crawling!!

she is crawling!!

my baby is crawling!!

we are sooooo proud of her!!

watch out world... or living room!!

here comes abbi!!

sleeping in a recliner...

this has been a rough week...

i have slept in the recliner holding my sweet baby for 3 nights now...

she has been teething (2 bottom teeth... at the same time!!)...

and not happy...

only wants momma to hold her...

wont sleep unless i do...

rough...

but wonderful all at the same time...

a momma's work...

a momma's work is never done...

what a day!! i am beat!! i got home from work today around 3pm...

it is now about 9 pm...

so in the last 6 hours i have...

fed abbi

did dishes

played with abbi

ran the dishwasher

did laundry

played with abbi

made dinner... (this is the one we should all be impressed with!!)

did the dishes again

ate

fed abbi again

played with mashed up bananas ... and abbi

folded laundry

ran the dishwasher again

started abbi's bath (daddy does her bath and jammies every night! i love it!!)

picked up all of the toys from the day

put stuff together for work tomorrow

put laundry away

fed abbi and put her to bed

cleaned the bathroom

took a shower

posted on my blog!!

wow!! i felt like i didn't really stop at all!!

and you know what...

i wouldn't trade any of it for all the rice in china.

i love

my husband,

my little girl

and my life.

the grandmother i never met...

Jeannine A. Soucy

i never met my fathers mother. i wished i could have...

my mom always told me that she was a lovely women.

she passed away last month and i wanted to tribute her somehow...

Jeannine A. Soucy, 84, of Grants Pass died surrounded by family in her home on February 17, 2011.All who knew, loved & took care of Jeannine are welcome to come celebrate her life with us at Spring Village on February 27, 2011 at 1:30pm.

Jeannine was born to Joseph & Dorilda LeBlanc on 12/7/1926 in Lewiston Maine. On October 4, 1947 in Auburn Maine, She married Marcel Soucy who preceded her in death in 1999.

(my dad and jeannine)

They moved to Southern California in 1951, then to Grants Pass in 1970. Jeannine & Marcel retired to Southern California in 1997. And in 2002 Jeannine returned to Grants Pass and became a resident of Spring Village.

She was an active member in the Emblem club and a member of the Sweet Adalines. She loved her family & friends. She enjoyed cooking, singing, dancing, playing cards, bowling, golfing & of course - bingo.

She is survived by 3 sons & 3 daughters. Richard Soucy of Brighton Michigan, Donald Soucy of Grants Pass, Roland Soucy of Concord New Hampshire, Susan Parker of Canyon Lake California, Michele Monteleone of Riverside California, Evelyn Pittman of Grants Pass, 12 grandchildren & 8 great grandchildren.

i will meet you someday... until then... i love you.

8 months old...

what!! my beautiful daughter is 8 months old!! wow...

here are some of her 7-8 month highlights...

* abbi is sitting up on her own quite well now!! so big!!

* she doesn't feel the need to put her fingers in her mouth after every single bite of food now!! wahoo!!

* bouncing/jumping when she is standing is her favorite thing to do!! she loves it!!

* abbi sits still and just watches closely when i trim her fingernails.

* she LOVES LOVES LOVES crinkle noises!!!! plastic... and paper!! loves to "read the mail"!

* her whole little body gets very excited when momma or daddy come home from work! her hands go above her head and flail about and her legs kick kick kick!! it makes a momma feel good!!

* abbi will entertain herself for a good 20 minutes in her walker. she loves the music (she can't quite

hit the button on her own... but is close!), the rolling ball and the moving beads!! such a fun toy!!

* she has started to push herself back in the walker and turn

around...

* i am only nursing her in the morning

around4am and then again at night before she goes to bed.

* food schedule is: eating cereal with a jar of baby food fruit or veggie 3x a day. at the end of

the month i did cut that down to just 2x a day...

* she has started to roll over from her back to her tummy!!

* one morning nanny found her on her tum

my when she woke up!! and she had completely turned her self around in the crib from how i had laid her down!! crazy little kid!!

* she still loves her bath time with daddy!! splash splash splash!!

* when she gets excited about something she will turn into me and cuddle. oh it makes me melt!!

* watch out world! abbi is kissing!! :) she has started to open mouth kisses!!

* she scoots all around the living room!! for not being able to crawl she gets around the house!!

* crawling is coming though... she has started to rock back and forth on her knees!!

* she loves to drink like a big girl from momma's big cup! she takes a couple of swigs of water from my cup with her tongue in the cup and licks like a kitty!!

* when abbi sits with me she wants to hold onto my thumbs... quite cute!

* abbi is a girl who knows what she wants!! when she is sitting she will grab for your fingers so she

can stand up!

* the tummy sleeping has continue

d throughout the month! we have found her on her tummy for several naps!! sometimes we can tell she was sleeping on her hands!! ... momma does it too. :)

* her favorite toys this

month are: pinky- the ring stacks- her rattles... noise!! :) and her abby cadabby doll.

* abbi and momma took a walk downtown in the stroller to get bunco gifts and she was

sooooooooo good!! she didn't fuss the entire walk or in the 2 stores we went in to!! she loves to be outside and watch people! such a fun little girl!

* 2 of abbi's friends turned 1 this month too

... tayson and anne. we went to visit them both an

d deliver a present. abbi loved playing with tayson!! she loves other little kids!! she is becoming very social!

* she loves to "run" when laying down on the floor! we can hear the THUMP THUMP THUMP from another room! so funny!

* abbi has a fun little sense of humor and personality. she will sneakily grab the spoon when you are feeding her... she gives a sly smile! so cute!! we also see this little sly smile after she finishes her bottles... right before she starts chewing on the bottle nipple! funny kid!

* she loves momma's toes!! fascinated by them!

* we got rid of all the small binkies and bought new bigger cute colored ones!! (6+mos)

* she is chatter box! enjoys to talk and squeal... ooooh wow!

yayayayay

ayaya...

* grow

ww

wlllll

too!!

* peek-a-boo is still a favorite game!! she will take a burp cloth

or blanket and

put it over her face to

hide! she squeals with delight when we "find" her!! :)

* she has always loved listening to her "singing pillow" after her bath. but now she takes it and plays with the metal twist thing herself!!

* abbi has started to rub her little eyes when she is tired too... it is so cute!!

* nanny brought home a balloon for abbi. she

wasn't too sure about it at first, but she became fascinated about it!!

we sure love her!!

abbi is one amazing kid!!

peanut butter craze...

i want peanut butter!!

and lots of it!!

i have been putting pb on everything!!

cream of wheat...

this is my new favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner!! mmmmm soooo good!!

i found this yummy pb cookie recipe!! ... not your typical pb cookie!

2 eggs

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix - i used butter pecan instead

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together the eggs, water, butter and peanut butter. Stir in half of dry cake mix and blend well. Stir in the remaining cake mix and the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven.

and i have been making this pb granola too!!

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together the oats, wheat germ, almond slivers and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. In a saucepan, over medium heat, stir together the peanut butter, honey, cooking oil and salt until blended and bubbly. Add vanilla to hot mixture.

Pour hot mix over the oat mixture until all is coated. Put in a baking sheet with an 1/2 inch edge. Bake for 45 mins at 300 degrees.

Stir mixture with a wooden spoon to break up and put in a large bowl to cool.

i just can't get enough pb!!

sooooooo tasty!! :)

7 months...

What an Amazing little girl at 7 months!!

we sure love her! here are some of abbi's highlights of her 6-7 month!!

* just when we started to figure out her schedule.... she mixes it up on us!! ha!

* abbi is now eating fruits too!! she loves

them!! after just veggies, fruits are a fun change!

* she is eating about 3 "meals" a day, plus either nursing or a bottle.

4am- momma

7am- fruit with cereal and 2-3 oz bottle

10am- 6 oz bottle

1pm- fruit with cereal and 2-3 oz bottle

4pm- 6 oz bottle

5:30-6pm- veggie with cereal and 2-3 oz bottle

7-7:30pm- momma and bed

* we have see that she is using and sticking out her tongue so much more!! very cute...

* abbi is "talki

ng" lots more with her jaw- YA YA YA YA and DA DA DA DA

* she has this little noise she makes when she is happy or excited... hmmmm hmmmm hmmmm ! we call it her happy noise. melts my heart.

* when i am nursing her at night she has to be touching my skin somewhere... my arm, breast, fingers or face. it is soooooo sweet. again. melts my heart. :)

* sitting up is soooo close. she is getting stronger!

* abbi can stand up from sitting

all by herself!! she did this the first time by pulling up on the laundry basket! yikes!!

* RUN RUN RUN!! her little legs just go and go and go and go.....

* when she is excited she flaps her arms and kicks her legs!!

* i love it when she reaches for us when we hold our arms out to get her!

* abbi loves to be standing... on the floor, on our laps, on the counter, on our bed... just give her some fingers to balance

with and she will be standing!

* her toes are still one of her favorite toys!!

* when abbi smiles her whole face lights up!!

* she is transitioning more and more from thumb to binky. less thumb-more binky.

* abbi still thinks she has to put her fingers in her mouth with EVERY bite of food. silly girl!

* she is getting more hair!!

* the beginning of the month she would get really fussy after only being up for and hour instead of 2... but the binky sure helped make it easier to handle. then as she got closer to her 7 month birthday she didn't seem to get as fussy.

* her used to be hour long naps are not nearly as consistant either this month... they are more like 30-40 mins... momma can't get much done in that amount of time!! :)

* when she smiles her little nose crinkles up! so dang cute!!

* we took her to get her 6 month pictures and jcpenneys! she did sooooo well! there was only one time that she started to fuss a little. and that was when the photographer laid her on her belly for a pic. she is still not liking her t

ummy too much. but as soon as we sat her up s

he was all smiles again!

* every year the newspaper has a "BABES OF ... 2010" well, i entered her to be part of it and she won a prize!! she won a $25 gift card t

o Lee's Market! wahoo!! good job abbi girl!!

* she is starting to grow more! she is finally outgrowing some of her 3-6 months clothes! :)

* abbi is about 14 lbs

* our little one is filling out more... her face is more round and her little legs are chunky! love it!!

* she is reaching and grabbing for toys

* abbi loves anything that crinkles- plastic or paper- and rattles!

* she loves loves loves music! she will stop what she is doing and turn towards the music to listen. she loves american idol, commercials with a catchy jingle, the radio and momma's voice.

* when she is upset i can sing to her and it will calm her down. her favorites are: you are my sunshine and popcorn popping. :)

* abbi loves her daddy!! her whole body is excited when she sees him! ... i am pretty sure the same thing happens to him... he loves her soooooo much! and is such a good daddy!

* her awake time consists of playing on the floor- tummy and back, being in the swing, laying in the blue bouncy chair and her new favorite... the walker!! :)

* abbi loves bathtime too!! i am thinking that the love is divided between being able to splash in the water and the fact that her daddy is the one that gives her a bath 90% of the time!! :)

* she is a happy girl... she laughs alot. she likes to play, tease and be teased.

* peek-a-boo is still one of her favorites!!

* we sure love our little abbi! she is a good and happy girl!

things i love...

these 2...
this smile...

these moments...
happy valentine's day!!

the groundhog...

happy groundhog day 2011 !!

Many towns joined in celebrating Groundhog day, today in hopes to determine whether or not we will have six more weeks of winter, or if we are headed for an early spring. Even though there are many towns throughout the country who have weather predicting groundhogs, the most noble, by far is Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania’s famous little critter “Phil”.

The humble town held its annual Groundhog day celebration this morning, Feb 2ndand the results are in! The world’s most famous weather predicting groundhog, Phil, did NOT see his shadow this morning, so according to the folklore, good bye winter, hello early spring!

According to Wikipedia, the holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. References to Groundhog Day are found in a diary entry dated February 5, 1841, in Berks County, Pennsylvania by a storekeeper James Morris.

Wikipedia also states that Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, holds the largest Groundhog Day celebrations where crowds as large as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886.

So whether or not Phil’s prediction is accurate remains to be seen, one thing is for sure, those in the New Jersey area could sure use the break in this year’s snowy winter season!

source:2011 Groundhog Day Results- Did Phil see his shadow? - Atlantic City Top News Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/top-news-in-atlantic-city/2011-groundhog-day-results-did-phil-see-his-shadow#ixzz1DrxCamo4

babes of 2010 !

abbi is famous!! :)

every year the Herald Journal does a insert of the babies from the year previous...

i have always enjoyed looking at all of the pics... names and birthdays!

for a small fee of $15 i submitted abbi's pic and info for this years edition!!

and guess what...

MY GIRL WON A PRIZE!!

made the front page and everything!

(that is her on the bottom with the green bow)

she won a $25 gift card to Lee's market!! i am so excited!! what a babe!! :)

rest in peace...

a co-worker passed away this week. she was a single mom of 5. she was nice, quiet and kind. it is such a shock! we have rallied the last 2 weeks in raising money for her family. we held a bake sale at sam's club and raised almost $1300!! we will miss you colleen...

Colleen Barton (1965 - 2011)

Colleen Barton, age 45, of Logan, Utah, died Jan. 25, 2011, at the University of Utah Medical Center from complications related to acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia.

Colleen was born Dec. 14, 1965, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the fifth child of Clark and Cherrill Barton. She had a happy childhood in Bountiful, Utah. Colleen was always very active in church and was especially fond of Girl's Camp and other youth outings. Colleen moved during her high school years when her father's duties with the U.S. Air Force initiated a move to Avon Park, Fla.; then Holbrook, Ariz. Colleen is a graduate of Holbrook High School. She always enjoyed music, singing with numerous musical groups. Being a member of the Holbrook High School Flag Team was a highlight of her earlier years.

Colleen attended Weber State College in Ogden, Utah, and Utah State University in Logan, where she met her future husband Kelly Dale Kemp. They were married in 1986 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. They had five children, Nathan, Kyle, Allison, Gary and Mellissa. They lived in Kearns, Utah, and Logan, Utah; they later divorced and Colleen continued to raise her family in Logan.

Colleen was a deeply spiritual person who cherished and served her Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. Her children were her life and she worked tirelessly to teach them honesty, love for others, faith in God and devotion to family. Her loving example and teaching has made her children unbelievably strong, resilient and united.

While living in Logan she was a very active member of the LDS Church, extremely involved with school and music for her children. She received and gave much support through her affiliation with Heart to Heart.She was a devoted friend, always willing to lend a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. She was universally loved because of her ability to accept and understand others without judgment. It is doubtful Colleen realized the extent of her enormous influence in the lives of her children, family and friends.

Colleen is survived by her children, Nathaniel Merrill Kemp (23), Kyle Riddell Kemp (21), Allison Kay Kemp (19), Gary Allen Kemp (16), Mellissa Rose Kemp (13); her parents, Clark Laws Barton, Cherrill Kay Barton (Oyler); her siblings, Jeffrey Clark Barton, Laurie Kay Anderson (Barton), Alan Glen Barton, Julian Dale Barton; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, family and friends too varied and numerous to mention.

The outpouring of love and support to Colleen, her children and family have been truly humbling and oh so appreciated. Colleen is with her Father in Heaven and knows without a shadow of a doubt that she was loved by all.

Services will be held Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Logan 6th Ward Chapel located at 94 W. 600 South in Logan, Utah. Viewing will begin at 10 a.m., Funeral service at 11 a.m. The graveside service and burial will take place at 3 p.m. at the Lakeview Cemetery, 1640 E. Lakeview Drive, Bountiful, Utah, 84010. Services by Lakeview Mortuary, (801)298-1564.

Online obituary at http://www.memorialutah.com/

6 month photo shoot....

we took abbi to jcpennys for her 6 month photos!!

love them so much!!!

this one is my favorite...
A ... is for Absolutley Adorable Abbi!!!!

this on is Kevin's favorite...

really really love this one with her holding on to kevin and my hands!! so darling!

this was the very first pic he took!! love it!

look at her cute little toes all curled up!

that is my abbi!!

i was very impressed with the pics! i will go there again!

what a sweetie!! she did sooooooooooooo well!

6 months old...

6 months!! so crazy!!

here are some of abbi's wonderful highlights at 5-6 months old!!

* she loves to play peek-a-boo! we put a burp cloth over her head and she can pull it off!

* she has the most beautiful little hand gestures. so gentle and soft.

* KICK KICK KICK!! she moves those legs soooo fast! we are gonna be in trouble when they hit the floor! she kicks so much, sometimes she kicks out of her jammies!!

* santa brought her a play mat that has a criss cross arch over the top for Christmas! she enjoys playing with the chain that links the 2 sides together and the pictures that hang from the arch.

* if she is fussy she will quiet down when she hares music. her singing pillow is the best!!

* abbi is starting to take longer naps every now and again. wahoo!!

* abbi loves to touch momma's hair. she gently strokes my hair...

* she giggles at lots of things! ... tickling & teasing ...

* her favorite toys right now are: the colored link chains, the fabric crinkle toys and pinkie (little stuffed bear that has a ring all the way around it and rattles)

* binky as been a huge comfort ... and play toy. she is not sucking her thumb as much.

* abbi loves to chew on everything! she is enjoying her teething/cold toys.

* she is eating cereal 2 times a day. we added veggies to her diet: sweet potatoes and carrots.

* she is getting soooooooo close to sitting up on her own!

* laying on her back is still much for enjoyable for her... not liking the tummy too much!

* she loves to stand and walk around the room holding onto our fingers.

* "talks" with her jaw... getting ready for baba and dada

* if there is a toy in front of her she will pick it up and start playing with it!

* abbi smiles alot! she is a very happy baby! and we are so happy to be her momma and daddy!

* she really enjoyed the wrapping paper at Christmas! loves that crinkle sound!

* i love to show abbi what she is going to wear... she smiles and kicks her feet! it sure feels like she likes the outfit too!! :) so fun!

* she is eating very well! and is on a 3 hour schedule for her 5 oz bottles

* abbi is such a sweet little girl! while she is nursing she will rub my arm or play with my shirt. she sometimes will lightly pinch my skin. she also will raise her hand/arm that is on top high into the air! so dang cute!!

* "talks" while nursing! "MMnnnn NNmnnn NMnnMn" GASP!! and then do it all again! silly...

* she has a little bit of a rash on her neck from ... SO MUCH SWABBA!!!! :)

* she is starting to reach her arms out to us when we reach for her... love love love that!!

* when momma is drinking from a cup she thinks that she needs to have a drink too! :) she puts her mouth up to the cup and thinks she is drinking! sometimes she will lick it up like a kitty!

* this girl LOVES her bath!! she really gets in to splashing her little legs and feet in the water! momma and daddy usually end up just as wet as she is!!

* daddy loves to wiggle her mouth as she talks... abbabababbbaaabbabababba... pretty fun!

* her toes are still her favorite thing to play with!

* she thinks its fun to flail her arms all around...

* we have to be careful what we put in front of her... because she will grab anything she can!

* she is getting more hair... kinda a honey color!

* her little arms can just barely reach to the top of her head! every now and again she will just scratch her head... it is pretty cute!

* she loves to read books! well... flip the pages!

* it's a good thing she has lots of darling clothes, because some days we go through several outfits!! swabba, spit up or messy diapers!

* she is an amazing little girl! we love her more and more every day!!