And It's Off!!!!!!!

Naturally, less than 12 hours before the big exam, Ethan lost his cord. :) Woohoo!! It only took 10.75 weeks (not even an exaggeration). We still went to our scheduled appointment this morning, though, just to make sure it looked okay and all was well. The surgeon went ahead and made one more checkup appointment in one month with things for us to watch for. But we can call and cancel if the belly button looks normal in one month. Praise the Lord!

And speaking of Praise the Lord....I'm sitting in the waiting room with Ethan at the pediatric surgeon's office. I'm there for a "persistent umbilical cord" (that had in fact fallen off before the appointment), but I'm looking around at a room full of people and kids of all ages wondering what the other children are there for. So I'm sort of listening to some people talk and finding out about babies with enlarged kidneys and other "private area" issues, seeing an older child with physical disabilities, knowing that some are also there for things like getting tonsils out. My point is...I am so blessed. I found myself thanking the Lord sooooo much for my wonderful, healthy children. And I must say one other thing I noticed as I looked around that room...parents who were perfectly composed, smiling in fact, taking care of their own wonderful children!

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for blessing us so. May You shine through us that others might be blessed. Amen.

Yippee!!!!

I am an aunt!!!!!! My brother and his wife had their baby this weekend...Ava Reece joined our family Saturday night. She's a tiny little thing, but I've only gotten to see a few pictures via cell phone so far. I can't wait to hold her!!! However, with them living about 5 1/2 hours away, and us with a toddler and an infant, I don't know when we'll be able to see them. Anyway...just wanted to share my excitement!!! Such a blessing from God!!!

Hooray for sleeping through the night!

Two nights in a row, Ethan has decided to sleep through the night. Woohoo!! I know there will still be nights when I'm up at odd hours, but I'll take any good nights I can get. :)

Update on Ethan, he's officially two months old and his cord is still attached. The pediatric surgeon is giving him a couple more weeks since he's otherwise healthy and then will look at it again and see if surgery is necessary.

I cannot get over the fact that it's December. I looked at something dated November 15 and I seriously had to take a minute to think through and figure out that it was a few weeks ago. It snowed overnight, enough so that several local schools actually closed.

And I leave you with a few cute pictures:

Someday I will hear about this from my daughter... :)

And how incredibly cute is this face?!

Gloomy day outside...

...makes cranky kids inside. :)

It has been one thing after another around here, so I thought I'd take a minute to update you all.

Addie developed a fever on Friday, woke up Saturday and was a little better, then suddenly Saturday afternoon her fever spiked. We were able to see a doctor on Sunday to find out that she had a double ear infection. So, she's taking a prescription and starting to feel better. But she's still a little fussy.

Ethan still has his cord. He is seven weeks old. This is abnormal. We saw the doctor on Monday for him and now have an appointment with a pediatric surgeon next Tuesday. Pray for the poor little guy. I'm sure everything's fine, but we need to have it all checked out.

Now the kiddos are waking up from naps and Ethan needs to eat and Addie wants "up" so it's time to go. :)

Do I have to have a title?

So much has been happening, and I always think to myself, "self, this would be something good to blog about." And then I don't have any time on the computer where a little someone isn't trying to press all the buttons or turn the computer off or...

About Addie...she is getting huge. OK, huge because we have a one month old to compare to. She picks up new words daily. This morning she decided to give "cloud" a try. Pretty cute. She says "eat" when she's ready to eat (or when there's a picture of food in a book or magazine or on TV) and "bite" when she wants more (which is all the time--she seriously does not have an off button on eating, so we have to cut her off, which results in more tears, but we deal). Yesterday she threw a book at Ethan - oops on her part - and then gave me that devilish I'm-too-cute-to-do-wrong look when I yelled no and took the book away. It hit Ethan on the head and he screamed. I think she's in for it when the boy gets a little older.

Addison loves to play with her shoes. She will sit in her room and play with her shoes (and empty her clothes out of the drawer) for, no kidding, 30 minutes. Another sign she's growing up. :) She doesn't say her S's - ever. So she wears an "ock" and "ooe" on her foot, wants her "packi" when she's tired, asks to go "uppee day-dah" (upsy daisy), and watches "Elmo and Ocar." I think here's another word she forgets the s, but I can't think of it right now. She's fascinated with herself and says "Addie" when she looks in the mirror or sees a picture of herself or when she hides behind the shower curtain and pops out. So cute. Goodness, I could probably go on and on about her and all that she does, but I guess I'll save something for next time I blog. ;)

About Ethan...he, too, is growing. Holy cow...the boy started out big and hasn't stopped. He is about ready to pop out of the feet of all his sleepers - that is, if he can stay in a sleeper outfit long enough without spitting up all over it or peeing through. Ah, the joys of infanthood. I had to change his sheet around 2 or 3 a.m. twice this week due to said peeing through. But he is oh so cute and absolutely precious. A momma's boy already (and as I told mom-in-law, Addie is a daddy's girl, so it's all good). Oh, and I almost forgot...little man's cord is still attached! 5 weeks into life and it's hanging on for dear life. The doctor is not worried as there are no signs of infection. If it's still on at 6 weeks, she will take a look and make sure all is well. I'm sure I will be letting everyone know when it finally falls off.

About Brad...well, nothing new. Still having a crazy, busy school year. He is such a great dad...and husband. He had to work extra late last night for P/T conferences, so I took the kids to my parents'. Grandma and Grandpa never pass up an opportunity to see the little ones! Anyhow, he got home before we did and I noticed that he washed bottles and sippy cups and a couple other odd jobs that needed taken care of for the kids.

About me...I'm just trying to catch sleep and a shower when I can. :) We're getting in a little more of a routine, so that's helping. I know the routine constantly changes, especially as Ethan grows and his feeding schedule changes and such. They started a mom's group at church, which will really get going in January, but we had sort of a kick-off introduction thing this week. Anyhow, it was a very encouraging time. It was just a bunch of moms, together without kids and husbands, being fed spiritually (and physically--great desserts!). We had a time of devotion, a speaker, some games, and good conversation. It was neat to be with other women who are at the same point in life, and some who have grown kids but are serving as mentors. So I'm excited about that. And last weekend I had a ladies night out while Brad enjoyed guys night (okay, I don't know if he really enjoyed freezing his buns off at a football game) and the kids enjoyed time with Grandma and Grandpa. The ladies and I had a great dinner, raced go-carts on an indoor track, and ended up at a coffee shop laughing hysterically while enjoying yummy drinks. It was a great evening, though I about feel asleep at the coffee shop (after laughing so hard I was crying). Thanks, ladies, for your time...I appreciated it! (and to my friends who couldn't make it, we'll do it again soon!!)

Thanks for reading. Love to all! :)

One month down

A full month has passed since Ethan came into the world. It's been an interesting time of learning and growing and adjusting.

So a typical day includes getting up to feed Ethan, finally putting him back down to get up again to feed Ethan, putting him in the bouncy seat to get Addison out of bed, getting her changed and dressed and hopefully fed breakfast before Ethan goes too crazy, hopefully getting a quick breakfast myself, change a diaper or two or five...and suddenly it's lunch time (for someone, anyhow)...then I look and notice it has been a while and baby girl is walking around with quite a large diaper which means she needs changed again before she pees through her pants (which, admittedly, has happened a few times since Ethan came home because we sometimes forget that she doesn't tell us when her diaper is full)...if it's a good day, I can get both kids to nap at the same time and then I can get a nap,too!...and then Brad comes home and before you know it, it's time for bed and we do it all over again.

thanks for putting up with the run-on sentence! :)

Ethan is crying...time to eat again...I'll leave you with a few pictures...

Introducing Ethan Ray!

Ethan Ray entered our world last week...weighing 9 lb 6 oz and measuring 22 in long. Woah!! (yes, I'm doing fine:) ) He is so precious! So far he's a pretty good sleeper, with the exception of a fidgety/fussy time that unfortunately happens at bedtime and lasts until about 1 or 2 in the morning. This makes Daddy quite tired as he takes that fussy shift, lets Mommy get at least a few hours of rest, and then attempts to get his few hours of rest before getting up and going to work the next day.

"So, what's Addie think?"

I think I hear this question at least once a day. :) She is doing well. She is so very curious, and if she were a pinch older, I'm sure she would be a great helper! She really likes to look at him, and touch, though we're working on touching "nice." So now she'll go up and pat him and say "ni." (still working on the "ce" ending) :) Yesterday morning was pretty cute. As soon as she got up, she came out to the living room, walked up to his bassinet and said, "hi baby." She won't say his name, but calls him "baby" and sometimes even "baby boy." She also loves giving him kisses.

Yesterday was our first adventure out of the house to get Ethan's first check-up at the doctor. My mom took the day off to help me out (by the way, thanks to everyone who has given so much time to helping us in so many ways!), and between the two of us, we managed to get the family circus out of the house and to the doctor on time!! It's definitely different having two kids to get ready, and especially when they are both in diapers. The diaper bag was already full with Addie stuff, now we're adding more. I definitely learned it will be a while before I can master taking both kids somewhere without assistance. :)

Who knows when I'll be able to blog next, but wanted to share a few pictures of Ethan. We are all doing well and we so appreciate everything all of our wonderful friends and family have done for us! We are so blessed!

Countdown

I'm sneaking in a few moments to blog while I actually have a sleeping daughter and I myself am not sleeping. Lately she has been taking great naps, allowing me at least 45 minutes to 1.5 hours of rest while she sleeps. This would definitely be the bonus to not teaching during the ninth month of pregnancy! :)

Addie now points to my belly and says, "baby," and sometimes tries to hit my belly. So we're practicing being nice and rubbing my belly. I wonder how she's going to act when "baby" is actually another being living under our roof. I don't even bother to really worry about it because I figure somehow it will all work out.

So baby should be here within the next two weeks. Last week's checkup revealed my being dilated almost 2cm already and the doctor saying there's a really good chance we're going to have a birthday in the next few weeks. Now a full week has passed, so we'll see what kind of news tomorrow's appointment brings. I'm excited to know that the end of pregnancy is in sight and we'll be holding another precious child of God soon. It's just weird not knowing when it's going to happen. We are definitely more laid back this time...we don't even have the crib or pack n play/bassinet up yet (which takes all of two minutes to put up, so no worries).

Please pray, if you would, for a safe delivery of a healthy baby. And pray for Addison as her only child world is about to be turned upside down. :) Thanks! :)

Things I Learned Yesterday

Making a real cheesecake (yes, REAL, not the no-bake jello kind) is time-consuming, not to mention difficult with a stubborn 15-month-old.

When a recipe calls for the egg whites and sugar to be beaten "to a stiff peak," plan for half a day to make that happen.

The smallest adult at taco night can down SEVEN tacos before most of us even made our first taco.

It is possible for Addison to take a two-hour nap. A blessing from God on a day when I needed a nap and so slept for the first hour of hers. (by the way, Addie is so not a good napper...I can count on one hand the number of times she's slept that long for a nap)

**

I guess that's all I remember learning yesterday. :) I will add, though, how awesome it is to have quite possibly the best parents in the whole wide world, and how wonderful it is to be able to share my parents with my good friends for great times like taco night (forgot my camera, so I'll have to wait for Jenn's pictures).

Just more Addie news :)

As I'm searching for the perfect picture to post, I am realizing how few times the camera has been out in the past month or two. Oops...and baby 2 isn't even here. We literally have hundreds of pictures of Addie's first year of life, and then after her birthday it drops off considerably. Hope I remember to get the camera out for the next baby. :)

So Addison is walking like a champ and has a huge vocabulary for her age (in our opinion :)). She's started repeated things we say and do...her newest phrase started yesterday: "I know." So she doesn't always say it at the appropriate time, but it cracks us up. We pray with her at meals and most of the time she says "Amen" when we're done. It's adorable.

There are just so many cute things that I could brag on forever, but I'll limit myself. It's just so awesome how a little child can bring such a huge smile to those around her. There is nothing like the sound of my daughter's laughter. Whether genuine or forced, it's just too cool. And the way she says "peeboo" for peekaboo and how she'll say "dog" and "duck" but when we say cat, she says, "meow" ...

Oh, and the second picture up top is included because she loves book. We read so many books (or a few books over and over) throughout the day. I just hope she always like books. :) It's so cute when she brings a book over and tries to sit on your lap and listen. OK, so it's cute and sometimes admittedly annoying because you're thinking, "we just read that book 18 times...and it's the most boring book we own." But alas, we read the book, or make something up if we're really bored with the book. :) By the way, I highly recommend Sandra Boyton books. :)

Thanks to those of you who keep checking in to see if we've finally updated the blog. It won't be long before I'm hopefully posting pictures of another beautiful baby! :)

Thoughts

I'm so thankful that I am surrounded by amazing Christian friends and family. The joy, hope, and love found in Christ shows in the lives of those I am close to.

***

I'm learning how to ask for help. I like to think I can do it all, but with a 14-month old who is practically running everywhere and talking up a storm and a baby coming in about six weeks, I realize I need to learn how to accept the willingness of others to help.

On that note, thank you to my grandparents who love staying with Addie for a little while so I can go to doctor's appointments. :)

***

It's getting late (okay, "late" in my world!), so my mind is becoming mush. Here's to hoping I can blog tomorrow and show off some pictures of our little girl who can show you her belly button, head, ears, nose, toes, fingers...can say so many words that it's almost scary when she opens her mouth...but enough braggin' on my girl for now. :)

Smile...forgive others as Christ forgives you...be thankful for what you have and who you have...

Walking!!

This is going to be a very quick post. No pictures, either. My apologies. Anyhow...

I thought you would all like to know that Addie bug is offiicially walking. She gets more brave every day, and is beginning to navigate twists and turns through the house better and better. It is absolutely precious. Last night she decided to try out walking on cement. That made for nervous parents, but it's part of life. She did fine...when she fell down she just said, "oh." :) I'm sure she'd love to show off her new skills to all who want to watch.

Yes, this means the chase is on for us. But, it's a good exercise program, and helps out on my back since I'm already carrying one baby constantly. :)

All is well for us. We're staying busy...visiting with great friends like the Frye's and David's, checking out the zoo (pictures aren't downloaded yet), enjoying time with family, and relaxing. Enjoy every moment of every day! :)

a ONEderful year

Yep--our little cheeser is one year old! And she's letting the world know she's a big girl now! :)

So the picture above is about as messy as it got. I don't think Addie's a big fan of chocolate cake or something. She like the icing okay, but didn't care for the cake when Brad finally smashed her hand into it. She was being very ladylike. Pretty cute. However, she did like eating her Uncle BJ's ice cream after she decided she'd had enough cake.

Speaking of Uncle BJ...I just have to say I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT!!!! Woohoo!!!!!!!! (btw...he gave me official permission to say that on my blog!) My brother and his wife are due at the end of December!! I am so excited!!! I guess technically I am an aunt of three already, but this one will be the first on my side of the family. Yippee!!! It will be so fun having our children so close is age....now we just have to work on the distance thing. :)

Everything is going really well. "Doyer" is moving a lot...s/he is a kickboxer already. (p.s. "doyer" is the name we say referring to our unborn child...it's just a funny joke for us....so when I say doyer, it's babyR#2) :) We had an ultrasound last week and the tech lady moved down just long enough to show us "yep, two legs" and right back up to the "safe zone" so we wouldn't find out what we are having. But while on the screen, we saw doyer moving all over the place and actually reaching with his/her mouth and finally finding his/her thumb to suck. Sooooo cute.

Addie is growing so fast. She's incredibly close to walking, but is being stubborn about letting go. She loves the outdoors and gets bored inside. She's been "swimming" a few times in both our association kiddie pool and her baby pool at grandma and grandpa's house. The kiddie pool in our association is so convenient, so I took her one day while Brad was golfing (imagine that). Anyhow...that's where I discovered that our little girl can climb. We don't have stairs so I never thought about it, but when at the pool, she turned around, climbed right up the step of the kiddie pool and on out to the open. Which meant she was then headed straight for the big pool. When meant one unhappy little girl when I had to scoop her up to change direction because I would've freaked out if she got to close to the big pool.

So much has been going on lately and I tried to just hit some of the highlights since it's been a while since posting. We'll try to post more throughout the summer (you'd think it would be easier with Brad home, but it's actually harder...hmmm....).

Enjoy the sunshine...we've had a plethora of it this summer!

Happy June!

I cannot believe it's June already! That means our precious little girl will be ONE soon. Yikes! I definitely now know why everyone says, "it goes by so fast!"

I know you all like to see pictures, but I haven't downloaded the latest yet, so you'll just have to listen to my stories and hope that I post a new picture soon. :)

Addison is very close to walking. She loves to move (which I've known since her days in the womb) and will often come over, grab our fingers and take off. And then whines when there's nowhere else to explore.

One of her favorite places to hang out is under the dining room table. Brad doesn't like it because she's tall enough now that she "bonks" (one of her favorite things to do) her head on the table. But she'll play under and around the table and chairs for several minutes and be perfectly happy. When I was younger, my brother and I had an indoor "fort" that we played in a lot. It was like a big table cloth that was made to fit over the card table and went all the way to the ground. I think Addie would like that. (mom, is that around?!) :) Oh, and the "bonk" is all thanks to her grandpa, who decided to teach her how to "bonk." So if you say the word "bonk," she will lean forward and bonk foreheads with you.

And one of Addie's newest things she loves is closing doors. Energy efficient I suppose. However, it took me twenty minutes to put groceries away because she kept shutting the refrigerator and pantry doors. I went out with same gals last night and Brad said while I was gone he sent Addie on a wild goose chase. He would open doors around the kitchen and she'd crawl over and close each one. I wonder what else they do while I'm gone?! :)

I hope everyone enjoys the summer. Thanks for all the well wishes for the next baby coming.

So it's been a while

I suppose the first thing I should do is officially announce that Addie is going to be a big sister! Most of you already know, and my apologies to those who didn't know and are now wondering why they didn't know. This time around is so different because we are raising a baby, and then find out we're expecting another! So, quite honestly, sometimes we're like "oh yeah, we're pregnant." Now, don't get the wrong idea. We are definitely excited and looking forward to the crazy days ahead! God put us on the fast track, but we're ready and willing! :)

Some info---due date: October 11thish---gender: don't know and not finding out (not knowing with Addie was so fun!)---my status next year: I got another year off of school with a job to go back to the following school year!! That way Addison will be 2 and babyR2 will be 10 months. ---how am I feeling: pretty good...the fresh air is helping, along with my mother's cooking! I have an aversion to chicken and to broccoli. Huge mental block to eating those two food items.---We will keep you all posted. Oh, and any help you want to give come October will be appreciated! Anyone want to change diapers?! :)

Now more about baby girl...

Addison is officially cruising (walking holding on to things for those who don't know the baby lingo). She's been working on it, then yesterday decided she was bored with crawling so she made her way over the coffee table, pulled herself up, and walked around and around and back and forth. So cute! Today she's been pulling herself up on everything she can get her hands on. Including the cupboard doors which have only a little tiny knob and tend to open when pulled on. Ah...the fun is just beginning! :) She keeps us on our toes!

Two new teeth are popping through on top. This just makes 4 total, but I'm sure her mouth will be full before I know it!

Brad is trying to finish up his school year...he can't believe there's one month left, and it's a busy one! And Addie and I are enjoying the beautiful weather!

Take care, everyone! Thanks for reading!

The good, the bad, and all the other stuff

Here's to a Happy Easter! Addie, I must say, looked so adorable all decked out for Easter. She had on a purple and while polka dot dress, that thankfully came with a matching sweater (who knew it was going to snow on Easter?!) and was a gift (I'm sure we'll have to buy many a dress in the future, so we're enjoying the gifts that still fit!).

Yesterday was a great day. We went to church, which was packed out. Our church held 3 services to accomodate everyone. It was so amazing to see so many people all there to worship together and celebrate our risen Savior. And hearing all the voices lifting up songs together...so great. It left me wishing that all these people would attend church together every Sunday, and not be "Easter-and-Christmas-only-Christians."

So now I have to back up to all that has happened since I've been blog-MIA lately.

Addie and I had a fabulous girls' night with 3 of my very close friends (and one of the gal's daughter). Great food, great times, great laughs, great everything. I have so much to type right now and a needy little girl on my lap, so I'll end there for now, but you can check out Jenn, Jess, and Dina's blogs for some pictures and other info. Ladies, I love you and miss you and wish we could do it more often!!

Amidst our great girls night, my "big kid" was sick. Brad was so sick he actually took a sick day from work and could barely move. Thank goodness it only lasted about 36 hours! I knew he was feeling better when he suggested eating dinner at Pizza King that Friday night. :)

So we got him all better and a few days later, as nature would have it, Addie got sick. She spent about a day and half with a fever and the whole week last week with a stuffy nose. Several nights of waking up every hour or two to clean out her nose and soothe her back to sleep. But she is much better now.

And while Addie was sick, we had a surprise visitor!! Well, everyone was in on it but me, so it was my surprise, which was fun. My brother and sis-in-law showed up for a very quick visit. We managed to squeeze in some hang time. It was so great to see them! My brother lives in another state and we are very close, so it's hard not being able to see him that often.

There are probably tons more things that happened over the past couple of weeks, but I think I covered the major stuff. I gotta get going so I can find something to satisfy this little girl who is enjoying picking up everything off the computer desk and throwing it to the floor. :) She is clapping for everyone right now, so know that Addie says hi! :)

Here are a few more pictures:
Brad takes such great care of our daughter! One morning, he dressed her (in the well-coordinated outfit he picked out), fed her, and cleaned her up, including combing her hair, which is what he is doing in the picture above. So cute! I love watching the two of them interact.
And the crawling little girl. She's getting quite fast and more daring.
And to show off her personality...I captured this picture yesterday as she played with her new book and phone that she got for Easter. (from her Grandma, who else?!) :) She had such a great time yesterday with my family. They all adore her and she eats up the attention!!!

Hope you all are doing well. And may this cold weather leave us soon!

Monday, Monday

It's a dreary day. Yesterday was so beautiful, it's disappointing to have to turn lights on when it's 10a.m. Oh well, I suppose rain is a necessity. It's supposed to start warming up by the end of this week, so I am super excited about that! Addie and I enjoyed two days of long walks outside last week when we had unseasonably warm days. Then we went back to winter coats after that.

Addison had her nine month check up last week. Doctor gave her a "P" for PERFECT! :) Like we had any doubts?! :) She is still in the 90th percentile on length (28.5 inches) and 75th percentile on weight (20 lbs)...where she's pretty much been since birth. Don't know where she gets her length. She's healthy and beautiful and is just growing so well. So, Praise the Lord!

She continues to make us smile every day. Actually, she makes us laugh hysterically most days. For instance, yesterday morning she hadn't made a single peep, so we thought she was still asleep. I figured before I went to get my breakfast I would just peek around the corner and see how she was. I busted up laughing and ran to get Brad, who in turn saw her and started laughing. She was sitting in the back corner of her crib, sucking on her paci, just looking around so calmly, like she was waiting for the train to come. It was the funniest thing. She was so calm I thought maybe she was sleeping with her eyes open.

Anyhow...yesterday was a great day. My mom and Brad helped out with Addie all day, Mom made us some great lunch, and I got to take a nice Sunday afternoon nap. (it was my birthday, so I was spoiled) Anyway, thanks Brad and Mom for being so awesome!!! (and thanks to all the other special people in my life who sent cards, text messages, and phone calls)

Yesterday's church service brought tears to my eyes. I'm just such a girl on the emotional side. But anyhow...we are doing a sermon series on Jonah (ya know, the guy who was swallowed by the big fish and spent three days in the belly of the fish before being "vomited" back on to land). Well, anyhow, our pastor had a father and son share their life stories. Brad and I know the son and his wife from teaching the little kids at church, so it just made their story even more meaningful. They shared their struggles, their downward spirals brought on by substance abuse, and their turning points where by God's grace and forgiveness they were made new again. It was amazing to hear, and it made me realize how much more there is to people's lives than we may ever know. You might know someone on the surface, and even be confused or frustrated by their actions and behavior, but you may not know what that person has been through or is going through.

Following yesterday's sermon, I just want to say that if you are struggling or have struggled with something, know that God is a God of second chances. He can make you whole again!

Thanks for listening...Have a great week as spring officially arrives! :)

The news you've all been waiting for

Drumroll please....

Addison is officially crawling! Some of you probably already know this because it's been almost a full week since forward movement began, but I'm just now getting around to using the computer. She's so fun to watch...like a little bug. She's still a little unsure and hesitant, and most of the time needs to be highly motivated to crawl towards something (nope, mommy and daddy aren't motivation enough, she likes to go after cell phones and remote controls). I'll try to snap a picture soon and post it on here. Oh, and she is on all fours, no belly crawling for this girl.

Take care and enjoy the sunshine (if you have the beautiful sunshine we have today).

End of February

I am so excited to begin a new month tomorrow--March is the month spring comes (and my birthday)! :)



I was just watching Addie this morning and once again (as always) captivated by how absolutely adorable everything she does is. Well, maybe not everything. The mornings are fun because she wakes up happy (praise the Lord!) and is in good spirits...until nap time comes. This morning I wasn't quite ready when she was, so I changed her and put her in our room while I finished brushing my teeth and such real quick. She just sat there and played with her toys, so content, and so dramatic. I looked at her at one point and I promise she straightened herself up and threw herself onto her back (she was on the soft bed), then looked at me and smiled. What a cheeseball.



So then comes nap time. Addie still needs a morning nap...you can see it in her eyes and hear it in her whines. But, she has been refusing this week to go to bed. The last two mornings, I don't hear anything for a while and I think, cool, she must've fallen asleep finally. Nope...

She's sitting up having a good ol' time. Funny stuff. This picture was actually after she woke up from a nap. I guess it's her new favorite thing...only a matter of time before she is standing when I go into her room!

Then there's the new faces and noises. She gets stuck on new syllables and facial expressions for days a time. Right now, Addie is really good a rolling her tongue when she talks. Must be all the Baby Einstein toys we have that are bilingual. :) I suspect some teeth are coming soon since she's been doing weird things with her mouth and tongue.

I was watching a show this morning and they had people write in about their job perks. After hearing all of the companies who give employees things like five weeks of vacation, all expense paid trips, season tickets to ball games, and even one company who has their own pond and you can fish on your lunch break and keep your catch, I thought about my job perks as a teacher (you know there are many perks to being a mom). Teacher perks are certainly not monitary, but they are amazing. Aside from summer, spring, and Christmas breaks, you have the instrinsic rewards of seeing students achieve amazing things. There are the students who come to you so excited because they passed a test or are doing well in a certain class, and they just wanted you to know because they knew you'd be proud. There are the students who ask you to come watch them play in their basketball game or run track or play soccer because they want you to see them doing something they enjoy and are good at. There are the students who start out the school year thinking they are all that a bag of chips, but you keep on them because you know they need positive attention and discipline, and then even after they are done with your class, they are still visiting you, excited to let you know what's going on in their life, because they know you care. It's such a rewarding job, I'm so glad God blessed me with the passion for teaching.

Take care and welcome March!! :)

Being a Queen

This is going to be short...but I wanted to share an article that I just read. I linked onto it from another person's blog and found the article really interesting. It takes a few minutes to read, but I thought it was neat. It's an inspiring read for those of us sometimes frustrated or angry with our husbands, but willing to let God step in and have grace take over. Here's the link:
http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/How_To_Homeschool/articles/articles.php?aid=69

Almost March...

This is just a random picture...no big story behind it...thought you might enjoy seeing another picture of Addie in action. :) This is taken a couple of weeks ago when we went to visit Memaw and the rest of the gang (aka Brad's fam).

I was talking with my friend, Joy, last night (her blog is Wilkins' link on the right) and giving her a hard time about not posting a new blog in a while. Oops...guess I'm a little hypocritical! Turns out she had the excuse of the internet being down for the past week. My excuse? Umm...we'll blame the little one! :)

Last night, we thought we had the first of our crawling "steps." A friend came over to drop off some things, so we were all on the floor playing with Addie, who kept literally cracking herself up. She would sit there and all the sudden just giggle and slap her hands on her legs. It was the cutest thing ever. Anyhow, apparently she wanted to show off for our friend Jen, so she actually crawled forward for the first time ever. She only went a couple of "steps" (what do you call them when they are crawling?!) before flattening herself out. I tried to get her to do it this morning, but she wasn't interested. Oh well...it won't take long now!

My parents are going on vacation. I'm jealous. They will be enjoying the warm sunshine. Good for them, though! I guess I did just go enjoy warm sunshine less than two months ago! Spoiled we are!! I love vacationing! I look forward to some day taking Addie to places like Disney World and other not-so-expensive places. :)

Bring on Spring! I'm ready!!!

8 months!

Here she is...our 8 month old! Happy as could be. Although this time I could hardly get her to sit there long enough for me to take the picture. Notice her left hand is trying to grab teddy bear. :)
And this is the 5 foot snow mountain in our backyard. We got the snowstorm on Tuesday and woke up Wednesday to see what the wind had created. I captured it the best I could while standing inside and looking through the window. But 5 feet was not an exaggeration! It really is that tall!
And we'll end with this picture of our cutie-pie. She's really getting into the concept of attempting to pull herself up using anything she can (her favorites are mommy and daddy and the coffee table). She mostly stays on her knees thus far, but is trying harder to get onto her feet.

Still no crawling. Addie pushes herself everywhere backwards while on her belly, but still no forward motion.

Anyhow...supposed to be a heat wave of 30 degrees soon... :) Looking forward to spring...

Woah baby

You saw it here first:Addie makes her first attempt to pull herself onto the chair I'm sitting in. I needed to check email real quick, and she had just woken up from her nap when I was about to do that. So, I put her on the floor next to me with a few toys. Next thing I know, she grabs onto the chair, pulls herself over and up, onto the knees, and as you can see, has one foot ready to go. She couldn't quite figure out how to get the rest of the way up, but she was enjoying every minute of trying. I was in total shock. I was glad I had my new picture-capable phone next to me because I wouldn't have had time to get the camera from another room. (oh, and for those curious minds out there...yes, this is a lawn chair in the picture! It's our make-shift computer chair which we have yet to purchase! :) )

She is so incredibly cute and funny. We just love watching her grow and learn. And she loves to entertain! As she did all weekend--Saturday with Brad's family and yesterday with mine. The girl talks and laughs and smiles all the time. Thank you, Lord!

Go Colts!

This is about the best picture we could get with a camera phone and one tired baby. But we just wanted to share this picture to show that the little one was cheering for the Colts, too! :) Okay, so she napped through part of the first half, then was in bed during the third quarter...

Addie's doing well...she's growing so much so fast. She's not crawling yet, but still rocking on all fours. Yesterday, she got on her stomach and pushed herself backwards all over the living room. She only fussed when she had finally backed herself away from toys and into her exersaucer where she couldn't go backwards anymore.

We're working on the sippy cup. She gets to enjoy some juice while we teach her how to use the cup by herself. She gets really excited. She knows where her mouth goes, what she's supposed to suck out of, and she even grabs the handles. But she doesn't realize that to make something come out, she has to tip it up. When you try to show her what to do, she lets go. Then she grabs it again, shakes it and smiles as the liquid moves all over the place. Thank goodness for sippy cups and to no-spillage action!

We're trying to stay warm...hope you are doing the same (unless you're already in a warm climate, then never mind...I'm jealous!).

We absolutely adore her!

Duh! :) Of course we adore our daughter. But seriously, we are just so incredibly thankful to God for blessing us with Addison, our beautiful daughter.





This is the new face Addie aquired last week. She got stuck on this phase of "talking" with her mouth closed, as in the above picture. She would sit for several minutes and make noise, all while looking like that. Finally towards the end of the week, she remembered that she could make syllables such as da-da and ma-ma (okay, okay, so she does dadadada way more often). It is so fun to listen to her talk. She tells full stories quite well, whether you are listening or not. :)

Speaking of "dada"...I took her to his work on Friday to surprise him. All morning she kept saying "dadadadada" and when I tried to say, "I'm mama," she would touch my face, smile big, and say "dadadadadada." So I said, "fine, we'll go see dada!" We try to visit him at work every so often since his coworkers love to see Addie as well.

Addison plays peekaboo now. She loves to grab any kind of small blanket or t-shirt or anything nearby, and she'll pull it over her face and lift it up in the air. Then she gets so excited when we respond with "peekaboo." She usually uses both hands to do this, but the only picture she would let me take during peekaboo was a one-handed shot.

And here's our little money-bags. She found some money laying on the counter at my parents' house. Before anyone realized what she saw, she was waving the money in the air and getting all excited. I'm blaming it on our ultra-sound tech, who once labeled a picture of her and put "ATM" instead of "arm." :)

And finally, her seven-month picture. She loves to cross her feet and smile big. Our friends were just saying this weekend how funny it is that she poses for the camera. And she does. As soon as you get the camera out, she's smiling big.

Pleasant surprises and things that go bump in the night

I really enjoy little surprises here and there. A phone call, card in the mail, dinner out, presents...the little things that make a person smile! :) Yesterday afternoon, one of my best friends, Jenn, called to say she was in the area and was going to stop by if we were home and up for visitors. Of course we were home and of course we love visitors!

We had a great time. We offered to let Jenn stay for dinner with us. She hesitated until she heard the menu. :) It was a wonderful visit...great conversation, Addie flirting and showing off her best stuff for her "aunt"...Jenn even made cornbread to go with our chicken and spinach. It was fun.

So, thank you, Jenn, for sharing some time with us!!

On to the second half of the title. Last night, Brad and I were trying to get to sleep last night when we suddenly hear this loud noise, like something fell or was thrown at the wall or something. I'm not a big fan of noises at night. We both sat up, startled, wondering what was that?! Brad, thankfully, got up and went to check on Addie and the rest of the house while I looked around the bedroom wondering what possible could've made that noise. Everything looked like it was exactly as we had left it before turning the lights out. We pretty much had no choice but to try to go back to sleep. Well, shortly after turning the lights out again, Addie woke up. She ended up just needing her paci, which she found by the time I had reached her room. So, while I was up, I looked around again. Brad suggested checking our bathroom. Turns out my hairbrush had fallen inside the cabinet under the sink. At least that's what we're saying it was. :)

Wow--that was a big paragraph that probably could've gone left unsaid, but now that it's typed, I'm not erasing it. I think I just had to put it out there. :)

We're headed to my parents' house for lunch today. My aunt is bringing my grandma to town for a doctor's appointment, so we're all meeting up for lunch. That's another bonus to staying home this year...more opportunities to meet up with family and friends (when they are off work!). Addison is fortunate to have three great-grandparents alive and well! She'll get to see one today, and she saw the other two this weekend.

We celebrated Addie's great-grandfather's 75th birthday on Sunday!! Happy Birthday, Grandpa! We all went to church with him, then hung out for lunch and chit-chat and football through the afternoon. We did leave, though, in time to get home to watch the Colts game from the comfort of our own home! :) Yippee!

Keep smiling! :)

Ramblings

First, I want to say how wonderful my friends and family are. I have been so blessed by each person God has placed in my life. I am so thankful to have grown up with the most loving, caring, fun parents who showed my brother and I how to love life and people and most importantly God. And I am so thankful to have great friends who really know how to find the best in people, who love to laugh, and who love God. Thank you, Lord, for blessing me so richly!

Now, on to Addie-news. :)

Her first two teeth have been here for a little while now, but each day become more and more noticeable. They are the two middle teeth on the bottom. It's so cute to see her smile. I thought it would be weird to not see a toothless grin anymore, but it's really adorable. Just one more thing to admire. :)

She has officially decided that belly sleeping is for her. Addison has always slept on her back, and she sleeps quite well. But recently she discovered that it's really not that hard to flip over (and over and over and over), and so you lay her down on her back and she fusses for a minute. Then you hear a little flop and she's out. She rolls herself over and falls right asleep. Naturally, I am forever checking on her to make sure she's breathing, but I've finally stopped trying to flip her back over. (Brad, on the other hand, still likes her on her back and will flip her over before he goes to bed most of the time!) :) Now, my question is, do you ever stop checking on your kids to make sure they are breathing and such? I asked this of a friend last night, whose kids are around 13 and 3. She still checks on both of them! So, I guess this doesn't magically go away...I mean, hey, I still check on Brad, too, now that I think of it! :) Maybe I'm just paranoid, but at least I sleep better knowing that my family is okay. :)

As far as movement, Addie is getting closer and closer to full mobility. She loves to get herself from sitting to laying on her belly. Then, she pushes herself up and now has the buns in air, belly off the ground. Then she moves and looks at you with a very confused look because all of her toys are suddenly farther away. Yes, she is very good at scooting backwards!

I suppose I should use the rest of her naptime to get a few more things done. Thank you to all of my friends and family! You are amazing! Know that you are in my prayers. And everyone: please take a minute to be thankful for all you have, for if you're reading this, you at least have a minute to do just that! :)

The Florida Post

Several of you have been waiting for this...our first family vacation with child! :)


For a week after Christmas, Brad, Addison, and I took a trip to Florida. Thanks to his dad and stepmom, we have free lodging for the week (Dad and Deb.....thank you!!!).

We had a fabulous time! Addie handled the plane rides great (a huge blessing), and loved the sunshine and warm weather. (This week she keeps looking at her feet like why in the world are these socks covering my feet?!)

Yes, we're the dorky parents who pulled out the hat, sunglasses, and spf 50, but hey, we didn't take any chances. And the girl actually liked her sunglasses...she kept them on for the first couple of days (then after that started taking them off because she thought they might taste better than they looked).

While in Florida, we enjoyed the beach, pool, outlet mall, great restaurants, taking the boat out, and relaxing time with family (I'm sure if Brad was writing this he would add golf to the list of things he enjoyed). The first picture above was taken when we arrived at the beach (about 5 minutes from where we stayed!!!). Everything was great!

As I was writing the word "restaurants" in the paragraph above, I had to laugh. Per usual, Addie decided it was time to poop...at the restaurant. We were laughing while she grunted and we ate, then Brett pushed her around in the stroller while Brad and I finished eating (yes, we all sort of forgot that she probably filled her diaper). Well, after dinner, Brett and Annie, and Brad and I were getting ready to get into their dad's vehicle (Billy and Debi rode with other family). As Brad lifted her into her carseat, he was blown away by the smell. Oops, that's right, she was grunting during dinner. So, we folded a back seat down and Brad opened up the treasure. Yes, another good one...all the way up the front and back. So, carefully the clothes came off (good thing we were in Florida and it was warm!). 4 adults, 18 wipes, and 1 new diaper later, we were ready to go. Oh, but wait, where's the change of clothes?! Oh yeah, Mommy forgot to pack them in the diaper bag! (hey, I was on vacation!) :) So, ghetto baby had to ride back to the house with just a diaper and a bib. :) Ah, the memories!

Brett really enjoyed time with his neice. He and Brad's dad practically fought to be the first to pick her up from her crib each morning. I think they walked past her until her eyes opened and they snatched her up from there. She wasn't spoiled all week or anything. :)

On the way home, we were about to go through security (which by the way, is kind of nice because if you have a stroller you go through a different, and often shorter, line!), when the guy looked at Brad and said, "I'm going to need you to step into there...without the baby." So, Brad had to hand Addie over to me and step into the super-extra-secure-detector-frisker-station, where he said it blew little shots of air on him. I was laughing for quite a while about that. After we got through security, this guy passes us, looks at Brad and says, "I guess you're the chosen one...I thought sure it would be me!" And this dude had the leather jacket, chains, shaved head, boots...the stereotypical guy who you would think they would "double-check." Ah, but no, they picked the innocent guy wearing an "Indiana" sweatshirt, carrying a baby. Oh well, better safe than sorry I suppose. :)

We were super-blessed to have a wonderful and safe vacation and to have a nice cozy house to come home to!

I must go...Addie has woke up from her nap and is not wanting to play by herself right now. :)

With Each New Day

It is amazing the difference even a day makes. Addie does something new and amazing and absolutely adorable every single day. Recently, she began rolling over in her sleep. Twice in the past few days, I've found her belly down when I get her in the morning. This morning, she was so cute. I walked in after I heard her talking for a while, and she was pushing herself up on her arms, looking around, smiling huge when she saw me. It was then that I realized she had about one more inch of pushing up, grabbing onto the side of the crib, and tumbling over the side onto the floor. I think we'll be lowering the mattress to the next level when Daddy gets home from work! (I have a picture, but it's not downloaded yet, so I'll share that later)

The other night we put Addie in her exersaucer while we ate supper. I looked down at her and said "Hi, baby girl." To which she replied, "hi!" I kid you not. Brad and I both just looked at each other and our eyes got big. He said, "I heard it, I heard it!" It was too cute!

In other communication news, while in Florida, Brad, Brett (Brad's brother), Annie (Brett's wife) and I were all in the living room with Addie when we heard what sounded like "hey babe" coming from little one's mouth. We all looked at each other waiting to see if everyone else heard what we did. It's so fun to listen to your child and hear something that actually sounds like a word! :)