Great grandparents

Two weekends in a row we went with my parents to visit my grandparents at their farm in Idaho. Abby had a blast! Playing on the farm equipment and "driving" the tractors made for a happy toddler!

My cousin has a little boy the same age as Abby and they had the best time playing together! After getting seriously dirty, a bath was the only solution for Abby and Jaydyn. 

Painting birdhouses with her cousins. Ignore my lack of makeup and general sweatiness and look at my adorable and happy daughter!

Playing with Jaydyn.

Look at that little pink rabbit getting ready for the swimming pool.

The second weekend we went was the same weekend as my great aunt's funeral. I've been to a handful of funerals in my life but never a day like this. 

The viewing at the family home started at 9:30 am and the funeral started at 11:00. After the funeral (about an hour and a half), they went to the cemetery, then everyone came back to the church for a luncheon and then everyone went to one of the relatives house for ice cream and to sit and chat. 

When one has a toddler you have to be able to fit in a nap somewhere in there. We stayed home from the cemetery and she actually fell asleep in my arms sitting in the rocking chair in the mothers lounge, which, if you know Abby, you know is a huge miracle!

Abby looking at the funeral flowers with my mother.

Abby and her cousin loving jumping on little trampolines at the ice cream get together. 

I took off Abby's dress because I knew the ice cream would be messy and this family member has a huge pond with slides and zip lines, etc... and I knew she would want to get wet. 

It took her all weekend to warm up to my dad  but once he let her "drive" she was a happy camper!

March/April

The beginning of March marked the end of my babysitting days for a friend's baby. I have to confess that I have fallen in love with being a mom again since that time. It had become a challenge to find the joy in it every day while watching someone else's child along with my own. Abby and I have become closer than ever and my love of being a mother is back full force! (that doesn't mean I don't have frustrated days and nights still, but I think that will always happen)
Abby has been full of mischief lately. Earlier this week our next door neighbor poured concrete for a new fence between our properties. The next day it was still wet and Abby ran over, sat down in it and started digging her fingers into it. I found her as she tried to eat the concrete! I wish I had taken a picture but I just wanted to get her cleaned up and so I carried a screaming, struggling to stay outside, baby inside to the bathtub and she cleaned herself off.
This morning I went into the back of the house and came out to find an escape artist...

Shopping with Scott and Abby for fruit trees and strawberries at the nursery

 Abby loves emptying out my wallet and trying to put the cards back in the right slots.

We spent part of last week at my grandparents farm learning how to prune apples in their orchard. Now that we have fruit trees in our backyard I've got to learn fast! Abby and lucky(the dog) became fast friends.

Abby and her grandma (my mom) in the apple trees

The sprinklers were exactly the right height for a bench for Abby's little legs.