California Trip July 2007

We traveled to California for our niece Sharon's wedding. It was a long trip but well worth it. We had an opportunity to see Aunt Susie, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Dean, Nana & Papa Creten, Nana & Papa Shelley and a lot of Abby's cousins. This trip was a treat for us and we will cherish the memories. We got to spend some quality time with the majority of Hal's family which we know is a blessing. Abby got to spend time with her aunts and grandparents which is a great thing since we live so far away from all of them.

I want to thank Susie and Dean for their hospitality and also for sending us home with a bunch of great memories.

Tara

Hal, Tara and Abby at the wedding reception 7/21/07

Abby & Aunt Susie in the pool

Abby with Aunt Lisa and Aunt Susie playing jacks

Abby with Nana & Papa Creten

Abby with her cousin Melisa after the girls got Abby all dolled up. Check out the hair.

Zoo Trip with Nana & Papa Siemers 6/20/07

I guess I should get a few pictures from our summer posted on here for all to see. I am going to
focus this blog on our trip to Como Zoo with Nana & Papa Siemers on June 20, 2007. We went early in the day, arriving just shortly after the zoo opened. We had a very nice time and Abby really liked all of the different animals. She got to see giraffes, lions, tigers, zebras, gorillas but her favorite animals were the polar bears. There were a couple of them playing in the water and her turned to us and said that the polar bears were "big Sammys" (our large white dog).



Abby & Mommy at Como Zoo 6/20/07

Abby with Nana & Papa Siemers at Como Zoo 6/20/07

Thanks to Nana & Papa for coming down to share this great day with us. We all enjoyed it tons and bunches.

2 June 2007 Fish Lake Outing

Hello Everyone:

Today we took a trip to Fish Lake (located a couple blocks from home) to have fun on the sandy beach and play in the lake. I took Abby there yesterday for her first excursion of that sort but I didn't go in the water then. Our family trip today was a huge success and we all had a great time. Abby is so happy when she's outdoors and I hope we get the chance in the future to go camping and other fun activities like that. We don't add to this blog as often as we should but with the small amount of time we have to ourselves we have to pick and choose what things to get done on any given day.

Here are some of the pics we took today. Take care and thanks for stopping by.
Hal

Abby enjoys the simple things in life

Tara & Abby try to walk on water.

Abby & Daddy

Abby & Mommy strike a pose.

Hal & Tara practice saying cheeeeeeese.

Fun in the Minnesota Sun

Tara on Mother's Day 13 May 2007

Abby tries to get a drink but it takes

lots of practice to perfect this technique.

Papa Siemers and Abby go for a post-mowing cruise

Springtime is just so Awesome!!!

Dad does the ole self portrait trick...Hold your camera at arms length and

try to look right center into the lens and carefully push the shutter.

Who needs a popsicle? This is cool!

...Raindrops keep fallin' on my head...

Hello and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. We've been as busy as ever lately and this evening after dinner we went out front to water the flowers. Abby wanted to do it herself, of course, saying "Abby do Abby do". Once she figured out how the hose sprayer worked, she loved it and proceeded to aim the spray at mommy. Before it was over about a half hour later, dad got drenched when Abby took her accurate aim. It was a lot of fun and the flowers were happy too.



Also you will see a picture of her first ride on the lawn tractor with Grandpa Siemers. She loved it and just calls it the chine (machine).



Have a great week. Love, Hal

We sure have been busy!

Here are some pictures of some of the adventures from the past month. Abby is still attending her Early Childhood class every Tuesday and seems to like it very much. She has also been spending a lot of time playing at the park. She is learning to share and take turns at playing but of course, that is a hard lesson to learn. She loves to help out around the house in her own special way. She is also in the phase of wanting to do things all by herself. I just can't believe how fast she is growing up!

I hope that you are all well and enjoy these most recent pictures of our little princess.

Love,
Tara

Abby & Mommy checking out the big climber.

Abby meeting her cousin Quinn for the first time. She really thought he was great. In this picture, she is giving him a little kiss while Grandma feeds him a bottle.

Another little kiss from Abby to baby Quinn.

Peek-A-Boo!

All tired out after a long day of playing.

Welcome to the Terrible 2's

Miss Abby has been a very busy girl over the past few days. She attends her Early Childhood class on Tuesdays with Hal and ever since she came home from her session this past Tuesday, she has been an absolute pill. Everyone tells us that this is typical for a 2 year old but let me tell you, she has sure learned how to push her mom and dad's buttons lately. She has her moments of being totally sweet and then, watch out, because this little angel can sure change her tune in a matter of a couple of seconds.

But having said that, I should also mention what a sweetie she can be. Today, Hal called me when they were on their way home from playing at the park and Abby actually had a conversation with me on the phone. That just absolutely made my day! Her vocabulary has grown a lot over the past couple of months and she is learning new things everyday.

Here are a couple new pictures.
Love,
Tara

Abby Update

Hello all: Abby hardly slows down for a moment before she's on to the next activity. She really likes Tuesdays and Fridays when I take her to the local school districts' Early Childhood Family Education classes. She gets to play with about 10-15 other kids her age and learn social skills right next to her peers.

This moring and afternoon we played on the deck with the "boys" (dogs) because with the temps in the 60's all the snow is melting and revealing lots of mud, dog poop, and generally soggy grass. No sane person would dare step foot upon that inhospitable ground. We also observed a fairly large Box Elder Bug in the kitchen and released it to the outside world to spend the rest of its life sunning itself on the west side of any dwelling. Apparently, these creatures seek shelter in the winter and get into the house and get lost. When the west side of the house begins to get some strong sunshine, they find their way out of the cracks and crevices to sun themselves. Abby thought the bug was really cool and I like the fact that they move very slowly and don't scurry. Below I will attach a fuzzy picture of our encounter but it'll get the point across. Also, we'll include a picture of Abby and Tara, who both had their hair done this week.

More another time. Hal