Life as a Leach

I took some props with us when we went for our family pictures.  I am so glad I did!  I love the way these sweet tea set pictures turned out.  The tea set was a special gift from Abby's Nina, so I'm happy to have it in some of our pictures.

You guys know about Abby's magic tutu, right? She's getting to be known for this tutu, as she has worn it to every appointment since we went to CHOP (and we have had a LOT of appointments...12 since CHOP, to be exact!) and she proudly tells everyone that it is her magic  tutu.  I've even written two stories about her magic tutu, which probably will never be heard by anyone outside of our family, but who knows?!  For now, the kids love them. My sweet friend Danielle made Abby this tutu, and she has her own Etsy shop of cute little accessories for little girls.  She has 4 little girls of her own, so she knows a thing or two about what girls like! Earlier this year, she made a beautiful mom's necklace for me, along with a little necklace for Abby and key chain for Caleb.  Abby also received an adorable full-piece Sophia-inspired tutu for Christmas from a family member, handmade by Danielle! She has a new line of princess necklaces, and I bought Abby...

Abby absolutely loves to get her toe nails painted!  She is constantly bringing me nail polish and asking me to paint them.  The other day, I painted her finger nails (a very light pink) for the first time.  She was in heaven!!

Abby has decided that her purse needs to hang with mine.  Never mind that she has a lower hook for her backpack that would also hold her purse.  Apparently, purses belong together.  Now she just needs a Vera !

Abby got a new hair cut!

It was a good mail day!!!!   My long-time friend Elizabeth sent Abby and me the cutest  bracelets ever!  What a fun way to start the weekend!  Wanna see?!? Mine is a sweet little bracelet with black Swarovski crystals.   On either side of the heart, I have one garnet and one opal because they are Abby and Caleb's birthstones.   I knew about that part, but the heart with the sweet picture of Abby and Caleb (with We Choose Joy on the back!!) was a complete surprise.   I LOVE IT! Abby's teeny little bracelet is, of course, Hello Kitty.  :)  There are dark and light pink Swarovski crystals on hers, with a dangling Hello Kitty charm.   This girl woke up in a nasty mood after her nap.  The tears immediately stopped when I handed her the bracelet.  Can you guess what her favorite part is?? Both of our bracelets are very well-made.  Elizabeth creates all of the tiny links in betwee...

Abby got an adorable custom-made hat the other day, thanks to Andrea, the owner of Hats for Hannah.   You can also find Hats for Hannah on Facebook and Etsy .  If you aren't interested in a hat, you need to at least go there and read the story.  This sweet girl is so genuine and kind.  I love how she is taking an extremely difficult situation and turning it into something beautiful.  For the record, this is the first hat Abby has kept on for more than 27 seconds.  I think she likes it! By the way, Abby isn't off to school or anything, although it looks like it in this picture!  The backpack holds her feeding pump and bag.  We've started having her wear it during feeds instead of just sitting or hanging it somewhere.  She's way too mobile now to have to sit in one place for 30 minutes, so the best way to let her keep on movin' is for her to wear the backpack.  She's not in love with the idea, but she's becoming resigned to it  mo...