John & Shannon Hufford

Cropped Top

2012-01-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

Addison went in for her annual haircut today. As in this is only her 2nd haircut since she's been born! Originally, I was the one that planted the idea in her head to get it cut. Her hair would always get tangled and had lots of little scragglies. It was time to get some consistency to it. She loved the idea. Especially since her friend Bentley just recently got a new haircut. Everytime I'd bring it up she'd say "A haircut like Bentee!" Needless to say she was on board. Of course I was the only one that got cold feet right before it was time to cut it. Lindsey was asking me how short I wanted it to go and all the sudden I got nervous and a little sad. I pushed through it though since I knew I would love the end result. And I did. And she did too of course. She did sooooo good sitting still for Lindsey. I was prepped with an iPad and fruit snacks just in case but she didn't even need them. She loved getting primped like a princess.

The "Before" picture. Goodbye scragglies!

And the "After" picture. Hello cutie!!

And here are a few more of the little model. Apparently she now enjoys "posing" for pictures. Hey, makes it easier for me right?

And her other pose. She propped herself up on the table like this all on her own. Maybe she has a future with Olan Mills? ;-)

And of course we can't leave out Mr. Jonas. This was a picture we took a few days ago because frankly everyone needs a nakey picture right?

Goodness, I have squeezy kids. If you see black and blue bruises all over them now you'll understand why. They simply can't be squeezed enough.

What's In A Name?

2012-01-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

Apparently attention....and lots of it. A few days ago I was on the phone sorting through insurance stuff and Addison was trying to get my attention. She had made several attempts and nothing was working. As I was hanging up the phone I heard her say my name: "Shannon!" I did a double-take and asked her what she said and she clammed up. I laughed and asked her if she said my name and she smiled and said yes. Once she knew it was funny she said it about 1,356 more times. It was hilarious. Mostly because she'd say funny sentences that had nothing to do with anything. She'd hold her hand to the side of her mouth and shout "Shannon! What are you doing Shannon?" And then "Shannon! Come back over here Shannon!" She was thrilled she not only found something to get my attention but to make me laugh every time she said it. It's weird when your child knows your real name. No worries though, she still calls me Mommy just as much as evidenced when she followed me around earlier saying "Shannon! Shannon! Shannon! Mommy! Shannon! Mommy!"

And I don't just want to talk about Addison in all my posts. Jonas is doing lots of cute things as well. He has decided he likes to sit up and see things now. Apparently laying down is for babies and he's not one anymore. He L.O.V.E.S. to pull his binky out of his mouth and play with it. He has yet to master putting it back in by himself so lucky for him Mommy comes to the rescue....a lot. He loves to jabber and it always throws me for a loop. I usually just think he's starting to cry so I'll plug him up with the binky but then realize ahhhhh he's just talking. It sounds close to crying since it's usually in a high pitch blabbering voice. It's cute though, I love seeing him grow up more and more everyday. He's such a good baby and we are very grateful. Especially me. I can't imagine having two kids who weren't as good as mine are. I'm guessing I'd be bald pretty quick.

It's About Time

2012-01-19T11:39:00.001-08:00

Nope this is not a church commercial....but I do love those. This is about the day-to-day discoveries of a 2 1/2 year old.

Yesterday Addison was beyond fascinated with our digital alarm clock and I thought it was hilarious and cute enough to post about. Usually the minute she wakes up she wanders into our room for some cuddles and milk and we hang out while Daddy gets ready for work. Well this day, she finally discovered the alarm clock on Daddy's night stand. She's been into numbers and especially asking me what time it was so part of me wasn't too surprised. However, she was amazed at this little nifty piece of technology. She'd happily shout out which numbers she saw and then was floored when the numbers would change. I think she sat and watched it for at least ten minutes...trust me...I was clocking her. Hehehehe.

Anyway, it was hilarious how amazed she was with it. She'd plop her head on her hands, lay on her stomach, and kick her feet in the air while she waited for the numbers to change. Then every time they did she'd get all excited and say "Mommy now it's a 7!!" and then "Mommy now it's 8!!" Rinse and repeat. I thought it was adorable. It's fun to see how such simple things are so fascinating to kids. It totally takes me back to my childhood.

Tagging Along

2012-01-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile we are lucky enough to get to tag along w/John on some of his business trips. Especially when they are so close. This time we got to venture off to Oklahoma City. I'm not really fond of Oklahoma City....or even Oklahoma for that matter. But I'm also not fond of staying at home with two kids for multiple days in a row all by myself. Granted, when we do tag along, I still pretty much juggle the two kids by myself anyway while John is off doing work stuff - but I'd much rather have a change of scenery while I do it! :D

After packing for a small army we finally loaded up and hit the road early on a Wednesday so we could get John there for his work dinner that night. Sidenote: I must say I L.O.V.E. having a minivan. Yep, I'm one of those weird girls that always dreamed of owning one. It's great for many reasons but especially so for when I need to crawl back and sit with the kids and entertain them on long drives. Especially Mr. Jonas since he's not particularly fond of his car seat and doesn't have the added luxury of watching a video. Addison thinks its pretty cool when I sit next to her too and frankly I enjoy watching a little movie while we drive as well. It's a win-win-win-win....yes for John as well since he gets to enjoy a peaceful drive w/out tears.

Anyway, we made decent time and finally arrived at the hotel and sent John on his way. The first night was a little hairy with me and the kiddos. Mostly because Addison has entered the defiant stage and seems to make everything a battle. And also because I lose my patience w/it all quickly and we seem to just butt heads sometimes. But that night the tides turned for the better. Usually hotels and changed up sleeping arrangements have everyone off but amazingly Jonas slept pretty good which means I did too. Yay! I woke up amazed at how well the night went only to hear John say his wasn't so great since he was up putting Addison back to sleep every 30 minutes and then he had to leave for his meetings early. I even enjoyed a nice morning where the kids actually slept in! That never happens folks! It was only until 8:00 am but I loved it.

Once we were awake I didn't quite know where we were going to spend our day but thanks to facebook friends, I got lots of suggestions. We ended up going w/Aunt Sarah's suggestion of the Science Center. I especially loved seeing it was only about 5 miles away from us. We spent the whole day there and loved it. Addison wore herself out by the time we left which was exactly as I had planned. We even skipped right on by nap time w/her and she finally crashed in the van when it was time to go back and pick up Daddy for our drive home. I had hopes of actually attending a temple session that evening (which was one of the reasons we tagged along) but since his work meeting ended a few days early we had to book it back home so he could be at work the next day. All in all, it was a nice change-up in our schedule and a fun little drive with our cute little family. It's so nice to take trips like these when we are able to with the little kiddos.

Practicing for her own mini-version of the Jerry Lewis Telethon. Such a talented girly!

Having a mini-photo shoot while waiting for our lunch. Such a pretty girly isn't she?

Learning to drive the tractor. She'd make her Grandpa Weekes and Grandpa Bell so proud!

And the gymnastics corner. We spent 85% of our time in this area. She loved it. Time to enroll her in gymnastics I guess!

Yes, Jonas was with us and here is proof! He spent most of his time napping in the stroller or sitting on my lap.

The three story slide. Addison would climb to the top all by herself and slide down. I was quite impressed...it was huge!

And here she is at the bottom of the afore mentioned slide. She went up and down it about 10 times...each time landing entirely different than the time before.

And lastly, the last area we discovered. She loved this one as well. A cute little area to paint and build houses and landscaping.

I Resolve

2012-01-14T21:04:00.001-08:00

So, I'm still undecided on how I feel about making New Years resolutions. I know some people that think they are silly and some that take them seriously. I'm probably right in the middle of those people. I think mostly because I realize that everyone's "weight loss/exercise" goals always fade within the first few months of the year and nothing really changes. But I guess it's only considered failure if you stop trying right?

Well this year, I did go ahead and set a few goals for myself. Nothing majorly life impacting although the weight loss goal is definitely looming in the background. This year I wanted to set low-key goals since lets face it, surviving day to day of being a stay-at-home Mom of two kids is a feat in and of itself. Sometimes I consider it success when we make it to bedtime alive!

So what are my two goals you ask? Fairly simple:

1. I want to play with the kids more. Not just plop them in front of a t.v. show while I play on facebook. Not just send Addison off to play with toys by herself or have her bring toys to me while I sit on the couch. Like actually sit down on the floor, no T.V. on, and play. It's a work in progress. Most days I think I'm doing good. Some days aren't my best. Those are the days that I lay down by Addison while she plays and I try to keep my eyes open. ;-) But we've also had some great family hide-and-seek adventures too along with some great learning experiences while playing puzzles. Addison really enjoys having my attention so it's good motivation. It's also fun to get to know them without any distractions. I think I may actually enjoy achieving this goal!

2. Get ready (as in showered, dressed, make-up) everyday and it has to occur SOMETIME in the morning. Our usual routine has us up and going at 7:30 am and I've always been good about getting the kids dressed and ready for the day (even if we spend it all at home) but somewhere along the way I stop right before it's time to get me showered and ready. Mostly because it already takes SO long to even get out the door when all three of us have been dressed and fed. However, I've also noticed how much it affects my mood when I'm actually wearing clothes instead of pajamas and when my hair is actually fixed instead of in a greasy ponytail. So far I've been pretty good with this goal. There were a few days thrown in there where it just didn't happen but I'm pushing on!

And, I won't lie, I have a small goal to get back in shape and lose some poundage. I just don't want to make it my sole goal/priority. I'm hoping as I do that it will lead to doing more of the above goals as well.

So, now they have been documented in blog-land. So let it be done! :D

Not My Child

2012-01-14T20:53:00.001-08:00

I think I jinxed myself. On more than one occasion, (okay MULTIPLE occasions) I've told myself that my child would NEVER make messes or get into things or only play/explore things that weren't toys. I always felt sorry for those "other" parents and the messes their kids would make. Welp, the tides have turned and I've now recanted my original statement. My child does indeed make messes....it was only just a matter of time.

Lately she loves to unscrew caps off of any/everything in her path. The above pic is what I found when I walked into the living room and saw her playing in my lotion. Since then she has also unscrewed and dumped finger nail polish remover, sucked all the toothpaste out of her toothpaste tube (3 times), and spread even more lotion....again. What awaits us in the future? I guess I better join the rest of the mothers of toddlers and start putting everything out of her reach. :(

4 Months Old

2012-01-14T20:37:00.001-08:00

It's official (and a bit late) .... Jonas McKay has turned 4 months old! Since it's such a busy time of year we just barely got around to taking his 4 month photos. Addison was quite the little helper and we got lots of good smiles out of him. He's always so generous with his smiles lately.

This was the first time he has ever worn shoes (and they actually fit). Don't mind the little chicken legs hanging out of his pants....it's quite common with this long boy.

Of course, Addison wanted to be included in the photo shoot so I figured I'd better include her in the blog post too. ;-)

The poor boy got three shots at his well-visit check-up. He was a trooper through it and Addison was a great big sister. She tried her hardest to cheer him up when he was crying over his owies. Luckily he was all smiles within an hour afterwards but the poor thing got a fever the next day which is a typical reaction to vaccinations I'm learning.

Jonas is a VERY happy and easy baby. He's so good at being patient and hanging out while Mommy helps sister here and there. He also finally learned how to sleep through the night! Woohoo! He has always been fairly good at it but without fail would wake up for that one feeding at night and just nibble at it. Somewhere along the way a switch flipped and he's a pretty solid sleeper lately. Most nights he'll sleep straight through depending on how late he finished his last bottle. I'm loving that my nights are getting somewhat back to normal. I'm never very fond of giving up my sleep.

He's also started babbling and jabbering a lot more lately. It's so fun to hear him talk. Addison especially loves it and says "Mommy...he's talking in church!" I have no idea where she got the church relation from it but she says it every time he babbles away. He also found his hands and loves to suck on his fingers....usually two at a time. He almost enjoys doing that more than sucking on his beloved binky.

We are practicing the rolling and the tummy time but he hasn't quite mastered it yet. He's a super long and skinny little boy and he seems to outgrow most of his outfits before we can even wear them once. I'm convinced I'm going to have to start stitching my own clothes for him just to get some with the right length for his long body. He's outgrowing 3-6 month clothes and he's only 4 months old folks!

He's such a happy baby and really adores his sister. No matter what, he always looks at her and just smiles from ear to ear. It's so fun to see their relationship grow. I can hardly wait until they play together.

And, I'm a bad Mom. I got his growth stats from the nurse but lost them somewhere along the way. All I can remember is that he is 15 lbs! And I can't remember how long. I guess I'll have to call the doctor's office and update it for his baby book.

We are so lucky to have Jonas in our family. Happy 4 months old big boy!

Happy Holidays

2012-01-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

Despite the delayed posting - we did in fact celebrate Christmas this year. Apparently it was so great I couldn't seem to find the time to update the blog. But alas, I am back and ready to post about our fun...

Addison really got into Christmas this year which made it fun for all of us. It's so fun to see it all through her eyes and to tap into those childhood memories I had as well. Addison was enamored with Santa Claus - although she refused to sit on his lap, she talked about him non-stop. And believe me when I say NON-stop. Everywhere we went "Santa Calause is nice Mommy....he not scawey, he sit on my lap, he bring me present....a baby dawl!!" Of course, just as much as she spent talking about Santa Claus, she also talked about baby Jesus. That is enough to make this Momma happy! She loved to point out "Dats Mawey, dats Joseph, dats baby Jesus! Dats a donkey mama!" To this day she still pretends she's Mary when she has her bath towel over her head.

We started the festivities with a family gathering at Aunt Sarah's house. We listened to a story about Jesus and also got to open our annual tradition of Christmas jammies. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of Addison in hers but she was of course adorable. Jonas could barely squeeze into his 3-6 month jammies...and he is barely 4 months. I think I'll need to start making clothes for that boy if he keeps growing like he does.

After the family party, we headed to our house and finished up with our traditions of reading "The Night Before Christmas" and also the story of Jesus' birth. We then set out our cookies and milk for Santa and all went to bed.

Luckily Addison wasn't knocking our door down any earlier than usual. We were all up and ready to go at 7:30. Mr. Jonas started strong but didn't last long so we continued on while he napped through most of it. Mostly the day was about Addison and watching her open her presents. There really wasn't much time to allow any of us to open our presents. John and I would occasionally sneak a few open when she was busy tinkering with one of her toys. Which was rare since she was mostly in love with tearing off the wrapping paper and chasing after another one immediately after. She was also such a nice big sister and helped Jonas open his presents. How kind of her! ;-) She was a little upset when she ran out of presents and had to watch us open ours....poor thing!

Proof that Santa Claus came. He actually ate our cookie and drank the milk. The reindeer even dined on our carrots! :D

Santa was very good to all of us and I think we all walked away happy. I would have to say I think I was the most spoiled since Santa brought me a nice new camera to document our family endeavors and history. Of course I had to test it out on a couple of cute kiddos. I'd say it works just fine!

We spent Christmas evening hanging out with Grandma & Grandpa Fields and cousins and aunts and uncles while we dined on a delicious dinner. It was a great holiday and so fun to spend it surrounded by family.

New Years was also a blast. Once again we trekked over to Aunt Sarah's house and the kids ran around and played while the adults played games. Getting together with family always involves yummy food and good laughs and this year did not disappoint either. As usual, we were all comfy and cozy in our own beds when the New Year rang in. It isn't quite the late night party when you have kiddos that wake up early in the morning!

We were very blessed in 2011. Mostly with our newest member of our family, Jonas McKay. He was born happy and healthy and we are all happy and healthy as well. We had a great year with more blessings than I could ever count. We are looking forward to see what 2012 has in store for our family! :D

Family Fotos

2011-12-22T13:04:00.000-08:00

Can I tell you how much I D.R.E.A.D. taking family pictures? It's a necessary evil really. I looooovvveee having the pictures but I dread the blood, sweat, and tears, it takes to get them. And I fear it will only get harder as our little family keeps getting bigger. However, this time it wasn't near as painful as it usually is. Thanks to our awesome photographer, Joy, we were able to walk away with some great pictures and very little pain. The "little pain" was because it was a fairly cold day but since she isn't Mother Nature, I forgive her ;-). Addison and Jonas both let us know when it was time to give-in and call it a day. Thankfully we still managed to find some cute ones before they quit. Here are a few of my favorites...

I think I'll start researching the "perfect family photo" day and book our next session on that day. Of course with two kids aged two and younger, they eventually hit meltdown mode no matter what the weather is like.

See what I mean?

Bell Family Bash 2011

2011-12-22T12:38:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to enjoy a "Pre-Christmas" celebration of sorts with my side of the family this past weekend. It seems to be a tradition that we all get together the week before Christmas and celebrate the holidays together with my Mom. It's always so fun to see all the Aunts/Uncles, cousins, and Grandma, and have a whole weekend to do nothing but play, sleep, and eat. Sounds like a great combo to me! :D

Thanks to my younger sister Cass, we actually have pictures to document the momentous event. Yes, due to her being the youngest, she's an obedient little errand girl and takes care of all the extras while us older siblings sit back and order her around. You can thank us later Cass! ;-)

The weekend kicked off with a trip to Silver Dollar City. Addison, Garrett, and Aunt Michelle rode the froggy ride together - it's one of Addison's personal favorites. It tends to make me woozy (enter Aunt Michelle) but Addison LOVES when it starts bouncing and giggles the whole time. Those little kid rides are more dangerous than the adult rides! I think Addison will be our little thrill seeker. She was wanting to ride everything in sight. And now that she is just barely at the minimum height mark - it can actually happen! Not shown, is the swinging Pirate Ship we rode together. She laughed all the way through it as well. Can't wait to go back and try out all the others.

Here are a few pics of most of the cousins...waiting for the word "Go" so they can open their cousin-exchange gifts and their Grandma gift. So exciting!

And alas, it's Jonas' turn to open his gifts. Thanks to Mommy and Addison for helping the little guy out!

Here are two best buddies....Alexa and Addison. Only six months separate them. We have Alexa to thank for all the cute hand-me-down clothes! :D

It was a great time to get together with everyone. Since all of our families are getting so big it seems harder to rally the crowd all together at once. Thankfully they all live in Missouri still. I'm the only sibling who actually left the state....and I only managed to do that by about 10 miles. ;-) We are soooo blessed to have most of our family so close - on both sides. We'll enjoy it while it lasts!

Eli The Elf

2011-12-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

Last night for F.H.E. we adopted a new family member - straight from the big man himself.

Meet Eli:

He was sitting on our front porch step with his cute little book that told all about him. Now we get to join millions of others in the "Elf On The Shelf" tradition. So glad we finally have one of our very own. I think Addison is too. Jonas? Eh...I don't think he particularly cares but maybe he will next year! So far, Eli has been a very courteous and polite addition.

For those who don't know, Eli (along with all his other friend elves) are all helpers to Santa Claus. He comes to live with us every year at Christmas time and watches for little good boys or girls (or naughty ones, whichever the case may be) and then each night he reports back to Santa Claus. Ya know, cuz Santa is sooo busy this time of year.

Anyway, of course he can't be touched since he is magical and flies and stuff. But, each day it sure is exciting to see where he will hide next. This picture is of his first hiding place from this morning. So far I think he has great things to report back to Santa Claus about little Miss Addison. She came out of her bedroom and found him right away. She also keeps an eye on HIM as she walks around the house.

We are soooo glad Eli is helping us having good little boys and girls this time of year. Welcome to the family Eli! (And yes, Addison helped pick the name out of a few choices we gave her. We even filled out his adoption papers and everything - it's official folks - he's ours for keeps!)

3 Months Old

2011-12-22T11:10:00.001-08:00

Back on December 1st, Jonas turned three months old! Yes, we are a bit delayed in the post but that is due to a myriad of events. First; a rescheduled photo session, second; a week-long stomach bug (which Jonas was the only lucky one to escape), and last; waiting for our wonderful photographer to edit our b.e.a.utiful pics! (Thanks Joy!)

So, alas, here are the pics of Jonas. (You'll have to check out the next post for pics of the whole fam.)

What has Jonas mastered in his first 3 months of life you ask? Well first of all, he is definitely an easy baby. We got lucky two times in a row! He has gotten sooo smiley lately and this Momma definitely LOVES to see his smiles. He has a cute little scrunchy nose look he does w/a sideways smile. Makes.me.melt.every.time. I'm learning there is definitely a different feeling between a Momma and her boy. Not any better or worse than with Addison but definitely different.

He seems to love everyone he encounters...especially his sister. All she has to do is look his way and he's grinning from ear to ear. And she is very protective of him. If other kids come to talk/play with him she'll say "Noooo, dats Jonas Kay...he's myyyy buddy!" It's adorable really.

He has learned to be more content in his car seat - which is good since we don't like staying home very much. He's almost mastered holding up that big noggin (Thanks Hufford genetic code!). He's not a fan of tummy time but will do MUCH better at holding his head when he's sitting on your lap or laying on your tummy.

He's also learning to put himself to sleep better which is always a nice milestone for both of us. Now all I have to do is swaddle him, lay him down, put a blankie next to his face to snuggle with (yep just like sister when she was his age), and he's out within a few minutes. He currently wakes up one time at night and wants his food.

He loves baths after the initial adjustment when putting him in the water. He loves to look around at everything. Oh and he's very patient and good about hanging out and waiting when Mommy has to tend to his sister. I am learning that he has Daddy's temperament ;-). When he is upset about something he likes to finish 'being upset' before we proceed with whatever it is he actually wants. I guess he wants to speak his mind before we try to shush him. And he's getting quite a bit more talkative. It's always fun to hear him babble away in his own little world. Just this week, he has started belly laughing when we tickle or jump in front of him and scare him.

We are very lucky to have him in our family. I wonder everyday how in the world I birthed such a CUTE little boy!? It's amazing really. I can't imagine life without him even though it was just a little over 3 months ago.

This is a frequent pose lately. I think he's trying to show off his muscles. And check out those eyes! I think they are going to stay blue just like Addison's. Two blue-eyed kiddos from two brown-eyed parents!

Momma's little handsome guy.

These two love each other a LOT....even though you can't tell by Addison's face. ;-) She was pretty much done with the picture taking in the cold weather.

And here are the two twinners!

And alas, here he is showing off his "Blue Steel" pose. I think he has it mastered!

Since we didn't have a doctor's well visit check-up at 3 months old I don't have any exciting stats to share. Just know that this little guy is LONG and skinny! And his head is ginormous but I haven't met a Hufford yet who's isn't. I'm guessing his weight is around 12 lbs by now which seems big but when you come out of the womb at 9 lbs 6.5 oz....it isn't too shabby.

Happy 3 months old little J. McKay!

Fake Laughter

2011-12-15T20:47:00.001-08:00

Addison had the fake laughter thing mastered by the time she was 1 year old. Maybe even before that - I forget. I would always worry that people would get offended by it. Anytime someone laughed, she'd look at them, make a funny face, and fake laugh. It could have easily been perceived as an insult but frankly I thought it was hilarious. Fast forward to tonight....she's been on a fake laughing kick lately. Lets face it, her fake laughter gets me to real laughter pretty quickly.

Looks painful doesn't it? ;-)

And Jonas' expression is priceless. He doesn't know what to think of his crazy sister!

A Romantical Evening

2011-12-15T19:56:00.001-08:00

Today, John and I achieved our 'Bachelors of Marriage' degree. We hit the big "4 year" anniversary mark. We had grand plans of whisking away to a fancy dinner and then on to a nice play afterwards. It was going to be quite the romantical evening. Yes, I made up the word "romantical" early on in our marriage (that and electronical ;-). John teases me plenty about it but I think I'm going to get a trademark on them. It's not my fault! They sound like legitimate words...who knew!!

Anyway, you can definitely tell we've been married for four years. Since John's leg was in so much pain, we just opted for the fancy dinner out. And spent the remainder of the evening with him dropping me off at different stores so I could run some errands and return a few things. Gotta take advantage of not having to lug two kids around ya know! It actually made for a pretty good evening. Plus, it helps knowing we'll get to see our play next Friday, on the front row no less. It's a win-win! (And now we spend the evening with me blogging and him playing Xbox..yup four years folks!)

So, dinner. Ruth's Chris. One word...YUM! It's my absolute favorite-est place to eat. It also costs a small fortune to eat there so we really only go once a year if I'm lucky. But one bite of that delicious steak will have you willing to pay ANY price. I'm not well versed in my steaks by any means but it easily takes the cake as the best I've ever had. Melt.in.your.mouth delicious! And of course, the chopped salad, I'm in love with it even more. Each time I go I swear I'm going to start placing to-go orders for that salad alone. One day I actually will. I stopped short of picking up the plate to lick off every last morsel that the fork couldn't pick up. It is fine dining after all ya know. ;-)

So, here's to the best four years of my life! Four years and two kids later - life is pretty great. I'm married to my best friend and we have cute kids. What more could a girl ask for? Oh yeah, that's right....50 more years!

P.S. And I'll have you know, I actually treated John to dinner! We ate everything only to then realize he left his wallet at home. Awfully convenient eh? Thankfully I had mine stashed in the van. We laughed wondering what we would have done had we not been able to pay. With the price of that steak, we would have been doing dishes until next Thursday at least!

Laid Up

2011-12-15T19:37:00.000-08:00

Meet my husband, the gimp. Technically he wasn't "gimpy" at the time of this "before" photo....I was just too kind to take the "after" shot. Coming out of anesthesia is never a pretty sight.

This past Tuesday, we went in to retrieve some hardware. And when I say "we" I mean the doctor. For the past 6 years John has been toting around a few screws in his ankle. Well he recently decided he'd like to bid adieu to them and scheduled the surgery. Tuesday was D-day....but as it turns out, it wasn't.

Instead we paid pretty good money (well us and the insurance company) just to have the doctor take a good "look see" at the ankle. The screws were pretty snug so none of them got removed. When I got the news I laughed thinking it was a joke. Nope, no joke. If he would have removed the screws, he would have either broken the bone or stripped out the screws, so he didn't. Yay us. :(

So instead, John got the recovery without the results. And what a recovery it was. Apparently Huffords and anesthesia don't play nice together. Neither do Huffords and pain pills. I learned this on day one of recovery.

The good news is things are getting better each day. In the meantime, I get to be the sole care-taker of 3 instead of 2. I'm not sure who has the easier job, John healing, or me as I run in circles fulfilling everyone's requests. Surprisingly, John is the easiest of the patients. Addison and Jonas are tied for 2nd place. It wouldn't be so difficult if Addison could control her bladder to NOT go every time I put a bottle in Jonas' mouth. And if Jonas could resume his great sleeping habits, that would be nice too. But in the meantime, we'll keep trucking along.

The silver lining in all of this is at least the doctor was able to take a few extra snips here and there to increase his range of motion (hopefully). And he was able to confirm that the screws are definitely NOT in the way of anything. Now we can progress on to some good old fashioned stretching. I'm hoping one day his ankle can ALMOST return to normal.

Deck Oh Way Shuns!

2011-12-12T21:32:00.001-08:00

Say it super fast and you'll get to see just how cute it really sounds. Now imagine that coming out of a cute two-year old's mouth ANY time she sees lights or decorations.

One of our favorite things to do is drive around and look at the lights in nearby neighborhoods. So far we've been able to do it a few times already this season. Addison LOVES every minute of it. And I love to hear her get excited over it. Even driving to other destinations has her shouting at the top of her lungs every time she sees Christmas lights on houses. And it doesn't stop there. She thinks any/all lights (even the street lights) are decorations. Even tonight as we drove past the local jail, she shouted "Mommy! Deck o wayyy shuns!!" while pointing at their standard yard lights. So nice of the prisoners to deck out the jail for the holiday season eh? ;-)

This Christmas season has gotten sooo much more fun with Addison around. She's starting to really "get it" and LOVES any/everything Christmas related. We've also really been trying hard to remind her of what the season is actually about as well. She is very good at telling us about Jesus and Mary and Joseph and even pointing them out in pictures. She even got to go on a date w/Mommy last night to hear people sing songs about Jesus. If I'm enjoying her excitement this much, I surely won't be able to contain myself when I watch her on Christmas morning!

Christmas time has always been my favorite time of year but I didn't realize just how much better it gets when you get to see it through a two-year old's eyes. :D

Bring on the DECK OH WAY SHUNS!

Here Comes Santa Claus

2011-12-12T20:41:00.000-08:00

We came, we saw, we conquered. But just barely.

Tonight we carried on in our annual tradition and went and saw the big fat man in red. It was a great time - but it was quite the ordeal for Addison. Mommy and Lowe's are to blame. I vividly remember having my picture snapped w/Santa Claus every year growing up. And I also remember me crying in every.single.photo. But I also hold Lowe's accountable as well. (See side note for details)

SIDENOTE: There is a mechanical life-size Santa Claus that sits just within the Christmas section at our local Lowe's. He is motion detected and can really bust a move and start singing when you walk within a few feet of him. Apparently, we got too close once and Addison wigged out on me. Not just a whimper cry. It was the hysterical "there is a monster coming to eat me NOW" cry. I'll admit the dancing Claus was a bit creepy but was quite surprised just how terrified she was of it. It took me quite awhile to console her. And ever since then she's been afraid of the big guy. She LOVES him from a distance but always repeats the following phrase when we see any replica of Santa Claus: "Santa not scawey, he's nice Mommy, He sit on my lap, He bring me peasants (presents), he bring me a baby dawl" Thank you Lowe's for creating a life-long fear of Santa Claus!

So, needless to say I decided to warm her up to the "sitting on Santa's lap" idea a week early. The kiddos and I were bustling around the mall doing some holiday shopping. I figured we'd take advantage of the fact there was no line to see Santa and hang out with him a bit. I purposely sat us within range of him while we dined on our lunch. Addison and I chatted it up about how nice he really was and what she was going to ask him for for Christmas. He even looked over and waved at us a few times. Score!

Welp, it didn't help so much. She was still scared when it was time to go see him. I finally decided to leave her behind while Jonas and I went and chatted it up with the big guy. Sure enough she slowly made her way over and joined us quite hesitantly....eyeing him the whole time in case he decided to make a move. Finally she was able to give him a high-five and he even shared some candy with her. However, she started in on her "scared cry" the minute he tried to share his reindeer rocking horse with her. Poor guy - I'm guessing he deals with this a lot since he immediately started backing down and asking his assistant to help instead.

So, we told Santa we would come back w/Daddy and see him again. I was convinced she was prepared sufficiently. Fast forward to tonight. All the way there John and I built up the evening festivities. Every step we took closer to Santa had Addison saying "No Mommy he's scawey! He's not nice!" No matter what I said she would cut me off and say it all over again. So, I took Jonas over and sat him on Santa's lap...hoping brother could show her just how safe it was. Nope. She wasn't having it. No amount of bribery or explaining made it better. So, we went to our last resort. We all wandered over to hang out with him (like last time) and let her stay behind and sit on the chair. Sure enough she hesitantly sidled her way up to us and joined in. I was finally able to sit next to Santa, with Jonas, and she came and stared at him and finally sat on my leg furthest away from him. Yay!! Success!! She actually even asked if she could give him another high-five! Whoa talk about milestones folks! We got a few pictures in super quick and gave him a hug to boot. After collecting her loot (stickers, a coloring book AND a sucker!) we made our way back home. All the way back we went on and on about how big she was and how nice Santa ended up being. She conquered her fears! Go Addison! For as shy and hesitant as she can be about some things, she is a super loving and sensitive little girly and LOVES to give hugs and cuddles and kisses so we wouldn't trade it for anything. We'll just start preparing her for next year!

Ain't no thing but a chicken wing right Jonas? He was quite fascinated with the big guy.

Yay! Success for Addison! This is as close as she got to him...not counting the bear hug she gave him afterwards.

And alas, he was still nice enough to share his reindeer rocking horse with her. She was in heaven. See! Santa Claus IS a nice guy...here's proof!

And the answer is no - John and I are not above bribery. In order to get her to sit on Santa's lap we promised a truck ride and an ice cream. We delivered since she did!

All in all it was a successful day! Thanks Santa Claus for not being "scawey" after all! ;-)

Tis The Season

2011-12-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

I guess it's good that Christmas is truly such a magical and fun time of year. Because the sickies/bugs that come out this time of year truly are not.

I spend so much time throughout the year getting so excited for Christmas and the season only to be reminded just how "giving" it truly is. As in everyone "giving" their sickies to each other. Yay us! And I'm also learning that when you have two kids, everything will be shared, whether you like it or not.

Is it a good thing Addison loves to spend her time 2 cm from Jonas' face every day? Does it really help when I constantly remind her to not cough directly into his face? Is it anymore effective when she remembers to cover her mouth only 50% of the time she has a coughing fit? The poor girl, she tried her hardest, as did I, to not have her share her coughs/yuckies with brother but I was not surprised when he came down with the same thing. I quickly decided to take him in, since he's still so young, and see if we could "nip this in the bud".

Welp, I don't think listening to a 3 month old hack and rattle and cough for 3 weeks is my idea of "nipping this in the bud". I've lost count how long both of them have been hacking away but lets just say I'm having a hard time remembering life before the endless snot and coughing made their way into our home. After spending 10 days+ with a steroid and antibiotic for Jonas that did absolutely squat - well except make his little tummy hurt, we decided to line both of them up at the doc today and knock it out once and for all. Here's what we brought home in our little goody bag from the Pharmacy. Needless to say, I'm feeling lucky with this batch. Seems like a lot for 2 kids though....here's to hopin'!

Oh and I won't bother to share all the delicious details of 3 out of 4 of us getting nasty stomach flu last week. Luckily we got to take turns with it which helped since it was impossible to stand for more than a few minutes - and well, with two kids under two - you have to stand quite a bit...plus do lots more. And here I thought Mom's were immune to sicknesses. Be grateful for your health folks, I know I am now. I see health in our future!

Turkey Day

2011-12-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

Despite my delay in postings - we did in fact celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Due to a last minute London work trip for John - that was....then wasn't....our actual Turkey day plans had changed a handful of times before the day actually arrived. The final plan had us staying at home and hosting our close friends, The McKassons. And of course Grandma Bell also made an appearance - which Addison was thrilled with (as was I).

I think this was technically the first year I ever single-handedly cooked/prepared Thanksgiving. Well, I guess technically I can't say "single-handedly" since pregnant Dana and her clan were bringing over at least half of all the fixin's. Either way it was a LOT of work! Remind me to just pay someone to cook for us next year. For a dinner that can take almost two full days to prepare - and then eaten within 20 minutes - is it really worth it? Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of celebrating the holiday - just under someone else's efforts - i.e. Cracker Barrel perhaps? Maybe I'm just bitter because the Turkey I spent sleepless nights thinking about, ended up dry anyway. At least my nightmares of giving everyone salmonella didn't come true.

I guess the majority of the fun around Thanksgiving comes from just hanging out with family and friends and vegging...before, during, and after the meal. We had a lot of fun and as busy as it has seemed lately, it was nice just to slow down over the holidays.

So I had the best of intentions to get a "before" and "after" shot of our turkey spread. Here is the before shot. Apparently we were too intoxicated with triptophan to think of taking the "after" shot. Just picture a TON of leftovers because we definitely planned to feed an army - not just the 6 adults and 3 kids that we actually had.

It didn't take Addison long to go from "shy" to "twitterpated" with Scottie. She's definitely a guy's girl. She adores her Dad, and even has a fondness for "Bad" (Brad), now we can add an "Uncle Scottie" to the mix I guess.

Grandma Bell helped Addison venture on her first bike-riding experience. We somewhat mastered the art of pedaling but still have a ways to go. Luckily Mommy got to burn some calories by pushing her up and down the sidewalk a few times. Does she not just look soooo adorable in that little helmet?

Aside from enjoying the tasty meal we also got to indulge in pie at Grandma & Grandpa Fields house, go to the movies (thanks Grandma the babysitter), hit up a few sales at midnight before Black Friday, and set up the Christmas tree and decorations! It was a great relaxing weekend and holiday and definitely a great start to the holiday season - my favorite time of year!

I personally, have a LOT to be thankful for. Namely, my healthy little family. We've had our fair share of the bugs that go around, but nothing that is life-threatening and I'll take it. We have two adorable little kids that are really good kids for the most part. We have a roof over our head. We are warm and toasty in our home. We have coats. We have food. We have employment. I get to spend my time raising our kiddos. We have a car...two of them actually! The list could go on and on. I want to focus on being grateful all year long next year. I could easily think of a blessing a day for the next several years. I'm one lucky woman!

Cute Kids

2011-12-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

Yep, this is yet another post about the cute kiddos that reside in this house. I'm guessing this makes 1,394 posts total wherein I talk about nothing but the kiddos. Hey can you blame me? Have you SEEN these kids? That's what I thought. Anyway, here is a random post of the random things we've been doing. Just to let blog-land know we are still alive and havin' fun...

Future engagement photo perhaps? ;-) Actually, the fact Addison is smiling at all in this picture, while in such close proximity to Coops, is a feat in and of itself. She's spent the first 1 1/2 years of her life terrified of him. Not sure why since he is such a loveable guy. Now she seems to be making up for lost time. We had a fun time hanging out with him while his Mommy went on an errand. I think we are going to have to keep an eye on these two!

Earlier this month we were lucky enough to find out about the Bentonville Square lighting ceremony. It was a really fun night and we had a blast. Addison has been practicing her "pretty smile" wherein she doesn't gape her mouth open wide like usual. Apparently Daddy didn't get the memo that we were showcasing the "pretty smile" in this photo op. And yes, Jonas is somewhere amongst the pile of blankets. He had a grand time just catching up on his zzz's while enjoying the night air. The lights were beautiful and Addison LOVED seeing them all come on after we counted down with the crowd. And what a big crowd it was - we were lucky enough to actually have a bench most of the night.

Yes, the pic is a bit blurry but it was the only one that I could catch a smile of Jonas in. Here is Addison reading to "brudder" yet again. She's always so good to entertain him and talk to him. I'm still amazed at how much they love each other already.

A random shot of Addison taking a very important phone call. It was so adorable I couldn't pass it up. She's big into carrying on phone conversations lately. I think this time she was talking to Minnie. She also likes to hand the phone off to us to talk to them as well. So kind of her. This girl DEFINITELY has the gift of gab.

Look Santa, she loves him already! We found Brobee in a bin at Walmart the other day and she took right to him immediately while he rode around in our cart. It was adorable to see how much she loved this inanimate object. She'd just hug him and stare at him and smile for forever. Then she decided he was a bit parched apparently. Lets hope Santa gets the message and finds that same Brobee in that same Walmart bin. ;-)

And apparently another item on her Christmas wish list. 101 ways to entertain a toddler with a box. This is definitely the more cost effective present for Santa that's for sure.

And alas, I couldn't pass up another photo op with our nightly ritual of story time. 99.9% of the time Daddy is the one Addison wishes to help her get ready for bed. The few times Mom and Jonas time it right, we sneak in to enjoy the story time right along with her. We all love a good book...and some cute kiddos to boot!

Confused?

2011-11-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

Apparently so was Addison.

This morning we spent a few minutes cleaning house and decided it was time to throw out her old socks that don't fit her anymore. Addison is ALWAYS very good at helping me with random chores so I put her to use yet again on this one. I kindly asked her to toss these socks in the trash can for Mommy. She happily trotted off to the kitchen and took a few trips to get the job done. I didn't think anything of it until I went to make lunch and found this. I immediately started busting up laughing. As helpful as she is, lately she's gotten a little confused between the sink and the trash can - basically the two spots we put anything anymore. Yes, I've also found wadded up/used kleenex's and wet wipes in the sink along with Jonas' bottles and her sippies in the trash. I can't bear to get on to her for getting confused since she is SUCH a great helper. Instead, I'll just enjoy the random sights to document and laugh at along the way.

Random Sidenote: I apologize for those who think I'm wasteful by tossing these socks in the trash. I'm one of those people who refuse to buy used socks/underwear at garage sales or second hand stores and therefore refuse to sell OR donate them to others as well. She's worn these for the last year so we easily got our money's worth out of them so off to the trash they go. However, if anyone is insistent on not letting them go to waste - let me know. If you pay the shipping, I'll happily mail them to you. Just let me know before trash day comes back around! ;-)

Wonderment & Awe

2011-11-16T10:42:00.001-08:00

I think I've finally found my groove. At least the "groove" that comes with raising two kiddos. I'm convinced I'm deficient in any/all other "grooves".

Lately, it seems I just spend my days fascinated with Jonas and Addison. Don't get me wrong, we still have our moments but more often than not, I'm just amazed that these two cute and squeezy little human beings came out of me. They make me smile a lot. They are extremely well behaved and sweet and insert every other good quality here. I'm not saying that they aren't "kids" by any means and that they don't have their moments (as do I) but those moments pale in comparison with the good moments they have.

Even though Addison is a well-known "rule follower" I wouldn't have it any other way. She has such a sweet personality and disposition. Plus, it's always nice to know if I ask her to stay close to me, that she won't go darting into traffic while I get brother out of the van. Plus, even at 2 1/2 months old I can tell Jonas is going to be a sweet guy too. How lucky am I that I got this twice in a row?

So, I'm devoting this post to all the amazing things I notice/watch with Jonas and Addison as we spend our days together. Just those things I hope I never forget as the minutes, days, and years slip by.

BIRTHMARKS:
Ever since birth, Jonas has had a cute little divot in his earlobe. I always try to convince people that we pierced it when he was born and surprisingly some believe me! But, no folks, I wouldn't go piercing a newborn's ears - especially a little boy's ear at that ;-).

It makes me remember when Addison was born and her cute lil belly button made the shape of a sideways "H". I was convinced it was simply because our last name was Hufford ;-). I'm not entirely sure when she outgrew it but somewhere along the way she did. :(

And both kiddos have my two-headed toe. Trust me, it's not as freaky as it sounds. I didn't even realize I had it until John so kindly brought it to my attention. Basically the 2nd and 3rd toes come out of the same "trunk" from the foot. Personally I think it's cute and I especially think it's cute that my kids share the feature. Proof that my genetic code is in there somewhere!

CUTE SAYINGS:
One would think this section is mostly about Addison since Jonas can't talk quite yet....oh contrar! I may not be able to decipher his ramblings yet but he is jabbering. And I'm loving it. He mostly just tries to duplicate our sounds with his mouth but it is cute to hear his deep manly voice more often.

Addison of course always seems to have a new/cute phrase daily, sometimes hourly. It's so funny to hear what she comes up with to say. She's using sentences a TON lately and I'm still amazed she knows how to do so already. It's getting to be quite the game when I have to try and guess what she's saying. She's very patient with me and will continually repeat it until I have it just right. I have no idea where she is learning this stuff but it makes me realize just how fast they grow up!

I'm guessing part of her new vocabulary comes from her inquisitive mind and her jabbering mouth. She always asks what EVERYTHING is. Literally....everything.that.comes.across.our.path. She'll say "Mommy, what izzzz dat?" It's definitely teaching me some new patience lately especially when grocery shopping. I can barely answer one question before she's on to another. And, the little stinker is usually asking about something she already knows the answer to. Now, I just happily turn the tide and ask HER what it is so I don't have to identify every single object known to man.

Lately she has started volunteering the phrase "Daddy, I uv (love) you!" It's adorable to hear and turns us both into putty. She started using it more with Daddy but after a little coaxing from John, she is now using it toward me as well. She has also graduated to using the sentence "Mommy, I ike (like) you!" Talk about melting my heart! I LOVE hearing those words.

Even her speech is advancing before our eyes. She has started trying to pronounce those words that typical toddlers eliminate. Mostly it's the "L" sound.....which is cute because she has to slow down her sentences and roll her tongue just so to get it out.

SMILES:
Both of my kids have gorgeous smiles. We've been enjoying Addison's for quite some time now but lately Jonas' has given us more as well. And I'll be the first to witness - this boy can turn me to butter with his smiles. Probably because he smiles just as big with his eyes as he does with his mouth. He started by giving most of the smiles to me but lately Daddy has been able to squeeze a few out of him as well. And Addison? Well all she has to do is be near him and he's grinning from ear to ear while he watches her. Frankly, I have no clue how I will ever attempt to discipline this boy as he gets older. I'm convinced I'll be running to get him ice cream cones instead of trying to put him in time out.

BUDDIES:
It's a well known fact that Addison and her Daddy are best buds. Don't get me wrong, I know for a fact that she loves/adores me as well but her relationship with John is truly unique and special. I'm not jealous by any means. I love that she adores her Dad and he adores her just as much. But now I'm getting to experience this first-hand with Jonas as well. I've been told that the boy is always Mom's little buddy and they have a special relationship with the Moms like the daughters have with their Dads. Well so far I can attest that this is true. He is only a little over two months but we have some fun bonding/chatting/hanging out times as well. Can't wait to see this grow more and more as he gets older.

SIBLINGS:
These two adore each other and I love it. Never once has Addison shown any inkling of jealousy or malice toward Jonas. And never once has Jonas' looked at Addison and NOT smiled from ear to ear. It doesn't get much better than watching your two kids develop/share that special relationship with each other. I'm excited to have a front row seat as they grow up together and develop that friendship even more. Don't get me wrong, I totally expect them to argue and wrestle with each other as they get older - but I'll know all along that their relationship runs much deeper than any argument/fight they get into.

Anytime Jonas puts his arm on/near Addison she'll laugh and say "Mommy! Brudder's tickowing me!" Just this morning he managed to grab a wad of her hair while they were watching cartoons. She was a bit confused but Daddy and I were there to assure her that it's the beginning of many hair pulls to come. After all, that's what brothers do!

READING:
Ever since I can remember, Addison has always loved to read. She has a few favorite books in her collection that she'll repeatedly ask us to read to her at bedtime. A few we've read soooo many times that she now has them memorized. I was quite shocked to hear her recite one of her favorites - "The Foot Book" almost word-for-word as she read it to me for the first time. I even had her do it a few more times with John nearby and she still got the majority of the words right! "Weft foot, weft foot, right foot, right. Feet in da moaning, feet at night...."

She also loves to read to brother. One night when Daddy was home with them by himself, he noticed her reading this book to Jonas.

Apparently, she would jabber with her own words through most of it but she always said the words "back and forf, back and forf," while rocking back and forth at the precise page in the book. I'm amazed at her memory and her love of books. Even when she was blessed by her Dad as a little baby, it was mentioned she would always love books. I just didn't realize we would notice it so soon!

Here Addison is reading to Jonas. He is always enthralled with anything she does. I love that she would read the words, then turn the book around and hold up the pages for brudder to see.

It seems like these two kids are at such fun ages. Sometimes I am just simply amazed that I can keep a two year old and two month old alive - simultaneously. But more often than not, I love that I get to sit back and watch both kids grow up and develop into such cute little human beings. It's moments like these that make me realize just how much I love my job. I'm a lucky lady who is living her dream!

Fall Back

2011-11-14T07:26:00.001-08:00

Let it be recorded: I am NOT a fan of Daylight Savings Time. In my single days I was beyond thrilled for that extra hour of sleep when it was time to Fall Back, albeit not so much on Springing Forward.

Anyway, as anyone with kids know, changing up the clocks twice a year only causes problems for our routine....and our sleep. Plus, I'm convinced we endured a full moon all last week as well. These are the only contributing factors I can think of that totally sent our week wonky. I'm just glad I survived.

Child #1: Addison has always been a good little sleeper and a happy little girly. Most every other day of the year she wakes up around 7:00 am with a smile on her face and does really good throughout the day.

However, last week we experienced a change-up thanks to readjusting those stinkin' clocks. Not only was she waking up at 6:00 am (sometimes even 5:00 am!) she was also randomly wandering the house in the middle of the night. It's a bit creepy when you wake up to a wandering crying child at 2 am. Especially when we are all half asleep and trying to get our bearings through it all. With the early waking hours and overall lack of adequate sleep, it sent our days into whining fits as well. Both by me and her.

Child #2: Like usual, Jonas has been spending his first few months in our room in his bassinet. Overall, he's been a fairly good sleeper as well. Only waking once at night to be fed. However, last week he would wake multiple times either wanting food, wanting his binky, or just plain stirring and making noises in his sleep. Again, that makes for a pretty restless night for the Mommy & Daddy.

So, on top of those sleepless nights with the kids, it didn't help matters that I spent Wednesday night experiencing a mild earthquake at 10:00 pm while everyone else was asleep. Yes folks, that's a good handful (I lose count) of earthquakes experienced in Arkansas no less! I don't think I had ever been in an earthquake until this last year and now I'm guessing I've sat through at least five of them. Mild ones but still freaky nonetheless.

That whole night just felt "off" and weird. I spent the rest of the night convincing myself the end of the world was coming and worrying about my food supply. By the time it was time to actually fall asleep my mind was racing a mile a minute about all the last minute preparations I needed to do. It's so funny how things scare me more now that I have kids. I just wanted to wake them all up and hole up in a room huddling together. But the way this week was going, they were already doing that on their own.

Anyway, after experiencing all of that weirdness, we ended the week with some nice yuckies. Addison got a cold from someone/where and spent Thursday night miserable. The poor girl was tossing/turning all night barely able to breathe. Somehow brother got the memo (and possibly her yuckies) and was a little restless as well. We got little sleep. However, to cope, I kept convincing myself we'd all enjoy a nice nap together Friday afternoon. That wasn't so much a good idea. Addison and Jonas decided it was the ONE day that they would not coordinate their naps - or even sleep at all for that matter. After a mild meltdown on my part, I convinced myself I'd just catch up on sleep that night. After all, this is what happens with kids right? Sleepless nights. I'd been spoiled up until then with good sleepers and good kids so it was time to earn my stripes.

Welp, I spoke too soon. Friday night was even LONGER than Thursday night. John was needing to get some sleep since he would be driving teenagers all day on Saturday to/from the temple. So I was prepping myself for a long night of playing blocker for him. I had a sick/moaning Addison in bed with me and Jonas in his big boy crib so they wouldn't wake each other up. Apparently they were in-cahoots with each other again because I spent the first hour or two literally walking from one child/room to the next as they took turns crying. I was convinced the sleep gods were out to get me. I had no choice but to wake John up so he could tend to one of them while I got the other one. I think we all changed sleeping locations about five times that night trying to find the perfect situation. Thankfully John was able to get at least a good couple of hours but we still spent most of the night wondering what in the heck was going on.

And finally, this week...we survived!! Day #1 (today): had all of us sleeping until our regular times and sleeping well again...in our own beds no less! Lesson learned from last week? Feel sorry for those parents that struggle with that craziness each/every day with their kiddos. If mine only do it for a week/twice a year, I can handle it. I just need to mentally prepare myself before Spring hits again.

The good/exciting news in all of this is that Jonas is now sleeping happily in his big boy crib in his own room. And Mommy and Daddy are finally getting some good sleep since we aren't listening to him stir all night long. It's nights/weeks like this that make me realize how nice it is that our kids are usually such good little sleepers. Sleep deprivation doesn't bring out my greatest qualities. There is a reason it's used as torture on prisoners of war.

Practical Princess

2011-11-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

Lately Addison has been enamored with anything "Pin-cess". After all, I figured it was only just a matter of time before my little girly transitioned from the land of Mickey to the land of princesses. Shhhh secretly, I'm still thankful she doesn't know their specific names (or matching accessories). I still don't think I'm ready to enter THAT far into princess land. For right now, we are both quite content just calling them "Pin-cesses".

So, today she requested that she become a "Pin-cess". Luckily, after a quick mental memory scan, I realized we had just the dress to fulfill her dreams. Phew! (After all, we haven't dwelt in this land long enough to acquire princess-y things. Luckily she was beyond thrilled with my selection - a church dress from last Spring. Once it was on, she twirled and twirled until she got dizzy. After she was done twirling, she decided to accessorize! And I figured while we were at it, we'd embrace this lifestyle even more and start getting some chores done! All while dressed in full garb (her...not me ;-) I must say, I'm LOVING this princess phase so far!

Here's the action shot: Twirl #5

And Twirl #287 ;-)

And yes, she is her Mother's daughter - note the tennis shoes. It's all about being practical ya know! I even tried to convince her to wear her princess heels but she was adamant she wear tennis shoes. Apparently, even at 2 years old, she's already fully aware that heels can wreak havoc on your poor ankles! ;-) Or maybe she's taking after her Grandma Bell - she's famous for her dresses and tennis shoe combos.

And really there is no time like the present to start acting out some princess movies. Cinderelly cinderelly....sweep the floor Cinderelly! No worries though - she begged me to sweep. Yes, again she is her mother's daughter.

Oh and lets not forget 'Little Boy Blue' - isn't he a cutie? Nothing cuter than a sleeping baby. And who says that dressing girls is more fun? I would have to disagree. I'm thorougly enjoying dressing this little guy up as a miniature little man. The best is on Sunday when we can turn him into a little stake president. Too bad most of it's buried by his blanket. :(

2 Months Old

2011-11-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

Happy 2 month's Jonas McKay! Well technically it was this past Tuesday but Mommy was a little under the weather that day (see previous posts). But we celebrated it today and had a great day.

How did we celebrate? By having another of our personal photo shoots of course! This time Addison decided to be my co-photographer. Basically that means she used the toy phone as a camera (apparently it turns into one when you hold it sideways). She kneeled just like me, just next to me, and repeated every little coo'ing word I said to Jonas to get a smile. I couldn't have done it without her help! Maybe that's why I actually got some smiles out of the little man this time. He must have thought the two of us were pretty entertaining to watch.

We sure adore this little guy around these parts. I'm amazed at his ability to get cuter and cuter as each day passes. Is it a good thing that I have a crush on my little boy? Addison and I both agree....."He's Tute!" Daddy even coined a few nicknames for the little guy: Little J McKay and Le Beef (from the movie True Grit), Jonas da Bonus, and Turtle turtle.

This is his "cool dude two thumbs up" pose....but without the thumbs. Or maybe he's pumping himself up to jump in a boxing ring?

And alas, the famous smile! I'm lovin' the sweater vest look. I hope he doesn't hate me later. Sweater vests look great on little guys. Not so much on the grown ones. ;-)

Here he is staring at his favorite sister. He kinda likes her....uh lot!

See what I mean? I just want to eat him up! He's got a cute little personality. He always smiles, without fail, each time I lay him on the changing table in the morning. It could be because he's got a full belly....nah I think it's because of my charming personality. He's definitely a fun little guy to hang out with. And Addison and I are the lucky ones since we get to do it all day/everyday. :D So glad to have you in our family Jonas McKay!

And as usual, here are the milestones/accomplishments the little guy has managed in his two months of being on this earth...

Burps (he's getting MUCH better at this and we love it)
Poops (He usually does this every other day but I always get excited when he fills a diaper. I'd much rather have it outside of him than inside of him.)
Smiles (As I've mentioned before - I'm a big fan of his gorgeous smile)
Waves his hands around for no good reason
Kicks his feet
Loves to watch the ceiling fan
Loves to cuddle with his sister (or lets his sister cuddle on him...all she wants..which is a lot)
Is a really happy and easy baby - I'm a lucky mom. I got this one twice in a row!
Sleeps great. Only wakes up once (5:00ish am) to eat and goes right back down.
Growing! He's a long little boy! We've already graduated to the 3-6 month clothes just because the 0-3 turned into high-waters on him.

And alas, the measurements...

Head: 17.5 cm (97%)
Length: 25 1/2" (97%)
Weight: 12 lbs 3 1/2 oz (50%)

Trick or Treat

2011-11-02T21:11:00.001-07:00

We had a very fun Halloween this year. Addison is catching on to more of the concept so it's always fun to watch her enjoy herself. There were a few events leading up to the actual holiday so I'll blog in pictures to document our fun...

The fun started off with our ward's trunk-or-treat Saturday night. Here we are with Grandpa Fields and surrounded by kids and chaos everywhere.

Here is Daddy at the trunk-or-treat with his cute little pirate and monkey.

Next up...pumpkin carving time! Here are our final masterpieces. Mommy's is on the left, Addison's is the head to Daddy's pumpkin - which is the body. It was Daddy's cool idea and it turned out pretty good!

Here are Daddy and Addison showing off our creations. She wasn't interested in touching the "guts" of the pumpkin but she did do a few careful scoops with the spoon.

Here is Addison enjoying a little pre-Halloween dinner thanks to Sonic. One of the perks of living just down the street from them - you get to run down and get a free hot dog and soda! :D Our new tradition!

Here's the cute little smiley boy in his first Halloween outfit. I love his smile!

And here he is again, this time donning his actual Halloween costume. Such a cute little monkey.

Mommy with her pirate and her monkey. We promised Grandma Fields we'd swing by and trick-or-treat and show off the kids. We had to stop and take a photo shoot while we were there.

We went trick-or-treating with our good friends Garrett and Brady. It's always more fun to go with friends. Here are the Pirate (Addison) Buzz Lightyear (Garrett) and Anakin Skywalker (Brady).

A little fuzzy but still such a cute picture. Daddy and Addison walking down to the first house. She was a bit shy in saying "Trick-or-Treat" but luckily we were there to help her. She loved every minute of it. She ran from one house to the next once she caught on to the process. Surprisingly she was done after only visiting half of the neighborhood. What kid doesn't want more candy?

All in all, it was a great night of fun! It's true that holidays are more fun with kids. Especially when they get old enough to understand what is going on. Addison came home with lots of loot and surprisingly seems to forget it exists. She hasn't really asked to eat much of it since that night. No worries, Mommy will be happy to help her polish off all the loot. :D

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Date Night

2011-11-02T20:47:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Fields, John and I actually got to go on a date last Friday. We were so grateful they could watch our little munchkins especially since it was over a 6+ hour stretch, with a two-month old, and a 2 year old. Yep, they were saints and we are thankful.

Anyway, this date was more exciting since it was a bit out of the norm....and out of town. We drove an hour to get to Eureka Springs. I had never been before and let me say it was definitely "interesting". I almost felt like I was in a foreign little city when we got there. We met up with some of our fun friends and family and had a nice Italian dinner. Granted we had to sit elbow to elbow in a tiny little dining area but it all added to the experience. We seem to laugh so much when we get around this group. After dinner we walked down to get our tickets and enjoy a magical and intriguing show. It was something similar to the movie "Prestige" if you've seen that. There was a magician who did a lot of pretty cool tricks and of course a medium who spoke with the ghosts who apparently have "the answers" <- that part I was a little more skeptical of.

It was fun to go and also fun to try and figure out how they did all the tricks. I think we may have guessed a few but most left us stumped. Tommy (our friend in the group) even volunteered to participate at one point just so we could know that there weren't "plants" in the audience and it wasn't rigged. And the tricks still worked. I love to watch magic but it drives me bonkers when I can't figure out how they do it. Just ask John, I don't like secrets.

Sarah and Brad even participated and the tricks still stumped us. The magician was great but the most laughter came from his assistant (the medium). She donned a very over the top fake accent that none of us could tell which country it originated from. At one point we were all bursting into laughter so much that Tom had to get up and leave to compose himself. It was a great night and a fun and different way to spend time together. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for spoiling our kiddos rotten and thanks to our fun friends who made the night that much more entertaining. Here's to next time!

Our fun group - with the magician. It's probably a good thing "Clarissa" (his assistant) wasn't there to take pictures. I don't think we could have kept a straight face.

My Worst Fear

2011-11-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Technically it's not my ABSOLUTE worst fear but it definitely ranks up there. Anytime Addison takes a hard fall, I always check her head and teeth first. I do good at not alarming her with an "Ahhh you fell!" moment. I hide my anxiety as I calmly check for teeth, tongue, and head trauma. So far we've done pretty good up to this point.

Well fast forward to last Thursday night. Ironically, Daddy and Addison were going to brush her teeth but somehow she fell when stepping on her stool. It sounded like a hard hit and a painful cry - poor girl. Daddy consoled her while trying to check for injuries. None to be found, except for when we finally got her to open her mouth. The poor girl's front tooth was chipped. My heart sank. Luckily it was only a very small chip but still sharp nonetheless. She quickly recovered and went to bed. I spent the next morning trying to call dentists and realized none of them have hours on Friday (remind me to work for a dentist someday - they have some pretty lax hours) Anyway, after determining it wasn't really an "emergency" and she wasn't complaining about it, we decided to wait and get in to the dentist on Monday. I didn't want her first "dentist experience" to be a chipped tooth but oh well.

We got several recommendations from a good local dentist and amazingly they had a last minute opening on Monday afternoon. It was either take that or wait until January (I'm guessing he's pretty popular). Anyway, we jumped on it and Addison and I made our way down to visit him. I kept talking to her about how the dentist will fix her tooth and he's really nice and it's really fun to go there. Even when we got out of the car she repeated back to me "Dentist fix toof Mommy" - it was adorable. Anyway she had a ball while waiting in the waiting room and then got a little shy when we got called back. He was a great dentist, greeted her with a stuffed frog (which had teeth) and showed Addison what he would do to her teeth - while using the frog. She was a little perplexed by it all but reluctantly she laid down. I held her hand and she had no problems letting him count her teeth while she watched T.V. However, she got a bit freaked out when the drill came out to grind it down. (I wouldn't blame her - I'd be scared of that thing if I were two as well). Anyway, luckily it was a small chip of the enamel, he just filed it down, and sent us on our way. Apparently it's pretty common for kids to chip their teeth. The things you learn eh? And I doubt anyone can tell it's chipped unless they stare at her teeth. And she got lots of prizes and treats afterward so she was in heaven. And now we get to start seeing him in 6 months for her first cleaning. :D So a few good things came out of a bad situation.

Here she is having a blast in the waiting room. Seriously, you'd think she was at Disneyland.

Strike Three

2011-11-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

Warning: This may not be an exciting read for some of my blog followers. It documents my struggles with nursing which I have mentioned in an earlier post. Just know you were warned!

So, since I can tend to be on the pessimistic side, I'm trying harder lately to focus on the positive. Both for my sake and those around me...namely my family. Of course, it can be challenging to do with everything that seems to be happening to me (Lol....just what a pessimistic person would say eh? ;-)

Anyway, I've made an honest attempt at nursing this go around. And now I'm gracefully bowing out. Why you ask? Well last Monday was the third (count them 1,2,3) time I got mastitis...in TWO months! That doesn't count the two times I got it with Addison. For those who don't know what Mastitis is, google it, it hurts like crazy. Honestly I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Flu like symptoms...shakes, chills, cold sweats, nausea, itching, migraines, throbbing pain, fever, heat - all at the same time and it comes on quick! The good news is that at least the first two times were caught and medicated before it hit full force. This last time was full force. It all hit at night right after we got done trick or treating. I resorted to calling the on-call doctor to try and get some relief. He couldn't call any medication in without seeing me but suggested to "ride it out" through the night. That or else go into the ER and get some meds. I actually considered going to the ER...that's huge folks! I've never been to the ER (for myself at least). The only thing that changed my mind is knowing I couldn't drive in this condition and John had to stay home with the kids. So, I rode it out until morning.

On the nursing side of things, luckily I have a nice stockpile of frozen milk for little boy to coast on for awhile. After that, it's formula all the way. And I'm choosing to push away any/all guilt that starts to set in, from me or others. I've given it an honest attempt. He got the good stuff for a few good months - better than not at all. And I won't have to fear getting infected again. Plus, my doctor even mentioned the "3 strikes your out" so that makes me feel better.

Anyway, where is all the "positive thinking" in all of this you may ask? I am never going to take "being healthy" for granted. Not after what I've endured these last three days. Do you know how hard it is to take care of a 2 year old and a 2 month old when you can't move? Thanks to a dear friend who watched Addison (all day!) the first day....lifesaver. So now that I'm finally on the mend, and able to stand up for more than five minutes, I'm loving life again. I'm not feeling as overwhelmed since I can actually get up and do stuff. And I can now fulfill my promise to the kids that I will be happy and more patient and fun now that I'm feeling better. Honestly, I'm not the nicest to my body but it has been pretty good to me. I've given it junk food and little exercise and soda more than I should. And surprisingly I hardly ever get sick....except for this time. And frankly, now that I'm on the mend, I'm never going to complain again. I have my health. I'm healthy!!! Thankfully mastitis was only a temporary ailment, some people deal with yucky stuff for a lifetime and/or it takes them to their grave. In the words of Monty Python..."I got bettah!" :D

So, moral of the post? Be thankful you are healthy and your kids and your family are healthy. That you can get up and move around and do things with little to no pain almost all of the time. Sure we have the random ailments here and there but I'll gladly take them over all the other more serious ailments.

Anybody Out There?

2011-10-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

It's time for my first annual poll of finding out if anyone out in blog-land reads my mindless driveling? No worries, it's not like I'm going to go private or quit blogging based on the results. I'm just curious if I have friends is all. So comment! Let me know you're alive! And if you have blogs I can stalk too. :D I'll be here....keepin' on either way.

Familiar Face

2011-10-24T12:22:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying this is not something I'm particularly proud of...but John thought it was funny enough to be documented for posterity. So here goes...

For those devoted readers of my blog (please tell me I actually have some?) you probably already know I'm a huge fan of Chick-fil-a. Great customer service, hot food, friendly staff, yadda yadda yadda. Well on top of all that I'm also a big fan of their delicious chicken tenders (thanks Jared ;-).

Anyway, even though I'm not pregnant anymore, I've still had my fair share of cravings for those dang tenders. It seems to be a tradition to stop and eat some on our errand day when we actually leave the house. It's pretty sad (and cute) when all we have to do is pull into the parking lot and I hear Addison say "Mommy.....eat!" Yep, she's quite familiar with our tradition by now. But she's not the only one. Apparently certain Chick-fil-a employees are as well.... Here was last week's dialogue with the order taker lady (and no I don't know HER name :P).

Order Taker Lady: "Can I help you?"
Me: "Yeah, we'll have the yadda yadda yadda" (Heck at this point I could probably get away with saying "the usual!")
OTL: "And what is the name on the order?"
Me: "Shannon"
OTL: "Ahhhh yeah that's right. I should have remembered that by now since you come in here so often."
Me: "Hehehe..uh thanks?"
OTL: "And how old is the little guy now? (As she peers at Jonas in his carseat)
Me: "Almost two months old"
OTL: "Wow! He's growing so fast! It seems like just yesterday you were pregnant with him!"
Me: "Back off woman! Mind your own business!" - Okay maybe those weren't my "exact" words but I was definitely thinking it since apparently I'm frequenting their restaurant a little too much.

Nice encounter eh? I'm sure she means well but it's not a flattering thing when I go often enough to be remembered so well. One would thing that would have kept me away from the restaurant for at least a week but nope gotta have those tenders!! We actually went back just today - to the same lady - who once again mentioned that "next time she'll remember my name." See? Uh...maze...ing customer service. I should be proud that I'm so recognizable right? ;-)

Harvest Time

2011-10-24T11:20:00.001-07:00

A week or so ago we were able to bring in the harvest along with the locals. As in "we were able to take a tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch and select our favorite ones before catching the same tractor back". Our "harvest time" is MUCH easier than the farmer's version that's for sure!

There is a cute little pumpkin patch on the way to John's work that we go to every year. Technically this is our second year but I'm sure it's going to develop into a tradition. After all, with two kids age two and younger, we are all about quick drives and simple entertainment before they (or we) get too tired.

Anyway, it's a cute little patch which comes with it's own corn maze (two of them) and a petting zoo, and a cow trailer ride (for Addison), and a corn cob air shooter game (for John). We had a blast wandering around the maze - although Mommy's arms tired out since we didn't bring the stroller for Jonas so we bailed at the halfway point. Which coincidentally put us right at the pumpkin patch. Addison and Daddy were off to find their favorite pumpkins and Mommy and Jonas tried to keep up. We were intent on Addison being able to pick her very own pumpkin but the girl is easily persuaded and quick to change her mind. Pretty much any pumpkin she saw she was in love with - until she saw another one. Mommy had to stop her from trying to bring a rotten bug infested pumpkin home. I guess she see's the beauty in everything eh?

We quickly found our little pumpkin family and headed back on our way. Addison was very helpful in finding Jonas two little baby pumpkins since he can't quite pick his own yet. Maybe next year.

Addison helping Daddy find the perfect pumpkin to take home with us.

After we picked our pumpkins we waited for the tractor to come retrieve us. It was quite interesting boarding the wagon with two kids, a handful of accessories, and 4 pumpkins. But, we finally did and were on our way back. I think Addison got more excited about the tractor ride than the actual pumpkin picking. She kept smiling and telling "Mommy! Trackor!" It was fun to see the little things that she loves.

Trying to do better at putting me in some of these memories/pictures. Here we are waiting for the tractor to pick us up.

Once we got back to the main area we got to hang out and feed Jonas while Daddy tried shooting his corn cobs. He did everything he could to win a free hot-dog by hitting the furthest target but he couldn't. Oh well - I'm sure he enjoyed trying to hit it. Maybe next year.

Proof that Jonas was there and having a great time. It's always a great time when there is a bottle in your mouth right?

Then Daddy and Addison got to go off and pet the animals in the petting zoo. Technically I think there was just a small pen with 5 goats but at two years old - that is still pretty exciting. I hung back with Jonas while he was eating. I'm guessing they had lots of fun since they were gone for a good little while.

Addison hanging out with the goats. Have I mentioned I'm so glad she's not afraid of animals?

After the petting zoo it was time for Mommy and Addison to ride the cow train. Addison loved it. Mommy was in pain the entire time. That train is not made for a grown person to fit in and it definitely lacked the shocks necessary to give a comfortable ride.Thanks to my kneecaps, we were able to brace ourselves on every.single.bump. we encountered. I was in so much pain I couldn't stop laughing. And since Addison was nicely cushioned on me, she was just laughing right along with me. I tried to hide my pain and enjoy the ride but it was hard to do. I guess I should have let her ride alone like she wanted to begin with. Maybe next year. Either that or I'll wear knee pads. Still, it was a fun time to share with Addison and after all, bruises heal right? Memories last forever. I was just glad to finally be back on solid ground and out of that plastic cow barrel.

The "Cow Train" (aka: The Adult Torture Chamber). Addison had a blast though!

Overall, we had a great time at the pumpkin patch and can't wait to go back next year. It's always fun to get out and enjoy the fall weather and pick which pumpkins we like the best. Stay tuned for our FHE night of when we get to carve them! :D

She Loves Him

2011-10-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ever since the first day she laid eyes on him, Addison has been in l.o.v.e. with her brother. It's been so nice not having to worry about jealousy issues or her hurting him. So far she hasn't had an ounce of jealousy or anger toward him. We actually have to make sure she doesn't kiss him to death - which is a nice problem to have. The only time she's even come close to hurting him was when she was poking at his eye. Of course it was more of a curiosity thing than animosity.

Each day I love watching the two of them as their relationship grows. She loves to sit and talk to him while he's in his swing. She loves to help give him his binky. And she loves to cheer him up if he's sad. She also loves to repeat everything Mommy says when I do baby talk with him. She's even lately started saying "Ohhhhh baby brudder...he's a saweetie pie" or "Ahhh....Mommy he's so tute (cute)". I have no idea where she learned those words but it's hilarious to hear her say them. I love to look in their eyes and see the adoration they have toward each other. I can't wait to see it develop even more over the years. I'm thinking they will be the best of buds.

Lately I've been giving her the task of "babysitting" while I cook dinner. Granted I only leave them for a few minutes at a time but I always make a big "to-do" of it and Addison feels so special being left in charge. Even at two years old she fulfills the responsible role of caretaker. I sneak in every once in a while to check on them just to see her putting a blanket on him or giving him a binky or chatting his ear off or giving him kisses. She will be a great babysitter when she gets older - I can hardly wait!

Here's the action shot...

Posing...

Rubbing noses...

And going in for the kiss!

Grandpa Comes To Town

2011-10-20T11:20:00.001-07:00

Grandpa Bell wasn't able to make it to celebrate Jonas' blessing day but he did get to make an impromptu trip the day after and come visit us. We were quite surprised when he called and said he was about 4 hours away. Lucky for us we didn't have any plans so we spent the morning anxiously awaiting his arrival. Addison doesn't get to see Grandpa Bell very much but she warms up to him pretty quickly when he does come play. They were best buddies all.day.long. He even trumped Daddy (her latest favorite).

While he was in town we were able to take him to his favorite places to eat. Lunch at Long John Silvers with a side of fried okra for dessert. Then later that night we went to our usual Abuelo's for dinner so John could come along. Of course our day didn't just consist of eating. We did have lots of fun in between all the food.

This was the first time he has ever met Jonas so they got lots of snuggling in while he was here. They were able to enjoy a nice little nap together as well.

After naps we got to take a nice walk to the park with a ice cream treat along the way. This could be one of the reasons why Addison was so in love with Grandpa - she LOVES ice cream.

And Grandpa and Addison played blocks while we waited for Daddy to come home from work.

All in all, it was a nice little last minute visit with Grandpa Bell. Addison had a blast and I'm sure she's already looking forward to the next visit. Which hopefully will be much sooner since he may be moving to Kansas City soon. Yay for Grandpas!

Blessed Day

2011-10-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago marked a special day for the Hufford family.....especially for Jonas and Daddy. Jonas was blessed to be...well blessed by his Daddy at church. Well technically Daddy got to speak the words that Heavenly Father wished to bless Jonas with. It definitely makes me grateful that we are lucky enough that John can hold the priesthood and bless our family with it in many ways.

We had planned quite a bit for Jonas' special day. First up on the list was his outfit. It proved to be a little more difficult for me to figure out. Even though it's not required, I tried to find something in all white for the little guy. However, everything I found was quite expensive and was guaranteed to make him look like a little pioneer baby. Not quite the look I was wanting to go for. So, we went to plan B which of course I fell in love with when I saw it. He got to dress up like a miniature little man in his white button-up collared shirt and kahki pants and a cute little miniature clip-on tie to complete the outfit. He looked adorable and was soooo cute.

Next up was our preparation to get him to his happiest, sleepiest, state so he'd be nice and content while Daddy gave the blessing and the other men gathered around him. Minutes before he was quietly sleeping on Mommy and seemed ready to go. However, Daddy made a last minute decision (that he'd later regret) before he went up to give the blessing. Yep, he wanted to leave the binky with me since Jonas seemed so happy and peaceful. Soooo of course within a minute of his blessing, Jonas started to cry. Not a mad cry but it was still pretty difficult to hear the words being spoken. Of course it was hardest on John since it's hard to be quiet and wait for inspiration when you are holding a crying baby. Regardless, the blessing was beautiful and just what Heavenly Father wanted to give to Jonas. Plus, it's the beginning of many many more blessings so if there was anything left unsaid I'm sure we'll hear it later.

Afterward, both sides of our family were able to gather together at our neighborhood clubhouse and enjoy an informal style lunch of sandwiches and chips and drinks and cake. Thanks to my sister Michelle for singlehandedly taking this task on so I didn't have to fret over the details of it all. Plus of course all those who helped her and offered to help her. We have lovely family if you haven't read my previous post. We were so grateful for all those who were able to come and share in Jonas' big day. He has a LOT of people that love him and love us. Here are a few pics of our special day:

Our little family with Grandma Bell

Our family with Grandma and Grandpa Fields

Our little family

Self Portrait

2011-10-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well sort of. Addison loves to play with our phones....even though she has been told they aren't toys (repeatedly). But, being the typical two-year old she still sneaks around and gets them. I think it's hilarious that all I have to do when I catch her with mine is give her "the look" and she hands it over while batting her eyes. John even set a password protect on mine and within minutes we watched her hack into it as well. Granted it was just a code of "0000" but we were still impressed with her skills.

Anyway, as a result of the sneakiness, we've gotten a few random camera shots of her. So, here is a self-portrait of Addison.....by Addison. Enjoy! (P.S. I'm thinking this was a multi-day shoot since she is wearing pants in some and not others ;-)

Don't even get me started on her iPad skills. She can single-handedly maneuver around that thing better than I can. And has had it mastered for some time. This ensures she gets to watch her Gabba videos anytime she pleases - or at least until we confiscate the iPad.

Lovely Family

2011-10-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'd just like to say I am loved. And it feels very nice like.

I have the best family ever. Yes, that includes my "in-laws", those of my own side, and of course my little family of four. For those who read my recent blog posts you may know that things were a bit crazy as I adjusted to life with a newborn and two-year old. It was a rough time for me. Not ALL so, but it definitely had it's moments. It seems silly to say since it's all my own doing and my anxiety made it so.

Honestly, Jonas has been a great baby - extremely laid back just like his sister (yes we are very lucky we got this twice in a row). Addison has been a great helper even though Mommy wasn't very deserving of it at times (okay....most of the time). John has been patient with me as I traveled on the hormonal roller coaster that comes with having a baby. And frankly extended family has stepped up to the plate and gone above and beyond. Just a few things I've been blessed with:

-Dinners. Yum and so nice to have. From family and friends and every one was appreciated.
-Play Dates. Taking Addison for a little break for the both of us. She loved the extra attention and fun.
-A return trip. My mother sensed the need and came back for yet another short stay to help out. Yes, this was in addition to her original stay when Jonas arrived. She makes a great assistant. I've tried to hire her to no avail.
-Phone calls. Sister-in-laws that listen to my tears. Answering nursing questions and trying to help ease the frustrations. And of course, a sister that offered come down and help but didn't want to share her sickies with me so she just listened to me on the phone - multiple times.
-Help. A sister that felt bad she couldn't make the long drive to help me so instead offered to help with planning the luncheon for Jonas' blessing day. As in she did ALL of it. Along with my sister and sister-in-law and Mom that helped as well. So glad I didn't have to worry about that.

This may be a random post - and a bit late since Jonas is already almost two months old. But I was just reflecting today on how blessed I am. I love being loved. I know most times in the midst of the chaos I feel alone but I'm quickly learning I'm really not. And it's nice to know. Thanks for all the family (and friends) that helped during my transition to a family of four. I think I am finally finding my groove. Finally. All this help and love has made me want to be more perceptive for others when they go through difficult times. Time to share the wealth...and love.

One Month Old

2011-10-05T20:54:00.001-07:00

Four days ago, Jonas hit the One month birthday mark. So, in an effort to keep up on the milestones and baby book photos - we are documenting this momentous occasion!

First of all, I must say Jonas is quite the handsome little guy. Is it bad that at one-month old I already look and him and think...."Man the girls are gonna go crazy over you!" Not that I'm wanting them to anytime soon - just sayin' the boy is very handsome. Of course I may be biased but you have to admit...it's true. Just look at these pics from our mini photo shoot:

We've already had Jonas in our family for one month and it seems like it's been longer. For one, the first month seemed a bit rough for me. Not because of Jonas but because of all the newness and adjusting that comes with a newborn. It's been two years since I've experienced all of this ya know.

I had some nursing issues. Too much milk. Clogged duct. Mastitis. Not to mention that we had a few appointments for bilirubin checks with the little guy. And big sister also caught Bronchiolitis in the midst of all the craziness. It seems like we spent the majority of his first month in hospital visits....for all three of us combined. Plus hormones and all the anxiety that comes with it for the Momma.

But even despite all that, Jonas has been such a joy to have in our family. He's a fairly good baby so far from what I can tell. Now that we've somewhat mastered nursing - he eats pretty well. He sleeps great. I only have to wake up once at night to feed him so that is great! We have managed to get a few smiles out of him whether it was gas or not. And let me just say - his smile will melt your heart! He has such pretty eyes and the smile just charms you right out of your seat. I can't wait until he gets more smiley as he gets older. He loves his sister and doesn't mind all of her kisses one bit. Sometimes it seems he has some trouble with letting me put him down but we are working through that. It could be more gas/bubble issues than anything. The poor guy has had a long road to travel with my overabundance of milk. Even with our adjustments to nursing it still seems to come so fast it gives him lots of bubbles. He gets so hungry that it seems like he is torn over eating through the painful bubbles or stopping eating long enough to get a burp out. Mommy used to be the champ at getting burps out but now it seems like Daddy has traded places and he is now the master.

I like to call Jonas my little monkey baby. Not only because he has such cute monkey outfits but because he has cute little dark peach fuzz hair all over....his back, his arms, his ears. Just like a little monkeyy! Plus when you hold him against you he clings to you like a little monkey would. I always wanted a little monkey when I was growing up. Now all these years later I finally got one! Except he's MUCH cuter than the real thing. :D

Jonas is a pretty easy baby so far and it seems like a lot of people have commented on his laid back personality so hopefully this means he will be just as easy as his big sister was! Can't wait to get to know him more and more as he grows. Hard to imagine he could get any cuter than this though!

After awhile all the photos start looking the same. There is only so much posing you can do with a one-month old until you get this:

See what I mean? He's cute even when he's crying! Happy one-month old Jonas McKay!

This & That

2011-10-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

Consider this post a "dumping ground". I have a bunch of random events/stories I want to blog about but instead of doing a bajillion posts - I'm dumping them all into this one. Bear with me as I jump from random topic to random topic. Most of them (okay all of them) are about this girly:

Enjoying a field trip and a treat w/Grandma Bell, Mommy, and baby brother.

Cute huh? Frankly she's been a trooper as she is learning to adjust to baby brother. Especially since that means she gets the left over patience from this Mommy most days - and frankly that isn't much. She's a great helper amidst all the chaos that our days consist of. Luckily for her and I we are slowly getting back on track to "normal life" so hopefully she bears with me just a little longer. I'm so very thankful for her....and also thankful that she has given me the following stories to post about. It adds some laughter and excitement to our days that's for sure!

Last week Addison got invited to cousin Bryce's birthday party at Jump Zone. This is the 2nd time Mommy got to go with her. The last time we came here she was only one year old and had barely learned how to walk. She was NOT a fan at that time since it's hard for even an experienced walker to maneuver those jump houses. Usually she's quite content just playing with the rocking horses in the kiddie area but this time Mommy forced her into the Elmo jump house and within minutes she was loving it. This time every time she fell down I laughed. Which helped her learn that falling down was all part of the fun. And then she decided to conquer the big kid jump houses too. It proved to be quite the workout for Mommy after it was all said and done. We both left a little sweaty from all the fun. So glad Bryce had a birthday and shared his fun with us!

And this is Bryce's sister.....cousin Karah. Addison and I both love her. She is a great helper with Addison and one of the few people that Addison always goes straight to - regardless of how long it has been since we've seen her. She loves her older girl cousins so much. She was less than thrilled when boring Mommy took her to the bathroom instead of Karah. She wanted Karah to do everything with her. They ate together, played together, and anytime Karah wasn't in sight, Addison was off to search for her. I wasn't complaining. I love when Addison looks to other people (besides Mommy and Daddy) for help. Plus I enjoyed relaxing with Jonas and getting in on all the party fun as well. Thanks Karah! Can't wait until you are old enough to babysit! :D

As of this week we've embarked on Tour de Park 2011. To break up the day-to-day monotony we've started checking out all the local parks. It helps us to enjoy each other more and even enjoy the fresh air more as well. It's worth the 2 hour prep work it takes to leave the house in the mornings. As you may know by now, Addison loves her slides. Here she is showing some new and improved skills she acquired. Such a daring girly!

We've been living in the land of "owies" for quite some time now. She's a tough girly so usually all she needs is a kiss better and she's good to go. However, yesterday she came to me showing me her scraped thumb. I decided to get her a band-aid and she was thrilled to see that Mommy replenished the band-aid stock to include Elmo AND Curious George. Within five minutes of doctoring up her first owie, she was showing me her second one. I was skeptical at first since I knew she was trying to get more band-aids but sure enough she had another scrape on her other thumb. I was convinced she was inflicting pain just to get band-aids. Unfortunately for her I closed up the band-aid shop after the first two owies - all the others she reported after that just got a kiss from Mom.

And her latest accomplishment...emptying her dresser. After a long evening of helping Jonas get some painful bubbles out, I was finally sitting down to enjoy ten minutes of silence. I'm learning that silence isn't always a good thing nowadays. Yep, I think we are finally entering that stage. This is what I found when I went looking for her. Why did she do this you ask? Because she likes to fold clothes..uh lot. And apparently our weekly laundry folding wasn't fulfilling her need. I tried my hardest to keep a straight face as I took this picture so she'd know this was NOT a good thing. But it didn't matter. She was in heaven because for the next 10 minutes she got to help Mommy fold them all and put them back. Mission accomplished!

She was even kind enough to adorn baby brother with her tights collection. So nice of her to share the bounty eh?

So now you get to see the excitement of what our day-to-day life consists of. I guess that is what happens when a second child comes along. The first child gets some freedom and takes FULL advantage of it right? If this is all we have to deal with then I won't complain!

Looooong Day

2011-09-29T20:54:00.001-07:00

Today was a fairly long day. We spent most of the morning in the house. Nowhere to go...no errands to run. We did venture out for the afternoon for a visiting teaching appointment. That's right...visiting teaching...WITH two kids....RIGHT after naptime. Yeah, I was pretty proud of myself for accomplishing that one.

It wasn't until after we finished visiting teaching that Daddy texted and said he had to work late. Which meant I was spending the 2nd long day in a row with the two kiddos. Surprisingly, I held it together for the most part. I made an impromptu decision to grab some dinner and head to the park for a picnic. Wasn't I feeling adventurous? Addison was thrilled to get to go on the slides and I was thrilled that I didn't have to make dinner. It was a win-win. And frankly, once you've already accomplished loading everyone and everything into the car you may as well conquer the world while you are out and about. So we did. Wendy's dinner was less than desirable but luckily the park came through for us. We all had a blast for the break in our day...except for when the bratty rambunctious kids took over the park while their parents were oblivious - but that's another post for another day.

Addison is really easy to keep track of at parks. She finds her favorite slide and goes down it over and over and over. You can bank on the fact she will run that route like clockwork until it's time to go. Every once in awhile she'll switch slides....but it doesn't happen often.

And Jonas is content to just sit and enjoy the fresh air. He's easy to keep track of too. I'm pretty lucky to have such easy kids.

Overall, I was pretty proud of myself for surviving the long hours/days being the lone parent. I only had a few "mother of the year moments" but we won't discuss those. ;-)

It wasn't until the last hour that I was ready to scale the wall. I had JUST put Addison in bed and Jonas decided to wake up and not grant me my 5 minute reprieve I was sooo looking forward to. Thankfully Daddy came home right in time to give me my break. Phew! I think I'm finally getting the hang of this two-kid gig.

Regressing

2011-09-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Addison has regressed a bit with baby brother's arrival. She has now learned that in order to get LOTS of attention in this house, you have to have a binky in your mouth....right Jonas? ;-)

Luckily it's not a real binky. She stole it from her dolly and thinks she's hilarious when she puts it in her mouth...and frankly she is. And I promise she IS wearing underwear in this picture folks.

And of course, we've also taken a few steps back on the potty training abilities. Nothing huge by any means so I'll gladly deal with the little bumps along the way. Those "bumps" being every once in awhile she has a little pee pee accident here and there. It's not that bad and she still makes it to the potty more than not. However, she is back to hanging out in pull-ups just until everything is back on track. The last thing I need is to scrub urine out of carpets while holding a newborn.

And lately she has also grown fearful of going potty by herself. Which is a problem because she has to go a LOT and it always seems to be while I'm nursing Jonas or giving him a bath. Insert meltdown here....from both of us. I start strong with my cheer-leading and tell her how big she is and she can do this! She responds with some tears and acts like she has never done this before in her life...when she has. I coach her on how to take off her pants and pull-ups and she freezes up and cries even more. At this point I lose patience with her because she has mastered this before - she's totally capable. And yes, I'm fully aware my lack of patience leads her to more tears and so the cycle continues. The whole process works itself into quite an ordeal but 95% of the time she pulls through and does it all on her own. The other few times I have to stop everything and help her. And lets not even begin to cover the topic of toilet paper usage. She's either unraveling it all while she sits on the potty bored, or she's not using it at all, or she's doing the following with it:

New discovery - unraveling a whole roll of toilet paper into the toilet is a BLAST! For Addison at least. She didn't have to clean it out of the nasty toilet water.

We've now started the tutorial on just how much toilet paper her tiny little bum needs. Hopefully taking these pictures doesn't encourage more of this behavior....but I'm the Mom....I must document these moments. It's the only way I can stay sane! :D

Honestly, Addison hasn't regressed that much. Especially considering how much she's really stepped into her big sister role with Jonas' arrival. I've watched her giving brother a binky when he's crying. I've heard her whisper "Shhhhhh....shhhh" to him when he's upset. And she loves to lean over him and say "Awe...Mama....he's so seet (sweet)". Just the other day when we were in the middle of a doctor's appointment and he was wailing, Addison was mimicking me as I was trying to calm him down and I could hear her say "Shh...it's okay buddy....it's okay buddy". She is SUCH a good big sister and I can already see their adoration towards each other. I can't wait until Jonas is big enough to play with her and follow her around everywhere. They are the best of buds.

Snug As A Bug

2011-09-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

I was under the impression that the second child would come programmed on how to hang out/chill out while the Mom tends to the older child or other important/necessary things. Is this not correct? I'm learning that it's not so much in our case. Mr. Jonas is a bit of a Diva. In a cute and adorable way of course. Is there a "male version" of the word Diva? Hmmmm.

Anyway, he's not a fan of me putting him down...pretty much ever. Except to sleep at night and even then it involves four attempts at keeping the binky in his mouth until he's out. He likes to be held and rocked and cuddled. Which I do love to do....sometimes. But sometimes Addison pees on the floor (today) and sometimes she takes a bath and sometimes her clothes need changed and sometimes she needs to eat food. No matter where I put Jonas while I try to do these things...he does NOT like it. And of course we get to be serenaded with his angry cries while I continue doing those things...since you can't leave two-year olds in a tub of water unattended. And again...the crying....lets just say it's very hard on me.

Anyway, I've tried a myriad of ideas on how to get him just so and comfortable so he can hang out while I use my two hands for something else. I've laid him flat on a blanket, I've propped him up on the Boppy, I've swaddled him in his crib, I've laid him in the pack-n-play, and I've buckled him in his bouncy seat and put some relaxing music on. Nothing seems to last longer than five minutes before crying ensues. How did he get this way? I've never really held him non-stop so he doesn't know otherwise.

Well tonight John got to play the guessing game with him while I made dinner. And this little bundle is what I came back to...

Snug as a Bug in a....blanket.

John is now convinced he just likes to be snug and warm and cozy. Maybe that is the cure? I'm willing to try anything at this point. I just know I need to actually DO other things beside hold him non-stop....especially since Addison needs some of my attention.

Of course I AM a born cuddler so we do always reserve the evening time for Mommy/Jonas snuggles while Daddy is able to help out with Addison....and that is always a very nice way to end the day.

Venturing Out

2011-09-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Get this.....I came across a major realization tonight. Remember this comes after I've festered in this house with two kiddos - one still very much a newborn.

FACT: I am able to actually LEAVE the house....WITHOUT the kids! Whodathunk? Apparently not me. Not sure why I don't push through and do this more often. It's always such a battle getting through that front door when the day was already so hectic. Of course John is always more than willing to take the reins (especially now since he is the proud owner of FIFA 12 ;-). And after all, he IS the other parent. And competent. And could always use a glimpse of the craziness of two kids while being the lone parent.

So why exactly do I think I'm chained to the house and the kiddos? I've been racking my brain about this all night while I've been wandering through the aisles of Target on my little getaway. Not only do I forget to give myself breaks (before it's too late) but I also think I'm only "allowed" to leave when the kids are asleep or if I bring one of them with me and leave the other with John. And I promise this is my own weird/twisted thinking. John has always been more than willing. I've just been slow in doing it.

Well tonight I officially left the house and wandered the aisles of Target. Of course what do I do the WHOLE time I'm out? Shop and browse through the children's section and pick up household things I need anyway etc etc. I bought nothing for me - except for a A&W Root Beer and it was divine. Sigh, maybe the more I get out the more I'll actually spend time shopping for me? I must get more practice at this!

Our Growing Boy

2011-09-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

Life definitely gets busier with two kids but I'm trying my darndest to stay on top of all the milestones (and document them) for Jonas just as I did for Addison. I don't want to deal with any "2nd child issues" that's for sure! (Yes, I speak from experience as I was that 2nd child).

Anyway, Jonas is a growing boy and while the weeks have been crazy we have definitely loved having him in our family. It feels as like he's been here all along - I know everyone says that but it's true! He's a perfect fit and I can't wait to see him grow into his little body and personality even more. And speaking of growing.....here are some pics and stats of our little guy! These pictures were taken when he was barely 1 week old.

(We are lucky enough to know a great budding photographer who took these incredible shots. We got lots of poses and it was sooo difficult to pick which ones to post here. If you'd like to see them all just let me know! I'm always willing to show off our little cutie. :D)

1 Week Stats: 9/6/11
Weight: 9 lbs 1 oz (95%)
Height: 23 1/4" (95%)

3 Week Stats: 9/20/11
Weight: 9 lbs 15 oz (80%) (woohoo for regaining his birth weight and then some!)
Height: 24 " (95%)

**All the percentiles are approximate since he hasn't quite reached 1 month old yet. Needless to say he's a big and tall baby boy!

Things he's learned to do in his short 3 weeks outside of my belly:

Eat (I think we are finally mastering this but it is still a process)
Poop
Pee
Cry
Smile (when he's sleeping mostly and it's still rare at this point)
Sleep (he's a great sleeper - only needs to be fed once during the night)
Suck on a binky - he's definitely a binky baby just like his sister was.
Burp (mostly on his own but we rely on the Gripe Water when he can't seem to get the painful bubbles out.)
He loves to sleep in the Baby Bjorn whenever we go on walks. He will literally conk out within 5 minutes of us leaving the house.
He loves his sister and doesn't mind that she kisses him a billion times a day.

I think that is it for now. Can't wait to see what the next month holds for us. Hopefully a little more sanity and figuring out a new normal with a newborn.

Creepy Crawlies

2011-09-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

For all you concerned readers of my blog....we are still alive. And things are finally starting to look up. We've had a few minor hiccups along the way since the last post I made but for the most part are starting to get into a swing. "Starting" being the key word.

Anyway, one of those routines is taking the two kiddos on walks around the neighborhood. The weather is beautiful lately and it always does us good to get out and enjoy the fresh air. Surprisingly we've been on a walk each day for the past three days. Granted it takes us longer to get ready for the walk than to actually go on it but I think that is the way life goes with two kids.

Anyway, Addison LOVES our walks. She gets sooo excited when I announce our departure. She knows her route, loves to listen to the doggies, and just beams while we stroll. The other day we happened upon a couple of caterpillars. For all those who know me, I refuse to touch any type of insect or creature that resembles a worm, a snake, a frog,....and a caterpillar. But I also refuse to pass my phobias on to my children. So, of course once I found the caterpillar I made a big to-do about it and asked Addison if she wanted to touch it. Surprisingly she said yes and crouched down but she was hesitant. She just kept tapping the concrete next to it while it inched along. (Still better than I would have done that's for sure).

So a few feet further we happen across another caterpillar. Again, I ask her if she wants to touch it and she says "Yes!" so she crouches down and slowly gets closer and closer and....touches it! Just barely, but I was proud of her. And also very grateful she didn't ask me to help her so I didn't have to disclose my phobia and start running in the opposite direction (yes, my mean cousins chased me all the time with worms which did NOT help my fears).

Anyway, I was so proud of her for pushing through her timidness and touching creatures she hasn't encountered before. Even at the end of our walk I pointed out a bug to her and thought surely she won't touch it. So I asked her and she did! Just barely but to me "barely" is a HUGE accomplishment! This Momma can't even do "barely!" Yay Addison for pushing through your fears!

And another accomplishment she made... Our afore mentioned walk took us to the neighborhood playground. Addison LOVES slides and points this one out everytime we drive by it. So needless to say she was excited. However, just as we walked up three older kids also started playing on the equipment. Remember Addison is fairly timid, especially initially, until she warms up to the situation. So, needless to say she did not want to play on the slide anymore. She kept telling me "Mommy, it's scawey (scary)" (she says this when she starts to get shy.) So, I assure her it's not, that the kids are nice, and even try to help her up the steps. But she is too timid and just stands and watches on the side. Secretly I feel so bad for her because I know how much she loves these slides. In any other situation I would have spent time helping her warm up to the situation and overcome her shy-ness. However, baby brother was getting hungry so we had to bail. And she cried almost all the way home because she didn't get to play on the slide. My heart broke for her but I promised her we'd come back the next day and sure enough we did - Today! This time Daddy came with us. Yet again, when we got there a few boys were already playing. And I don't think she's quite use to boys being more rambunctious so she stood there for a bit. However, Daddy did great with her and helped her overcome her fears and stood close by and encouraged her to go up the steps and down the slide. Sure enough she did multiple times...and eventually she did it many many more times by herself once Daddy sat next to Mommy on the bench. Yay Addison!

I realize this is may be a boring post but I just wanted to document for journaling purposes how proud I am of Addison. I think she gets her timidness from me but I love seeing her push through it eventually and join the crowd. She definitely prefers smaller groups than larger groups. And I'm learning that we need to attend more play dates and even enroll her in pre-school down the road so she can have more practice interacting with other kids. However, she is such a good girl and already seems to overcome more than this Mommy probably did at her age. We are so very proud of her!

News Update

2011-09-19T18:52:00.001-07:00

We still live in the insane asylum. Technically, this Mommy is the only one that could be diagnosed as insane. Addison and Jonas are just suffering the aftermath of my tornado. I'm hoping the tide changes soon because I don't know how much crazier it can get before the calm of the storm settles in. I'm looking forward to that calm.

We are now experiencing nursing issues. Why does this process seem to come so natural to 95% of the population and not to me? With Addison, I never made enough milk...thus she went hungry after nursing for over an hour....thus she cried. With Jonas, I make way too much milk....thus he drowns in my supply.....thus he quits and gets hungry...thus he cries. I'm convinced they need to have a recording of a crying baby to torment prisoners of war. That noise can take any human to their knees within minutes. Trust me....I know. I want to find those people that claim nursing is a "natural experience" and that instincts kick in and Mom and Baby just know exactly what to do. Eh....whatever.

Sometimes we have a good moment and I see a glimmer of light. Then other times it seems like we take a turn for the worse. The good news is that 1.) He is getting food....eventually. He's got the diapers to prove that so no stress there. 2.) His belly is pretty round and I take great pride in that - it took lots of sleepless hours and tears from me to get him like that. 3.) He's an easy baby when he's full. Once nursing is mastered....babies are fairly easy for me to take care of. 4.) I have milk! Woot! Too much, yes...but I have it! I have a nice little supply in the freezer so that puts both John and I at ease. The current negative right now is that it takes us quite a while to actually get a full belly. Lots of processes to put into action to make sure he doesn't get doused in milk.

I may be down but I'm not yet out. Despite the frustrations and tears I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel just yet. Mostly due to the fact that my body has milk - so sooner or later he will learn to eat it successfully. And it's the better milk...he needs that. In the meantime I owe Addison a pony for all the junk she's had to deal with...she's a trooper. I just hope I am too. Sigh. I hope to have better news next time once we overcome this hurdle. :D

Overzealous

2011-09-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

This just in.....reality!

So, my previous post mentioned how much easier being a Mom to two is. And how I didn't expect it to be this easy - something to that effect.

I'm here to officially change my viewpoint. It's hard. Day #1 and #2 had us out in town running errands - MULTIPLE errands! And we did it all without a hitch. The two cuties just sat in the back seat and cheerily were along for the ride. The weekend hit and we lounged yet again w/Daddy.

Then Monday and Tuesday hit....aka: Reality. We haven't left the house. Well we did yesterday for a bilirubin lab and it was a nightmare. Then we came right back home to safety. But home isn't always that safe either - they still gang up on me and cry here too. But I feel more comfortable crying in my own home. I didn't so much in the hospital while we waited for the lab.

Poor Addison....she falls a lot. Doesn't watch where she's going and crashes into things a lot. Plus just plain trips over her own feet. She's at the stage where she is always pointing out an "owie". I'm at the stage where I just don't have the sympathy anymore....especially when baby brother is crying in my ear. She definitely gets the brunt of the crazy, psycho Mom. I just about lost it when she was wailing at the lab/hospital simply because I wouldn't let her play in a particular chair. All the while Jonas was wailing while his foot was getting pricked and blood was getting milked out of him. Immediately I get frustrated w/Addison since she isn't actually "in" pain....why does she pick the most inopportune times to get emotional? Sigh.

She is a sweetie though. ALWAYS so willing to help and put things away and kiss and hug on both me and Jonas and she tells me "Tanks Mom!" all the time....even when I ask her to do a favor for me or if I lose my patience with her. Talk about ultra guilt for this Mom! I honestly couldn't handle two if Addison weren't my first child - she alone makes this so much more bearable. She's always obedient and listens so well and is just a joy to be around.

Anyway, just wanted to clear up some confusion. My first two days were simply overzealous and unrealistic I think. We've regressed a bit since then. At this rate we could be holed up in the house for a good month. Maybe by the time we come out we'll be somewhat presentable and maybe just maybe I will have my hair fixed and make-up on by then. It gets easier right? I keep telling myself that.

Settling In

2011-09-11T08:42:00.001-07:00

Addison and Jonas snuggling in her bed. She's pretty in love with this little guy.

We are now working on our 2nd week of being a family of four. I think we are finally starting to get our footing. How'd the first week go you ask? Not too shabby - not near as bad or scary as I was thinking it would be. Hormones have a way of taking the "ordinary worries" and upping them so that they seem a LOT more drastic than they really are. Plus I'm convinced it takes away a little bit of the rational thinking as well.

Not only did we enjoy Grandma Bell's help during the first week, but John was able to take a few days off of work as well to help with the transition back to normal life. The day Grandma was to leave, I spent the morning teary eyed. She only lives two hours away but more than anything I was afraid of going back to normal life and saying goodbye to all the wonderful help. She was the first phase of a two phase step to being a "stay-at-home Mom of two". I think it was also that I was convinced I'd be lonely once all my adult help left. Luckily I broke through it and was dry eyed enough to say my goodbyes to her. However, once Addison figured out she was leaving - she burst into tears and kept sobbing for Grandma. Yep, that alone brought my tears welling back up. She and Grandma Bell were the best of buddies. They hung out every hour of the day for five days. They even slept in the same room together! Grandma Bell was her constant during a time of lots of change. Luckily, Grandma left her a coloring page to color and Aunt Jenny came over soon after so it didn't take long before she was on to other things.

This could be one of the reasons it was so hard to say goodbye to Grandma. She gives Addison ice-cream for dinner - she's pretty amazing!

Daddy going back to work the following Thursday was another adjustment for both of us. Same situation, different day. I spent the day prior worrying if I could do it by myself while also worrying about being lonely etc. Again, the hormones added to all of it. It probably helped that his last day of vacation got cut short and he had to go into work. That way it gave me less time to prepare or worry about it all. However, Addison still had a hard time with saying goodbye to him. She and Daddy are best buddies. She likes me alright, she cries when I leave to run errands so I know she likes me. But I think she just likes me to be in the house while she plays/wrestles with Daddy. Daddy and Addison hang out and play all the time, especially this time since I was busy nursing the baby for the most part. She broke down in tears when he was leaving for work. We kept trying to explain that he'd be back that evening to play some more and eat poppies with her but it wasn't helping. The poor girl - it breaks my heart to see her cry the truly sad cry.

As for swinging it as a mother of two - I'm doing okay. Our first day was actually pretty good...until 5:00 came. The phone was ringing off the hook, and Addison was in tears over something, Jonas was hungry and crying in my ear, and frankly I was this close to joining them. I guess that was my first lesson - when things are going great - they can change in a minute! And I'm sure that works in the opposite way as well. Overall, I still felt pretty good about surviving my first and second days - and we even got out of the house to boot! Including a last minute doctor's appointment for Mommy wherein I had to scurry two kids under two and myself out the door and drive to the doctor - all within the hour! Woohoo - we made it! Thank heavens for pumped milk, no make-up and wet hair, and Addison already being partially ready for the day. And thank heaven for weekends that allow us to hang out with Daddy yet again and just be lazy and enjoy each other's company.

So, here is a synopsis about how each of us are adjusting so far.

ADDISON: She L.O.V.E.S. "baby brudder". She is always kissing on him, announcing his presence in the room, cuddling on him, watching him eat, poop, cry, pee, - you name it. It's all fascinating to her. She doesn't have one ounce of jealousy over him at all. Hasn't even tried anything malicious on him either. She is still learning to be soft with him but even that isn't too difficult to teach her. She just plain loves him. She'll look at him and say "Aweee, baby brudder!" "So Tute (Cute)", "I give him tiss (kiss)?", etc. The only adjustment I've noticed her making is that she always seems to want to cuddle on the parent that is holding baby brother. She especially wants to cuddle on Mom while she's nursing baby brother. And frankly, any/every thing that would upset or break the nursing latch is too much of a risk to take. Luckily Daddy is always quick to interject and distract her with a game or cuddles of his own. And this just in...Addison knows how to go to the potty by herself! :D It was a matter of necessity since she doesn't have help from me if I'm feeding baby brother. I've watched her do it a few times and she just took off with it and amazed me. She still struggles with learning just how much toilet paper her little bum needs to be cleaned. As evidenced by the roll of toilet paper covering the floor, and the ginormous fist full she seems to need to wipe herself. And Mommy is a bit concerned over just how clean she seems to get over wiping herself but I block out those fears and just congratulate her (while secretly vowing to scrub her down when I get the chance). Just last week we had this interchange about her new toilet skills while I was nursing baby brudder:

Mommy: "Addison did you go to the potty by yourself?"

Addison: "Yes Mama!!" (I love her inflection in her voice nowadays - it's adorable)

Mommy: "Go wipe your popo with the toilet paper and put it in the potty okay?"

Addison: ::Trotting off to the potty yet again, just to come back with wet hands and rubbing them together::

Mommy: "Why are your hands wet honey?"

Addison: "Da watah Mommy!"

Mommy: "What water honey?" (Knowing full well she isn't tall enough to reach the sink faucet quite yet"

Addison: "Da watah in da potty Mommy!" (All proud of herself)

Nasty eh? Cute but nasty. Especially since all this happened pre-flush. I shudder to know what was floating in the toilet water while she so willingly washed her hands in it. We had a quick tutorial on that being gross and not to put her hands in the potty anymore b/c that is where the poopoo and pee pees go. And I then commenced scrubbing down those dirty little hands while chuckling at the whole situation.

JOHN: Frankly he has been nothing short of amazing with all of this. (And no he did not pay me to say that! ;-) He has really stepped up into his role as Mr. Mom and been supportive to a sometimes hormonal wife, jumped up to clean and/or make dinner, played/wrestled with Addison, taken her to her numerous potty breaks, ran a few errands here and there while she was in tow, watched her while Mommy went off to a few errands with baby Jonas, tucked us all in for our afternoon naps, and cleaned the living room I don't know how many times. Who is this man I married and where has he been for the past four years? ;-) Just kidding. He's even done several loads of laundry AND folded them! I told him nothing is sexier than a man folding laundry.....and it's true! He is a great Daddy and always takes time to wrestle with Addison and give her that one-on-one time that she definitely needs at this stage of the game. No wonder their buddies eh? And yes, they've had numerous "poppy eating moments" as evidenced by the kernels that keep appearing on my nicely vacuumed floors. Oh well, I'll take it! It's been fun watching him in his role as Daddy. It's definitely one he wears well!

JONAS: What can I say? He has been a welcome member of our family. I couldn't imagine him not in it and he's only been here a little over a week! He's a really easy baby so far. He sleeps and eats and poops and pees - what every newborn does right? But he sleeps sooo good at night. We learned with him that you don't have to wake the baby at night to feed him. They won't starve to death while sleeping - amazing concept right? Anyway, he started doing 3 hour sleeping stints that turned into 4 hour and that are now in 5 hour stints at night. I'm loving it...my chest is not. I still force myself to sleep through the pain since I know those moments may not last for long. He's a good eater....now. In the hospital we both struggled with figuring out nursing, latching, etc. I don't know why Mother Nature makes your milk come in 3 days later long after you check out of the hospital. That's when I need the most help w/nursing! We even worried for the first two days home when he wasn't giving us enough pee and poops. Luckily we have figured it out now and he has caught up on his dirty diapers. He's a happy and content baby when his belly is full. But it does seem like he wants to eat non-stop. He is definitely a binky baby but until we perfect the latch he's not getting the binky back. He's such a cute little baby and definitely has Addison's features with some of his own intermixed.

Jonas kicking back and relaxing - what he does best. Don't pay attention to the fact he's surrounded in a pink Boppy - his sister was so kind to share hers. ;-)

ME: How am I adjusting? Fairly good so far. I'm definitely much more confident this time around than I was with Addison's birth/newborn phase. Poor Addison, it wasn't her fault - I was just a basket case being a first time mom and managed to fret about everything with her. This time around, I had heard stories of how most Mom's adjusted to two kiddos and I figured mine wouldn't be far from theirs. However, so far it's been pretty do-able....but I do reserve the right to be realistic and realize things can change in a heartbeat. I think most of it is due to the fact that nursing has gone so much better this time around and once that hurdle is out of the way - everything else seems doable. And I've been less bitter about lack of sleep when I wake up for the night feedings. It probably helps that I endured all those bouts with insomnia before he came along. I've learned the sleep will be made up eventually. Plus, since he sleeps all the time, all three of us manage to get a good afternoon nap in every day. I'm going to enjoy that while it lasts! That's the other thing...no matter how much sleep I seem to get - I just want more of it. Not sure where all my energy is going but it seems zapped most every day. I have enjoyed several moments of just sitting back and admiring my family and hugging on both Addison and Jonas at the same time. It really is a good time in our lives and I don't want to miss out on it by being preoccupied with other things.

Anyway, we are all doing good and learning along the way. We wouldn't have it any other way and just love having Jonas in our family. Enjoy the pics of brother and sister loving on each other - right now it's mostly Addison loving on brother but I'm sure it won't be too long before Jonas wants to love on her.

My Name Is Jonas

2011-09-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

He finally made it! Jonas McKay Hufford was born Thursday, September 1st, 2011 at 7:39 pm. He was a whopping 9 lbs 6.5 oz (yes, I'm getting credit for every.single.ounce!). He was 22 1/2 inches long and his head circumference alone was 39.5 (average is 35). Like many before him, he carries on the huge Hufford noggin (his sister included). We just love having him in our family and can't stop hugging, kissing, squeezing, and smelling him. Read on for his exciting (and overdue) birth story!

So, after a week of extra cooking in Mom's belly, we decided to finally evict Jonas last Thursday. We were all excited as the day approached but I think I was the MOST excited. It was all still surreal honestly. I was definitely looking forward to not having to lug a huge belly around any longer but it was so hard to wrap my mind around the fact we would be meeting our newest family member after it was all said and done. Needless to say, in all the excitement of the big awaited day I did not get enough sleep the night before. I was more excited and nervous than a giddy child on Christmas Eve. I tossed and turned and then by the time it was actually time to head to the hospital - I was ready to lay down and sleep some more. Thankfully, adrenaline kicked in and carried me the rest of the way!

Grandma Bell had came up the evening before and she and Addison only took 2.5 seconds to pick up where they left off. They had a blast together and she has been a wonderful assistant all along the way. (Along with many others I might add). Anyway, we finally got all our gear ready, breakfast eaten, and van loaded and hit the road. First on the stop was dropping Addison off with her other favorite grandparents, Mama Jean and Papa Joe. I was actually more sad about this part than Addison was. I tried to hide my tears but I kept thinking about how much I'd miss her. I couldn't remember the last time I left her for a whole day! Luckily she was in great hands and she was very excited to play with Grandma and Grandpa so it made it easier for Mommy.

After we dropped her off, John, Myself, and my Mom headed on to the hospital to check-in. They got us all set up, I got comfortable and we waited. It was very interesting how similar the whole schedule and day's events were to Addison's induction day as well. Maybe that means he will be just as easy a child as his sister has proven to be?! :D

The nurses finally got the Pitocin started at 11:00 am and then our wonderful Doula (and sister-in-law) Sarah arrived. Not only did she bring along her amazing skills but also some of her humor to help take my mind off the pain. And I definitely was having it at that point. Nothing major in the beginning- very similar to the mild contractions I had the weekend before - but it definitely validated my questioning if those were legitimate or not.

We all took advantage of the down time and quickly began placing bets on when Jonas would arrive, how much he'd weigh, and how long he'd be. Most were kind and submitted lower weight numbers - others were not (including John who guessed the weight exactly) and guessed in the higher numbers. All of this was not leaving a good taste in my mouth. At the time I couldn't imagine birthing any child bigger than Addison's weight at 8 lbs 8 oz.

It wasn't long before the contractions got harder and more painful and as many times as they checked me, I had made NO progress. However, he was spending his time floating around in my belly so at least he continued to get lower and stationary with each contraction. It was hard not to be frustrated at all the pain and no actual dilation. I was almost at a 4 at this point and I opted for the epidural. With Addison's situation, I jumped from a 5 to a 9 within 45 minutes and I didn't want to chance the epidural not taking effect in time like before. I really wanted to try and enjoy this birth instead of spending it barfing and in searing pain. So, luckily the epidural was ready and waiting. I remember being in a little bit of pain with the poking but mostly I was a hormonal mess and couldn't keep it in any longer. I had the anesthesiologist and nurse quite concerned when I was covered in tears after they were done. I quickly recovered and laid back to enjoy the pain relief.

However, even with the epidural, and being free of pain, I was not making progress dilation wise. My doctor was busy with other deliveries and by the time he made it back to me he decided it was time to break my water. However, it managed to break itself just by him checking my progress. And it was a TON of water. He even thought so. Right away I could see part of my belly just deflate and the pressure I'd felt for the last month finally lessened. It was quite nice.

Just as I had expected, contractions came on harder and longer once the water was broken. Part of me was excited since I was confident I was finally dilating more from it all. However, I was also feeling the pain creep back in more as well. Just like I had with Addison. I immediately called the nurse to ask for them to up my epidural dose and couldn't find a single person. Apparently the lady next door was delivering her baby and had managed to take my nurse AND my doctor in the process. It seemed like forever as I kept feeling each contraction like I had never even had an epidural. Other nurses kept coming in and trying to suggest other remedies such as rolling over, changing position, giving it time, etc etc. Nothing worked for me. And I vividly remember going from a 5 to a 9 with Addison within 45 minutes and feeling the same exact pain. I did NOT want to relive that experience. They finally fulfilled my request, and sent the anesthesiologist back to up the dosage. It couldn't have come soon enough. Luckily it all finally started to settle in and the bliss of numbness came back just in time. So much so that each time they asked me to roll over, I had to call a small crew to come assist me with my legs. No complaints here.

However the worry soon returned as I could see my contractions getting stronger (on the chart :-) and they were having a tough time keeping track of his heartbeat. Once they would find it, it would drop. I kept trying to read the eyes of the two nurses to see just how "serious" the situation was and I couldn't help but get worried. Of course everyone acted like it wasn't a big deal but I had a feeling they were just humoring me. By that time, my doctor came in, checked me, told me I was at a 9 and with a few pushes felt confident I could get myself to a 10. I pushed a few times and he seemed to get more vocal with each push. Typically he is a quiet and reserved doctor so I didn't know if this was also a bad sign or not. No one would tell me anything except to keep pushing etc etc. I did as I was told but it was definitely different to push when I couldn't feel anything and had to have my doctor tell me when I was actually having a contraction.

Things were finally moving along and they began setting up the area for delivery. It was all very exciting but I was still concerned with the heart rate situation. I think I pushed for a little less than an hour when Jonas finally arrived. He came out quiet and no one seemed alarmed but me. The doctor just started wiping him down and set him on my belly where he finally started crying. It was a muted little cry just like his sister's cry had been. I got to hold him on my stomach long enough for him to poop all over me. Then they took him to the warmer and started suctioning him. Apparently he had pooped while coming out and had ingested just a little of the meconium. And apparently the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck as well (which was why the heart rate would drop with each push apparently). My doctor assured me he'd be fine. He said if it weren't for my fast and effective pushes he'd have resorted to either forceps or lastly a c-section to get him out. And here I thought they were all just humoring me with compliments on my effective and beautiful pushes. Regardless, I'm glad whatever I was doing helped bring this little guy here safe and sound and quick.

It was so surreal once he had arrived. I couldn't believe he was MY baby and he just came out of ME?! I actually didn't tear up as much with him as I did with Addison. With Jonas I was just in a very peaceful and content place and just watching everyone around me as they did their thing. It was nice to see John, Sarah and my Mom googling over the sweet boy while I sat getting stitched up from a 2nd degree tear. Thankfully, the epidural was still going strong and I couldn't feel the stitches either. I must say epidurals are wonderful things when they actually WORK! :D

Within a few minutes we had called Grandma Jean, Grandpa Joe, and Addison and were anxious to have them come down to meet our newest family member. Addison was sooo excited and never skipped a beat when she met him. Daddy brought her in the door, she looked at me, and at the baby and said "Ahhhh Baby Brudder!" It was so sweet to see her immediately love and kiss on him. I thought for sure she'd be weirded out by the experience, me in a hospital bed, other people around, this new baby with her Mommy, etc. But again, she proved me wrong. She couldn't stop loving on him and kissing on him. She is going to be a great big sister and I think he'll just adore her as well. She especially liked the present she got - her own "baby brudder" doll...just like the real-life version! Now we both get to tend to our babies together.

It's amazing to me how easily it is to just welcome in a 2nd child to our family. How surreal yet how perfect it all is - like it was meant to be this way all along. Overall, I remember just having this overwhelming feeling of peace and contentment and happiness. Jonas is such a cute little boy. He definitely has similar features as Addison did when she was born yet he is still very masculine in his tiny (er big) 9 lbs 6 oz frame. I can't believe I birthed a two-month old! All I can say is thank heaven for epidurals. The nurses couldn't stop talking about how big he was, how they were amazed he was a vaginal delivery, and how big his head was. They also couldn't stop talking about how cute Jonas and Addison were. Honestly, multiple nurses told me multiple times throughout our stay. I couldn't help but agree and be proud of our beautiful little family. I'm so excited to figure out life as a family of four!

Here is the amazing birth video Aunt Sarah put together for Jonas (get your kleenex's ready!):

Jonas McKay Hufford

**Random sidenote: We were between two different names for Jonas before he was born and I still couldn't decide even after he arrived. Luckily it didn't take long before John and I decided to name him Jonas McKay (even though we had practiced: Mason James for the last few months). Jonas was John's family nickname as he was growing up. And McKay was the middle name of a close friend of John's as he was growing up. I'm so thankful to have our little boy named after his Daddy and such an amazing friend. It's so neat when both names can have such a special meaning.

Family Fun FHE x 3

2011-08-30T19:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday for F.H.E. we decided to have a family fun date night. It was a great way to have one last hurrah as a family of three since that is all changing soon in a couple of days. Just as I guessed, Addison loved every minute of it. It was hard not to take pictures every time she moved/blinked since everything she does just seems so adorable lately. I'm guessing that may be her biggest adjustment when brother comes is learning to share the attention. I'm quickly realizing just how much time we devote to just her. So much so that I've made it a point to have little "craft projects" for her to do one-on-one with either Mommy/Daddy/or Grandma once baby brother comes home for good. Hopefully that helps her adjust a little better.

Anyway, back to our date...we started it off by snagging Dad from work to have our last doctor appointment for baby brother (inside the belly at least). Addison has been coming with us on these appointments for the last month and she loves it. All I have to mention is that we are going to the doctor and she just starts jabbering away..."Doctor, Baby Budder, Daddy". She even tries to steal away my seat on the doctor's table once we arrive. Luckily, she gets her turn once I'm done and dressed. It was adorable, Daddy laid her up there, strapped a couple of the velcro bands around her, and pushed on her tummy and listened to her "baby budder" - surprisingly she was loving every minute of it. She was thrilled to be just like Mommy.

Later that evening we started phase #2 of our family date and hit up the local miniature golf course...in the HEAT of the afternoon. (Can I just say I'm soooo OVER this heat!) Anyway, we had a blast but we quickly turned an 18 hole course into a 5 hole course. We didn't keep score, played one-handed, and hurriedly moved along to the final hole while trying to let Addison have her moment of chasing her golf ball and waiting patiently while she tried to hit it in. We were all a sweaty mess afterward but she wasn't even phased by the heat. She still loved every minute of it. Daddy and Mommy were just dying to get inside to some A/C. And that we did.

She's very particular in that she has to hit the golf ball with the very tip of her club. It takes some time to align it just right. Daddy kept trying to show her how to hit it with the side of the club but she wasn't having it. She's very determined to do it her own way - so we waited...and waited.

She quickly decided that wherever the ball went, she would follow. Here she is climbing through the rock cave in pursuit of her golf ball.

Next, we headed over to the arcade and spent some quarters and racked up some tickets to spend on some cheap souvenirs. Luckily just the blinking lights, sounds, and cheap toys gets Addison excited. Daddy too, since he was getting hooked on a game of chance and couldn't walk away. Mommy just needed her one shot at Skee-ball and then she was content just resting her aching feet while sitting and watching Daddy & Addison.

Cooling down with some ice cream. Daddy is much nicer than Mommy is when it comes to messy stuff. I kept trying to feed her myself while she is very intent on doing it herself. She and Daddy won out and she got to feed herself. I just keep seeing the sticky and the stains with every bite but I guess she'll never learn how to eat if I'm trying to do it for her. You live, you learn right? It's hard to give up control!

Riding her favorite - the mini-carousel. She's growing up so much. I don't have to hover by her to make sure she holds on. Sniff sniff.

And last but not least, the cheap loot we spent our tickets on. Luckily it's all amazing to her. John got her some wrist-bands that had soccer balls on them and she LOVED them. It was hilarious to see her walking while holding her wrists together - as if they had to be touching to look cute. She's hilarious to watch sometimes!

It was such a fun way to spend time together and it definitely made me realize that life will be changing VERY soon...for the better of course! We can't wait to welcome this little guy to our family. I think he will fit in just perfectly. And I think Addison will blow us all away with her ability to be such a good big sister.

**Before I forget, I want to document the latest developments w/Addison as we prepare for this next step in our family. I don't know if it's because I'm trying to soak her up even more lately or she has just turned up the adorability factor - but either way she is just growing by leaps and bounds and is SUCH a good girly. Seriously, her bad moments are so few and far between I can't remember the last time we encountered one.

Instance #1: Randomly, I've been trying to explain more about how life will change once baby brother gets here. Just to see how much she understands and retains. I tell her all about how he'll be "this big" (while holding my hands apart), how he'll cry sometimes, and he'll sleep, and we'll put him in the swing, and we'll have to change his diapers, and Mommy will need her help. At first I thought she was just humoring me but later that same day she was relaying to me all the information I had just shared with her. She says "Mommy...baby budder....dis big (holding her hands out)....he kies...pee pee in da potty...put in da sing." I'm quite amazed at how much she really gets. I do have to explain that he won't be as skilled as her with the potty just yet. I'm sure she'll learn all too quickly where/how to find diapers for him when Mommy needs her to.

Instance #2: Within the past few days she has gotten soooo much cuddlier. She's always been a good cuddle bug but lately she actually ASKS for them. This morning, the first thing she said when she crawled into my bed was "Mommy....tuddles...tuddles" like she was desperately needing them. And frankly that's a HUGE step when she usually asks for her milk asap. I happily obliged and just hugged, and squeezed, and kissed on her and she just lay there trying to get closer and closer. She even stays by me for a longer time and doesn't seem to tire of it like she used to. We spent most of today just giving her tuddles....and I was definitely soaking up the moment while it lasted. She'll even ask for hugs and hold her arms out. It's so adorable and honestly I hope she never outgrows it. John is secretly hoping that he'll still get to cuddle with her when she's in her 20's...we'll see how that goes. She's a fun one to cuddle with so I'm secretly hoping so too.

Instance #3: She is a little mini-me. Case in point: Mommy always cleans/puts things away as she goes while Daddy just throws it to the side (until Mommy finds it herself ;-). Lately, I've noticed when we get home, Addison will not only take off her shoes but will place them right next to her dresser in a perfectly straight line. Even when Daddy was getting her ready for bed last night, he took off her shirt and tossed it on the ground and she immediately got off the bed, picked it up, and ran to put it in the hamper. And tonight, she had to put her toys away before Daddy could put her to bed....even though he didn't ask her to. I love how helpful she is during the day, she's always wanting to put things in the hamper (usually Daddy's socks) and she's so willing to put things where I ask her to...the kitchen, the trash, etc. I hope she will always think helping is fun! Just the other day I was asking her to hand me some clothes off the floor so I could throw them in the washing machine. But, she got sooo frustrated because she wanted to pick them up and throw them in the hamper. While helpful, she is also a stubborn little girly - and wouldn't give them to me and instead kept saying "Hamper! Hamper!"

Instance #4: Her stubborn-ness. I think she gets a double dose - from Mommy AND Daddy. She will argue with you til the cows come home and she does NOT budge. For example, she calls blueberries - "gapes". John decided to teach her their real name one night for dinner (they both LOVE their blueberries). So, he kept telling her they were blueberries and she kept arguing back "No....GAPES!" You'd think the more he pushed, she would just give in but that little girly stuck to her guns and to this day still calls them "gapes". And again, anytime she goes potty she keeps calling the "poo-poo's", "pee-pee's". So while I sat and waited for her to do her business today, I kept trying to tell her they were "poo-poo's" and she was belligerent in telling me they were "pee-pee's". We argued about it for a good few minutes and she would NOT budge. It's hilarious but mystifying at the same time. I asked her where she got her stubborn-ness, from Mommy or Daddy and she quickly told me "Mommy!" Lol....whoopsie...guess I shouldn't have asked!

Instance #5: She's an avid block-builder. This is the lone toy that can consume the most amount of her time. Just building, and re-building, over and over. It's nice for Mom too so I can get something done and keep her occupied at the same time. She's very in to building castles and houses. And just absolutely LOVES when you compliment her on them. She'll happily show me her finished product and I'll go on and on and exclaim "Addison, that is a beautiful castle!" (and honestly they are quite impressive for a 2 year old) and she'll immediately respond with "Thanks Moooommmm!" in the most adorable voice. Similar to the "It's shake n bake and I heppped!" commercial. She's been saying the funniest things in the funniest ways lately - it cracks us up!

Showered With Love

2011-08-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

I wore black on purpose. However, even though it is a very forgiving color, it alone cannot hide my huge baby belly...or my puffy face. Oh well, it was worth a try!

I almost forgot...but didn't. Earlier this month, my wonderful in-laws and friends threw me a beautiful baby shower for this baby boy. I'm very lucky since this is technically my 2nd child, even though he is our first boy. But even more luckier once you see just how much they did for little ole me....and baby. It was a wonderful shower and I am always so thankful to see how many people care about me, help, show-up, etc etc. I'm not one that feels most comfortable in the spotlight but I'm grateful for friends that still make sure I'm in it every once in awhile.

The theme was brought to you by Sarah (along with most everything else). It was decorated in a Bee theme and it was just adorable. Everything down to the nitty gritty details had to do with bees. I loved it!

A one-shot glance at the treats table. This doesn't even include the array of delicious foods behind the camera that were waiting to be eaten. Sarah is a decoratist - I'm coining that word...just for her.

Cupcakes by the wonderful Courtney. She is Sarah's BFF who I'm also adopting. She must really love me because she made these herself! They look professional don't they? They were just as delicious as they were beautiful!

A beehive diaper cake! I must say I've never ever had my own diaper cake. It was on my wish list - and now I have enough diapers to last this little guy through his first 3 days at home! Thanks Sarah!

See how serious she is about her parties/decorations? She even coordinates the beverages around the Bee theme!

Josie & Mama Jean posing for the camera. They too were sooo helpful with the shower. Josie put together a fun candy matching game - using her artistic abilities. Mama Jean helped with the set-up, take-down, and food as well. I'm definitely loved!

April & Erin joined in on the fun - and the helping! Yep, they are both pregnant too - it's in the water I guess!

What wasn't shown were the scores of other friends that came to shower me with love and gifts. Plus lots of help as well. It was a great evening and I always feel so special when I get to see first hand just how many people care about me. Thanks so much for everyone that came and helped! It was definitely a fun night full of family, fun, friends, food, and laughter!!

Going Out With A Bang!

2011-08-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

So, it must be said...I am still preggo. My due date (the 25th) came and went with nothing eventful happening. I spent the day before my due date, at my doctor's office watching him shaking his head and saying..."Still a 1.5, not effaced...hmmmm". We even went as far as to set an induction date. September 1st - so at least I have an official countdown date. That should help right? Eh, somewhat...it still seems kinda far away. Not to mention that ANY day past the beloved due date seems like E.T.E.R.N.I.T.Y.!! My doctor has mentioned from the get go that going overdue was likely - especially since I did w/Addison. So I should have been prepared mentally right? Eh, I still cried when I realized it was going to happen again. Just a little - but I'm entitled right? Kinda dissappointed in my body and it's lack of ability to kick a baby out on it's own. I know it's probably more healthy to be "positive-minded" and to order my request of a natural labor in the universe - but mostly I'm being realistic and realizing my body just doesn't like a schedule.....ever.

So, I'm doing the only thing one hugely, overdue, pregnant, woman can do. Living it up for the next week! Woohoo! It's gonna be sooo exciting it'll go down in the record books folks. I'm eating anything/everything I please. Cleaning/nesting up a storm (and to be honest I did have a few more things on my "to-do before baby comes" list). Catching some extra Zzzz's (when I don't have to roll this huge belly around). And having just plain old fun in the meantime. That means LOTS of dates: Mommy/Addison dates, Family dates, and even a GNO thrown in there for good measure. Must.Occupy.My.Mind. At least until September 1st. Then I'll be one happy woman.

After I reserved this past Thursday (my original due-date) for moping around, we finally busted out and started partying Friday. Addison and I took a last minute jaunt on our own lunch date. What was on the menu? Any pregnant woman's dream:

FRIED PICKLES!! :D

I found a restaurant - Slim Chickens - that makes them soooo good. John's actually been a fan of the restaurant for many moons but I wasn't sold until I noticed the menu not only had fried pickles - but fried okra to boot! Lets just say I'm now a card carrying punch card holder....and it's already halfway filled. I've had many random cravings this pregnancy but this one beats them all. And I'm not even going to contemplate how many calories they contain - I'm just popping them back with not a care in the world.

I was tempted to call John and have him meet us at the restaurant for a last minute lunch but decided he was probably too busy. When Addison and I walked in to make our order, she kept saying "Daddy, Daddy" and I thought - that'd be hilarious if we just ran into him. I just assumed she associated the restaurant with him since he was usually with us when we came. But just as I stepped up to place my order, guess who sidled up next to us? Yep, Daddy! Addison must have wished him there. It was a fun excuse to enjoy a lunch date with Daddy and Brad and Addison and I. I even graciously offered one of my fried pickles to each person - just one of course. ;-)

Then, Friday night I spent moaning and groaning assuming the fried pickles were not sitting pretty with me. However, I soon realized it could likely be some mild contractions. I had a few symptoms to make me (and our wonderful Doula - Sarah) think so. It's not fun feeling crampy and nauseous but it did help spending the night wondering if this is how natural labor begins. John was a very good support and we laid around and timed them while dreaming if "this was really it!" Sadly, they went away but I did get some good sleep. And I'm not ready to discount the pains entirely - I still think something may be looming around the corner.

In the meantime, it definitely motivated me to step up my nesting gene Saturday. We've spent the morning getting LOTS done so now I feel better about leaving the house behind if the hospital calls our name. And if need be, I can even find a few more things to do before Thursday if little boy decides to wait longer.

So, in summary, I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude, keep myself busy, and not dwell on the fact that I'm still HUGELY pregnant. What's left on the horizon? A Girl's Night Out dinner/movie tonight, possibly church tomorrow, a last doctor's appointment on Monday for my non-stress test, a family FHE date night at Putt Putt on Monday night. Finishing the dwindling "to-do list". Plus, I'm sure I see more fried pickles in my future of course. And to think....at the end of it all, we'll FINALLY get to meet this little guy! Less than a week and counting! A very fun and exciting week at that! :D

The Man Of The Day

2011-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

This past Monday we got to celebrate Daddy's birthday! It was a fun and exciting day for all of us and Mommy was definitely grateful that baby boy Hufford didn't pick THAT day to be born. Envisioning years and years of trying to celebrate two separate people and birthdays on the same day for the rest of our lives - was not ideal to me. Granted if it had happened I would have come to terms with it. But just soooo glad it didn't.

Addison and I sent Daddy on to work that morning and then went about our day getting the last minute details taken care of. We ran a few errands and picked up his yummy cake. Then we were lucky enough to swing by and pick him up from work for an impromptu lunch date. And even better, he got permission to play hookie for the rest of the afternoon from work. And of course what did we do with our time? One of his favorite wishes: to spend the afternoon at a movie matinee eating corn and kicking back. We couldn't find anything we were dying to see so we opted for "Captain America" and luckily only shared the theater with two other lone guys. It was right at Addison's nap but no matter how hard I tried, she wasn't planning on sleeping. She enjoyed wandering the aisles while we enjoyed sitting back and watching the movie. It was cute but not the best out there by any means. I spent most of my time fretting about the cake sitting in the mini-van all by it's lonesome - luckily it survived.

After the movie we headed home and Addison and Daddy napped while I started cooking the famous "Skyline Chili" for dinner that evening. Mama Jean and Papa Joe were able to come over and visit and celebrate with us. The Skyline was delish and the company was even more wonderful. We got to watch Daddy open all of his presents - with Addison's help of course and we even got to sing to him and help blow out his candles. Addison is a professional birthday helper - she knows the ropes on unwrapping presents and blowing out candles. I don't think we'll ever have to worry about doing it all ourselves for the rest of our lives at this rate. So grateful for her.

Daddy enjoyed some Chicago Bears attire: A hoodie, a hat, a t-shirt, some relaxing pajama bottoms, and a Bears Fan plaque to adorn our walls with and a soon-to-be-released FIFA 2012 game. Can you tell he's just a little excited for football season to come? Now he's ready to sit back and cheer them on! He even got lucky and got to watch them that evening for one of their pre-games. Sadly they didn't win it but at least he still managed to enjoy his Birthday festivities.

Here are a few pictures of our exciting day.

Enjoying the movies and the poppies.

We are so very grateful that Daddy was born sooo long ago ;-). It's nice to be able to celebrate his birth but I think I spend almost every day celebrating him being born. At least in my own head and I sometimes try to make it a point to verbalize it. I'm very grateful to be lucky enough to be his wife. And I'm very glad that he can be the Daddy to my kids. He's a very very good one. One of my favorite things is to see just how much Addison loves to bask in his attention and love and soak it all up. She absolutely LOVES to wrestle with him any time of the day. So much so that if he stops wrestling, she'll lay down next to him, wiggle closer and closer to him, until he gets the hint and picks up the wrestling again. She is a little John-essa and I love it!

Happy Birthday John!

Walkin' A Mile

2011-08-22T19:44:00.001-07:00

Technically, I don't think Addison could walk a mile in either of these pair of shoes....especially Daddy's steel toe boots. But she'd sure look cute just trying!

Daddy's Boots: She kept saying "Mommy...heavy, Mommy....heavy."

Mommy's flats.

I'm assuming every Mother dreams of the day their little girl plays dress-up in their high heels. However, seeing as this Mommy doesn't wear high-heels, these will just have to do. She's very much into playing pretend these days and spends a lot of time with her babies and in Mommy and Daddy's closet. At least she doesn't play favorites - she splits her time between her "work boots" and her "girly shoes." And she has turned into quite the girly girl lately. Her walk now always consists of a booty shake from side to side wherever she goes. (Sashay....Shawntay)

And speaking of pretend - look how talented she is! She has always loved playing with her blocks but the other day when I glanced over at her "cassow" and/or "howse" I was pretty amazed. I haven't ever seen her creations actually resemble a castle or house until now! I'll pretend it isn't because she's had so much more practice time since Mommy is usually pretty immobile lately and can't get down on the ground and play with her. Yes, that's right - we'll just call her smart instead ;-).

Kicking back at the end of a long day at the office.

Apparently, in her ample free time she also likes to study up on the game of golf and learn some tricks to perfect her swing. This was the result of Daddy getting her ready for bed. And yes, he SWEARS this was not staged. I guess she's just that obsessed with golf lately. Nothing like sitting down on the throne and perusing through the latest periodical. Sigh.

Lest I Forget

2011-08-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to let blog-land know that I'm still alive....still kicking....and so is this baby - STILL from the inside of the belly though. Technically, I'm still 1 week from my actual due date but it doesn't help that all the pregnant people I know (which is a lot) are having their babies. TWO of them weren't even due until after me! Yeah, I know....life isn't fair. Apparently my body likes my babies to be well-done so I should at least come to terms with it right? We'll see.

So, I've had a little time on my hands to reflect (yes, even while crazily nesting away for the past two weeks surprisingly) and there are lots of things I want to not forget when/if the day comes for this little guy to make his entry into this big world. Which, yes, I prefer my babies on the outside as opposed to the inside. Read on and you'll see why...

Bathroom Breaks: Really, I can't wait to not go through a bajillion rolls of toilet paper in a 24 hour day. I miss the luxury of not having to go every 5 minutes and only two drips at a time. I envy those who have regular bladders. Poor Addison doesn't quite understand why Mommy asks her if she needs to use the potty every 5 minutes. I guess I just assume since I do that everyone must right? How easy it is to forget how often a normal bladder functions. I can't wait to remember a few weeks from now. Addison has started to become annoyed with my frequent inquiries....so much so that now when I ask if she needs to use the potty she shouts at me in a stern voice "No!" Which introduces our next life lesson of politeness vs. rudeness. She's learning quickly to say "No tanks" and even "Tanks" w/everything - it's cute really.

Following The Rules: (um yeah, this one isn't so much pregnancy related) I have found proof again that Addison is indeed my child. While part of me always loves those discoveries - this one worries me at times. She is 100% a rule follower....as was I (and still am). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it 95% of the time. I never have to fear her defying me or anything I say for that matter. I say it - she obeys it...nice right? Except, I'm afraid it makes her too timid at times. Case in point: She asks me before she does a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. "Mommy, can I walk on the rocks?" "Mommy, can I pick up my toy?" "Mommy, can I read this book?" I promise she does this all on her own - I don't beat my child. It's cute at first but I worry that she won't gain the confidence she needs to just jump in and do it because she wants to and not wait for permission. Growing up I always worried about upsetting others.....too much in my opinion. And I see how sensitive she is and how even the smallest moments where we get on to her - she gets really sad and cries. Hopefully, she and I can work through this together through the years and learn to bust out of the mold just a bit. Maybe we can consult Daddy for advice - he definitely wasn't a rule follower growing up - just ask the policemen he sassed and the mother he disobeyed and the house he frequently snuck out of. He was ALL boy and then some.

Heartburn: Addison was born with a TON of hair. So much so that it curled down the back of her chubby little neck. We could have probably put it in a ponytail when we took her home from the hospital. For this reason, I am a believer in the theory that pregnancy heartburn = babies with LOTS of hair. And, again I'm banking on this one to have a shaggy mane of his own. I'm guessing those genetics come from John. So pretty much since day one of this pregnancy I've dealt with some horrendous heartburn. In the beginning I tried to medicate myself but it just proved fruitless. Now I just deal with it. And one way I do that is to belch like a trucker. It's not a pretty sight - but neither are 90% of the side effects that pregnancy provides. Thankfully I do most of my belching in the privacy of my own home. Addison thinks it's hilarious and shocking at the same time. I just can't wait until I can pass gas the normal way like everyone else.

Insomnia: If you check the time stamp of this post you'll realize I'm currently battling a bout of insomnia - yet again. I don't remember having this symptom w/Addison but it is NOT fun to be wide awake when the rest of the house is sawing logs. The first few times it happened to me I got so frustrated with it all that I burst into tears. And lets just say that reaction didn't necessarily drive me to sleepy land either. There isn't much worse out there than laying awake and trying to will yourself to sleep. I realize this is a typical occurrence in the last few weeks of pregnancy but unfortunately I got the added privilege of enjoying it in the early months as well. By the time my body is ready to rest, the baby will be on the outside of me and wide awake. So nice that we get to take turns at this eh?

Hip Pain: Moving around freely and without pain - sigh...those were the good ole days. Anytime I sit in a position for more than 5 minutes my body will tighten up and take a good 10 minutes to get moving again. Hobbling around and wincing in pain is getting old at this point of the game. There have even been a few times where I was a fool and actually sat my pregnant self on the floor. Needless to say, Addison got a bit worried when she saw me unable to get up. I got pretty worried myself to be frank with ya. Even tonight, as we packed Addison's "Grandpa/Grandma Visit-Bag" I absentmindedly plopped myself right on the ground. Funny how those memories come flooding back when it's time to try and get up again. And why do I do this on the few times when John isn't even home to help me? Have you ever seen a two year old try her hardest to pull on Mommy's finger with a worried look on her face?

Hormones: I'm a bawler (yeah that's with a "wl" not an "ll"). More so when I'm pregnant but yes I tend to here and there even when I'm un-pregnant. Sweet Addison will look at my tears and come love and hug on me and say "Mommy.....sad." What do I say to her when 90% of the time I don't even know what is causing the tears? Poor John doesn't get much response either when he's asking what is wrong. However, he has learned quickly this time around to give me different/better responses. "It's okay" "You can just cry - you don't have to figure it out" "Just soak in a bath and relax" etc. etc. Even as a girl, it can be so confusing to have tears and emotions come from absolutely nothing. I'm the one pouring the flood gates and I usually can't figure out what is going on. So strange.

Elephant-itis: Yep, I have it again. I didn't think I'd swell with this one....but I did. Granted both times my swelling only occurs in the last couple of weeks of pregnancy so I'll take it. But it does look mighty nasty - not to mention it doesn't feel good. It does help me pull in sympathy votes w/John though. Whenever I'm needing some attention, I'll just plop my fat nasty feet in his vicinity and point it out to him. He feels for me and sometimes even rubs them! :D It's not attractive when you can take off your shoe and still see the imprint of where it once was.

Cranky-itis: Yeah, I have this symptom too. Poor Addison deals with the brunt of it since she's at home w/me all day. I thought most of it was due to the insanely hot temperatures and me being insanely pregnant. But, now that the temps have cooled down, I still have it. At this point, I'm not so much as trying to fix it as I'm allowing myself permission to endure the next couple of weeks with it. I do keep promising Addison that the "Fun Mommy" will be back soon. This crazy lady that gripes at any/everything is only temporary. Addison deals with it well and I hope she really knows that the Mommy that will play on the ground with her and give her endless amounts of cuddles and attention and free time....is right around the corner.

Braxton Hicks: These seem to be the ONLY contractions my body has ever decided to have on it's very own. And frankly, this time around they are a lot more frequent than when I was pregnant w/Addison. Every time I google the symptoms everyone says they are painless. Whuh? Pain-LESS? Feeling like a two-ton sumo wrestler is sitting on your chest is not my idea of painless. Every muscle in your body tightening and your belly getting rock hard - isn't exactly painless. And lets add the latest symptom of throbbing pain in my muscles all the way up the back of my neck and head - that's definitely not painless. Apparently they affect everything in my body except actual dilation. Which could still be why I'm still sitting at a 1.5 currently.

Personal Space: I don't have it anymore and haven't had it for a long time. I have a constant bowling ball sitting on top of me. And I was even a big fan of personal space even before pregnancy. So, needless to say, I'm not the nicest when anyone outside of my stomach infringes upon my space. Addison doesn't really understand why exactly she can't come hang on me anytime she pleases. And I can't find the nice words to say that "I love you but don't touch me" (remember she's pretty sensitive). It's gotten so bad now that John knows when I give the look to help clear the area around me asap. He's turning into such a good mind-reader lately.

So, in summary, those are the current thoughts/pains of my mind. It sounds like I'm not grateful for this little life inside me and honestly I am. Especially when I know of good friends that struggle with infertility and/or loss. I can't imagine how difficult that must be. It does make me grateful at times to enjoy the blessings of the pain. But, again, if I could have my way, I'd rather deal with the sleepless nights and have the baby in my arms than in my belly once it's done cooking. Here's to hoping that happens sometime next week. :D

The Hills Are Alive...

2011-08-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

No, technically we weren't frolicking through the daisies and hills belting this tune out at the top of our lungs....but we came close. Instead we were dining on dinner while enjoying the local rendition of the play at the Rogers Little Theater. Much better listening to THEM sing than us - not saying that a few in our group didn't give it their best shot though.

I had decided it was time we expose ourselves to the arts again so John and I booked tickets for our date-night outing to see "The Sound of Music" at the Rogers Little Theater. And luckily, we were able to talk Brad & Dana into joining us so we didn't have to make awkward dinner conversation with complete strangers (again). Brad's sister Jenny even joined us at the last minute to make our outing that much more exciting.

If you've ever seen plays on Broadway, this doesn't necessarily meet that "level" - but it is a nice break from the typical "movie/dinner date" every once in awhile. And we do have some pretty amazing local talent folks - whodathunk? My personal favorite was the little girl who played the role of the youngest child - Gretl. She was a.door.a.bull and could out-sing most of the cast to boot. I guess I'm always amazed when teeny tiny people can perform/sing so well.....especially when that is definitely NOT a talent of mine. It took all I could muster to not run up to the stage and squish her cute little cheeks or put her in my pocket and take her home w/me.

Neither John nor I had ever actually seen the movie or the play - and yes we were mocked repeatedly by our dinner guests/friends. I understood the general plot and knew most of the songs just by picking them up through the years but of course never knew where exactly they originated from until that night. Overall, we were pleasantly....pleased. It was a fun time and I'm glad we got to go and experience it. Every time we enjoy the arts, I always leave dreaming of a trip to Broadway to see more. My dream list consists of: Phantom, Les Mis, and Wicked (again). Hopefully someday I can go on the voyage and check those babies off my list....at least maybe even a traveling group?

Our captivating dinner company, Brad, Dana, and Jenny.

John and I. At this point, I was about to eat off my left arm I was starving so much. They send you through the buffet line one row at a time - and apparently we drew the short straw. Surely, they know what consequences that can have on a severely pregnant woman? I hope they got the picture as I managed to dish up enough portions to feed a small army when it was finally our turn.

This Is The Life

2011-08-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, I must confess, I'm one lucky lady. Especially at this stage in the pregnancy. Not only do I get many night outs and breaks but I also get nice foot rubs. Check out my viewpoint from this past Sunday afternoon. (And lets not focus on the fact that my legs have now turned into sausages okay?)

This past Sunday I got to enjoy yet another foot rub from Daddy & Addison. I've capitalized on the fact that this little girly loves to put on "Otions" (lotions). She actually almost trumps the Daddy in knowing just how to rub those tiny little fingers in between and around the toes....her natural ability is quite impressive!

She has also turned into a "mini-me" as of late which is hilarious at times. Now that I'm in my last month of pregnancy (random shout-out: Woot!) I've increased in the aches and pains department and thus can't help but vocalize them as well.

Mostly, during the day as I hobble around in pain, Addison also joins in with me - as if she were also pregnant and achy as well. When I grunt as I stand up, she's next to me grunting and standing up as well. When I moan while I walk/hobble and wait for my joints to catch up, she's behind me doing the same thing. It's so nice (and hilarious) to have someone who feels my pain! Just today, I was laying on the bed and rubbing lotion on my aching feet and she was my mirror image. Side by side, sitting the exact same way, rubbing her feet and moaning just like me. It's hilarious to watch and makes me realize maybe I'm a little too vocal about the recent aches and pains......nah who am I kidding? I deserve to be heard dangit! :P

She's also very sympathetic to my needs. She has turned into my little assistant. I no longer have to bend over and pick things up. She happily will stop what she's doing to fulfill my request and pick it up to hand to me, or put in the trash, or put away, etc. She'll even assist me in pulling me up off the couch, the bed, etc. She must realize just how much work it takes to be pregnant at this point. Ahhhhhh, soooo glad I had a girl first. She's going to be a great mini-nanny when this baby boy arrives. :D

Through The Year

2011-08-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

I can't help but belt out this song when I read the title of this post. However, technically I should change the words to...."Through the Yeeeeaaarrrr - and a half." John started the tradition and I merely continue it. At 6 months old Addison had tubes put in her ears. Scary for this Mom at the time but soooo worth it as well. Anyway, every 6 months since then we've been back for follow-up appointments to check and see if they are still in, gone, etc. So, once again I've decided to document our 3rd installment of the doctor's chair picture so everyone can see just how grown up she's gotten since our first visit.

Roughly 6 months old. Just a week after her successful surgery. She's sooo tiny!

The 1 year post surgery follow-up (1 1/2 years old) .....she's growing up too fast!

And last but not least, our big girly at her 1 1/2 year follow-up (2 years old). She's turned into such a little girl!

And stay tuned for the next 6 month follow-up. As of this last visit, she still has one tube holding on in there which should fall out soon. She's done amazingly well with both the tubes and getting her regular check-ups from the doctor. I always walk away amazed at how well she sits and lets him do his thing.

Looking through all these pictures makes me miss those chubby baby days when she was sooo little. I love watching her grow up but it's so hard at the same time. However, it does get me excited to get ready to watch baby brother go through the same phases.

Two of a Kind

2011-08-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

It seems that John and Addison go on more dates than this Mommy can even keep up with in documenting them! I won't complain though. It's so nice to have some time relaxing by myself while those two go off on their adventures. Addison is lucky to have such a great Dad and I'm lucky that I was able to give her such a great Dad. Because, it WAS all my doing ya know! Seriously though, I found John....he didn't find me.....and I'm thankful everyday that I did find him, and that he didn't ignore my random email way back almost 5 years ago.

So, first things first, Addison enjoyed going to her first youth dance. Yes, at 2 years old mind you! John's church calling is with the 14 year old boys in our ward so he went to help out with a dance/activity and decided to bring Addison as his date at the last minute. Of course, that involved Mommy and Addison rushing around at the last minute to get her dressed just so for her big night out and have every hair in place and even fancy shoes to boot. Yes, secretly we both love this little primping moment....prepping for dates. Luckily they are just with Dad at this point. I fear the day we are getting her ready for dates with other boys!

Testing her abilities with the Hula Hoop. I'm guessing she did wonderfully since she really knows how to shake that booty at home.

One of her dance partners of the night and also one of her favorite babysitters. They even share the same name. It's no coincidence they get along so well.

I'm guessing Daddy and Addison shared a dance or two as well but since he was the sole picture taker, I have nothing to show. They of course topped off the evening with a McD's ice cream cone as a night cap. Daddy is much nicer than Mommy, he lets her hold her OWN ice cream cone. She's been jabbering about that moment ever since. Such a fun date!

And of course, not even a week or two later, the two were off again on another adventure. Mommy got to enjoy a GNO (Girls Night Out, to the late person) and Daddy enjoyed a "Man Date" with his friend Tommy and his kiddos as Mommy was busy dining with Tommy's wife (her friend) as well. Yep, it's a communal event around these parts. Of course the man date included the kiddos while the wives were kid-free (we know how to work it, we are smart ladies after all!) Apparently a fun time was had by all, and John obeyed well when I requested pictures of their man date.

Addison and Bentley chasing each other around the play place. They have about 2 years between them but they LOVE to play together so it works well.

Addison on the slide. Yes, this is the play place that Mommy never lets her go in for fear she won't come out. Again, Daddy is cooler than Mommy.

And this is Addison's future boyfriend, Coops (yes, she picked out that nickname for him, how romantic! ;-). He's a few months younger but we'll look past that. Oh plus she cries (okay SOBS) anytime he's even in her presence or looking at her, but then she'll jabber about him non-stop when he's not around. Girls are so confusing!

The Land Of Cousins

2011-07-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Also known as Kansas City. Granted we have cousins in many places but recently we were able to tag along w/Daddy on his trip/work meeting to Lenexa. And that always means that Addison and I get lots of cousin bonding while he sits in boring meetings. It's a win win! :D

We started our evening off with just a dinner out with our own little family. It was horrible. Not so much the "family" part of it as much as the "dinner" part. I've officially sworn off Applebee's now. Their food is one level BELOW mediocre, the service was also sub par, and apparently they are making their budget cuts in the way of air conditioning. It also didn't help that Addison decided to throw tantrum after tantrum when the food came. But at least she looked cute before the tantrums came. And at least we weren't too disappointed to leave our nasty meal behind as we followed up with her consequences of hanging out in the car until she was done.

Notice the perspiration? Yeah, it was that hot. Maybe that's why she was minutes away from a meltdown when this picture was taken.

The rest of our stay was quite wonderful. We spent the mornings giving Daddy rides to work and then would jaunt off to Aunt Michelle's house and hang out for the day. We would play, eat lunch, nap, and then rush on to pick Daddy back up from work. We even got to enjoy eating a delish dinner with the Hufford cousins our 2nd night in town. It was so nice of them to throw an impromptu dinner together for us. And it was especially nice that Addison has finally reached the age of playing on her own instead of hovering by me the whole time. It made our visit that much more wonderful! Here is a pic of Daddy, Addison, and Laney (cousin / Addison's twin) hanging out in the basement. Thanks so much for the fun Mark & Maren!

Addison, Daddy, and Laney at Mark & Maren's house.

The following days we even got to take part in Ashlyn's birthday party, a couple of school play dates with Preston's friends at Aunt Michelle's house, a hot and sweaty afternoon at Deanna Rose, followed up with a delicious dinner with Mommy's siblings and all the cousins yet again. It was really a great visit and a nice impromptu trip. Can't wait until another boring work meeting happens again! :D

Enjoying a fun lunch at Aunt Michelle's house.

Posing at the Deanna Rose Farmstead. One word......HOT!

It was pure coincidence they lined themselves up by height. Such happy campers! It was probably for the best that we came 30 minutes before closing time. I think that was about the exact time I could survive before dropping from the immense heat.

This is one of many moments of hand holding and hugging w/her older girl cousins. She very much adores those ladies and the attention they shower her in.

Pointing out the "stinty piggies" at the farmstead. She loves to announce when ANYthing stinks (including Mommy & Daddy). And she has reminded me often of those stinky piggies ever since we got home. Her memory is quite impressive lately.

And last but not least, killing some time at the park while we wait for Dad to finish up at work.

What We've Been Up To

2011-07-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Fair Warning: This post is all about the exciting, glamorous, life of a stay-at-home Mommy and her 2 year old's achievement with potty training and all the wonderful verbiage that comes with it. While you may not find this as riveting as we do, we must still document it for posterity's sake so Addison will remember all the exciting details of her voyage into "Big-Girl-Hood". So proceed at your own risk!

Yep, we are still alive and kickin' here at the Hufford house. We've just been a bit preoccupied as of late. We've spent the last week or so hanging out in the bathroom. I know, exciting eh? Apparently this girl is VERY excited about it:

And frankly, as quickly as she's taken to the potty training process....it makes this Mommy VERY excited as well.

I've prepared for this day in the back of my mind for quite some time. I knew she was still a little young but figured we'd give it a go before baby brother comes along just to see how interested she is with it all. If it was a fail, we'd shelf it until baby brother got nicely settled into the family. After all, visions of me running to the potty w/one child while trying to carry a newborn were not leaving me with warm fuzzies.

I'll admit, I had reservations with actually beginning the potty training process. Most (okay all) were my own hesitations. For one, she is growing up! Sniff sniff! And that is a hard adjustment for a Mommy to make amongst all the others that seem to be flooding into our lives lately. For two, I was intimidated with the whole process. My first child, my first potty training experience, yadda yadda, etc. It's sooooo complicated and scary! I think that is what kept me dragging my feet in the beginning. I kept trying to make it this huge, official, process including some elaborate opening ceremony and commencement of events when I finally just realized that it wasn't rocket science and she was a smart girl and I'd catch on eventually. So, one random Friday morning a week ago we decided to call it "Potty Day #1!"

We jumped right in and talked about big girl panties most of the morning and then put them on her. It was a very exciting moment but all along I was mentally preparing myself for the messes that would ensue at least in the beginning. And ensue they did. Three pee pee accidents all within 5 minutes. I didn't last long after that. I decided she wasn't ready (okay I wasn't ready) and decided to diaper her up and quit. Then as I was strapping on the diaper I realized I really didn't give her much of a chance to try simply because I didn't want to clean up messes. So, off came the diaper, and off came the panties for that matter. We spent the next week bare-bumming it around the house and THAT has been the cure. I'm not saying we haven't had our fair share of accidents but luckily she really panics when she feels the urge come on and nothing is there to catch it. Which makes me think she thought the panties were just a pretty diaper alternative. And of course we've instituted the candy reward system. A skittle for a pee-pee and a starburst for a poopy. And of course, Mommy and Daddy reserve the right to dip into the treats as reward for their hard work as well. Which means we've had to replenish the stock quite frequently.

My little princess bare-bumming it around the house.

So, to update...things have been going great! We reserve pull-ups for naps and diapers for night time but during the day it's nothing but bickies! (Hufford-ese for "Po-po" which is Bell-ese for the chubby little behind - yes we have LOTS of languages in this house ;-) And don't get me wrong, I have NO complaints about watching her chubby little bum run around the house all day long. I even manage to get in a few squeezes here and there for payment for all my hard work! ;-)

So, here we are in our 2nd week and I think we'll keep trucking. She hasn't "mastered" it by any means but we've drastically cut down on diapers and wipes and pull-ups and messes so I'm going with it. I have a silent celebration each time she drops a poopy in the toilet since that is one less poopy I have to wipe off her bum. Woohoo! And she is surprisingly better about the poopys than the pee pee's. She hasn't had any accidents with those (except a few in the diaper-which could have been my fault b/c I was being lazy or preoccupied). It also doesn't hurt that you can literally set your watch by how often and when she poops during the day. I've always secretly LOVED that she's a "regular" type of girly. We've progressed from running to the potty by reading her signs to now actually hearing her say: "Pee pee in da potty? Pee pee in da potty?" Plus, she's learning to hold it more and go less. Not in an unhealthy way. In a "we don't have to go pee pee every five minutes and one tablespoon at a time way." I'm loving that too. The bathroom isn't the most exciting place to hang out ya know. Luckily she will sit forever drawing "circles" on her pad of paper or reading her books while we wait it out.

And now into week 2 we've come a long way. Even though she all the sudden seems scared of the potty, or at least hesitant to go sit on it, once she's on it and reading her book she refuses to get off. I've actually had to bribe her to LEAVE the bathroom so we can get other things done. And we've also graduated back to the Mickey & Yo Gabba Gabba panties. She has finally started realizing they don't hold squat. Of course I have yet to muster the courage to leave home w/only big girl panties on her little bum. I'm sure that will come in time but right now we'll take what we can get.

So, overall, I'd give Addison 5 stars out of 5 stars for acheiving such a huge milestone at such a young age (2 years and 3 months-but whose counting? ;-). She's such a smart girly and YET again she has proved this Mommy's predictions and hesitations wrong. One of these days I'll catch on to her amazing abilities and never ever doubt again.

Getting into messes (aka Mommy's make-up) while we have been sitting bored at home waiting for potty successes. It's amazing what a little boredom will create.

So, signing off from our current throne! Wish us luck in the remainder of our journey. I'm hoping she'll have this ALL figured out by the time baby brother comes along. I'm sure she'll be excited to tell him of her latest journey into Big-Girl-Hood. :D

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

2011-07-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

So, I would like it to be known and documented....Daddy isn't the ONLY fun parent around these parts. Every once in awhile this Mommy decides to go a little crazy from our regular hum-drum of life/routine and mix it up a bit. Especially lately, as we've realized how much actually getting out of the house keeps us sane and happy!

These past few weeks we've tried to keep our mornings busy with different activities and then make it home just in time for naps and a little of the boring cleaning stuff in the afternoons. The new schedule seems to work well for us so far. Maybe it's a little of the one-on-one bonding I'm trying to squeeze in with just Addison and I before the next sibling comes along. So, here are a few things we've been up to lately...

Playin' At The Park!
We try to make it to story time at the library every Tuesday. But it takes us about an hour or so just to get out the door and drive there for only a 15 minute event. Which is why we tack on a little more excitement and visit the nearby parks and fountain for some more fun. The heat has been blazing hot but we fight through it and still manage to have a good time. Luckily, we have a nice fountain on the square to dip our toesies in to cool off! Then we throw in our coins and make wishes (okay we mostly just clean out the pennies from my wallet and throw them in but it's still fun!) And we may or may not have dined on the deliciously, low-fat, juicy burgers that are also sold nearby said fountain and square ;-). After all, Addison is quite accommodating to this Momma's pregnancy cravings.

Coolin' down at the fountain on the square.

Checkin' out the train park across from the library. Yeah, so I didn't realize that you can't actually ENTER the train. We only spent about 5 minutes at this park before moving on to the next one. You live, you learn, right?

EAT MOR CHIKIN!
Once again, we donned our bovine attire (okay maybe just Addison did but I DID sport the colors!) and headed out to enjoy Chick-fil-a's "Cow Appreciation Day".

Not only do I feel it's my duty to support the cows as my Grandpa was a cattle farmer, but I do also come from the "Bell" family line so I must also support the cheapness I was raised in and thus dine on anything free at any time...whether I'm hungry or not ;-).

This year we met up with Aunt Josie and cousin David and realized that we could actually avoid the HUGE crowd if we show up right after breakfast is done being served. Such a major relief as last year the crowd was enormous at the "normal people" lunch time.

It was a blast to visit and eat and we even got to enjoy the park afterwards. Apparently, Josie, like myself, is also intimidated by large chaotic kids swarming the play place. Plus it doesn't help that both of our kiddos melt down once they reach the inner most highest corner and thus require being saved/pulled free by their Mom's. Yes, I speak from past experience and it's not gonna happen more than ONCE in my lifetime if I have anything to say about it!

Anyway, I digress....the chicken was delicious, the park was hot but fun, and the long nap we enjoyed afterward was just icing on the cake!

My little bovine. All dressed up and ready to go!

Enjoying our chicken and juice!

Hanging out and sweating at the park! She's such a trooper. She is a heavy sweater but it never stops her from having a good time. Luckily she's getting more self-sufficient at park play so this sweaty Mommy can sit down and watch.

Movies & Poppies!
After cleaning out the mini-van one day, I came across a movie brochure from our local theater that listed daytime kiddie movies for super cheap prices. Granted all the movies are already on DVD but anything is more fun when you get to sit in the real theater and eat the real popcorn (or as Addison now calls it...Poppies!)

A couple of weeks ago, we ventured out to enjoy the movie "Marmaduke". I was a little hesitant as I have never attempted going to the movies w/Addison by myself, especially with lugging around this big old belly and carrying all our belongings amongst a crowd, and realizing the movie itself wasn't a cartoon and wouldn't hold Addison's attention more than 5 minutes. However, all was for naught. Poppies are the key to this little girly's heart. She will do anything/everything you say just so long as she can get her handful of Poppies to her mouth during the process. She was a bit hesitant on trusting the theater chair to not flip her up but luckily we overcame that fear quickly. Even if it did involve me sprawling my left leg over it to weigh it down for the duration of the movie. It was hilarious to watch her watch the doggies and to even do her fake laugh when the other kids laughed. It was a pretty cute movie as well. Such a fun way to spend a Wednesday. Can't wait to go again this week!

Movies & Poppies! Does it get any more fun than this? Nope!

Even though some days it seems to take a lot of work to get us out the door at a decent hour, it's so much fun hanging out w/Addison and just enjoying her. I can't wait to relish in these last few weeks of just her and I and our little daytime adventures! :D She's a fun and silly girl to hang out with and I am one lucky Mom! Here's to all of the adventures waiting around the corner!

Giddyup!

2011-07-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

The title to this post is two-fold. I've realized today I'm extreeeeemmmmeeely behind in my blog posting but also the title is very fitting for my first "catch-up entry" of our rodeo visit.

Wayyyyy back about what seems like a month ago (and it could have been), John and I went to our 2nd annual PBR Springdale Rodeo. They've been happening much longer but we only discovered that this one existed last year. I enjoy going so much that I think I'm declaring it as our annual "must-see" event.

Although, I'm definitely NOT a cowgirl, I grew up going to rodeos as a kid and loved them just as much then. Every year our family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc) would converge upon the Ozark, MO Rodeo. It was also at this rodeo that I purchased my very own cowboy hat (spray painted pink of course!) with pink feathers included. I loved wearing that hat but mostly I loved the memories I had of spending time with family and watching the rodeo.

For this reason, I think I enjoy going to the Springdale rodeo that much more. I get to reminisce on those childhood memories, my wonderful Grandpa/cowboy that is no longer on this earth, and all the things the rodeo brings with it. Luckily, John seems to enjoy it just as much (or maybe he's just too nice to say "No" to my excitement).

This year we splurged yet again and bought the "box seats". Um yeah, I didn't know they existed either and this is the only time in my life I've ever purchased box seats - especially for a rodeo - but it's worth the extra $$ just to see the action up close and personal. And boy did we! We were closer to the chutes this year so we had many a buckin' bronco right by our fence post.

The view from our seats. A little blurry, but one of the bronco's that came up close and personal (sans Cowboy at this point).

One of our newest faves is the mutton busting event. A.door.a.bull. (no pun intended ;-) This is where the kiddos come out and perform for the crowd. Full blown impersonation of just how the big boys do it with the bull riding.....except the kiddos get to ride sheep. They are adorned in their chaps and leather, number pinned to their shirt, with safety helmet included. The chute opens, the sheep runs to it's heart's content, and the child holds on for dear life. It's so cute to watch how much they get into it. It was most fun watching the little boy dressed up as a clown on his barrel who would tend to the fallen cowboy as quick as possible to make sure he was okay....even if he did only fall about 5 inches from the sheep to the ground.

Overall, the weather was definitely hot and humid and the air was definitely not circulating but we pushed through it all so we could enjoy the last (and my favorite) event....Bull Riding! Apparently the bulls were too tough this year because no one seemed to make it to the 8 seconds. It was still fun to watch on the edge of our seats though! So, until next year......Giddyup!!

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

This year for July 4th we decided to mix it up a bit and try something different. We spent the weekend prior to the holiday in Branson at the condo. It seems like our lives have been crazy hectic lately with everything and the baby hasn't even arrived yet! So we went in with very minimal plans for our weekend. First and foremost on our list was to relax in the A/C, nap, swim, and golf.....oh and the Dixie Stampede of course!

I've been wanting to take Addison to the Dixie Stampede for quite some time now. One could easily say I'm living vicariously through her as she didn't even know the place existed up until now. But I just knew she would love it and boy did she. She is starting to recognize "Orsee's" lately and has always loved music and lights so the show did not disappoint. Luckily we had perfect seats for her and cousin Alexa to play on the side when their attention span ran out.

She was amazed at all the horses, music and dancing and kept saying "Wow!" over and over with her mouth agape. Plus she thoroughly enjoyed mauling her corn on the cob (one of her latest favorites) while watching all the entertainment. Daddy talked me into buying a $2.00 flag for her and that was the highlight of her night....who knew? She waved it frantically calling it a "Kite!!" all night long. Best and cheapest souvenir to date I believe.

I was even lucky enough to get to tag along w/John as he went golfing one morning. This is a rare treat (first one to date actually) since I usually have to stay at home w/Addison while he goes out with friends. But this time Aunt Cassie happily agreed to hang out w/Addison. Despite the heat, the course was beautiful, and it was pretty interesting to watch. We bailed after the first 9 holes since our golfing partners were in no hurry to move a long and the heat was getting worse. I enjoyed watching so much that I think I got the bug to take up lessons one of these days! :D

We spent the rest of our time hanging out in the swimming pool, went to dinner one night, and vegged in front of movies another night. All in all, it was a great relaxing trip and was so fun spending it with family/cousins.

Checking out the "Orsee's" before the show at Dixie Stampede.

Proof that Mommy was there! I'm usually the photographer so now I make it a point to be captured in at least some of the memories.

Our party crew waiting for the Stampede (and food) to start. (Alexa, Cassie, Addison, John, and Kyle)

Addison dining on one of her favorites while watching the entertainment.

Random Sidenote: When John and I were dating, we came to the Dixie Stampede and got recruited to be in the performance. I had been enough times to know all the ins/outs of our event - the barrel racing. Such as, we were both going to be riding a stick horse - not a real one, and competing against the other team by running around two barrels in the dirt corral. Little did I know about John at the time but he is competitive AND athletic. I wasn't in it to win it by any means but once that whistle blew he was OFF! And I was trailing behind barely able to keep up. By the time we neared the finish line he took pity on me and slowed down just in time for me to run right into him and push him face first into the dirt while I landed ever so gracefully on top of him...in front of an audience of over 1,000! It was hilarious afterwards but quite embarassing/entertaining during. Poor John got skinned up pretty bad on his knee but was a good sport. Up until I decided to "nurse his wounds" by applying the wet nap doused in alcohol. Sigh....what one won't do for love eh? Either way it was fun to remember back on those days and then realize that here we are yet again with our 2 year old and another one to arrive soon! Funny how time flies! And no, we didn't get recruited for any events this time...thankfully.

And last but not least, "Aunt Tassie" easily won the "Best Aunt of the Year Award" by building the girlies this cute little fort while we were all hanging back and relaxing...and watching.. Addison LOVED it!

I won't go into detail about how Aunt Tassie and Uncle Tyra (Kyle) were Addison's favorites the whole weekend. So much so that she was not interested in hanging out w/Mommy and Daddy much at all! I guess they are pretty cool after all. I'm definitely glad she is surrounded by so many loving family members that adore and dote on her.

The Day Of The Dad

2011-06-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

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"

2011-06-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

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!!