Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin patch this morning with my MOPS group. Our friends, Dana and Isaac, came with us. We had a great time. It was a perfect fall day! We went for a hayride, got to pick our own pumpkins, and played on all their fun toys. There was a corn maze, a hay bale maze, a choo choo train, jungle gyms, slides, and a petting zoo.

Addie and Mommy on the hayride.


Addie and Isaac



Dana and Isaac


Addie getting on the hay wagon.



Addie and Isaac checking out the pumpkins.


Addie walking up the calf carrol that leads to a slide.

Year and a Half Photos

We took Addie to get her 1 1/2 year photos. She didn't really want to sit still so we weren't super impressed with the proofs. That didn't stop me from spending to much though...go figure!

Out with the Old, In with the New

We got a new dishwasher yesterday. Micah put it in and it looks lovely. I don't know how it works, but I imagine it will be 10x better than our old one.


old washer



















new washer



















Nothing too new here this week. We're all keeping busy...too busy in fact. Micah has been working on the weekends so we haven't really seen a lot of him. He said he's going to take more time off next month. That will be nice.

Addie had her 1 1/2 year pictures scheduled for last Friday, but we had to reschedule them because her face had little red bumps all around her lips. I think it's from chapstick (she entertained herself in the car one day with two different flavors). She also had a cut between her eyes and a bruise on her left cheek. Hopefully, this Friday, the blemishes will be healed and she won't have more...besides the new abrasion she just got on her knee yesterday.

Here's a picture of Addie yesterday. She was saying the word "binkie" for the camera. Of course, after a while she started saying binkie with a whine and searching for one with much vigor. Next time, I'll just have her say "cheese".


















Here's Addie cooking something to eat in her play kitchen. I think she may be trying to chant some magic spell, wave her wand, and have it appear before our eyes.

We're still alive...

I know how annoying it is to check someone's blog and see that they haven't updated regularly. Sorry I've been one of those people these past two weeks. I don't know how people with full time jobs manage to keep up. My part-time position as a PAT educator is sucking the life out of me. Of course, I know it will be better next year once I have my 40+ lessons organized and have a better idea about the flow of the curriculum. But right now, I'm making homemade toys every chance I get, doing paperwork, calling and scheduling appointments, going on home visits, and trying to memorize all the brain research that goes with each age group and the rationale for the activity I bring them.

Most of the families I visit are doing well, but I did get a CRAZY family yesterday... I 'll spare you the details, but let me just say, Supernanny would have her work cut out for her with this family. In fact, I don't even think she'd go into their home b/c she seems to work more with affluent families and this family is no where near comfortable (of course, they do have a huge TV that probably costs as much as a car, but no car---go figure). Very different from my upbringing, but I'm sure God has placed me in this position for a reason. For the most part, I love my job and I feel like I'm doing a great service for the families I see.

Anyway, enough blabbing (I just had to vent). On to Addie Sue.

Micah wanted me to share that Addie is now:

• counting to 100,
  
• tying her shoes,
• is completely potty trained,
  
• demonstrating a knowledge of simple multiplication,
  
• and running in a 5K this weekend.

Can you believe it? She's soooo advanced!

Okay, so maybe we're fibbing ...A LOT. She isn't doing all these things, but she is doing well. Her vocabulary is getting bigger everyday. She's really into pointing to people and saying their names, but she's still having trouble with telling us who she is.













Signing "fish"- She is still signing a majority of the time while she says the word.














Addie reading Epa's newspaper.













Putting her shoes on her baby

This child has adjusted to childcare just like we thought she would. She loves to go to Mandy's and see Kylar and Josie. She runs in the door, waves bye-bye and she's off. Most days I do get a kiss, but yesterday, I was out of luck. She isn't sleeping very well there, however. At home I can still get two really good naps out of her. But there, she seems to only be getting one mediocre nap. At least I know she's being well cared for.

Some of Addie's favorite activities are:

• Playing pretend with her kitchen...she's pretty good cook
• pushing her stroller around the house
• putting on her shoes
• playing outside in sandbox (or pushing her stroller)
• reading books
• dancing
• using Daddy as an indoor slide

• and helping Mommy wash dishes

This "Kiss" is for you...hope you're having a great day:

Labor Day Weekend

Grandma Gigi and Papa came in town to spend the weekend with us. We went to Santa-Cali-gon and the Renaissance Festival. It was a busy weekend. Addie had fun spending time with Gigi and Papa.

We have some good news & some bad news.

The good news is: Addie now drinks milk! She just decided last Sunday that milk is good. We didn't have to force her to drink it at all. We're very happy about this new development.

The bad news is: Addie is trying to climb out of her crib! She's perched on the very end when we go in to get her and she looks like she's going to fall on her head. We've told her no, but it hasn't worked (imagine that!). Instead, she just tells herself, "no, no" & shakes her head...while she's trying to climb out. So now, it appears that she will be getting a toddler bed soon. I'm really bummed b/c I don't want to deal with keeping her in bed in the middle of the night or finding her climbing her bookcase instead of napping. It's just a matter of time once she is introduced to the new bed.

However, if this is the worst of my problems, I'll gladly take it. She's just a riot. We have so much fun with her!



Addie in her beautiful dress her Grandma Gigi got her.


Addie and Aunt Debbie giving each other "cheers'!


Addie looking in a window.



Checking out the queens' beautiful beads.


She did the same thing last year too!


With her cousin Aaron, the page to the queen in the festival (He's got connections).


Addie with her cousin Andrew.


The beautiful fairy...with her tongue out, as always.


Walking with Papa and Daddy at Santa-Cali-gon.

With her Gigi and Papa.



Does anyone else have problems with their photos resizing once you've published? These photos look weird shaped and smaller than they were when I first posted them. :(

Wedding Weekend

Silly girl

Giving Daddy a kiss

Addie dances like you would not believe...

...like Mother (@ Emily and Russ's wedding on Saturday!)

...like daughter

My parents graciously watched Addie Sue for us so that we could attend the wedding without a crazy toddler in tow.

My mom discovered that Addie isn't the only bright pupil in the family. Kaylee learned her colors just this morning. Of course, after about a minute of looking at the book, she laid back on her side as if she was too exhausted to think anymore...and a belly scratch would be just the reward she'd need to keep going with such a rigorous learning environment.

18 Month Check-UP

We took Addie to the doctor's today for her check up. Can you believe she's already 18 mos? She's clearly taking after her daddy's looks...she's long and lean.
Stats:
Weight: 20 lbs, 11 oz. (10 %tile)
Height: 31 1/2 inches (70 %tile)
Head: 46.5 cm (65 %tile)
Shoe size: 5
Clothing: 12 mos/18 mos

She got some shots, which she was very unhappy about, but she got over them very quickly. Dr. Williams did seem concerned that she still isn't drinking milk, so I asked her if it would be a bad thing if we went on strike as far as water is concerned and only offered her milk until she drinks it. She didn't think that was such a bad idea this time. Earlier when I suggested doing that (@ 15 mos) she said it might be best to offer her milk first but not force it on her. I don't think she thought we'd be dealing with this problem still. I told her I was still nursing her once in the morning and she said that there is a ton of calcium in breast milk, so that's a good thing. I KNOW, some of you probably think I'm crazy that I'm still nursing, but I like it. It's the sweetest thing to see her sign and say "milk". Plus, it's the only time I'm able to hold her and look into her sweet little brown eyes for more that a second.

ON a positive note (I must brag---sorry), the doctor said Addie is way ahead of what most 18 month old toddlers are doing. She was impressed that she is so coordinated and is jumping already. She just started getting air this weekend. She's also got plenty of words in her vocab and signs like a crazy kid!!! We are very proud of her, sorry to have to brag about it to you...but you know how first time parents are!!!

I've started meetings for my new job. My dad is coming up tomorrow to watch Addie and my mom is coming up Friday to watch her. Right now, my meetings are kind of inconsistent. But come September, Mom's Day Out will start up and we'll have a better idea of where she's going and when.

Singing & Dancing

Here's a lively video of Addie singing the ABC's along with me. At the end, she started doing "Ring around the Rosie" (the falling down part)!



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30 Big Ones...

I turned 30 last Sunday...I'm really not all that fond of hitting middle-age, but I guess I'll have to get used to it. We didn't really do a whole lot. I did not want to organize or clean in order for us to have a shindig...so my parents watched Addie so that we could go on a date. We saw the Harry Potter movie and picked up the last book. We've both read it since then....it is really good. I'm kind of sad that I can't read more of it. Anyway, I'm digressing.

My mom made me a lemon cake. It was scrumptious and I ate 3/4 of it all by myself this past week. I think I've gained 5 pounds from it. I have no self control.



Micah and I wanted to make sure each of us got a good sample of the yummy whipped icing.




Lucas and Kaylee didn't get any cake, but they definitely get their share of food from Addie on other occasions. I have to include them in this photo montage b/c they're very sweet and so well-behaved and I don't mention them as much as I should.



And here's our little miss. As busy as ever. She sings ABCs, Twinkle Little Star, and Itsy Bitsy Spider. Okay, so she really makes up her own sounds, but her tune isn't too different from the real one! She's also putting on her own shoes now, although they aren't always on the right feet.




Addie and Mommy before we went shopping.

We're still looking for someone to watch Addie Sue one to two days a week. I'm trying not to be too uptight about it, but I don't think there is anything wrong with being picky....you can't take chances with precious lives. I want the best place that we can afford. We're leaning toward a Mom's Day out program in Blue Springs so that she can interact with other toddlers her age. The only bad thing is that she won't have a quiet and long nap on the day she's there. We'll keep looking until I feel I've looked all I can.

I'll try and get some video up of her. We have so many, but I'm having trouble getting dropshots to work right. That's all the OLDER, and hopefully WISER, 30 year old has to say for now.

Just for the Fun of it!

It's really not fair that we get to enjoy Addie all to ourselves, so I'm sharing her with you today! Aren't you so glad?



Addie reminded us to say prayer before dinner last night, so I ran and got the camera to document it.





Reading books in her bedroom all on her own. She also sings to herself. It's very cute. Every once in a while, she'll call my name just to see me come. It's an adorable little game we play.... adorable for now anyway.




Addie had a big, big bubble bath last night...compliments of daddy.