'Abby Spice'...'Abbers'...

As you can tell from the title, my family loves to give nicknames and Abby has already been given a few. Abby is now getting pretty good at using her hands and she loves to express herself through sounds. She's a talker, though I have no idea what she is saying. Here is Abby with her bear.

Off Into the Sunset...

We celebrated Brett's birthday a few weeks early because of some competitions he has with law school. To celebrate, we had a homemade picnic on the Potomac complete with sparkling cider. We then headed out to Georgetown for a boat ride on the river. (I found a free boat ride coupon...wahoo! I love a good deal.) We only had a minor trauma when it took us 30 min. to find a parking spot in Georgetown. Abby was wailing her lungs out in the backseat for food...oh dear...we are happy to say that she survived the ordeal....phew! It was a beautiful night for a cruise down the Potomac. The boat took us past all of the monuments that were lit up and reflected on the river...it was quite the sight. We loved the ride! It was the perfect Autumn evening to ride off into the sunset with my cute hubby! :)
A water fountain in Georgetown.









Brett on the boat ride. Abby on the boat... collapsed in my arms after a long cry in the car.









Enjoying the view from the water...

SCARED SILLY!

We were in the car tonight and I caught some classic moments of Abby. These pictures were all taken within seconds of each other.
Uh oh....WHAT'S THAT???
OH NO!
AHHHHH!!!!

Tagged...Pure Randomness

I've been officially tagged!
The rules:

1. Link to person who has tagged you: Ashley
and Susan

2. Post the rules on your blog

3. Write 6 random things about yourself

4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

1. I think I could beat Ashely on her speed in eating soft serve ice cream, especially when I'm pregnant.
2. I lose my phone or keys on a daily basis, but I am doing better. Thanks Brett.
3. I LOVE to travel and see new places!
4. When I'm swimming in a lake or ocean, I'm always afraid a fish is going to come and bite me... weird, I know. (Maybe it's from watching the movie 'Jaws' as a child, that really traumatized me.) :)
5. I love slobbery baby kisses!
6. I have a hidden stash of chocolate in my house at all times.
I tag Sue, Ellen and Michelle.

In Remembrance...

This week we made a trip to the Pentagon Memorial. The memorial was dedicated last month on September 11th. It is a memorial to all who died at the Pentagon. It was a sobering experience to see how many people were killed just at the Pentagon alone.














We had some good friends and neighbors that lost their brother in the tragedy and we found his personal bench. Each bench had a victims' name inscribed on it and had water flowing underneath. It really was heartbreaking to see all the individual lives and families that were effected, both those that died and those left behind. I can't imagine what it would have been like to lose a loved one that way.










Each bench led to a date when the victim was born. There were some very young people that died, including a 3 year old that was on the plane. There was a wall surrounding the benches that represented the youngest victim, rising in height to the oldest victim. The memorial was directly in front of where the plane crashed into the Pentagon.









Here are some pictures from the dedication that I found online. We weren't able to go to the dedication because it was for the families of the victims. It was a big event here in DC.










Here is an exhausted baby, 'bjornin' it,' on the metro on our way home. She is so fun to cuddle.

Future Senator!

Our good friends from law school, Lake and Elysa, gave Abby a hat that said "Future Senator". I went jogging with Abby the other day and it was chilly so I pulled out this hat. You can't see what it says because I'm not the best photographer, but I thought it was very suiting for the time of year with elections...."Future Senator." Gotta luv it! All bundled, ready for the jog.

We pulled out Brett's old electronic piano last week and Abby had a great time playing the keys with her dad. She loved hearing the different sounds that the piano made and would follow Brett's hands up and down the keyboard. She is one curious 'little bug' and we love her.













Abby also has a new love...her activity pad. She can lie there for a while and entertain herself, which is really nice for me so I can get some cleaning done.


Another event of this past week was Abby's shots. She had to get 6 shots last Friday and she endured it well. She cried during the ordeal but when I picked her up she stopped...what a brave little girl. The doctor gave her Garfield Bandaids for her shots. She was a little fussy over the weekend, but she's back to full swing again. :)



Abby also worked on mastering her grip this week. She was very proud of herself when she was able to hold her crab all by herself. Her crab is currently her favorite toy. If she is crying, you can whip out the crab and the tears turn to smiles. I'm glad the crab makes her so happy.




I've had some family requests for an 'Abby Video.' I tried catching Abby in her 'happy-smiley-talkative' moment, but she decided to stare at the camera. Oh well, I hope you enjoy seeing her cute chubby little face on camera. (Lately, when I record her, she gets quite distracted by the camera light. I don't quite know what to do about that. )

It's Official!

My brother, Spencer, has officially entered the Missionary Training Center to prepare to serve the people of the Fijian Islands. He was really excited to leave for this adventure! Right at this moment he's probably learning his first Fijian language lessons. :)