Abby’s Saturday // Two Hundred And Sixty-Four

Highlight of the Week

Last Sunday, we took a quick trip out to Ohio. Derrick’s Grandma & Aunt who live in Texas (we visited them when we went to Texas 2 years ago) were in Ohio for the weekend for a Memorial Service. Since 2 1/2 hours is much closer than 22 1/2 hours, we moved some things around (I had an engagement session booked & my couple was so sweet & understanding & flexible in moving their session to tomorrow!) in order to take the day & go see them. I wish I could say that the day was “wonderful” and went off without a hitch, but that isn’t quite the truth. It was wonderful to see Derrick’s family & meet some of his extended family that he hasn’t seen since he was a little boy (and I’ve never met), and for the first part of the day, the kids were so good. But then, Leander had a melt-down. And, for Leander to have a melt-down – that’s super weird. He is such a pleasant, chill little dude, we knew that something had to be wrong. At first, we blamed it on him missing his afternoon nap, but as he cried longer & longer & just refused to calm down, we began to suspect that there must be a deeper problem. And there was: he woke up Monday morning completely boogery & with a cough (Braelynn had a cold early last week, so we figure she so generously shared it with her brother). So, needless to say, the last 90 minutes of our visit was a bit stressful, but oh well. It was still wonderful to see & visit with everyone.

Yes, This Happened

• We have some of the sweetest neighbors on both sides of our house. On one side, we have a sweet, older couple and on the other side is a fun family with a little girl who is about a year older than Braelynn. When we first moved into our house (it’ll be 4 years ago next month!) we always joked that we’d need a door in our fence so the two little girls could play together. Well, the day has arrived that we need that door! Last Saturday evening, we were outside & they were outside – we invited their little girl to come over & well, let’s just say, Braelynn has been waking up every morning since, asking if we can go outside & wait for Moxie to come outside so they could play together.
• There is just one small problem: Braelynn cannot remember her name. They’ve played several times this week & Braelynn just cannot remember Moxie’s name! In fact, Braelynn seems to have trouble remembering names in general (she gets a double-whammy on that one because both Derrick & I are horrible at remembering names!) So, we’ve been going over and over “Moxie, say ‘Moxie’ Braelynn, you have to remember that her name is ‘Moxie'”, and well, it’s a work in progress.
• Leander had his 9-month checkup this week! He is a 100% healthy little dude, just shy of 20 pounds! WHEW, what a little chunker! SO thankful for good, easy doctor visits!!
• Speaking of Leander, he is the proud new owner of a 7th tooth!! I’m not even sure when it popped through – I was giving him a bath on Thursday & as he was splashing & giggling, I noticed a new little white thing in his mouth!
• Tuesday was my favorite day of the month: Tuesday’s Together! It’s a meeting of creative entrepreneurs – we get together, chat, eat, and discuss a business topic – this month’s topic was “Instagram”. I love these meetings (and I don’t just say that because I’m the co-leader of our group) – we have such a fantastic group of people & I always walk away so encouraged in my own endeavors! Running a small business from home is such a challenge sometimes (okay, most times), and it’s so wonderful to chat with other people who are in the same boat & know that I’m not alone!
• I got to go do a venue tour with one of my October KAP Couples this week! Danielle & Tyler took me to go see Linden Hall out in Dawson, PA in order to prep for their wedding in just a few weeks & WOW, I was utterly blown away by how gorgeous the mansion & property are out there! I am SO PUMPED for their wedding there next month – it’s going to be epic!!

Feeling Blessed

Well, this is it! This weekend is the very last weekend of regular ops for Kennywood. Seriously, how is it this late in the year already? It just doesn’t seem right!
With it being the last weekend, we obviously had to go and ride a few of our favorite rides one last time (unfortunately, Steel Curtain never dropped below a 2+ hour wait the entire time we were there, so we didn’t get to ride that favorite ride).

We have been waiting all season long for Braelynn to hit the “magical” 42″ tall mark. She was about 40″ tall (plus a smidge) at the beginning of the season. I remember commenting, on our very first trip to Kennywood this year (way back in April): “Well, hopefully by the end of the season she’ll be 42″ tall.”
Well, folks! It’s officially the end of the season & she’s officially 42″ tall! Which is a big milestone at Kennywood, because that means Braelynn can now ride the Jack Rabbit!

That was the first ride we went on today & after about a 25-minute wait, Daddy & Braelynn rode the Jack Rabbit in the front row. All in all, she was a little unsure on that first ride – she held onto the bar the whole time & we couldn’t tell if she was happy or terrified. The Jack Rabbit is not the first “big coaster” Braelynn has been on, but she’s always been a little unsure the first time riding new rides. We should have jumped back in line (or parent-swapped, what were we thinking?) right then, but we decided to get some lunch, ride some other rides, and if she wanted, we figured we could come back later in the day.

After letting the ride “sink in” for a little bit, Braelynn declared (emphatically) that the “Big Rabbit” was her new favorite ride in the park (watch out Elephant ride in Kiddieland) and she wanted to ride it again! We made our way back to the front of the park & instantly realized our error. With it being the last weekend of regular ops, the Park was packed and the line was huge. I really wanted to take Braelynn on the Jack Rabbit though, so we got in line. We ended up waiting 1 hour & 9 minutes. WHEW.

BUT IT WAS COMPLETELY WORTH IT. Her “round 2” on Jack Rabbit was SO much better than her first ride – she held her hands up the entire time and giggled & squealed – it was the best. I’m so glad our big girl loves riding roller coasters!!