Good Time Update

Chelsea and I can sit around in the evenings and laugh until Addison goes to bed. She makes funny noises, faces, and has many other new tricks. It has truly been an amazing journey as we have watched her grow and develop. God is so amazing and we don't deserve such a rich blessing. We wanted to share some of the funny stuff she does. She may only be one year old, but she is a sponge! She is watching our every move.

Enjoy this little snippet of some things she has learned recently.

Yes, a little sign-language. She's getting the hang of it.

Say Cheeeeeese!

It was her idea!

All in all, we like to laugh and have a good time. I am thankful that I am able to be home in the evenings. I try to soak it all up.

Christmas Time!!!

It is hard to believe that last year Addison was six pounds and wrapped in a tiny blanket. This year was a totally different story. This year she was able to be more involved with all the activities. We went to our Christmas Eve service at FBC and then to Nana's and Papa's for our family get-together.
This year there are two more little ones on their laps. Logan and Mason are trying to figure out what is going on.

Little Addison was dressed like she was going to the Royal Ball. Too bad she ate one of the jewels off of her dress!
This Yo Gabba Gabba paper didn't stand a chance.

Big Girl carseat and Christmas Lights

We took a trip to DeFuniak Springs to see some Christmas lights. That day also marked the first time Addison got to ride in her "Big Girl" car seat. Yes, she is able to face forward and watch movies!
This is her glued to the movie

This is on I-10! She's out and not used to the head situation.

This is after we were in DeFuniak. She had a great power nap. She is still feeling the effects of nap time!


We met up with our friends, the Hogg family. Caleb, Melinda, Makayla, and Abigail. They have been a blessing to us and we enjoy spending time with them and Addison always has fun with the girls.
This little rascal really enjoys running from adults. She's quick and sneaky. This is a rare photo of her posing for the camera.

Happy 1st Birthday Addison!!!

Well, the time has come for us to celebrate Addison's first birthday! Yeah, we are still trying to figure out where the last year went. We had an amazing time with family and friends at Uncle Seamus and Aunt Katie's house. Thanks you guys!!
Before the festivities started, Addie and I took a pre-party nap. It had been a busy day already. A few trips to Marianna and many other things. Needless to say, it was a much needed snooze and we got up ready to go.

Addison is not shy when it comes to digging into stuff. She had a great time going through the bags and tissue paper. And yes, she may have looked at a few gifts. It is true that she is more interested in the trash than the toy.


This is a common look from our little bundle of joy. She gets excited and makes this face quite often. She must have gotten something she really wanted....... a box!!!




A look of confusion and utter disbelief. She could not believe we were giving her this chunk of delicious cake for her to destroy.



No need to describe this one. Although she did not tear up the icing and cake like we thought.




We want to thank Aunt Jenilee and Aunt Katie and Nana and the others who helped make this party happen.


Custom made party decorations by Aunt Jenilee! They were a hoot!



The little princess in her birthday girl chair! She is an amazing little girl!!!


This is Addison on the morning of her actual birthday. She is super excited! I think she is sneaking a peak at some cartoons.

Addison's New Hobbie. . .

. . . crawling underneath the microwave stand. I moved the baby food jars that she is always playing with over to another basket, and she thinks she has to climb underneath and reach across the empty basket to get them. Silly girl!

Fall Festival at FBC

Tonight was Addison's first Fall Festival at church. She had a blast walking around, visiting with the other kids, and enjoying and dancing to the puppet music. There ended up being over 1,000 people there that night, PRAISE GOD! All the grand kids dressed up as the 5 Little Indians for the occasion. We had a great time!

First Football Game

Tonight we took Addison to her first football game. We thought we would go and enjoy a game from the bleachers, but boy did Addison have other plans. She wanted to get down, walk, and visit with everyone around her. I felt sorry for some boys who were eating beside us because she stared down their food hoping they would give her a bite. She also received her first busted lip from falling down on the bleachers, bloody mouth and all. However, she didn't cry for long and wanted to get right back down and enjoy the fun. Her dad and I have seriously rethought the idea of going to ballgames at this age.

Playhouse Disney Live

On Friday evening, Matt, Addison and I met my sisters for Playhouse Disney Live at the Mariana Civic center. We weren't sure how much Addison would get into seeing all the characters, but she had a blast. We saw Mickey Mouse and all his friends, Winnie the Pooh and friends, Little Einsteins, and Handy Mandy. She stood up on our laps and danced and clapped with the music. It was a great show and great fun!

Crawling is a Thing of the Past

Walking is in! She is getting better and better at it now and would much rather do that than crawl.

Matt Update

Hello All,
I wanted to give an update on what has been going on with life these days. One word....insane!!! That pretty much sums it up. This past Sunday our Pastor was challenging us on how we spend our time. He mentioned how fast time goes by. I will have to say Amen to that. Chelsea and I are planning our daughters first birthday. It is absolutely blowing me away. She is a reminder of how God blesses when we don't deserve it. Words cannot describe the love I have for my family. Right now my schedule consists of church hours and activities, work hours (some long days), and school work (will hopefully be done May 2010). When things get tense, I have the two sweetest girls to calm me down and get my mind off of the busy stuff. Through it all I am still challenged to do my best for the Lord. None of the things I have mentioned are mine. God has allowed me to be a steward over his things. I want to do my best as a husband, father, brother, uncle, employee, and student. Yeah, it can be overwhelming at times, but I have been reminded that I have a God who knows what I go through and He does not leave me alone.
Thanks for tuning in to our family blog. We enjoy sharing our journey with family and friends. Know that you are always welcome to send us a message or give us a call.
God bless,
Matt

On the Move

This is just a little taste of what has been happening at our house. . .

Fall is here. . .

. . . too bad the weather isn't! Friday, the big cousins got to empty out a pumpkin so that Katie could take pictures of the little ones inside of it. Let's just say McKenzie and Gavin enjoyed it much more than Addison did! We did get some good shots, just none smiling. She wasn't really sure what we were doing to her and she wouldn't dare sit down in that slimy thing.

10 Months Old Today

Addison for some reason finds this certain book hilarious. Every time we read it, she breaks out in giggles.

Let's see, this past month she has taken around 3 or so steps at a time. She decides to do this when we are least expecting it. Every time we want her to walk, she decides it is much easier and faster to crawl. Nana has taught her where her ears, mouth, etc. are. She has showed me this once, but still has yet to show her daddy. Addison has also learned how to throw herself a little fit when she is getting her diaper changed or is not getting something she wants. I know, this is starting MUCH to soon!

Night time is continuing to go great. Over the past 2 weeks are so she hasn't cried at all when we put her to bed. She also has only waken a couple of nights only to go right back to sleep.

We are so blessed to have her in our lives!

Who does this look like?

Waking up with Nana's nap time hairdo. We do love you Nana!

Kisses!

Addison loves giving kisses when you pucker your lips. She lays one on you, mouth wide open.

New Videos

Addison has definitely taken after her mommy. She is VERY loud! She calls her daddy now whenever he goes into the other room. It is so cute!




Matt and I were cleaning house today and she found this to keep her entertained. Nothing better than a empty box to play with. Maybe we should keep this in mind for Christmas.

A Day at the Zoo

This weekend Matt and I took Addison to her first trip to the zoo. She loves reading books about animal sounds, so we figured she would have a great time seeing them in real life. It was a hot day, but we thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

9 Month Checkup

This past month has been crazy busy! I got a job in Vernon, a town about 20 or so minutes away from us, teaching 3rd grade. So far it has been great. Matt is now back in school taking two classes. An English class online and a theology class at BCF. Hopefully he will be completely done this year!

On the third day of school, Addison had her 9 month checkup, so Matt took her to see the doctor by himself. He is such a great dad! Our girl is getting bigger and bigger everyday. She is now 16lbs. 12oz. and 26 and 3/4 inches long. Let's see, in the past month she has been crawling and getting into EVERYTHING(her dad is getting her right now for trying to pull the cords as I type), eats EVERYTHING off the floor she can find, things we never even see. She has taken her first steps to her daddy, and has had her second tooth come in. She LOVES the show Yo Gabba Gabba on Noggin, which I cannot figure out why. She stops everything she is doing when it comes on and will watch the whole 30 minute episode. She is also doing a great job using her sippy cup now. The GREATEST news yet is that she now is officially sleeping ALL NIGHT on HER OWN in her OWN BED!!!!! I cannot tell you how much of an accomplishment this is. She is doing great!!