I Pledge Allegiance

One day, I walked into Abby's room, and there she sat on her big bed surrounded by all of her stuffed animals. She was mumbling something very softly and paying special attention to her favorite, Zoey, a popular Sesame Street character. She had Zoey's hand over her "heart" and was reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I had no idea she had already learned that in school, and although a lot of it was hard to understand, Abby clearly knew all the words. Of course I didn't have my video camera ready, so I tried to capture it later that day. It is hard to understand, but here it is:

INSERT VIDEO HERE

Her teacher later told me that Abby was one of the first to master it in the class and was even helping the other kids learn it. I have to admit, while I am not an overly patriotic person, watching my Guatemalan born daughter recite this with such authority warmed my heart. Abby has really taken an interest in gardening. She loves helping me trim the hedges and water the plants. When we trim the hedges, she insists on picking up EVERY LAST LEAF that may have fallen to the ground. And, I mean EVERY LAST LEAF.

Fun with Friends

Abby attended another school chum's birthday party which was at Madison's house. Madison is a very gregarious, adorable little girl.

Abby talks and plays with Madison all the time at school, but for some reason, Madison is the one kid that Abby scratches and pushes from time to time. It is by no means a pattern, but it has happened about 3 times over a year or so. Luckily for me, Madison's mother has been very understanding sharing similar stories where Madison has been the culprit. She made me feel much more at ease, and Abby had a blast at Madison's party. They had about 15 kids of all ages and just gave them complete freedom of their house. There were activity stations and things for the kids to do, and I really admired Madison's parents for just being so laid back about it all. I don't think I could do that.....Madison's mother made an amazing butterfly cake from scratch (I was in awe..a baker I am not). Abby had a very G rated first "I will show you mine, if you show me yours" experience with another classmate, J.

Abby and J.

Abby and J were discussing Mickey Mouse, and Abby proclaimed "I have Minnie Mouse panties on!" to J. J then said "Let me see!". Abby pulled up her dress and showed them to J, and then the two of them continued playing and laughing together. No big deal, just cute particularly because Abby was so proud of her Minny Mouse underwear.

Abby really missed her BFF, Emma, from school this summer because her BFF is only in school part time since her mother is a teacher and has summers off. Emma's mother and I arranged a playdate at the mall (since it was 105 degrees outside) for the girls to get together and play at the playground. They played for an hour or so, had a blast, and we finished out the day with some lunch and a few rides on the carousel. Abby and Emma have been going to school together now for about 2 years, and they just light up when they are around each other.

Abby is becoming more and more maternal with each passing day. She just loves babies, dolls, and stuffed animals. I do feel guilty at times knowing that Abby will not have a sibling to grow up with, and this feeling is reinforced when I watch her play with her baby dolls and stuffed animals. I know it is normal and healthy for her to be engaging in pretend play, but I am glad we are able to spend time on weekends with her friends too. She loves having tea parties with her animals/dolls. Here she has put all her animals under a blanket kind of in a circle and given them each a serving of pretzels.

Matthew's mother and I have been talking about taking the kids to the fire station for months, and we finally did one Saturday. Matthew is extremely knowledgeable and interested in fire trucks, firemen, etc, and Abby really likes them as well. We visited a fire station in Allen near both of our homes and got a tour of the station from the firemen on duty. Matthew asked a million questions and Abby just took it all in for the most part. Both of the kids had a good time and got to sit on the fire truck with the firemen as well. The firemen showed them all the compartments and the "Jaws of Life" on the fire truck as well as the inside of an ambulance. Safety reasons dictated that the kids could not sit inside the fire truck, but it didn't matter, they enjoyed themselves. We took them for ice cream after, and they had an absolute blast playing at the Chick-Fil-A playground. Matthew is such a special boy - super smart and very empathetic and caring towards others. I have not seen another child at this age, almost 3, that was that interested in the welfare of others. He was constantly looking out for Abby making sure she was OK on the playground especially when some of the time, she had to really stretch her little legs to climb up to the next step.

Allen, TX Fire Station

Grandma's Birthday

I took my mom out to a proper sushi dinner without Abby a few nights before her birthday while Abby attended a Parent's Night Out event at her gym. We also saw Inception which we both thoroughly enjoyed. I don't usually go for the sci-fi thriller type movies, but I really enjoyed it. I think just going to the movies these days is a thrill for me in and of itself, so I probably would have enjoyed anything. On her birthday, the three of us went to the Galleria for an outing. Abby played at the indoor playground and we enjoyed Abby's favorite restaurant, Mi Cocina. I believe Abby could live off grilled onions and rice and be perfectly content. Overall, it was a nice birthday weekend for my mom, and Abby loves spending time with her grandma.

Matthew's BDAY Party

Matthew turned 3 and had his party at My Gym, the same place we are having Abby's birthday party. I was glad to be able to see what kind of parties the My Gym team throws, and I wasn't disappointed. Matthew's party was a blast. Abby had a fabulous time. She was very comfortable in her surroundings and enjoyed all the songs and activities. Matthew had a fire truck theme, and he was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. It is just so heartwarming to see the kids so thrilled, and it makes the planning/effort to put everything together all worthwhile. When Matthew came out on the motorcycle, I knew that I would have to make sure the My Gym staff did that at Abby's party as well. Abby is mesmerized by motorcycles.