The Heiss Home: Abby and Friends

I've been meaning to post some pictures of Abigail's favorite friends from Provo. Of course, first on the list is her cousin, Clark Weiler. They really started behaving like siblings over the course of the summer. They had their moments of bickering and fighting over toys, but they usually got along pretty well and were always excited to see each other. Clark's favorite word became "Abby" (it became Abigail's favorite word too...), and Abigail eventually learned how to say "Clark" or at least something that sounds like it.

Can't remember if they're sharing or fighting in this one....

Here Abigail was in the middle of getting her pajamas on, and Clark decided he wanted his shirt off too!

It's been an adjustment for her to be back in Atlanta without her favorite playmate, but Clark and Abigail did talk on the phone (briefly) a few days after we got home. Their conversation went something like this:

Clark: Abby!
Abby: Abby!
Clark: Ha, ha! Abby!
Abby: Abby!
Shannyn's voice in the background: Say bye, bye!
Clark: (in a whisper) Bye.
Abby: (waving to the phone)
me: Say, "Bye, Clark!"
Abby: Abby!

As soon as we hung up the phone, she said, "Cauck!"

If you can ignore the adult conversation in the background, this first video is pretty funny. Clark's a big tease. In the second video, Clark and Abigail are learning to share. Clark made a lot of progress this summer. Abigail still has a ways to go, but she's learning!

Abigail's other favorite playmates were the girls who lived above us--three adorable girls named Allyson, Julia, and Emily. They knocked on the door every day (more than once usually) to ask if Abigail could play. They were the sweetest things, and they absolutely adored (and spoiled!) Abigail.

Allyson is the oldest of the girls. Julia is the sweet little blonde next to Abigail. These girls played with Abigail so often that several neighbors at different times over the summer asked if they were all mine!

From the first day we were in Provo, Abigail was drawn to the living room window where she could watch all the big kids play. She made friends quickly, though, so she didn't have to be a bystander for very long. However, she would still run to the window whenever she heard the kids outside, and they loved to make faces and "touch" hands with her. Then they'd all disappear for a few seconds, and then we'd hear a knock at the door. "Abby can play?"

Allyson was Abigail's favorite. She came over almost every day around the time I would be starting dinner, and she'd whisk Abigail away and play with her outside until it was time to eat. That was a great help to me, especially during the weeks without Erik.

Abigail would go crazy whenever we saw Allyson, including, unfortunately, at church. One Sunday I was carrying Abigail back into the chapel during the middle of the meeting, and she spotted Allyson and started shouting, "Ahson! Ahson! Ahson!" Of course the chapel was completely silent except for the speaker and my daughter. And when we finally got to our seats, Abby stood up on the pew, turned toward Allyson and started jumping up and down, pointing and shrieking her name with delight. It was a long Sacrament meeting.