October 2009

This month we had a chance to go to Dallas for a second training seminar for ASCH's Hypnotherapy Course for Nate, and while he was away learning great techniques to someday use, Abby and I played tourists. We hit the park, Fort Worth's Water Gardens, and as we were heading out, we wrapped up the trip with a visit to the Dallas Zoo, it was a fun family adventure :)

Abby LOVED our hotel's fish containing coffee table :)

... almost as much as she loved chasing the ducks at a great nearby park we found

Dallas Zoo

Abby was a great traveler with her cute nose-rubbing, self-soothing techniques

All decked out in her Halloween gear from Grandma Sewell :)

This year for Halloween, Abigail was once again a cute little fairy, (this time with more hair) and she LOVED getting dressed up for it.

We started the holiday with Nate's amazing Pumpkin Spice waffles with freshly carved Jack-O-Lanterns as decor ;)

Then made a quick trip to Abby's favorite pet shop...

...headed to our ward's fun Halloween Party - we're nerds, I know

...and wrapped up the day with a bath and a favorite pic of mine :)

We live on such a busy road, it was no surprise that we didn't get trick-or-treaters, but we proudly displayed our Jack-o-lanterns anyhow :)

September 2009

We got home on the 1st, and headed out a few days later to spend Labor Day weekend with Nate's brother Brandon and his family in Round Rock, TX. We met their new sweet baby, hit the pool, and spent fun quality time. It was a great trip, Abby loved getting to play with her cousins, and in the meantime they got us addicted to Rudy's Bar-B-Q :)
We quickly got back into the routine of things, which meant Nate was back to school full time, this time including beginning teaching his own Introductory Psychology class. This program really keeps him hopping.
As for me, I had a whole house to unpack and organize. Luckily, we plan to stay here for the next 2 years, so that made unpacking a lot easier, so now things have more permanent placements.
On the 30th was our 4 year anniversary, and we celebrated as a family at Olive Garden in Monroe, one of our favorite restaurants. Happy Anniversary, Nate!! :)

Glamour Girl :)

Brandon, Julie, and Hadley

We had a great time swimming with the Texas Sewells :)

A great restaurant they took us to in Austin :)

August in Utah

So Abby and I were able to spend almost the full month of August in Utah, it was great! We were able to relax and spend lots of time with family and friends, had a girls night out to the temple and dinner, had a pool party, and were able to go camping with my family in the Wasatch mountains. Then when Nate arrived 2 weeks later, we camped with his family in the Uintas, it was so fun :)
We also set aside a few local adventure days, where we visited historical landmarks and touristy spots in Salt Lake, and spent a day in Park City with my mom.
Every day was fun-filled, even the lazy ones, since we were able to just hang out, get Nate away from his crazy busy lifestyle, and enjoy our families :)
We did wrap up the adventure in a surprising way, when we missed our departing flight and ended up getting to spend time with my mom touring old "haunts" she and my Dad had before they were married. It was a great experience, and definitely made up for the delayed flight home!!
Somehow I think I've lost or misplaced some pics but here are a few to reflect the fun we had:

Abby with her Pinnock cousins at Apple Spice Junction

My two Utah Valley sisters and young'ens

Grandma's pool party!!

Feeding the horses next door

Camping with the Pinnocks

Addi and Abby were out for an adventure :)

Visiting Grandpa P's grave

Park City Day with my Foxy Mom :)

We had a blast with the slides!!

We had a great time (as usual) out to lunch with my brother, Dave.

Memory Grove

Abby with her Sewell cousins :)

Our fun Uinta's camping trip with the Sewells - Thanks, guys!!

This was Abby's Favorite thing to do :)

We rode VERY slowly and carefully. She loved it :)

Nate's Shafer grandparents joined us, it was great :)

July 2009

This was a BUSY month for us, beginning with Abigail getting daring enough to try walking/running on her own. We went with friends to the Boardwalk in Shreveport on Independence Day to watch the fireworks, and while we were waiting for it to get dark, she took a shot at it, and then practiced for the next couple hours, it was fun and the perfect day for her first "Independent" steps!





















































She worked up a good thirst :)














Watching the fireworks with Daddy

We also puppy-sat for a week, which made me so grateful that we don't have a dog... yet.
Abby absolutely loved it though, and couldn't wait to get out of her crib each morning to see Daisy.
Despite a few nips here and there, Abby was very forgiving and the two kept each other very entertained :)


























After a ton of searching for a place that was reasonably priced, safe, and comfortable enough to ideally live in for the next 3 years while Nate finishes his schooling, we found what we thought was the best option:















We signed the lease, packed up our fancy little condo, and just before moving in (pretty much immediately after the tenants moved out), we found all sorts of extra roommates (cockroaches), and projects that needed to be done to meet what I assume to be our high standards of living. I had no idea that such big inconveniences to me were no big deal down South!! Now don't get me wrong, I don't consider myself a snob, but now that we have a baby, I want things CLEAN and maybe a little extra, extra sanitary.
Nate did some searches and learned that the house had over the years been quite the college party house, and we keep finding evidence of that, such as quick patches to holes in the walls and doors which have been simply painted over, liquor bottles left behind as proud souvenirs, and best of all, a bullet hole in the main front window. Crazy as it sounds, we do feel safe here. I think the party days ended long ago, the realty company that rents it out has tried to clean it up a bit, and Terminix has become our new best friend in helping to get our (sometimes HUGE) little friends under control.
We've done a lot of little projects on our own, and everyday, it's feeling cleaner, safer, and more like home.
Here are some pics of just before we moved in:














The jungle that surrounds our backyard














Kitchen and laundry area














Our huge living area- the chair was left behind, but we tossed it once we realized it had been through more partying than we wanted to imagine.














The front room which now serves as our office














Abigail's room - love the shelves :)














Our roomy room :)


















And best of all, our beautiful pepto-pink bathroom!! Yes, even more gaggy in real life.

Despite the inconveniences, the more we clean it up, the more we love it here, and look forward to staying until we move for Nate's internship. It's a great size for a good price, has a lot of light, a ton of privacy, and a fabulous carport. We'll post more pics once I have things more unpacked and in place.
Once we moved everything in, and finished cleaning out the condo, with Nate full throttle in school (now averaging about 80 hours a week, no kidding), I had one week to get as settled as possible before Abby and I were to head to Utah. Thanks to great friends here that helped watch Abby so I could make that happen, it all went pretty well, and we took off to play in Utah while Nate stayed back to rough it through 2 weeks of finals. Sorry, babe!!