Happy Birthday, Abigail!

The whirlwind of Abigail's birthday, my parents' visit, and going out of town has settled down long enough for me to finally get some pictures up here of Abigail's first birthday.  Mom and Dad were able to fly in for the weekend, and we had a birthday party for Abby's little friends and their parents.  What a fun (and exhausting!) time that was!  I can't believe our little baby is already a year old...what a blessing she is!

The spread...

Very unsure about the fact that people were staring at her, singing to her, and encouraging her to eat the cake.

Who needs to use hands when you can just take a bite???

The aftermath of the storm...I thought she did a pretty good job.

We love you, Abigail!

Matt and Dad exhausted from moving around the furniture, cleaning (yeah, I think that's the cleanest my floors have ever been - thanks, Dad!), blowing up balloons, entertaining little kids, and eating lots of food!  Yes, my dad is sleeping in that position next to a balloon.

Wordless Wednesday

House of D

I absolutely loved this movie.  Saw it this weekend (thank you, Netflix) and it is now on my list of keepers.  Here's a brief Netflix summary:

Set in New York, House of D is the multilayered story of a man (David Duchovny) coming to terms with his past and present, and resolving his relationships with the people who helped make him the man he's become. Along the way, he recalls the special bond he shared with a mentally disabled janitor (Robin Williams) who worked at the elementary school he attended.

Matt pointed out that I do tend towards the coming of age movies...I guess there's just something about the authenticity and transparency of Holden Caulfield-like characters.  What makes this movie so captivating is the development of relationships the boy (played by Anton Yelchin) has with his mother, best friend, and prisoner at the detention center.  The humor is realistic of a middle school boy...so do be forewarned, though it is rated PG-13.  I have always been a fan of Robin Williams, and now am an Anton Yelchin fan.

Join Expo!

I got a $25 giftcard to any Darden restaurant in the mail today!  I think that Matt and I will either use it at Longhorn Steakhouse or Olive Garden on a date night.  So, how did I get this for free?  I signed up for a consumer review program called Expo and uploaded quick (like 1-3 minutes from my webcam) videos of different products that I was invited to review.  Most of these products are things you already have at home (frozen pizza, detergent, soap, shampoo, coffee, etc.).  You accumulate points for recording and downloading reviews, then are able to use your points to get different prizes.  I think it took about 3 videos to get this giftcard.  It's so easy to do and well worth it...it will definitely help our dining out budget!  Join here!

Ok, on a side note, it took me awhile to get used to recording videos of myself talking about random products.  I mean, I was the person that took about 45 minutes to record my answering machine message with my roommate in college.  Slighty embarassing?  Yes, for those who are camera shy.  In fact, I wouldn't let Matt see the videos I made.  But worth it?  Definitely, which is why I am posting about this!

Wordless Wednesday

Creaky Trees?

I felt pretty sorry for Jackson today, as I've been neglecting his excersize.  We found out a few days ago at his annual vet exam that his is now 85 lbs.  So, for all of you that have noticed him getting bigger (ahem, fatter), it is definitely true.  Well, today was rather nice, so I threw the ball for him in our backyard.  Abigail was taking a nap, so I took her intercom outside with me.  Every time the wind blew, I heard an ominous creaking sound.  First, I thought it was coming from the intercom.  Nope.  Maybe the wooden gate at the back of our yard?  Nope, it was still latched and locked.  I then proceeded to check both shed doors as well as glance over at our neighbor's shed to see if they had a flyaway shed door.  No luck.  Could it be the door to the chicken coop two houses down (yes, even though we live 3 minutes from downtown, there are two chicken coops on our street...oh, and a fox that lives at the end of the street that has been known to be the culprit of a chicken massacre awhile back).  Nope, not that either.

Then I decided to look up and realized that the trees in our yard were creaking!  Now, these trees are TALL and oftentimes sway when the wind blows.  This picture doesn't do justice to their height, but you can imagine how tall that tree in the front is compared to the height of the swing.  I've never heard the trees creak before, so if I blog about a tree crashing through the roof of our house tomorrow, you will have been forewarned.

Wordless Wednesday