Lazy Saturday

What should we do today Sammy?


I have and idea! Let's invite Peter and Rachel over for macaroni and cheese and hot dogs!


Oh please Daddy! Can we? (We were going to say yes no matter what, but she is just testing out the potency of her hugs - irresistible Abby!)


Sammy got a little silly at the party...


and passed out early...

Decisions, decisions...

Months ago I made an appointment for our first family photos and for months the end of February has seemed a long, long way off, until last night when I was drifting off to sleep and thought... hey, don't we have those family photos coming up... on SUNDAY?! So today I ran to the mall to see what I could come up with to make the Malley family look our very best. I decided to dress the star of our family first and Charlie and I could just wear something that sort of coordinated, but it's all Easter stuff! I refuse to dress us all in butter yellow and carnation pink and I don't really want Abby to freeze outside looking just adorable in a sleeveless dress with blue hands (if you've ever seen Abby catch even the slightest chill you will know that this girl's hands and feet turn an unsightly blue if it's any less than a balmy 68 degrees). So the options weren't as plentiful as I had imagined, but I did come up with a few options. Which should I choose?


Blue Dress
pros: Charlie and I can easily coordinate with this look, It's really cute, it was cheap
cons: is just a tad big on her, but I could do a quick "hem" of the sleeves and it would be fine


Denim Dress
pros: Charlie and I can easily coordinate and I kind of like the idea of Abby getting a photo every year near her birthday and this look is really timeless
cons: it's sort of plain, but maybe could be dressed up with a bright accessory, sweater or some tights


Green Shirt
pros: it just might be the perfect color on Abby
cons: it's only a shirt and I need to find something to go with it and I don't know what the designers were thinking but this is a shirt for a baby and the arms are SO tight. Don't all babies have chubby arms?

It should always be this sunny in February!

We love it, we love it, we love it, WE LOVE IT!  

Go Huskies!

Our little Husky!

A day at the park...

Kelsey, Eli, Peter, Rachel, Abby and I headed to Kelsey Creek Park today. We used to go a lot as little kids so it was fun to go with the new kids! Abby and Eli loved the animals and we ALL loved this awesome weather!

All Business

Abby and Sammy love to watch the action on the street, and by action, I mean the boys playing in the yard across the street... it doesn't matter to them though.  They consider watching the street serious business and there are times when I have to give in and just watch these two little buddies attend to business.

FINALLY Done!

Today is a momentous day... we are finally done with our "remodel". We started in October and most of it wrapped up the first week of December, but today we got the final pieces. All we were waiting for were a couple of built in pieces but I'm pleased to say, they make all the difference and I really like the way they turned out... now all I need is some finishing touches! Look out Marshalls! I'm on my way!

For years I've used a shelf as a vanity.  It was functional, but not very attractive and would occasionally fall if you put too much weight on it.  This is SO much better.

What do you think of Mommy's new desk Abby?

Mesmerized? I think that means you like it...

Our bathroom before.  If you think the color on your computer is off, it's not, the bathroom was flesh colored.

After.  I love it!  It's not quite as chocolate mint as it looks here.

Bathing Beauty

Abby loves the bath.  I finally got around to taking some pictures to document just how happy she is in the bath.  I just wish I could get some of the vocal highlights on video.  She has been such a chatterbox lately, but as soon as I get out the video camera she quiets down immediately.  We don't get much Mama or Dada, but we get a lot of pointing followed by total gibberish.  Sometimes it sounds like whole sentences of total gibberish. Oh how I wish I had a translator... today she pointed at her rubber duckies one by one and said something like "liddy doo da mamama".  My baby book says she'll be experimenting with voice modulation and she really is, she said this very loud and with a lot of force... I hope when she learns to talk she doesn't start saying "MOM!  Give me that rubber ducky now!  I need it!!" but I don't have too much hope, my Mom used to tell me almost daily that it wasn't what I said (that was getting me in trouble) it was the way I said it.  I don't understand Abby quite yet, but sometimes the way she says it makes me just a little worried that I may be saying that same thing to Abby quite a bit... on second thought Charlie might be saying it because Charlie still says that to me and the last thing I want to be is a hypocrite, right? : )

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Be My Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

11 Months Old!!

I cannot believe that my little baby will be a year old in just 4 short weeks... how did the time go so fast!!  She is so special and we love her so much!

A couple quick facts:

• Abby can now stand independently!  I think she probably could take some steps, but she's much too content crawling.
• We can't recognize too many real words, but she is a chatter box and it's pretty fun to hear her babble to us and her toys.
• She loves to point and look at pictures.
• Her favorite books are Ha Ha Farm and The Wheels on the Bus, favorite toy Dotty (her lovey), bath toys, the shopping cart.
• Special interests: Sammy, making strangers smile, throwing things out of her crib and emptying drawers.

sick baby

Having a sick baby is so sad!

Showing off her runny nose and teething pain.

Mom!  No more pictures!











I have to admit, before I was a mom, back when I was a worker bee, I used to think very mean, selfish thoughts about moms that took "sick days" when their kids were sick.  I used to think "that's so unfair, they get to skip work and they are fine.  I wish I got to stay home "sick" when I was perfectly healthy." Oh how wrong I was.

Staying home with a sick kid is the WORST.  Not only are they sick and sad and pitiful and that breaks your heart, but my oh my are they needy!  Anyway, yesterday Abby was sick for the first time.  She had a fever and a runny nose AND I'm pretty sure she's getting 4 top teeth, so needless to say she was a wreck.  We didn't leave the house and I pretty much held her the whole day and I think I got her to crack a smile maybe once.  So there.  I've done penance for all those mean thoughts and I am officially apologizing for EVER thinking that any of those moms staying home with a sick kid were just trying to get out of work.

Happy Valentines Week!

Nothing better ever came out of a Tiffany's box.



(In case you are wondering, Charlie did not buy me something giant and fantastic from Tiffany's for our anniversary. Abby, however, did get a giant and fantastic piggy bank from Tiffany's a long time ago, and I can't seem to throw away the box.)

Attention people on speed dial

Abby has the phone and she knows how to use it. Well, sort of... She's figured out the pushing the buttons and holding it up to her ear part, surely those other details will just fall into place.

Happy Anniversary Charlie!

I love you more today than ever! You are a great husband, dad and friend and I'm so lucky to be Melissa Malley! Happy third anniversary Charlie!

Abby might hate the Super Bowl

What do you think Abby? There were tears and smiles. So which is it? Do you love or hate the Super Bowl? I guess we better do a little pro con pro, but still we might have to wait till next year to find out whether Abby hates or loves the Super Bowl.

PRO:

Abby finally got to play with Dad's Rock Band stuff.

Future member of The Who 2? Who knows?

CON:

Watching TV in the creepy basement? I HATE the super bowl!



PRO:

Snacks and cuddling with Sammy and Mommy... not so bad.

I sure hope she didn't learn this look from me...

Good thing the smiles outnumber the glares!

I love this little face...

...and all of it's many expressions!

Let's make a mess!

This must be what Abby is thinking all the time, because if there's an opportunity to make a mess, she's up for it! I knew it would happen eventually, but I was hoping maybe it wouldn't... I cannot leave Abby by herself for even a minute anymore, she'll find something to climb, tip over, or destroy. Good thing she's so lovable and cute, because I think it's only going to get worse for a while




Charlie keeps this box of newspapers in the living room so that he can quickly start fires... or so he says (we start a fire maybe once a month). I have been scheming to get rid of it for at least a year and Abby and Sammy finally made the case for that collection of newspapers to go to the recycling where they belong! : )