Abby’s Saturday // Two Hundred And Nine

Highlight of the Week

Have you missed me? Did you even realize that I “disappeared” for the week?

We have officially been on vacation all week at my family’s house on Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. I hustled my butt off to get everything done last week so I could almost completely step away from my business this week (and I say “almost”, because a small business owner never can truly “step away”), but the one thing I “missed” was blogging. It fell to the bottom of my list & I just decided, you know what? Instead of stressing out over it & trying to write a few blog posts really quick, I was just going to take a break! So, I took the week off of blogging! And it was wonderful.

We have had the most amazing week away – technically it was just my Mom & sister Ruby, Braelynn & I, but we did have some visitors who made our week so much more exciting! The weather was perfect (it only rained on Tuesday morning) and I think we had the perfect mixture of “going & doing” and “staying & relaxing”. I am so thankful for the freedom my little photography business offers!!

Yes, This Happened

• I am now 19 weeks pregnant & baby is the size of an heirloom tomato. This has been the first week that I’ve actually had thoughts like, “Wow, I feel really good today – almost normal!” I’ve also started taking a new prenatal vitamin. The one I took all during my pregnancy with Braelynn seemed to be making me sick, so I quit taking it & my midwife suggested another with lower iron. It seems to have done the trick, because I’ve felt great taking it!
• So, speaking of visitors, we “hosted” two rounds of visitors at the Lake this week. My sister Amy & her BFF Chelsea came down Tuesday evening & stayed the night (Wednesday was Chelsea’s birthday, so this was their birthday celebration). We hardly saw them though – but we definitely enjoyed eating the fruits of their being here (brownies, ice cream, chips, & popcorn)!
• And then on Wednesday, Derrick’s parents, PJ, & Cameron came to the Lake! They were headed down to South Carolina this weekend & in taking their time to get there, they left NEPA on Wednesday morning & made a pit-stop here at the Lake Wednesday afternoon. It was a gorgeous day & everyone enjoyed swimming & playing in the water, PJ went fishing (and caught 5 fish!!), Braelynn & Cameron played in the sandbox & we all had s’mores that night! It was so much fun to have them here to see the Lake – having spent every summer of my life here, it’s obviously a huge part of who I am, so it was wonderful to introduce them to this place that holds so many memories for me & my family. They got up Thursday morning & continued on their trek down the East Coast.
• This week was VBS week at the church we attend down here. They do VBS a bit differently than “traditional” VBS, in that they hold it out in the community at a local park (instead of in their church building) & it’s all-inclusive, meaning they invite all ages to come & don’t split everyone up into age-groups. Everyone sings together, everyone sits together for a teaching time, everyone has a snack together (except this year, they actually fed everyone dinner every single night), and then there is a game time that everyone can participate in together. We went on Tuesday & Thursday and Braelynn had a blast. Thursday night was the final night & that always means that they bring in several bouncy-houses for the kids. She literally cannot stop talking about it!
• We took a trip over to Herrington Manor State Park one day this week to let Braelynn play in the sand & swim in the lake. She was obsessed with the sand! She could play in the sandbox all day long, so having unlimited access to a whole beach full of sand – she was in heaven! Since Herrington Manor is a man-made lake/beach area, the sand isn’t exactly “ocean-beach-sand” – it’s really course & rough. It just made me super excited to potentially be going to Virginia Beach at the end of August (fingers crossed we can make that happen!)
• Speaking of things Braelynn can’t stop talking about, Cameron told Braelynn while she was here this week that her bottom teeth are loose & going to fall out. The look of horror on Braelynn’s face was hilarious – we all laughed so hard! We tried to explain (and I’ve since tried to explain multiple times) that it’s completely normal – that we all lose our baby teeth & have “adult” teeth grow in – that it doesn’t hurt – but she simply can’t seem to get past the fact that if her teeth fall out – how will she be able to eat?
• Braelynn loves pushing her face directly into my belly & talking to the baby. At one point this week, that’s what she was doing when she looked up at me & said, “Mommy! She said she’s a girl-baby & her name is Margaret!” (Margaret is Daniel Tiger’s baby sister) I giggled at her and said, “We’ll find out!” Then, Braelynn got kind of serious & asked, “Mommy, does she have snacks in your belly?” “Snacks?” I asked. “Yeah, snacks, in a bowl?” Snacks are obviously very high priority in Braelynn’s mind, so of course she would ask if the baby is taken care of with snacks – I love the way she thinks!
• Did you see the big news of the week? Kennywood officially announced their new coaster for next summer! Derrick published his thoughts over on his YouTube channel – go check out his opinion here (and let’s be honest, is there anyone else’s opinion that we care about?)

Feeling Blessed

We truly have had the most wonderful week. It’s been so refreshing to spend time away during what is typically my busiest time of the year! I’m so thankful for my little business, the freedom it offers, and my family’s Lake House that gives us a place to escape “reality”. The only thing missing this week was Derrick (even Abby stayed with us this week – thus the Abby’s Saturday picture! She probably put in at least 10 hours of swimming this week). It just makes us look so much more forward to the end of August when Derrick has some time off of work & we can enjoy some vacation time all together as a family!