Then and Now

Then

Abby, Anna and Rachel - December 2002. They were 2 1/2.

Now
Abby, Anna and Rachel - July 2011. They are 11.

What a difference a few years makes!

Abby, Anna and Rachel loved to play together when they were little. Anna moved away soon after the "Then" picture was taken. We haven't seen them in years. We had a reunion today because Anna was in town for a wedding. We had a great time and hope that it isn't 9 years before we see each other again.

Visit with Mom and Dad

Abby's Sports Shrine

This is Abby's sports shrine. Her softball coaches had one picture of each girl enlarged and printed on fabric. The smaller picture in the frame on the wall is of her basketball team. Abby is wondering what she is going to do if she gets anymore trophies.

Beautiful Girls

For more photos and a video, check out Abby's blog.

Softball

School is out and the first softball game of the season was today. The coaches made a new shade tent for the girls with all of their names and pictures on it. You can tell which field we are playing on from rather far away. Lots of new rules this year - stealing is allowed, no coach relief pitching and walks are the biggest changes.

Popcorn Cauliflower

Abby requested popcorn cauliflower for lunch today. Of course, I obliged. Popcorn cauliflower is really just cauliflower roasted in a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt. It is delicious. While it was roasting Abby and Karl played a few rounds of cribbage.

Natural Playground

Abby and the neighborhood kids enjoy playing in the open space behind our house. They use the trees as a natural playground and have been building some kind of fort. I think it gives them a space of their own while still not being far from home. I think this is a great way to have fun and build some independence at the same time.

Research

Doing research for a school project is much more fun when you can use tools like Google Docs and EasyBib. It also helps to have your dog hanging out with you as you work.

Stacking Cups

Abby learned about stacking cups in PE. She loved them so we ordered a set for her to have at home. They arrived today. This post would be better with a video but if you flip through the slide show below very quickly using the arrow on the right hand side of the slide show, it will look like a video. I will try to get a video on another day. To learn more about speed stacking click here.

Relaxing by the Pool

More pictures on Abby's blog: http://aboutabbyf.blogspot.com/

Work Day

We got lots of work done today. Karl and Abby did some yard work. Annie supervised while chewing on her "outside" bone. Then we all worked on cleaning, sorting and purging all of the kitchen cabinets. We are getting rid of 6 big boxes of dishes/kitchen tools/utensils that we never use. Now we have enough room to have one cabinet dedicated to Karl's gluten-free items and now when you open each cabinet nothing falls out!

Birthday Cakes Through the Years