Bed Bugs

So...the "rule" at our house is that Addie can have her binkie when she goes to bed. When she gets out, she leaves her binkie there. HOWEVER, she's totally taking advantage of the verbiage & I think we're going to have to be more specific. Perhaps a better rule would be that she can have her binkie when it's time to go to sleep. You see, she's hanging out in her bed quite a bit now b/c she knows she can have her binkie there.

This morning, I thought we were having a good time playing in the her playroom. I even let her dress me up (see photo below). Then, she disappeared on me. I thought she just went into the family room, but she never came back. I went up to check on her and she was just relaxing in her bed & sucking on her binkie.

Sunday afternoon, she hung out in there too. I decided to crawl in there with her and see what all the hype was. It is a pretty comfy bed...but not worth going to "baby jail".
Maybe I didn't get the full effect b/c I didn't have a binkie.

Anyway...

We got a great deal on an outdoor playgym this week as well. My friend Dana said one of her neighbors was selling theirs, and we were wanting one. We ended up getting it for $125. It could have been $120, but I kept upping the offer even after he said "okay". Obviously, I'm not the best negotiator...but Dana and I had a good laugh at my amazing abilities afterward.


Addie got a new haircut last week and I haven't gotten a chance to get a good shot of it yet. MOstly due to the fact that I never do her hair and also b/c she looks crazy when she wakes up. If I happen to fix it in the morning, it's a mess after her nap. I have to blow dry it and she isn't a big fan. But when it's done, it's really cute. It's a bit stacked in the back and longer on the sides.
You can see it from a side angle in the pic below.

Micah was changing her clothes after church...hence the scantily clad shot.

OH YEAH!!!
Good news! We have purchased a new camera, but we haven't received it yet. I'm really excited to get it in the mail!!! Hopefully, we'll be able to take action shots again.

Hope everyone is doing well. I had a great time yesterday getting to see some old(not old, but longtime) friends from college at Da's baby shower. It was nice to see you all in person instead of through a blog... :)

2 Year Check up

"I let my mommy curl my hair!!!"



We went to the doctor on Friday. Here are her stats:
Weight: 25 lbs..........25 %tile
Height: 33 in............75%tile
Shoe size: 5 1/2 or 6
Clothing: 18 mos & 2T (depends)

She really impressed the doctor b/c she labeled every color she saw. "Purple dress", "yellow shirt", "blue whale", etc. Dr. Williams asked Addie if she had any puppies in her ear and she checked them to see and Addie wanted her to check her dolly's ears too! "Roar! Lion in there. Dolly's ear!" It was really cute. When Dr. Williams felt Addie's tummy (for a hernia?), Addie told her there was an elephant in her tummy. We both cracked up. Her creative play is starting to show and it's a beautiful thing!

She got her Hep. A shot and we were out of there. She was not happy with the nurse and kept saying, "ouch, hurt, leg" as we left the room. When she saw the nurse before we left, she cried out, "hurt" as she pointed to the nurse in the doorway. I think she just about brought tears to the nurse's eye. But maybe not...she's probably used to getting mean stares from the toddlers that she inflicts with a needle.

I took her to Target and got her a little ELMO backpack from the $1 section...and everything was fine.


This week has been a bit strange. A has been struggling with a virus (along with the rest of the nation). Some days she is fine (99 degrees), other days she might have a temp. (103 degrees). I think she broke out in the chills today and it was a bit scary. I gave her some meds and put her down for her nap. I hope she wakes up happy. I really don't want to cancel my personal visits tomorrow (PAT). It's nearly impossible to get them all rescheduled and made up the following week.

Addie washing & eating her play food.

Some Addieisms to share:

• carries blankets/towels between her legs and says, "Look! I have a tail!"

• Calls daddy's lunch bag his "purse"....."Daddy's purse!"

• About three weeks ago, I told Addie that I was not going to come and help her find her binkie in the middle of the night...she sometimes makes a habit of calling out for mommy when she can't find it. I explained that she should just feel around for it and put it back in her mouth and I would not help her anymore. She did great for about 3 nights.....then we heard her call out, "Daddy! Daddy! Ginkie daddy!" I think it's hilarious! It's nice to hear her call for him and not me all the time. Besides it works too! Micah gets up and gives it to her b/c he can't sleep with her calling him. :)

• A few funny phrases we've heard the last couple weeks, "oh Dang!", "Wow! Cool!", "uh oh, Happen?", "mmm, tasty!", We say..."Sharkbait", she says, "ooo, ha ha!" (from her fav. movie...Nemo)

Addie loves to swaddle her babies and read to them. That's exactly what she enjoyed as a baby too!


Happy Addie


Sad Addie...in a matter of seconds!

ADDIE TURNS TWO!

Addie after her party (and FULL of SUGAR)


A blast from the past....Addie Sue this time LAST year!

How can this be? I don't believe my "baby" is two years old now!!! I mean, I want Addie to mature, grow, & learn...but I want her to stay little and innocent forever too! I know I can't have it both ways.

Addie was soooo psyched for her "Nemo" party. All morning, she kept saying, "Nemo party. Birthday cake...Addie birthday cake...mmm...two...Nemo party..." you get the drift. She perseverated (sp?) on it so much that I was sure she wasn't going to nap. Luckily, she had a great nap and was generally happy for her party guests.


Addie all dressed up for church.

I know it was just a small two year old party, but you know how things tend to grow, and grow, and grow. It kind of turned out into a BIG party and I was a bit stressed out the night before. I didn't think the details were going to get worked out very well...pizza, snack, craft, people, entertaining, etc. Then, we woke up to a mini-blizzard and I assumed most people would call to cancel. But, we went to church and it turns out it was just what I needed. Paster Fred had to change his message last minute, since so many people were gone, and he did a bible lesson instead. I left the service feeling completely at peace with whatever may come. I'll have to save my notes so that years down the road, when we're planning Addie's wedding, I can remember not to "sweat the small stuff".

Anyway, the party went fine. The kids seemed to have fun & Addie Sue was tuckered out at bed time. The house wasn't even that messy! I have to say that my MOMMY was soooooo helpful and the preplanning went much smoother because of her. She even made Addie a Nemo cake (see below).

Memaw made a perfect Nemo cake for the party.

We hardly got any pictures b/c we need a new camera. We're "researching" right now...which means we might have a new one in a couple months. We drag our feet when it comes to spending money (I'll try to post some more when I get pictures from my mom and dad).

Last weekend, Gigi and Papa (MJBH's parents) came out to celebrate with Addie. We enjoyed their visit and Addie soaked up their attention.



Papa reading to Addie Sue before bed.


Gigi painted Addie's nails for her....she was fascinated!

We'll go to the doctor's on Friday to get those wonderful SHOTs, and stats on height, weight, etc.
We have some adorable video of her counting & singing, but (as is always the story) it takes too long to update!!!

Hope everyone had a great week and found time to reconnect with your "special someone". We didn't. We put Addie in bed and I fell asleep on the couch while Micah watched TV. We did cuddle...does that count?

Our Trip to North Carolina

Addie and I had a blast visiting my sister and her family last week. Addie was an awesome traveler. In fact, I got a compliment every time we left a plane on how well behaved she was. She was a very good listener and didn't complain one bit.


Addie riding Toby's toy

While we were in North Carolina, we went to an indoor play place. The kids had a blast and didn't want to leave, but definitely need to. They were exhausted.

Addie running through an obstacle course.

On Saturday, we tried to go to the Billy Graham library (notice I said "tried). We actually made it there and were so impressed, but the little ones weren't. There was a lot of video and they couldn't handle it, so we went to a park instead. I would highly recommend that anyone take a tour if you're passing through Charlotte, NC. I hope I get the chance to see it again.



Caleb, Toby and Addie at the park

I think out of all the dinners we had, Addie stayed put for only one meal. She didn't have a seat and was up and down, up and down every chance she got. The only exception was on the last day at breakfast. I was so impressed, I took a picture. Then, my sister pointed out that the TV was on. That explained it.

Nothing new

We don't have a whole lot going on at the Hunt household so I don't have much to report. I've done a lousy job of taking pictures of Doodlebug too, so I've included some, but not a lot.

Addie is such a two year old now. I thought that we had experienced temper tantrums before, but now I really know what they are...and so do the Wilson's. She threw a little ditty around them last week. Fun Fun!

I've been trying not to disturb the "ticking time bomb", but it's really hard to walk on egg shells all the time. We are going to go to Sydney's 2nd bday party tomorrow and I'm fully expecting to experience the embarrassment of a lifetime as Addie allows me the opportunity to display my parenting skills (or lack there of) to every other guest there.

I'm also going to visit my sister in North Carolina next week. I'm guessing I'll be able to tell you what exactly happens to mommy's and their traveling companions when they decide to scream
their heads off on the plane. Just kidding...I'm thinking positive thoughts.

Even though...
She threw a fit last Friday b/c I wouldn't let her eat a napkin. Yes, I wrote eat.
She threw a fit on Sunday night b/c Micah wiped her nose (all of our friends got to see that lovely tantrum).
She threw a fit on Monday b/c she didn't want to put her coat on and go to the gym.
She threw a fit on Tuesday b/c she didn't want her diaper on and preferred to run around naked (I actually let her for a while until she said she had to got poop...then I pinned her down and put one on as quick as I could.

BUT...things have been okay the last few days. I put her in the corner and tell her that she can come out when she's done crying and can be nice. I think I gave her too much attention the first couple times, b/c I really thought there was something wrong. I'd never seen her so angry.

I've also requested Love and Logic from the library so I can brush up on parenting skills. It's funny how I can give strategies to the families I serve with PAT, but when it's my own kid, I'm dumbstruck.


Addie likes to stand on her table and turn the kitchen light on and off...Addie likes to be assisted down and sent to timeout too. Did you notice she's eating a napkin too?


This is how I KNOW I love her....she's still adorable despite the silly screams and thrashing on the floor. In fact, it's sometimes downright hilarious and I have to try not to laugh (I don't want to be insensitive, ya know?) No matter how much maintenance she requires, I'm still really glad God decided to loan her to Micah and I for a while.


Addie and Isaac playing in her playroom.

Christmas with the Family

Micah brought home a box from work shortly after Christmas so we made her a little house. I think we had more fun making than she's had playing with it.

We've set it up downstairs in her playroom along with her slide and swing. She's hooked up for the winter...Lucas likes it too!

Both sets of Grandparents came out since Christmas to celebrate with us. Gigi and Papa came first and stayed with us for a week. We spent New Year's Eve with them and the Wilsons. We had a great time playing games, eating, and we watched the movie "Stardust".

We also played in the snow. Kaylee and Lucas were happy that someone actually came outside with them to play instead of telling them to go do their business.


Doesn't she look so cute in her snowsuit? She was licking the snow in this picture.

Gigi and Papa took her to Build a Bear for Christmas. Here she is making her bunny, Jenny.

I don't think she really got the whole experience, but she had fun anyway.

Memaw and Epa came the day that Gigi and Papa left.

They came bearing gifts too. So many, in fact, that Addie went on strike and refused to open anymore that day. She had to open a few more throughout the weekend. I think she's a bit spoiled, so we might have to have her give some of her older toys away to good will.
While they were here, we had time to go out and play b/c it was close to 70 degrees outside. Quite a stark difference from the week before. Here she is playing on her little car.


She likes riding her new tricycle, but her legs don't quite reach the pedals so she just moves it with her feet.


It was so wonderful to have both grandparents come and visit us for Christmas. She is adored by them and mentions them often when they are away.

On Monday, we passed the swing in the garage and she kept repeating "wing", "wing". So we went swinging.


Addie is talking in sentences a lot now and is doing a great job of naming colors and counting. One time she exclaimed, " I did it!"when she made a handprint while we were fingerpainting . She loves to have her hands traced too. She's growing up so fast, but the strange thing is that I love every stage even more than the one before. I'll probably think that each year (until she turns 13!). She's so much fun! It's hard for me to believe that she'll be turning two next month.


FYI: I'd like to update more often...but our computer uploads so slow it takes several minutes to get one picture up at a time. We're going to have to do something about our situation before I go berzerk with how slow it is.

Home for Christmas

We spent Christmas morning at home without any family. My mom and dad are in N. Carolina & Micah's parents are in California. It was a bit strange, but relaxing also.

We went to see Santa at the mall last Saturday. She was afraid of Santa, like last year, so I sat with her. It was a quick encounter, but at least she can't say we didn't try to hook her up.


Addie standing in front of the Christmas tree at church. She's wearing the Christmas outfit my mother got her. Doesn't she look darling!!! She got so many compliments. Too bad she wouldn't stand still so that I could get a shot of her face too!

We baked a cake for Jesus's birthday on Monday and ate it on Christmas Eve. Addie put all three eggs in the batter. She was so happy to help.


Sampling the batter

Please Note: All of our photos are blurry. Don't know why, don't like it. Guess we should have gotten a new camera for Christmas. Sorry.


Opening her stocking with daddy.





Showing off her presents and feeding her new baby...all at the same time.


In addition to eating their bones, the dogs played with their new toy.

Addie got to be really good at opening presents. She didn't want anyone else to open theirs---even Kaylee and Lucas!


We will be seeing Gigi and Papa tomorrow to celebrate with them and I guess we'll get with Memaw and Epa sometime after the new year.

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas and found time to reflect on the real reason we celebrate!

Flying through the holidays

We went to a graduation celebration for our friend Amber who just completed her MBA. Her husband is a pilot so they had the party at the Lee's Summit Airport. Addie got to check out the planes up close.


"Hat Broke!"
She also got to hit the pinata a couple times.


She was quite the life of the party and she just soaked up the attention.


"Egg All gone!"
Memaw and Epa came up to visit so that we could do our annual Christmas baking. Addie got to help this year with mixing the ingredients this year.



On Sunday, we went to the Wilsons to see some family that came in town. Rowan, Sydney, and Addie were so fun to watch play.



"My present!"
They opened presents. As you can see, Addie has the hang of unwrapping this year. Taking turns should be quite a challenge, but I'm sure the same will be true of many households on Christmas morning.





"Fall Down"
The girls played 'Ring around the Rosie' and chased each other 'til they bonked heads.



They also made a gingerbread house. Sydney and Rowan were really good decorators. They kept putting pieces of candy on the roof.




Addie....not so much. But, she was a really good candy eater. She kept taking off what Sydney put on and sampling all the types of candy. Luckily, she didn't put them back.


It was so fun to watch all three of them. Thanks Debbie for getting the Gingerbread House! It was fun!