No Place Like Home

Christmas at Gma & Gpa Russell's

2012-01-10T18:59:00.000-06:00

Sitting in Camden's camouflage recliner

Taking pictures with Cousin Camden

Refusing to take pictures with Mom and Dad

Grandma and Grandpa Russell

Grandma & Grandpa Mitchell

Addie loves to make popcorn with Grandma,

so she gave Grandma and Grandpa 12 1/2 lbs of seed for Christmas.

Loving her new umbrella from Tanya

Christmas Morning

2012-01-07T08:19:00.000-06:00

Just like last year, Addie came down the stairs and carefully peaked around the corner to make sure Santa wasn't in the living room waiting for her. Once she realized the coast was clear it was game on. Barry and I had just as much fun watching Addie open all her gifts as she had opening them. Seeing the excitement on her face about each and every gift was priceless.

Santa made his delivery

So excited to get chapstick

All she wanted from Santa was a suitcase and a ball.

Ready to go to Church

Christmas with Gma & Gpa Johnson

2012-01-05T09:37:00.000-06:00

12.23

Excited to go see Grandma & Grandpa

Present Time

Dinner Time

Reading her new book with Grandma

Uncle Ryan is so Funny!

Kennedy cheesing with Grandpa

Me: "Addie can you go sit on Grandpas lap and take a picture?"
Addie: "I stand right here".

Little stinker!

Reagan was so excited to open presents even if they weren't her own.

It was so much fun watching the girls open their presents! They were so excited and ripped through all their presents in no time. Grandma was in shock that after the hours spent wrapping it took them less than 10 minuites to unwrap everything.

Santa visits the Russell Christmas Party

2012-01-04T08:23:00.000-06:00

12.17

Once again this year Addie was a little leery of Santa. She refused to sit on his lap, but at least she gave him a big smile on his way out.

Snow Day

2012-01-02T13:16:00.000-06:00

12.17

I am glad we took advantage of the first snow day of the year and played outside. By the next day the snow was all melted and we haven't had anymore since.

Christmas Activities

2011-12-21T07:08:00.000-06:00

11.25

Festival of Lights Parade in Ottawa

Reaction when asked if she was going to see Santa

12.4

1st Annual Cookie Baking Day

She was suppose to be picking out the red M&M's to put on the cookies

Camden's Baptism

2011-12-01T22:16:00.000-06:00

11.6.11

All pretty and ready to go!

Addie loves to hold her little cousin!

Fall Fun - Part 2

2011-11-11T12:01:00.000-06:00

10.22

Dollinger Family Farm

Addie the Princess

Kennedy the tiger

Reagan the kitty.

Group Hug

Fall Fun - Part 1

2011-11-09T19:58:00.000-06:00

10.17

Boggio's Orchard

She always wants to go see the animals,
but then acts terrified if you get within 10 feet of them.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-03T19:03:00.000-05:00

Awwwww... Giving Granpa Hindle a little love

Spending time with Cousin Camden

Riding around Earlville Trick-or-Treating

Giving Grandma some love

It's a girl of course!

2011-10-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the family Camden Grace Noga!

Born 10/11/11

5lbs. 13oz

Waterpark Fun

2011-09-30T20:02:00.000-05:00

9.1.11

Oregon Day 10 - Part 3

2011-09-27T07:59:00.000-05:00

Addie had so much fun during the short time we spent at the beach earlier in the day, so I wanted to make sure she got some more time to play in the sand. As soon as we got to the campground the girls headed to the beach while the guys got the camper all set up.

Oregon Day 10 - Part 2

2011-09-19T09:33:00.000-05:00

After we picked Mom and Brent up from their dune buggy ride, we headed to the

Sea Lion Caves (the largest sea caves in the world).

The trail down to the lookout where we could see the sea lions swimming.

Addie wasn't cooperating for a group picture.

The sea lions in the cave

Having fun with Uncle Brent

Oregon Day 10 - Part 1

2011-09-18T18:29:00.000-05:00

On Day 9 I took a break from the camera. That day we hung out at the campground we finally found, went to the park, and did a little crabbing.

Day 10 was filled with several fun activities. The first stop was the sand dunes, where we dropped mom and Brent off to take a dune buggy ride. I did this several years ago and was terrified, so the last few years I have passed on this activity. While they were taking their ride, the rest of us headed to the ocean. Addie was in heaven playing in the sand.

Oregon Day 8

2011-09-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

8.20

On the 8th day of our Oregon Vacation, we packed up all of our stuff in my Aunt and Uncle's RV and headed to the coast. The plan was to drive and find campgrounds along the coast as we made our way back to the Portland Airport. What we didn't anticipate was that all the campgrounds would be full. The first day we spent majority of the time trying to find somewhere to stay. We ended up hanging out in a parking lot along the bay until it started to get dark and then we headed to the casino RV parking lot where we spent the night. Wasn't exactly what we had planned on, but we still had fun.

Our home for the remainder of our trip

Oregon Days 5-7

2011-09-05T22:32:00.000-05:00

8.17 - 8.19

I didn't really take many pictures of day 5 and 6. Day 5 we visited a duck pond and then had a picnic lunch at a near by park. On Day 6 we all hopped in the car and headed to the Eugene Airport to pick up Brent.

Day 7 - Crater Lake

I wanted to take a picture in the same spot we did 2 years ago,

but Addie was not cooperating.

Crater Lake August 2009

On our way out of the park we decided to stop and play in the snow. It is not very often you get to play in the snow when it is 65 degrees outside.

Oregon Day 3 & 4

2011-08-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

I wasn't able to keep up my posting like I had hoped on vacation due to the poor internet connection and the several days without internet:(

8.15 & 8.16

On Day 3 Ryan, Uncle Tom, Caulder and I left the house at 4:00 a.m. and headed to the coast to go fishing. We ended up catching plenty of fish for dinner, but it took us a while. I wasn't much help only catching 2. I think this was the first time I have been out fished by my brother:(

Our fishing boat

Ryan's bucket with my 2 fish thrown in. (The pretty orange one was Ryan's)

Day 4 - Ryan left for the Airport early, so the girls packed a picnic lunch and headed to the park to play.

I didn't know there was sprinklers at the park, so I never thought to pack Addie's swim suit. She was fine playing in her clothes until a couple of girls came and stripped down to their swim suit. She wanted to do the same and started taking her clothes off. I fought it for a few minutes, but then I gave in. She ended up playing in her underwear.

Oregon - Day 2

2011-08-20T09:49:00.001-05:00

8.14.11

Addie gets to feed the fish in the Koi pond twice a day. I had to limit her or she would be out there every five minutes giving them food.

Playing Ring Around the Rosie with Uncle Ryan

Doing the Hokey Pokey with Grandma

Visiting the falls

Back Track

2011-08-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

Since I have multiple cameras with me I missed some of our traveling pictures and pictures from our first morning at the fish ladder.

Waiting for our shuttle at the Portland Airport

Fish Ladder. One of Uncle Ryan's favorite places to visit in Oregon.

Oregon Vacation - Day 1

2011-08-18T09:46:00.000-05:00

My mom, Ryan, Addie and I arrived in beautiful Oregon last Friday. Poor Barry had to stay home so he could work on completing his clinical time required to take his paramedic exam:( It was a long day of traveling, but Addie was excellent! We are visiting and staying my Aunt and Uncle who live in Roseburg. This is the 3rd time I have been here in the last 7 years and the older I get the more I enjoy it. The weather is perfect and the views are amazing.

The first day of our trip we decided to go the Wildlife Safari, which was only about 15-20 minutes from my Aunt and Uncle's. It was AWESOME! The animals were right up close and we saw tons of animals roaming about. We first visited the walk through part of the safari called Safari Village and then we headed to the car for the drive through portion, which took us about an hour and a half to drive through.

Addie had a lot of fun hanging out with Uncle Ryan. One night him and my Uncle went to my cousins bar for a little bit and when Addie found out he left she had a break down.

Fishing

Train Ride

Zebras

Buffaho as Addie would say

My favorite part was watching the bears play in the water

Giraffes

Kennedy's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-08-14T18:01:00.000-05:00

8.6.11

Birthday Girl

Mmmmm Sundae

Dupage County Children's Museum

2011-08-12T07:01:00.000-05:00

July 12, 2011

Making Music

We spent a lot of time playing in the bubbles

I am not sure if Addie had more fun playing in the bubbles or washing off the bubbles.

Putting on a show

Gigantic Light Bright

Construction zone

Kayla & Zoe's B-Day Weekend - Part 2

2011-08-11T21:27:00.000-05:00

Day at Grandpa Hindle's

Flying kites with Uncle Brent

I love love love this picture!!

There is nothing like a summer day fishing and swimming in the pond. I love seeing the girls enjoy the pond as much as we did when we were kids. It just didn't quite feel the same though without Grandma Hindle watching from the kitchen window.

Kayla and Zoe's B-Day Weekend - Part 1

2011-08-10T07:13:00.000-05:00

Chillin with Uncle Barry

Barry always has a supply of fire helmets for the girls

Birthday Girl!

3 yearrs old

Birthday Girl!

2 years old

Branson Trip - Day 4 & 5

2011-08-03T22:31:00.000-05:00

Watching the Amazing Pets Show

Checking out the fish at the Fish Hatchery

Feeding the fish

Taking a ride on the ducks.

Addie was very confused about how we were going to ride a duck....

Not thrilled about driving the duck

I have to say that Branson was a lot more fun than we expected. I knew we would have fun, don't get me wrong. We can have fun anywhere. I just thought our fun would consist of swimming and site seeing. We weren't really planning on going to any shows since that is for "Grandparents" right? A few days into the trip we decided we better go see a show, since that is what Branson is known for. The first show we saw was Six and loved it. We decided after that show we would see a few more. We saw 4 shows total and enjoyed every one of them. Surprise, surprise, you don't have to be over 50 to enjoy Branson! We will definitely be going back again some day.

Branson Trip - Day 3

2011-07-28T07:08:00.000-05:00

Addie was in heaven with the pool being just a short walk from our condo.

Trip to Branson - Day 2

2011-07-20T13:45:00.002-05:00

Bass Pro in Springfield, MO

Trip to Branson - Day 1

2011-07-17T10:08:00.000-05:00

St. Louis Zoo

Washing the fire truck

2011-07-07T20:58:00.000-05:00

Singing Happy Birthday

2011-07-06T20:11:00.000-05:00

Addie loves to sing happy birthday. On Father's Day Aunt Megan got out a birthday candle so Addie could sing and blow out the candle. Every time she blew it out they would relight it. I think we sang Happy Birthday at least 25 times.

Aunt Nancy's 60th B-day Party

2011-07-02T05:32:00.000-05:00

This was our first weekend camping trip in a tent with Addie. We really weren't excited about sleeping in a tent, but with a nice comfy air mattress and perfect weather it ended up being a lot fun. We are hoping to do a some more camping this summer!

Tractor Rides with Great Uncle Larry

Addie with her 2nd cousins Albany & Sawyer

Partying with Grandma and the birthday girl

2011-06-24T06:40:00.000-05:00

If you guessed it was Megan in the pictures on the previous post, you are correct. I knew Addie looked like her, but it is amazing just how much.

Here is a comparison to Barry. See I told you they had the same hairdo!!!

2011-06-17T21:53:00.000-05:00

Do you know who the little girl is in these pictures??????

Miller Park Zoo (Bloomington)

2011-06-15T21:57:00.000-05:00

Easter Bunny

2011-06-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

Addie was so excited to go see the Easter Bunny at the Peru Mall. She waited in line patiently as all the other kids sat on his lap and smiled for a picture. I was excited thinking everything was going much better than I had planned. I didn't dress her up in her pretty Easter dress because I figured it was going to be a reapeat of Santa Claus. It was all to good to be true. When it was her turn to sit on his lap she freaked. The first time around we didn't get a picture. On our way out of the mall we thought we would try again real fast since there was no one in line. She was still not thrilled, but with a few M&M's we got an okay picture.

Day After Easter

2011-05-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

Barry had to work Easter Day, so the Easter bunny waited until Monday to come to our house.

After Addie found an egg she would open it and eat all the candy inside before finding another one. Good thing the Easter bunny put money in some of them.

Is there a basket in there?

Yep!

Easter Day

2011-05-25T14:16:00.000-05:00

Easter weekend in KY

2011-05-22T08:14:00.000-05:00

Bloomington Children's Museum

2011-05-20T13:48:00.000-05:00

Catch Up Time!

2011-05-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

I have gotten really behind on posting, so this week I am going to play catch up.

Here are the remaining pictures of Addie's Birthday.

Ice cream cones at Cho Cho' s Diner in Aurora

Watching the train bring our ice cream cones.

First reaction seeing her new bike.

Birthday at Odyssey Fun World

2011-04-21T12:43:00.000-05:00

What happened to my baby girl? I can't believe how much Addie changes daily. Since her 2nd birthday she is a completely different child. She has always had a difficult time when I leave her with someone, but not anymore. Last week when Grandma Cindy got to our house to babysit she said, "grandma Cindy here, mommy go" and pointed to the door. It was cute, but a little sad:( Addie also started art class last week. Her first class without me! She held on to my leg for a few minutes, but when she sat down to play with playdoh she was fine with me leaving. I sat down the hall for the Forty five minutes checking every once in a while to make sure she wasn't crying and I heard nothing. She did great!

Addie's 2nd B-day Party

2011-04-07T18:57:00.000-05:00

Addie had a great time at her 2nd Birthday Party! It gets to be a little crazy (and messy) with 7 kids under 3 running around, but we love every minute of it!

Once again an awesome cake made by Aunt Megan! Mmmmmmm.....

Florida Part 3 - Wedding

2011-03-22T21:20:00.000-05:00

At the end of our week in Florida we celebrated the Wedding of

Rachel Jensvold (Barry's cousin) to Austin Roehl. It was a beautiful wedding

and we are so glad we were able to be there.

Getting her candy reward for smiling for the camera.

So tired......

Need a little sugar.......

Not so tired anymore!

Florida Part 2 - Pool Fun

2011-03-16T21:07:00.000-05:00

Ocean Fun

2011-03-11T08:44:00.000-06:00

At the end of February we spent 10 wonderful days in Florida! It was in the Upper 70's to lower 80's everyday! Need I say more..... The first 7 days we stayed with Barry's family in a beach house a block off the beach on Anna Maria Island. We spent the majority of our days walking on the beach, swimming in the pool, eating, and visiting with family.

Water Park Fun

2011-02-18T11:36:00.000-06:00

The week of the big snow storm we spent 3 nights at Keylime Cove in Gurnee. Two nights which were planned and a third because we were snowed in. We had a blast! Addie loved going down the waterslides and sitting on the tube in the lazy river. In addition to the waterpark they also had an arcade, a playroom, shops, and restaraunts right in the hotel. When we weren't swimming we were doing crafts, playing disney bingo, playing in the arcade, coloring, or participating in story time.

2011-02-09T20:11:00.000-06:00

1st taste of peanut butter! Yum Yum!

Helping Daddy shovel

Oops slipped on the ice....

20 month Pictures

2011-02-07T21:29:00.000-06:00

These are the pictures that didn't make the Christmas Card.

Christmas #7

2011-01-30T12:10:00.000-06:00

Our last Christmas of 2010 was the night after Christmas and it was at Grandma & Grandpa C's (My Mom & Chuck). We had a slumber party Christmas night and opened presents the next morning.

The girls having breakfast.

She loves her new easel!

Christmas # 6

2011-01-24T20:37:00.000-06:00

Christmas night we celebrated Christmas at Grandpa & Grandma Johnson's (My Dad & Step Mom's). I really wasn't in the picture taking mood since it was only a few hours after Grandma Hindle had passed away, but I did manage to get a few good ones.

Addie was busy eating while the rest of the girls were opening presents

Finally taking a break from eating to open presents

Christmas #5

2011-01-17T19:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa Russell's.

She got impatient waiting for Gpa to put her shopping cart together.

Christmas #4

2011-01-13T21:23:00.000-06:00

After staying in Earlville all week, we decided to go home Christmas Eve, so Addie could wake up to all her presents. Christmas morning Addie seemed excited when we asked if Santa came, but as Barry brought her downstairs she was terrified that Santa was still in the house. We had to keep telling her that Santa was not in the living room. Finally she believed us and went to check out what he had left under the tree.

Sledding Fun

2011-01-09T08:42:00.000-06:00

I hate the cold weather and have been complaining about it for sometime now, but looking at these pictures makes me thankful for the cold weather and snow. They had so much fun sledding!

Christmas #3

2011-01-08T21:20:00.000-06:00

Christmas #3 (Thursday Dec. 23) was at Grandpa and Grandma Hindles House. This was a very difficult day for the family. It was the day that everyone came together to say goodbye to Grandma.

The night before.....Helping make choc. chip pies for Christmas

(Everyone's favorite part of the Hindle Christmas)

Addie was 1 of 6 people it took to take over making Grandmas pies

Gpa handing out the Christmas gifts

This is what Christmas looks like with 7 kids under 3

The kids had a blast sledding together! Mom was in charge of those pictures with Ryan's camera, so I will post them when he gets them to me.

Cookie making & Sledding

2011-01-06T18:41:00.000-06:00

Christmas #2

2011-01-03T18:25:00.000-06:00

Russell family Christmas.

Watching Santa

No... No.... No..... Don't make me sit on his lap!!!

I'm all better now.... I've got my present.

Christmas #1

2010-12-31T04:05:00.000-06:00

The Christmas season started out great! It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, all our Christmas decorations were up, and we had Barry's family over for Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell. Addie was really into opening up her gifts and loved being the center of attention.

Yay! New Boots!

Wearing her new skirt and boots

Thanksgiving & The girls

2010-12-14T21:10:00.000-06:00

Cheese

2010-11-24T23:08:00.000-06:00

Whenever Addie sees my camera she instantly smiles and says cheese, so I was super excited about getting our family Christmas pictures taken. I made an appointment with the portrait studio and was all prepared for the event. Unfortunately Addie wanted nothing to do with getting her picture taken that day. We are going to try again Monday to see if she will cooperate, but if not we may have to settle with a crying Addie in our family picture this year.

Cheese Pictures

Helping decorate the Christmas Tree.

(We are having family over Friday for the festival of lights, so we set it up a little early.

1st Hair Cut

2010-11-10T21:17:00.000-06:00

I finally gave in and had Addie's hair cut. I tried to keep the hair out of her eyes with bows and pig tails, but she would always end up pulling them out . I am so glad I gave in because it turned out really cute.

Below is a picture of me at 4 1/2 years old and I had not had a hair cut yet. Addie received her first hair cut at 19 months.

Me Addie

Piggy

2010-11-01T08:48:00.000-05:00

Saturday we went trick or treating at the down town Ottawa businesses. Addie had so much fun watching the other kids and loved getting candy. I was shocked and extremely happy that she left her costume on the whole time.

Yummy candy!

Sunday we went to Earlville to trick or treat. Since we are related to half the town we had lots of houses to stop at! Addie is so spoiled we ended up with bags of candy, treats and gifts. She had her costume on for over 5 hours and I had a hard time getting her to take it off.

1st stop G&G Hindle's

4th house and on her second bucket full!

Yay underwear!

Addie & Cayle enjoying their suckers

We had an amazing Halloween! I am so glad Barry decided to take the day off. Hopefully everyone had as much fun as we did!

Pumpkins

2010-10-25T12:08:00.000-05:00

Weekend in KY

2010-10-19T22:46:00.000-05:00

Addie and her buddy VoVo (aka ZoZo)

Mmmmmmm..... Guacamole!

1st ice cream cone

Zoe showing Addie how to eat an ice cream cone like a pro.

Kayla enjoying her cone

Water Fun

2010-10-18T11:52:00.000-05:00

Addie and her little buddy

Can you believe these picture were taken October 8th? It was in the Mid 80's, so we took a ride to see if the water park was open. I couldn't believe they still had the water on in October.

Dollinger Family Farm

2010-10-14T20:43:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Barry finally had a day off, so we decided to have a day of fun at the Dollinger Family Farm. We met Grandma & Grandpa C, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Brooke, Kennedy, and Reagan there. The girls had a great time playing on the playground, going through the hay maze, seeing the animals and riding the train. We didn't actually get any pumpkins. Barry was adamant that we were only getting our pumpkins from the Gast farm.. Hopefully we will get to the Gast Farm tomorrow, so Addie can pick out her pumpkin.

Playing in the playhouse

Addie loves to read about animals, talk about animals, and make animal noises, but when it comes to actually being near one she is terrified. Whenever a dog gets anywhere near her she clings to me and shakes in fear. At the Sandwich fair she didn't want to get anywhere near the animal barns, so I was happy to see she got a little closer while we were at the Dollinger Farm.

Grandma save me from that scary rabbit!

Hay Maze

Waiting for the train

18 Months Old

2010-10-07T21:19:00.000-05:00

Last week we went for Addie's 18 month check up. She is now 25lbs 12oz (75%), and 34 1/4 inches. (95%).

One thing that I have been putting off and I knew was going to be questioned at the appointment was Addie's sleeping habits. We have our routine and I am comfortable with it, but I knew the doctor wasn't going to approve.

Routine: Lay on the couch; read books; fall asleep; put her in crib; when she wakes bring her in bed with us.

So after all the bad looks I get from other parents when I tell them she sleeps with us sometimes and the look I got from the doctor I decided to try the cry it out method once again. We had done it once before, but when she was getting a bunch of teeth in I gave in and pulled her in bed with us. I did just like they recommend until a point. Vomit.... and lots of it. She gets so worked up she pukes. I tried twice and that was enough for me to say forget it. I am fine with our routine and I have decided to not care that other people may not agree with our decision. Every morning when we wake up to that beautiful little face and she rolls over and gives us a big hug and kiss it is the greatest feeling . I am going to cherish these moments while they last.

1st Tractor Ride

New favorite food..... hard boiled eggs

Visiting Daddy at the Firestation

2010-10-04T20:59:00.000-05:00

Got my shades on!

2010-09-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

2010-09-16T20:58:00.000-05:00

It is the middle of September and harvest is in full swing, which means lots of girl time. Last week Addie and I started back to our "school year" schedule. We have playgroup/swim lessons at the Y on Tuesday and Thursday and Tiny tadpoles reading program at the library on Wednesday. Addie is interacting more with the kids now, but she still loves to just sit back and watch the other kids play.

First attempt at pig tails.

Talking while driving

All ready for some food

Chasing Kayla around trying to give her a hug

Weekend vacation with the girls

2010-09-04T22:25:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we stayed in a vacation home in Monticello Indiana with my family. The home we stayed in was a 5 bed, 3 1/2 bath with a large indoor pool and located on Lake Freeman. We spent the weekend swimming, boating, and enjoying a lot of family time. The girls played great together! It is so much fun to just sit back and watch them interact.

Addie's new favorite thing... playing ring around the rosie

Enjoying the pool

Our little marching band

Enjoying the Lake

Cousin Love

Addie would not leave her pants pulled up.

Playroom Mural

2010-08-24T13:50:00.000-05:00

Before we moved into our new house I spent a lot of time looking online something fun to put on the walls of the playroom. It is a main room in the house so I wanted it to be fun, but not clash with the rest of my decor. So I finally decided I was going to paint a mural. What was I thinking? I almost gave up before I was even done tracing the outline on the wall. Transferring the pattern on the wall alone took many hours, but I decided to stick with it. Finally after many hours spent painting during nap time and bedtime, the mural is complete.

Helping move furniture out of the way for the picture.

Potty play time

2010-08-23T21:05:00.000-05:00

One day last week I decided to put in a potty time DVD for Addie to watch. In the movie they said to let your child play with the potty so they get comfortable with it. I decided to give it a try.

2010-08-18T22:23:00.001-05:00

I love this age! Although I think Addie gave me a preview of her terrible twos yesterday she has been so much fun. She makes me smile more and more everyday.

She is a natural when it comes to heels.

Beach Fun

2010-08-08T22:20:00.000-05:00

Addie has always loved the water, but lately her favorite thing is to play in the sand. When we go swimming she prefers to spend the majority of the time on the beach instead of in the water.

1st time spending all day on the river. She had a blast!

The big Catch

2010-07-25T09:41:00.000-05:00

Those of you who know me well know how much I love to fish, but since Addie was born the only fishing I have done was last August on vacation. So the other night when we were at my Grandparents house and my cousin was out fishing I had to throw in a line. Well I just want everyone to know.... I've still got it! Here is proof.

5lb Bass

Weekend with the girls

2010-07-24T22:15:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago we traveled to Kentucky for my niece Zoe's first birthday. Having all the girls under one roof for a few days was a little crazy, but a lot of fun.

Waiting in the never ending diaper changing line.

It is really hard to get all the girls in the same picture.

Swimming at Zoe's Party

More Summer Fun

2010-07-23T22:20:00.000-05:00

1st boat ride.

(This was actually a few weeks ago....trying to catch up)

4th of July party at the Mitchell Farm

Zoo & Water Park

2010-07-19T21:55:00.000-05:00

Watching the dolphin show at the Brookfield Zoo

We discovered a little water park in ottawa and Addie loves it!

Last week I decided to buy Addie a potty so when the time came that she was ready to use it we were prepared. I never expected her to use it this young, but to my surprise the second day we had it she sat down and peed. The next day she peed on it 4 times and pooped once. We were so impressed! The next couple of days she went a couple of times, but wasn't to interested. Now everytime we asks if she wants to sit on the potty she says no:( Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

More Summer fun

2010-06-29T22:19:00.000-05:00

"How about you let me drive".

"Seriously, get out. I want to drive".

Addie enjoying her new playhouse

Gpa Pat bought Addie a cool sandbox at a benefit auction in eville.

Fountain in Chicago

Swimming in the pond

Yesterday we went for Addie's 15 month doctors visit. She is now 24.6 lbs (75%) and 30 3/4" tall (50%). I am surprised her weight wasn't even higher the way she has been eating lately. She eats constantly!

A day of fun

2010-06-25T21:27:00.000-05:00

Strawberry picking at the Guelde farm

Taking a paddle boat ride at Great Gma & Gpa's

Driving Great Gpa's lawn mower

All pooped out from all fun.

Kayla's 2nd Birthday Party

2010-06-13T16:21:00.000-05:00

I was trying to give Brent time to post about Kayla's birthday party first, but I can't wait any longer. The pictures are to cute.

Hillbilly Birthday Party!

We hosted Kayla's birthday party at our new house. Finally we have a house big enough to have a party! Yeah!!! It was stormy most of the day, so we didn't really plan on the girls swimming. Once they let the girls outside though there was no stopping them from getting in the pool. Kennedy was the first to jump in in her clothes, so the guys just decided to strip down all the girls.

All the girls enjoying Addie's playroom

mmmmmm..... pizza

mmmmmmm....... cake

Shedd Visit #2

2010-06-13T15:51:00.000-05:00

On Friday June 4th we took all the girls to the Shedd Aquarium for Kayla's 2nd Birthday. It is hard to remember what it was like 2 years ago when none of these beautiful little girls were in our lives. They make life so much more fun!

Everyone was pooped by this point and ready for a nap.

All moved in

2010-06-03T22:38:00.001-05:00

We are all moved into are new house! It has been a little over 3 weeks since we closed and we have all the painting complete except for the second coat on the walls surrounding the stairs. I like to paint, but it feels great to be almost done. We are all enjoying all the extra space. We can see the park from our house and as soon as Addie gets up and eats she continuously signs to go outside until I take her out. She loves to ride in her wagon around the neighborhood and check everything out.

She started walking about the time we closed on the house and is getting better at it everyday. She doesn't talk much, but is getting very good at signing. If she doesn't know a sign for something she makes one up. Everyday is something new and we are enjoying every minute of it.

We are headed back to the Shedd tomorrow with all the girls. Should be a fun day!

Enjoying her new playroom

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-05-11T21:23:00.000-05:00

The past month has been a busy one.... Looking for a new house, trying to sell our house, helping Ryan & Brooke move to their new house, and a trip to Kentucky to visit my brother and his family. The good news is the next month will be even busier. We found a new house (we close tomorrow) and we sold our house! The next couple of weeks will be spent painting, cleaning, and fixing up our new home before we have to be out of our old home at the end of the month.

I have some good pictures of the girls in Kentucky on my old camera, but I must have packed my camera cord already. Oops.

We decided to spend some quality family time today at the Shedd Aquarium, since we will be very busy starting tomorrow.

Waiting for the dolphin show

Watching the dolphins

13 Months Old

2010-04-25T22:01:00.000-05:00

Wow have I been really slacking on posting lately. Sorry:( Here are some new pictures for now.

Easter

Playing outside

Feeding the fish

"I don't know"

Riding around with her buddy