The Day Of The Dad

Even though I'm almost a week behind in posting about it, I would like to let blog-land know (and our future posterity) that we did indeed celebrate Father's Day this year! It was a fun day all in all but definitely made for a lot of work for this preggo lady! There's only so much a 2 year old can do to help out and since she isn't skilled enough in the kitchen department quite yet, I managed to pull together a 4 course meal not only for Addison's Daddy but for Grandpa Joe as well since we were lucky enough to have he and Grandma over to eat on such a festive holiday!

In the midst of all the festivities I completely forgot to bust out the camera and document the day in pictures. So, instead, you'll have to visualize it all as I recount it.

Morning: It began with a nice light breakfast for Daddy. On the menu - granola parfait with a side of fresh fruit and an ice-water served in bed even! I even took extra time making it so pretty since he always seems to do that for us. Then of course we all scurried to get ready for church and do our normal Sunday routine.

Lunch: It wasn't glamorous by any means since we are usually exhausted from church and grabbing something quick before our weekly Sunday nap (okay mine and Addison's weekly Sunday nap) but I did do a quick "cook-to-order" grilled ham and cheese or pb&j...can't remember but do know he was pampered yet again. So much so that I even sacrificed my nap and gave it to him so I could get started on cooking dinner and finishing his presents. That's huge folks as I hardly EVER sacrifice my nap!

Pre-Dinner: We had to wake Daddy up so we could gift him with his gifts before dinner time. Addison gave him a frame that says "Daddy & Me" and of course it had a cute picture of the both of them riding the carousel at SDC. Then he got some nice deep, big, cereal bowls since he is a cereal connoisseur and is always on the lookout for the "perfect bowl". Then he got some nice clay cold/hot packs for his aching muscles and finally he got some nice fluffy pillows to replace our old flat pillows. Of course a long with all of it he got a card from Addison that listed all the things she likes to do with her Dad, along with a poem and a tracing of her hands (she LOVES to have her hands traced so she was happy to oblige). And Mommy gave him a card listing all the things he does for us that make him "Super Dad!!" We are both lucky girls to have him in our family and we realize this almost daily. He works hard so we can both play together at home and even after working hard he still comes home and takes care of us and spoils us rotten and gives us lots of cuddles! Here is the list of things she loves to do w/Dad...

• Do push-ups
• Go on dates
  
• Read books
• Play ball
• Go to the movies
• Cuddle
• Say "Go Daddy" at the game (this one she told me specifically - the others I had to ask and have her approve w/a head nod)
• Take bubble baths with Dad
  

Dinner: Grandma & Grandpa got to join us for dinner and Addison was thrilled!! She's always adored them both but would still get hesitant going to Grandpa. Although she'd always make it a priority to point him out to me anytime we saw him (he's just about as famous as Daddy is in this house). However, this visit she surpassed ALL of her hesitancies and wouldn't leave Grandpa's side!! She was putting her sunglasses on him, reading books with him, sitting by him, sitting on him, talking his ear off, etc etc. It was great to finally see her jump that last hurdle and turn up her adoration for her Grandpa.

For the actual meal, we got to enjoy one of John's favorite (and requested dishes)... French fried onion pork chops, homemade mashed potatoes and white pepper gravy, green beans, and fresh (and HUGE!) Rhodes rolls. The meal was a success and we followed it up with a delicious dessert of strawberry shortcake and whip cream! So glad the Daddy and the Grandpa like to eat such yummy food so we could all enjoy it together!!

Overall, it was a great day and we loved spoiling Daddy like he seems to spoil us all year long. Addison truly adores her Dad and loves to watch out the window, waiting for him to come home everyday. She loves to wrestle with him right after work and she loves to sit by him and read her books as well. Daddy pretty much can't do any wrong in her eyes...she's a HUGE fan! And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Addison & Daddy. This was the picture that she gave to him in his Daddy frame for work.

Not only is she a fan of Daddy, but she's also a fan of The Cubs! Train them young right? Here she is cheering on Daddy at his softball game. She LOVES to shout "Go Daddy! Go Ball!" while bouncing both fists in the air. And yes, like her Daddy, she is a heavy sweater. It doesn't take much before she's dripping and flush faced.

Here she is napping on Daddy's side of the bed....and by the way, she even sleeps just like he does! She's my little "John-essa!"

And last but not least, the other man of the day: Grandpa Fields! She got in some GOOD Grandpa bonding time this visit and can't wait until the next one!

Triple "D"

Daddy Daughter Date!!

Addison and Daddy got the chance to have a really fun date together this past Saturday afternoon. It worked great for Mom as well since it allowed me some time to shop/run errands in preparation for our Father's Day celebration the following day (post to follow).

This particular Daddy Daughter Date was 85% brought to you by Chick-fil-a.


Sidenote: I could write a whole post on how wonderful I think this restaurant is - yeah the food is great and all but the customer service and community involvement is WONDERFUL! And frankly, both of those areas seem to be lacking considerably amongst other restaurants. And have I mentioned they close on Sundays!!? :D

But I digress. John was privy to some intel that Chick-fil-a was hosting a "Daddy Daughter Date" the night before Father's Day. And apparently they go all out with their parties. Can I just say.....linen tablecloths people! We don't even eat on linen in our own house.....even on special holidays! And that was just the beginning of it all....they had tule decorating the ceiling, live music, beautiful centerpieces on the tables, candy flowers for the little girlies, free ice cream and sprinkles, princess tiaras, and coloring crafts. Daddy even did a wonderful job of documenting their outing in multiple pictures (I've trained him well eh?) So here are a few pictures for your enjoyment.....feel free to hit me up if you want to see the other 273 I couldn't fit on this blog post. ;-)

With all the loot she scored I'm guessing this Father/Daughter outing was more for the little girlies than the Dads.

Lately, her smiles have changed a bit. Apparently the more excited she gets - the more crazy her smiles are. I'm guessing she was having LOTS of fun! ;-)

After dinner they headed off to explore the Pet Store. Yes, this easily puts Daddy into the "favorite parent" spot for quite awhile. Here they are checking out the Guinea Pigs!

Next up....the birdies!

And alas, they were lucky enough to get to watch them feed the ferrets! And yes Grandma Jean, we are aware that ferrets can chew off fingers of a family of five in four minutes. Which I guess should make me grateful I survived since my sister had one as a pet when I was growing up!

And they wrapped up the fun date with a trip to the park. It must be known, Addison is obsessed with slides. She points them out as we drive past them but we hardly ever stop. I'm sooo glad that Daddy finally made her dreams come true. He's soooo much cooler than Mom! :D

Here's the action shot for ya!

They called me on the phone when they made it home. I could tell within minutes how much fun she was having with Dad because she was jabbering away in the background. She was sooo thrilled to recap their evening festivities and I was thrilled to hear about them and see all the adorable pictures of the Daddy and the Daughter. So glad they adore each other so!

(And I'm not gonna lie, it was nice to have a night to myself as well ;-)

Big Girl Bed

It's the natural progression of life. From baby-hood to toddler-hood to big-girl hood. Addison finally journeyed on it this past weekend.

Thankfully we finally found some time in our crazy busy lives lately to devote to putting together Addison's big girl bed!! :D Daddy has been way busy with work and church and this pregnant mama was NOT ready to set everything up by her lonesome - er with a 2 year old helper...as good as a helper that she is. So, we had a free moment last Friday night and went to work.

Addison was beyond thrilled and excited about the hustle and bustle. So much so that she was itching to sit/jump on the bed at every.single.point of the process. And Mommy and Daddy were trying their hardest to get it all together before her bedtime at 8:30. By the end of the night the house was chaos but her bed was complete....and WE were exhausted! All the rushing was sooo worth the effort though once we saw the look on her face when she FINALLY got to get on it for the first time. It's only a twin sized bed but it makes her look soooo small again! I swear she's only using about 25% of the space!

Within 15 minutes of her going to bed, I was just itching to peek in on her. I could hardly stand it but somehow managed to let John deter me until a full hour later. Luckily she was wiped out so she slept through all my picture taking - yes I HAD to take her picture of course.....I'm the mama!

She slept sooo well the whole night, never made a peep, and didn't even wake up until 7:30 the next morning (when she'd been waking up at 6:00 am the week previously!) I was in love with the change-up.

I even spent the evening practicing what I would do if she cried when she woke up in the a.m. Typically, in the crib, that was our cue to come get her, change the diaper, get the milk sippy, etc. However, I promised myself I'd still go into her room, but this time "help" her figure out how to get down from the bed (which is about the same height as she is) instead of just picking her up myself. I was all prepped and ready but much to my surprise guess who was peering into MY eyes when I woke up on Saturday? Yup, Addison! She was standing next to my bed waiting for me to wake up and said "Mommy! Awake!" She had noooo trouble adjusting and I was convinced it'd take us at least a few days to transition. Apparently the Mommy needed more transition time than she did. She was yet again an overnight success!

We are so proud of our big girl and always amazed how easily she adapts to new stages/phases of life. She has already had the chance show her bed off to Aunt Sarah and cousins and then to Grandma and Grandpa Fields. She LOVES to show it off and show everyone how she sleeps at night...this little girly loves the extra attention and I love that she's so proud of it.

Every once in awhile she still heads to the baby's room, where her old crib is, when we announce bed time. She'll stop midway in the hallway and you can just see her little mind think before she turns around and heads into her room with her new big girl bed. Yay Addison on becoming a big girl!! Next up, potty training! Hopefully that adjustment goes just as quickly as all the rest!

Picking out the mattresses at Sam's. Already sooo excited!

Daddy finishing up the last of the work while Addison supervises.

Addison and Daddy showing off the final product.

Cute little - er I mean "big girl" getting ready for her first night in her new bed.

And finally, the piece de resistance! An adorable sleeping little girly wiped out from such an exciting day. It took every ounce of self control to not pounce on her and squeeze her silly. I love sleeping babies. :D

Turtle....Sad

This phrase has been on repeat from Addison for the past 4 or so days. I'm actually quite impressed she has retained it for so long....let me explain...

This past Saturday we headed off to another "first" for Addison. After spending the morning hanging out and waiting on Dad to finish his golf tournament we decided to head to our first (w/Addison that is) real movie theater experience that afternoon!

We've spent the last few months wondering if she had hit that magical age wherein she could be interested/hold still for a full movie. We figured we'd hit up the matinee so we'd feel less bad about wasted $$ if she couldn't last. So what was the "Movie du jour" you ask? Kung Fu Panda 2. We aren't die hard fans by any means but since it was the only kiddie movie found among two different theaters - we decided to go for it.

Holding her movie tickets in the lobby.

She was excited from the word go and practically ran all the way to the ticket box. Once she noticed all the bright lights in the entrance she just said "Wow!" over and over again. It's so fun to see what little things kids love and notice. Of course, once she realized popcorn was involved, her excitement reached an all time high. I couldn't tell if she was loving the movie or the popcorn she got to eat while watching the movie!

Yes, I was one of those annoying people who busted out their camera during the previews.

Right off the bat I realized we had to have a quick review of what an "inside voice" was when she kept shouting everything out during the previews...."Mommy....Slide!!" "Mommy....Turtle!" It was hilarious and thankfully other kids were struggling with the same concept.

Surprisingly she sat through the full 1 1/2 hours quite content and happy. And whodathunk she actually grasped what was going on in the movie?! Well technically she didn't get the plot....but she kept thinking Po's Dad was a turtle (he's a goose) and after the movie she kept telling me "Mommy.....Turtle sad" included with her cute little sad face and hand over her mouth. And yes, she was correct, there was about a 30 second clip wherein "turtle" was sad. So observant she is! And my heck, the memory she has at 2? She still keeps telling me at random times....during church, during our day's routine, at bath time......"Turtle sad." I guess this means we are no longer on a movie theater sabbatical!

28 Weeks

I'm already starting to fall behind on this pregnancy. At least I took the picture (two weeks ago mind you) and at least I'm posting it finally....even though I'm further along now. And sadly, I'm just guesstimating that I'm even AT 28 weeks in this picture. But without further adieu....my big belly at the 28 week mark...


So needless to say, this past Monday we had our latest appointment and I'm now measuring at 30 weeks - right on track. Which is nice because I feel like I'm huge!! I asked my doctor about the weight gain and he just mentioned he wasn't worried because it was most likely "water retention" with all the summer heat etc. Hahahaha....music to my ears! I'm glad he's convinced it's "water retention" instead of "grease retention" since that is all I seem to be craving this whole.stinkin.pregnancy. Maybe I can actually convince myself of that as well??!

So it is what it is, it's hot, sticky, and humid and I'm still managing to eat non-stop and am always hungry. Maybe this baby boy is to blame instead of my lack of self control? I do know I'm not loving the heat (surprise surprise) and can't seem to last long outside unless I'm submerged in a pool or surrounded by an air conditioned vehicle. But honestly, that's pretty much how I was even before I got pregnant. Me and heat do not mix. Sadly, Addison and John get to deal with the after affects of it - a hot, sweaty, cranky, Mommy. Oh well, I'm definitely in countdown mode since I'm now down to two-week appointments! Woohoo!

Family Date Night

This Mom decided to throw together a random family date night a few weeks ago. I had figured we were due for some fun....technically I think we are ALWAYS due for some fun! And of course since I'm the boss around here - we made it happen! ;-)

Now that Addison is 2 years old it was time to introduce her to some firsts (more posts to follow). But this first "first" was definitely a fun one! We loaded up soon after Daddy got off work and headed out to go none other than...

BOWLING!

Of course Addison took to it immediately. Especially the part where she was bound and determined to carry her own bowling ball. Thankfully Daddy hovered enough to ensure that no toes were sacrificed in the effort. It was a "toddler-friendly" ball but I was still surprised at how heavy it actually was.

After collecting said ball, she would waddle herself over to the little dragon ramp and promptly push it off toward the pins. She was so quick with the process that I got only a few shots where you could actually see the ball in motion. She was also very dainty with her pushes....so much so that the ball still barely made it down the lane. Daddy tried his hardest to insert some last minute tricks to pick the speed up but ultimately they all failed. Addison even waited patiently to see if she knocked any pins down before she'd run right for the bowling ball yet again.
I've always been obsessed with how hilarious/adorable/cute bowling shoes are. As a teenager I even tried to figure out a way to add them to my personal shoe collection. So, of course anything that is already cute, once shrunken down to a toddler size 7, turns up the cute amp-age quite drastically. I simply had to get a good shot of the cute little Addibell with her cute little shoes.


After we knocked down our pins (and Mommy won-might I add) we decided to hit up the arcade. Yep, another first for the Addibell. She was quite mesmerized by all the lights and really didn't care if we inserted tokens or not, playing the game was just as fun either way. Her favorite was the carousel, or the "Orsey's" of course. I won't mention how she had a good lucky streak going on a game of chance that John and I were hooked on. We had to bribe her to come push the button and win more tickets which got incredibly difficult when she wanted to move on to bigger/better things. For whatever reasons, her chubby little fingers pushing the buttons always got the bigger win than any of our attempts. Of course in the end, she reaped the benefits....TONS of tickets to spend on the chinsey little plastic toy prizes. All in all, it was a great way to spend a family date and I'm sure we'll be returning quite often!

Our Little Two Year Old

So, it's official. As much as I wished to stop time and keep my little girly little for longer - it didn't happen. She finally turned two! (Yes, it was a couple of weeks ago but we've been busy and I've been waiting for all the pictures to arrive). It was so fun to celebrate it with her and to have so many family and friends support us by showing up and helping soooo much! I think each year will just get more and more fun watching her grow up and ooze out her cute little personality.

Unfortunately, out of all the family/friends that attended.....Addison's Daddy wasn't amongst them. He was needed elsewhere and spent the weekend working long days helping the victims that were affected from the tornado that hit Joplin. When our church was organizing the effort and seeking volunteers, He knew all along he should go, even though we had the party planned and ready. It was Mommy who took a little while to come to terms with all of it. However, I got there eventually and agreed in the end that it was more important he help those less fortunate than us. Of course all of this gave us more reason to have a little "family party" with Addison the Friday night before he left. Here are a few pictures of BOTH of our birthday parties:

Daddy & Addison showing off her loot from our family party. She had NO problems opening presents!

Her Mickey Mouse themed cupcakes. I was relieved when she correctly identified them in my practice run as I did NOT have a back-up plan.

Blowing out her candles. Mommy had to help since her version of "blowing" was through her teeth.

She also got to spend some quality time with Grandpa Bell over her birthday weekend. Here they are waiting for the Froggy ride at Silver Dollar City. It was her favorite and Grandpa promised he'd ride it with her.

Opening some of her birthday presents.

Posing with her baby doll after the festivities. She's such a good little Mommy!

A few things about Addison:

-Addison is a very loving and sensitive girly. Most of the time this means she gives LOTS of good hugs and cuddles just for no reason. Usually, when I'm dressing her in the morning, she'll lean over and put her head on my shoulder and say "Awe, Mommy". I love her hugs and cuddles. Sometimes the sensitivity is difficult since she can usually get her feelings hurt pretty easily when we just talk to her. She takes a lot of hard hits/falls/bumps without being phased but her feelings are definitely more sensitive. I'm betting she gets this from her Mommy since I remember always being very sensitive in school - never wanting to disappoint anyone or get in trouble. I'll take the "sensitive tears" any day as long as I get to enjoy her cuddles and hugs!

-She LOVES to talk! Uh...lot! Mostly I love hearing the words she learns just by repeating us. And yes, we've had to be extra careful of what words we say along the way! She has even started helping say prayers which is extra adorable. Mostly it's either Mommy or Daddy saying them and then she repeats the last word of each sentence and it's always in a question like form such as: Safe? People? Jesus? Sleeps? Amen! She started using a word that neither John nor I could decipher so I finally just started guessing randomly and learned she was trying to say "Heavenly Father" but it comes out "Hev Fahr?" Very impressive eh?

-She LOVES to point out "Tempo's" (temples) anywhere we go. And yes, these temples range anywhere from the actual temple, to church buildings (any with a steeple), to the princess castle on her Disney movies. Hey I'm at least grateful she thinks everything is a temple instead of everything being a princess castle! She loves to go to nursery. After the prayer in sacrament she shouts "Amen!" and looks at me and says "Nursee, Cass, Nursee?"

-She is dabbling in the world of Pirates. We learned this one day when she started running around in circles across the room shouting "Pyte, Pyte!" with her hand on her forehead. I'm assuming she gets it from watching the Jake pirate show in the mornings but I have yet to figure out what the hand on the head means? Maybe it's a telescope?

-She has always loved to dance and anytime she hears music it's like her body just starts moving and can't stop. It's hilarious watching the moves she does and how she gets into the music. She LOVES to copy Daddy's every move. She watches and observes him constantly so she can duplicate exactly what he is doing. Just recently she saw him doing push-ups and joined him on the floor. Her push-ups consist of sticking her bottom in the air and bending her legs while her hands are on the floor. I think her method is much quicker than Daddy's version!

-She is learning her colors and is very close to mastering them...at least red, green, yellow, and blue that is. And amazingly she can count a little here and there. I usually have to start her off with "1" and she will follow with "3, 4, 5, 6" and then gets tripped up a bit. But still pretty amazing for never really having practiced with her! John and I always are surprised when she does it.

-Her latest favorites are Monkeys, Minnie/Mickey Mouse, any/all books, swimming, and just recently "Pin-cesses". She has yet to learn each princess' name but they are all called Pin-cesses. She even tells me as we wait/watch for Daddy to come home from work everyday that she's "Daddy's Pin-cess". And yes she LOVES to repeat - just in case I didn't catch it the first time. And I usually have to repeat it back to her so she can nod/confirm I am right or keep telling me the word while I try to guess it.

-Most of all she is SUCH a good little girly. Always so sweet and soft and sensitive but so full of personality and loves to laugh and fake laugh and say "Silly Mommy, Silly Asson, Silly Daddy, etc" She is such a fun girl to watch grow everyday and I seriously couldn't have asked for a more perfect daughter. I can't wait to see how she is as a big sister when her little brother comes along. Yes, this "brudder" is both in my belly button AND her belly button by the way. ;-)

Happy Birthday Addison!!

Hunkering Down

I grew up in tornado alley. Up until last month, I was convinced that my family and my home would never be hit by a tornado. I was the type that spent tornado warnings/watches mad at the news crew for interrupting my regularly scheduled programming.

Obviously, I've still been blessed enough to have avoided the tornadoes but I'm definitely no longer a skeptic. Once I saw what horrific events happened to Joplin, MO (45 min from my current home and 45 min from my childhood home), I realized that nothing is ever a guarantee. Mother Nature has incredible force and horrible events happen that can't be explained. As my heart aches for those people, I'm confused as to why they were the unlucky ones and not us, etc. etc. It definitely makes you realign your priorities and hold your families closer and never ever get upset at the news reporters for the long forecasting on tornado watches.

About three days after the destructive tornado damage of Joplin, our area was in the projected pathway of what could be about 6 tornadoes. With everything still fresh in our minds we did not take any of the warnings/watches lightly. John spent the early evening packing our valuables while I spent the early evening packing our clothes for a "what-if" scenario. Pajamas with tennis shoes, enough gear for Addison if we didn't have a home to come back to etc. It was weird walking around my home thinking what if it's not here tomorrow? And strangely enough, I came to peace with the "things and stuff" that could be gone and realized that as long as my family was safe we would be fine. My mind kept wandering to those in Joplin who were dealing with the reality of the after affects just down the road from us.

We were thankful for Tom and Sarah opening up their basement to us and anxious to get hunkered down over there while we spent the evening hanging out and watching the path projections. It was a light and airy and fun environment despite what could possibly be heading our way. Luckily the kids all seemed to have fun and we kept reassuring them everything was fine. Addison didn't have a clue as to what was going on, nor did she seem to care. She just knew she was having a blast with her cousins and got to stay up late and play with their Nintendo DS' they so willingly shared with her. They ended up having one big slumber party in the big bed downstairs and it was so fun to see her adore them. At one point, her younger cousin was playing with the light switches which scared her. When I came in to check on her she was crying and sad and I asked her if she wanted to stay and play or come sit by Mom and she sniffled and said...."Stayyyy". It was cute and adorable just how much fun she was having despite the scare. After all, she is quite the Momma's girl ya know. I'm learning to enjoy the freedom of her running off to play with cousins but it is a little bit of an adjustment now that she is getting past the "sitting on top of Mommy phase". :(

In the end, the tornadoes ended up going around us that evening and we headed to our homes safe and sound at midnight that night. However, sadly they did touch down in other areas of Oklahoma and Arkansas. My heart goes out to all those who are dealing with the aftermath of such destruction. I can't imagine what it feels like to survive such destruction or even lose family members.

Bradley, Addison and Karah hanging out at their slumber party. I can't find the picture of all three of them conked out and sleeping peacefully on top of each other but trust me...it was a.dor.a.ble.