Fun with visitors

This past weekend was very busy with visitors. Amber, Aaron and Gavin came to visit us on Friday and left Sunday morning. We enjoyed our time with A, A, and G – fun times spent eating, drinking margaritas, shoe shopping, and hanging out in our backyard. Even though it was the hottest weekend of the year, we scored great pool-side seats at Joe T’s and enjoyed the fajitas and a pitcher of the strong margaritas. Saturday found us at Nordstrom’s for their annual sale; Gavin and I both scored two pairs of shoes! That night Nate was able to show off his skills (the first time for people other than me and Abby) on his charcoal grill and Amber made some fun (and there’s an inside joke with its preparation) sangria; we all ate on the patio, braving the heat, but thankful for the outdoor ceiling fan. Gavin showed Abby some new tricks, including how to open the doors in our house, and he also gave her some sweet hugs. They’re still a little young to understand how to play “together”, but they had some fun parallel play. Those two are so close in age (less than three months apart!) that I know they’ll be great buddies in the future.

On Sunday I headed up to my parents’ house because my sister was in DFW for her annual summer visit. While Abby and I were in the northern part of the Metroplex, Nate was lucky enough to have his friend, Brandon, in town for a guys weekend. It was really nice to spend four days with my sister; on the first day we didn’t waste any time. We went shopping and saw a chick-flick. We both now have a total “crush” on a male actor that we really have no business “crushing” on. He’s a little young for us, but boy, he is easy on the eyes!! My sister and I also had our standard, let’s-stay-up-really-late-and-talk-about-everything marathons. It was so fun. I really wish she lived here.

Even though it was 105 degrees outside (110 if you count the heat index) every day that Jamie was here, we still managed to make it outside for some fun. Thank goodness for the awesome pool in my parents’ neighborhood. Abby also got her first real taste of a big pool and of course, she loved it! My mom, Jamie and I spent a little time with Abby in the wading pool, but I could tell she really wanted to float around in the big pool. Plus, I had a little selfishness going on; it was too hot for my body not to be almost completely submerged in the water! I bought Abby a really cute personal float that also has a shade attachment. Abby enjoyed some light splashing and had fun being pushed around quickly in her little float. She also liked kicking in the water and wearing her sun hat. I have never enjoyed the water as much as I have with Abby.

When Abby was born, my parents wanted to be called “Grandma” and “Grandpa” - easy. So, we’ve been calling them that for 16 months now – until this weekend. Abby and I spent four days at my parents’ house, along with my sister. One day Abby started asking for “Pa” and then it quickly turned into “Papa”. That’s now Grandpa’s “new” name and he loves it! Abby’s favorite thing to do with Papa is read; she constantly brings him books. Every time Abby asked for “Papa!” he’d melt, and I would too. It’s fun to see her associate people in her life with names, and on top of that to give that person her own special name. For right now my mom is “Da”, but it sounds a little more like “Duh” – a cross between those two. It sounds that way because Abby can’t quite say “Grand-ma” all together. I wonder what she’ll be calling “Grandma” in the next few months – so fun! Also, a side note: every time Papa would pick up Abby this weekend, he’d say “up-si-daisy!” Now, she says that every time she’s picked up. She doesn’t quite enunciate every syllable, but we know what she’s saying. It’s adorable!

After our weekend and early week fun, Abby is off and walking! She’s been taking a few steps here and there for almost a month, but on Tuesday it was like a light went off in her little brain. It is amazing! I also think it’s hilarious because Abby is constantly talking while she walks – chattering nonsense, saying “Hi!”, or just naming things she sees: “Riley, bird, tree, arm, shoe…” Sometimes she “roars” when she walks fast, probably because we always ask her what a lion says since she has a big lion toy. It’s strange to see her standing next to me when I’m doing dishes at the sink or see her walking down the hall, following me into our bedroom. She’s 16 months old and has not really focused on walking until now. Speech and reading, yes, but walking, that’s definitely new for us. Nate and I commented to each other that now she is really starting to feel like a toddler. It’s a wild ride!