Good Times with Grammy

Recently, Corey went on a 2-week hunting trip to Colorado. My girls LOVE their daddy. Although they are accustomed to him being gone a good bit working, I knew his absence for this long would be very hard on them (and me too!).

My mom had been going through some stressful times at her work and having issues with back pain. She really needed a break.

So...I thought, what could be more fun and relaxing than to have Grammy come up and spend a few days with us. Then I made the call to Grammy and asked her to pack her bags to stay with us for a while. It didn't take much arm-twisting to get her to agree.



Even though things looked like Grammy would never get to come (car in body shop, pain blocks for back, work obligations, etc), she finally made it 2 days after when she planned to come.

The girls were thrilled and it made them forget for a few days that their daddy had been gone so long. For Grammy, she got 4 days of hugs, snuggles, cartoons, sunshine and dress-up play. I loved watching the girls enjoy their Grammy and having my mom there with me all the time to talk to and laugh with. Another bonus is that while she kept the girls entertained, I was able to take care of many "projects".

We all certainly enjoyed our beautiful, relaxing time with Grammy.

Addison- 18 months old

In the blink of an eye, this sweet girl has gone from a wiggly, precious newborn to a happy, energetic, entertaining toddler. Addison is so comical and quite strong willed most of the time, too. She is my sunshine. I love hearing her call for me or yell "MAMA!" when I walk into a room. That makes my heart smile.

There are so many things I want to remember about you, my Addison, but I will never be able to list them all. But here are a few things I never want to forget: You-

• weigh 21 lbs. 7 oz.


• are 31 1/4 inches tall


• wear size 4 diapers


• wear size 4 shoes


• wear size 12-18 month clothes


• have started saying all kinds of words. You love to tell Boots the dog to "sit-sit", You say "scat cat" when someone sneezes, shoes, clothes, Boots, Sadie, Mama, Dada, Sis, Ga (grammy), Nanny, Pawpaw, cat, dog, eat-eat, juice, cookie, and many more! I can't belive how much your language has developed in just a couple of weeks.


• love playing in the sandbox and with the play kitchen


• learned to climb the ladder on our swingset and go down the slide (assited)


• get excited when you see "Elmo"


• try to put on everyone's shoes


• want to give everyone a hug


• love to "read" books


• will start to dance anytime you hear music


• love to walk around with your microphone and "sing"


• love to eat fruit- especially bananas


• try to color like your big sister. You even ask to "colllllor"


• inform us when you want to "pway"


• are going throug terrible seperation anxiety. You are NOT happy about being left at preschool


• find it facinating to take your pants and diaper off


• are SO stubborn and strong-willed


• are a little clown

Little Bit,

Thank you for the past 18 months! They have flown by and I'm not even sure that I can close my eyes and remember you as a "baby". But you are taking off full speed ahead into this toddler territory and are smiling and laughing your way through each day. I love you, dear one. I love that you remind me to laugh and play and pause long enough to hold and snuggle you. Because I know so well that those moments are fleeting. I love you, Little Bit! You are my sunshine!

First Day of School

Somehow, this summer has zoomed by in a flash and today we found ourselves preparing for another year of preschool.

This year, Audrey is beginning a new class (at the same school she attended last year) where she will be loved on by new teachers and make new friends- and renew relationships with old friends.

Here is Audrey just before we left for school this morning. Doesn't she look so growny??


I was a bit concerned about this day because the first 2 months of preschool last year were TOUGH! Audrey cried every day.

Today, she did GREAT! No tears at all--at least from her, I shed my share of tears, but only after I left the girls (you know, I had to be strong for them).

Audrey entered her classroom and immediately found a few of her friends from last year. She began to play away with no worries that I was about to leave.



This is Audrey with her two teachers. There is certainly happiness on her face :)

Audrey was all smiles when I picked her up. She had a fabulous day. Already, she is reminding me what she has to do to get ready for the next day at school.

Also, today marked the beginning of preschool for Addison. She is attending the same school as Audrey. And I was just certain that she would have a meltdown this morning. She is having some serious separation anxiety issues, so I was worried.

Can you tell that she is such a little ham???

This photo is evidence that she really didn't care that I left her. Addison didn't even fuss. However, I'm not sure that she knew that I was leaving...she just knew that she was having fun.

I'm hoping that when I leave her Thursday, she will do just as well as she did today.

Addison's teacher said that she did fine and didn't fuss until it was almost time to go home. That seemed it was just because she was tired.

I can't believe my girls are old enough for preschool. I'm trying to enjoy every "first", cherish the "in betweens" and hold on tightly to every "last".

First Trip to the Dentist

Yesterday, Audrey and Addison had their first visits to the dentist.

Audrey was a little nervous, but the dental hygienist was FANTASTIC. She took her time and explained everything to Audrey really well. It helped calm Audrey down.

Audrey sat there like such a big girl while the hygienist cleaned her teeth then let the dentist take a look. Bless her little heart, she got her Mommy's genes where teeth are concerned, too. The dentist said she had a lot of crowding...so I'm fairly sure we will be visiting the orthodontist in the not-too-distant-future.



Addison, on the other hand, was NOT a happy camper about those folks messing with her mouth. Therefore, I have no photo of her with the dentist or inside the office. Once I got her calmed down and entertained with her new toys, she let me take a photo outside. It was the best I could do.

Addison, unlike her big sister, has plenty of room in that mouth of hers. :)

Singing Sensation

Addison is such a character. This link will take you to her "performance".

http://youtu.be/bQnyRTLuMss

She is singing the song from The Little Mermaid. You can hear her keep singing the word "sea" over and over again. I can't help but laugh each time I watch this.

Shoes are Exciting!

Today, I took Audrey to the dance studio's open house. Today, she got fitted for her ballet and tap shoes. This is one VERY excited little girl. I certainly hope that she likes dance class as much as she thinks she will. I can't wait to see her perform. Now, that should be very interesting :)

Sand and Sun

A couple of weeks ago Audrey, Addison and I had the opportunity to be beach bums with my mom, her best friend and her best friends grandchildren. I jumped at the opportunity thinking what could be more fun that some girl time at the beach.

Well, I'm not the biggest beach fan. Don't get me wrong, I do like to go, but not when it is 100 degrees outside and thousands of folks all around. I prefer to go in the "off" season. But I figured this would be fun.

Miss Audrey had the time of her life. She spent hours splashing in the water, jumping waves and building sand castles. She didn't have a care in the world. (Wasn't it fun back in those days?!)

Addison, on the other hand, was NOT a happy camper the ENTIRE time. She was scared of the water, wouldn't play in the sand (which is very uncharacteristic of her) and wouldn't let anyone hold her but me. Which means that this Mommy had VERY little play/relaxing time.

About the only time Addison was content was the few minutes she chowed down on cheese puffs.



As you can tell, Audrey had enough fun for all of us :)

I finally coaxed Addison to play a little in the sand for a few minutes.

...so I could take a few pictures of my little beach bums.

"Look at that shell....Hey, I've got sand on my hiney!!"

Audrey was getting some water so she could work on her sand castles.

Addison finally snoozed for a few mintues...since she didn't sleep hardly any each night :(

There's nothing like a sandy paci and blankie.

Most of these photos were taken in about a 5 minute time span. The rest of the time I was holding a cranky little girl. After a little time at the beach, I finally gave up and took Addison back to the condo while Grammy and Audrey stayed and played. Then I came back to get them a little later.

The fun didn't end there, on the way home Addison got sick with what seemed some sort of virus and that lasted for 3 days before so kindly sharing those cooties with Audrey.

A trip I won't forget.

I'm hoping that our next venture to the beach will be a little more pleasant, so that ALL of us may enjoy ourselves.