First things first, Abe is on the move. Upright. Though he doesn't get very far before he is scurrying on all fours. Did I mention that some of his first steps were to Jeff's bike? And later to a bike repair stand? I really shouldn't be surprised by this.

Nana J and Grampy visited a couple of weeks ago, and of course came bearing gifts. One of which probably helped Abe gain confidence in his sea legs. If anyone needs their driveway mowed let us know.

Abe reminds me so much of my Grampa here- his stance, his sense of fashion, and even his profile.

This last week has been a whirlwind of Abe putting things together. Sweeping with the broom, wiping the floor up with the wipes, putting Duplos together, putting the cell phone up to his ear- they happen so fast it's hard to keep up. Another new skill is using a spoon to feed himself- from a bowl! Amazing.

But like crawling is to walking, his hands are still much more efficient to feed himself with than the spoon.

Jeff had his first bike race in a long time last weekend- the Tour of Tucker County. Let's just say I didn't even want to drive the 8 mile unstriped, gnarly, tire-blowing single lane descent to the starting line. Abe and I waited at the finish by the windmills.

After the race we crashed at the Graceland Inn in Elkins, and played on the grass in the shade. Much deserved after a long hot day.

Here's a couple more because we have about 7k pictures and it's really difficult to narrow them down.

I enjoyed a lovely and relaxing Mother's Day- which included sleeping in late (I never thought 830 would qualify as late), waking up to a full breakfast, followed by a riverside walk. That afternoon we treated ourselves- Abe included- to some hand-dipped ice cream from the nearby Homestead Creamery.

Abe had his belated one year check-up last week. He weighed in at a hefty 20.5lbs!

We've been getting our fair share of rain lately. Snails and slugs have taken to lounging on the foundation, sidewalks, and other surfaces most afternoons.

We got a brief break in the weather over the weekend and went bike camping. Jeff hauled Abe in the Chariot and I the Bongo with our gear (1st time biking with a trailer!). Jeff had scoped us out a nice little spot just south of town.

Abe spent the better part of the evening exploring every inch of our new family sized tent and taste testing all our flashlights.

It feels good to have two inches of mud caked onto my clogs. Under my nails. On my pants. It feels good to hoe, turn, and hoe some more. To plant and just know something will grow. It just feels good. The winter crop of kale has been harvested, their spot now occupied by beets.

Chard and turnips- check. Peas and corn- check. Spinach that needs thinning- check.

Rhubarb is growing without even having to work for it. In past years I brought rhubarb back to Arizona when we visited Jeff's Grandma in Cherokee. It just doesn't seem right to buy it in a store.

Some pictures of what's been going on around Marlinton. Our four-footed friends have returned, the Greenbrier River Race, and a whole lot of Abraham.