An Encounter with Santa

As you can tell by Abby's face, it was more like Close Encounters of the Third Kind for her; she was not pleased at all with having to sit in Santa's lap. We couldn't help but laugh when we saw the pictures afterward. Even after she got out of Santa's lap, she said, "ho, ho, ho" and smiled at Santa as if she hadn't screamed and wriggled for freedom while in his lap. Maybe next year she'll be a little happier to visit Santa!

Trimming the Tree

We had a great time trimming the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving... we put up the tree, put lights on the front of the house, and put up other decorations.  One of her favorite holiday decorations is the snowman, which she calls "pizza" for some reason we have not figured out!

Ava is here!

Ava Lynn Bentley, our newest niece, is here! Bruce (Dan's brother) and his wife, Jessica, welcomed a new baby girl on Thanksgiving day! She is beautiful, curious, and has a great temperament so far. We are so excited that she is here. Big sister, Bella, is getting used to the idea, and has no shortage of kisses for her new baby sister. Bella spent the days leading up to the birth letting everyone feel the "baby" in her tummy by jutting out her stomach to mimic the baby kicking!

Silly Abby

Just a few pictures of our silly girl! Just, you know, the everyday pants on the head.... playing in the cabinets....waking up with crazy hair....

Halloween

We had a great Halloween holiday at our house... Abby dressed up as a nurse - cute as can be! We got to go to the pumpkin patch just outside of Montgomery, carved pumpkins together, and went to a Halloween party where Mom and Dad dressed up as Napolean Dynamite and Deb from the movie.... it was great! More posts to come with backlogged pictures...... :)

I had to document Abby's first set of pigtails! Her hair is just barely long enough to fit into pigtails, and she won't leave them in long, but they are precious!

She's walking!

I know, I know..... the blog has been neglected, and has lain dormant for six weeks now! I attempt to revive it with what will hopefully redeem me... a video of Abby walking and playing chase with Daddy! I hope y'all enjoy!

She's just so CUTE!!!

Everyday Abby

I took several pictures of Abby doing what she does everyday because Daddy had to leave for three weeks, and we made a litte card that said.... "I miss Daddy when I'm reading." "I miss Daddy when I'm playing." "I miss Daddy when I'm jogging with Mommy" etc. We miss him, but he'll be back soon! Meanwhile, it is fun to have some time just for us! (most of the time, ha!) She is saying several words including, "Daddy," "Ball," "Door," "Poppy," (Grandad), "Doggie," and "Ni night."

Abby turns one!

It is so hard for us to believe that Abby is already a year old. This is the cake smushed in the face shot. :) We had a little party at a park near our house, and invited friends and family to celebrate. Abby especially liked feeding the ducks and smushing cake between her fingers. Roddy was able to join us from Texas and we were so glad she came! Abby's other grandparents live in town, so all of Abby's grandparents were at her party! That is a true treat for a military family! Happy Birthday, Abby! You are beautiful!

I must mention her outfit for the party was picked out by her Aunt Kenley... what style!

A Visit to Tullahoma

Over Memorial Day weekend, we tagged along with Dan's brother, Bruce, his wife, Jessica, and their beautiful daughter, Isabella, to see Dan's grandparents, who live in Tullahoma, TN. We had a great time visiting, riding Great Grandpa's tractor, and shooting the BB guns Dan and Bruce played with as kids. Great Grandma and Grandpa were so hospitable and kind, and we enjoyed our visit so much, even though it was short.

So proud!

Dan recently graduated with his Master's in Public Administration with a GPA of 3.8! Smarty pants! We went down to Texas so he could walk the stage, and it was the first time he had set foot on campus because he did the whole degree in a distance format. We are so proud of him! My whole family got to come to celebrate the event.... Mom, Kenley, Landon, and Kenley's boyfriend were all there. We missed Preston, who was taking finals at college. It was a beautiful day which made for some great pictures!

A Visit from an Old Friend

One of our dear friends from college, Cary, came to visit a couple of weeks ago. She just finished law school.... woo-hoo! It was so wonderful to visit with her... it has been five years! She is a friend that you feel you've never left, and she is both an example and a great blessing to me. She also happens to be a GREAT photographer. She got some priceless pictures of Abby... here is just a small sampling.

Walk of Life

Dan, Abby, and I took part in Montgomery's Annual Walk of Life this past Saturday to benefit breast cancer research. We actually ran the 5K, and Dan did it in 22 minutes! Go Daddy! Abby loves going to races with us, this is her second one...... it also gives Mommy an excuse for being so slow! :) We walked in honor of my dear friend, Melissa, who is currently fighting the battle against breast cancer alongside so many women. We keep receiving more and more good news, and hope it stays that way.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Dan got some priceless pics today of Abby sleeping, just like her mama used to sleep with the rear in the air. She recently started sleeping through the night....Hallelujah! Even though she gets up at 5:30 or 6:00, I am SO thankful for a full night's rest.

A Day at the Zoo

Recently, Abby, cousin Bella, and I got to take a trip to the zoo. The girls loved it! They got to see a baby elephant, a baby rhinoceros, otters, and many other animals. The favorite for Bella was the peacock, who fanned her feathers just for us. Abby favored the monkeys. Bella kept telling the big kids who were there for a school trip to be quiet so they wouldn't wake up the alligator. :)

Easter

We had a wonderful first Easter with Abby. We enjoyed an Easter egg hunt at the chuch of Maw Maw & Poppy (Dan's parents), and while Abby had no idea what was going on, she enjoyed watching the kids running around looking for eggs.

We are continuing a long time tradition from the Bell side of the famiy with a jellybean trail marked with "A" for Abby to find her Easter basket. This was a tradition for many years at my Peepaw & Gramma's house for me and my brothers and sister. Abby loved it! She managed to get a few jellybeans in her mouth before I could put them out of reach.

I don't even know if this picture was taken on Easter or not, but it is just so "Abby" - that expression, I had to include it.

Daddy / Daughter Duet

Well, not exactly the New York Philharmonic, but they have a harmony all their own.

The Wave

I finally got Abby's waving on video... I may be biased, but it is so cute! She finally started waving to me instead of just Daddy... I am so privileged. To all of you that are far away that we miss so dearly, this one's for you! We love you!

Springtime!

It is springtime, and this, of course, means hats! Abby is so much fun to dress up because she's not bothered a bit by hats, and always laughs when I put them on her. (She's a girl, come on, I have to have fun while she'll let me dress her, before she goes goth or something and won't wear anything but black!) The weather is beautiful in Montgomery, and we already have garlic, onions, and lettuce growing (along with the herbs from last year), and plan on getting tomatoes, peppers, squash, and watermelon in the ground soon!

"...must... put... toy... in... mouth..."

Daddy's Little Girl

Well, what can I say? It's true. She's a daddy's girl. She will only wave to him (her most recently acquired party trick), and when he comes in the door, her smile widens with excitement. When I come in the door, she looks at me, and then looks around, like "and....?" As her name means, she is "her father's joy" as well.

Even though she has been a fountain of snot this past week from a little cold (every time she sneezed, she projectiled two heat-sensing snot torpedoes that seemed aimed at the nearest warm body, of course, me), she still grabs my heart looking up at me and smiling through the goobies and snot hanging off her face.