Smile At Your Future

Summer updates

2011-07-06T17:01:00.003-04:00

Summer stuff.....so far......

Ethan is:
*on his own time (like at swim lessons where he won't get in the water until he's ready....then when he gets in and our teacher tries to help him, he gets right back out...can we say "I'll do it my way"?!)
*POTTY-TRAINED! (we fully expected this little adventure to last the whole summer....but it took only a few days - see * #1)
*playing T-ball (or at least "learning" T-ball fundamentals - or at least attending T-ball fundamentals) :)

Addison is:
*now FIVE (5) - holy moly - she partied it up for at least a week ("since I'm the birthday girl...")
*loving everything girly and pink
*so excited about kindergarten (except that she told me she didn't want to go to K when she found out she had to get FOUR shots)
*enjoying swim lessons (although she does NOT want to put her face in the water)

We are working on some landscaping projects. And now that we actually have time to work on it, of course it is in the 90s and no rain in sight.

Tomorrow we will enjoy the zoo with some friends. And we've been enjoying "Yo Yo's" lots! (the new frozen yogurt place close by....so yummy!)

Enjoy your own moments!

There is a reason

2011-06-11T22:33:00.002-04:00

It's over. Another year of teaching. What a long, trying year. This year full of both personal and professional trials. There were even recent times where I felt totally defeated.

And then came the last day of school. Started off by 3 girls who made a gift basket for me complete with cookies, a necklace, and Bath and Body Works goodies, along with a note that read "thanks for being a great teacher! We love you!" The rest of the day was tiring, but satisfying. Students who you think couldn't care less offering up a sincere thanks for teaching them well. I have to say, after 180 days of complete exhaustion, career questioning, tears, sighs.....I am reminded:

There is a reason I do what I do.

A reminder that following God's will and doing HIS work really does make a difference.

So, dear God, I pray I don't let you down!

Be blessed.

I wonder

2011-05-10T21:34:00.002-04:00

I remember reading a few articles in which family members who had lost a loved one said how they felt about not having that person around anymore. And I wondered "what will that feel like?" I remember one quote: "I think of my dad every day."

How true.

I do think of my dad. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes it is with tears and a deep longing for him to come walking through the door and grabbing the kids for a big hug. Sometimes it is with laughter as I picture him laughing at something we've said or done (last night I literally giggled out loud because I could just see Dad laughing at something Brad had done earlier in the evening). Sometimes it is with pride as I imagine what his reaction would be to an accomplishment achieved by one of his precious family members.

Mostly I just miss him. But I am forever thankful that what I have to fill that void is a vast array of amazing memories and nothing but a blessed full life.

*grrr

2011-04-09T16:10:00.002-04:00

The "strong man" post I just did is bothering me. I had spaces between paragraphs that will not show up. I'm not sure what's wrong. But....they were thoughts I needed to write, so you, the reader, have to deal with the one large paragraph (unless blogger decides to put all the spaces in).

Strong man

2011-04-09T15:56:00.005-04:00

My cousin just said "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord." I couldn't agree more. We are at day 7 of "waiting up on the Lord." Dad took a major turn downhill last weekend. There were several moments this week we didn't think he would make it through the night. But he did. Again. And again. We are all at such a peace with the situation. We've told Dad it's okay to go. We've encouraged him to enter Heaven's gates. I NEVER imagined telling one of my loved ones that it's okay to go. But I also never experienced such a great peace. This peace that surpasses all understanding. This peace that can only come from the Lord. And so we gain strength. We wonder what is left to learn. And I suppose maybe we'll never know. And maybe we will. Rest in the Lord. If you don't really know Him, I encourage you to. This peace and love is only from God and I can't imagine what this would be like without HIM.

Trials

2011-02-20T18:44:00.002-05:00

Funny how we begin a sermon series at church about James, and suddenly life hands you a full deck of trials.

I started getting sick Wednesday night. Just achy and blah. Thursday, due to said blahness, I locked my keys in my car at work, but didn't realize it until the day was over. Thankfully two co-workers who live near me were both in the parking lot still, so I was able to get a ride home. On the way home, my babysitter calls and Ethan is having some issues. I called the doctor, but it was too late in the day to get him in. My co-worker dropped me at my babysitter's house, where Brad picked all of us up. We went home to find NO spare car key for my car. :( So while Brad took Ethan to the clinic, my cousin (thank goodness she was home) took Addie and I back to my school to meet the locksmith. We were all glad to see the bed after that crazy night.

Friday proved to move Ethan and I deeper into illness. It's so hard being the mom at times like this! I'm pretty sure I had a fever when I took him to the pediatrician, and I was miserable, but God got us through!

We've just been chilling out all weekend trying to get better. I finally got medicine today. And I am so thankful for the day off tomorrow. Brad has been AMAZING taking care of everyone! Addie has been able to stay healthy so far - and she got to spends LOTS of time with Grandma and Grandpa this weekend.

Which brings me to my next bummer: my uncle and cousin were in this weekend from out of state to visit with my dad. They are some of my closest family members and I cherish every moment with them. But, I didn't get to spend any time with them. :( It's been so hard having to stay away from Mom and Dad's house, but at least they all had some good quality time together this weekend.

Here's to a better week.

Be blessed.

Ahhh...Friday!

2011-02-11T22:01:00.002-05:00

We decided to stay in tonight, although we did order out and treat ourselves to some Friday night pizza. After pizza, we played a family game of CandyLand. Ethan won!! :) (although he tried to move daddy's piece as a joke several times.....and then said "daddy, when we're done with this game, can we go shoot hoops?!") Love that boy!

Addie wanted to start working on her valentine's for school. She got about half of them "addressed" and then it was on to other things. This experience tested my patience for sure. :)

I played in a students vs. staff basketball game today at school. We raised money for heart disease. I wanted to be a cheerleader, but was told they needed more female staff to play, so I needed to play. Oh my, I so cheered in high school for a reason. And I have a whole new appreciation for basketball players. Holy moly. I was pooped. We'll see how sore I am in the morning. :)

Bring on the weekend...

February 6th thoughts...

2011-02-06T21:02:00.004-05:00

I'm really not sure if more than 3 people read this. But, whatever. It's an outlet sometimes, so I shall write. :)

About the kids:
Addison attended a birthday party this weekend. She came home with a pink butterfly face painting that covered her entire face and flowers painted up and down both arms. She looked pretty darn cute, but it also made me realize that she's growing up. Fast! She also had a TON of sugar. We're talking way more than typical 5-yr-old party fare. We definitely had a little talk about self-control. :)

Ethan continues to make us laugh. He is just so funny. He comes up with the most hilarious things to say and do at the most random times.

About life:
We started studying the book of James at church this morning. One major point that stuck out for me was "God wants to shape our character so that we grow up to maturity in faith by working through...life circumstances." How true. How appropriate to hear at this time in our lives. I've been trying to be more diligent about digging in to the Word, and it has struck me in the past couple of weeks how much more spiritually mature I could be. I feel like I was living on the faith that I had grown up with and developed along the way, but had sort of hit a rut. I let my life get so busy and filled up with little things that really didn't help me grow spiritually. So now I'm trying to be better at filling my life with God.

Please continue to pray for Dad - for a miracle. Praise Him for good days we've been able to spend with Dad recently, and definitely for all the good times we've always had with Dad. Pray for Mom - for strength, comfort, peace. Thanks for my aunt, who is giving so selflessly of her own time to help take care of Dad and the house, etc. And many Thanks for all the people who are giving of their time, talents, and touch. We are so blessed. (you can check out their blog for a daily update - my mom is so good about that)

Be blessed.

Whew

2011-01-13T21:21:00.002-05:00

The past month of my life has been a whirlwind. Staying "on top of things" is next to impossible. Full-time teaching, full-time parenting, full-time daughtering... (yes, that's a word for now!) We started a new checklist system to try and get more of the little things accomplished. It is motivating (I'll share more about that another day), but this week has been so busy that only 2 things have gotten checked off the list. However...semester grades were turned in today, so that is a huge load off my back.

Please continue praying for our family. Dad is doing okay - he has good days and not so good days. But I am encouraged every time I visit because he is more himself these days...cracking jokes and having a great spirit. Mom is amazing - she takes such good care of him and the strength God gives her is amazing.

My friends are soooooo great! Little messages from various people remind me that we are truly loved and so blessed. So many people willing to help in any way possible - and I know they mean it.

I'll leave you with the verse I chose to memorize for our women's ministry Scripture challenge:
"The Lord longs to be gracious to you; The Lord waits on high to have compassion on you. The Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him." ~Isaiah 30:18

Thank you!

2010-12-25T21:20:00.002-05:00

To all the nurses and doctors who work on holidays: THANK YOU!

Quote

2010-12-17T22:07:00.003-05:00

"Wherever you go, GOD is already there."

I saw this on an ornament tonight and I loved the saying. I think I may go back tomorrow and buy the ornament.

Emotions

2010-12-15T21:20:00.002-05:00

So I've had a few really decent days. Today, I must admit I've been a little emotional. It probably doesn't help that one co-worker chose to tell me sort of a "bad" cancer story. Really? It didn't sit well with me.

Then, I received text messages from two different people saying they were thinking of me and praying for me. And in the morning, a teacher friend brought me a Starbucks peppermint mocha (YUM!) and a gift. God is so good - He knows just what we need.

Please be praying for Dad. They are still unable to locate the source of the cancer and therefore cannot properly treat it. He is scheduled for surgery next week to basically do a biopsy of the larger mass. The bad part is this surgery is going to be pretty invasive. He will be in the hospital at least one night if not two. But it's a necessary surgery to hopefully start providing some answers, and ultimately, relief of some of the pain.

***

Now, let me talk about my kids - this is usually a pick-me-up. :)

Last night, I was rushing Addie to get in the car because I was freezing. (and tired) She said, "but Mommy, I'm trying to catch a snowflake on my tongue!" I literally stopped in my tracks. To look at the world through a child's eyes! I immediately joined her in our quest to catch the intermittent snowflake on our tongue. What a great reminder from an innocent mind - take time to stop and see what's right in front of you!

May you catch on snowflake on your tongue and giggle like a toddler!

The 6-letter word

2010-12-12T22:17:00.002-05:00

I had a catchy way of writing this post about 3 days ago. Now that I'm finally sitting down to the computer, I have no words.

When someone is sick, we take it for granted that we can go to the doctor, get some medicine, and be better in 3-10 days. Then, there's the c-word. It has six letters, and whenever we hear it, it throws us for a loop. It was the 6-letter c-word that we heard a little over a week ago regarding my dad. For those 3 of you who occasionally check this blog, you can find out the details at my mom's blog to the right ("Mom and Dad"). I don't have the patience and time right now to make a formal link within this text. :)

Some days I think I will use this blog to share some of me feelings. Other days I am realistic and know that it's quite possible that I will not update very frequently.

I said on facebook this weekend that we were able to spend some quality time with my brother and his family for my niece's birthday party. We are so blessed. God is good. Someone said it was amazing I "could still praise God." This kind of took me by surprise. I don't feel like it's a matter of "still praising God." If you were in my position and felt the hand of God on my family and felt the strong covering of prayer that we feel....only God can give you peace and strength and comfort and unconditional love in times like this. Times when we adjust to a new "normal" (after being so used to calling on Dad to do whatever). I truly have an amazing family, and only God can take credit for that. We are so incredibly blessed. God truly is so good.

It's been a while...

2010-06-16T07:33:00.002-04:00

Not sure if anyone is even checking this blog anymore....but now that it's summer I feel like I want to maybe write a few times...we'll see.

Addison just turned 4. Holy moly. It's been an emotional roller coaster the past few days - for example, on her birthday when she woke up, I said, "Happy Birthday!" She replied, "Am I 4 now?" Me: "Yes!" Addie looks down at herself and starts crying, "But I'm not taller."

At 4 Addison loves:
*ice cream
*lemonade
*dancing
*all things princess
*puzzles
*dresses

And she is not fond of:
*food all mixed together (with the exception of most salads and tacos)
*cars going too fast anywhere near her
*loud noises (other than her own mouth)
*the Chic-Fil-A cow at the mall

Ethan is hilarious. He makes us laugh so much. At 2.7 he loves:
*balls
*telling jokes
*singing
*playing guitar (pretend as of now)
*pizza
*quesadillas

He is not so fond of:
*his sister telling him what to do
*vegetables
*the idea of potty training
*change

Have a blessed day!

The Importance of Love

2009-10-17T11:23:00.002-04:00

We visited with friends the other day. While the visit was good, it was also quite sad. One of our friend's days on this earth are extremely limited.

On the way home, I was overwhelmed by what seems like such a simple truth: You can never spend too much time with the people you love.

Next time I begin to think, "should we really bother that person again?" I will reevaluate my thoughts and be thankful that I get to "bother" that person again.

Blessings.

The deep freeze

2009-01-16T21:04:00.003-05:00

My camera is sitting here waiting to be plugged in so the completely full memory card can be downloaded. Sorry, once again, no pictures. Apparently I've chosen to spend my time reading other blogs than downloading pictures. Oops. :)

I'm just rejoicing in the new additions to a few of my friends. So exciting for them!

Ethan is finally walking. Just tonight he's decided to do it more often than crawling. Maybe we can finally move him up to the toddler nursery on Sunday. He might like it better in there?! (he begins getting upset when we open the church doors...as soon as we walk through the Kid City doors, he starts crying...he does eventually settle down after we drop him off, but we always sit near the back in case our number comes up on the screen to go get him.)

He is a funny kid. Very clingy, especially with his momma, but it's all good. He makes funny faces and loves to giggle. He is getting irritated at his sister because she knows how to push his buttons. (and this is only the beginning...)

Addison is getting more and more ornary. She's really maturing these days and just seems to know "stuff." It's crazy. For instance, the other night I was trying to get her jammies on her. She would not cooperate with me whatsoever. I was trying so hard to remain calm and enjoy her sense of humor. I was trying to get her to stand so I could zip her jammies up. She was trying to lay down. So she made her whole body limp and was pushing against me trying to stand her up. Then she started giggling. When she proclaimed, "yee-haw" I lost it. Totally had to laugh at that point. Even now I'm laughing just thinking about it.

Some random Addie facts: she loves sandwiches, she sleeps in a "big girl bed" now (really a day-bed because she has a convertible crib), and she actually went pee in the potty last night (okay, so not at all today, but we'll take baby steps!).

I just realized my post title has nothing to do with my post, but you can deal! :) Just know that it's incredibly cold!! :)

Blessings.

Christmas time updates

2008-12-26T20:53:00.003-05:00

If there is anyone out there still checking our blog, here is a new post just for you! :)

*We have been spoiled with presents. And we still have one more day of Christmas gatherings tomorrow. I already filled 3 bags with some "outgoing" toys in order to make room for the new stuff (just don't tell the kids). :)

*Christmas has been great. We've had some fabulous family time with people from both sides of the family. It's been wonderful. My brother, sis-in-law, and adorable niece were here for 3 days so we spent tons of time with them. Addie just loves her cousin. She gives Ava hugs all the time and is very motherly with her (though she is only 18 months older).

*Ethan is still not walking. The most steps he's taken in a row by himself is 3. But he'll get there. He is just in no rush. He'd rather climb and roll and crawl. He has a very fun-loving personality. And he loves to eat.

*Addison is maturing more every day. She talks so well. We just switched our TV and internet provider today and she was playing the xylophone for and telling stories to our technician. So cute. She's very meticulous and stubborn, but oh so cute and sweet. And she gives the best hugs!

*We are excited to be on break for a while. I definitely needed a rejuvenating period to prepare for the long haul before spring break. Brad is enjoying our new TV with tons of stations and movies to watch! He's been going crazy as we haven't watched many movies since the kids were born.

*One of my dearest friends, Jenn, is leaving for an 11-month mission trip next week. We were able to get all of us together last weekend and it was only when she was ready to walk out the door that we both realized this would probably be the last time we saw each other for almost a year. As hard as it was to say goodbye for now, I must say that I know without a doubt that she is following God's will, and I so respect her for that. I ask for your prayers for Jenn as she embarks on this journey, trusting fully in the Lord for provision and guidance. She is an amazing woman. Jenn, if you read this, I love you!!

Thanks for reading. God Bless!!

My current favorite sound

2008-11-02T20:05:00.004-05:00

My kids laughing...together. :)

Ethan turns one!

2008-10-10T21:18:00.005-04:00

I'm smiling so big looking at these pictures. Our precious little boy is so adorable. And he was sooo fun to watch eating his "pupcake" (addie's term). Addie just picked at hers last year, but Ethan dove into his. So fun.

The first picture was the infamous teddy bear picture. Last one. I only did them for the first year for each child. I didn't think we'd make it through this one. He's only laughing because he kept trying to climb off the couch, so I would all but throw him in the corner spot, snap the picture, and catch him before he fell off the couch. All in the name of a good picture. And I was determined to do the picture at that moment because he was so happy having just gotten up from a long nap. But no one else was home to help me. But alas...tmi.

I'm tired.

Brad is supervising a football game tonight. I took the kids over to his school for a while after dinner so we could see everyone and get some nice fresh air. I was trying to get Addie to say "go, _____" (their mascot), but when I said "go..." she said, "Irish!" :) Beth, our babsitter and her husband are huge ND fans. Guess they've been working on cheers during circle time?! :)

Seriously no energy to write. So, that's it for now. At least you got pictures of the cutest little 1-yr-old in the world! :)

Overheard

2008-10-05T20:30:00.002-04:00

On the way to the store today, Addie playing: "This little piggy went to Walmart..."

Maybe we go to walmart a bit too often?! :)

Hope to post more soon. Ethan's birthday party was so fun and he was hilarious. Loved his cake and his hand-crocheted (sp?) baseball from my aunt and his wooden firetruck (homemade with great love from his "GGpa"). Pics soon, I hope.

Love to all! Go with God!

A day off

2008-09-26T21:26:00.003-04:00

No, not for fun. I took the day off to spend with Ethan, who had a fever and wasn't allowed to go to daycare, and needed his Mommy. Daddy was the father of the year who picked Ethan up from Beth's yesterday morning because he had a fever, took the rest of the day off to be with him, and even took him in to the doctor to make sure he didn't have his 3rd ear infection in just over a month. Thankfully, this one is just a cold, but this is round 3 of sickness since school started. He is really breaking in the new germs. ugh.

On a positive note...Ethan is going to be ONE YEAR OLD in a week! Woah! Cannot even believe it's been a year. He is so cute and precious. Much quieter that his sister and much more calm than she ever has been. He prefers to sleep a lot. Her, not so much. But anyhow...

It's been so crazy busy trying to fit everything in. But I highly value quality time with my kids, so I place much more importance on fitting that in than some of the other things that may need done (like, say, cleaning the bath tubs). :) No, really, we're trying to enjoy our evenings as much as possible. The weather has been so great. Wonderful for evening walks. And playing outside. Some of my boys at school had a football game this week that happened to be about 5 minutes from our house. So we took the kids over and watched the first half of their game. Both kids liked it. Although one half was good enough, Ethan was more than ready to hit the sack when we got home.

Wanted to put some updated pictures on here for all to enjoy. God Bless and SMILE! :)

We bought a new 9 cube shelving unit to help organize our mountains of toys and books. Addie and Ethan decided it would be fun to help Daddy put it together. Daddy decided to show Addie how to use power tools. :)

Addison went with me and we both got hair cuts a couple of weeks ago. Addie got at least 2 inches cut off (and I actually think she needs a pinch more already trimmed off). She does a great job of letting Rachel cut her hair. Rachel was more than happy to pose for a picture and even said it was okay to be on the blog, but Addie wouldn't take a decent picture whenever Rachel leaned over to be in it. So, you'll have to settle for Rachel's arm. Addie has very fine, thin hair. I'm not used to that because I have always had very thick hair. So if you have any tips and tricks for fine little girl hair, please share.

Addie loves to make Daddy go down her slide. What a great papa he is! :)

It's rare to get a crawling pose with no paci in mouth, so enjoy this shot:

Ethan finally decided he could crawl off the blanket, through the grass, and over to the slide to see what Sister is up to. They had a blast together. I'm always amazed at how the 2-yr-old mind works. So creative.

Little update

2008-09-05T21:43:00.002-04:00

Not a whole lot to say, just thought my few faithful readers might want to see something new on the blog. :)

Everything's going well for us. The kids love going to Beth's. She loves them. We love her. It's a really good set up. And Addie is already learning so much (including how to be more whiney, but I don't know if I should blame that on daycare or the "terrible twos"). She does a great somersault now (and to think we were going to pay for gymnastics...ha!), sings a fabulous rendition of the ABC's, made binoculars and can actually say the word pretty well and knows what to do with them, and the list goes on. :)

Ethan just turned 11 months old. Holy cow! I tried taking his 11-month teddy bear picture yesterday. Um, not so much. I got two pictures, but I think one is blurry because the boy just kept trying to climb off the couch. Brad tried his best to get him to stay without Brad being in the picture, but it was hard. Addie used to pose for these pictures, Ethan tries to run. One more example of "no two kids are alike." He is getting more and more adventurous. He loves to crawl around and explore and climb on and over everything. He pulls up to things, but has no interest in cruising or even walking. But I'm not worried. he's so cute! He is complimented constantly by Beth and her husband about how sweet he is. Let's hope he stays a sweetie! :)

Brad loves his new job. And I love his new job because he actually gets out of the office at a decent time. (thank you brad's co-workers for being good examples!) :)

I finally know pretty much every student's name. Although there are 2 or 3 girls that I look at and want to call on when they are volunteering, then I have to call on someone else because I can't think of their name. argh. I'm learning lots about my students, which is sometimes good and sometimes not so good. We learned yesterday from one of our boys that he struggles sometimes in school basically because he's hungry. Not much food at home due to lack of money. I was in tears after hearing him talk and knowing that this was his reality. So sad.

Next time you think about it, pray for those less fortunate than you. And maybe even find a way to help someone out.

Thanks for reading. :)

I took breakfast for granted.

2008-08-19T20:50:00.003-04:00

Last Wednesday morning, I cried as Brad pulled out of the driveway with our kids, on the way to their first full day of daycare and I prepared to head up to my school for my first official teacher work day in two years. I went back to the same school with most of the same people, so that in itself wasn't all that bad. Leaving my children behind for the entire day, and knowing that it would be every weekday, wasn't so fun. What I realized last week as I restarted my teaching career is that I miss breakfast the most. That's what made me cry the most. How it used to be: Ethan would get up and I would feed him. Addie would either get up right after or a long time after, depending on the day. So I would either eat while Ethan finished his bottle, or I would eat with Addie when she got up. Regardless, it was such a pleasant time, so peaceful, kids happy after getting a good night's sleep, more than happy to eat their breakfast. Sometimes conversation (of sorts), sometimes just sitting and being with each other. I know I'll still have those moments on weekends and breaks, but still...I took breakfast for granted.

On to the babysitter news...the kids love it!! Addie always wants to stay when I go to pick them up (which is sort of good and sad all in one if you know what I mean). Beth is our sitter and their are only 5 kids there - 2 of her own, our 2, and 1 other boy. All 3.5 and under (Ethan is the youngest by a year). Beth is so caring and creative. We get little report cards each day which is so nice to know what our kids did that day and what they ate, etc. We feel so blessed to have found her. And all of us go to the same church, which is nice.

The downfall: After 3 full days, the kids get sick. It starts Friday with a low-grade fever for Ethan that eventually gets high enough by Saturday night that we're making a trip to Redi-Med. Ethan has a double-ear infection. By Sunday midday, Addie is getting a fever and acting dumpy. Trip #2 to RM. Thankfully, hers was just viral and ear infections are not contagious. So, one big fat whiney weekend we had here. All day Sunday the kids just want to be held. And they're crying. Lots. Now, what to do about Monday. It's my 3rd day of school and Brad's 1st. Thanks to my mom, who came to stay with the kids Monday a.m., so I could teach all morning and get stuff ready for the sub for my afternoon classes. It all worked out. Everyone's feeling better today and Beth didn't have to call us. And so far, kids are sleeping. Here's to making it through the night.... :)

School is going well for both Brad and me. After 4 days with students, I finally feel like I'm getting back in the swing of things. Although I cannot believe I don't have all my students' names learned yet. I always sort of prided myself in learning names fast. 2 kids + 2 years off school has turned part of my brain to mommy mush. :) Brad is really enjoying his job. He works with some great Christian people, which is a huge blessing. He's only had 2 days with kids, but so far so good.

I want to make sure I say a huge thank you to all of our prayer warriors!!! This transition period has been amazing, thanks be to God!

I need to go to bed now. If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with this way too long post. I guess I'm decompressing. :)

bunches of thoughts

2008-08-08T14:51:00.004-04:00

Ethan is 10 months old. Woah!! And, he started pulling himself up this week. We're in trouble now. Earlier today I was folding laundry while the kids played. I hear Ethan cry a frustrated cry (I could tell it wasn't a cry of pain), so I go to the kitchen to find him standing at the chair Addie had climbed into and he was so upset because he didn't know where to go from there (not to mention he was tired, which made it that much more frustrating).

Addie is going to be the child who never stops talking. I mean, I am super thankful that she does talk and that at 2 years old you can have a conversation with her and that's all well and good. But I tell ya, the girl talks just to hear her own voice, I'm pretty sure. (ok, ok, so that might be hereditary...but I won't mention what gene pool it comes from) The other day, I kid you not, she did not stop talking from the time she got up to the time we got to my cousin's house (and then she only stopped long enough to get adjusted to the situation and other people there). In the car she said, "I have an idea." me: "what's your idea?" A: "I have an idea." me:"wow! what is it?!" A: "I have an idea." Me:"okay, cool." A: "I ask you a question?" me: "okay, what's your question." A: "I have an idea." no way, really?! :)

Fun with cousins:

It is really exciting to think about what great things God will do with my children's lives. As they each grow and develop their personalities more and more, I wonder what ways God will work through their lives. I pray that we are good examples of God working in our lives and that we always encourage them to let Him work.

Tonight is a girl's night out with 4 of my fabulous friends from college. We are actually meeting in our college town and then deciding which of our old eateries sounds best. I'm excited to spend time with them as it does not happen nearly enough!

This weekend is Grandma's auction. Apparently her will was to auction off all of her stuff, maybe to eliminate troubles trying to divide everything up between 8 kids and their families. I want to ask for prayer that everything goes smoothly. I'm a little concerned that there will be hard feelings somewhere along the line, and I hate to think that a bunch of stuff could get in the way of family. I know it could be neat to have something that has real history and tradition to it. But, again, it's just stuff. No offense to any of my family members, please. But I hope we all remember that God and family come first way before any material possessions.

School starts next week for me. I am definitely excited. Our new babysitter is going to laugh at my detailed information sheets she had us fill out. But at least she'll know what we normally do. I know, it's going to be more of an adjustment for me than for the kids, but it'll be fine. I've got lots of support in my teacher friends, who will get me through the day. I've been to my school a few times and took the kids with me once to go pick up my keys. Every time I'm there, it feels right. And every time I talk to our sitter, I am reassured that she is the one to watch our children every day. Btw...thanks to all who have been praying for us and our transitions.

Brad is enjoying his new job. He's with the same corporation, so he knows a lot of the people. He just moved from the middle school level to the high school level. He's been made to feel welcome and he's excited about working there. Though he's a bit frustrated in feeling like he has to ask a million questions because he's the "new guy." But, we all know that if you don't ask, you won't know. Although sometimes ignorance is bliss, eh?! :)

I don't know how often I'll get to blog until I get adjusted to going back to full-time work outside the home (and blogging at school is pretty much not an option). But keep checking back because I do not plan on completely stopping.

One last thing...prayers for Brad's stepdad. His health is currently not very good and I know he and Brad's mom would really appreciate all the prayer they can get. Thanks.

I was actually looking for a different verse to put here, but found this instead and thought it was a good one to share:

"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." ~Romans 14:13

Anxiety

2008-07-28T15:42:00.003-04:00

First, look at the cutest kids ever: Getting ready to go to the pool...
Still a cheeser...I love pigtails on her, but they don't last long...
Ethan is king of facial expressions...short on time, but I'll try to get a better one of him soon... :)

The kids are waking up, so I gotta go. But I originally set out to talk about the anxiety in our house right now due to school starting back up which means both Brad and I are going back to work. Pray for us. Me - the transition of staying home for two years and now leaving my kids every day in someone else's care. Brad - the transition of becoming a HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR!!! He's super excited, but nervous about starting a new school with a different age level. More on that later.

Smile! God is good! :)

Shoes.Shadows.And the apparel section at Walmart

2008-07-08T15:21:00.003-04:00

So Addison is only two, but already has a little shoe fetish (which she does not get from me, I'll have you know). The other day we decided to go to the mall and walk around for a while. I gave Addie the option of her white sandals or pink shoes (the $5 version of crocs). She chose the white sandals, we got them on, then set out to round everything up for our little trip. Not even a minute later, I look down to see Addie taking her sandals off and putting her pink shoes on. No biggie. She looks at me and very sweetly and serenely says, "i'm gonna wear my pink shoes." She put them on herself and they were on the right foot and everything. Sweet. Daddy has Ethan, diaper bag is packed, let's go. Oh, but where did Addie go? She's running to her room yelling "Wait! I want to wear my pip pops." (the flip-flops that her Aunt Amy and Cousin Alexis so kindly got her for her birthday that are probably going to fit her better next summer) So, we agreed that she could wear them in the car, but not the mall. We finally got out the door. She fell asleep on the way there, so changing her shoes was no problem when we got there. She forgot she even wore "pip-pops." :)

Recently, Addie discovered her shadow. She was out in the backyard and we thought she was waving at a man across the pond who was grilling on his deck. But upon further examination, we realized she was waving at her shadow. Too cute! Then a couple of days later, she was in the living room and noticed her shadow again. She was walking along and said to her shadow, "come on." Then she walked the other way and into another room with no chance for a shadow and said, "it went away." It was precious! All the new discoveries are so much fun. (well, most are fun...) :)

And finally, this just in: we went to Walmart this afternoon to get a couple of little things (we are spoiled with a new walmart that is entirely too close, thus tempting us into way too many "walmart trips"). As we are browsing around we hear the clanging of a huge rainstorm hitting the roof, so we slowed our pace knowing we'd have to be there a while if we didn't want to run the kids out to the car in the pouring rain. That's when we heard this: "Attention Walmart customers and associates. There is severe weather in the area. Please move to the apparel section near the front of the store..." Thankfully, we were close to the toys at the time, so I grabbed up something to keep Addie entertained while we huddled in the apparel section with the other early afternoon customers. We saw someone we knew who had just gotten a text from someone at Target who was in the same situation. I like to watch storms, so I was kinda bummed that I wasn't at home to watch this one. But who knows, we may have been safer at Walmart. We got home to see several people's recycling blown all over the place, but our street was pretty clean.

After we left Walmart, Brad decided to go across the street to get some cash from the ATM. He puts his card in, weird sounds come out, and the screen flashes "out of service." The card never made it back out. So, after being stuck at Walmart for a while, we were then stuck at the ATM until an operator for our bank could help us. We didn't want to leave and have the card come back out for the next person. We ended up just having to cancel the card and they are going to issue him a new one. The old card never did come out, but the machine came back into service while we were sitting there. I laughed. Brad, not so much. :)

In the meantime, Ethan has just been crawling all over the place and beginning to get more brave about pulling up on things and such. He has discovered that he can crawl in the kitchen, found the magnetic letters and has thoroughly enjoyed pulling them down. He's getting quite fast and will come find you if you leave the room.

Have a blessed day!

noT.righT.noW.

2008-06-29T15:23:00.002-04:00

Yes, emphasis on the "t." Addie decided to say this very emphatically (big word, I know) today when we suggested (okay, warned) that it was almost nap time. One of those things that makes you crack up but we know deep down inside we really shouldn't laugh at. Ah, life with a toddler.

Ethan is currently crawling all over the floor...very much enjoying playing with everything and not worrying about big sis coming to take it away (or shove something else in his face). (she's taking a nap!) He is just sooo cute to watch play and crawl and everything else.

Addie really is good with him. She'd carry him around if we let her (and if he wasn't less than 10 lbs lighter than her!). His dr. appt is next week, so we'll let you know how much they officially differ in weight.

Our number was posted on the screen at church today--which meant we had a child who needed us. Argh. Ethan was not happy when we left him in the nursery today so my bets were on him. Addie is usually fine. She'll go right into class with no prob. Thankfully, by the time I got to the nursery they met me at the door and said he was fine. He cried for 15-20 minutes straight, and by the time they got my number on the screen, he finally calmed down. So, I'm super thankful for nursery workers who listen to babies cry ALL morning.

Oh, and this is the interesting lesson from church today: the difference between explanation and excuse is whether or not I am taking responsibility. Interesting, right?! Ex = out. Plane = smooth. So explain is smoothing things out. Cuse = latin for cause. So excuse is removing yourself from the cause. Profound, I thought. Great explanation in my opinion.

Thanks for listening. :)

I forgot to mention last time about some of the things we get to hear. 1)Addie says "what am I doing?" Usually she's doing something crazy like spinning around and around or jumping like a madwoman or running around the table or some other wildness and she'll just blurt out "what am i doing?!" Too funny. 2) She likes to ask "Hey so-and-so, what are you doing?" My brother was a huge fan of this (total sarcasm intended). When we went down to visit a couple of weeks ago, she would ask my brother, "hey uncle bj, what are you doing?" Naturally, he was doing the same thing he was doing 2 minutes ago when she asked and will be doing the same thing every 2 minutes for the next hour that she asks. :) He finally said, "Addison, look what's in my hand. It's a paint brush. That means I'm painting." A: "uncle bj, what are you doing?" B: "Addison, what's in my hand? What does that mean?" A: "uncle bj...." and so on. Cracked me up. Baby Ava is only 6 months old, so he'll have his turn coming! :)

Gotta go.

And so we have a 2-year-old

2008-06-19T08:53:00.002-04:00

Yep, made the cake myself. :) I tried not to be too anal about the m&m 2, so I didn't follow a pattern, but did try to make sure the same color wasn't right next to itself. :) Addie liked it. She asked for a "2 cake" and that is what she got! :)
When asked to say cheese while enjoying her cake and ice cream, above is the face we got. Too funny. She really loved it. Wanted more, but she seriously ate so much food this weekend, we had to cut her off.
And Ethan is 8 months old. He just started crawling this week. He's adorable. So cautious with every "step." And so determined when he spots something he wants (usually something of Addie's).
We are just having so much fun with our two children. Yes, there are times we want to pull our hair out (okay, I want to pull my hair out, Brad doesn't so much have to worry about that!). But they are soooooo adorable and funny. The above picture has actually taken place a few times now. I am enjoying it while I can. Addie loves to read, Ethan loves Addie, Addie loves Ethan. It's a nice set up.
So then we tried to the rocking horse (handmade my "ggpa" last year!). Neither of them were too sure about being on together. But we got a good laugh out of it.

OK, so this was my speed blogging. You got the basics and that's all I can do right now.

Big stuff

2008-05-31T21:17:00.003-04:00

So I totally forgot to mention the momentous occasion.......drumroll, please......paci is gone forever (for Addie at least)!!! She had two that she affectionately named "blue" and "yellow." (smart girl because those were indeed their colors) Well, yellow got a little hole in it, so he sort of got tossed to the side for a while and blue became her best friend. Then, blue took a turn for the worst so she threw it away and said bye-bye to blue because it's broken. That was about two weeks ago. So she went back to yellow, simply dealing with the small hole. We knew it was only a matter of time before she tossed yellow aside again because of the lack of sucking power. At this point it was just something to chew on and hold in her mouth. Well, yellow gradually got worse and worse due to said chewing on and finally, Wednesday night, Addie walked over to the trash can and said bye bye to yellow. It was broken. Done deal. And by the way, I had refused to buy a new paci for a two-year-old, so we prepped for this time. Thanks to Barney, Addie found a yellow blanket in our big pile o' baby blankets and decided that this could be her friend (Baby Bop has a yellow blankie and there's a song about it on one of our videos). So, during the transition from two pacis to one to none, Addie became friends with yellow blankie. She now sleeps with it and ever since Wednesday night, has slept quite soundly without paci. (knock on wood) Naps are a different story, but I'd rather have a good night's sleep than worry about naps.

We also purchased blackout curtains for Addie's room since it faces the west and thus has sun shining in it until past bedtime. They came in pink--pretty bright--but look great, work great, and didn't cost us too much money. We got a cute curtain rod so now her room is starting to become her cute girl room.

Ethan during all this time is just watching the world go by. He's so precious and quite content to sit and play for a while. However, yesterday and today he has decided that he can roll around and get what he wants. He tries to get up on all fours and go after what he wants, so I anticipate crawling coming in the next month (Addie was 8.5 months when she finally crawled, so he's got a couple of weeks to tie her...don't worry, I know every child is different!).

What we learned recently...

...a huge tub of A&D lasts about 7 months.

...true friends really will do anything for you. (a huge thanks to Joy for rinsing out Ethan's clothes last night when he decided to have the hershey squirts at their house and needed to pretty much be hosed down. good thing they have a little boy as well, so Ethan was able to wear one of Dawson's onesies that was a few sizes too big, but worked nonetheless since I packed a great diaper bag with the exception of the one thing we needed most: a change of clothes.)

...Addison is pretty much at the age where a nice trip to the mall isn't so nice anymore.

...there are nice strangers out there who give you random coupons at The Children's Place, thereby saving you money while buying the kids' swimsuits.

...you really do need to watch what you do because you never know who's watching :) (case in point: Addie was crying the other day because she was tired and didn't know what she wanted and as I tried to calm her down and prepare her for naptime--not so easy--she suddenly stopped crying and started staring at the living room window where her little boyfriend from two doors down was standing and starting to talk to her. The windows were open and he decided to make himself at home and come on over. Weird, but funny. He's 4.)

I think I pretty much finished up what I wanted to say yesterday or whatever day I last blogged. :) Happy June!!!!! :)

Oh, and just because she's about the cutest little neice anyone could ever ask for, here's a pic of Ava. :) I love her and can't wait to see her again (hopefully in a few weeks if all goes well).

2008-05-30T07:58:00.003-04:00

I have only a few minutes and not a lot of inspiration to write, so we'll see what happens. :)

Last weekend our church had it's 2nd annual family "potluck." I put that in quotes, because when you go to a church of over 2000 people, potluck takes on a whole new meaning. 3 lines to get food, rides and games cover part of the parking lot, lawn chairs and blankets everywhere. Kind of chaotic, but fun. And really, let's be honest, not everyone attends the potluck. For the most part, it was the same people we see at every church event. But we love our church family, and it was nice to fellowship with some of them. They had a couple of kiddie ride things. We learned that as of right now, Addison is not a ride person. We put her on the little airplanes (4 in a circle that lift slightly off the ground and circulate). They had to stop it shortly after starting and let her off because she freaked out. So our friends put their little 18 month old in Addie's seat to finish the ride (their other two kids were already on), and that little girl loved it. Then we thought we'd try the train. Everyone likes a train, right? I took Addie on the train at the zoo and she was fine (well, that was last September, a lot changes). We all rode the train together, thinking she'd be fine because she'd have mommy and daddy with her (Ethan was on my lap, Addie on Brad's). Nope, she was freaking out there, too. Brad was holding her tight saying, "you're fine, I've got you, we're almost done..." (we're talking about a little around the parking lot train ride) She held on to Brad so tight and finally calmed a little before it was over. At least when we got done, she said, "I rode the train!" And she was able to tell her grandma that she rode the train with a hint of a smile, so maybe she wasn't scarred for life. :) Ethan liked the train. He just rode around and sat on my lap like he had the life of a king (well, okay, so maybe he does). :)

We played outside with the neighbors yesterday evening. The girls came over to see Addie, so I sent her out to play with them (they are around the ages of 10 and 13--built in babysitters!!) and I picked up the house and stuff, then Ethan and I decided to get some fresh air as well. So we went next door where the girls were all playing and sat on their front porch and talked to the neighbors. I say all of that because I love our neighbors. They are so great, we talk all the time and the girls absolutely love Addie and love playing with her. And of course, they love Ethan, too, but he's not so much able to play with them yet. So anyhow, we are outgrowing our house, but love our neighbors. They told us we weren't allowed to move, ever, and we'd just have to add on. So now we're taking up a collection so we can add on to our house and keep our amazing neighbors. ;) Let us know if you want to contribute! ;)

Alright, I think it's time to go get baby boy. Sorry there's not too much excitement that I wrote about, but at least I gave you something to read! :)

By the numbers

2008-05-19T13:41:00.004-04:00

I'm intrigued with magazine pages and blogs and such that do a numbers thing. Must be the math teacher in me. So, here's my version for today...

90 8th graders
8 chaperones
2 busses
1 amusement park
8 hours of fun in the sun
85 cell phones

I was amazed at the number of middle schoolers who brought a cell phone on this day trip to an amusement park. I mean, it's obviously up to each individual family, but what did we do when we went on a school trip? You made it to the bus on time because no one could call you and tell you to get your booty back. Your parents were ready and waiting around the time you told them you'd be back. Occasionally one or two people would call from a rest stop phone on the way home and let the parents know how much longer we'd be and then those parents called the other parents and so on.

Yes, we chaperoned the 8th grade trip on Saturday and we actually had a really good time. The kids got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa--a win-win situation. :)

Guess I'm done with my numbers thing for now.

Ethan is 7.5 months! He's sitting up well, which makes him happier because he can play better and stuff. And it makes me happier because he can be a little more independent for periods of time.

Addie is almost 2. I know I've said this a bazillion times before, but I can't get over it. If you ask her how old she's gonna be, she says, "I'm gonna be two." So cute. She wants her birthday cake now. We've been to so many parties recently for birthdays, graduation, and a wedding, so she's becoming familiar with the celebration cake idea. :) She even started crying just a little bit ago because she couldn't have strawberry birthday cake (this after we went through every fruit I could think of at the moment and she settled on that). :)

Life is crazy around here. I am preparing to head back to work in the fall. We finally found childcare (something that stressed us out and almost caused me to go ahead and stay home again). Our new childcare provider is super nice, 5 minutes away, will have just a few kids so it will be small and personal-something we wanted, reasonably priced, and flexible and willing to work with our school schedules including delays, snow days, etc. I just hope our kids warm up to her as well as they have warmed up to the gals that watch them when I work out. Addie talks about those ladies like they're her best friends. She wakes up asking to go see "Kappy and Erin." I tried to talk them into starting a little daycare in our area, but that's not going to happen. :) By the way, I don't want anyone to think I'm opposed to being a stay-at-home mom. There are many factors that went in to the decision to go back to work vs. staying home. I'm excited to get back into teaching. It's something I'm passionate about and gifted in (not bragging, just recognizing the gifts God gave me). And I have a job that's been held for me for two years now. Anyway, I know my friends and family are supportive of my decisions, and I'm thankful for that.
There are other things going on with Brad and his job, but I'm not going to get into it right now. He's being transferred to another school, so if you want to pray for the direction his job takes, we would appreciate it. Stay tuned for further updates on this subject. :)

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of our gorgeous kids. They are such a blessing.

It's how you live

2008-04-28T08:31:00.004-04:00

"Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won’t regret it
Lookin’ back from where you have been
‘Cause it’s not who you knew
And it’s not what you did
It’s how you live"
~chorus from Point of Grace song...for complete lyrics:http://www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com/song-lyrics/how-you-live-turn-up-the-music-lyrics-point-of-grace

One of my best friends sang that song in church yesterday. I love this song. It's a great reminder of how to live your life. If you haven't heard it before, at least look up all the lyrics. So great!

And it made me think of my dear Grandmother, who at 88 years old passed away almost two weeks ago. So sad, but it's also a reason to celebrate. She is in Heaven!!! Rejoicing, singing, laughing, dancing...ahhh... Grandma always said she prayed that she would go in her sleep without suffering and after 88 years of love and obedience to God, He granted her request. So why does that song make me think of her? It's the "it's how you live" part. She lived with so much love and wanted nothing more than for her entire family to know that love and pass it on. She mothered 8 children (the youngest only one year old when her husband died), and was most proud of being "Grandma" and "Great-Grandma." She was married to her one true love, and though he died something like 45 years ago, she never remarried because he was the man of her dreams, her one true love, so she didn't see the need to find anyone else. She had her family and her God. I could go on and on about this amazing woman I had the privelege of calling "Grandma" for 30 years. For now, I just know that I want to live with the love that she did. God's love. Feeling it, giving it, embracing it. Love!

As if a death in the family weren't enough, we got another round of illness in our family. Addie came down with a fever, which then turned in to a rash that covered her entire body. Thankfully, after 3 trips to the doctor and a blood test that came back perfectly normal, it was determined that she had an allergic reaction to the Amoxycillin she was taking for her ear and throat infection. It was a long week last week, but I'm glad we have an answer and now know to stay away from penicillins for Addison. She's all better now...and acting more herself. Which means repeating everything she hears (so watch your mouth if you're around our daughter! ;) ) and running around like crazy and wanting to "go out-tide" to play. One of my favoritist things to hear her say is "I go right back." And she holds up her little hand and her first finger as she says it. So stinkin cute. Then she goes and gets what she wants or does what she intended and does (usually) come right back.

Ethan is just so adorable. He got his crazy cough back, but he acts fine and doesn't have a fever or anything, so I'm not worried. One of these days the summer weather will hit and we'll be able to burn off these germs (since apparently freezing the germs didn't work). He can now sit surrounded by pillows (or the big curly body pillow I used while pregnant--if you're ever pregnant, invest in one of these pregnancy body pillows--fantastic!) and play with his toys, which is cool. And he likes his exersaucer for playing.

We got to see little Ava last weekend. Oh my goodness, she is so precious.

Since it was the day of Grandma's funeral, pictures were not exactly abundant. But my brother snapped a few of Ethan and Ava. He is two months older than her, but twice her size. :) It was cute to see them look at each other.

Thanks for reading! Gotta go. :)

Tag.Stuff.

2008-04-03T21:47:00.003-04:00

So I've been "tagged" no less than 3 times already, so something inside of me is saying, just do it already. In case you don't know, I think the rules are something like saying 5-7 things (depending on whose version of tag you go by) random or weird things about yourself and then tagging other people. I'm not going to take the time to look up the real rules and all that jazz...but, here goes. (oh, and since this is our family blog, the facts are about all of us)

1. I'm a procrastinator (in case you haven't noticed).
2. Both of our kids were born with what we called their "special ear." Can't explain them well in words, but both kids are growing out of it or into it, depending how you look at it.
3. Brad wants to be famous. (I got his permission to make this public knowledge before sharing, so it's all good) :) In fact, I think he would be perfectly happy to be a Matt Lauer and get paid to talk all day and interview other famous people. (only we don't want to live in New York, so that could be a problem)
4. We are not big on cleaning. We definitely don't live in a pigsty. For the most part (with the huge exception of toys), we keep things picked up. It's just that we don't exactly dust and sweep and scrub the toilet and shower on a regular basis. I'm sure there are others of you out there, so please don't judge us. :) (and next time you're at our house, don't do a dust bunny inspection) :)
5. I fell into a fire hydrant, busted my cheek open and had five stitches in my cheek when I was 5 (ish). I still have the scar to show for it. I was racing my bike with a neighbor. I guess he must've won.
6. When I was 3 (ish), I had to have a cast on my arm because it got sprained or twisted or whatever in a wrestling match with someone who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent. ;)
7. Knowing what all happened to me and my brother and hearing Brad's stories sort of scares me when it comes to my own children. I know things are gonna happen and life goes on and God is in control of it all, but I still get nervous.

Now I'm supposed to tag some other people, but really, all my bloggin' friends have done this (or most of them have). So, if you haven't, consider doing it. :)

***

Quick updates, then I'm going to bed:
Addie is speaking in sentences. It's crazy. You can pretty much carry on a whole conversation with her. And she can identify most of the letters in the alphabet. And she used to call Ethan "eetee" until about 2 days ago when she decided she could say "ethan." I kinda miss the eetee. It was way cute.
Ethan is just the most adorable little boy ever. He's our giggler. I guess earlier tonight while I was at class, my dad was playing with him with a little toy and Dad said he kept laughing and laughing and had everyone else laughing because he was carrying on. Then, in typical baby fashion, he was done laughing all of the sudden. He's 6 months old, which is crazy. But that means he's oh so close to sitting up all by himself and that's exciting.

God Bless!

Happy March!

2008-03-07T22:19:00.003-05:00

Normally, just saying "it's March" would be exciting...spring is just around the corner. Normally, we don't have a winter storm every other day through February and the first week of March. Oh well, hopefully spring will arrive soon. I need to get these windows opened up and get some fresh air in the house!

OK, so faithful readers, thanks for checking back. We are still here. I was recently inspired to update this blog by my dear friends who take the time to update theirs all the time. But no promises on how great of an update it will be.

Ethan is now 5 months old!! Woah! Time flies when you're having fun! :) Here's the good ol' monthly teddy bear picture. What a cute little man he is! Or should I say what a big little man he is! :) A little top heavy, I must say. All he has to do is tilt his head just a little bit while laying on his stomach and over he rolls. Too funny.
So now he's supposed to be eating cereal in addition to his formula. Um, is there a magic trick to getting a boy, who obviously loves to eat, to enjoy his cereal? Maybe he just needs more time, but let me tell ya, it is a chore! I remember Addie took a little while to get used to the whole cereal thing, but then she had no problem eating her little bowl of cereal and then partaking of her beverage. Ethan, on the other hand, will eat the cereal, but only if he has his bottle right there to drink in between bites. He flips out when you put him in the highchair (and it's even reclined and has the tray removed), arches his back so much that he could flip right out of the chair, and cries until he gets his bottle. And he won't even let the cereal go past his lips if he doesn't have the bottle in sight. Have we created a monster? Or should I just give him time? Seriously taking suggestions on this one!

Last month we enjoyed a visit to my brother's house to meet the newest member of the family, Ava. She is sooooo precious! I just love her and can't wait to hold her again. She is incredibly petite, something we're not so much familiar with around here. :) And the great news is that my brother took a new job and now we will only have to travel 2.5 hours to see them instead of 6 (and vice versa, bub!). Yippee!! So here are the 3 cousins (and no, that's not trick photography, it really is the size difference between the 3...Addie 20 months, Ava 2 months, Ethan 4 months).

And since Ethan got his very own picture at the beginning, Addie has to have one, too! :) She is such a cheeser!!! I took this picture when I got out the camera to capture Ethan and she looked at me and said, "cheese." How could I resist?
Now, she may be cute, but it's not all fun and games. She is definitely experiencing some of that "terrible 2" stuff. Crazy tantrums for no good reason and all that jazz. But, we work through them (or more importantly, she works through them as we carry on with life). :) We do have lots of fun, though. Addie makes us laugh a lot! She says and does the most hilarious things. Not so hilarious this morning when everything was "I don't want it." We think it is so cute when she says something and then says, "ok. cool." :)

The kids are just great. I take them with me when I go work out, and there's a childcare room where they watch the kids while you work out. Great for me, great for the kids, great for everyone. The ladies that work in the room are fabulous and love our kids. They get so excited when Addie and Ethan show up. Another little girl told her mom that she was going to the gym to see her friend Ethan who's a baby. Guess she likes Ethan! :)

Maybe I'll post again before another month passes by. Until then, give thanks to God for everything you have and for everyone in your life!

The past month

2008-01-25T22:06:00.000-05:00

My apologies for not blogging at all for the past month (or so). It's just not easy finding time to get on the computer and accomplish something other than checking email. Unless it's 10:07 p.m. and Daddy took over baby Ethan duty so I could do my own thing. :)

I love my kids!!! How cute are they?! Very! As you can see, Ethan is getting good at picking his head up during tummy time. It always helps to have your own personal cheerleader! Addie loves her little brother. She gives him kisses and hugs all the time. If he has drool rolling out of his mouth, she grabs a burp rag and wipes his mouth. She sits down on or beside me and says, "hold baby." And when she's done holding baby, she simply gets up thereby sending baby rolling (don't worry, I'm the backup holder). And when she wants your undivided attention, she simply says "bouncy seat." as in, put baby in the bouncy seat, please, so you can play with me and only me. I love my kids!!!

Christmas was fun. And busy. And our house is still a mess due to all the new stuff we (and by we I mean the kids) got. I just love the above picture. I think Addie looks so big-girlish. She was so funny opening gifts. She would take one piece of wrapping paper off at a time and say "yeah" after each piece. She loves all of her new things. And the kids look great in their new clothes. Addie is growing so fast, we're going to need Christmas to come again in a month! :) Ethan slept on the couch Christmas day while everyone opened gifts. In fact, I think he slept during almost every Christmas gathering.

The cutest little boy in the whole wide world. That's our Ethan!! We took him in for one last checkup on his belly button since there's still a small round dot in the middle of it. Doc said it's just a little scar from his umbilical cord that, let me remind you, took 10.75 weeks to fall off. Praise the Lord!! Ethan is just doing so well! I love getting past the 3 month mark because they really start taking on more personality.

No promises on how often this will be updated. I am now taking graduate classes to get my Masters degree in school counseling. Yeah! But please keep checking as I hope to give you at least occasional updates on our family! Love to all!!

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

2007-12-18T15:05:00.000-05:00

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!!!!

2007-12-16T22:36:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-12-05T14:43:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-11-21T14:45:00.000-05:00

...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?

2007-11-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-06T14:01:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-10-12T08:50:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-26T17:05:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-14T17:29:00.000-04:00

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 :)

2007-09-01T15:09:00.001-04:00

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

2007-08-29T21:23:00.000-04:00

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!!

2007-07-08T15:16:00.001-04:00

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

2007-06-22T15:51:00.001-04:00

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!

2007-06-01T10:33:00.001-04:00

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

2007-05-08T15:18:00.000-04:00

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

2007-04-09T15:08:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-19T10:35:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-06T10:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-28T10:58:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-24T19:07:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-02-23T11:02:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-02-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-12T11:14:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-02-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-01-29T11:01:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-24T11:02:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-18T14:26:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-10T14:56:00.001-05:00

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

2007-01-10T14:47:00.000-05:00

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! :)

Addie's First Christmas

2006-12-26T22:13:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to write for quite some time, but as many of you know, the holiday season gets so busy it's hard to carve out time for something like "playing on the computer." And speaking of the busyness of the season, I want to point to my friend Jess' blog (link to it by clicking on her name on the right). She reminded us all of the true meaning of Christmas.

Now...on to our last two weeks. Family Christmases. Emphasis on the plural. Last Sunday, we hopped around to three family gatherings on Brad's side and this past weekend we spent three days of non-stop action of family gatherings on my side. Addie loved every minute of it. She smiled and talked so much! She had a hard time taking naps because she wanted to be part of the action. I think today was a bit let-down for her. She's had so much attention over the past three days and today it was just Mommy and Daddy to pay attention to her. She fussed if we even tried to leave her side for more than about 30 seconds.

We were all spoiled this Christmas. Addie got some new toys and clothes. Cute stuff. She is enjoying all of her new light-up-and-make-noise toys.

Finally, I'll end with a few pictures. I hope to write again soon; don't give up on our blog! :) And to all of our family: it was so great to see you and spend time with you over the past couple of weeks!

Addie opening her first Christmas gift. Naturally, she got a fistful of paper and that was the end of opening gifts for her. By Christmas Eve, she was beginning to figure out there was something more exciting under the paper so she would just sit and wait for it to be revealed.

Addie on Christmas Eve. I couldn't let her be the worst dressed girl in the nursery at church, so she made use of a beautiful dress that was a baby shower gift. Add the white sweater and she was all set for Christmas weather. (Thanks, Kellie, for holding her up to pose!) :)

For whatever reason, I cannot add the last two pictures I wanted to add, so I'll try again another time.

May God bless you in great ways this coming new year!

Some of the latest...

2006-12-04T18:37:00.000-05:00

First, we'll travel in time back to Thanksgiving. :) Even though it wasn't all that long ago, it feels like several weeks have passed. Anyhow...we had a fabulous long Thanksgiving weekend. It was great having Brad home for a couple extra days. Also, Addie thoroughly enjoyed her visit from Uncle BJ and Aunt Kellie. They haven't been able to come "home" since she was two weeks old. Wow has she changed. (Side note for those who don't know: BJ is my brother.) Above all, it was a great weekend of relaxing family time.

My family was having a little fun with Addie on Thanksgiving...

That's Addie with Uncle BJ. He LOVES his niece!!

As you'll notice in the above picture, Addie is now adorned with a bib all day long. It's annoying, but she has the baby drool just flowin'. We're expecting a tooth soon, but who knows.

As for the little one, she is sitting up so well. We have to be near, as she's just a little wobbly yet. But we are amazed day after day watching her be able to support herself better and better. She likes to worm herself onto her stomach and play for a bit, then start whining because she can't figure out how to get herself out of the belly position. She squirms and kicks and everything, but can't get the big belly off the ground to crawl.

I want to give a little shout out to my good friends from college. We enjoyed a great breakfast together this past weekend. Last time we were able to do that with all five of us, there were no kids. This time we had a toddler and infant, and another on the way. :) (no, that was not a hint!!! it's my friend who's expecting!!) :) Here's all of us together:

Girls--it was great to see you and spend time with you. Can't wait to do it again!! :) Love you all!!!

Lastly, I just have to share that church yesterday was amazing. Particularly towards the end when we had a time of communion. It was one of the greatest communion experiences I've ever had. Our church holds communion once a month, and this time it was just really powerful. There was a drama before the sermon, and after the sermon, as the elements were passed, we sang a song, then had communion. It was especially during that song and communion that you could just feel the Holy Spirit alive and moving in that place. It was amazing.

The sermon yesterday was about letting go of past regrets since they will just drag us down and eventually seep out in other aspects of life, making things worse. In light of that, I'll leave you with these words from Isaiah 1:18: "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." As the song we sang says, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." Jesus paid our debt.

Time...

2006-11-20T19:58:00.000-05:00

...flies when you're having fun. :)

I feel like I should write at least a little bit so you don't stop checking the blog thinking I'm never writing again.

We've been really busy around here. Partly because I'm making sure we have things to do since it's cold outside and I am not fond of being cooped up in the house every day. And partly because the holidays are approaching and it seems like every year November and December get busier and busier. Thankfully, I've been able to squeeze in some time with some of my best friends (recently and coming up).

So speaking of time flying...Addie is already FIVE months old! Seems so crazy! She is such a joy! Here's her five-month picture:

I've been taking her picture every month in the same spot, next to the same teddy bear. It's a great record of her growth, and my intention is to create a scrapbook page with all twelve of the first year's pictures next to each other.

We got together with a couple of our friends this past weekend. Their son is four months older than Addie. We captured a few cute pictures when Addie wasn't busy wondering why some other baby was invading her territory.

I didn't realize how incredibly fair-skinned she really is until she was next to Dawson.

*By the way, my friend, Joy, will be so happy that her son is "published." :)

I will try to write more soon. For now I must go and attend to my daughter.

In case I don't get a chance to write in the next few days, Happy Thanksgiving! Remember to thank God for the family and/or friends that you hopefully get to spend the holiday with.

Big Smiles

2006-11-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

Well, our little girl has graduated to a new toy. Or plethera of toys. Thanks to our small group from church, she has a Baby Einstein exersaucer. Since she's sitting up fairly well (with assistance) we decided to put it together and give it a try. She LOVES it!! She gets tired fairly quickly, but at least it's a few hands-free minutes for us. :) At her left hand in the picture is a grouping of about 5 buttons that make animal noises when pressed. Oh, but wait...there's more. If you press the same button again, it says what animal it is. Press it a third time? Yep, you get the name en espanol. Leave it to Baby Einstein! :)

Addie is also getting into cereal. Oh, it's supposed to go IN the mouth?

All in all, she loves life. You can tell already. She smiles lots and giggles all the time. She often gets so excited she kicks and squirms and then finally squeals with glee. As she did tonight when her daddy got home from work. Precious!

Thanks for the sympathy on the bad night. Turned out to be one full week of bad nights. But, after hitting rock bottom at 4 a.m. Thursday morning, things progressed. Thanks, Grandma, for your help! And let's not forget to say how awesome Brad is for taking over when I had completely run out of steam! Poor guy had two crying girls at 4 a.m. that morning, and he got up and took care of us both...then called in to work and stayed home to take care of us. I needed that cry--I think all mothers do once in a while! And bless his heart, he was so great!!! Anyhow, Thursday night, little one finally decided to sleep through the night again. Woohoo!!!

I was thinking today, once again, how amazing God is...hearing Addie's cute laugh just fills me with awe. Awe at the Creator who gave us the ability to smile and giggle and get through the rough times so we can truly enjoy the good times!

I can't think of a title

2006-10-27T19:41:00.000-04:00

I'm blaming it on "mommy brain," but my mind has been mush lately. Oh well...hopefully it will get better.

I've totally been slacking on the blog thing as of late, but I just haven't had much of a chance to get online. Ironic as you would think a "stay-at-home-mom" would be able to do that...but then again, those of you with children probably understand the lack of time to do something like get on the computer and write for more than 3 minutes.

Addie is getting so animated. In fact, she was so worked up hyper on Wednesday, that she had major trouble sleeping Wednesday night. Hard to handle when you're used to the girl sleeping through the night (I know, our next kid--Lord-willing--will probably be an entirely different story). Anyhow, that night was bad. Usually, if she wakes up crying, you go put the paci in her mouth and leave and you don't hear from her for a long while. Wednesday night was different. She was up for over an hour at a time...twice. She wouldn't lay down, she was really fitful--kicking her legs and whining and just appearing to be quite miserable. I sort of have a rule to not pick her up when she cries in her crib at night...don't want her to get used to us holding her every night to get her back to sleep. Thus far, that concept has worked. Except for that night...nothing I could do would put her back to sleep, short of me holding her, walking around with her, and bouncing her in my arms for seriously over an hour...twice. The second time she actually let me sit on the couch while she nodded back off, but that was after almost an hour of trying other methods of consoling. I know several of you are thinking I'm an idiot or thinking of something you would do differently in the situation, but no worries here. It's not a recurring problem, so I guess a once-in-a-while deal isn't so bad. I finally got her put back down the last time around 6 a.m., only to hear Brad's alarm go off about two minutes later. Thankfully after that time, little one slept until a little after 8:30, and so did mommy! :)

Though I was quite perturbed, and nearly in tears myself after being up with her for so long that night, I did say a little prayer of thanks to the Lord, for at least I have a baby to hold!!!

Anyway...Addie is starting to laugh more and "talk" lots. She cracks us up. She just sits and talks and her face just lights up. It is super-cute! She also has been to "childwatch" at the YMCA for first time this week. It took me a while to get up the nerve to leave her with "strangers," but she's done great with it, and the ladies in the infant room are really nice and caring. It's a nice time...I get some exercise and someone else looks after the baby.

Remember to thank God for the little things we so often overlook!

good day for a warm bath

2006-10-12T22:04:00.000-04:00

First, let me say, this is our beautiful daughter in her Sunday best with one of my bestest friends, who came to church with us last weekend. I really wanted to get some use out of these adorable dresses that a bunch of people have given us, so with the addition of tights and a white sweater, a summer dress is given new life.

So...today I introduced Addie to snow. Through the window, of course...we were not thrilled about venturing out in this cold weather...I'm so not ready for it yet. But, I suppose, we shall have to do what we have to do. :) It was not fun to look out and see snow coming down in October. Thankfully, it's not accumulating yet. Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy a good snow--at Christmas time (or when I want a day off school). But right now, snow means cold weather and cold weather means not only bundling myself up, but now I have a little one to consider. Oh well...

Addie decided it was a good day for a warm bath as she had another minor explosion in her pants. I picked her fussy buns up and decided I'd check her diaper. Good thing I checked then, because it was at that point all over her leg...and pants...and naturally as I tried to undress her, it was getting all over everything else as well. I was bummed because I loved the outfit she had on...it is so cute...and warm! :) So, I got her cleaned up, put a diaper on, and laid her on a blanket on the floor while I threw the clothes in the washer and got her bath tub ready to go. She LOVED laying on the floor all nakey...good thing! All I have to say is, I love Shout!! (and Dreft) The clothes came out spotless, so the outfit was spared, and I must say, she smells great, too, after a good washing. I'm still waiting for her to really enjoy bath time. Right now she just sort of tolerates it.

Hope you all were able to enjoy the last few nice days at the beginning of the week. I know we did! :)

Just a picture

2006-09-30T13:21:00.000-04:00

Didn't have this on last night's post, so thought I'd add it today. Who wouldn't have fun with this cutie-head?! :)

Stuff

2006-09-29T20:24:00.000-04:00

Sorry, no pictures...again. I have a few on my camera, but haven't downloaded them yet. Although Addie smiles more and more every day, I haven't been able to capture it on camera too much. I guess I spend too much time being silly playing with her, making her smile and trying to make her giggle, that getting the camera slips my mind. Will try to have one on here soon.

I kept wanting to update the blog this week, but time got away from me. So, this post will probably be a hodge-podge of random thoughts. A lot can go through a girl's mind when she's a stay-at-home mom! :) Anyhow...here's some of the "stuff"...

A. Earlier this week was awesome!! I think it was Tuesday that was the best. So beautiful outside! Addie and I actually enjoyed an almost 4 mile walk! Our housing addition has a "big loop" as we like to call it, and I was almost once around the loop, deciding where to venture next, and a lady down the street that we are friends with was setting out to walk with her two boys (6 weeks and 2 years). She asked if we would like to join them, and we did the loop twice together. It was nice to have someone to talk to while walking...made the time go way faster and proved to be great exercise as this gal likes to walk fast. The other days that we got outside were okay...I had some great prayer time walking the other days. Then of course the clouds rolled in, and the cold weather came. The weather man says warm weather is coming back next week...I hope he's right!

B. We had small group Wednesday night, and for part of our Bible study, we were to read Matthew 6:25-34. I highly recommend this scripture to everyone. It reminds us that God knows what we need and will provide it for us, so we shouldn't bother worrying about such things if we follow Him. Verses 33 and 34 sum it up:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

C. This week is the DeKalb county fair...a must for area natives. I love going simply to run into people that I rarely see. It was different this year having to navigate a stroller through the crowd, but really cool that some of my old peeps got to see Addie for the first time. It is so great
to see people that either I went to school or church with, or just old family friends. And, honestly, so much fun to show off our beautiful daughter! :) Brad got a little bored, but he was a good sport through it all.

D. Addie and Daddy have a new little game. Pretty much it's a game because that little girl knows she's got Daddy wrapped around her little finger. Anyhow, I'm really big on "night-night" time. I mean, lights are low, volume is low, little girl should be falling asleep. At least, that's what used to happen. Now this week, Brad will hold her after her last bottle and try to get her to sleep...only now she'll look at him, wait for him to look back, and then smile and sometimes try to talk to him. He loves it and it makes him laugh, so naturally that encourages the process to continue until she finally tires, gives up, and falls asleep. Oh well, I can't complain. He lets me go to bed, she sleeps through the night (most nights!), and they have their little bonding time. (it is cute, though!)

That's about all for now. Smile!! :)

Big week

2006-09-24T14:16:00.000-04:00

Once they turn 3 months--watch out!! Addie is approaching 3 1/2 months already, and she is doing more and more every day. This week was amazing. "Maw" Debi came to visit on Thursday. It was a nice visit...and it gave me a chance to do some things around the house and run a few errands sans baby. But anyhow, I was showing her what a great job Addie has been doing with tummy time. She lifts her head well and looks around and is starting to scoot on her belly every so slightly. But maw Debi didn't get to see all of that because as soon as I put Addie on her belly, she pushed herself right over onto her back! Yes--the first sort of roll over!! I put her back on her tummy and she did the same thing. But that time got scared, so that was it for that kind of play. It was so incredible. Naturally, she hasn't done it since Thursday, but I'm sure soon she will be moving and I won't get her to stop!

Friday was the best, though! I was playing with Addie in the morning (her best time of day), and discovered that her neck is ticklish. She actually giggled!! It was the cutest thing. I was able to get her to giggle again when we called Daddy to share the good news. I'm sure it made his day at work brighter! She did giggle again yesterday while I was holding her and doing funny face kind of stuff. I look forward to her sharing her giggles with everyone soon! :)

Speaking of sharing, my mom and I took her shopping with us yesterday. We went to some little shops, so they weren't such busy places. The clerks in all the shops walked right up and talked to Addie and she just smiled and flirted with all of them. She definitely put her best face forward for our little outing! You go girl! :)

That's about it for my Addie ramblings. We went to church today...taught the little kiddos during first service and attended second. For those of you who don't know, we help with the 4 and 5 year olds every other month. They are super cute...challenging little group, but fun to work with. They definitely have a lot of energy!

I wish you all a great week!!! I think I'll go see how my husband and little girl are holding up watching the Colts game! :)

Fun with Addie

2006-09-19T21:09:00.000-04:00

Who could pass up this picture?! :) Thanks to my sweet husband for being brave, strapping on the little stinker, and vacuuming the floor!! We had small group at our house last week, and I had managed to get most everything done to get ready for our guests, except vacuum. So, I kindly suggested that while I got some dinner ready, he could maybe put Addie in the Snugli and get the floor swept. He actually willingly agreed and the rest is history. She loved her bonding time with daddy. And the floor got swept. How great is that?!

So we made it through another fairly busy week last week, Addie's snot-filled nose on Thursday, and a great weekend. The weather really cooperated this weekend!! By the way, Addie's stuffy nose was better Friday, thank goodness! Anyhow...Brad's football team won their game on Saturday. For details, you can ask him. ;) Sunday after church, we took Addie to the Johnny Appleseed Festival. She was awesome. Sorry, didn't take the camera, so no pictures of her second festival attendance. It got hot, though, so we didn't stay for an extremely long time.

I found out yesterday that 30 seconds is too long to leave a 3-month-old by herself. OK--before you think I'm too bad of a mom, let me just say that she was on the floor, so get all images of her falling out of your head. Anyway, I put her down on her playmat because she loves to watch the animals move and she now bats and them and has just started to grab on and hold for a while. So...I went out to rinse her bottle and my coffee cup and came right back out to find this:
Yes, she had managed to twist herself sideways, get up on her left side, put both legs between the arches and was pulling down on the little toys so hard I thought she might pull them right off. I was impressed that she did all that on her on, but it was an eye-opener! I will have my hands full when she starts really moving! :)

Hope you all have a great day!!

Girls Night

2006-09-19T20:57:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Addie and I traveled up to Syracuse (Indiana, that is) to have dinner with my awesome friends. Gracie is a year old than Addie, so she was walking circles around Addie, but loved exploring what Addison was all about.

These are 3 of my closest friends. They are so wonderful to have around. We have enjoyed so many great times together. Last week's girl's night was just as great. We laughed, ate great food (thanks Dina!!), and just enjoyed each other's company. Thank you girls for being there for me and for being amazing friends!! (ps...you can check out their blogs on the links at the right of this screen)

Busy weekend

2006-09-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

We made it through a busy, but fabulous weekend. It all started with the biggest poopie diaper ever!! :) For all who know Brad, you can appreciate this story. We were on our way to Chili's to enjoy dinner out, looked in the backseat and saw our little red-faced, fists clenched grunter filling her diaper. When we arrived at the restaurant, we decided it would be best to change her in the car because Chili's in always cold and their restrooms are small and freezing!!! So, Brad got Addison out of the carseat to find that she had pooped through the diaper and her little outfit. Of course, her daddy has always gotten excited when she poops (talk to him about it!), but his excitement is dwindling after what he was exposed to Friday night. He unsnapped her onesie only to find poo-poo coming out of every part of the diaper, up her back, up her belly, out the sides. Whew---about 5 wipes, 1 diaper, and an outfit change later, we were able to go inside and have some dinner. I guess I should've put our name in while he was changing her...then we would've had no wait at all! :)

Sorry for the poop story if it grossed anyone out, but it was hilarious!!! I was just glad Brad got dibs on changing that one!

Saturday we got up and drove to Knightstown. Brad got to play golf with his brothers, so he was all about that. Meanwhile, his mom took Addie and me, and my sis-in-law, Wendi, and nephew, Clay to "Canal Days" in Cambridge City. It was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air and I'm always up for a festival. It was nothing big, but it got us out of the house! Addie did great during her first festival...although she did get a little warm...thank goodness for canopies on strollers! :)

Later in the afternoon Brad and I left to go to his football game and Memaw got to enjoy babysitting her granddaughter for the evening! (thanks, again, Memaw!!) Since we were getting back from the game at 11ish, we stayed the night. Addie was amazing for her first night away from home. We took the pack-n-play and she slept in that and was awesome!!! Thanks to "Memaw" and "Papaw Jack" for your hospitality! Oh, and thank you to Jess and Gracie for being such great company at the football game!! :)

We drove home Sunday late morning. Addie spent the afternoon with her daddy while I went to a baby shower for a dear friend of mine. After that, we were off again for a family dinner on my mom's side in honor of my Grandmother and my Dad's birthdays. Happy Birthday to both of you!! :)

There's the recap...I've got to not write when I'm this tired and spare you the rambling... :)

The picture at the beginning of this entry shows Addie's discovery of her hands and fingers. She typically gnaws on her whole fist, but when the fingers go in, it's always the middle two...she hasn't discovered the thumb yet and I'm soooo okay with that!!

Enjoy your day and smile!

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." ~Psalm 11:4-5

I love her!

2006-09-07T22:21:00.000-04:00

I suppose you're thinking "that's a good thing," judging from the title of the blog. But, really, I find it so amazing how much you can love your own little child. I really think I love my daughter more and more every day. (as Brad says, "that's a good thing because you're with her a lot!")

When Addie wakes up in the morning, she just lays there and looks around, cooing and grunting. I make my way in after she's had some wake up time and she smiles the biggest smiles in the world. It is a moment like that that makes me realize how totally in love and awe I am with my daughter. As I got her out of her crib this morning, I hugged her tight, telling her how much I loved her and thanking God for such a huge blessing in our lives.

Side note: my school's secretary says it well, "I don't know how anyone can look at a baby and not believe in God!" She is so right...the miracle called baby is just so awe-inspiring. To watch them grow and learn, and know that God is in control, is amazing.

I am totally a random thought kind of person, so if my blog entries drive you crazy, I'm sorry...but you're gonna have to deal with it! :)

Addison is learning more and more every day. She is so strong. Today she was batting at the little toys and rattles that hang down from her play mat. She kept hitting them and cooing (and drooling) and seemed fascinated that simply hitting those little toys was going to cause noise. And sometimes, if you hit just right, it plays music.

Thanks for listening! :)

Just a start

2006-08-30T20:08:00.000-04:00

I finally did it--I'm starting the blog I told several people I'd be starting. It's not easy finding time with an infant in the house. But, Addie's daddy is taking care of her right now and I'm spending some time trying to figure out this blog stuff.

The latest with Addison: She is holding her head up very well and is very vocal! I included a picture of her excellent "tummy time." It's such a blessing to be able to have a full-time job as "Mom" for the first year of her life!! It's draining, but so amazing to witness the blessing God has given us!

As time goes on, I'll try to keep this updated, but of course, no promises!