the dress...

  

  oh the dress.

abbie took a liking to this dress the minute she saw it

while changing our closets over for the spring/summer searson

 abbie spyed his little beauty jammed between 50 other dresses  hanging so nicely between her other dresses.

she immediately named it her lady bug dress.

every day (kid you not) she would ask if she could wear her ladybug dress. 

every day momma would say

"no abbie it is not summer yet and your ladybug dress is a summer dress"

then the first day of summer came.

abbie wore this dress and she wore it proud.

she would gleamingly say she looked "bootiful" in the dress and indeed she did.

i will admit she looked abolutley adorable in it. 

those little braids and matching fuschia sandals...

i could of ate her up with a spoon.

but then the dress started to consume abbie.

she asked to wear it every.single.day (kid you not yet again!)

she threw tantrums like i had never seen if i told her that she couldn't wear her ladybug dress.

soon momma began to associate the dress with abbie's beast like behaviors and as a result started to despise the dress.

i refused to let this dress consume me so i forced myself to change my thinking and try and understand abbie's distorted point of view.

it was kind of hard but i did it!

well as summer comes to an end i have to say this little dress did indeed sneak it's way into this momma's heart. 

and as a result instead of landing in the "going to consignment" pile with the 50 other dresses that were never worn

(i don't need to tell you why)

abbie's little ladybug dress has a earned a precious spot in momma's hope chest. 

summer days...

here is what my sweet little family has been up to this summer...

lazy mornings where breakfast seems to be going on all morning...ella is usually the last to wake up giving levi an opportunity to have a 2nd breakfast. :)

the girls finally talked mommy into letting them play with their makeup.
momma's usual response is "maybe later"...ughhh the dreaded response for any child since we all know it is a sneaky way of saying no. :)

we have been watching movies...and reciting them.  abbie's newest thing is to recite lines from movies (no need to be concerned...she does it to be funny).  :)
a day does not go by without her saying,
"how are you doing today, much better, much better" from Rio
or
"all this sweetness is rotting my teeth" from the new ice age
she has some other random ones too which i can't think of right now.
i tell ya...this one is something else! :)

we have taking advantage of our village library and the programs they put on

this one was a pajama party.  it was so cute!

and we even performed in a talent show! the girls and their bf, sidney, sang a song for some older folks in a nursing home. 
they did a great job!

and after they went to visit some horses at sidney's uncles.

and of course they found some barn cats to love. 

and last but not least
after several weeks of wondering if there was anything in the nest by our house...
we saw this sweet little thing.

and her siblings. :)

and here is the proud momma (can you see the worm in her mouth!)...i have to tell you i am in no way an animal lover but i could watch this momma and her babies all day. 
just so sweet.

so there you have it. 
soon we are headed to new hampshire for the week and then off to hilton head island for 2 weeks...we are soooo excited!!