black anaconda

so today was our last adventure to noah's ark of the summer. we had originally planned on going this past monday, but thunderstorms and 65-degree temps made it seem like not such a good idea. so, we went today instead. we had an awesome time...probably better than the last time we went because we knew more about what we wanted to do. it was only about 75 or so, and the water was pretty chilly, but it was still tons of fun.

highlights: going around the lazy river 3 times and having abby say, "let's go again!", being able to somewhat lay on my stomach in the tube on the lazy river, abby dancing in the wave pool and singing, "dancing in the poo-ool, once or twice, around around around around around and STOP and splash.", abby telling me that she wasn't going to take a nap in the car on the way home and less than a minute later passing out in her car seat. fun times for all.

so we have a super-busy couple of weeks coming up...

saturday: edgerton steam show with grandma and grandpa schultz where abby gets to ride a train for the first time.
sunday: taste of madison
monday: brian's birthday! dinner at fuddrucker's and cold stone ice cream afterwards.
tuesday: brian starts cafe training in crystal lake, abby and i go down there with him.
wednesday: family day in the chicago burbs, trip to dekalb. brian goes to brewers game at night, abby and i come home.
thursday: church choir rehearsals start.
friday: doctor's appointment, then up to appleton.
saturday: in appleton, then brian back at night.

there's more after that, but it's making me tired thinking about it.

silly or serious?

yesterday i was sitting at the computer and abby was playing, and she came up to me holding her sippy cup sideways. she then brought the cup to her mouth sideways like that and said, "look mommy! milk on the cob!" cue hysterical laughter from both of us. :)

and tonight? for supper? she wanted "banana peels and milk on the cob."

abby's mispronunciations

piano=pananno
regular=regulee
guitar=ahtar
problem=plahlem
pull-up=pull-ut
pedals=puddles
animals=ehmos (elmos)


i'm sure there are more, but that's all that's occurring to me right now.

we're headed back to noah's ark on monday since we still have 2 tickets left. looks like we'll actually have nice weather, too. other than that, we have nothing planned for the weekend. should be kind of nice.

part 89 in the continuing saga of how i injure myself in new and interesting ways

so, yeah. this isn't about abby. just a funny story about me.

how did i manage to injure myself today, you ask? i injured myself playing the piano. more specifically, i injured my hand playing a glissando. i got an insta-bruise just below my knuckle on my right hand. to make this even more hilarious, this is not my first glissando injury. when i was in college, i had to play a glissando on a piano that had some chipped keys, and managed to lay open my thumb during the performance. had to clean those keys pretty well afterwards...all the blood, you know.

so, here is my "funny injury" list:

1986: made hole in wall with my head. hole is still there. parents plan on selling house with hole.

many and various falling-down-stairs injuries.

sprained ankle falling down stairs at junior high because i wasn't looking where i was going.

sprained ankle playing tennis in college jumping for a ball that i didn't have a prayer of actually reaching.

sprained ankle falling down stairs in garage.

sliced open pinky finger with ikea butter knife trying to separate frozen brats. finger is still not right, doesn't bend anymore.



and many more that i can't think of right now. i may add to the list as i remember, though.

in non-injury news, abby and i spent a couple of days up at my parents' going through the mountains and mountains of CRAP of mine from their attic. among the fun finds: a nerdy letter from 11-year-old kim, the $600 bill for new tires and new motor mounts for the green sable that we paid the DAY we moved which was also coincidentally the day the car died. permanently. also found the "requiem for jenny's fingernail" that i started during a particularly boring convocation at wesleyan. fun stuff.

ice cream cone on your shirt!

so, things have been busy! abby had her first wedding experience this past weekend, and the verdict was overwhelmingly positive.

we left saturday morning for st. paul, stopping at starbucks for mommy and other little piddly things that needed to be done before leaving town. we made it up there in good time, with only 3 potty stops. we had put abby in a pull-up just in case, but she stayed dry the whole way. and was even an above-average traveler. we got to the hotel without incident and got checked in with my parents. we had a little time, so we didn't need to rush to get ready, which was good. brian and i showered while abby ran in between the adjoining rooms. finally we got ready and headed off to the wedding. it was HOT and it was HUMID and the ceremony was outside, but it was short. abby mostly behaved. then we had a great time at the reception, and abby got to bust a move out on the dance floor. she even danced all by herself to the jackson 5 "ABC", and everyone thought she was just the cutest. :) she headed back to the hotel with grandparents around 9 or so, and brian and i stayed till almost midnight.

sunday morning we all woke up and snuggled in the big hotel bed and watched thomas the tank engine before heading down to breakfast. after breakfast we just hung out in the rooms for a while, and then my parents left. eventually we left the hotel too and headed for the mall of america to kill some time before meeting brian's friend. little did we know that immediately adjacent to the mall of america? IKEA. the mothership calling me home. so, we went there instead of the mall, and had a great time. we even ate lunch there. our only purchase was a new litterbox for kishi for $5. can't beat those swedes for their deals on litterboxes. after IKEA, we drove back in to st. paul to meet brian's friend arvind at their house. hung out there with them for a little while, and then settled in for the long drive home.

overall, it was a great weekend, and even somewhat relaxing. i know i'm in a better mood since we got back, and that's helped a LOT.

how smart is abby? this exchange should give you an idea...
me: "abby, would you like tortellini or pizza for supper tonight?"
abby: (pause) "tortellini!"
me: "ok, tortellini it is."
abby: "...AND pizza!"

dancing in panties

so we went to the state fair yesterday. abby had a BLAST. we saw lots of animals, including the racing pigs, and a good time was had by all. i had some pregnancy- and heat-related issues, but overall, it was a great day.

next up in the summer o' traveling: heading to st. paul this weekend for a wedding. this will be abby's first wedding experience, as well as her first hotel experience. it'll either go really well or be a nightmare. care to place a bet? :)

funny moment from the past week: the 3 of us were taking a walk around the neighborhood after supper, and brian and abby were both wearing their hats. abby said "mommy, you don't have a hat", and i said "no, mommy doesn't really like hats...she has trouble finding hats that fit her." slight pause, and then abby said, "maybe you need a helmet." how true, how true.