Note to Self

Addie has grown - move the make-up bag to a higher shelf.

Of course, take pictures and blog about it first...

Am I in trouble, Mom?
Oh, okay, she's got the camera out - borrowed time is better than no time...
Hmm, another color?
Maybe I'll try one on each cheek.
How do I look?

I push-a dat button!

Addie likes to do things herself - can't imagine where she got that - and lately she insists on being the one to turn off the TV (or TB, as she calls it) when her video time is over. Today she got a little confused with the buttons and helped me discover Menu options on our TV that I never knew existed. Let's just say we both ended up pushing a lot of buttons before we finally turned the TV off. So, yes, Addie-girl, we pushed-a dat button...don't tell Daddy!

Typical

Eyes closed for a picture and a bag of suckers in her hand. Yep, that's typical around here!

I bought the outfit she is wearing in this picture two years ago - just before her 1st birthday. It was dirt cheap and I knew she'd grow into eventually! At the time it seemed so huge - it doesn't seem possible that the huge outfit hanging in the back of her closet for the last two years fits just right now.
A lot of things in the life of a mom are just typical, but there will never be anything typical about how fast our babies grow!

One more

I forgot to add this picture to my previous post - we had to keep Addie from running around the parking lot while there were still cars getting lined up for Trunk or Treat, so we told her to stand by Daddy and hold onto his leg. She ended up sitting and holding a foot instead...close enough!

Tunk 'N Teat

Better known as Trunk and Treat!!

My little flower wasn't too sure about her costume at first...

She quickly warmed up to the idea of getting candy in her "punkin" though and ran around saying "Tunk n teat, Tunk n teat"!

Miss Mia was the cutest butterfly ever...

Flower and Punka (Addie's name for Ryan's mom)

Princess Olivia

The Monkey Man, Noah

Three stooges waiting for the candy collecting to begin...

One of the great loves of my life...

She didn't want the festivities to end - she insisted on wearing her "cottume" to eat her dinner tonight!

Ryan's 30th!

My wonderful husband(who is doing the dishes as I write this post)turned 30 on Saturday. We had a house full of family for the weekend - Ryan's sister Amy along with her husband and three children stayed with us Friday through Sunday and his parents were also here Saturday and Sunday. We had lots of fun being together and celebrating! The kids all decided to wake up daddy/unlce Rynie with a bit of birthday jumping...

Saturday evening we surprised Ryan with a party. He wasn't totally surprised...I'm not a very good liar, but he went along with it and we had a great time celebrating with friends and family. He can still blow the candles out in one breath...

My sweet friend, Tish, was a huge help to me in preparing for the party and she graciously opened her home to us for the evening. Her husband was in on it too, but he's not nearly as sweet as she is!

I don't know what was up with Addie for the day, but her eyes are closed in all the pictures I have of her. Guess she was too busy saying "cheese" to remember to keep her eyes open! Here she is with one of her favorite people - the famous TaTa aka Torie.


Miss Mia (Amy's youngest) enjoyed the party, too!

One little monkey

...with one big personality!

Who needs a nap?

This picture is from one day last week - a day that Addie decided she didn't need a nap! Around 7:30 that evening I noticed an awful lot of yawns sneaking out of her...so we decided to put pj's on and watch her favorite Tigger and Pooh dvd. This picture was taken 5 minutes into the movie!! It's pretty hard work to be two-almost-three!

The mind of a two year old

Mommy left the bag within reach while she went to the bathroom...

...and she was taking a really long time, so...

...why take just one sucker...

...when you can have seven?

Don't say I didn't warn you...

...she's just a pint-sized bundle of sweetness!

A little bit of sweetness...

...is my baby! My big girl, I guess I should say, but really Addie is still very much our baby. I don't think she'll be rushed into growing up when Jack arrives - we'll just have our two babies! She is such a sweet representation of God's great love for us. Whether it's the "thank you, mommy" "thank you, mommy" "thank you, mommy" repeated over and over until I respond with "Your Welcome" or the tearful "I'm sorry, Mommy" when she is responding to discipline or the wailing of "My boo-boo hurty, Mommy" when she needs a kiss, I am struck often by her tender character. Our baby girl is compassionate and sweet. She is a lot of other things, too - strong-willed comes to mind!- but we are so thankful for the tender spirit the Lord has given her. We pray that she will love Him early and fully and that He will use her for his glory in the lives of others.

Addie loves her friends and family very much! We had many conversations this week about the people she loves. Here are a few:

In the car, holding a book open to a page with lots of instruments on it:
"Papa play the tumpet."(trumpet) Yes. Papa plays the trumpet.
Quietly: "I miss papa."... "I miss Gamma"... "I miss Bum"...
I actually cried as she slowly listed the name of each family member,stating that she missed them.

Early one morning:
"My tummy HUNGY, Mommy". (She says this every morning as soon as she wakes up!)
A few seconds later a very concerned voice: "Punka tummy hungy?" (Punka is Ryan's mom)
After assuring her about five times that Punka had already had her breakfast and her tummy was full, Addie was satisfied enough to focus on her own breakfast.

As I was fixing lunch one day after she saw Ta Ta's picture on the fridge:
"Ta Ta come? Oh Ok. Ta Ta come pay pano." (play piano) No, honey. Ta Ta isn't coming today.
"Yeah, Ta Ta come. Pay pano. Pay Addie. Yeah! OK!!"
Apparently she thought it was a done deal because she wanted it!

This is a conversation we have almost daily:
"Daddy, where ARE you?" Daddy had to go to work today. He'll be home soon.
" Daddy go work?" Yes. Daddy is at work.
"Daddy come home?" Soon, honey.
Oh. I miss Daddy." So do I baby girl.
"Mommy, wanna pay?" (As she takes my hand and leads me to her toys to play!)

There are lots more that I could share, but those are a few of my favorites from the week!

Now if you'll excuse me, Miss Sweetness herself is loudly letting me know she needs my attention...

Weddings are Wonderful Part II

Heather and Eric were married in a beautiful ceremony at Chapel in the Pines in Hudsonville, Michigan on September 5th.
Heather has been one of my dearest friends since we met when I was in Junior High. In the words of Anne Shirley she is my "kindred spirit". A few years ago, Heather and her sister came to visit Ryan and I and after a couple of hours Heather's sister looked at us and commented that she couldn't believe how much alike we still are. What a friend Heather has been to me and I am so very grateful for the way the Lord has used her in my life!
I am looking forward to getting to know Eric better as the years go by and am glad for the continued friendship that Heather and I share. It's not everyday that you meet someone you can get lost with on a regular basis and never get angry with each other. And yes, we got lost the day before Heather's wedding while driving to the ceremony site. Thankfully, Heather was leading and it only took us 5 minutes to get turned around and back on the right road. I have a history of getting lost and staying lost for hours...usually Heather is with me when it happens...

Weddings are wonderful Part I

One of the highlights of our summer was seeing two incredible people (actually, four, if you count their husbands...), my sister Colleeen and my best friend Heather, tie the knot. This post is titled Part I as it is dedicated to Colleen and Josh's day. The next post will be Part II and all about Heather and Eric. My sister Colleen married Josh in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at my parents house on July 11th. The only word I can really use to describe her that day is breathtaking. She has grown into such a beautiful woman - inside and out!

Colleen and Josh moved to South Carolina the week after Labor Day and I guess maybe I'm getting a taste of my own medicine, so to speak - I am understanding for the first time the flip side of all of us not living near one another. Ryan and I have lived away from our families since we got married, but have always taken for granted that all of them would be in one town when we were able to visit. It's a strange feeling to think of Grand Rapids and realize that one of my sisses isn't there. We'll treasure our chaotic family get togethers even more now, as the chance to all be together under one roof won't come as frequently. Of course, I'm excited to see where God will lead Colleen and Josh over the coming years, I'm just feeling a little sentimental about it not being close to the rest of us.

One last picture from their day:

No matter how wonderful and exciting weddings are, I think any one who has been intimately involved in the planning and executing of one would agree that we all feel the way Addie did at the end of the day!

Hello Again!

UPDATE: I started this post 2 weeks ago and never finished it. Surprise, surprise! I've decided to post it "as is" anyway.

Are you still there? It's been a while...again! If you're hanging in there and still checking my site once in a while, thanks! It's good to be back.

We've had a busy, busy summer - lots of fun and time spent with family and friends has left us refreshed, yet strangely tired! We have one more trip to make this week - we are headed to Michigan for my best friend Heather's wedding. We'll be gone from Wednesday to the following Monday and then it looks like we'll be home until Thanksgiving. Of course, you know us - we'll probably find a trip to take sooner then that! We are always on the go around here! Addie's favorite phrase is "Go bye-bye, Mommy!". She is my little go-go girl!

Ryan and I celebrated our 6th anniversary this month. We were able to sneak away for a few hours while Addie played with her friend Rory...and Rory's aunt and grandparents! It is nice to have time just for the two of us once in a while and we enjoyed a quiet dinner without thinking about a tiny person named Addisyn getting into trouble, spilling her drink, or deciding to sing at the top of her lungs...

The big news for us right now is that we are expecting a baby! We are looking forward to meeting this newest blessing sometime in late January! God is good and we are thankful for His perfect plan and timing. Hopefully next week we will be able to find out if Addie will be having a "bodder" or a "sisser" - we have our 20 week ultrasound scheduled for Wednesday the 9th and as long as baby cooperates, we'll know that afternoon if we will be welcoming Jack Ryan or Peyten Mckinley home. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is Jack Ryan, but I could be all wrong!

Really?

Ok, so I know that you've all been waiting for pictures from our trip to PA and I promise they are coming! It shouldn't be so hard to find time to upload pictures and write a snippet about them, but sometimes it just IS! I promise, though, I will post them soon!

On a different note, I had to share this ridiculous web site with you. Since there are no children listening in I can say "ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?" I pity the children whose parents actually use this service. How disturbing, really. Just had to share.


I can't seem to get the link function to work properly on this post, but seriously go check out this website:

www.humantoys.net

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a little girl to go crawl around on the floor with. She's really into horsey rides these days and I think I'll oblige her myself. Instead of, you know, hiring the job out.

So, I'm behind on blogging...as usual! Things here at our house have been crazy busy this month and it doesn't look like that will be changing anytime soon! We leave on Sunday to go on vacation with Ryan's family so today and tomorrow are cleaning/packing/running errands/doing last minute things that I forgot days! We're looking forward to a week in Pennsylvania with family - I'll be glad when we're actually on the road!!

A few weeks ago Addie and I headed to my parents house in Michigan for the weekend. Mom and Dad's church held a Father/Daughter banquet this year and I was so glad to be able to make it. These are a few pictures from the evening.

I'm so very thankful for both of our families and am grateful to be able to visit them often. It is so much fun to see Addie interact and love her grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins as she grows. It's especially neat now that she's older to see how much she remembers and watch as she gets excited to see everyone! Love you guys!

Piggy-back rides and TaTa...

It doesn't get much better than that!

Mommy's little helper

These pictures are from a few weeks ago, but this scene is becoming normal around here.


Imitation is flattery, right?


She's such a sweet thing. Most of the time! She likes to follow me around and do what I'm doing. Another favorite right now is if I give her an extra dust rag and let her help me dust. I guess it's a pretty common thing for toddlers at this stage to start "helping" like this, but it seems amazing to me because this toddler is mine! She's surely got to be the smartest thing around :)!

Cause and Effect

This is Addie completely ignoring me... I couldn't figure out why she wouldn't acknowledge me - I had just come out of the bathroom and was all too unaware...


...of what she had been doing. This is why she wouldn't look at me....



I made the mistake of leaving the milk on the counter while I ran to the bathroom. The bigger mistake was failing to take into account my daughters monkey arms and crazy long legs!

I love the attempt she made at wiping it up...with a pile of about 50 wipes!

Think she knew she was in trouble?!?!?