Pool Party

Hoping to save me from suiting up and trekking up the huge hill in the heat to our neighborhood pool every time we wanted to go for a swim, Addison and I decided to install our own pool in the backyard. An inflatable shark kiddie pool that sprays water of course!

Here's Inspector Addison's installation process from beginning to end:

1. Cheering Mommy on in the inflating process while checking for holes.
(Thank heavens for battery powered air pumps :-)

2. Verification of pool integrity.

3. Checking the depth and temperature of water.

4. And finally, kicking back and soaking up some sun!

This little kiddie pool was money well spent. Addison loves the independence and I love the ease of use. We've already used it multiple times within the last week.

Then of course, today we decided to break up the monotony a bit and head over to the famous "Splash Park" in Rogers with Addison's cousins, Karah, Brad, and Bryce. She LOVED it!

She spent most of her time trying to open her mouth and drink the shooting streams of water. I spent most of my time trying to keep her on her feet while trying to stay dry myself. The latter didn't last long. Between trying to dodge a 5 year old manning the water missile, and avoiding random sprays of streaming water right at my rear, I gave in and joined in the festivities fully soaked in my clothes. It was a great time and we had a lot of fun. Especially the part where we came home and took a long nap from all of our exhaustion! We'll definitely be visiting that park again soon!

Celebrating at Splash Park.
(One of the few pics I could get in my water-logged state)

Wookin' Pa Fun

In all the wrong places...Wookin' Pa Fun... (yep that's right, a direct take-off of the SNL skit "Wookin' Pa Nub" for all you fans out there ;-)

This past week we've been trying our hardest to look for fun things to do....most have been a bust but ironically in our "search for fun" we actually had it.....a lot of it....just pokin' fun at our adventures and making the best of each outing and some interesting folk we met on our journeys. Score!!

So, our first attempt, if I remember correctly could be entitled "The Circus....that wasn't." Trying to thrive on my small inkling of "fly by the seat of your pants" gene, I heard a catchy little commercial on the radio talking of a circus that was in town. Surprisingly enough, the last day it was in town was the ACTUAL day I heard the commercial!

I hurriedly texted John and asked if he was in for some last minute plans that evening. He and I were both game since we had very limited excursions to the circus in our impressionable years. So, Addison and I packed our bags (aka the diaper bag) and headed to pick John up from work at 5:00. We whisked away to a quaint little diner for dinner on a whim.

Side-note: We are fans of the "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" show on Food Network and we keep hoping to come across a treasure like he often visits on the show. However, mostly we just come away with an "experience". But it's all in good fun and good stories.

So here is where we dined:

Check out the sign "Best of Better Foods"....Lol.

Yes, it was indeed pink on the outside.
And the inside was adorned with arrowheads and deer heads.
I just wasn't gutsy enough to bust out the camera.

FOOD: Not bad....not great but not bad.
FOLKS: Very interesting. Most were senior citizens. Those who weren't, were missing at least some of their teeth.
FUN: Yes, most definitely. And raaaatttthhheerrr entertaining.

It didn't take long for Addison to charm the socks off of everyone in the restaurant. Especially a fairly large woman who sat behind us and was missing BOTH of her front teeth. John and I laughed when she ordered her mashed potatoes "dry" even though she'd "rather have the gravy" but then threw in a side order of french fries. Nothing like making those "healthy choices" eh? Two words that should never be paired in the same sentence: "Healthy" and "Diner".

Next, we embarked on our adventure to the big top. Excitement was in the air! After a long winding drive it turns out, our "big top" wasn't quite as big of a top as I had envisioned. In actuality, it was a rusty old barn in the middle of nowhere, with two cowboys suiting up for their performances and no hint of any circus animals in the vicinity.

We stayed long enough to score some "buy-one-get-one" tickets off of yet another toothless friend and then promptly drove away. It was quite a sight to see. I spent the rest of the evening dumbfounded by it all...wondering why in the world they called it a "Circus". All my little girl dreams of clowns and cotton candy that I envisioned earlier that day were crushed in a matter of minutes. Shocking....but entertaining.

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A few days later: Our next attempt at fun was to the wonderful safari world which also happened to be in a small quaint town a few miles from us. ("Small Towns" <- see a pattern here? ;-) This one actually didn't prove too disappointing.....just a few minor bumps. One being a cute little toddler named Addison who has learned the fine art of whining....even amidst our attempts at having fun. And another being the rain that greeted us as we exited the facilities and bumped us out of the petting zoo. :(

The ticket lady actually commented on our fast driving skills through the park. She must have watched as John was cruising at about 45 mph through the park and taking every corner on two wheels all in an attempt to get a melting down toddler home and grant her parents some reprieve. However, our Nascar reenactment must have struck a sympathy chord with the kind ticket lady. She hooked us up with free admission to come back for the 2nd half of our trip. After all, the petting zoo is what I was most looking forward too! Kangaroos and monkeys folks!

Here's Addison meeting the "Addison sized baby deer".

Later that day we once again headed out on a diner dinner since our last experience was so entertaining. This one however, proved completely NOT. For anyone wanting a recommendation for a great place to eat - I DON'T recommend "Bud's Fried Chicken" in Bentonville. One word: Nasty. The people were somewhat entertaining. Mostly b/c I sat in awe and wondered why exactly they chose to eat here on their own free will. Horrible service, food from a box/mix, and way over priced. Not exactly the happy memory I was hoping for but you live and you learn right? And then you shout it to the rooftops and deter everyone you know from eating there.

So that about sums it up for our attempts at fun lately. Stay tuned for our upcoming outing to the Springdale Rodeo! Bound to bring in some great laughs and memories!

The Man Of The Day

Here is a picture of the "Man of the Day" from this past Sunday and his cute little daughter. We had such a nice and enjoyable Father's Day that I didn't get a chance to blog about it until now.

John is truly what I always imagined when I was wondering what kind of father I could give my future kids. I'm so glad I finally found him. He treats Addison so lovingly and plays with her, listens to her, talks with her, etc. I love just listening to them play/talk together in the other room. I love the way she scurries to her feet when he comes home from work. I love that she loves spending time with him just as much as she spends time with me. I'm a VERY strong believer in the importance of Daddies in their daughters lives. I can't wait to watch her grow up into a beautiful woman while all the while knowing how much her Daddy loves and adores her. Where would we be without this man? I shudder at the thought.

Thanks for being Addison's Daddy and my partner John!

For his special day we got to talk in sacrament! Woohoo! ;-) And of course he got one of his favorite breakfasts (even though we were running around like crazy people before church): English muffin, bacon, fried egg, beautiful garnishes, and orange juice. And yes, being the typical man - he even ate his garnishes! He liked it that much!

Then afterwards we came home from church, Addison gave him her card and gift (an "I love Dad" frame with the above picture. And I gave him my card and gift (a HUGE griddle). Now he can get busy making us more of those delicious signature pancakes (see how I work my magic?). Then we dined on his dinner of choice, Shepherd's pie and watermelon and watched a bit of FIFA. Of course with his special day comes special luxuries such as a personal assistant (aka: me) to wait on him hand and foot. He definitely maximized his usage on this one...down to the very....last...minute...of...the....day. ;-)

So glad to have such a great Daddy and Husband and a beautiful day to share it with him.

Cookie Connections

Addison is quite popular with the locals around here. Obviously her family very much adores her. But now she's making connections with the local businesses as well.

Let me explain...apparently way back when I was pregnant with her I frequented Subway.....uh lot. I don't remember this but the lady that works there does....and she reminds me....uh lot. Hey at least it's better than frequenting McDonald's right? (Ok...maybe they just have a bad memory of my frequent visits there too).

Anyway, everytime we venture out to Subway for lunch, the worker lady coo's and admires her and asks for her latest updates.... how old is she? what is she eating? my she's soooo cute. My baby is such-and-such age....etc etc. I've come to expect this interaction on each of our visits. However, the best part of it all is that she always gives Addison a free cookie. And of course since the cookie is soooo big, Mommy often has to help her eat it. ;-) So we don't mind the constant questioning by any means.

And now her freebie treats are getting even better. She scored a free yogurt the last time. Maybe this lady thinks I don't feed my baby? Even though I had fed her BEFORE we came and even gave her some of my food to snack on (which she just played with anyway) once the free yogurt came out she downed almost all of it. Thanks for making me look like a bad Mom, little Addison....thanks.

Oh and her latest milestone. She is very enamored with herself. Seriously.....she's her number one fan. Anytime she see's her picture on our blog she just stops what she's doing and grins from ear to ear and admires her beauty. She loves looking at herself in the mirror, especially after baths. I've started serenading her with the song "You're so vain.....you probably think this song is about you..." But honestly I can't say that I blame her....she is adorable.

Precious Picture Post

The special day in review, as promised. This is our new little "toddler's" picture post from her 1st birthday. Thanks to Aunt Sarah of course for capturing the moment so well.

The birthday girl.

The decorations.

The little monkey herself.

The calm before the storm.

Attacking the cake.

The aftermath.

The proud parents.

This Just In

Today was Addison's 12 month check-up. I wanted to make sure to record her stats for our family record.

12 month stats:

Weight: 23 lbs (90%)
Height: 29.75 inches (90%)
Head: 18.5 inches (96%)

Everything was fairly consistent with her previous measurements except for height. She was on the shorter side but now seems to have hit a growth spurt and shot to the top of the range for her age. Her head is still big but her body seems to be catching up to it now.

And of course today was a momentous day in our lives. She took her FIRST STEPS this morning all by herself! Just like I thought she would, she did it on her own time and by herself. I was sitting at the computer desk watching her and she let go of the door and walked 4 steps all alone. What is surprising is that she could have easily kept hold of the door and still gotten to her destination but she is finally turning into a risk taker and decided to go for it! Since Daddy was at work, I tried haphazardly to get her first steps on camera. It worked for the most part but unfortunately the file is too large to post it here. :( But we've practiced LOTS since then she has done great!

Movin' On Up!

She finally got her piece of the pie!

You'll have to pardon the "greased over baby" look.
She's lathered in sunscreen so we could go watch Daddy's softball game.

Addison is finally movin' on up in the world. The week of her birthday we took the huge leap to a forward facing car seat. I think Mommy was more excited about it than she was. Finally I don't have to bend my arm like a pretzel to get a toy/snack to her. She likes watching where we are going but still fusses just as much as she did before. I think she just doesn't care to be buckled in regardless of which direction we do it. She's NEVER been a fan of being held down. She spends most of our drives "hulking out" (aka: grunting and pushing her chest forward) in frustration. Oh well, maybe one day she'll realize that little trick won't be granting her freedom anytime soon.

We've also been up to some fun lately but nothing deserving of it's own post so thus this random post to include it all in:


LAUNDRY DAY:

Helping Mommy with laundry. Actually throwing her INTO the laundry is the most help I've gotten out of her yet. It keeps those chubby little fingers from pulling all my nicely folded laundry to the floor. Her favorite past time.


IT'S AN OPEN & SHUT CASE REALLY:

Ah the exciting game of opening/shutting the door. This can keep her captivated for hours. This is her stance when she jabbers as she tries to communicate something important. Serious expression. Hand tilted. Mouth running incoherently. Adorable.

And getting a little more excited now. She's hilarious when she does this. Tense look on her face while she's squeezing her hands into fists and grunting and jabbering.

Keep in mind, she only enjoys this door game if I'm nearby and can rescue her when she needs it. She's had a few close on her without me nearby and bursts into tears until I find her. It's so cute but sad at the same time.


PRETTY PINK PIGGIES:

The customary picture. Don't look too close folks, this is as good as it gets for the time being. Note: my polish has smudged and her's has worn off from crawling all over before the picture was taken. Plus, this picture was taken as she was wrestling to get off my lap. It's impossible to hold her still anymore.


CHEESIN' WET BABY:

My very own water baby. There's nothing that I love more than wet squeezy chubby babies. Especially one as cute as this one! Here she is soaped up and cheesin' in the tub during tonight's bath.

I LOVE this picture.. Her pretty blue eyes always seem to "pop" more when she's wet. I think she looks a lot like her cousin Laney in this pic.


And I believe that covers all of our random adventures as of late. I also forgot to mention Addison's milestones on her last birthday post. She has accomplished so much lately that I'm afraid I won't remember them all:

• She has learned to wave "Hi". She learned this while in the airport on our vacation. She doesn't do the "bendy finger baby wave" she does the adorable adult hand open side-to-side wave. And she LOVES to wave at anything/everything. For some reason she busts into a wave everytime she hears my phone ring. I think its because we had Daddy on speaker phone and she waved to the phone instead of saying "Hi". I'm convinced she's saying "Hi" sometimes when she waves.
• She also loves to give kisses. We love this just as much! Her kisses are open mouth, sometimes tongue, slobbery ones. She'll randomly lean into your face and plant one right on the mouth and say "mmmmm". She's even learned to do this on command as well. We give her lots of practice since we can't get enough of these slobbery kisses! :D
• She still loves kids. Loves to watch them play and even plays with them sometimes. She likes to poke at them and touch them too. I guess she's carefully observing this particular species.
• She loves to poke her finger into peoples lips. It's random I know and I'm still trying to figure out where she gets it from. Maybe impersonating a binky? I dunno. But it's still cute.
• She isn't walking yet but is sooo close. She's shuffled and taken a few random steps here and there but has yet to take off with it. I'm guessing she's just not interested yet since anytime we try practicing she'll just squat and crawl. She is good at balancing on her own though so I'm sure walking is just around the corner.
• She LOVES to be outside. Anytime we come inside she bursts into tears. It doesn't matter if it's scorching heat - she wants to be out in it. So much to explore!
• She loves to pat you. I think she got this one from us too. She's definitely getting into the copycat stage. She'll just randomly start patting your back or arm or whatever is in reach and smiles at you while she does it. It's a "love pat" I'm sure of it!
• She has learned to blow/hoof her mouth. I've been blowing on her little sore bum for the past few days because it feels better for her. And out of the blue the other day she started doing it too. Partially opening her lips and hoofing just like Mommy. So cute.
• One of the things I love the MOST about her is that she is happy 95% of the time. Even if you are handing her a toy she's played with a million times before, she smiles and grins at it like it's the coolest brand new toy she's ever seen. She grins at you and then grins at the toy like it's Christmas day. She really does get excited over the littlest mundane things. I hope she keeps that talent for the rest of her life. It's such a good quality to have.

Party At The Park

So Saturday was the "official" party celebration. And as I'm sure you can tell from Addison's face, it WAS quite a celebration.

We spent most of the day just relaxing and doing some last minute preparations for the big event. Quentin, Natalie, my Mom, and I got to run a 5k together that morning. It was fun and a great way of ending my 5k addiction for a few more months. I was so proud of my Mom for running her first 5k....she did awesome!

Afterwards, we just chilled and made these for the party:

For those who don't know, Addison was born to two monkey-loving parents so she didn't have much of a chance to escape the monkeys since birth. It'll be interesting to see just what her favorite animal is once she grows up. Maybe she'll be the first to break the monkey mold! And of course, it was a pretty easy theme for the first birthday. I found some adorable decorations online and also found these cute cupcakes. Luckily, they weren't very time intensive and I had a lot of help with the makeshift assembly line (Thanks Cass, Nat, and Quent!)

Then that afternoon, at 4:00 we embraced the scorching heat and headed to Memorial Park to decorate and celebrate her birth. The shaded trees helped relieve the scorching heat and the location/pavilion couldn't have been better to welcome such a large group. 36 to be exact! And that was just family! The youngest of course was little Garrett Walker who still came to celebrate even though he was still shy of his 1 month birthday.

We dined on hamburgers and hotdogs grilled to perfection by John. We watched in amazement as Addison dove into her very own monkey cake. Seriously, once she got a taste of the goodness she didn't hold back. The picture above proves it. And we all gathered around while Addison opened her birthday presents (with Mommy and Brady's help of course). It was such a relaxing party and I was so proud of myself for not obsessing over the details and stressing (something I have past experience with ;-) and just enjoying the fun with everyone around us. It was truly a great day and everything and everyone came together beautifully.

And thanks to Addison's walking coach, Dana, she may have taken her first steps at her first birthday. I say "may" simply because it was more of a "shuffle" than a step but we are counting it! She's soooo close we can taste it!! :D

We are so grateful to have most of our family close by (on both sides) and truly appreciate all they did to help out, not only with the birthday but even over the last year and beyond. So again, thank you so much to everyone!!

Happy Birthday to sweet little Addison. It's easy to see that everyone in your family adores you...especially your Mommy & Daddy. We couldn't have picked a better little girl for our family!

**Stay tuned for the pictures post. Aunt Sarah was our wonderful photographer and did an amazing job capturing the memories. Thank you so much Sarah!**