Abbey Walks

I really don't know if I've covered here that Miss Abbey is a full-fledged walker. She took her first steps on New Year's Day; to her beloved DaDa of course. Then a couple of weeks ago she started walking all the time and within a couple of days, she was toddling all around just before she reached 11 months. She's a peanut, so you don't always know when she's sneaking up on you. She goes pretty fast and the only time she crawls at all is if she's on the get-away and needs to go super fast. It's cute because she really demonstrates what the word "toddle" means with the way she walks it's like her likes are spread a little bit more than need be!

She's a pretty happy kid and loves to laugh and smile. Right now she's coming at me on overdrive from Adam's room smiling with two toys she probably feels she got away with and going "AHHHH". She's pretty vocal! Her hair is pretty wild most days with the back curly and the front kind of crazy.

She's driving Adam insane because she can get into his toys more and she's definitely more into things around the house. Just when I start to get annoyed, she acts really cute and she runs off with whatever she's stolen....

Garbage Man's Ball Again

So it's been a year...My first entry was on the 2010 "Garbage Man's Ball"...which is basically a cocktail party for different people in the industry who work with a company called Casella Waste, but my mom re-named it that when her and my Dad baby sat for us last year so we could go. Todd's Dad baby sat Adam the year before. So much has happened in this past year.

Mom was going to watch the kids this year, but she just didn't have the energy. The baby whisperer Bethany and her trusty assistant Brianna came. I wasn't too worried...she has seen the kids enough for them to be familar and she's good with them. But I hadn't missed Adam's bedtime since Abbey was born and had never missed Abbey's. I was fine with it, but I wasn't sure they would be. I was wrong! Adam is still so in love with Bri he let her touch his monkey blanket right off! And he danced all through Madagascar for her apparently...Abbey was crying before I left, so I felt a little bad....but Bethany sent me this picture to reassure me all was well. As we drove to Syracuse, I surprised myself by feeling a little sad...because I was so ready to have an evening out. A couple of glasses of Merlot and I was feeling good and wasn't thinking about home. I love the atmosphere and the food at Riley's. Todd's buddies Travis and Cory Bliss came...they asked Todd what to wear and somehow interpreted a nice sweater into logo button-down shirts. hmmmmm....

I got crazy and ordered a whiskey sour. Then I realized what I had really wanted was a Vodka Collins. Todd got it for me, I got another and let's just say I paid for it. Abbey woke up at 2am saying MAMAMAMA obviously she missed me and as I rocked her, the nausea began. And it I woke up every hour with that feeling. Fortunately, it was gone the next day I was HUNG OVER...!

It was worth it. We had fun. Todd looked cute in his sweater. I met some more people, had a nice talk with the younger Bliss after my husband sent him to get my water. But Casella skimped a bit on the appetizers this year...but the lobster on a stick was still there and it is soooo good.

Thanks Bethany for watching the kids ...knowing she was there helped me relax and have a good time...but um maybe next time I'll book someone to watch them while I sleep off my hangover. HA!

Adorable A-Team

Abbey walks. She takes 6-7 steps sometimes more, stops and regroups. She sits herself down or holds onto something. It's adorable. Adam doesn't seem to think it's a big deal. I'll say LOOK ADAM! and he kind of looks at me like what's the big deal?

Today I walked into the dining room and she had picked up the door snake and the welcome mat and were walking around with them ...or should I say toddling...and whipping them around...seriously!

Two nights ago, we put in Madagascar. I bought for him before he was one and he wasn't impressed at the time. We put on the second half last night. Now, Adam does like cartoons now. There are only a handful that he will sit and smile at. And last night, for the first time, he burst into laughter when the lion was dancing. He did it twice. Adam is not easily amused and usually only laughs like that when he's being tickled or chased. This is the first time I've seen him laugh like that while being "entertained". It was adorable!

Starting to work more on Adam listening. He chucked a cup in the kitchen the other day and I told him to pick it up. He shook his head no vehemently, telling me he was taking a "stand". Five time-outs later, he picked it up. And I held in my temper. Because with Adam, if I yell, he acts like he has "won" and disciplining him is even harder. Anyhow, something must have stuck because he chucked a cup again this morning in the kitchen and I told him to pick it up and he ignored me the first two times and the third time he picked it up and handed it to me!

The A-Team ..For Better of For Worse....

A couple of weeks ago I was determined to get a picture of Adam & Abbey together LOOKING at the camera. I had the Little Sister shirt, looking for a Big Brother one...just so happens Melissa bought him one for Christmas. It was a rare moment because ADAM was actually cooperating and Abbey wasn't in the mood. If only this picture was not blurry!! My boy is smiling. ALMOST both looking at the camera...at least they are having fun! And I LOVE the way Adam is looking right at me. THIS expression is why I just LOVE my new camera. The thing about these two is that they want the other around...if one is sleeping, they will go bang on their door if I don't intercept, Adam going Ab-bey, Ab-bey. But he's always trying to keep his stuff from her! He went around today with his bucket of animals he got for Christmas which include like a horses and a pig trying his hardest to keep them out of her hands. And she will bully him right out of his Lightning McQueen chair whenever he sits in it to watch a movie. Yeah...best friends and maybe occasional enemies :)

Bath Time...MA!

Adam and Abbey take a bath together. Abbey tries to climb in no matter who is in the tub and Adam started not wanting to go in unless she was, which is kind of funny because when they are in the tub, he's usually hoarding whatever toy he has so she can't get it!!! When the toothbrushes come out, Abbey gets frantic she stands up and grabs for them. I don't know why haha she has TWO teeth! I brush Adam's teeth; he's not a huge fan of it but he's not scared of it like he is the shower head. He lets me do it and sometimes I get him to do it. Often, we brush Bronte or Rexy's teeth (the dinosaurs that often join us in the tub). Yesterday, it was the teeth on his Tonka trucks!

I take Abbey out first and usually pop the drain on Adam so it is draining while I go put Abbey's diaper and shirt on. I usually hear MA! MA! from him...like he's making sure I'm coming back. Today was no different. I walk in and he's got his legs crossed and he is holding his private parts. MA! he said POO! I said OK you want your diaper on? And he said yes in Adam speak. And I put it on and five minutes later...well, you know. So the kid didn't want to poop in his tub. Step one for Potty training?

Christmas Eve

So a couple of days before Christmas, Todd took me up to Syracuse to Ra-Lin's to get my Christmas present....my dream camera...a digitial SLR. We went to this store as we found it to have the best price in the flliers. I pulled it out for the first time Christmas Eve morning, determined to use it to capture the holiday. This is my first picture...and honestly, one of my favorites. Love the look on Abbey's face! When I got to my Mom's house to welcome my sisters and their families, I snapped this photo. They all groaned, but it's another one of my favorites...and they all like it, too. I spent the morning there and Todd and I brought the kids back that evening for dinner (buffet style....everyone loved my meatballs!! even Mom asked me for my recipe...the first time ever!) and gifts. Adam loved playing with the big boys.. Our nephews look handsome in the clip-on ties they picked out :) And I got Carolyn to pose for this picture by promising to leave her alone after that!! Sarah had superglued her face earlier when putting her claws...I mean nails...on! Experimenting with foreground shots...Todd in the back getting kisses from Jamison! Love this picture! Jeff trying to help me to get Adam to look at the camera... Adam hanging out in Uncle Bobby's room watching the big boys play games while playing with his cars....he looks so old here!
Of course, I'm not crazy about my double chin in this picture, but I wanted to get myself in there and I like this picture of me and Logan!

December 26th

The day after Christmas, we called Kathy, Todd's stepmother, and invited her to stop by as she had told me the night before she wanted to come over. She had gifts for the kids. Adam was..and still is...kind of obsessed with his big gift we got him on Christmas, so he only got some of her attention. She stayed for a couple of hours, clearly and understandably a little sad. My favorite gift she got the kids was big cozy blankets...Lightening McQueen on Adam's and pink Winnie the Pooh pattern for Abbey.

We had plans to meet my family at Canale's for dinner. Due to the vortex of texting and phone service over my Mom's house, my sister and Jeff didn't stop by first...they all went to see Grandma Mary at the home.

So...I got the most amazing camera for Christmas...i started using it on the 24th...but on the 26th, I had the old camera with me...so these are the last photos with my trusty Kodak we got at Sam's before we had Adam....We got to Canale's and I think Daddy and Adam would have rather been home napping haha...Adam was having a rough day...tired out from all the stuff going on... The LaRoche family.. Abbey's nightcap... My sister Sarah sat across from me...we had a table in the bar area which all three guys seem to enjoy as football was on.

A Butler Family Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

We kind of decided in the beginning of December we wanted a real Christmas tree, but a small one we could put up on a table. A Charlie Brown Christmas tree, if you will. I couldn't find a small tree stand in Wal-mart or Target. We tossed around getting a full size one and putting it in our bedroom...but then my mom suggested offhandedly that we get a potted tree. We decided it wasn't a half-bad idea! We figured we'd see what was out there. We got to C&B Farm and Garden (otherwise known as the place next to Pigger's Liquors) and we saw some right away. Todd told me to pick one out...after all, this was my FIRST real tree! Todd went off to pay for it... While Adam watched us from the car as it was raining. I was kind of excited...actually got me in the Christmas spirit finally! We decided to head to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. Dressed the kids in festive green... And Abbey's ADORABLE red and white stripes :) Took me a couple of days and some blown strings of lights from the basement, but finally, I got her lit up...complete with our ornaments. And this sign I thought was cute. Adam, of course was fascinated. And to make matters worse, I had bought Shrek and Cars ornaments in honor of Adam for 2010. He wanted to play with them, of course. I let him hold them because I didn't want to punish him for getting into the tree....but he got a little frustrated that Lightning McQueen didn't come off the ornament. I wasn't too into Christmas a few years ago and decided to retire all my old decorations. That year, I spent Christmas in Peru. But before I did, Jackie bought me this ornament. She told me that I loved Halloween...and if I wanted, I could decorate a tree in Halloween. She asked if she could get it for me for my birthday and although I didn't do a tree that year, it was a new beginning for me. It helped me think about how I could maybe in the future find new ways to celebrate things in my life. Now, Todd and I have decided that we will get ornaments as they come along, and I only want to use ones that mean something to us. One of many kind things Jackie, and the rest of you, did to help me move forward. And boy, did I! This ornament is a symbol of a new beginning to me of what has turned out to be an amazing journey. And the first ornament of many to grace the Butler family tree!!!

Happy New Year! 2011 Starts With the A-Team

Abbey can walk! She walked a few steps to her Daddy today, of course, to bring in 2011. Can I say she is freaking adorable these days? Her wild wavy hair and her addiction to grabbing clothes and flinging them...tonight she was trying to put back on the shirt I took off of her. And the other day, she started rocking herself back and forth in my lap to get me to start rocking. She did it to her Daddy I think it was today.

Last night...two glasses of Red Cat and I passed out before 11. *sigh* Made Bolognese sauce from scratch for the first time today. It was pretty good...now Todd wants me to combine that with the Shrimp Fra Diavolo I made for his birthday.

Adam is such a good brother....he got Abbey to follow him out of our room today and shut the door behind her. She took his puzzle pieces and he started crying because he wanted to take them back but knew he wasn't supposed to. I was proud of him...now soon, we have to teach her the same courtesy!

Adam is so quirky, I love it. For a couple of weeks, he thought it was funny to kiss whatever character was frozen on the paused TV screen. I thought it was a bad habit, but he stopped thinking it was funny after a bit. Now I offer to let him, but he gives me a look like he's way past that.