We're back!

Well, we didn't actually go anywhere. I just haven't posted anything in forever. I don't think I'll ever be consistent with this online journaling thing. I looked at our site tonight for the first time in months and became a little discouraged. It brought to mind something Elder David Bednar said in our last General Conference. He advised taking "small, steady, incremental" steps toward improvement, rather than engaging in "sporadic spurts of intense...activity." I think if he were to take a look at my blog, those would be the exact words he would use to describe the kind of journaling I do here. And of all my intense sporadic spurts, this particular entry tops them all....Enjoy!

One of the very few pictures that turned out semi-decently from our 2-hour adventure at the new Emory medical school with Erik's sister Cindy, who graciously agreed to take some family photos. Unfortunately, we didn't do her talents much justice. For some reason, it never occurred to us that our adorable, sweet-tempered little 9-month old wouldn't want to sit still through countless camera clicks and unnatural poses. And even further from our minds was the possibility that she might not smile every time Aunt Cindy held the camera up. Yes, believe it or not, out of the hundred pictures we took that morning, Abigail is not smiling in a single one of them. Oh, well! We just have to learn to laugh because this is only the beginning. I imagine it will only get more fun when Erik and I are both wrestling squirming children.

Thank heaven for those delicious, pacifying Christmas ornaments...

Christmas with the Weilers
-John Tanner State Park Lodge (West Georgia)

My parents with all eight of their grandchildren! Abigail is on my mom's lap just kickin' back. She was by far the most cooperative of all the mobile children. It took about ten minutes, ten adults, a lot of sweet talking (and a handful of jellybeans for the boys) to get these kids to sit on the couch for about three seconds.

From left to right: Mom Weiler with Kristina and Abigail, Lillian, Elizabeth, Clara, Clark, Lincoln and Adam. Elizabeth, Lillian, Lincoln and Kristina are David and Char's. Clara is Michael and Brittany's. Clark belongs to Caleb and Shannyn. And little Adam goes with Tabitha and Tommy.

Abigail with Aunt Shannyn.

The cousins had a book exchange for Christmas, and someone got Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Elizabeth asked Michael to read it to her, but it wasn't long before others (ranging from infant to patriarch) gathered around to listen. I don't know if it was Michael's highly entertaining storytime voice or the lure of the land of Chewandswallow that was so irresistible, but it was a fun read!

Gift-giving hasn't always been one of my family's big Christmas traditions, but in recent years we've started doing more of it. Suffice it to say that the younger Weiler kids get a big kick out of unwrapping gifts with their name on them! So this year Erik decided to give my younger brothers Joseph and Hyrum each an UnderArmour shirt. I assured him that they would be very well received. Turns out that was a gross understatement. I've never seen two more ecstatic boys in my life! The expressions of surprise and elation on their faces were contagious. Erik, who had especially wanted to capture this moment, was clicking away behind the camera. When we looked at the pictures later, we had a good laugh...

So much for capturing the moment!

I know it's hard to tell, but the bottle actually belongs to Lincoln. Abigail was just sharing.

Bath time with Daddy!

We haven't figured out which hand Abigail favors. She prefers to eat with both of them.

Here's Great-grandpa Heiss playing with Abigail during our trip to Seabrook last month.

Grandma had some professionals come out and wash all her windows right before we came. Abigail found a few spots they missed.

This view of the marsh was breathtaking. Our pictures never do justice.

Mommy before her haircut...

Mommy after her haircut...

On December 1, at precisely 12 o'clock am, Erik's sister Kris and her husband, Dave, welcomed their second child, Zella Ava, into the Kryscynski family. She has been a sweet and beautiful addition! Erik, Abigail and I enjoyed a nice visit with them in the hospital.

Abigail is all dressed and ready to work out with Mommy!

Before she had any teeth, Abigail really enjoyed gnawing on apple slices.

Mommy getting Abigail riled up before bedtime...

In November, as a birthday treat, I took my mom to a weekend Time Out for Women conference in Atlanta that featured some great speakers, including an author we both enjoy, and spectacular entertainment by violinist Jenny Oaks Baker. It was a fun little getaway.

We had my younger brother Seth over for dinner before he left on his mission to Portland back in November. He can really charm Abigail.

My older sister, Tabitha, and her husband, Tommy, welcomed their first child, Adam, into their family on October 14th. We visited them out in Loganville one afternoon, and Abigail loved playing with someone smaller than herself! Adam looked pretty cute in his Halloween pumpkin outfit.

Here we were visiting the Armstrongs in the hospital after Adam was born.

Abigail loves books, but the only one she loves to listen to more than chew on is Donde esta el ombliguito? (Where is baby's belly button?) We don't really envision Abigail growing up bilingual, but Erik does try to speak exclusively in Spanish to her. We'll see what comes of it.

One of the only blessings in my mind that compares with having an adorable, healthy little girl is having a faithful, loving husband who is a devoted dad.

What an infectious smile!

My parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary this past August. My sister-in-law Brittany had the thoughtful idea of putting together a book for them. So for several months we gathered pictures from grandparents and other relatives and went through boxes of them that my mom has taken over the years; then Michael and Brittany organized them all into a beautiful book with clever captions and a nice dedication page and had it printed. (We just love Brittany; she makes us Weilers look good!) We all pitched in and made a nice anniversary dinner for Mom and Dad and then presented them with this book. Mom read it aloud to everybody, and we all laughed and cried over the many wonderful memories and stories the pictures elicited. It was a memorable occasion.

In August Seth got his mission call! Despite his intense excitement, he waited until the whole family (all those in GA, anyway) had gathered at Mom and Dad's house before opening it. It was fun to watch him do it. He's opening the envelope here
And here he is after reading aloud his call to Tempe, AZ! The funny thing is that he later got a second call, switching him to Portland, OR. He left just after Thanksgiving and is having a wonderful experience in Portland. His letters reflect his continual growth and maturity and his increasing love and appreciation for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I always look forward to reading them.

Weekend in Charleston

After Erik took Step 2 of his Boards, we traveled to South Carolina to visit his grandparents who live on Seabrook Island. It is one of the most beautiful, peaceful places I've ever been. This was Abigail's first trip there, and we had a lot of fun.The sand dunes on the beach are just gorgeous. I wish I'd taken a better picture of them; this one doesn't really do them justice, but it's the only one I took.
If you walk along the beach during the summer, you can see that the dunes are dotted with little orange flags. They mark spots where loggerhead turtles have lain their eggs. The turtles nest during the night, so the island has a group of volunteers who form the "turtle patrol," and during the turtles' nesting season they take turns walking along the beach early in the morning looking for marks in the sand that the turtles leave as they drag themselves up the beach into the dunes to lay their eggs. When the people find the nests, they mark them with a flag and section them off with orange tape since the loggerhead is a threatened species. Erik and I think that would be a fun job. So one day when he retires from being a rich and famous doctor, maybe we'll move to Seabrook and join the Turtle Patrol...

Grandma playing with Abigail.

Grandpa and Abigail

We took Abigail on an early-morning walk along the beach our last day there, and we were the only people out that morning. We watched the sunrise, which never gets old to me, and we also got to see some dolphins! They are definitely one of the highlights of our Seabrook trips. If you go out early in the morning, you can often watch them catch their breakfast, which is fascinating. Several dolphins work together to corral fish toward the shore, and when they've got them close enough, the dolphins jump out onto the sand, forcing the fish onto the beach. Then the dolphins flop around until they manage to catch a fish in their mouth. It's a lot of fun to watch. On this particular morning, we saw them do it several times and were close enough that we could've touched them. We took a couple video clips with the camera, one of which I've included at the end.

Abigail loved the water.

Abby was pretty worn out by the time we headed back!

This was taken on the back porch of Grandpa and Grandma's house. You can't tell from the picture, but it overlooks a beautiful marsh.

Here's one of the clips we took of the dolphins. I don't think they actually catch any fish in this one.