~The Taylor Family~

Fall Break begins...It's pumpkin carving time!!!

2011-01-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

I just love this time of year and Addie really did too! This year and age was good b/c she's finally able to really do and understand things more. Now daddy's home more so we are able to enjoy it A LOT more:)

I was really excited about carving a pumkin this year b/c I couldn't wait for Addie to do it for the 1st time. Little did I know she wouldn't be as excited about it as I was. lol! Once we took off the top, she stuck her hand down into the pumpkin, then it was pretty much over! She didn't really like how it felt, only the way it looked afterwords! Oh, well, maybe next year! I bought a Disney carving kit b/c she's so into Mickey Mouse. She loved her daddy's MM when it was done. It took me longer w/the Minnie, but I finally managed to finish it a couple of days later. Thank goodness for fall break!

Beginning the carving...

Finished!!!

Here's mine!

A day @ the Pumpkin Patch...Honey Suckle Hill Farm!

2011-01-17T08:49:00.000-08:00

Addie was very excited about going to the pumpkin patch this year. She really didn't know what it was until she got there. She was just excited to know that we would spend the day w/her buddies, Knox & Bella! We were celebrating his 1st bday and Bella's 2nd. It ended up being a pretty chilly day, but fun! The kids all still enjoyed getting to play.

Addie acting silly before getting ready to leave. Mommy's little "punkin"!

Spending a little time w/the birthday boy and doing lots of activities.

She didn't even know these girls, but joined them like she did!

Ready for cake!

Bella's turn!

Now Addie:)

Time to pick out her 1st pumpkin by herself!

Daddy giving her some tips:)

Checking it out...

She found one!

Taking it home.

Picture time...

The Gregory Family

Checking out Knox'x truck

Long day...she was worn out and ready to go:)

Picking up where I left off...Summer ends & Fall begins...

2011-01-16T17:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Wow, I cannot believe I haven't posted in so long! I told a friend I would get back to it while we were off for all these snow days.It's really hard finding time with a 2 yr old around. Between working, potty training, constantly getting milk, playing, tea parties, temper tantrums, singing, baths, Xmas shopping, going, FBooking (of course) and whatever else she keeps me doing, it's really hard to have time to get it done. She wears us out!!! So here goes trying to catch up...

The saying is "All good things must come to an end"...with that being said, our summer finally came to an end! We did lots of fun things, but it is always good getting back into some sort of routine. Addie's birthday kinda finalizes the summer because it's at the end of August plus school has started and it's back to reality!
The GREAT thing about the new school year was Addie beginning a new daycare/preschool. She now goes to the First United Methodist Church in Gallatin or "NAPS" as they call it... WE love it! Her teachers are great and she's made lots of new friends. Most importantly, she's learning A LOT and they haven't had the turnover problem like other daycares.
Here are a few pics that began our fall:

Are you ready for some football???
Go Titans! You definitely know it's fall when you see the hedge apples on the ground!

Traveling to TN Tech to see cousin Rachel's new apartment.

Go Vols!...and TN Tech too:)

My "little" niece has grown so much!

Ready for the pumpkin patch!

Princess Addie turns 2!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-10-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great time and it was a beautiful day for Addie's birthday party. We had it @ Nana & Papa's "Party Palace". It was a Disney Princess party and she really like all the decorations and goodies. I think she owns just about everything now that's Disney Princess! Addie was really excited about her birthday and sang "happy birthday" to herself for over a week. She's still singing to herself:)

We had family and friends come and celebrate w/us and they helped make her day great! All the kiddos played for a bit and then it was time to eat hamburgers and hotdogs. Then, we later had cake and ice-cream. Addie was exhausted (not to mention no nap). Her mood was great, but she just gave out right before we were ready to open presents. She almost fell asleep eating the ice-cream. We went ahead and let her nap and let the kids open her gifts. They loved that! Addie got to see everything later and played when she woke about 45 minutes later.

She's still really into babies and princess things. I found her the cutest wooden baby doll bed, highchair and rocking chair from a consignment sale...she L.O.V.E.S. them! Now, she uses them and her princess table to set all the dolls around for dinner or a tea party. It's the cutest thing:)
Thanks to everyone who helped make this day GREAT!!!

I had to show Addie @ 1yr to show how much she has changed.

~My big girl!~

Mommy's sweet princess:)

She finally gave out!

Back up again and ready to ride on the gator.

This is her jump-o-line from Nana and Pops.

Hangin' w/her buddy, Knox.

2 year pics

2010-10-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to catch up with my posts...
I've been wanting to get Addie's pics made outside for awhile now and we finally had them done. I think they turned out great considering how hot it was. Not to mention trying to get a 2 yr old to look at the camera so many times. Here are some of my favorites...

POTTY TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-10-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been "trying" the potty training for a little while now. I knew this day would come, but I wasn't really ready for it...it means my baby is growing up! Not to mention, it's not that easy! I hear that girls are easier than boys, but I guess it all depends on the child. We actually started before she turned 2 because she was curious about the toilet and we thought, why not?! We started sitting her and trying it on her small potty first. She did ok, but wouldn't sit very long. We didn't try very hard or very often. Just asked her sometimes or let her go if she wanted to. Then, we started putting her on the big potty because they were trying it at daycare. She's the youngest in her class so they just wanted to get her used to it. They tried for a couple of weeks w/her and she did pretty well. She won't always go when you sit her there. She still hasn't pooped on the potty yet. Since she's still alittle young, we aren't pushing the issue yet. We ask her in the mornings or when it's bath time. She tells her sometimes when she needs to go so we take her. She tells us a lot of times when she's already gone! We still let her put an Elmo/Sesame Street sticker on her potty chart when she goes. She loves to do that and says, "Go put Elmo sticker!" I may try over Christmas break when I can be at home more with her or I may just wait for the summer. She's not quite ready, but she may be by then. We still think of her as our "little" baby and I don't want to rush things if I don't have to! Here are a few pics...

She wants the her baby and bear to potty too!

Wilson Co. Fair!!!

2010-09-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to go the fair for awhile, and I have always heard about this being the best one. I can't tell you the last time I actually went to a fair. Scott and I decided to take Addie this year. There was a chance of rain, but things were looking good when we left...then when we got there, it started to thunder! Once we were there, Addie rode 1 ride, played a game, and we headed over to the see some of the animals under the shelter. Of course, it started to pour down rain! Once it let up, we got a funnel cake and cotton candy. Scott had a fried twinkie. It ended up sprinkling a little on and off for the rest of the night. Addie rode a few more rides and we looked at some more animals...she wasn't too big on petting them! It was still a lot of fun walking around and looking at everything. Before we left, Scott had to get one of the famous porkchops, and I tried the roasted corn on the cob...yummy:)

She didn't like petting the cows much at all!

Thought the sky was so pretty on the way out...

Our Anniversary and Date Night!!!

2010-09-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

July 24, 2004, I not only married the man that I met in Florida on a "girl's trip", but I married my best friend! I never EVER thought I would meet my future husband on a 4th of July trip with my girls. I guess it was one of those things that was really meant to be. At the time, I was trying to get out of a bad relationship and meeting Scott was exactly what I needed to do that! Sounds strange, but it worked. We still joke about it today:)

Scott and I rarely get time to ourselves, so we decided to go have dinner for our anniverary. We both LOVE Italian and he "kinda" surprised me w/reservations to Maggiano's. I ended up guessing it! It is now our favorite and we are going back for my birthday in October. Can't wait! My sis was there to get a few pics before we left...

July 3rd~4th

2010-09-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

We spent the 3rd of July @ Nana and Papa's house with our cousins from Atlanta. All the kids enjoyed the little fireworks' display that the guys put together! It was a fun night!

Lunch...

I got Addie to pose for a few pics.

Of course, all the kiddos had to take a ride them on the gator!

Later that evening...playing games, lighting some sparklers and enjoying the festivities...

She's about to call it a night!

The next day, we spent the afternoon and night at our good friends' house. That night, we sat by the pool and watched the neighbor's firework show.

In memory of Brian Denning...we miss and love you!

Summer Fun 2010 cont....

2010-09-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is pretty late, but wanted to pick up where I left off with the summer now that it's over...
Our summer break was fun-filled this year. I hated to see it go, but we had A LOT of fun! Since Addie was a bit older, we could do more w/her. I L.O.V.E. having the summer off w/Addie! I did put her in daycare a couple of days a week to give me a little time to get some things done:) Anyway, sorry for all the pics, but I tried to show mostly everything.

We spent a lot of time at the pool. My older sis is a member of the Portland CC, and we went as her guests. Addie likes the water, but she didn't really get to go under because of her tubes. It's kinda hard being in a pool and not getting the ears wet, even with plugs!

Our cousins came to visit for a week.

All the kids love for Papa to ride them on the gator:)

We also spent a lot of time at Nana and Papa's house. Addie would live there if I would let her:) She loves seeing her cousins there. They ALL spoil her rotten!

More time at the fountains.

We visited our Kentucky family. She also loves her KY cousins and her Nana and Pops!

Excuse the bad pick, but that's one of the only few I got of Addie and her daddy. You have to look for them! We were @ the Russell Simms Aquatic Center in Bowling Green. I liked this place because the whole thing (besides the aquatic pool) was shallow enough for Addie to stand up in and walk. It's a neat place, but we didn't get to stay long because of the rain!

We finished up the summer @ the zoo. It was really just TOO hot to be there at all! This is her friend, Ella Grace. They are 2 days apart, but you would never think it because Addie is so much taller. They were so cute together, but argued over who was gonna pull the wagon!:)

We spent a lot of time at home too!

This is when she got into the permanent marker!!!

Help w/blog!!!!!

2010-09-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm usually pretty good at figuring out all of this stuff, but this stupid "tool" thing on my blog is really making me mad! I can't get rid of it no matter what I try. It's an easy click button to be able to change things quickly. I H.A.T.E. the way it looks on my blog! Can anyone tell me what to do to get it off?! Thanks:)

Father's Day '10

2010-06-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

We had a good Father's Day this year at mom and dad's. It was very hot so we let Addie play with her water gun for a little bit. Some of the kids went fishing. It was pretty much another relaxing day! Here are a few pics of the family. I don't know why we didn't get pics w/my dad. I think he was inside or something.

Father's Day 2010

Playing with bubbles.

Ready for the water!

A little bump in the road...

2010-06-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I never thought I would ever be writing a post about this but it is true...my sweet 21mth old had a visitor about 2 weeks ago that gave us the scare of our lives! Its name was STAPH (Staphylococcus) bacteria, which is one of the most common causes of skin infections. Here's a little background...It is commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people and lay dormant. A lot of times, staph can get into the body and cause infection (abscess or boil). It is VERY possible that she picked the bacteria up during surgery when she got her ear tubes. There's no way to tell. Some infections are minor (treating them by draining the place), using no antibiotics. Some may even need antiobiotics. In some cases, things can get a lot more serious...

Little did we know later, the culture would show MRSA, officially known as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. An antibiotic known as methicillin was commonly used to treat staph. However, some staph bacteria have developed a resistance to this and these are called "methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, hence the name MRSA. This used to be found only in hospitalized patients, but now a growing number of the general population could carry this on their skin or in the nose w/out causing anything. This can also be treated w/a different antibiotic.

How did this all start...
My child is already allergic to mosquitos, and her bites will sometimes swell. I can remember several times when she was younger and she would have 8-10 bites at once. So naturally, we see what looks like a normal bite and we assume that's what it is. She has scratched one or two before, causing them to get infected. it was a red place w/what looked like a scab. At one point, we thought it might even be a spider bite or she got stung. I had already planned to get a doc's appt. that day and sent her on to daycare. Of course, they called wondering about the place and I assured them I would take her. When I got to daycare, she was sitting w/a cold rag on it and would not stop crying! Her teacher said she had been crying pretty much all morning (not sure why they didn't call) and did NOT want anyone to touch her leg. When changing her diaper, her teacher said Addie's foot accidentally hit it and "stuff"came out. So, I took her to see Dr. Kastner, and he figures it's an infection, but had to do a culture to see what kind. He also wanted to "release" the infection. I thought oh Lord. This is not gonna be good. It took a nurse, the doc and myself to hold her still! She did really well, besides the screaming and crying:) He told me to get the infection out if I could, treated her w/an antibiotic and told me to soak her in bleach and water, assuming it might be staph. We also marked around the spot to show if the infection spreads.

Scott and I were a bit scared about "releasing" the infection, but he was great! I gave him the job of the squeezer, and I held her down and talked. It wasn't fun, but we got it done. She was a trooper! The next day, I was giving her a bleach bath and found another spot on her lower back. Needless to say, it didn't take much to get it open! I called the doc and he gave her another antibiotic on top of the one she was taking. I then called my parents to come and help because Scott had to work. Saturday, we continued the same routine. That night, she seemed very warm all over and her place on her leg was hard, warm and spreading red. Her temp. was 102.3. We gave her Motrin and waited about 20mins. It went down to 101.9, but that was still high. In the meantime, I had called the doc again and he recommended we take her on to Vanderbilt. The antibiotics weren't working fast enough and she probably needed it through IV.
The hospital...
So, we head out about 930 that night. We finally got a room in the ER where diff docs/nurses came in ALL night! We had to retell our story like 5 times. By 2:30 or so, we realized it was gonna be an all-nighter. That's when they finally determined they would have to do surgery and make incisions to release all the infection. We finally got Addie to sleep and they brought in a pull-out chair for Scott. I had to sleep in her SMALL bed that I had to use a step stool to climb into. There were no rooms available. I tried taking a pic for proof, but it was too dark. Anyway, the next morning, they finally get us to a recovery room and my family came to see Addie before going into surgery. Once she was given the "happy" medicine, it wasn't long before they took her for surgery. It lasted about 45 minutes or so and they let her sleep a bit. She did MUCH better waking up than she did w/her ears. She didn't cry much at all...such a trooper through this whole thing! When we go home, we immediately started wiping everything down w/clorox wipes and bleach to make sure there's no more bacteria...if it's even in the house.
OK...if you're still with me, I'm almost done...ugh
We got to take her home after the surgery, but she had to have small draining tubes for a few days. I took her back to Vanderbilt Tues. to have the tubes taken out. We were told to keep the wounds clean and covered. These places have to heal themselves from the inside out. The doc gave us the ok to be around others and head back to daycare since the infection was out. I didn't chance going to the pool or fountains because of getting another bacteria in the wounds. The chlorine would kill the bacteria in the water, but out of the water, she could pick up something because the places aren't closed yet. They have now pretty much healed all the way, but we are still taking some precautions so that this doesn't come back. It has definitely been a long, scary ride. We are now much more informed and aware. Thanks for all the prayers through the process!

This is what it looked like on Friday, the day after the doctor's visit.

This was her on her "happy" medicine, ready for surgery:)

Day after surgery...of course she had visitors:)

Hangin' out in the Doc's office, waiting to get out the tubes.

Lunch w/Nana.

Summer Fun '10

2010-06-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVE SUMMERTIME! This year, I get 2 months off for the summer so that gives me lots of time to plan fun activities. Now that Addie is older, we are able to do more w/her. It's so much fun! I've tried to think of things for us to do that don't involve a lot of money, but something she would enjoy. Also have to think about the heat. We are still deciding about taking a short vacation because we really want Addie to see the ocean/beach. The oil spill has put a bit of a damper on that. Not to mention spending the money. Scott is finally starting to get back on his feet w/the mortgage business, but going 3 or 4 months w/out his check was hard to say the least! Just have to wait and see...Anyway, since he quit working weekends, this has given us a lot more family time together. He has been able to do more things w/us this summer and we love it! Here are pics of things that we've done so far...

A day at the Portland Strawberry Parade.

Sitting w/cousin RaRa, waiting to catch candy

A visit from Nana and cousin "Ope" (Hope). We played inside and out, and went to the bookstore to pick out books. They really had a great weekend together!

Looking @ the flowers w/daddy after picking out books, along w/Bigbird and Cookie.

She loves "boons".

and her Bigbird!

Playing in her pool.

Taking care of her baby.

Ready to head to the fountains...

Loving it!

First time @ Peek-a-boo Playtown in H'ville w/Jen and Tyler.

Evan's birthday party.

3 nuggets @ a time!

Buddies...they are too cute!

Having some fun!

A day with Nana while mommy went to the pool.

We had to have a water funday @ home.

She thought Duke needed a little suncreen too!

I love this smile!

First Haircut!!!

2010-04-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I took Addie to get her first haircut. Things needed to be a lttle more evened out and thickened, but it meant cutting her curls! This way, it would grow faster. It has already grown out quite a bit. She did really well for her first time. She sat very still and ate her chicken nuggets. It took about 10 minutes and she was done. It was sad to see her curls being cut off. Here are a few pics of the day.

Here is Addie before leaving.

The ride there.

Getting ready to start.

My big girl!

All done!

She got a treat for being such a good girl:)

EASTER '10

2010-04-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Since we didn't get to go to KY this year for Easter like planned, we got to go to my parents again instead. We usually take turns, but Scott's job prevented us from going this year again! Anyway, now we can get back on track because he's no longer working his weekend job and the mortgage business is finally picking up to where we won't need it...that's for another post!

Easter at Nana and Papa's is always fun. The family gets together to eat and have a hunt. Since the kids are getting older, we now only have Myla and Addie that want to hunt. Soon, we will have baby Edan to join them! That's for another post too! It ended up being a very nice day for an egg hunt. Last year, it was a bit chilly and the year before too. Plus, Addie knew what to do this year. We practiced at home and at daycare. She had a good time picking up the eggs and shaking them to see if they had candy. It was funny! Afterwords, the kids played and rode the "gator". They all love to do that and now some of them can drive it. Addie likes it a lot. She says, "weeee"! Here are some pictures of our evening...

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Here comes Peter Cottontail...

2010-04-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

This year was supposed to be our year to go to L'ville for Easter to be w/Scott's family. Last year, we couldn't go because of his job and that was the case again this year. He's not there anymore (THANK GOODNESS) so we can travel more on the weekends for Holidays!!!

Anyway, Addie got her Easter basket that morning then we headed to Nana and Papa's for lunch with the family.

Here's her basket.

Here she is when she found it.

Wanting me to open her favorite...m&m's!!!

Bowling, Birthday and Friends

2010-04-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

A little behind, but wanted to get this one in...

A while back, we went to a friend's birthday, bowling party at Opry Mills. It was Addie's first bowling experience and she seemed to really like it. Of course, we didn't bowl for long because we had to eat cake and play some of the games too! Here are a few pics from the day...

Happy Birthday, Alivia!

Daddy and Addie getting ready to bowl!

Livi and Addie

Chowing on some birthday cake!

Nicole, Seth and baby Knox

Playing games w/daddy.

Dancing and acting silly!

Ear Infections SUck!!!

2010-03-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile sinced I've blogged. Been kinda busy chasing this young-in around. SHe's now officially a HANDFUL!!! She keeps me busy and going constantly. I hardly ever get to sit down and write or FB anymore because she needs my attention, if you know what I mean. By the time she gets to bed and I sit down, I don't want to get on the computer.

Back when Addie got Pneumonia, she also had her first ear infection. Didn't think much of it, but later on she ended up with double ear infections. She wasn't acting too bad, but glad I took her. I never can get in to see Dr. Kastner when I go. Addie always sees a different doctor. Anyway,he gave her a strong antibiotic, which may have helped a little but it didn't get rid of it. She's been REALLY cranky and not acting like herself lately. Not too mention I think the terrible twos have started a little early with "NO" this and "NO" that, and I gotta have it MY way! Don't get me wrong, she does have her good days and they're really good. But her bad days are really bad. It has been so exhausting lately. Scott gets home around 730 or 800 during the week, but he helps a lot when he's here. Anyway, I took her back to the doctor and I'm so glad I did because she still has the infections. He said her ears look atrocious(sp?) especially the right one. He was surprised she was sitting so calm and not screaming her head off. His news wasn't sounding good at all. He was thinking the last antibiotic should have taken care of it, but still put her on something different. Go back Monday to see if it helped. If not, we may try the shots, but I've talked to a lot of people about going ahead and getting the tubes. I'm so confused and just want what's best for her. We will probably be visiting an ears, nose and throat doctor very soon. Right now, I'm game for WHATEVER as long as it fixes the poor baby!

Valentine's Day '10

2010-02-20T19:19:00.000-08:00

This year, Valentine's Day was on a Sunday which meant that Scott would not be working! Last year, we didn't really get to spend it together. I was excited because I knew we would finally get to do something! I planned it early that we would do dinner and a movie and mom would keep her...ALL night! Scott and I have not been out on an official date with the two of us in no telling how long! Anyway, they came to get her early on Sunday so we actually got a little time together that day too. It was a good night and we definitely needed it...although we missed Addie a lot! We had dinner at Carrabas because we both love Italian. Tried Olive Garden, but ended up there. Our plan was to see Valentine's Day or Dear John, but decided to go home and take advantage of an empty house! We have over 500 dvd's and ended up watching Couples Retreat. I got to sleep in til 10:30 the next morning because we didn't have school. That was nice!

That next morning, Scott had to work, but he left my gift on the counter for me. "He went to Jared"! He had asked me earlier what I wanted and I mentioned a Pandora bracelet, but wasn't sure what he would do. He told me the next day that he ordered my gift and it would probably come early. I love my bracelet. He picked out a "forever together" charm and all of our initials and I picked the wedding cake and baby carriage. I'll be adding more soon! I only got him chocolate and a card because his gift was a trip to Vegas this weekend with guys from work. They do this every year, except a couple of years ago, I went too for the first time. I really like it there and hope to go back sometime. Ready for a family trip to the beach this year though! Can't wait for Addie to see the ocean:)We went without her last time and missed her like crazy! Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

Addie on Valentine's morning

My Pandora bracelet minus one of the charms.

This is one of the gifts I received from my class...so sweet!

More Snow Days...

2010-02-05T20:27:00.000-08:00

Our house after the snow.

Well, the weatherman got it right this time...we ended up with about 4 or 5 inches of snow! I was a little skeptical at first because they always make it out to be more than it really is. We were very excited that it did come! School was out on Friday even though we didn't start seeing anything til a little later. Once it started, it didn't stop til the next morning. I love watching it snow! I opened all the blinds so Addie could see out too! We already had our sled from when it snowed a week or so ago. Didn't use it then, but it definitely came in handy this time. Jen spent the night @ our house the night before so she was there to play in the snow too! It was really cold that day. We all bundeled up, especially Addison. She could hardly walk because she was so stiff. We sled down our driveway, which is a pretty good hill...it worked for us! Our neighbors came over too. We all took turns going down w/Addie. She loved it! Jen and I tried making a snowman, but it didn't workout for us.

The next day, I couldn't decide if I wanted to go back out but Scott and I took Addie for a bit. It was actually kinda warm. We didn't have to bundle up as much and Addie enjoyed it more. This time we used the hill in our front yard, which was now ice. It was perfect and went fast! Scott let Addie go by herself this time. When she got to the bottom, she had a huge smile on her face:) I love days like these!
We ended up being out of school that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. By Tuesday, I had cabin fever and had to get out of the house! I ended up taking Addie to daycare and my niece and I went to eat and to the movies. It was nice...definitely needed the break! They're calling for more snow next week so we will see:)

Down the road

Day 1~All bundled up and ready to go!

Daddy and Addie

Aunt Jen and Addie

The Taylor's

Lovin it!

Day 2~Here we go again!

A video of Addie sledding by herself!

She couldn't figure out what this was...our neighbor's made it!

SNOW DAY!!!

2010-01-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

After returning to school on Monday from a two week break, we ended up getting 2 more snow days on Thursday and Friday! It's always hard going back after a break so I was very glad to have a couple of more days to enjoy with Addie. It's hard for her to adjust @ daycare too. She likes staying home with her mommy!:)

I dressed her and we stayed out for about 10 minutes just so she could see and feel the snow for the first time. Her snow boots that I bought back in the summer finally came in handy! Actually, we spent more time chasing after the dogs..don't ask!!! Once she got out there, she sat on her bottom because she wanted to come down the steps. She loves being outside. Little did she know how cold the snow would be. Once she fell, she said "cold"! Of course her hands were freezing because she didn't want to wear her gloves. Anyway, she walked around for a few and I took a few pics. Then, we headed inside where it was warm! Afterwards, we left for Nana's house to visit on my day off. Portland had already received more snow than we did the day before. The weatherman didn't really get their days right because they were calling for a lot on Thursday, but they got more on Friday. By the time I left there, the ground was covered. We didn't play, but it was nice to look at it through the window!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Christmas in KY...the last of 3!!!

2010-01-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

Finally, I'm finishing up the last of 3 blogs for our Christmas celebrations! We had lots of fun, but glad it's over. It's kinda stressful shopping for all and going from place to place. Anyway, we go to Scott's sisters' house on Christmas morning to have dinner and open gifts w/the family. The kids open first at one time, then the adults. It's usually late that night when we get back into town so we are usually pretty tired. This year, Addie enjoyed opening her presents a little more and was more aware of things. It was a good Christmas!!!

Sweet Addie Bugs

Nana, Pops and Ethan

Cousin Jenna

Cousin Hope and Andrew

Aunt Mitzi and Addie

Daddy helps put together the shopping cart

Aunt Sandy and Uncle Steve w/Jenna

Loving her gifts!

The cousins playing

Playing w/a box

They love their shopping carts.

One tired little girl!

She's out for the night!

Christmas '09 @ Nana & Papa's

2010-01-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve at my parent's house is always a good time. We head over there Xmas Eve to hang out and eat. Then, we all get comfy in our jammies and wait patiently (yeah, right) to start opening our gifts that night. We've done it this way for as long as I can remember. Mom decides where everyone will sleep and we all stay the night and have Santa the next morning. There have been times when Santa had to leave gifts for 8 kids that morning! My sister and I continued getting "Santa" in the morning until we were about 25..hehe! This year, it was only 3 kids. My nieces got theirs that night because they had to leave for Disney World Xmas morning, and other cousins came early this year. Our tradition changes a little bit each year because our family keeps growing! Not everyone spends the night now. It was getting hard for Santa to carry the gifts from house to house plus some families have changed! We've had anywhere from 16-18 people stay at once before. It can get crazy:0) After things settle that next morning, we have breakfast. Then Scott, Addie and myself leave to head to L'ville for another family Xmas...more food, fun and presents!

Christmas with the Troutts...first of 3!!!

2009-12-30T10:56:00.000-08:00

Usually, the weekend before Xmas, we get together and play Dirty Santa with the Troutt family (my mom's side). The adults play Dirty Santa and the kids open their gifts. We also have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs! Our family loves taking pictures, but I only put up a few:)

2nd and 3rd cousins.

Christmas Holidays...a little of this and that!!!

2009-12-30T09:26:00.000-08:00

It's always fun being off for 2 weeks for Xmas and I love spending it with my family. We stay pretty busy over the break with our 3 get togethers. Addie and I have been having lots of fun decorating, taking pictures and playing with her new toys. She's been very giddy:) She's had pneumonia, but feeling LOTS better now! I loved getting to buy her pj's this year to wear throughout the holidays...I think we ended up with 6 pairs!

She wouldn't leave the decorations or the ornaments alone!

A night out with the girls "Rockette style"!!!

2009-12-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

Me, my sis Jen, my mom, my sis Deb, my nieces Leah and Rachel and my aunt Tita

Thursday night was a great night out with my mom, two sisters, two nieces and aunt. We had dinner and then out to see the Rockettes show at the Opry. It's always so much fun when we all get together...so many laughs!!! Oh, yeah, the show was great too:)

Addie's Christmas Party

2009-12-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

Addie's daycare had their Xmas party on Thursday. I left work early to attend, but it wasn't that great...kinda like their fall festival! There were 3 parents there and the other 2 were together! When I got there, they had just finished eating (and I got there when it was supposed to start). I wasn't a very happy camper because I envited my sister, Jen, to come and it was disappointing. Maybe my expectations are set high because of being a teacher and knowing how great parties can be. It made me feel better to hear a friend of mine went to her child's party and she was the only one there. LOL! Anyway, Santa was there, but of course Addie didn't want anything to do with him, again! I didn't push it either because she wasn't feeling well...the joys of being at daycare w/lots of sick and snotty kids:)

A date with Santa...

2009-12-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Well, last Saturday we headed out to Opryland hotel to see Santa and the lights. Little did we know the traffic would be that terrible! It would have taken atleast 2 hours to get in and out! We decided to come back on Sunday when everyone was at church or eating lunch...much better! We got right in and only a couple of people were waiting to see Santa. That's another story...we we're definitely NOT expecting this "fearless" child who's not afraid of anything or anyone to be scared of Santa! She HATED him!!! We've been practicing @ home w/our large Santa. She wants to sit in his lap and when we say, "Where's Santa?" she says Ho, Ho, Ho. Once we got up to him and said, "There's Santa" she freaked out! We tried it once with me then again w/ just her. That's what we went with:)Afterwords, we rode the train and look at lights. That was a little better, but she does not enjoy being in her stroller. Let's just say, by the time we left, 2 1/2 hours felt like ALL day!

Playing w/ornaments before we left.

Pics w/mommy and daddy.

Heading to see Santa.

Cheeeeeeeeese!

Riding the train w/mommy.

Halloween pics...a bit late!

2009-12-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

This year, I was excited about dressing Addie and going trick or treating. Addie, on the other hand, was not so excited! She wasn't feeling very well and could have cared less about dressing up and getting candy. We managed to go to main street with some friends and a trunk or treat with my mom. Maybe next year will be LOTS more fun! Here are a few pics of my cute little "Raggedy Ann"...

Baby Knox

Havin a ball this fall!!!

2009-11-13T20:59:00.000-08:00

I'm so behind, but gonna try to catch up on everything since around Sept...
A pic of the trees while driving up the ridge

On our way to Addie's festival @ daycare...

it was not very fun, to say the least!

Got a few pics @ the "Streets" festival...

Fall pics @ daycare

2009-10-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

Addie "walking the dogs"

2009-10-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Addie loves to walk outside with me when I walk the dogs. She now knows how to hold the leash and walk Ellie herself! All I did was hand it to her and she took off. I guess she's watched me enough.:)

Catching up...my life with a toddler!!!

2009-10-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while so I thought I would do a little catching up on things. School has been going pretty well. My class is actually a great class this year (they have their moments, but who doesn't). Things have gone a lot smoother and there's been a lot less stressful days. Last year, I wanted to give it up!

Scott started a new job with a mortgage company about 2wks ago. He's still working his other one, but will be quitting it when he gets his first paycheck!!! No more nights w/out him at home and more money. He misses being away from Addison (and me:)). I can't wait for our life to get back to normal...if that's possible! LOL:)

Addie still enjoys daycare. She has moved up to the toddler room so she's down to one nap while she's there. She was taking 2, so she's having to adjust to that. A little cranky here and there, but hopefully that will pass. She has made so many friends. I love it when we walk in and a couple of the toddlers will say her name..so cute! It's cute when they say good-bye too. They had pics made which turned out ok. She is constantly falling @ daycare and hitting something. The other day, she fell outside on the pavement and got a pretty good mark on her face!

Addie has really changed a lot in these couple of months too. I can't believe she's already 14mths! She's got more hair and is growing tall. She's already wearing 24mth clothing and a 5 shoe (that could be bigger). She still has a bit of a temper when it comes to not getting her way! She now walks AND runs! She "tries" to feed herself. Her personality is so cute and she's very smart! Her vocabulary has grown...now saying words like NO, yes, me, ouch(ou), this(dis), here(ere), bye, hello (minus the h and l sounds), hey, juice, baby, ball(baw), eat(e), and she points and grunts A LOT when she wants something! Of course, not all of the words are clear or said all the time, but you still know what she's trying to say.
Now, she can climb up and down the steps. She also climbs on the upstairs couch and chair by herself! She can get down from our "high" bed too. The next thing you know, she'll be jumping off. She sleeps a little bit later in the mornings 7:15 or 8:00(sometimes)if it's the weekend and goes to bed a little later 8:30 or 8:45. For a while now, she's been w/out the bottle. When it's time for bed, all I have to say is "Let's go nite, nite" and she will lay right down in her bed. Occassionally, I will rock her for a few just because. She "sometimes" will put her hands out for "all done". A few times I've gotten her to stretch out her arms for "how much do you love mommy?". She points to her nose and belly when you say, "Where's your nose or belly?". She blows kisses. Anytime you do something that involves cleaning, she will act like she's doing it too..sweep, dust, etc. It is so funny! She takes a papertowel or dryer sheet and pretends to dust and wipes things. Plays w/the broom and takes the clippers and acts like she's cutting her toenails.:O) She has this thing about putting things on and off likes tops to something. When I give her medicine, she always wants to put the cap back on the bottle. She also tries to plug things in! She now has 10 teeth..her 2 bottom molars came in a couple of wks ago. I could name a few more but I need to wrap it up.

Last Saturday night, Addie was sick. She was up coughing and crying. I had to put her in bed w/me. It sounded deep and different. The first thing I thought of was croup. Sunday, she was a little worse. Walgreens clinic wouldn't take children under 18mths so I figured I would wait til the morning for the doc. Later on, she had a fever of 102 and was weezing and breathing shallow. Scott and I decided to take her to the ER. Glad we did because she wasn't feeling well at all and it ended up being the croup. They gave her a steroid and that helped pretty quickly. Ended up staying out of work 2 days w/her (it was a 3 day week anyways). A week later, she still has a cough, but it's getting better.

Believe it or not, I haven't done a very good job of taking pics (of everything) like I normally do, but here are some of Addie over the past couple of months. I'll be posting more from fall break very soon!!!

Turning 1~Addison's 1st Bday Party!!!

2009-09-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm posting these bday pics VERY late (bday was Aug. 29th), but what would a blog be if I missed posting my little toddler's 1st birthday?! We had a great day! Scott's family came in from KY and a lot of my family were there to celebrate. It took place at Nana and Papa's house. Mom and I set everything up on the screen porch the night before (most of it stayed in place). The theme was "cupcakes" w/purple and pink as the colors. Her cake was a large cupcake that turned out cute. I had AG a big "Gigi" cupcake made for her to eat, but the store surprised me w/a small cake for her to use. It was cute too! My uncle and his girlfriend were nice enough to lend us a Tinkerbell bouncy and a cottoncandy maker (she works @ a party store). They were both GREAT for the party and the adults enjoyed them as much as the kids!:) Addie got lots of nice gifts too! It was a long day, but lots of fun. Leah and myself w/a little help from Rachel, also put together a slideshow of Addison for the family to watch. I would love to post it, but it's 15 minutes long! This slideshow is long too, but couldn't leave any of them out...Enjoy:)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My Little Dancer!!!

2009-09-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

Addison loves to dance! Everytime she hears music, she stops what she's doing to "bounce". It is the cutest thing. She stands in front of the fireplace and puts on a show! Enjoy the video...

Be sure to mute my playlist so you can hear the video song.

Is she allergic or what?!

2009-09-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we were playing outside w/Addie and I noticed that mosquitoes were on her head and flying around everywhere. We live by a creek so they are pretty bad! We were only out for about 30 minutes. The next morning when I went in to get her, she had about 15 red spots on the side of her face and some on her arms and legs. These weren't just any red spots. They were swollen and eventually turned to small blisters. I have never in my life! Anyway, Addie itched and scratched so we assumed these were bites from the night before. It seemed like we were finding more on her like they were spreading and I don't think bites do that. Her daycare thought we should have her seen by a doctor so I took her the next day. Luckily, he ruled out Chicken Pox! He "thougtht" it was an allergic reactiion to the bites. They eventually went away w/medicine. I didn't get any pics!

Then, over the long weekend, I had Addie outside again, but not for too long. I could feel the mosquitoes on me so I figured she was getting eaten up too. What do ya know, the next morning she had bites again! These seemed like they were in the same places as the others. I don't think mosq. bites do that. I'm not convinced that these are just bites, but that's how we are treating them...for now! I'm wondering, if she's so allergic then why has this only happened once before. We've been outside a lot. It's really odd. Hate to think I've got to put bug spray on her EVERY time she's out for just 30 minutes!!! Here's what they look like and this looks good compared to last time.

Addie's first Build~a~Bear!!!

2009-09-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Since we had Addie's 1st bday party the weekend before her birthday, my neices and I took her to Build-a-Bear for the first time on the actual day. This was cousin Rachel's idea because that's what she wanted to get her for her birthday. We ended up eating then heading to the mall later than we wanted. By the time we got there, we had about 45 minutes before the mall closed. Anyway, we ended up picking a "bear" to dress. There are so many cute outfits, but I chose the birthday shirt to remember her 1st bday. It turned out really cute. Addison had a good time and carried her bear around and patted her on the bottom. It was so cute! Here are a few pics from the night.

She was so tired by the time we finished.

Walking with Lily throughout the store.

Addie and mommy.

Addie and cousins Leah and Rachel.

Starting daycare!

2009-08-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

Addie started daycare @ Building Blocks Learning Center in H'ville a couple of weeks ago. She really loves it! SHe's got a great teacher...Mrs. Anita:) She started out in the toddler room because she can walk, but we changed her over to infant room to transition back over in a few weeks. She wasn't ready for the older room yet! She's made lots of new friends. I love watching her play w/them. I also love walking in and seeing that sweet face light up w/a smile when she sees her mommy:)

The first day of dropping her off was very sad (for me). Addie did just fine! Never even knew I was gone! They said she did great. Well, a few days later, she had already picked up a virus from someone! It was awful! She was throwing up a lot when we got home one afternoon. She passed it on to Scott, then myself...uggg! Anyway, her transition to daycare schedule and everything was causing her to come home a VERY cranky girl!!! It was hard to do anything cause she wouldn't let me put her down! The 2nd week, she finally realized that her mommy was leaving her. She now cries when I leave everyday! It is so hard to leave her, but they say it only lasts for a minute. She's getting better w/the new routine now...hopefully! I think a little of what was causing her to be cranky was a combination of daycare and teething. She cut her 8th tooth the other day!!!!!

Now, she has picked up something else which we thought might be chicken pox. Luckily it wasn't! I think it was just lots of mosquito bites...we hope! Here's a pick of her first day.

Addie's pre-bday pics

2009-08-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

I took Addie to have bday pics made w/her cake. They turned out pretty cute. I made her card w/these pics. Here's a few...

Another day of fun spent at the zoo:)

2009-08-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well, to finish up my summer break, we decided to take Addie to the Nashville Zoo. Scott's never been to that one, but of course I've been many times w/my class each year. We weren't sure how Addie would like it. She sat in her stroller some and walked a little too. She looked at the animals, but being the social butterfly that she is, I think she had more fun watching all the kids! LOL! That's my Addie:) Needless to say, Scott nor Addie were very enthused about the zoo but it's the togetherness that counts!

A day @ the park with Mommy and Daddy!!!

2009-08-05T18:56:00.001-07:00

Click on the pic to make bigger.

A few weeks ago when we took Addie to the fountains, we finished up the day @ the park. She was so tired from playing in the water so we let her sleep a little while as we walked her around in the stroller. Finally, she woke up and we played on the swings. She had lots of fun doing that! She has one at her Nana's house, but it doesn't go that high. We also fed the ducks before going home. She just kinda looked at them while her daddy fed them. What a great day!

Addie's 2nd trip to the fountains!!!

2009-08-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

After Addie had such a good time the night before, Scott and I had to take her back the next day, but we made a day of it! We started out doing a little shopping at The Streets then had a little ice-cream from the Marble Slab. Then it was on to the fountains! This time she wore her bathingsuit and once again, had a blast! Scott couldn't get over how she wasn't scared at all. Other kids were crying and not going near the water, but Addie was ALL about it! She was even sitting on the spouts and putting her face down so the water could hit it. A lady there told us that Addie was the "bravest baby" she had ever seen. That's our "little daredevil" I told her. Addie was so funny to watch. This time, I got her on video.

Here's a video to watch.

Addie's Trip to the Fountains!!!

2009-08-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I finally took Addie to the fountains @ The Streets of Indian Lake. I've been meaning to take her all summer. We've been over there lots of times to shop, but never had time to stay. Finally one evening, my nieces were coming to Gallatin to eat so I told them we would plan to go there afterwords. We ate first, then did a little shopping and had ice-cream. By the time we did all that, it was nearly 9:00 and dark! That didn't stop us. We took her anyway:) I just kept her in her clothes and she had a ball! She was amazed at the water coming out of the hole. She was giddy and very happy the whole time. She wasn't scared a bit!
It took her a minute to walk up to it. After she did, it was on! It was the funniest thing to watch. So glad we stayed even though it was late. Mad that I waited til the summer was over to finally take her. Anyway, we had a lot of fun...So much that Scott and I took her back the next day! Here are some great pics from the night.

Playdate!!!

2009-08-01T13:06:00.001-07:00

Addie and I went to The Baptist Church in H'ville a few weeks ago to meet up w/a friend. This was our first time there and Addison really enjoyed it. Here are a few pics of the day...

A look back @ 10mths...another HUGE milestone:)

2009-07-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

Addie turned 11mths the 29th so I wanted to take a look back and show how far she has come since she turned 10mths...

As most of you know, Addie is a walker now!!! Who would have thought she'd start walking @ 10mths?! She was very close @ 9 and took her first steps not too long after turning 10mths. She's not yet to the running stage, but getting very close. She now walks everywhere, but still loses her balance every now and then. She doesn't walk very often in shoes cause she does much better barefooted!

What else new has Addie been up to?

*She continues to be vocal and says new words a lot more often. Her new one for this week/mth is "Nana". When she gets a word, she really sticks w/it for awhile and you don't hear the others as much. When she says Nana, she sounds like a motorcycle when it's engine revs up~nan, nan, nan, nan then finally gets out Nana! Her first word was Dada. She now really puts the name to a face and calls him Dada when she sees him. It's so cute:)Hi and Hey were next, but we don't hear them much. Next word(believe it or not) was Ellie aka "E" or Ye-yee. We call her name a lot(our dog)so she's always hearing it. She fusses at her too! Duke is our Lab and she calls him Duh or Doo. I never thought their names would come before Mama! Leah aka "Yee-ya" was next. Then it was cracker or "da-der". Finally, it was Mama which pretty much came out of nowhere one day when I was changing her diaper. She said "yay" the other day. We always clap and say yay when she does something good. That's why she walks and claps all the time. She really tries to copy or mimic other words in her own sounds.
*Points to things and brings you them when you ask or takes them to other people.
*She gives you "lovins" by leaning in and putting her forehead down to touch yours. She hasn't gotten the hang of the "kiss" yet!:) I'm trying to teach her how to blow a kiss.
*Gives hi-five and pats you on the back.
*Shakes her head "no" when she doesn't want something. She started that @ the end of 9mths, but uses it ALL the time now!!!
*Plays the "I'll get you" game.
*Eating on her own a lot better.
*Takes her bottle and sippy cup herself now...FINALLY! We are in the process of taking the bottle away...uggg!!! Any suggestions? I've gotten it down to 3x a day, sometimes 4 if she takes 2 naps~morning, nap and bedtime. We have tried her on whole milk and she seems to do well w/it. Gonna start it when this can of formula is gone.
*Starting daycare for the first time (Building Blocks Learning Center in H'ville). She stayed at a friend's house last year.
*Still HATES being in her carseat (most of the time). We went ahead and faced her forword thinking that would help, but it didn't much. She seems to be getting a little better now.
*Tries pretty much any food, but she's not a big eater right now. I hear that's normal, but it still worries me. She loves any kind of crackers, anytime!
*Claps @ everything and now she's gotten faster at it.
*We call her "our little daredevil". She's not afraid of anything or anyone!
Someone at the fountains said she was "the bravest" little girl she has ever seen..yikes!
*Has 7 teeth!
*Climbing the steps constantly, but can't figure out how to get down them.
*Already wearing 18mth clothes and sometimes 24mths...she's so big:)
*Throws a "tantram" when she doesn't get her way by whining/crying, throwing things down and now does this thing where she kinda holds her breath, makes this sound and turns red! She also falls to the ground and lean her head down and cry! I don't know who she gets this from! My niece did hold her breath on purpose, but it was when she was crying.
btw...something that concerns me a bit that I'm gonna ask the doctor about is gagging herself. Is this a normal thing? I can't tell if she's doing it on purpose when she's sucking on her fingers or if it's just her gagging accidently. Weird, I know! Boy, have I got my hands full!
*There may be more things, but can't think of anymore right now:)

Addie @ 9mths~Better late than never!!!

2009-07-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting to post Addie's pics today! I didn't have them made until she turned 10mths because I kept putting it off. It takes a couple of weeks to get them back. I'm just now getting to post them and she'll be 11mths the 29th! Oh, well! These are my favorite yet! She looked so cute in her little tutu.(: I had it and the daisy clip made. They turned out great! Enjoy!!!

2009-07-16T14:41:00.001-07:00

My little Addie is walking!!!

2009-07-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

OMG...I can't believe my baby is old enough to walk! She is such a big girl now and so smart. SHe's always trying new things and of course walking being one of them. She's been standing on her own and taking several steps for a few weeks now. I love watching her stand then do her famous "clap" then try to walk! She gets so excited because we get so excited. She claps because we clap when she does something good. We've been practicing a lot w/her and today she really got the hang of it and walked farther than she ever has. She could probably go a lot farther if she would concentrate on the walking and not the clapping:) Thought you would enjoy the video of this great milestone!

YoU gOtTa HeAr ThIs!!!

2009-07-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

I heard this song by Martina McBride on CMT the other day and thought it was so good!!! The first person who came to my mind when I heard the words was "Addie"! It brings a tear to my eye everytime I hear it on the radio. I tried to put it on my playlist, but of course it hasn't been downloaded on there yet. Anyway, please listen!
BTW...you will need to pause my playlist first:)

Martina McBride - I Just Call You Mine (Official Music Video) - Watch more amazing videos here

4th of July Weekend...fun, food, festivities & more!!!

2009-07-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well, cousins of mine came in from Atlanta to visit for the 4th of July. They got to my aunts house Thursday and stayed til Monday. Last year, we celebrated the 4th in G'town watching the fireworks display. This year, my parents had a get together/cookout @ their house.

Addie and I started the weekend out going to my parent's house Friday to visit and help get things ready for Saturday. My cousins were there also so we hung around for awhile. They haven't seen Addie for several months so the kids got to play a little early. Addie is crawling everywhere and trying to walk so she was "busy" trying to get around(and into everything)the whole night! ]

On Saturday for the 4th, we drove to P'town again. This time, Scott came w/us, but he had to leave early for work:( After we ate, we all sat around on the screen porch talking, playing and laughing. The kids played a little cornhole. The weather didn't look great so we started shooting a few fireworks early to pass the time. Then, the rain came down!!! Some people were still shooting them around us, but we called it a night and said we would continue the next day if we could. Speaking of shooting, I can't believe that about Steve McNair getting shot! That's a whole different story. Anyway, My family got together again the next night and shot the fireworks, but we spent the day at a friend's pool (it rained again) and spent time with them.

Overall, it was a good weekend. Next year, we hope to take Addie to see a fireworks show when she's a little older and aware of what's going on. She wasn't a bit enthused w/sparklers or the fireworks that she did get to see!
Don't forget to mute my playlist. Also, light the match so the slideshow will begin.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Gulf Shores!!!

2009-07-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Scott and I took a short trip to Gulf Shores w/a few friends. This was kinda a spur of the moment decision, but we definitely needed the break! He hasn't had a vacation day in about a year and a half and I was just needing a small get-away! Once our friends decided to go, we knew it would be silly to take Addie because non of them have kids. Plus, she HATES to travel long distances because of her carseat! We thought turning her around front-facing(early) would help, but it's the whole restraint thing w/her. She's only been away from us over night a few times. Anyway, we knew it would be hard, but she was in good hands w/her Nana and Papa. They loved having her! Needless to say, we missed her like crazy and called to check on her everyday! Of course, she did fine, but we decided our next vacation would definitely be as a family!!! Here are some pics of the trip...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Summertime~it's so much fun!!!

2009-06-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

This summer, we have had a lot of fun w/Addie. We have discovered even more that she loves the water! We started her out in her own little pool @ home and she enjoyed that. Then, we tried her out in a big pool and she loved that! We haven't gotten to do it as much as I would like though. Scott and I are heading to Gulf Shores this Sunday so I'll get some pool and beach time there. We decided to leave Addie w/my mom and dad and have our own little get away w/some friends. I feel bad, but it is a much needed vaca for us both! Next year, she'll be a little older and be able to enjoy it more.

Scott's sister had her baby about a week ago so we traveled to L'ville, KY to see baby Jenna! Addie hasn't seen the cousins for awhile, so it was good to catch up.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Addison also got to be at her first yard sale! We had a 5 person one @ my aunts house. I don't usually like to do yard sales, but it was easier w/lots of help. We did pretty well for the 2 days, but IT WAS HOT!!! Addie played a little in her pool and stayed in the house quiet a bit.

I will have more summer picks up soon!

Happy Father's Day!!!

2009-06-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

This Father's Day, Addie, Scott and I went to lunch w/some of my family. My dad picked Red Lobster cause that's his favorite place to eat! Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long. I didn't get any pics of me and my dad, but I did get one of Addie and Scott when we got home. It was so hot outside and everyone was ready to get in their cars. The one of Scott and Addie isn't that great, but atleast I got one for his 1st Father's Day (her clothes were off b4 I cld take the pic)! After eating, we did a little shopping then pretty much layed around and watched golf for the rest of the day. That's what "daddy" chose to do! It was fun spending the day together:) I just want to say that I am very lucky to not only have a great husband, but he is also a great dad! He has done so good w/Addie and worships her! Right now, he doesn't get to spend as much time w/her as he would like cause of work, but he really tries to make the best of what he's got. He deserves the "Father of the Year" award along w/my great dad!!!!

Here's a video of Scott talking to Addie while he's in the shower.

9 month check~up!!!

2009-06-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Addie had her 9mth check-up w/Dr.Kastner. She turned 9mths on the 29th. I was anxious because it had been awhile. She weighed 23lbs and 4ozs, 29.5in tall (95 perc~of course, off the charts) and head circ. was 18 and 1/4. Before he comes in, the nurse asks a few questions then gives us a "growth milestones" handout which has lots of info. about what your child should be doing, etc. When we read over the developmental part, Addie was right on track w/what it was saying! I was very happy to see that and also hear it from Dr.K! He said she looked great and seems to be progressing very well. I was a little worried about how she wld do w/the exam, but she did very well. He even said she was the best behaved child of the whole day! He also said she seems very personable and happy, which we get all the time. She's usually always smiling at everyone. It's hard to go anywhere w/out several people stopping us to say something about her. I'm such a proud mommy:) Anyway, I always have questions and concerns when I take her and he answered all of them. Things seem to be "normal". I did tell him that she now HATES riding in her carseat! He said that was normal too and she wld get better once you turn her around. Was I glad to hear it's still 1 year (in TN) when you do that and not 2! I am so ready to do it now! Update...Addie climbed the steps the other day and clapped her hands for the first time today:)

Here are a few pics from the past week... Posing for the picture.
So cute w/her baby doll and her blanky.
Daddy and Addie:)
Caught in action!
Going to lunch w/Mommy, aunt Jenn and Nana.
She wasn't paying attention cause she was waving in the mirror.
She gets under the chair, but can't get out!
Pulling up to the bed.
Watching Mommy and Daddy clean the garage.
Her new favorite toy!

8 months=Milestones and changes!!!

2009-05-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally getting a chance to update my blog! Been very busy w/lots of new and exciting things happening... My last day of school was last Friday. I was so ready and so were the kiddos! I'm so excited about beginning the summer:) We haven't really had a chance to do many things yet, but it's just beginning. I'm trying to take care of my inservice hours ASAP. Already have 2 and a half days out of the way and several in June.

In the meantime, Addison has been doing many new things! 8 months clicked for her and she began doing a lot of new things (9mths the 29th). She changed literally overnight! She's been trying to crawl and sit up on her own since 7 mths and she finally got both about a week or two after she turned 8mths! The rocking turned into creeping, w/a couple of steps, then she picked right up.

Now that Addie's crawling, she can go pretty much anywhere. The other night, she was on the floor and when I looked back towards the steps, she was heading down them "head first"! We just happened to move the gate for some reason. She cried for a minute, but was luckily ok. I had been telling Scott to lower her mattress for a while cause she was trying to pull up on things. The day after he did, she pulled up in her bed. Now, she pulls up anywhere she crawls. Our new cushioned ottoman has really worked well! She pulls up on it and I don't worry a bit! You can't keep her away from our dvd shelf! We still have to baby proof many other things. She really wants to walk and while on her knees, she'll try her hardest to stand up. When she pulls up, she takes a step or two. She's very brave and stands w/one hand or even lets go!

We also had to move the portable video camera that's used w/her monitor. Normally, it sits on her bed rail because she couldn't reach it. One morning, I kept hearing a noise in her monitor. When I looked at the screen, I saw this close up face with two large eyes! She had pulled the camera down from her bed and was looking right into it! It was the funniest thing when I walked into her room and she looked at me like "I didn't do it!" I'm so mad I didn't take a picture! We have since moved the camera!

We had to buy her a new carseat, but she doesn't really like it as well as the carrier. She hates being restrained now. She does ok, but gets upset after a while. This past weekend, we drove 2 and a half hours to Jtown,KY for a family bday party. On the way up, she got restless and mad, 30 minutes before getting there. Pulled into a store to get her out for a minute. On the way back home, she was very tired and slept for a while. Once she woke up, she cried for an hour straight! Pulled over again to give her a break. Finally fell asleep when I rubbed her head. The next day, I realized she had two more teeth coming in at the top. Guess that had a little to do w/the crying. Gonna try having her watch a dvd for the next long trip.

She's figured out how to wave, but only does it when she wants to. She's pretty amazed that her hand will move like that!

She hasn't pointed yet, but holds her hands out for you. I've been trying to get her to give kisses. My sister kissed her the other day and said, "Give me kisses". Addie leaned over and gave her one back on the cheek w/her mouth open:) She also gave me one. Still working on blowing kisses.

She recognizes people better now and cries sometimes when me or my mom leaves the room. Never did that before...not even w/the babysitter. I know it's part of it, but hopefully it won't last long!

She's been trying to hold her bottle and use a sippy cup for a while and still has trouble at times. She's definitely capable of doing it, but she plays lazy a lot!

We've fed her a few new regular foods and she seems to like them. She loves cake and ice-cream! I also started giving her puffs and she really likes them too! She won't put them to her mouth herself, even though she picks them up! She mostly throws them on the floor for Ellie unless I put them in her mouth:) Don't really get it because she picks up other things and puts in her mouth.

Addie finally started "talking" a lot more and says "DaDa" all the time!!! She enjoys playing peek-a-boo and patty cake. She also likes to beat on things to make noise. I was cleaning out the cabinet and gave her a few things to play with. When I turn around, she had picked up Ellie's bowls, dumped them and was hitting them together! She was also sitting on top of a pan:)

She has realized that when she throws something down that someone will usually pick it up so she continues to do it over and over and over...unless you stop! She has a "personality" now and has begun to show a little temper at times. If she doesn't like something, she will definitely let you know...more screams, grunts, cries, whines, etc. She will even shake her head NO! Before, she really only cried or whined when she was tired, hungry or not feeling well. That has changed!

She still smiles and goes to everyone and for the most part is a happy girl:) Can't wait to see what great things 9 months will bring!!! Happy Birthday, Addie!!!

1st Mother's Day!!!

2009-05-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Mother's Day @ my mom and dad's house last Sunday. I received my gift from Scott on Thursday. It was a new coffee table/ottoman that is cushioned. I've been wanting one that was soft. Addie's been rolling over and hitting her head on our old table. We need to child proof the rest of the house too!

Addie and her aunt Jenn

Addie spent the night at Nana's the night before because Scott and I went to a friend's wedding. We haven't spent the night away from her in a while. Scott had to work afterwords, but he stayed at the reception for a couple of hours. It was nice spending time w/him. We don't get to do that very much because of his job:( I actually got home pretty early because I didn't really want to go out anywhere. That's kinda sad when you finally get a night to stay out and you don't! I was even up at 730 the next morning~couldn't even sleep late. I was ready to see Addie! It's so funny how a baby changes you! It enjoyed spending the day with my family. We also celebrated my niece's 15th bday. Didn't take many pics, if you can believe that. But, managed to get one of Addie and me.

Mommy's Little Girl

Strawberry Pageant '09~"Diaper Derby"

2009-05-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I got talked into putting Addie in her first pageant last weekend by my niece, Rachel. I immediately thought "NO", but gave it a little more thought and talked to Scott about it. He didn't say much in the beginning besides don't get used to putting her in these things! I signed her up for the 7~12 month Diaper Derby pageant in P'town. All they were allowed to wear was a diaper cover/bloomers, a bow and socks. I already had a cute pair of bloomers w/strawberries on them. I had her initials monogrammed on the back. She wore those and a pink bow.

I was really nervous because I had to walk her out on stage.
There were twelve babies(girls)in the pageant. I think all of them were older than her and could do more...walk, wave, etc. I thought she might at least have a chance at 2nd runner up, but she didn't place. She looked cute, but they all were cute! It was disappointing. Not sure if I'll try it again. Like Scott said, "We don't need a pageant to say she's cute because we already know!" I thought that was sweet:) Anyway, here are a couple of pics that aren't very good because of the lighting.

Addie having fun w/Ellie

2009-05-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Addie loves to "talk" to Ellie all the time! She just looks at her and starts babbling or laughing. It's so funny:) She tries to grab her tail and sometimes she pulls a little too hard. Ellie gets so mad and has snapped at her several times. In this video, Addie tries grabbing her. Ellie knows better and doesn't get too close.

"DaDa"

2009-05-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, last weekend, Addie finally started saying "DaDa" over and over and over!!! She's said it once before awhile ago, but nothing like this. Now she does this all the time and it sounds so cute...Scott loves it:) Now, we've got to get her to say "MaMa"! Here's a recent video of her new word...

A walk to the park!

2009-05-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

We took Addie for a walk last week since the weather has been nice. She loves being in her stroller. We walked around our neighborhood and stopped at the playground. I know she's too young to do anything, but it was fun trying and getting pictures. She also watched daddy shoot some hoops. It was a fun day!
She was pooped at the end:)

Over the past month (7mths old)...

2009-05-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

Click on picture to enlarge.

I wanted to post some pictures of Addie over the past month. She's growing so fast!!! I know I keep saying that, but she turned 8 months on Wednesday(4-29)and I still can't believe it! She continues to do and learn new things. She says the word "hey" sometimes (atleast I think that's what it is), but not much of anything else. She babbles and screams a lot though. We think she's been teething again here lately because she's been a little crankier than usual, pulls at her ear a lot and keeps a runny nose...thank goodness for those teething tablets! She still continues to sleep thru the night and takes two naps a day. I give her a bottle and put her to bed around 8:00 and she wakes anywhere from 6:15-7:00. I hope she keeps this up! She's really been trying to crawl and kinda pull up on things. Just recently, she started getting on her hands and knees and rocking. It's so funny to watch. It won't be long til she's crawling! She already manages to get around everywhere by rolling and scooting backwards and grabs and pulls things off of tables and shelves. We've got to put up some things! She actually has more hair now too! Anyway, I wanted to catch everyone up on how's she's been doing before she gets any older.

Here's a video of her rocking on her hands and knees.

Birthday Party!!!

2009-05-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Addie and I went to Jaxon's 1st bday party. He is the son of a friend of mine that I work with at school. It was also the first bday party that Addie has been to. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun. They had a wagon ride and a pool of balls they played in together. We ate cake and ice-cream too! Here are a few pics from the day.

The birthday boy!!

Just a bit late!!! Happy Easter:)

2009-04-30T20:21:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-04-17T22:18:00.001-07:00

Showin off her two new teeth:)

2009-04-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in awhile so I have several pics to show and lots more to come...

Addison loves to laugh and smile and now her cute little teeth show when she does it. Here are a few of her showin them off.

Visiting Relatives:)

2009-04-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from a couple of weeks ago. We visited Scott's family in Louisville for his niece's bday. Some of them had not seen Addie since Xmas so they were very excited.

Pictures of the cousins.

Here is Addie playing with the ice-cream top. She had it for the first time and seemed to like it.

She loves her Nana and Pops.

Meeting the Easter Bunny!!!

2009-04-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

We took Addison to see the Easter Bunny last week when we had her pictures made at JCPenney's. It was great because we went when there was no line! Of course, she wasn't scared of him (she's not scared of anyone)! She just kinda looked him over and sat right down in his lap. This time, we did get a smile out of her unlike the Santa picture. The little girl at the desk said if that were a smiling contest, she would for sure win it! I thought that was sweet. Everyone always makes the comment about her being a happy baby and smiling all the time~WE ARE VERY BLESSED:) She did great with her 6mth pictures too (few wks late). We also had a few Easter pics made. She smiled and laughed and showed her teeth the whole time. The girl taking the pics said a few times that she looked like she was tryin to pose. I'll be posting them soon! It was really a fun day...even w/out either of her naps!!!

We also had a little fun with her bunny ears while waiting to see her pics.

6mths~sitting up~cutting teeth!!!

2009-03-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

When I last posted about Addie's 6mth check-up, she was teething and almost sitting up on her own. Well, she has since cut two bottom teeth and is now sitting up well on her own. She loves to sit up and play with her toys! Something else that she loves is her jumparoo. We've been putting her in the saucer since she hasn't been able to touch in the jumparoo. Now, she can touch and loves it! Several weeks ago, I came home from work and Scott was playing with Addie(he keeps her 2days a week). He said watch what Addie can do now. He put her in the jumparoo and she started jumping and having a ball. It was too funny:)

I had also written before about Addison waking up during the night @ about 5 1/2 mths. Thought it was just habit, but later found out it was the beginning of the teething process. It wasn't too bad then. You cld feed her a little or pat her bottom to get her back to sleep. That lasted til around 6 mths or so. She later cut the two bottom teeth and started sleeping thru the night again. That lasted a few weeks until now. About a week ago, she did fine thru the night, but was cranky during the day...not like her at all! Not too much was making her happy. I assumed it was the teething...u can always blame it on that!LOL Even the babysitter noticed the difference. Anyway, for the past few nights, she has been waking again. A few nights ago, it was just restless sleeping and seemed ok. The next night, it was pretty much the same thing, but got more sleep that night. Last night, it was horrible!!! She hasn't cried this much since she was 3 months old with reflux! Of course, Scott was at work and I was home by myself. It started around 9:30 and continued on and off til about 3:00 that morning. Nothing really works when she's that upset. She finally stopped crying and went back to sleep after another dose of Tylenol and some teething gel...that's when Scott walked in after it was all over! I noticed a bit more of her whites showing this morning so I guess they were cutting through more. She's done fine today so I'm hoping the worst is over until next time:) If anyone has any suggestions besides the norm, please LET ME KNOW!!!
She's having her 6mth pics done on Monday so I'll be posting them soon!

Here's a video of Addie in her jumparoo

Here are a few of my favorite pics of her sitting up...
This is when we first realized she could do it.

She looks so cute in her outfit and new bow.

This was taken at Mrs. Kelly's house.

These were taken last weekend at Nana's house.

Daddy's Little Girl!!!

2009-03-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Scott, Addie and I headed to Wal-Mart. I dressed her in jean overalls and a green shirt. Scott had his green on too. While I was getting ready, Scott and Addie were sitting on the bed watching TV. Everyone says she looks like her Daddy, but this picture REALLY shows it...hair line and all! Of course I had to get pictures;-)...Believe it or not, she looks a lot like me too when I was about 6mths old.

Here are a couple other pics that I thought were cute:) No more SUPERMAN...she's gotten the hang of it!

Update... When we took her for her check up a couple of weeks ago, doc said she was probably teething. She hasn't been cranky, but she's been waking at night. Also running low fever, runny nose and pulling at her ear. Anyway, he said give it about a month and you'll probably see teeth. Well, he was right! Scott thought earlier today that he felt something. Later on, I was noticing some redness and felt too. It was definitely the little tops of her two bottom teeth! My baby is getting so big!

6mth check-up!!!

2009-03-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

Wow...can't believe my little Addie Grace is already 6 months old! She had her check-up on Monday and he said she looked great. She weighed 19lbs and was 28 inches long...off the charts(90th percentile)! He said she's definintely long for her age...takes after her mommy;-}

She's been having some sleeping issues over the past month or so and we thought it might be due to teething. The doc said she hasn't cut them yet, but is probably teething. He said it could also be her use to waking at a certain time. Guess we'll see. She's still rolling over and almost sitting up on her own. It won't be long! Here are a few pics I took the other day.

Addie's new thing....Screaming!!!

2009-02-27T23:15:00.001-08:00

This video was taken a week or so ago. It happens to be Addie's new thing...to scream over and over. It's really funny though. LOL! My neice says she looks possessed here and she kinda does cause of the way her eyes look and the way her hands move. It almost sounds like she's pooping at the end. I told Scott if we entered this on the Funniest Home Videos, it would probably win. Check it out...

Our Precious Baby Girl is 5 months!

2009-02-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

Our little Addie is getting so big! She will soon be 6 months! She seems happier than ever...most of the time! She's always smiling or trying to "talk". She now does this screaming thing where she'll do it for a few seconds then stop and look to make sure we heard it. It's almost like that's her way of getting our attention...like a little temper! It's kinda funny. She's still rolling over and doing a lot better with holding herself up and trying her hardest to crawl. She sits up pretty well, but you have to hold her or she'll fall over. She wants to put EVERYTHING in her mouth! She loves her veggies and we also started her on some applejuice. Ever since she got sick with RSV, she has not been sleeping through the night anymore. She wakes at least once a night. She was sleeping thru anywhere from 9-10 hours w/out waking. We thought maybe it could be early teething, but not sure. We will find out for sure in a couple of weeks. It's making the nights hard on mommy and daddy again!

Scott's mom, sister, niece & nephew visited last weekend. They haven't seen Addie since Christmas. They were really excited to see her. Here are a few pics from their visit.

She looked so cute for church in her Valentine's dress.

Rolling over and Laughing out loud!

2009-01-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

Well, Addison is finally rolling over pretty much every time she's on her back now. When I turn around, she's on her stomach! She's done it a few times before, but never more than once or twice in a row in the same day. It's funny how random it is when they decide they want to do things. She was laying in the floor the other night and rolled right over. Getting over her arm was giving her trouble before, but she finally she figured out to push a little harder:) The only problem with this is she hates being on her tummy! She hasn't figured out how to put her arms underneath and push up. She flies like superman, but also looks like a penguin sliding on her belly. It is so funny to watch.

When she gets tired of holding herself up, she sometimes falls asleep!:)

She's also started laughing out loud. She's done this before too, but now does it a lot. It's certain people that really get her going...my dad and my aunt Tita. They don't have to do much and she'll just start chuckling continuously. Scott and I can also get her going during bath time, which she loves. My mom now calls her the "giggle box". I've tried getting her on video, but she always stops once the camera is on her. Oh, well...I will get her one of these days.

Here are a few more pics from the week:

Addie and her friend Bella

Family close up

After a bath

Loving her Daddy

Denning Family Gatherings...

2009-01-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Our little Addie is getting so big!!!

2009-01-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to show a few pics of Addie that were taken a few days ago. She's pretty much over her sickness and back to normal...thank goodness!. She has been really sick w/RSV and that's a scary thing. She's feeling lots better. We've been enjoying our 4day weekend. On our "cold day" off, we caught up on some much needed sleep!

She continues to reach for things, like her Daddy's nose! She jabbers now constantly! When she wakes up til time for bed. Today, Scott was talking to her while she was jabbering and he said, say "DaDa". Well, as she continued to talk, it sounded so much like she said DaDa. We looked at each other like did she just say what I thought she said??? I know she's only 4 & half mths, but it couldn't have been any clearer. Anywho, thought that was pretty funny. Still can't get her to roll over anymore, but I know it will come soon enough. She doesn't like being on her tummy very much so it's hard getting her to push up too. Guess I'm just rushing things. We haven't been having any luck with feeding her vegetables lately, but finally she is taking to them. She still doesn't like the cereal fed by spoon. I'm still having to put it in her bottle. I've tried oatmeal and mixing it w/fruits~doesn't work either. Oh, well. Any suggestions???

Joined Facebook

2009-01-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

Ok. Like I'm not on this thing enough...I had to go and join something else~Facebook!. I see a few of you are on there too. Make sure to add me as a friend if u haven't already. This is just another place for me to show off Addison!

P.S. Poor thang...She's been very sick for the past few days. Just started back work on Monday and had to be out for two days. You'll do anything for your kids. Oh, well...just her way of saying she's not ready for me to leave her:) Anyway, she was diagnosed with RSV which is a respiratory virus. She has been on meds. and is A LOT better. Thanks 1st grade teachers for helping me out while I've been gone! Hopefully, I can get back to a routine starting Monday.

4 months check-up /growing strong & doing better than ever!

2008-12-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

Addison had a great check-up on Tuesday. She got more shots, but only cried for a minute. The doctor said she looked great and was getting very strong. She weighed 14lbs,14ozs and was 25.25in long. He said we could start her on solids/veggies twice a day. We started her w/carrots a couple of days ago and she seems to really like them. She has to take a little of her bottle first because she gets very upset and hungry. We're gonna continue cereal mixed w/a little fruit in the mornings. Another thing he told us was she could come off of her Zantac soon and that we could try her with a CHEAPER sensitive formula. We were really glad to hear that!!! We are going to try her with the foods then change the formula in a few days.

She has started doings LOTS of new things...she has been sleeping in her crib and now officially sleeps through the night (anywhere from 7:30-8:30pm to 6:30-8:30am)~she rolled over a few times already and really likes grabbing her feet~she sits up in things with out bobbing her head~she reaches out and plays w/things~she sits and listens to books being read and looks at the pictures~today she even held her bottle by herself:) Here are a few pictures from the past few days.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T22:18:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

My FaVoRiTe TiMe oF YeAr...CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-12-27T20:31:00.000-08:00

Addison's 1st Christmas!!!

2008-12-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

Addison's gifts from Santa

This Christmas was great because Scott and I already have what we really wanted...Addison!!! It was so much fun getting to dress her up and take her different places. I love sharing her with the family. Even though she doesn't understand the meaning of Xmas yet, it was still good having her there. She didn't really open any gifts, but played with the paper a little. She liked seeing her toys once they were open. The ones with music and colors are her favorite! She got tons of presents! I can't imagine what it's gonna be like next year...and the next...and the next! Besides getting our special gift, my next favorite gift was my surprise camera from Scott. It's the new Sony touch screen. It does everything. I took lots of pictures of Addie~of course! It is an awesome camera! Scott got his present early a couple of weeks ago...a new car. We are both happy with that!

I love this picture. She liked looking at the pretty paper.

She loves watching things move. She's even reached out a few times, but I couldn't get it on camera.

Can you believe all this stuff and she's only 4mths? This is a combination of Santa and Christmas gifts.

She's was very happy here playing with Daddy and her new toys.

We began celebrating Christmas the weekend before at my sister's house. Every year, we have cousins that come from Atlanta to spend a few days with the family. Sometimes, we visit them instead. The kids open gifts and the adults play dirty Santa and eat finger foods. Everyone always gets mad at me and Scott because we work together to try and get the gifts we want. Ha! Anyways, that night was a lot of fun.

On Christmas Eve, it has always been tradition for me, my brother, sisters, nieces, nephew, husbands, wives and aunt to spend the night at my mom and dad's house in Portland. They have a pretty big house, but the family continues to grow. No matter what, my mom always manages to make room. This is always a fun night. We have some type of dinner then we open gifts. Opening presents takes forever!!! The next morning, the kids get up for their Santa and then we have breakfast. When 9:00am comes around, Scott, Addison and myself are off to Louisville for Scott's family Xmas. We drive 2 & a half hours to stay a few hours there eating, opening gifts and spending time with family. Besides gifts, their tradition is exchanging ornaments every year. It doesn't take their family as long to open because all the kids open at the same time and then the adults. Then we turn right around and drive back to my parent's house.

Addison did well with traveling and going from one house to another. She was so amazed at all the lights and people. Of course, she got held pretty much the whole time. It doesn't really bother her though. Everyone loves her so much. They can't get over how much she is growing. I guess she really loves Xmas like her mommy.

This Christmas was a little sad at times because Brian's name would come up and it would get us all to thinking and missing him. It's still very surreal not having him here. We just tried thinking about the good times and the funny Brian, and it always makes us laugh again:) Overall,this was a wonderful Christmas! Hope everyone had a good one too.

Meeting Santa and 1st Christmas Pictures

2008-12-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we took Addison to see Santa for the 1st time. It was pretty short and sweet. They didn't really try hard to get her to smile. It was the end of a long shopping day so she was pretty tired anyway. She did awesome while we were shopping~barely even knew she was there!

We also had Addison's Xmas pictures made along with her 3month pictures. They turned out pretty cute.

2008-12-16T14:38:00.001-08:00

In Loving Memory of a cousin and friend...he will not be forgotten!

2008-12-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I dreaded writing this because it would mean Brian has been layed to rest, but I felt I should share some things in memory of him. You pretty much can't go anywhere now without hearing someone say something good about him. I went into the bank and the lady mentioned he was a member there and that he would be missed. I went to the chiropractor on Wed. and more was mentioned there. It's on everyone's mind. He obviously touched a lot of lives.

Burying someone you love is never easy. But besides older relatives, I have never had to experience the death of someone as young, and as close as Brian was to my family. He thought a lot of my dad, as if he was his own. He thought a lot of my mom too. He would call them just about every day. Sometimes he would come by to help with something or just to tell them about a "bust" or something that happened that he was very proud of (his most recent was a big drug bust). He ALWAYS had stories to tell, and every time he would tell it with humor and not even mean to be funny. He was always the life of the party at family reunions or get togethers. A year or so ago, he and Barbara had a family dinner at their house. I remember Brian showing us how his German Shepherd (his drug dog) could sniff out something that he had hidden. He was very proud to show him off to everyone. This year, the Denning's had planned a Xmas dinner for Sunday. Sadly, we will not be attending. That's where he would get to meet Addison. He loved children and was so good with them. Addison would have loved him. One of the last times I saw or spoke to Brian was over the summer. Scott and I went to eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel and ran into him. He was sitting alone enjoying his breakfast and asked us to sit with him. I'm so glad we did. We talked and laughed of course. I didn't realize it would be our last meal together.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I've never seen so many people at a viewing in my life. The parking lot stayed full. The line was never-ending. People from everywhere were coming to show their respects. Flowers were being sent in at all hours. There were two officers guarding his casket at all times.

The Thursday service was one of the saddest, yet most memorable day of my life. It was unforgetable! The service, yet sad, was very enlightening because they really honored Brian and spoke of him as a true hero. It may sound cliche, but to a lot of people, he was a hero. He did many things for people and the community. He was a friend to all and his service was proof of that. The church was nearly full and people were still lining up to pay their respects to the family. There was a slide show going while people arrived and throughout the service. Brian was in the process of learning a song on the guitar called "Collide". That was played in honor of him. Several people spoke including his best friend and brother. His brother Michael gave a beautiful speech that Brian would be so proud of. There was not a dry eye in the entire church! He has really stayed strong for his family through this tough time.

Once the service was over, it was time to lay him to rest. Getting there was a very enlightening time also. The police department had EVERY road blocked from the church to the cemetery. Everyone was so respectful. As we drove in the precession, there were people getting out of their cars and standing on the side of the road to honor him as they drove him by. It was unbelievable!!! Once we were there, a policeman got on his radio and called out to every officer and made it Brian's "last call".

As the days now pass, I can't seem to get him off my mind. I keep hearing his voice and picturing him telling one of his funny stories. He will never be forgotten! The harsh reality is that a great man is gone, but his memory and legacy will live on forever through everyone that was touched by him. He will truly be missed! We love you Brian!

Sad to see him go...

2008-12-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you heard about Brian Denning on the news or from someone you know. It's now the talk of the town. The news is sad, but true. Brian was my 1st cousin on my Dad's side of the family. He was a fun-loving person who will be greatly missed. He was the type of person who couldn't sit still for a minute. He ALWAYS had something funny to say when he was around. Our family reunions were always great because Brian was the life of the party! He knew lots of people and had lots of friends. Everyone that didn't know him wished they had.

I attended his viewing tonight and the turn out was amazing! He was definitely liked by many! It was very surreal. I guess it still hasn't sunk in that he will no longer be with us. When you look at his pictures, it's as if he is still in the room. I guess when you're alive, you never really realize the impact you have on people. Brian always knew he had lots of friends, but he would be very happy to know just how much he was liked and loved!

Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers.

2008-12-09T10:59:00.001-08:00

3 months and growing fast!

2008-12-04T19:49:00.000-08:00

I can't believe our baby is already 3 months old! Everyone told me they grow up too fast and that is so true. She can do so much... *laugh*smile*coo*look around*roll over~almost*sit up~with help*hold up her head*grab*suck fingers*recognize herself in the mirror. She has also changed so much in these 3 months~not just looks, but also the way she will just sit nicely and look around for the longest time. We went Xmas shopping and you barely even knew she was there. I guess you could say they get better with age, but it also has a lot to do with the $30 formula we've been using! Her reflux and spitting up has gotten better too because of the cereal and Zantac she's been taking. Maybe it's a combination of them all. However you look at it...she's a changed baby!!!

Her sleeping habits have gotten a little better I guess you could say. She does great during the day. She's already in a routine of eating her cereal in the morning, then napping. I also give her cereal anywhere from 12-100 and she takes her afternoon nap. She still cat naps some too. We try to get her ready for bed around 900 or so by feeding her cereal~sometimes earlier, sometimes later. It really just depends on the night if she goes for 3 hour spans or 5. She has this thing where she doesn't sleep sound due to her reflexes and rubbing her face, which wakes her up a lot! At first, I thought it was her tummy or the reflux, but she doesn't cry~just moves. I'm the world's worst about looking things up online. Of course, I had to find out if other babies do this and she's not alone! Some mothers say they still swaddle their babies at 7 and 9 months because of it. It helps them sleep longer. They talked about different ways to swaddle too. Well, Addison HATES it! It did help her sleep longer, but I didn't feel right doing it at 2 1/2 or 3 months. One mentioned using a Woombie which is a zipper sleep bag that cuddles the baby like the mother's womb, yet the material allows the baby to stretch a bit. I tried it and she did a little better. They say it takes some getting use to. We will see. Wish me luck! If anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know!

2008-11-29T22:11:00.001-08:00

Thankful for Addison!!!

2008-11-29T21:40:00.001-08:00

We are so thankful to have Addison with us this year to celebrate Thanksgiving @ Nana's house. Usually, we travel to Louisville in the morning to be with Scott's family. Then, we travel back to TN that evening to be with my family. This year, we only went to my family's Thnx'giving so we wouldn't have to travel that far because Scott had to work that night. It was nice to actually get to watch the parades and not have to be in such a rush, but we missed getting to see his family. We had dinner @ my parent's house, even though they are remodeling and the place was a mess. We still had fun and played the Wii.

Everyone always enjoys getting to see and hold Addison. They ALL argue over who will get her next. She hardly ever gets put down. She did great though. She looked really cute in her "little turkey" shirt that cousin Rachel got for her. She also changed into her "thankful for Tigger and Pooh" outfit. If she doesn't wear pink, she almost could pass for a little boy. LOL

Trying to turn over!!!

2008-11-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of weeks, Addison has really been trying to turn herself over on her tummy. She slings her leg and arm to get over on her side, but it stops there. She gets really mad when she can't go the rest of the way. It's so funny to watch her. She also pushes with her feet to try moving, but she only spins around on her back. Last night, Addison spun herself sideways in the pack-n-play. When I looked on the monitor and didn't see her face, I immediately jumped up to see what was wrong. She was sideways and sleeping! I just had to tell Scott and his mom the story. It was funny, but also scary. I guess I've got to get used to those kinds of things!

A visit from Nana

2008-11-18T20:47:00.000-08:00

Scott's mom came to visit with Addison for a couple of days. She doesn't get to see her as often as she would like so she made up for it while she was here. Not too long after she arrived, she wanted to go buy something for Addie to play. She got her a musical gym and jungle mat and a really cute stuffed dog that teaches, talks, and plays music when you push the body parts. She really liked the mat. She lay and played a lot. The rest of the time, she enjoyed her Nana holding and talking to her. Addison is becoming a lot more alert now. When she recognizes a voice, she will smile and try "talking" back. It is so cute!

Oh how our sweet Addie is growing!!!

2008-11-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

~The Taylor Family~

Fall Break begins...It's pumpkin carving time!!!

A day @ the Pumpkin Patch...Honey Suckle Hill Farm!

Picking up where I left off...Summer ends & Fall begins...

Princess Addie turns 2!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 year pics

POTTY TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wilson Co. Fair!!!

Our Anniversary and Date Night!!!

***July 3rd~4th***

Summer Fun 2010 cont....

Help w/blog!!!!!

Father's Day '10

A little bump in the road...

Summer Fun '10

First Haircut!!!

EASTER '10

Here comes Peter Cottontail...

Bowling, Birthday and Friends

Ear Infections SUck!!!

Valentine's Day '10

More Snow Days...

SNOW DAY!!!

Christmas in KY...the last of 3!!!

Christmas '09 @ Nana & Papa's

Christmas with the Troutts...first of 3!!!

Christmas Holidays...a little of this and that!!!

A night out with the girls "Rockette style"!!!

Addie's Christmas Party

A date with Santa...

Halloween pics...a bit late!

Havin a ball this fall!!!

Fall pics @ daycare

Addie "walking the dogs"

Catching up...my life with a toddler!!!

Turning 1~Addison's 1st Bday Party!!!

My Little Dancer!!!

Is she allergic or what?!

Addie's first Build~a~Bear!!!

Starting daycare!

Addie's pre-bday pics

Another day of fun spent at the zoo:)

A day @ the park with Mommy and Daddy!!!

Addie's 2nd trip to the fountains!!!

Addie's Trip to the Fountains!!!

Playdate!!!

A look back @ 10mths...another HUGE milestone:)

Addie @ 9mths~Better late than never!!!

My little Addie is walking!!!

YoU gOtTa HeAr ThIs!!!

4th of July Weekend...fun, food, festivities & more!!!

Gulf Shores!!!

Summertime~it's so much fun!!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

9 month check~up!!!

8 months=Milestones and changes!!!

1st Mother's Day!!!

Strawberry Pageant '09~"Diaper Derby"

Addie having fun w/Ellie

"DaDa"

A walk to the park!

Over the past month (7mths old)...

Birthday Party!!!

Just a bit late!!! Happy Easter:)

Showin off her two new teeth:)

Visiting Relatives:)

Meeting the Easter Bunny!!!

6mths~sitting up~cutting teeth!!!

Daddy's Little Girl!!!

6mth check-up!!!

Addie's new thing....Screaming!!!

Our Precious Baby Girl is 5 months!

Rolling over and Laughing out loud!

Denning Family Gatherings...

Our little Addie is getting so big!!!

Joined Facebook

4 months check-up /growing strong & doing better than ever!

Christmas 2008

My FaVoRiTe TiMe oF YeAr...CHRISTMAS!!!

Addison's 1st Christmas!!!

July 3rd~4th