…  Here we are now, 5 weeks in, with much to tell!  Life has been keeping us busy, so I’ll do my best to try to fill you in on everything…

The day after I last posted, I ended up getting sick with Abby’s stomach virus from the week before…I couldn’t believe that I had to miss the 5th day of school!  Lots of sickness has been going around our school, so I guess it’s just going to be one of those years…  I was only out for a day, then able to bounce back and make it through the rest of the week.  Unfortunately, being sick on a Monday meant that we had to miss Abby’s first day of ECFE toddler class.  That weekend (the 18th/19th of September), we enjoyed spending some time at our town festival, Dozinky Days.  Abby and I went to the car cruise that Friday night, and she enjoyed eating her bedtime snack outside while watching all of the old cars go by.  That Saturday, Dave got to come with us to the parade before work.  Abby loved it all, and we came home with tons of parade candy.  After Dave left for work that day, we met up with Kristina and Maya at the dog park for a walk and a picnic.  Looking at the SNOW outside today makes it hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, it was HOT outside.  Crazy Minnesota weather…

Dave left for a “Man-cation” that Sunday, so Abby, Madi, and I were left on our own for a few days.  Luckily, my sister came to help out Monday afternoon/night, because things started to go downhill at school that day…  Unfortunately, the staph infection I had in my leg in April came back over that weekend, and by Monday mid-morning I knew I needed to go in and get it checked out.  I also knew I didn’t want Abby to miss another week of ECFE class (which started at 6), so I made it to the doctor as soon as I could (4:30) while Jenny came to our house to take Madi out, pick Abby up from daycare, AND start our supper.  I managed to go to the doctor, get Abby and myself fed and ready for class, pick up my 2 prescriptions, and get to class on time.  About the staph infection…it was a long and painful 10 days of medicine before the spot on my knee finally drained and went away.  Hoping to be free of the infection now, because it is not fun.  About class–it is very different from our baby class we took last year, but still a lot of fun.  They have a play area with different activities set up, and the kids/parents get about 30 minutes to play/explore.  Then they gather everyone in a circle for songs.  Abby wasn’t too interested in staying in the circle the first week we were there.  After circle time, the kids sit at little tables for a snack while the adults go to another room to talk.  The kids have some separation/play time, which was hard for some.  Abby managed okay, but apparently shed a few “sympathy” tears when other kids cried.  We made it through the rest of the week without any issues, and were ready for a fun girls’ weekend.  My aunts Miriam and Mara, my cousin Sarah, and my parents came up to New Prague Friday night.  Dave and I went over to their hotel to play some games that night, then Abby and I joined them over there for breakfast Saturday morning.  Miriam, Mara, and Sarah headed out earlier Saturday to go to the Wedding Shoppe to search for Sarah’s wedding dress.  She was successful, and is going to be a beautiful bride next September!  My parents, Abby, and I met up with them later that morning at Ikea.  Abby and my dad enjoyed playing in the kids area while the rest of us shopped.  After lunch, my parents headed back to Rochester, but the rest of us were just starting the girls’ weekend adventure.  We shopped a little more at Ikea, then went up to Maple Grove to check into our hotel.  We stayed at an amazing place with a roomy suite.  Abby napped, and woke up in time for a pre-supper swim.  She was not a fan of the pool, so we’ll have to try to find a place to take her swimming this winter to get her more used to it.  We ate at Don Pablo’s that night, then headed back to the suite for some games before bed.  After a huge breakfast (seriously, the best complimentary hotel breakfast buffet I have ever seen), we did some shopping at the Albertville outlet mall.  We arrived back in New Prague later that afternoon, after a fun girls’ weekend.

Unfortunately, Abby caught a cold that weekend, so she was a little sniffly to start the next week.  Our daycare ended up closing Tuesday-Friday, so it worked out okay that Abby could have some quiet time between Rochester and our house.  She spent Tuesday-Thursday in Rochester, then Dave brought her home Thursday afternoon.  He stayed with her Friday morning, then I came home in the afternoon to take over so he could go to work.  She slept a lot that week, as her body was trying to recover from the cold.  That Friday night, we headed back to Rochester so I could see my good friend Julie the next day.  Julie was back for her high school reunion, traveling all the way from Miami.  It was so good to see her for a little bit on Saturday.  Sunday, Abby woke up with a temperature of 101, so she and I went to the express clinic nearby.  Fortunately, it was just an ear infection in right ear (no H1N1 or anything like that…), so she started on her amoxicillin right away.  Her fever went down and she seemed to be feeling okay, so we headed up to the Metrodome to see the Twins play in one of their last regular season games this year.  It was our school’s “Day at the Dome”, and we met up with my parents and sister and Dave’s parents and sister.  It ended up being a great game, and the twins won so they could have a tie-breaker game on Tuesday against Detroit.  Abby was able to make it through the whole thing just fine.

This week has been pretty exciting for Abby…she was back at daycare, and on Wednesday, had a new trick to show me…yes, she was WALKING!!!!  She had been practicing at daycare for awhile, and it finally clicked!  She was excited to show off her new skills when we went to the park for a playdate with Abby’s friend Mitchell that night.  It was definitely an exciting moment to see this finally happen for Abby…we knew she could do it, and she did!

Well, life has been busy, so we are taking it easy this weekend.  Dave and Madi are pheasant hunting, and I have a lot of schoolwork/housework to get done while Abby is sleeping this weekend.  Then just a 2-day student week, a workshop day, and four glorious days of freedom/time to get caught up again.  This morning, we woke up to temperatures in the 20s and a nice coating of snow outside.  I don’t mind winter, but when we seem to have missed out on fall (where were the 60-degree days??), it’s not so great.  Abby put on her new snowpants this morning, but wasn’t feeling like checking out the snow.  Maybe when we get her some boots…I guess we may need to find some soon!

Well, we survived week one of “real” school…it was a short week, but seemed like a really long one.  I’m hoping that we’ll start to settle in and I’ll feel less overwhelmed once we get into the regular routine in the next couple of weeks.  Poor Abby ended up getting a quick case of the stomach flu (somehow, Dave and I avoided it!) on Tuesday…right after I picked her up from daycare, she ended up getting sick.  3 loads of laundry, 2 bottles of Woolite carpet cleaner, 2 baths, and 3 sets of jammies later, we had finally made it through the long night…  Abby was miserable, but luckily she slept well and got to stay home with Dave the next day.  He said that she took about 6 hours worth of naps, and when she was awake, she just wanted to snuggle on the couch.  By the next day, she was back to normal and survived the rest of the daycare week.

This morning, my dad came up and we (Dave, my dad, Abby, and I) headed to Jordan for the “Run of the Mill” 5K.  Four years ago, we had done this race (my first-ever 5K)…I think we finished somewhere around 34 minutes and walked a good portion of it.  We left Dave and Abby at the park where the race ended, and we went up to the starting point at the middle school.  My goal was to not walk and to try to get around 27:30 for a time.  I really thought I wouldn’t have to walk, since the race was flat and downhill…an easy course.  My dad and I started out really strong (an 8:10 min. mile for the first mile…16:30 when we hit the 2nd mile marker).  I think the pace was much faster than I was used to going, so after mile 2, I had to take a walking break.  After a couple of minutes, we ran the rest of the way down to the park.  We made it across the finish line in 27:42…8 seconds less than my best time a couple of weeks ago.  I’m happy about that, but bummed that I wasn’t able to run the whole thing–we would have had an amazing finish time.

After the race, we had breakfast at a cute little restaurant in Jordan, then Dave, Abby, and I stayed for the Heimatfest parade.  Abby was extremely scared of the fire trucks when they blasted their sirens and horns.  It was fun to see our buddies Alex and Alissa, and a coworker in the parade.

This afternoon, we decided it was time for a little “Walking 101″.  Abby hates using her push-toys, but LOVES being outside, so we decide to attempt going for a walk with the push-toy.  We took her doll stroller out, and she managed to walk from our house to the corner where the McDonald’s is.  Madi didn’t really appreciate the slow pace, but it was good practice for Abby.  On the way back, Abby decided her doll shouldn’t ride in the stroller anymore, so she pushed the stroller one-handed while holding her doll in the other.  This was good practice for walking, but she was moving pretty slow and getting distracted easily (apparently, her doll needed to eat something off of the ground?).  Dave ended up carrying her the rest of the way back, but she probably got in a good half-hour practice without complaining about using the push-toy.  She is SO close to being able to let go of things and just do it on her own…her stubbornness/fear is just holding her back still.  Hopefully soon!  Here are some action shots from this afternoon:

We’ve had a fun and busy last weekend before school truly starts tomorrow…in 12 hours, I will be outside waiting for my kiddos to line up at our spot on the blacktop.  So crazy…

Before the weekend, though, my brother came to visit us for an evening.  Greg was in the Midwest for the week, all the way from California (for 2 weddings…not just to visit us).  He got to spend an evening at the park with Abby, and even helped give her a bath and read her bedtime stories.  I also beat him at Scrabble for the first time in a REALLY long time.

Friday morning, since Dave didn’t have to go to work until 3 and I didn’t work that day, we decided to take Abby to the zoo.  We got about 10 minutes down the road and realized we forgot a stroller.  So, we had to pay the $5 rental fee for a zoo stroller.  Abby didn’t mind, and enjoyed seeing all of the animals and our lunch picnic afterwards.

On Saturday morning, Abby and I got up and made the trip to Iowa for my cousin’s wedding.  We attempted to leave at 9, but didn’t officially make it out of town until about 9:30 (first I forgot my wedding shoes, then the sweater to go with my dress…, then 10 minutes down the road–the Pack ‘n Play).  We made it down to Webster City in time to have lunch with my grandma, dad, siblings, aunt, and cousin.  Then it was time to head to the farm for a quick nap for Abby before the wedding.  We had cousin pictures at 5, and the wedding started at 6.  Abby and her buddy Joe ate a quick pre-wedding meal together.  Unfortunately, I only got to see about 5 minutes of the wedding…Abby had to be escorted out pretty early on because she was being pretty loud.  Not really naughty, just jabbering too loud.  We stayed at the reception for a couple of hours, until Abby decided she couldn’t stay awake any longer.  We missed the dancing, but I hear it was pretty fun.  Lynsey and Kyle looked very happy!

Sunday, we went to church (Abby made it through about 2/3 of the service) and hung out at the farm until it was time to head back to Minnesota.  We made a pit stop in Albert Lea to see the Olsen grandparents and Tracy.  Abby was glad to see her bed last night!

Which brings us to today…Labor Day.  It has become tradition to go down to Mapleton to hang out with the camp friends (plus other new friends) at Ben and Betsy’s.  The weather was beautiful for today’s get-together.  Abby loved Tim and Katrina’s babies and swimming with her friend Esther.  She also discovered a love for hot dogs, and ate up all of the food on Addison’s plate after finishing her own plate of food.

Abby is still kind of stuck on the walking thing…but getting better at walking holding onto just one finger.  Hopefully she will gather up some courage to try it on her own soon!  It’s been fun to hear her talking more and more, though.  She now has several words she can use–mama, dada, baby, ball, bye-bye, hi, uh-oh, night-night, puppy (and woof woof), meow, no, mine (those last two may be dangerous…).  She is also getting really good at answering yes/no questions–better at shaking her head no, but nodding her head yes is coming along.  It’s fun to be able to communicate back and forth a little more.

Well, here we are…in less than 12 hours, I will be back at school, sitting and listening to the principal go over the handbooks and goals for the school year…then thinking about all of the things that need to be done before kids come in a week.  Crazy how fast the summer always goes.  I’ve been so lucky to have been able to enjoy the summer days with Abby, and I will miss her like crazy when I drop her off at daycare in the morning.  I know we’ll settle back into our school-year routine, but it’s still a little tough getting started.

We’ve been trying to not dwell on the end of summer this weekend, so have been up to lots of fun things.  On Friday afternoon, our friend Kristina and her dog Maya came down to visit us.  Abby decided to take a short nap so she could make the most of their visit.  We visited the park (which has now become a 2 times/day activity and is quite the obsession for Miss Abby), played with all of Abby’s toys, ate out at the local Mexican restaurant, and took Abby and the dogs for a wagon ride/walk.  Kristina even helped with bedtime stories/bedtime routines.  It was SO nice to have another adult to spend the Friday with, because Dave worked from 1-9:30.

Saturday morning was a rough wake-up…we had to get up at 6 to get ready to go to the zoo for the Tiger Tracks 5K.  Abby was not thrilled to be woken up at that time, so we’ll see how early wake-up goes tomorrow…  We made it out the door and to the zoo with a little time to spare.  Here is a “before” shot of us at the race:

Being able to have my dad race with me really helped.  He was nice enough to run with me (even though he is much faster), so it kept me going even when I thought I needed to stop and walk.  The coolest part was running through the grizzly bear area–all 3 grizzly bears were standing on their hind legs right by the glass, watching us run by.  The course was a lot tougher than the Prior Lake race–that one was flat, this one definitely had some hills–so I was really happy to have shaved off 38 seconds on that time.  I made it in at 27:50.  My goal was to run it in 28 minutes, so I am definitely excited for that time.  Plus, my pace was an 8:59 mile…keeping in mind that I had about a 14-minute mile in junior high and DREADED running the mile all through school…  After the race, my parents, Abby, and I stuck around the zoo for awhile, then had lunch in Apple Valley before heading our separate ways.

Dave had to work the 1-9:30 shift again, so Abby and I just had another low-key Saturday afternoon/evening.  But today, we were lucky to have one last day for the three of us to hang out, so we got up “late” (8:00–yay!) and went to the Renaissance Festival for the day.  This was Abby’s first time there, and she had a great time!  She loved the petting zoo area, the Scottish dancers with colored fabric and bells on their costumes, all of the dogs that people had brought along, and of course–the turkey drumsticks.  She even let us sit through an hour-long hypnotist show.  (For Abby, sitting still for a whole hour is a BIG deal)  She slept on the way home, and then two more hours in her crib at home…tired girl after a long day.  We of course had to visit the park again tonight, although I’m sure that school starting will not prevent us from going there most nights.

Well, we are now less than one week away from getting back into our fall routine…workshops start on Monday, and right after Labor Day, school officially starts!  I’m not sure if I am quite ready to go back yet, but I guess I have no choice…

I was lucky to get the opportunity last week to get some time in at school, so I’m feeling better about my classroom.  My parents came up and helped on a Sunday, then took Abby back to Rochester for most of the week.  I definitely missed her, but loved being able to get a lot of things done that would have been tricky with her around.  I met my mom at my hair appointment that Thursday, and took Abby home with me then.  She had less than 24 hours at home, then Dave’s parents picked her up Friday late morning for a special weekend with her.  They took her to the zoo and the Steele County fair over the weekend, and had a lot of fun.  On Sunday, we picked her up at Dave’s cousin Jenny’s house in Stewartville, where we all enjoyed the gorgeous weather.  Jenny had a get-together with Dave’s mom’s side of the family in her nice, big backyard.  The weather was perfect for grilling out, hanging out outside, Tracy’s birthday celebration, some time at the park, and bocce ball.

After Jenny’s, we stopped at my parents’ house in Rochester for supper before heading back to New Prague.  Abby and I are spending most of the days this week just hanging out, enjoying the last of summer.  We go for a bike ride to the park in the morning, where she swings/plays on the equipment for awhile.  Before lunch, we take Madi on a long walk.  It’s so nice to have this time together before life gets busy again.

Monday night, we headed up to the Twins game to help our friend Meggon celebrate her birthday.  We don’t get to see Meggon and Justin too often, as they live in Chicago, so it was so great to spend time with them.  We had a big group of camp people there, and the Twins even won!  We weren’t sure how Abby would do, since the game started at her normal bedtime (7), but she managed to make it through the whole thing.  Crabbiness set in around 9:30, but she made it.  Abby also discovered hot dogs at the game.  Even though she had eaten her supper before we came, she had to share my hot dog with me.  Even after that, she decided that Dave’s jumbo dog looked good.

Yesterday was one of our last days where all 3 of us had nothing going on, so we took Abby up to Underwater Adventures at Mall of America.  It was her first time there, and she was a little unsure about the fish/sharks/etc. swimming all around her.  I learned that teachers get a free membership, so that was pretty nice.  We spent some time walking around the mall afterwards, and had lunch before we left.  Abby was doing such a good job drinking her carton of milk (with a straw) by herself, until Dave and I weren’t paying close enough attention…  We looked over, and the rest of the milk had ended up in her lap.  Luckily, we had a change of clothes and it was about time to go home anyway.