Catch-up

So it's been a couple of weeks, and we're getting so excited for the holidays already. We've been busy and been having lots of fun (and also I've been studying a lot for a midterm, which wasn't so fun...). We celebrated Addie turning 2 1/2 a few weeks ago by having Lynn, Kris & Holland over for dinner and a half-cake. I can't believe that TWO AND A HALF years have passed since our sweet baby came into our lives. She is just the light of our lives and our little stinker. She is saying and doing the funniest things. She is also very caring and generous (only at meal times - not with her toys :)). I love having conversations with her and am amazed at how much she is comprehending!

Last weekend, we enjoyed a day with Nana and Papa and also got to see Uncle Nate! Nana & Papa travelled to China for two weeks and we sure did miss them. Addie enjoyed catching up with them for sure! And of course, seeing Uncle Camera-Head is always fun. We can't wait to see him (and Aunt Rissa!) again soon at Christmas.

This past weekend, we had a fun visit from my friend Marci on Friday! It was so good to catch up, even if it was a short visit. Addie had fun playing with her new microphone and JM and I got to add another friend to our "We Can't Wait Til You Have Kids and We Get to Pay You Back With All the Noisemaking Toys In the World" list. Hehehe...

On Saturday, we celebrated the upcoming arrival of Baby Quinn (Holland's baby brother) by having a "sprinkle" for Lynn. The theme was "stock the freezer" and I think we all had a great time! Lynn & Kris will hopefully not have to worry too much about meals once the new baby is here. Plus, it is always fun to get together with good friends - which we carried over into Saturday night by having our good friends over for JM's ribs! Mmmm...

Another fun thing is that yesterday, John Michael and I celebrated our TWELFTH anniversary. Yep, we have been together for twelve years! I can't believe that the cute boy who sat in front of me in European History turned into the love of my life! I am SO very blessed to have him as my husband and best friend, and have realized that even more lately. I find it so hard to comprehend that I have someone being so supportive of me as a wife and mom, always encouraging me and keeping me calm when I think things are getting to be too much for me. I sure can't imagine making it through school without his support and that of our families. I've had a few very emotional times this year so far (let's blame it on the hormones, shall we? :)) and he always knows exactly the right thing to say. I won't even get started about how great of a father he is. We'll save that one for Father's Day in June. :) ANYWAY, I'm getting teary writing this (again, hormones) so I'll just sum it up by saying that I LOVE YOU, John Michael.


Picture time!

It may not have been the most beautiful, but it sure was YUMMY!


Mommy, Addie & two-and-a-half candles!


First try with her new Chinese outfit - maybe not so much!


Helping Papa feed the birds


Serious business, this bird feeding...


A little better. We'll keep trying :)


(Not the best of Addie, but it was cute of Marci :))

For Kristin...

...who is currently in Germany and probably won't see this for a while anyway :)






These were taken last Sunday at 22 weeks along. I need to look for a comparison picture of when I was pregnant with Addie at this time, because Baby Boy is lying SO MUCH LOWER than she was, which is causing me to kind of waddle already! It's crazy. I guess the old wives' tales are true ;) We are doing well and he's still a nighttime mover! He's been getting the hiccups a lot lately and it always makes me giggle. His movement almost takes my breath away. It feels like that feeling you get when you're on a roller coaster and your stomach kind of goes weightless. I don't know if that's the best description, but regardless, it's weird...and very different from Addie's movements! I am admittedly surprised at how different the pregnancies are, although you guys will be happy to hear that the grapefruit craving is coming back with a vengeance. I am SO glad it's nearly citrus season!

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun day! We slept in and then got Addie ready for her Halloween parade at school and she was so excited to finally be a cat! She has been talking about this for a month, at least. Then, around lunch time, we went to JM's office for his company Halloween party. We had a great time and Addie was the life of the party! He works with such a fun group of people and they were all excited to see her. After that, we went home to "rest" for a few minutes (which mainly consisted of Addie running around the house like a little monster and me watching her) and then headed to my office Halloween party. Most everyone brought their kiddos and there were some cute little munchkins! Of course, Addie was the cutest ;) but she had some tough competition. THEN, we came home and started to get dinner ready for Mimi, PawPaw, and Cici and Nana and Papa to come over and help us greet trick-or-treaters! I made french onion soup (from scratch! Look at me go!) and JM made grilled ham and fancy-cheese sandwiches (ha!). We were excited that we had a pretty steady stream of trick-or-treaters, but I am wondering when it became okay for BIG KIDS (like 15- and 16-year-olds) to still go out on Halloween? Maybe I am getting old and fuddy-duddy ;) I gave them candy anyway. I will admit that they had all gone to trouble and had awesome costumes, so I figured that deserved some kind of reward. Hehe.

Quick like a cat!

(I washed the wall after I saw this picture, don't worry :) - but how does that happen??)

CHEESE! Er...wait a minute! :)


I let Addie hold the "whisker" paint for maybe ten seconds while I gathered my stuff to go into JM's office...and this is what I got for it.

And one of none of us looking at the right camera...nice

We were aiming for the tackiest costumes...I think we got there.


My boss Shauna, Addie, and Shauna's beautiful baby girl Claire (almost 4 months)

There was a pumpkin carving contest at work this year!


The Law Department pumpkin, carved by our awesome secretary, Melinda! We got 2nd place!

Ready for trick-or-treating (we never made it out of the driveway :))
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Birthday weekend fun!

My birthday was last Friday and I had such a great weekend. John Michael woke me up by giving me my present - a new camera! WOOHOO! I have been wanting one small enough to fit in my purse (although our other digital is a point-and-shoot, it's 4 years old and fairly bulky) so that I would always have it with me. It is an awesome camera - a Canon Elph. It has face recognition (not exactly sure if someone would ever not be able to figure out where the faces were on their friends/family, but I digress) and most importantly - IMAGE STABILIZATION! This is super important because I have a tendency to move the camera a lot while I am taking pictures. My photographer friends get on to me all the time - oops! So hopefully this will help that.

ANYWAY - Friday was a great day! I had a good day at work and then Friday evening we went to PF Chang's with some awesome friends (Lynn, Kris & Holland; Leslie & Skye; and Lynn and Matt). I'm not quite sure what it is about that place, but I can't get enough! It didn't disappoint - it was as good as ever :) And Lynn made the most gorgeous cake for me, too. YUM!

Saturday, we had plans to go to Franklin's Pumpkinfest and then to the pumpkin farm, but JM wasn't feeling the best so we ended up taking it easy and staying in until going to my parents' house for dinner, which was...AMAZING. My dad smoked a brisket for us and my mom made my favorite potato salad and what may have been the best chocolate cake ever. Seriously, ever. Mmmm...I've been munching on it all week!

Sunday was great, too - we ended up heading to the pumpkin farm for a quick trip in the afternoon, but had to leave early because Addie has a cold and was getting wheezy. I guess it was the combination of the running around and the dust in the barn. Nonetheless, we had a blast! And the weather was perfect. I was glad we got to go because it was the last day of the season that it was open! Where has the fall gone?! I can't believe it's November this weekend.

Addie is doing much better after her cold and is looking forward to being a kitty cat for Halloween tomorrow! Pics to come of that :)

The baby boy is doing great, too, and is quite the night owl. I'll go practically all day without feeling him move and then the afternoon and evening are spent with him doing what I can only assume is training for a marathon (much like his big sister :)). I am 21 weeks along now, and on one hand, it has flown, but on the other hand, I'm ready for him to be here NOW! I am craving interesting things this go-around: the biggest one is Greek salad...how odd. The citrus cravings are back again too. I'm excited it's almost grapefruit season - ha! :)

Anyway - that's about it for the past few days! I'm sure I'll have more fun news after Halloween tomorrow. I have taken the day off work and Addie and I have quite the agenda! I'm excited :)

The cake Lynn made for me. Yes, I'm serious.



SORORITY POSE!
(Lynn will love that caption ;))


Our little family!
(I really haven't gotten quite as big as I look in this picture, honest...)


I loooved this picture because of the way Holland is looking at Addie :)


Mommy and Addie at Gentry's Farm - hooray for pumpkins!
(I copied this pose from Lynn & Holland :))



Checking on the goats!



Addie is serious about her sliding...



Carving fun time!


"What are you doing, Daddy?"

Instead of saying "cheese"...

Uncle Kris asked them to say this instead...




(In case you've misplaced your Toddler Translation Manual, they were saying "chocolate bananas!")

Cute kiddos - this was our first cookie "decortating" party with H & A the other night. They had a blast and actually didn't make too much of a mess. The only problem is that I'm pretty sure that I ate a year's worth of sugar. Oops!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I "borrowed" this recipe from my friend Amber's blog. I made them today and they were AWESOME! Thanks for sharing (and letting me share), Amber!

Ingredients:

1 2/3 c flour
1 c sugar
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 stick melted butter
1 c chocolate chips
2 large eggs

To Make:
Preheat oven to 350.

Mix flour, sugar, pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.

In another bowl mix eggs, pumpkin and butter. Add to dry ingredients.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon into muffin cups.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Makes about 12 muffins.

*Note - the first time I make recipes, I follow exactly as written. But Amber makes a few changes and she says they're great! She leaves out the pumpkin pie spice and lessens the amount of sugar and butter, and also uses milk chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate chips. Either way, I doubt you could go wrong. YUMMY!

Oh - actually, I did use miniature chocolate chips, just because I like them better. Mmmm...

Fast-forward?

Last night, John Michael and I babysat my boss' sweet baby, Claire. She is three months old and a little doll! I brought her home from Franklin, and when I walked in with her, Addie got a huge grin on her face, came up to Claire and said,

"Is that my baby brother?"

She's such a cute little stinker :) Although I'm sure come March, there'll be times I'll wish babies came as three-month-olds - ha!

Happy October!

October has been fun for us so far! It's my favorite month of the year (for selfish reasons...Happy Birthday to me, coming up ;)) and this year has been no exception. Although we've been sad that John Michael has been out of town what seems like every week (at least for a few days each week for the past month and a half...), we've been having fun! We got to meet up with my college best friend and her new husband for breakfast a few weeks ago, we found out we're having a BOY (AAAH!), and Addie just keeps getting cuter every day. OH - another exciting thing! I tried my first case ever today! It went okay. We won, but I definitely had the assistance of my boss (which, granted, is the whole point of the Supreme Court rule under which I'm certified to try cases, etc. - so that law students get to learn!). I'm hoping the things I did wrong are things that I'll be able to learn to do right and not just "you're born with it or you're not" type things :)

Anyway - Addie's vocabulary keeps amazing me every day. It is so much fun to have conversations with her and I just crack up at some of the things she says! Part of me has a really hard time correcting her if she says something really wrong, because it's just so stinking cute! I have even found myself copying the way she says things because, seriously, I know it won't be long that she'll say these funny things. My favorite things she says:

*Every morning, she'll say, "Who's taking me at school today?" (She hardly ever uses the word "to" but always says she wants to go "at" certain places)

*She opens the viewfinder on the camera and every time will say, "Oh! It's so cute!"

*The first thing she says when she comes downstairs (if JM gets her ready) is "You cook my biscuit yet, Mommy?"

*Whenever she draws any kind of scribbles, she'll proudly announce, "I write my name!"

*She's really into matching, so each morning I have to point out a way my outfit matches whatever I want her to wear (color, stripes, length of pants, etc.). Then once she's dressed, she'll say, "WE MATCH!"

*Note - I began writing this on Tuesday night and had tons more stuff but Blogger messed up and I lost everything. Now I can't remember! AAAAHHH!


In other fun news, the baby boy is moving all the time now which is fun! We're still deciding on names but have narrowed it down a little bit. We may or may not keep the name a secret - I'll let you know ;)

Now time for pictures!

Picking pumpkins (and gourds!) at Nana & Papa's

Painting the loot :)


Quite the artiste - she likes to wear the paint to get in the mode...




Mommy and Addie comparing bellies :)

Lots of news...

so little time! I promise a nice long post soon (actually, probably tomorrow night)! But in the meantime, we had our ultrasound today, and...

IT'S A BOY!

Teehee...

Addie was telling me about her day at school today and she told me that she painted. The conversation went like this:

Me: "What did you do at school today, baby?"

Addie: "I painted!"

Me: "You painted? That's fun!"

Addie: "Yeah, with paintbrush on the table."

Me: "Your paintbrush was on the table?"

Addie: "Uh oh! Now paintbrush on the floor."

[Me laughing]
Me: "What colors did you paint with?"

Addie: "Ummm...blue and red."

[I'm thinking, I have seen my kiddo paint and there is no way her colors stayed separate - what a great opportunity to talk about colors!]
Me: "Oh! Blue and red! That's great! Did you see that blue and red make purple when they mix?"

Addie: "Purple? No, Mommy. I said I just paint with blue and red. Not purple."


She may as well have said, "DUH, MOM!" I'm just thankful I didn't get an eye-roll...hopefully I can put that off for a few more years at least! :)

Have no fear!

Okay, because I became a tiny bit concerned about the cheese I bought the other day (I know, I know), I had to look it up. On this site, it says that cheese can last for 3-12 months, refrigerated and unopened. Granted, that's for Wisconsin cheese, but I'm going to give my cheese the benefit of the doubt. So it looks like Kroger cheeses will keep getting my business. I'm sure they were worried ;)

By the way, am I the only one who wants to buy ONE OF EVERYTHING on the site I linked above?!? I LOVE CHEESE!

Due date cheese

One more post...last night, I was making dinner for JM and Addie to have while I was in class tonight. I got the cheese out of the fridge and noticed that its expiration date is March 9, 2009 (the new baby's due date). It made me think two things...

1) Baby #2 is going to be here a LOT sooner than it feels like!
2) Kroger brand cheese may have a few too many preservatives for my liking ;)

CRAZY, huh?!

Just us girls!

John Michael had to go out of town last week (from Sunday to Sunday), so Addie and I flew solo. It was a little exhausting, to say the least! Not to mention that we really missed Daddy :) We were definitely ready for him to come home. But from the sound of his week, not half as ready as he was to be home!

On the bright side, we had a great week and Addie was so good for me and was not fussy in the mornings at all! That was a huge plus as I've still been having weakness in the morning a little. I also had an exciting day on Thursday when my mom and I got to go to the Eagles concert. It was AMAZING! I might have to explain that I have loved the Eagles since I was a little girl. We listened to their tapes every year on our drive to the beach. I seriously can't get over how awesome they were live. I'm so glad we got to go (although JM was sad he missed it!). A huge THANK YOU to Lynn & Kris who kept Addie so I could still go to the concert after a change in plans when JM got called out of town. We appreciate it so very much and love you guys! Addie & Holland had a good time. I have to get the pics from Kris, but at bed time, Lynn and Kris decided to try putting the kiddos in bed together (since Addie has been having trouble sleeping anywhere but her crib lately and we were all worried that she would still be up whenever I got back from the concert!) and it worked like a charm! Addie snuggled right up to Holland and they were both sleeping soundly when I went to pick her up 3 hours later. TOO CUTE!

Addie and I also had a great weekend. We had a good visit from Aunt Katie (although it was way too short) and Addie was crazy about her (and about the Mrs. Potato Head and cute clothes she brought)! We went to the mall and I realized I had forgotten the stroller, so we had to rent one of the huge ones from the mall. Addie was so excited about it! As Katie said, it was the best $5 investment ever. I agree, since Katie pushed her around the whole time :) The only downfall of the weekend was the HORRIBLE UT game. So so bad. Better luck next season, I'm afraid! Oh well...we still love our Vols!

Addie in the Princess Stroller - it had a functioning horn and she was a maniac with it! HA!



Katie and me, taken at 1am (so disregard my crooked hair!)


A cute bath pic, because it's been a while :)

Yikes!

Okay, so it's been over a month, and my loyal blog readers (Hi, Mom!) are in an uproar ;) So, here we are! It's been a good (but busy) month, so I'll just touch on the highlights:

* I started back to school, and that's been pretty emotionally draining. I'm going three nights a week and every Saturday morning, which is exhausting and getting old quickly. But I'm closing in on being done! And it'll be worth it when I get there...

* We took an awesome trip over Labor Day weekend with Lynn, Kris and Holland and Leslie and Skye! It was very relaxing. We did a whole lot of nothing, which was awesome! The girls took a shopping trip (babyless!) and the guys took the babies hiking. While they were hiking, they came across a rattlesnake. EEK! I am SO glad I wasn't there. They guys said that the kiddos thought it was pretty cool. I'm so glad that everyone (including the "wattlesnake") remained calm!

* Addie moved up a class in school and is doing AWESOME! She has always been a "star student" but the past month (before the transition) we weren't getting the best reports. I think she must have been bored, because since she has moved up, she has been doing great! She has a perfect report every day (knock on wood) and is back to being teacher's pet ;)

* Potty training - she has been doing great for a while, with only a few accidents, but is on potty strike this week. I'm not concerned at all. She's very quick to congratulate us when we potty though! She'll even bring us an M&M - but after she's made sure we've washed our hands. Hilarious.

* Big girl bed - we've been trying to make the transition to the big girl bed (twin bed). She was super excited about it for a few nights but is now more content in her crib. Again, not concerned about this. She has never tried to climb out of her crib, and Dr. Hood said to not even attempt a transition until she did so. Of course, we'd like to not have to buy another crib when the next baby comes along, but that is still six months away (plus around 8-10 weeks when he/she will sleep in our room).

* Speaking of the new baby, everything seems to be going great so far! We have gotten to see the baby four times by ultrasound (I LOVE MY DOCTOR!) and the two times that they measured the heartbeat it was 162 and 151. We should find out what we're having in about 4 to 5 weeks. Hooray! I've also been feeling a few flutters which is super exciting. And I'm only having mild "Oh my gosh, we're going to have two children!" moments :) I've only had a couple episodes of morning sickness but am having lots of morning (ahem, all day...) lightheadedness and dizziness. Ugh. I'll be glad when that passes!

I think that just about covers the bases. I went to Staples today and bought a little notebook so I can start writing down the cute things Addie says (and which I'll be sure to post on here!). She is just hilarious. One funny thing I can easily remember - we were in the car on the way to Boomsday and all eight of us were packed in pretty tightly. I was in the middle row by the window with Holland next to me and Addie by the other window. I am not quite sure if someone kicked the seat or made a noise or what, but Addie just asked, "Mommy? Did you fall down?" Me: "Um, no baby, I didn't..." Addie: "You okay, Mommy?" Me: "Yeah, baby, I'm fine." Addie: "Mommy, what happened?" Me: "I don't know, baby." Addie: "Mommy, you okay?" Hehe. Cracked me up. She is becoming very aware and both empathetic and sympathetic when things happen to others. So sweet. Anyway, here's a few pics!

Actually, first, a movie!

Addie at Great Aunt Patsy's 60th Birthday

Free labor (kidding! :))

Addie still loving her slide!

Addie picking her first pumpkin of 2008 at Nana & Papa's

Where I've been...

Okay, so I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I'm just a really bad secret-keeper, so instead of having to have willpower to not share our big secret, I decided to not blog for the past few weeks. But now we're ready to spill the beans, so...

We're having another baby!

I'm almost ten weeks right now and have had two good ultrasounds with a very strong heartbeat both times! We're so excited. The estimated due date is March 9, 2009. We've kept the news pretty quiet but are excited to have as many prayers coming our way as possible! Please be thinking of us as we're excited but a little cautious (I had an early miscarriage in May). We can't wait to add another precious baby to our family!

Here's a quick video of Addie's thoughts about the whole thing:


(She loves the "raise your hand" routine for anything ;) - oh, and she has changed her mind weekly about whether she wants a brother or a sister)

FINALLY!

My little ham has decided she likes being a "movie star," so I finally got her singing "Twinkle, Twinkle"! Never mind the fact that half the words are missing. Oh, and the same with the "Teapot" song. I think I count 3 words total to that song. HA HA HA!

What have you done?

I got this from plastic please. Love it! You highlight what you have done. Now you guys do it! Leave a blog comment so I can come read yours.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hotel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

St. Augustine 2008

We had a great week at the beach and, truthfully, were not quite ready to come home! It was just perfect. Addie did great on the plane rides (I really think her being in the car seat helped tremendously) and was overall really good. Granted, there were a couple of times where I was trying to figure out if she had been switched at birth because really, could a kid of MINE act that terrible?! Ha ha ha. I think she's just trying to remind us that she is two, after all. ;)

Anyway, we had a great relaxing week. We spent the mornings at the beach (and I actually got a little tan - woohoo!) and then spent the afternoons in different ways: at the park, at the Alligator Farm, and JM and I actually got to go on TWO dates (one to the movies - we do NOT recommend Indiana Jones, and one to the Conch House - a very cool restaurant with little tiki huts over the water). Thanks so much Mom & Dad for watching Addie! We love you!!!

Addie had such a great time being able to see her Mimi and PawPaw all the time, and we had a good time having them so close, too! We also got to see two of my uncles and one of my aunts which was really great. I have such a wonderful family. So, really, to sum it up, it was an AWESOME week. I am looking forward to going back (although with the bar exam next year, I'm not sure if it'll happen...but we'll figure something out!)! Again, I have to thank my mom & dad for everything this past week. We had such a good time and were so sad to see it end!

OH - a funny thing. We caught Addie singing "Twinkle, Twinkle" one day in the car. It was the cutest thing EVER! I am trying to catch it on video and I will be sure to post it as soon as I'm lucky enough :)

Silly goose.

Addie with her "subbel" (even though PawPaw tried to convince her it was a fork - hehe)

That is definitely Addie in the hole.

Some of the alligators and turtles we saw! These were the itty-bitty gators, but we saw some HUGE crocodiles!

Addie riding the tortoise

...and this would be one of, oh, about 3 naps Addie actually took last week! And her newest prized possession, her stuffed white alligator!

Addie was very proud of her "Do-wah" sunglasses and was proud to put them on. She was very upset about her tummy showing in her bathing suit, though. :) Look closely and you can see what she didn't realize would be showing instead! Hehehe.
(I know, she'll kill me when she reads this in 10 years!)

We could see the Anastasia lighthouse from our tiki table at the Conch House!!! I am slightly obsessed with this lighthouse and think it is the most beautiful in the country. I have climbed to the top twice!

The "real" view from our tiki hut table at the Conch House. I took a picture of our yacht so you could see it. Isn't it pretty?

Hehehehe...

JM re-remembered how to turn on the black & white setting on the camera so he was playing :)

I love this guy!!!!!!

Happy Fadder's Day, Daddy!

Just wanted to post quickly to wish John Michael a Happy Father's Day! I can't believe it's the third one (and I think we'd both agree they just keep getting better!). I love you so much. You are an amazing father and husband. Who could've guessed 12 (!!!) years ago that we'd be where we are today?! I am having so much fun with you and am LOVING watching how much Addie adores you. Thanks for being you!

(I also want to wish Happy Father's Day to my Daddy, because without him, how would I truly know what an amazing father should be like? You're the best, Daddy! I love you SO much!)



And now, from Addie:

It's been a while!

I am such a slacker! We've had a good few weeks, although they've been very busy. Summer school started up, but my class seems pretty interesting. It's pretty much learning about my job, which is funny considering I've been working there for 9 months. HA!

Last week Addie and I had fun visiting with our friends Amber and Jacks! Amber and I went to college together and lived right down the hall from each other. She and Jacks were here visiting family and made some time to visit! We were so glad! We had a gourmet dinner of Chick-Fil-A (hehe) and then ended up going to the mall to let the babies play at the play place! I "borrowed" some of Amber's pictures of Jacks and Addie! Jacks is SO very cute and smart. Thanks again, guys, for playing! We can't wait to do it again. But next time, Amber, we have to get a picture of all four of us!!!

This past weekend I drove to Greenville, SC for my college best friend's bachelorette party. Although it was so much fun, I really wasn't prepared for how much I'd miss JM and Addie! I kind of felt like the first time I spent the night away from home in kindergarten. In fact, I was very proud of myself for not having to have Kendall's mommy call JM to come pick me up - HA!!! Seriously, though, it was so great to see Kendall, but I think having a baby might make you officially too old to thoroughly enjoy a bachelorette party. Oh well. ;)

On a fun note, Addie got her playset last Friday and she LOVES it! She's a little skittish of the slide, but she's fine to go down it if she sends something down first (usually, her sunglasses!). It's hilarious. She ADORES the swings though and is always saying "Higher, Mommy! Push higher, Mommy!" Wonder how long that'll take to get old? ;)

On a not so fun note, OH MY GOODNESS could the tantrums get any worse!? I lovingly call Addie "Mommy's Little Monster" now. She loves it and is pretty proud of the title :) She's a mess, but luckily, a cute one! She continues to crack me up with her sentences - especially the ones that make no sense! I love it. I'll try to get some video soon.

Also - we're going to the beach soon - YAY!

Can you believe I only took TWO pictures since my last post? What a bum!
Addie prefers the "big girl" swings, but...

we taught her that if she sits in the "baby" swing she can go much higher!

Thanks so much, Nana and Papa, for the AMAZING playset! We ALL love it.