Abigail Loves Her Cousins!

While we were in Arizona last month, Abby had a great time playing with her cousins. She has been missing them quite a bit since we came home! She asks me about three or four times a week if she can play with them again. I don't think she realizes how far away they are!

Abigail, Samantha, and Logan

Abigail and Olivia

Anna (my cousin's little girl) and Abby became fast friends. We couldn't believe how much they resemble each other!

To all of Abby's cousins..... She wants you to know that she loves you and can't wait to see you again!

4th Annual Pinewood Derby for ALL the "Boys"

Last Friday, February 12, our ward had its 4th annual Pinewood Derby for the men (and young men too). This has become quite the ward activity! The first derby occurred right after we moved to Rochester. Coley claimed the title of "Track Champion" that year. Ever since, it has become a battle between Coley and the bishop. Year two and three were close races, but the bishop claimed the title those years.

With all of our traveling during the past month, Coley didn't have much time to work on his car (and even had to enter his car unpainted), but he claimed the title of "Track Champion" again this year- much to the dismay of the bishop!

I think the men are already planning the changes to their derby car for next year!

Abby was so excited to go to the race. She even wore her "Lightning McQueen" jacket just for this event!

Coley (with Abby's help) accepts his trophy. (Notice the racing uniform! It was an early birthday present to Coley from my dad for the 2nd annual derby. It caused quite a stir that year!)

Abby just can't get enough of the trophy!

I love you, Dad!

The past several weeks have been very difficult for our family. Since receiving the news on New Years Eve that my father had cancer, life has felt like a whirlwind of events. My dad passed away on January 25, 2010, just a few weeks after his diagnosis. We miss him so very much, but we are grateful for the peace and comfort we feel through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are also thankful for the love and support that has been extended to our family at this time of mourning.

I love you Dad!

Dad and Tara
August 5, 2006

Snow, Snow... Where ever I go!

So.... Abby and I are visiting family in Arizona for a couple of weeks. When we left Rochester, there was still snow on the ground, but quite a bit of it had melted due to several days of 40 degree weather. Arizona winter shouldn't be as bad as upstate NY, but Rochester had mild temperatures today along with blue skies....

This is what I saw when I looked out the window here this morning! Where are my boots? Oh yeah.... I left them in New York!

Bedtime Stories Are Not Just For Kids

Abby loves books! Reading books is probably one of the most critical steps of bedtime! Usually she crawls right up in my lap or Coley's lap to listen to a couple of stories with a blanket, but this particular night, she decided that several of her toys needed to listen to the book also. Abigail, Tigger, two pink bears, and gray elephant sat very still through the entire book. It's a good thing I had the book practially memorized because I could barely see the pages over all the toys!

A Child's Imagination

There is nothing quite like the imagination of a child. I love watching Abigail talk to her toys, and I smile as she tell me stories about her dolls, cars, and stuffed animals. Here are a couple of examples of Abigail's world:

Purple Dinosaur meets Tigger

I'm not sure the nature of this meeting, but it must be important since Abby took the time to set up the "Little Tikes" purple chairs (face to face) in the kitchen.

This is Mack Truck. (This was Abby's Christmas present from Mariette.) Abby LOVES her Mack Truck and takes his care very seriously. If you look closely, you can see that Abby has carefully placed one of the bowls from her kitchen (with plastic canned food) right at Mack's mouth. He was hungry and needed to eat!

My Christmas Surprise

One of my Christmas surprises from Coley was a date to go to dinner (at a restuarant of my choice) and a concert called "Extravaganza of Russian Music" at the Eastman Community Music School on January 7.

We went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Rochester- "Philip's European Cafe." I'm not usually a huge fan of sweet and sour sauce, but their chicken stir fry with sweet and sour sauce is delicious! They also have the most amazing desserts! Yummmm!

After dinner, we drove downtown to the concert. Student and faculty musicians from the school performed as well as an a capella men's choir called "Musica Spei." We listened to piano, violin, cello, flute, trumpet, and vocal music. It was wonderful. It was also fun to see the inside of the concert hall.

I must also say that Coley had previously made babysitting arrangements for Abigail. He definitely gets "two thumbs up" for this Christmas surprise. Thank you for a wonderful evening!