dear abby,

I'll try to forget that yesterday you learned how to get out of the backyard and led Carter on an escape twice. (by the way, you'll never get very far.)

I'll try to forget that yesterday you wrote on our van's dashboard with black permanent marker.

I'll try to forget that yesterday you used my stamps as stickers and put them all over Carter's body.

I'll try to forget that yesterday you were practicing the fine art of temper tantruming.

I'll try to forget that yesterday I had to put you in time out way too many times.

Cause today you're just so darn sweet and wonderful.

Holly and Hazel

Our neighbors, Pete and Debbie just got two puppies, Holly and Hazel. I think they're Boston Terriers, and ironically, one of them is deaf. So every evening after dinner we go out in the back yard and Abby and Carter run straight to the fence to see if their little friends are there. If they are, Pete usually lifts one of them over the fence and I put the kids on my shoulders and they play over the fence. It's very cute and the kids love it.

Carter 5

1. Carter has 15 words now. "down, ball, doggy, more, baby, uh-oh, milk, water, car, bye-bye, open, stop, go, Abby, and Daddy. These are the ones that he says on his own. It's not counting the words he mimics. Notice Mommy's not on the list yet? Oh well.

2. He is still mr. grouch a lot of the time, except of course when he's around other people and then he is happy and flirty. No one believes me when I tell them that he has a Mr. Hyde side, but it's true people. It's true.

3. I used to think Abby was the most expressive baby in the world, but I think Carter has beat her out.

4. He's wearing his hearing aids more often now, but they are way too small for him so its really time for new ones.

5. He'll be going to nursery in a month! I can't believe it!

i can't help it

I broke out the apple cider candles and Christmas music today. I have the best christmas repertoire, much of it being choral a capella stuff that isn't overly Christmasy so I could listen to it forever. But I won't. For my husband's sake. :)

BYU vs TCU

Last Thursday, Brian and I went to the BYU / TCU game with Scott, Carrie, Eric and Sheena. It was quite a depressing game, but it was fun to be amongst hundreds of crazy cougar fans, my husband being one of them. I didn't go to BYU, so I really missed out on those kind of experiences. Besides a semester at UNT and some junior college, I went to UT Arlington for most of college, which is a commuter school with no football team and not a whole lot of school spirit. It's a great school, just not a place to get the whole college experience. I am very satisified with the education that I got there, but I've always regretted not staying at UNT or even trying to go to BYU. But then again, my life might have turned out completely different and I wouldn't want that, would I?

Anyone else feel the same way? Where did you go to college, and do you have any regrets about school?

stupid camera settings

We were planning on going to the Flower Mound pumpkin patch like we have in years past, but we were tight on time today so we went to a neighborhood pumpkin patch instead. I had the camera on a custom setting and forgot to change it, and so all the pictures turned out filmy and grainy. Grrrrr. Plus the sun was so bright and the shadows were crazy so it wasn't great picture taking conditions anyway. So maybe on an overcast day I'll take the kids out and try again.

Abby spied something.
Ooh! Its a gnarly pumpkin!
"I must have it!"

There were lots of really intersting pumpkins at this patch though. I really wanted to buy this pumpkin cause the stem was so awesome, but I didn't want to spend $12 on it.

hearing update long overdue

HEARING AIDS
Abby is wearing her hearings aids all the time now, which is about 10 hours a day. We have been really aggressive with keeping her hearing aids on, and we can definitely tell a difference. She's happier, she talks more, she's more aware of the world around her, and it even seems like she has a better relationship with us now that we're all living in the same hearing world. Carter has not worn his hearing aids in about a month. His hearing is much better than Abby's and we felt like it would be easier to tackle Abby's hearing aids first and then deal with Carter later. Plus, his mold are getting too small, so they don't stay in very well. I know. Lame excuses, but he's still young so we have time with him. Abby doesn't.

TESTING
We hope to get Abby and Carter's genetic test results back by this week or next. We've gotten back results for 4 of the 5 tests they do, all of which were negative, but its the fifth test, one for Pendred Syndrome, that we think may be what Abby has. Needless to say, we're anxious to get the results.

THERAPY
A few weekends ago Brian and I went to an Auditory Verbal Conference and it completely changed the way we are going to treat Abby and Carter's hearing loss. After seeing the results that children get out of AV therapy, we feel it is definitely the only way to go. BUT now we realize the help that they've been getting through ECI isn't enough. So we did some research, talked to a few people and decided to start driving to Coppell on Monday mornings to take Abby and Carter to The Hearing School of the Southwest, where they will work with a certified auditory verbal therapist. I toured the school and I love it, and wished we lived closer so that Abby could go to the day program there. But since it's a 40 minute drive, a one hour therapy session once a week will have to do until she starts school next year.

SCHOOL
In January, Abby will go to school six hours a day, five days a week at Pearson Elementary in Plano. They have an AV therapy program there and the other day I went and toured the school and talked to some of the teachers. I feel good about her going there, and its only a 20 minute drive. However, I am pretty sad about my THREE YEAR OLD going to real school. I'm gonna miss her, but its what's best.

Some of you were wondering where I found the christmas dresses. I think most of them can be found at Pink Princess and Sophia's Style I found another adorable one while I was at Sophia's Style today. I think this looks like Abby for sure.

dress daydreaming

It all started with this red dress I found for Abby on Gap.com. I loved it, but I wondered if there was a prettier dress out there, so I spent like, the next hour looking at dresses online. I found a few that I really like, but I still think the red one is my favorite, maybe because the bodice is so beautiful. Yeah, it was a total waste of time, cause there's no way I'm going to spend $40-$100 on a holiday dress for Abby, but it doesn't hurt to dream, does it?

So which one would you choose

Red dress number 1?

OR

2
3
4 5
6
7

8

9

10

If you live in Collin County, read on...

Missy is going to be in McKinney soon to take pictures of a family up here. She thought while she was at it she could do a day of shooting to make it a worthwhile trip. If anyone is interested, send her an email. Her prices are insanely reasonable compared to other professional natural light photographers, and she's really good.

photo tagged by Linna

This is the fourth picture in the fourth file in my photos. July 15, 2005. (can you tell I organize them chronologically?) It's a pic of a pretty little stream on a mountain in Colorado that Brian and I hiked when I was pregnant with Abby. I was four months pregnant hiking a 10,000ft mt., so I was dying... but pictures like this make the memories a little sweeter.

Eh, I don't feel like tagging anyone. You're off the hook, I mean, unless you want to do it. Then go right ahead. Fourth file, fourth picture.

in three days...

Carter has:

1. fallen off the front of the chair and knocked the back of his head on the way down, which resulted in a nasty bruise across the base of his head.
2. creamed out on the concrete, biting his top lip on impact. So now he has two teeth marks above his lip, which makes his lips super juicy looking.
3. come to me crying after a mystery accident. The damage is a skinned up nose and a bruise above his right eye.

Mandie has:

1. had a dream that my widowed mother married a sugar daddy and didn't bother to tell her daughters about the wedding.
2. had a dream that one of my close family member's husband wanted a separation.
3. had a dream that I had a terminal illness that made all my teeth fall out.

Abby has:

1. Got bitten by a bug on her eyelid and the side of her face, which caused an allergic reaction and puffed up her eyelid to the size of a golf ball.

What in the world is going on around here?!

GIVEAWAY

Some of you know Molly, creator of My Favorite Things. And some of you know Missy, my graphic design sister. For those of you that don't know either, you need to go to My Favorite Things and see the great new re-design that Missy did for Molly. And while you're there, sign up to win a free blog design package!

VOTE FOR ME

I submitted a photo in a photo contest, and the voting has started! If you have a minute, go to http://mycameraisbiggerthanyours.com/announcements/capture-the-summer-feeling-pho.html , click on page three, and vote for number 82! That's my pic!

I know I'm not going to win, cause there are some great pictures submitted, but I've never submitted a photo in a contest before, so its just kinda fun!

a moment

Don't have much to blog about, except to document a cute Daddy/Carter moment.