So Very Long....

I admit it, I've fallen off the "blogging bandwagon". Life gets in the way, I get busy and I forget to blog. Or just don't want to. But, this post is very important to me, because I feel I need to update everyone on the many hilarious comments that my daughter is making nowadays. More importantly, I need to record them somewhere so that when she's 30 (like me, sigh...) I can share these funny moments with her...

1) We are driving to get icecream. I tell Addie that I want a Brownie. She says, "Mommy, I know they have brownies at the icecream place". I say, "How do you know? She responds in a very funny, drawn out way, "Because I looked ONLINE!!"

2) Addie has been wishing for a sibling lately. We haven't been discussing this, but I suggest that she is hearing it from other kids at daycare. We say our usual evening prayers, and Addison chimes in, "And thank you for the baby brother in Mommy's tummy".

3) A few weeks ago, Addison asked me whether she could change her baby sister's diapers. WHOA! Again, I think she's hearing it at daycare...

4) The other night Chris tucked Addison into bed (after repeated attempts to get her to fall asleep). She tells Chris, "Daddy I'm a big girl. I use perfume which means I get to stay up. Smell my hands". Chris then smells her hands, doused in a sample spray vial of Gucci Flora.

5) The other night, Chris decided to get Tasty Tacos. It was well-past dinner time, but the guy was hungry...Anyways, Addison says to him, "Daddy, I KNOW you share!" She knows what's good!

6) Addison was talking about what happens when people get in an accident. She says "They get hurt, their head falls off, and their eyes come out. They go up to the sky (she means heaven) and they're stuck up in a tree". Umm...sure. LOL And I can't forget to mention she says "assident" instead of "accident".

7) I don't want to be one of those parent's that talks about their kids poop..but I will anyways. Addison says to me (while at Beauty Brands bathroom, mind you), "Did you hear that noise (she farted)? That is the poop noise. That means the poop is coming". HA HA.

8) Addie asking me about my wedding ring. I explained to her that it meant I was married to Daddy. Chris got her a toe ring (which he bought to fit her ring finger) and she says, "And this ring means Daddy is special".

9) Every birthday this year has been Valentine's Day. On my birthday, I was told by Addison, "Happy Valentine's Day!" It's the thought that counts, right?

10) Addison on Lady Gaga: "I want to go see Lady Gaga. She's a good singer, but she doesn't wear pants or a shirt". (She saw her performance on GMA).

11) As we're driving back to Des Moines in the rain (from Cedar Rapids), Addison says, "Mommy, the rain is Jesus crying! (We've never said this). I asked her why and she says, "Cause Jesus didn't win at bowling" (We tell her that thunder is Jesus bowling).

12) One day it was storming, and we heard a loud clap of thunder. Chloe starts barking and Addison says, "MOMMMMMMY! Chloe is barking at Jesus!"

13) The other night Addison was praying before bed and says at the end of her prayer, "And please help us to have a big big garage sale" (My parents were having a sale the next day).

I am sure I have more "Addie-isms" I could put on this blog...and I will probably have more posts like this one. Someday I know I am going to look back and read these and smile to myself....because eventually everything she says will make perfect sense and she'll be grown and independent and I'll want to remember her the way she is now, innocent and curious.....

Easter Fun!

I am always looking for creative ideas and projects to do with Addison. I was shopping at the supermarket and found an awesome kit for an Easter Bunny house. It looked so easy, and Addison was THRILLED to get started! I'd been promising her that we'd do it for a while now, so we decided to try it this morning. Let me just start by saying that it is NOT as easy as it appears to be from reading the box!

Here's the box:



So cute, right?

Well, it started alright...and then went downhill from there. Here is the finished result:





Pretty bad....Needless to say, we threw it out! Oh well, its the fun that counts, right?

Here are some more pictures from our "craft":









Let's hope the Easter egg coloring this coming week isn't as disasterous!

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and more....

To say its been a while is putting it mildly. My excuse is that life got in the way. I don't feel a bit sorry about my lack of posting the last few months, because things have been good but hectic. The sign of a busy and happy life, right?

Our family spent Thanksgiving in St. Louis this year. We spent it with my Dad's side of the family, and stayed at a hotel. I had never been to St. Louis, so it was exciting. We did a little shopping and sight-seeing, but Addison had the most fun at The Magic House, a children's museum. They had a Curious George exhibit and tons of hands-on activities. Addie was even able to "shop" in a pretend store and ring up her own groceries! It was the neatest thing.


There was a giant tree in the lobby......


Addie posed with George, but ran away from the person dressed up like George...


We had to get a picture with Hundley, the dachshund from Curious George!


Addie contemplated a career selling ice cream.....


She was a pro ringing up her groceries, because she's seen Mommy and Daddy do it....


There was even a giant indoor water table!


It was a great time! We swam, visited the Anheiser Busch to see how beer is made, and spent time with family!

Thanksgiving came and went, and so began the Christmas festivies! I admit, we did put our tree up before Christmas this year. I am going to use the excuse that we were gone over Thanksgiving.

Last weekend, Bepa and Mema Odell (as Addie lovingly calls them) came to visit. Mom, Addison and I decided to make Christmas cookies! It was a MESS, to say the least, but such a special time.



Addie made a "cake" out of dough.....


And the dogs were covered in flour!


Addison was such a good helper!


There was flour all over the floor, sugar on the counter, and little fingers in the dough, but I wouldn't change a second of it. I love the time with my family and I will treasure it forever. Happy Holidays!

Sick!

Well, we don't have any wonderful pictures to post this week. Unfortunately, Addison was sick most of the week. We aren't sure what she had, other than just a virus. At least that's what the doctor told us! She came down with a fever on Wednesday night....which continued up until about yesterday. We were set to go to a family wedding this weekend, but we didn't make it. Everyone was disappointed, but we had to take care of Addison and get her feeling better! The highest her fever rose was 103.5-which got us a little scared. Tylenol and Motrin are godsends!

When Addison wasn't sick, she was riding her big wheel or asking me to play "stickers". This is a code-word for scrapbooking. She's my little helper and she loves it! Its something we both can enjoy together. I pick out the embellishments and put them on the spot on the page, and she presses down. What a helper! She also has enjoyed playing with her kitchen this week. She serves us up some awesome meals-such as spaghetti, ice cream, a hot dog, and a waffle, all in one sitting! Ha ha.

Last weekend, admist our boredom, Chris decided to clean the garage. Wow, its beautiful! I have never seen our garage this clean. I should have taken a picture of THAT! I conquered the laundry and also made pot roast with mushrooms, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy on Saturday, and pulled pork sandwiches on Sunday, thanks to my mom and dad's guidance! You know I am bored when I resort to cooking! HA HA

It's been a pretty uneventful week, but I hope to post some cute pictures in the next few days, since we are going to the Iowa State Fair tomorrow! Woo hoo!

This week, we decided to do some redecorating. Let me rephase that. Addison decided to redecorate. The sofa. The fireplace. The endtable. The leather chair. It was shocking to say the least. I was in the bedroom making the bed and I came out to find that Addison had used dry erase markers to color all over. We had a long talk and she cried and told me how sorry she was...and all was forgiven. Lucky for us, it came out! Look closely at one of the pictures. What does it look like? HA HA









In other news, Chris had to bleach his hair because of a bet at work. I am thinking there should be only ONE BLONDE in this relationship! Addison told Chris, "Daddy, I don't like it, I don't like it". HA HA. Kids are brutally honest. Luckily, Chris only has to keep it like that for 3 days, then he can shave it off again.







Nothing else has been too eventful this week. We celebrated two birthdays (Chris' parents) and now Addison thinks its a birthday EVERY day. We ordered Chinese for dinner and Addison said we were having a birthday party! Everything is a birthday party these days.

Yesterday we were blessed to have my sister, brother-in-law and baby nephew visit. He has really grown! Addison and Baby Gabe enjoyed playing in the kiddie pool out back, and Addison "helped" Aunt Mo with a diaper.

I hope everyone has a great week!

A Birthday Review.....

Today is my 29th birthday, and I thought it would only be fitting to look back at this past year and reflect on what a year its been! Below are a few highlights:

1) I didn't break any bones this past year! If you know me at all, this is quite a feat. However, last summer I think I was still recovering from breaking my foot....

2) My little one turned 2! We celebrated with a birthday with close family. She received her Little Tikes house from Mommy and Daddy.

3) On July 27, 2008, Chris and I had our 6 year anniversary! In just a few days it will be seven years! I love you, Chris!

4) In October of 2008, our little miniature dachshund Roxie had back surgery. That was a difficult time for us, because we thought we were going to have to put her down. She had back surgery, and as you probably have HEARD (LOL) she is alive and terrozing the neighborhood like always! This year Chloe also had an incident with her back, but crossing our fingers, she is hopefully healed.

5) Obama was elected this past year! The first African-American President. I am still proud as a type those words! Enough said!

6) I cannot forget, either, that this year the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the decision allowing same-sex marriages! What a milestone and an example for our state to set for other states and countries. It's time for equal rights!

I am mainly talking about the big highlights this past year, but I can't forget all the times in past year that Addison and Chris told me they loved me, hugged me. Cuddling reading books. Sloppy dog kisses (HA HA). Nights spend watching movies or our favorite shows. Family pizza parties. Small road trips to the zoo, lake, or shopping. Countless hours spent reading children's books to my baby girl. Days spent going to garage sales with Addison. Coffee trips. Eating out with friends or family. Visiting our families and friends. Reading good books. Discovering the Twilights Series (or addiction). Hours spend in a job that I LOVE, where I can help people. Most importantly remembering how much my family loves me and how lucky I am!

I love my life! Happy Birthday to me!

Nice Day for a White Wedding.....

Weddings were the theme this week! On Friday night, we attended a wedding for our friend Adam's sister and her partner. I was especially excited to go to this wedding as it was the first wedding we attended post Iowa Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage. It was a beautiful wedding. It was wonderful to see that love knows no boundaries. It was a day that will be forever imprinted in my mind. It was held at the Historical Building, with the Capitol in the distance. How fitting. I am proud to be an Iowan, and thrilled that Iowa has taken the stand to support equal rights. Evidently Addison was extra excited too, because during the toast she and their daughter decided to stand up in front of everyone and show their undies (well pull-up in Addison's case)! Addison saw another little girl do it, and of course she was just copying. Ha ha. She lifted her dress above her head and I was soooo embarrassed!

Addison was more than a little disappointed that there was no dancing, but she got over it as soon as she and the other children began running around all over the terrace. She ran in circles, which really tired me out. To have the energy of a child! After the wedding, we continued the celebration with a nice dinner at a french restaurant, Django. It was great to catch up with our friend, Adam, and his daughter, Grace, from Colorado. Too bad his wife, Katie, couldn't make it. We really missed her!

Last night we attended another wedding for Chris's uncle Joe. A great time was had by all! The reception was at the Voo Doo lounge in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Although this reception did not involve music, either, the kids found a way to dance. A band was playing in the bar, and the owners said the kids could dance. And they did! Addison, Taylor, Joey, and Ian danced the night away. The night ended with us dragging Addison off the dance floor! Once we put her down, she ran back out there. I think I am going to get Addie in some dance classes, as she clearly loves to dance!

Today, we had a wedding shower for Ashlea, who will be marrying Todd, Chris' cousin in about a month. Addison was a little disappointed there was no band at the shower. What a party girl!

Overall, it was a busy but fun weekend.

I will leave you with a funny conversation I had with Addison.

Addison pointed to a certain "female undergarment" that I was taking out of the washer. It went like this:

Addison: Mama, what that?
Me: It's a bra, sweetie.
Addison: What that for? Mama going swimming?
Me: No, mama is not going swimming. This is a bra. Big girls wear them on their chest.
Addison: So they don't fall down?
Me: Yep, that's right.
Addison: And mommy would cry?
Me: Yes, mommy would definitely cry.

Where do they come up with these things?