Elizabeth Anne Frybarger joined us on Friday, December 7 at 743am via scheduled csection. She weighed in at an impressive 8lbs., 4oz and 20in long. She made her arrival known for sure and cried the whole time she was being checked out and cleaned up. Music to our ears!
Both Jim and I thought we were having a boy, so needless to say we were shocked when Jim saw/announced to me that we had a baby girl. Couldn't be more thrilled and really so happy!
So far things are going well with Ellie at home. Abby and Jimmy are adjusting well to having a little sister and having to share mom/dad with her. Jimmy is pretty sick with congestion /cold/fever so it has been fairly tough dealing with that and the schedule of a new baby but we are managing. Lots of Dora has been helping.
Jim starts back up work tomorrow (December 19th) , which is causing me some anxiety and worry about how I will handle it all myself, but i am also ready to just try it and get into a normal routine. I will miss him helping all day/night since he is the calm, rational, patient one, but i can do it too!
So a birth story will follow soon... When I have a chance to type it out. As for now, my plan is to write out some christmas cards; one week until Christmas day!
Today is Abby and Jimmy second birthday! I can't believe it... Two amazing years have passed already; it is quite shocking how fast this year went!
Abby is quite the little character- so loving,sensitive, smart and caring. I think she may be a tad dramatic as well... Hmm, where does she get that from?!
Jimmy is a fun little guy- smart, spirited and charming. His laugh is contagious and smile is heartwarming. He loves to snuggle and cuddle, when he finally settles down!
Abby and Jimmy really do love each other, and it's easy to see! First thing Jimmy says in the morning is usually 'Abby' and always wonders where she is if he doesn't see her right away. And Abby will always try to cheer Jimmy up when he is sad and crying. She'll bring him a tissue or his favorite stuffed animal (monkey) to try to make him feel better - it is so sweet!
I am kind of sad that my itty bitty babies are gone but am so happy to watch them grow and learn and turn into the amazing people they will become! I cannot wait to see Abby and Jimmy as a big sister and big brother- I know they will be awesome in those roles!
Even though the challenges and struggles of having two to raise at once are sometimes overwhelming and quite exhausting, I wouldn't have it any other way! These two light up my life and make me smile everyday.
Abby and Jimmy are in love with The Wiggles. One day while watching the Sprout channel, a little ten minute Wiggles show came on - and they loved it. It was the episode with the waltz that sparked their interest.
Ever since they first saw that episode, they have been asking to watch the wiggles fairly often - pretty much anytime we let them watch any TV, it is a Wiggles episode. So now, their favorite Wiggles song is Hot Potato. I am sure I have it completely memorized, both the words and the dance moves because we watch it all.the.time! So here are the Wiggles doing Hot Potato:
And here are Abby and Jimmy's interpretation of it: :-) I love love love when they do the cold spaghetti move! I haven't been able to get them on video going all out with the dance moves; so far, this is the best I have been able to record!
(Video is very quiet - hard to hear the song, so if you turn up your volume, make sure to turn it back down before the next video!)
So for a fun suprise, we decided to take Abby and Jimmy to the Wiggles farewell tour. Luckily, we were able to get tickets and we all had a great time! My mom came to help with A&J and Michelle and Allie came along too . Allie is also a fan and loves to sing the songs all day so that Michelle has them stuck in her head all.day!
Here's a little clip of Abby and Jimmy (and Allie) at the Wiggles concert - they were completely star struck!
(Video is very loud - make sure your speakers are low)
And you know what was awesome too?? Jimmy was able to meet the yellow Wiggle (Greg). He was in awe!
Sister and Brother! Jim and I are expecting a baby this December and we couldn't be more excited! Nervous about how to handle it all, but super excited too!
We took our first trip to Destin, Florida a couple weeks ago for a week long beach vacation. My family rented a big vacation house across from the beach back in the winter and we planned and we planned and we dieted (well, some of us) and we packed and packed and packed and then it was time to go!
I was quite nervous about the 10 hour drive with Abby and Jimmy but surprisingly on the way there we didn't have many problems at all. We left early (around 5am) and for the first couple hours, Abby, and eventually Jimmy, slept in the car. We stopped for breakfast and lunch to eat and burn off some energy and the drove on and on and on. They did great in the car, napped off and on and enjoyed the iPad and all The Wiggles had to offer. And then we made it. We arrived around 7pm!
And one word to describe the Destin, FL (Crystal Beach location) is: Beautiful. The house was awesome and the set up worked great for us. We stayed in the carriage house above the garage, which had a separate bedroom and living space. The main house had three levels, with bedrooms on each floor. The views from the balconies off the bedrooms were amazing!
The Plantation Home
The beach was white, soft sand and the water was stunning, so crystal clear and beautiful in many shades of blue. See for yourself:
The view from the top of the Public Access boardwalk/seating area
The house had a nice, refreshing pool that we took advantage of quite often. Abby and Jimmy were able to practice swimming and jumping in!
We went to the beach a couple times, which was fun for all. But my OCD kids didn't really like having sand on their hands and feet (Abby mostly) and with them being used to the calm waters of the Frybarger backyard pool, the ocean waves scared them a bit. But nonetheless, they seemed to enjoy the time at the beach.
Burying Jim in the sand
Not so sure about the sand at first
Relaxing at the beach
Allie - little swimmer!
We went to Destin Commons one morning (as our mornings started quite early with them waking around 5am every day) and enjoyed the Starbucks and playground and the fun that the Commons had to offer. Abby and Jimmy (mostly Jimmy) loved the orange juice they were treated to after a hot morning playing at the playground.
The playground at Destin Commons - within walking distance from our rental!
Peek-a-boo
Cheese!
Fun slide
Come on Mom, get me off this thing
Beverage break
Love this picture of Jim and Abby
Chugging the OJ!
Look, I was there too!
The Big Kahuna waterpark was also a blast. We floated in the lazy river and played in the kid area for a while. My parents rented a cabana area so that when we got tired or hungry, we had a great place to go to to relax for a bit. And not surprisingly, after a fun morning at the Big Kahuna water park, both Abby and Jimmy passed out within seconds of getting back in the car. So Jim and I drove around for awhile checking out the area and daydreaming about how awesome it would be to own a beach home around the Destin area!
Come on Mom and Dad, let's go!
Relaxing on one of the lazy rivers!
We went on the Seablaster (was that the name?!) dolphin watching speed boat tour, which was awesome. We were able to see some dolphins right up next to the boat and once the boat sped off, the dolphins started jumping in the wake. It was amazing. Abby and Jimmy seemed to love it too - as much as they loved the ice chips that they were given to cool off on the boat.
It was hot but once we got going the breeze was awesome!
There they are... three dolphins. Not the best pic, but they eventually came out of the water
On another morning we checked out the Gulfarium. It was a little tiny bit like Sea World, but not nearly on the same level. It was a nice time for all (us and my Mom and Dad/Grandma and Grandpa came along). Jimmy didn't have nearly the same amount of interest in seeing the animals, and instead seemed to really enjoy running up and down the wooded paths. We were able to take in the seal (oh shoot, or was it the seal lions) show and the dolphin show before the exhaustion (lack of sleeping in!) hit the babes and we had to depart. But overall the Gulfarium was a fun time!
Cool
The loved watching the dolphin show
A quick family picture
The last day there, Jimmy ended up getting sick with a 103 degree fever. He was quite sick looking. So Jim stayed back with him napping, while the rest of us went to the beach one last time.
Later in the day was parasailing, but unfortunately right when everyone got out on the water, they canceled the trip due to some heavy thunderstorms in the area. Huge bummer for all. But I imagine the next beach vacation there will be some parasailing for sure!
The best part of the trip was hanging out with our family. It was great to spend time with everyone and enjoy a relaxing vacation!
A cute picture - too bad it's blurry
Relaxing (cool shirt Avery!)
Abby and Jimmy loved watching the Wiggles with their big cousin Amber!
Hanging out on the porch
Trying to get out for parasailing before the storms
Enjoying some frozen ice at HarborWalk
A fun mini train ride
We had an awesome time in Destin - and hope visit again sometime soon!
