Peek a boo

Here are a few black and white shots of Abby we've taken over the past days.... she seems like she is trying to play peek-a-boo with the camera. Her current hobbies are Snow White (she has a little plastic Snow White that she eats with, sleeps with, and takes a bath with), "jumping" (her feet don't even come off of the ground), singing, and being "neck - ud." :)

Just so cute!

These are just some random pictures that I can't resist posting. Filthy with ice cream, on the swing with Mama and Daddy in a handmade dress from MaGa, and Abby at a friend's birthday party with a tootoo on her head. :)

Valentine's Day

Ok, so I have to brag on my husband. He did the sweetest thing for Valentine's Day. We celebrated a couple of days early since we were going to be out of town for the 14th. He told me a couple of days beforehand not to plan anything for this particular night. When I got downstairs from putting Abby to bed, he made me close my eyes and walk outside. When I opened them, I saw that he had set up our tent with sleeping bags and camp chairs outside for a campout! We love to camp, hike, and be outdoors, so this was a perfect way to spend Valentine's Day. We made smores, looked at the stars, talked, and slept in our backyard! (with the baby monitor, of course). It was a wonderful, inexpensive, and thoughtful Valentine's Day gift....

we didn't take any pictures, but here's one of Abby and me (let's be honest, she is why you are here anyway) :)

The Cruise!

In early January, my side of the family took a cruise to the Carribean.... it was great, relaxing, and so much fun. We stopped at Costa Maya, Belize, Guatemala, and Cozumel. We got to go diving, cave tubing, snorkeling, see some ruins, read next to the pool, and play a little blackjack! Mom, Kenley, Foster, Landon, Preston, Dan, and I had a vacation we will never forget. Quarters, darts, escargot, bingo, carrying intertubes through the rainforest, and our meal at "Cheers" are some of the great memories.

Just after snorkeling in Cozumel....

At one of the many delicious meals....

At one of the lounges on a couch that looks more like a bed! The guys loved it.

Our "dress up" night before dinner.....

Can't wait until the next one!!!

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!