Hello.

We have been sooooo busy lately.  I went from being sick the first trimester to feeling great the second and now I am sooooo tired all the time!  BUT baby Jett is healthy and getting ready to make his big debut.  My friend Chasity took some belly pics a few weeks ago...here the little guy is at 8.5 months!

 

 

 

On May 28th our baby girl turned FOUR! I still can't believe she is FOUR!  She had a family party, a school party and a friend party! 

 This is her RAINBOW party at Celebration Park with her friends.  All of the kids had a great time.  Addison even designed her own birthday cake!

Silly girl at her friend/our neighbor Austin's "messy" bday party!

 

 Baby Jett's room

 We are ready for the little guy to get here!

 

 Addison making watermelon cookies!

I think she did a pretty good job! Of course she ate more icing than she put on the cookies! 

My best girl!

I love this little girl so much! She can make me crazy sometimes but not a day goes by that I'm not amazed by her.  I can't believe that she will be four at the end of the month.  It seems like just yesterday she was a tiny little baby.  I am so proud of the little girl that she has become.  She is so smart and full of personality.  Now that I am six months pregnant she has been wearing me out so she went home with my parents for a week long visit.  I think my grandparents were going through Addison withdrawals...they hadn't seen her since Easter!  It's funny, I look forward to getting a break every now and then, but 5 minutes after Addi is gone I miss her.  That's one of the things I miss most about living closer to home, I feel like Addi misses out on seeing family.  I'm hopeful we can get closer to home soon, I want Addi and baby Jett to see their family more often. 

It's a BOY!

 

Getting ready to cut the cake ---- EXCITED!

Hey look at me everybody!

 



 

The moment after she realized the cake was BLUE -- disappointment!

 



 

so sad....

 

 

Gammy & Poppit looking at sonogram pictures

 

Everybody sharing the good news! 

 



the girls checking out the sonogram pictures 

hello summer

 

The first day it was warm Addi had to get in the pool (the water was freezing!)  Then shortly after these pictures her neighbor friends came over to swim.  Who knew a cheapo splash pool could be so much fun.  They laughed and played for at least 2 hours!



Teaching mom & dad at open house

Addison thought it was so funny when daddy was doing the lesson she taught him

 



 daddy working on his letter sounds, her teacher says she has mastered all of them and is ready to start reading!

 

 

Addi had so much fun showing us all the works that she does in class.  We were amazed at how much she has learned.  She is definitely a little smarty pants, kindergarten is going to be so boring for her!



Hoppy Easter!

 

Meet "Minnie" Addison's Easter beagle from Aunt Lisa, Sloanie and Kyle.  Minnie has always been a country dog, but she is adjusting to big city life just fine.  We are really enjoying the fact that Addi is sleeping in her own bed every night since Minnie is sleeping with her!

 Cute cousins getting ready to hunt Easter eggs!

 Aunt Birdie, Cousin Aubrey & Uncle Nic counting eggs!  

"hi" to the ex-sister-in-law, nice to know you still care :) LOL

 

none of us wanted to take a picture, can't you tell?! lol

 This year we did a night egg hunt at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's.  The kids loved hunting the glow in the dark eggs. 

 Porter and Addi getting ready for the egg hunt at Church Easter morning

 Addi, Victoria, Trey and Porter getting ready to hunt @ Mimi's

The Easter egg hunt @ Addi's pre-school! This child was afraid of the Easter bunny 2 weeks ago and now she's hugging him!

Ryan was in Clemson, SC the week before Easter working on football.  Luckily Maw Maw came to keep up company and help out while he was gone.  Then we had a fun filled weekend back home.  All together we had 5 egg hunts...by the end Addison wasn't even interested in hunting eggs!  We had so much fun and even squeezed in a trip to Warrenton and visited with our good friends and their new bundle of joy!  We came home with lots of luggage, candy and even a new dog to add to our collection.  We now have 3 dogs, 2 fish and a nice collection of rolly pollies that Addi has become obsessed with.  In just a few days we will find out if baby Priem is a boy or a girl and share the good new with our family and friends!  I can't wait to know, but all we want is a healthy baby!  Well, I guess that's all for now, my sweet girl wants to play!

Surprise!!!

After having two painful miscarriages we put having another baby on the back-burner.  I knew I wanted to be a mom again, but I wasn't ready to risk going through all that disappointment again.  So, as soon as we gave up on the idea of another baby God surprised us.  Right after Christmas (after having the flu) I figured out that I was pregnant.  I couldn't figure out why I was still feeling terrible...ta-dah...not flu...morning sickness...or as it affects me...all day sickness.  We were cautiously optomistic and only told our parents.  After the miscarriages I was afraid to even say "pregnant" out loud...to be honest it scares me even now.  I am almost 16 weeks prenant, officially in the "safe zone" but I'm not sure when I will feel "safe".  The morning sickness has passed and I feel great - which makes me nervous!  Everyday I look at my belly and worry that it is getting smaller and fear the worst and my blood pressure seems to spike on dr. appointment days. I will say, I love my doctor.  I loved Addison's baby doctor, didn't like the doctor with my second pregnancy and hated the doctor with my third pregnancy.  My baby doctor now is so positive and kind and she understands my anxiety and goes out of her way to make me comfortable.  I am so grateful for her and the nurses at her practice.  One of the nurses gives me a high five everytime she sees me at the office and says "you made it another week darlin'".   Unless you have lost a baby you don't understand the worry that comes with being prenant, I didn't worry at all when I was pregnant with Addi, now I am a ball of nerves.  We waited until our 12 week appointment to tell Addi she was going to be a big sister.  Ryan and her came in and listened to the baby's heartbeat...she was sooo excited....the first thing she said was, "is it a boy baby or a girl baby?!"  I know she will be a great big sister and I can't wait to see my two babies together. 

Let them lick the spoon...

Today Addison and I were getting things together for her school party tomorrow.  Addison signed her name to almost all of her Valentine cards for her friends (she got tired after about 15) and we picked out all the stickers she was giving her friends.  The school she goes to is "sugar-free" so we couldn't give candy -- which makes it very difficult -- because that's kinda what v-day is about!  It's funny, we have parents who are so strict with the no sugar thing...they won't allow their kids to go trick-or-treating or have snowcones at school.  I feel so bad for those sugar-free kids!  Growing up we were able to have sweets, but mom didn't just let us sit in front of the tv and eat a whole bag of candy.  Moderation people...those kids will probably go nuts the first time they go to a friends house that has sweets! 

I am not a huge fan of Valentine's day...I don't like to buy into the "box of chocolates and flowers thing".  My husband is thrilled with this because he isn't required to buy me flowers and chocolate. I think it's kinda cheesey and I would much rather get my flowers on a random day when I am the only one getting flowers!  Rather than go out tomorrow or order in... I decided to have a Valentine's dinner at home with the people I love.  I am cooking Ryan and Addison's favorite foods....chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli and homemade maccaroni and cheese (I am trying out the Luby's recipe I found online...Luby's has the best mac and cheese!)  Today we went to the store and bought the food we needed for our dinner and set the table with our red candles and tulips. 

Addison loves to help me in the kitchen!  I have to wait for her to get her stool, her apron, and her "pig spoon" so she can help me stir.  I have to admit she can crack an egg better than I can - I have no idea how she can do it without getting the shell in the bowl! Today we made the brownie/chocolate chips bars that we will have for dessert tomorrow.  As I was cleaning up...Addi asked me if she could lick the spoon.  Of course I said yes...I always do.  It made me think of all those sugar-free kids who never get to lick the spoon.  My child might get a cavity one day...she might be a few pound heavier...she might act a little hyper...but life is short and I am going to let her "lick the spoon".  

 

 

"Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory." 

 - Susan B. Anthony

Growing girl...

I had a few minutes to update Addi's blog and then I realized what a terrible mother I have been lately! I have no NEW pictures of our princess (except her Valentine's pics - which I can't share yet!)  Then I stumbled upon this picture from back in the summer...I honestly think this might be the last time my child wore shorts!  She has become obessesed with dresses/skirts...won't wear anything else! At first I thought it was a comfort thing but she seems to think shorts/pants are for boys.   Last weekend I went shopping for me and ended up buying her 6 new dresses - girls clothes are just too cute to pass up. 

 

 Occassionally, I will take Addi to McDonalds for as a treat (not a fan of McDonalds in general) but the one by our house a good indoor playground.  Addi had to take her own money in her own purse (made by Mimi) and she wanted to keep her receipt to show that she paid for her ice cream cone!

Addi missed the BIG snow the day after Christmas, because she was still down south BUT it did snow again! She was happy with the inch of slush that was left after school.