Leaving Charlottesville

We spent our first night away from Charlottesville in this awesome hotel room. Gotta love Priceline!
When we rented our car (which, incidentally, looked like something a pimp would drive), they gave us an infant car seat instead of a toddler one. Kind of a tight fit, even for Abby.
Abby, the jetsetter, takes her 9th airplane ride. Not a bad way to celebrate her 17 month birthday.
Rich takes a break from traveling to play the slots in Las Vegas. He didn't win anything, I guess that means we won't be retiring back to Charlottesville just yet.
Finally, we are done flying and driving! What better way to celebrate than a romp in the dirt with cousin Natalie.

Fireflies

On our last Sunday in Charlottesville, we went to the Lawn to see the fireflies. If you go around 8:45, you get quite a spectacular show. Unfortunately our camera didn't pick it up. So, instead of bugs whose bums light up, you get to see Abby (whose bum just smells funny at least once a day).





Here is Abby climbing the steps to the Rotunda; in 20-something years we expect to take another of her after she has just defended her dissertation (or with law/medical, etc... degree in hand).

Father's Day

If she was going to have a meltdown on Mother's Day, it's only fair to do it for Father's Day!








And once again, dad comes to the rescue, entertaining Abby with his big fish stories.

Presenting....Dr. Nelson!!!

Today, Rich succesfully defended his dissertation! It was quite the experience. He decided to do his defense in the Rotunda (for those unfamiliar with UVa, the Rotunda was designed by Thomas Jefferson, and based on the Pantheon, it continues to be an integral part of the Grounds). After 40 agonizing (perhaps most agonizing for me, Rich looked very calm and collected) minutes of presentation and questions from his committee, he was sent out while they deliberated. After another 10 minutes of waiting, they came out, shook his hand and congratulated him. We are so proud of the many years of hard work that brought Rich to this point.

Before...

...and after!

Tennis Reunion

I'm not too sure what pose we were going for here, but Kim, Elysa and I give it our best shot.
Watch out, Roger Federer

Okay, so none of us are contenders for Wimbledon, but we had a great time playing tennis one last time together.

Brought to You by Dishman and Dishman

Recently some friends taught Abby to answer the question "Have you been a good girl today?", by shaking her hand to mean "so-so". It's quite amuzing and occassionally it's the correct answer.

A New Skill

Today we went in search for some new shoes for Abby, notice how she carries the bag like a seasoned shopper.

Here is a close-up of the new shoes, every girl should have a pair of jelly shoes at least once in her life! Unfortunately, after wearing them for a couple of hours, I noticed that they had rubbed her ankles raw. So, it may be a while before we put them back on, I am not sure I want my daughter thinking that beauty is pain.

Ragged Mountain

Last week (actually it may have been a couple of weeks ago), Abby, Rich and I went hiking at a place called Ragged Mountain. Here is a view of the lake (and Rich and Abby). If Abby doesn't look too thrilled to be there, it's because she wasn't.

A Look Worth a Million Words

Abby expresses her displeasure as I try to clean the black bean mush from every visible body part (if you wonder why we post so may pictures of her eating, it's because the kid LOVES to eat).

A New Fashion Accessory

Tonight was spaghetti night, and as you may have noticed from a recent post, Abby is very skilled at making a mess. Needless to say I felt it best to strip her down. However, she has also discovered that it's hilarious to take her diaper off. Not having the energy to follow her around and clean up little messes that might be made, I had to figure out a way to keep that diaper on...that's right, I used painter's tape to keep our daughter from running around in her birthday suit.

Animal House

Abby loves to perform, and she has become quite good at various animal noises. Unfortunately we forgot about fish, so check back for an update.

Teddy Rabbit

One of Abby's favorite toys is her beloved Teddy Rabbit (a cross-dressing teddy bear in a pink bunny suit). She recently discovered that she can carry Teddy with her by using a blanket as a sling.