Soccer:0, Abby:1

Today was the much anticipated first soccer game.

And.....as predicted, Abby was way too shy to participate.

There was alot of hands in the mouth action going on.
She did manage to play a little by herself, but immediately shut down if any of the mentors came near her.

Another "hand in mouth" shot.

"I don't want to play soccer!"

She did get out there for about 5 minutes when the cones came out.

I am hoping it goes better next time!

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This afternoon, we went to the park across the street to ride bikes.

A few days ago, we saw 2 ducks out there. We were on a mission to find these ducks. But, never did see them again. Although we did come across a random broken (boiled?) egg. I just told Abby that was a duck egg.

And she did love the swings.

I am taking it as a good sign that she continued to keep her soccer shirt on all day. She also discovered her new favorite part of the playground - rock climbing!
With a little help from Momma, she made it to the top!

And before bed, we played "Roar", Abby's made up game. Basically she pretends to be a dinosaur and repeatedly jumps on my head. Fun times for all.

A little preview of tomorrow. Abby has got some exciting stuff to do.

Also, Stu and I are re-mulching the front of the house, so it will be a loooong day.

Book Review - Think Twice

Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline

Summary:

Is evil born in us - or is it bred? That is the question at the heart of this penetrating novel from blockbuster New York Times bestseller Lisa Scottoline.

Bennie Rosato looks exactly like her identical twin, Alice Connelly, but the darkness in Alice's soul makes them two very different women. Or at least that's what Bennie believes-until she finds herself buried alive at the hands of her twin.

Meanwhile, Alice takes over Bennie's life, impersonating her at work and even seducing her boyfriend in order to escape the deadly mess she has made of her own life. But Alice underestimates Bennie and the evil she has unleashed in her twin's psyche. Soon Bennie, in her determination to stay alive long enough to exact revenge, must face the twisted truth that she is more like Alice than she could have ever imagined....and by the novel's shocking conclusion, Bennie finds herself engaged in a war that she cannot win - with herself.

Review:

This was an excellent book. I don't really agree with the summary about Bennie becoming evil because her twin was. That was just silly. But the story kept me on my toes. I think I read this book in just a few days. Some of it was a little unrealistic - as in, this stuff doesn't really happen to people, but it was a still a good "page turner" book. I will say that I have read better books by this author (Save Me was amazing), but this one was good as well.

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Practicing

Last night after dinner, Abby told us that she needed to "practice".

It took awhile, but we finally figured out what she was telling us that she needed to practice.

Riding her bike!

She is so grown up!

Weekend Recap Part 3 (Final)

This is the final recap!

We spent 90% of Sunday doing yard work. Last year at this time, I was probably complaining about apartment living, so I am just grateful that we have a house to do yard work at!

But later in the afternoon, we headed to Chuck E Cheese for a birthday party.

Abby has never actually been there before, so she was overwhelmed.

But she did love pushing buttons with Daddy!

She really enjoyed the kiddo games.

Please note the headband. She insisted on wearing this pink bow, but it is about 2 years too small for her head, so it kept riding up. It was too funny.
I think she loved the basketball games the best.

Oh wait. I forgot about the cake and lemonade. I am pretty sure that might have been her favorite part.

On a side note: We NEVER give Abby anything but milk. She loves milk, so for her to have any sort of sugar drink is pretty rare. She loves it, but by the time we got home, she was asking for milk again!

And of course the birthday girl! Bella is such a spunky little girl and watching her in the ticket grabby thing was the highlight. She loved it!

Weekend Recap Part 2

Day 2 of our weekend involved a play date with Amber, Caden and Lawson.

They live an hour away, so I was glad they were able to make the journey.

Abby was able to showcase her skillz at blowing bubbles.

Little cutie Caden was quick to join in.
Then they practiced soccer.

They quickly tired of soccer and wanted to take a turn on the ole swing.

Caden tried to hold Abby's hand.

But she was more concerned with making sure that she cheesed for the camera.

Lawson just watched with interest!

I brought out the Bumpo for Lawson to use. Abby loved it, and had to sit in it.

We ended the play date with decorating cookies.

One more weekend recap and I will be caught up!

Weekend Recap Part 1

This has been a loooong weekend (in a good way) as I took Friday off work. I just needed a "me" day.

But I did make a special stop to visit my little gal at her picnic lunch.

She was so thrilled that I came to lunch with her.

She has already asked me if I am having lunch with her tomorrow!
And after the picnic, we got to play around on the playground.

Abby thought that jumping on this bench was so much fun.

She was quickly joined by one of her BFF's at school.

I think her friend cheesed for the camera more than Abby did.

Then her 3rd BFF joined as well. Seriously, those three had so much fun!

Maybe it is the "blonde hair" group???

Then these 2 just took turns in the car the rest of the afternoon!

I'll recap the other 2 in the next few days......Abby has an allergy issue going on (think: more night terrors) so I am headed to bed.

Book Review - Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Summary:

In the wild, when a wolf knows its time is over, when it knows it is of no more use to the pack, it may sometimes choose to slip away. Dying apart from its family, its stays proud and true to its nature. Humans aren't so lucky.

Luke Warren has spent his life researching wolves. He has written about them, studied their habits intensively, and even lived with them for extended periods of time. In many ways, Luke understands wolf dynamics better than those of his own family. His wife, Georgie, has left him, finally giving up on their lonely marriage. His son, Edward, twenty-four, fled six years ago, leaving behind a shattered relationship with his father. Edward understands that some things cannot be fixed, though memories of his domineering father still inflect pain. Then comes a frantic phone call: Luke has been gravely injured in a car accident with Edward's younger sister, Cara.

Suddenly everything changes: Edward must return home to face the father he walked out on at age eighteen. He and Cara have to decide their father's fate together. Though there's no easy answer, questions abound: What secrets have Edward and his sister kept from each other? What hidden motives inform their need to let their father die...or try to keep him alive? What would Luke himself want? How can any family member make such a decision in the face of guilt, pain, or both? And most importantly, to what extent have they all forgotten what a wolf never forgets: that each member of a pack needs the others, and that sometimes survival means sacrifice?

Review:

I love Jodi Picoult!!! I was really concerned with all the animal talk in the summary, as I have no interest in wolves. But oh.my.goodness this book kept me on the edge of my seat. Were they going to let him live or die? Could bro/sis relationships be mended? And let me just tell you, the secrets that came out in the courtroom literally dropped my jaw. About every 1 or 2 chapters, it is from Luke Warren's perspective (living with wolves and sharing their actions). It was actually very interesting and makes you think twice about wolves and their behaviors. Of all Jodi's books that was not my ABSOLUTE favorite, but I did really enjoy (she has so many better ones).

Highly recommend, although I would try this author out on a few more first if you have never read before. (My Sister's Keeper, Nineteen Minutes, and Perfect Match are great!)

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Ouch Report

Abby had her first Ouch Report at school today. Apparently she was playing outside and scratched her hand across the concrete.

It was the first thing that she showed me when I picked her up.

See the injury?
In the bath, she kept saying "I am scratched!"

Then, "There are missing pieces on me!"

I told her to show me her saddest face.

Sad face with showing off her injury.

She is all better now, I put some Tinkerbell band-aids on.

Chris Turns Four

Abby's sweet little cousin, Chris, had his 4th birthday party today. They are actually only about 9 months apart!

Chillin' in the car on the way. She had her play clothes on and was ready to go.

And play they did.
Those two tore up the trampoline (or bouncey-boo as she calls it).

Then the pinata came out. I was pretty doubtful of how Abby would react, but after some coaxing, she gave it a few whacks.

Or pokes I should say.

She was deeply concerned about her feet being bare.

"Ok, Im done. Who's next?"

But one thing she didn't shy away from was chocolate cupcakes.

She was in heaven.

She crashed on the way home and even took an hour nap (so rare it is not even funny) at home.