Thankful Thursday - Creature of Habit

So I've come to the realization that if you looked up "creature of habit" in the dictionary, you would see a photograph of my daughter. Yup, that's right ... habit could be her middle name. For the most part, this has made Abby such a happy baby and her Mama ... well, a happy Mama. I mean I can't really complain. She sleeps like a champ, at nap times and through the night, and eats at basically the same times everyday (and eats anything). I am extremely thankful that Abby has become a "sleeper."

However, there are times when things come up and Abby may not get a scheduled nap time or she may go to bed a little later than usual. Let's take a look at last Friday for example. Friday night, my parents and I decided to take Abby to her Daddy's game. I knew it was risky, we'd be out late, but at least I'd catch an O's game and Abby could see her Daddy before and after the game, and I could steal a kiss from that handsome man I call my hubby. Much to my surprise, Abby was a delight! She waved to everyone we passed, enjoyed playing with some of the ladies in the suite, made googly eyes at the Oriole Bird, and sat in her stroller taking everything in for a solid three innings.

The only downside of the evening was the dreaded bedtime.... 11:3o pm. Whoa! Abby hasn't seen that time in months!! She slept well, woke up late, which started the weekend frenzy. That child skipped her morning nap on Saturday, took a late afternoon nap, and was in bed at 10. What?! Then Sunday, no nap at all. Double WHAT?! We were finally back to bedtime at 8 on Monday night. Needless to say, that ONE night of unordinary completely wrecked her schedule. Did it wreck our weekend? No. Was I one tired Mama? Yes.

It's not just nap times and bedtimes, it's also the little things. Abby will only take one kind of bottle. A month ago, I tried switching from the Dr. Brown's bottles to the Playtex drop in bottles and she would have nothing to do with it. Now I'm working on switching to sippy cups and having a hard time with that. Abby drinks water from a sippy but wants her milk only in a bottle.

Ugh, habit. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it makes for a challenge. Do any of you Mamas have any recommendations on the switch from a bottle to sippy? Ideally, I'd like her to only have a bottle at night. Hmmm... what are your thoughts? Help!

And this my friends ... is the face I get when a habit is broken.

I am so thankful I don't see this face much!

Wordless Wednesday + Photo Challenges

"The more that you read,

the more things you will know.

The more that you learn,

the more places you'll go."

~ Dr. Seuss

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The theme over at The Paper Mama this week is Excitement. I know I posted this picture just a few weeks ago, but I couldn't think of a better picture to show Abby's excitement. She gets so excited to see "Mr. Turtle" each time we take a walk through Gramma & Grandad's yard.

Next up is the photo challenge over at In A Yellow House. The theme for the week is Water. It was really hard for me to choose a picture for this one. I have a lot of photos in my archives with water ... the beach, Abby in the pool, water views from places we've visited. In the end, I decided to pick a photo that may not be the best, or edited all that well, but it definitely has a uniqueness factor about it. I took this picture from a boat in the Sarasota Bay. There was a sand bar right in the middle, where I captured a lady playing with her dog.

If you want to enter your own photo, head on over to these photo challenges. Just click on the linkies to have some fun! If you don't have a photo, still go on over and check out the other entries. There is a lot of talent and beautiful photos to see! :)

Family Reunion 2010

Each summer, for the past fifty (or so) years, our family has gathered together for a family reunion. It's a time of reminiscing and thinking back to "the good ol' days." Our family is great at keeping memories alive, that's for sure! It's a time to visit with family members that we don't see as often as we'd like. Some, we only see once a year ... and each year brings a new surprise... maybe a marriage or a new baby.

Thanks to my Aunt Kay and Uncle Donnie, they have hosted the family reunion at their beautiful home for the past several years. It's the perfect spot ... nestled right on the water with a breeze coming through the windows. Boat rides, trampoline fun, a huge assortment of food, laughter with family, telling stories, chasing toddlers, and a little picture taking. I took a bunch of photos, so I'm hoping my bestie Carol will help me with those amazing slideshows she knows how to do! Then maybe next time, I won't have to leave out some photos or have such a long post either.

Beautiful setting and a beautiful day!

Abby & Libby

I had trouble getting a good shot of the both of them.

Photographing two toddlers is hard!

My little birdwatcher.

My grandmother and her great grandchildren :)

Look at those beautiful eyes!

Isn't this little guy so handsome?

Strike a pose!

So sweet.

Abby finally gave in. Gramma knows just how to do it!

Flashback Friday

Here ya go folks... my first Flashback Friday post EVER

and it's all about ME!

Here I am ... only a month old.

Looks like Abby got all that dark hair from me!

Me & my sister Jen ... isn't this such a sweet photo?

Then there is the hair at a year old ... look at those curls!!

Another hair shot :)

So what do ya'll think, does Abby look like her Mama? Lately, we have been getting such a mix of answers. One day someone will say she looks just like me, then the next day.... she looks just like Jim. I think that's a good thing though ... she is the perfect mix of her Mommy and Daddy!

Thankful Thursday + In A Yellow House

On this Thankful Thursday, I'm keeping it simple. I stumbled across this video on Facebook, where a friend of mine posted it on her page last night. The words in this video brought back memories to the beginning of my journey as a Mama. I admit, the beginning of my journey was way harder than I expected and I am so thankful that I reminded myself everyday of words like these found in this video. "It's okay to want a break ... You will make mistakes ... Nobody really knows what they're doing ... Be brave." It's words like these that touched my heart and helped me to "Take the time to fall in love with my baby" and for THIS I am THANKFUL.

This weeks theme at the In a Yellow House Photo Challenge is "Work and Play." At first I was unsure of what kind of photo to enter and I wanted to take the easy way out and skip the challenge this week. Then I found this photo of the hubs. I can't take credit for actually taking the picture, but I did do all the editing. And even though he is going to kill me for entering a picture of him, I think it totally fits the "Work and Play" theme. When he takes the field during a game, he gets to play and do what he loves. But ... baseball is work. Hard work. So proud of my hubs! :)

Wordless Wednesday - Window Faces = Not the cutest but a guaranteed laugh!

Quite the backdrop ...

This past Saturday my Godmother Cindy hosted a family picnic at her beautiful home. I hadn't been to her new home, even though she's been there for ten years now. She and her husband live in an old farmhouse that has so much character. I was so busy taking pictures of the surrounding area that I never snapped a picture of their own home!

Cindy and Mic's farmhouse is nestled in what is known as "Fairhaven Cliffs." An area on the water, with lots of hills and unique houses built directly on top of the cliffs. This is one of the few areas in Maryland that is mostly used as a weekend or summer getaway. Most of the homeowners work in Washington D.C. and travel to this beautiful place to escape the stresses of the work week. However, there are some people, like Mic and Cindy who have made it their home. I can totally see why - take a look at their waterview in the picture on the top left corner of the collage. The view was so stunning that we had to take a closer look, so a walk to the beach was in order.

Abby & Mommy

Cindy, Me & Abby

Me & the Kids (my Cousin's children + Abby)

Or fast forward, me in 8 years with all these children?!

Abby walking & making silly faces

Our family had a great time soaking up the backdrop of this beautiful place. It also helps that the company was wonderful, food was great, and lots of fun was to be had! :)