Dear Abby.

My goodness, do I love you.

You with the stories you tell.  Your active imagination.  Your flair for the dramatic.  The joy you find in people, all people. 

 Your quick smile.  And even if it's hard to answer question after question, I love your inquisitive, curious mind.  You are making sense of the world in your own innocent way, and tell me how things work, or why they are a certain way, or why it doesn't matter, so matter of factly that I believe you. 

You know, don't you Abby Jo.  You know how the world works.  And the world is here for you to make of it what you will, and experience it for all it has to offer.  From the worms we find in the dirt to the music you dance to, even when no one else hears it. 

Your joyful heart will carry you far. 

I love you.  I admire you.  I am so very proud of you. 

W.M.O.T.Y. Part 2.

I am an equally bad-mom with both of my children.

See this cheesey smile?

Abby and Jaedyn, BFFs

Abby's doing exactly what I told her to do. Smile big, show her teeth, and keep her eyes open. In my defense, on our way to dance pictures, Abby was showing me how she planned to pose... which involved her version of half-closed "come-hither" eyes and a close-lipped, trying-to-be-coy smile.

So, this is how my coaching was translated. For every picture. The photographer even took extra pictures of her encourage Abby to show her smile (I guess this look isn't an obvious expression of joy?). And I ordered buttons, magnets, and individual shots.

This will be funny at her graduation, right?

Bah.

[Worst] Mommy of the Year Award.

Jett had an eventful weekend.

See what's missing? After a fun-filled evening at Grandma and Grandpa Nuest's, I hauled reluctant kiddos home. We walked into the house, Jett protesting all the while, and, to get him laughing, I started swinging him around, tickling him, and jumping with him on the couch. I tossed him onto the couch cushion, and he proceeded to bounce off the cushion and nail his mouth (with nuk) into the back of the couch. Wouldn't have been that big a deal had we not removed the back cushions to make forts earlier in the day, but, as it were, hard back of couch hit nuk hit front right tooth, jamming right up into his gum.

A panicked call to Grandma Connie, a quick trip to the ER, and I was assured that he was ok, but we needed to see the dentist this week. So that's where we're headed today.

By the way, if you ask Jett what happened, he'll say, "Mommy throw me." Ugh. Guilt trip.