Lovin' Fall in Florida ...

Last weekend we headed out to Hunsader Farms, the farm that hosts a huge Fall Festival. You could seriously spend a whole day on the farm, but our family spent a Saturday morning out in the cool, crisp air. Unlike last year, the weather was much more Fall like, especially for Florida. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Nana and PopPop were here visiting so they were able to join in on the fun. Abby rode a pony, walked through the butterfly tent, and enjoyed playing music with other kids while an older couple sang some good old nursery rhymes. She danced on the stage, jumped in the bounce house, and loved the animals at the petting zoo. Abby also had her face painted for the first time and she was super proud of her pumpkins, blue nose, and aqua eyelashes.... all her pick of course!

I took a lot more pictures last year but decided I still had enough to put into a video like I did before. I can't believe how much Abby has changed since then.... my girl is growin' up!!

Hunsader Farms 2011

*The pic of Jim and me near the end got cut off.... you can't even see my bump. It was cuter before!

16 weeks - Baby No. 2 :)

Here we are at 16 weeks and I think it's safe to say that I've officially "popped." The bump has definitely arrived, although when wearing maternity pants it's much more noticeable. Things are going well ... I'm starting to feel better and I'm not getting as tired. There are still days that exhaust me but I'm able to push through it. Heartburn started to kick in last week, which is reminding me a lot of my pregnancy with Abby. It looks like I'm back to carrying Tums with me at. all. times.

We've been talking to Abby a lot about Mommy having a baby. She gets excited, points to my belly, and then goes on her merry way. I know she has no clue right now ... but when the little one finally gets here, she will be the best little Mommy. :)

Next appointment - November 4th ... looking forward to it!

Wordless Wednesday - Cha Cha Slide

Catchin' Up

Last night I uploaded pictures from this weekend (Pumpkin Farm fun) and realized just how far behind I am with adding pictures to the blog. I have a lot to catch you up on, so I'll cram as much as I can onto the blog this week. I promise.

The weekend before last, we went to a smaller Fall Festival with the Piersoll gang. A bit of miscommunication between the hubs and me about who had the cash, left us without much money. Try spending the morning at a Fall Festival with six dollars ... two of which are in quarters. Hey, it worked... so don't knock it. :)

After a few short minutes, Abby was ready to ride a pony. Last year she would have been kicking, screaming, and saying no. But this year proved to be nothing like the last.

She loved the pony ride ...

... loved the bounce house (also a no go last year) ...

... and attempted a train ride solo.

I wasn't quite sure if Abby would really enjoy the train ride or not so I tried to get in with her. She was adamant she ride like a big girl, so Jim and I buckled her up and let her ride. I have to admit she did better than I thought and made it through about half the ride.

Then the rest of the ride turned into this ...

Not so happy. But... she was a big girl, gave it a try, and I'm sure she'll be ready to go again the next time we come across one of these train rides.

Quick Recap ...

Just as I was beginning to blog a bit more often like I used to, I took a few steps back this week. Things have been quite busy since last Saturday, but definitely a whole lot of fun has been had. Jim's parents got into town Saturday night to visit for the week. In just the first day we were doing the church thing, going to the park, getting ice cream, and shopping. Then on Monday, Jim and I headed to Savannah for some couple time while Abby stayed with Nana and PopPop. I have a bunch more to share with y'all about that trip, how Abby's potty training is going, and of course a pregnancy update! For now, it's time to enjoy the family that is in town! :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Wordless Wednesday - Baby Bump + Model Abby

The bump is here!

Abby models for the camera ....

My favorite ... this just makes me laugh.

Boot Scootin' Boogie ...

Jim has been spending a lot of time teaching Abby how to ride her new Skuut bike and Abby is loving every minute of it. We first spotted these bikes in Baltimore, where little kids would speed by us as if they'd been riding a bike for years.

You see, there are two wheels, no training wheels attached, and no pedals. Kids learn to use their feet to scoot around, but for children Abby's age takes an incredible amount of balance. The whole point of the Skuut bike is to teach balance, forego training wheels and eventually graduate to a real bike.

So will it work? Who knows. Abby is still practicing with her Daddy and hasn't done it on her own just yet. Hopefully she'll gain more confidence and start riding it on her own, but until then she is happy to wear her helmet, let Daddy push her, and simply enjoy scootin' around.

Baby No. 2 :)

For the past several days I've been meaning to post a pregnancy update, but have gotten sidetracked in some way or another. Sometimes life just gets in the way...

We were so excited to share our news with everyone last week, it seemed like forever that I was holding in a secret. Jim and I found out about Baby No. 2 back in August, the first week of August to be exact. I was only four weeks along but knew, just knew that something was different. From the start of this pregnancy, I have had a lot of the normal pregnancy symptoms. Fatigue Exhaustion, nausea, aversions and cravings for certain foods, soreness, cramping. Thankfully heading into the second trimester, I'm starting to get more of my energy back (not all) and the nausea seems to be easing up a bit.

It's been neat to look back in my pregnancy journal from when I was pregnant with Abby. Just a few things seem to be different this time around. With Abby, I couldn't eat red meat ... I couldn't even look at it without feeling sick to my stomach. This time around is quite the opposite and I've been craving steak. Often. Eating Chipotle was a big no-no with Abby ... but I guess I can handle the spicy flavors this time around. Yessss! I would hate to miss out on my Mexican cuisine. I'm also starting to show a lot faster and have already been thinking about breaking out the maternity clothes. I haven't given in just yet, but it won't be long. Ugh.

Abby doesn't understand that we are adding a sweet baby to our family ... but when asked where Mommy's baby is, she points to my belly. She is going to be a great big sister and quite the helper. At least I'm hoping she treats her baby brother/sister like her baby dolls. She rocks them, feeds them, attempts to change diapers, and loves on them most of the time.

I suppose it's time for the weekly bump pictures to start... check back on Wednesday for my 14 week bump :)

Wordless Wednesday - Abby is going to be ...

A BIG SISTER!!

I am so happy to finally begin blogging about our excitement!

Here's the quick rundown since it's WW and all ...

I'm 13 weeks ...

measuring about 14 weeks.

Due Date is April 11, 2012 ...

may be changed to April 6, 2012.

We are THRILLED, nervous, EXCITED, happy, OVERJOYED! :)

Abby's First Concert

I know I talk a lot about Abby's favorites ... her love for dolphins, llamas, and "bops." (aka lollipops) However, I'm not sure if I've talked about her love for Laurie Berkner. For those of you who aren't familiar with children's music, she (and her band) sing silly songs, dance around, and kids love it. Abby LOVES it.

I first bought her the CD and we listened to LB over and over in the car until I knew every lyric and would find myself singing her songs in the shower and randomly throughout the day. Yup, that just goes with the role of being a Mommy... I think. Then I upgraded to the DVD ... Abby dances around and jumps up and down with excitement. She is mildly obsessed with it ... so much that even Daddy knows most of the songs. Hmm, I wonder if he sings them in the clubhouse at the ballpark? Now that would be something to see.

Anyways, back in April tickets to see The Laurie Berkner Band went on sale and I was on it. I ordered them right away, got seats just a few rows back from the stage, and we waited and waited for the concert to happen ... in September. The week before the concert was the week Miss Abby decided to get croup, so I was hoping she would pull through so we could make the show. Thankfully she did and she LOVED it.

Abby in a trance ...

... and after the shock of seeing the real live LB ...

Abby became a dancing, clapping machine!

And the best part of it all ... on its way to us courtesy of Target and my credit card is the new Laurie Berkner CD/DVD set! Abby will be so excited to have some new songs to dance to ... and I know I'll be excited to have different songs stuck in my head! :)