weekly recap

Much has happened in the last week. First was the dessert that I would love to forget - Apple Crumble Bars. I don't know what went wrong, but the crust and the base were so flavorless I wouldn't eat them. I thought the apple-cinnamon mixture in the center was tasty, but that was the only redeeming quality about the bars. I fault myself, not the recipe. Perhaps one day in the very distant future I will try them again. Suffice it to say the bars were tasteless and messy enough that I didn't even take a photo of them at any stage. Bless my sweet family who suffered through every bite of those. I swear next time I bring dessert to a family dinner I will make it tasty!

After the apple crumble debacle at dinner, I returned home focused on creating a yummy dessert for Tuesday's dinner with friends. I set my sights on Oreo Cheesecake. I L-O-V-E cheesecake, oreos, and I loved the idea that I could make it on Sunday night and have it ready to go on Tuesday without any further preparation. This was especially important given, sigh, that I had to return to work on Monday morning. Second attempt ever at cheesecake and this is what my setup looked like. Addison fell asleep on the way home and we did not argue given that we all had to be up early the next morning. This, however, significantly cut down on my allowable time in the kitchen. She came out once and complained that the mixer was too loud. I picked up all my ingredients and headed into the only available room with a closeable door - the master bedroom. Unconventional, yes, but did not end up lacking any function. I spread out my ingredients on the dresser and went to work. Robert furiously chopped oreos for the crumb crust and to include in the cheesecake base. Without his help this would never have worked! In the end, the oreo cheesecake was a success. A vast improvement over my previous attempt of the day! Here's how they looked in the end.

Then on Monday all my world changed - I went back to work. How spoiled I had been by two weeks off. If I ever take an entire summer off I may never want to return. I have however decided to combine my new interest in dessert-making with my unavoidable return to work: I will bake/make dessert for each students' birthday. I will have to give them options since my skills are still extremely limited, but I hope it will keep me involved with cooking which I rather enjoy and it will provide an opportunity to connect on a personal level with my kids - let them know that I am not really all those horrible names they call me, there is some good in me. ;-)

This afternoon is Addison's playdate. We are supposed to play in the sprinkler, but rain may force us inside. If so, we are at the ready with craft projects and of course, tons of toys, games, and dress-up outfits. Addison crafted her own dinner menu. She quickly selected mac & cheese, but with some assistance added ham and cheese sandwiches to the menu. For dessert she wanted cupcakes that were - yep! you guessed it - pink. For the adults, I settled on shredded chicken (since I can use my handy-dandy crock-pot and have dinner ready and not be cooking while guests are here) to pair with the mac & cheese. I further encouraged fruit salad (yummy, yummy!) and finished with Oreo Madness Cupcakes. I clearly have obsessed over Oreos this week. I found a recipe online from my new favorite, Annie's Eats, and tweaked it by using boxed mixes (I know, I know...I wanted to do scratch cupcakes and icing, but didn't have baking powder last night, so I had no choice!) and just adding the oreo bits in. We haven't tried them yet, but I will shortly. Addison IMMEDIATELY scarfed down a pink cupcake. And when I say scarfed, I mean she ate the entire thing. She never eats the cake - only licks off the icing. So our Ode to Pinkalicious cupcakes must've been good. Wish us luck during the playdate and cross your fingers that the rain holds off!

Last but not least, as I walked through the nearly-defunct Blockbuster store that I frequented in my college years, I perused the overwhelming remaining selection, when suddenly out of the sea of black and white labels for case-less DVDs pops what my family has come to call "The Doodah Movie". It is, however, more commonly known as "Surviving Christmas" with James Gandolfini and Ben Affleck. This is the very movie that I watched when I was pregnant with Addison and fell in love with the name "Doodah" for a grandpa. I knew immediately that was the name for my dad - my parents told me they didn't want to be Grandma & Grandpa, but rather have a more unique name. Dad initially resisted, but over time has come to love his nickname. What better way to say goodbye to a store where I spent so much time - and money! - then to purchase a funny move with special meaning to me! It was meant to be.

rollin'

Thanks to a lucky craigslist.com find this weekend, Addison received her first big girl bike! And she pretty much didn't need our help. At all. Move over Mom & Dad, I've got this under control. Proud doesn't even begin to touch on the feeling I felt as Addison rolled down the street toward our neighborhood pond. I was completely overwhelmed and amazed. I assume she was equally thrilled by the bike and her progress, because she asked to go on two bike rides yesterday. Both rides ended with a popsicle break.

day trips, moving on up

This week has been a Mommy and Addy week, with the delightful exception of Wednesday when Robert stayed home with us. We've kept busy doing errands, cleaning house, watching movies, and running around the city having fun. On Wednesday with Daddy Bear, we joined Grandma Betty at Wakulla Springs for Addison's first-ever "jungle cruise". Intially she had some degree of reluctance: the heat, the crowd of people, the WAITING IN LINE. Ugh. A princess should never be expected to endure such things! Once the ride began, Addison perked up and scanned the riverside for animals. Her favorite creature was either the alligators or the manatee...she can't decide on one. We also splashed in the water to cool off. While splashing, we found Addy's friend from school and they played together for quite some time. To end our trip we ate dinner at the Lodge. The food was tasty, but the service was quite slow.

Today Addison and I raced around town all day. We spent time at the park this morning, then dashed across town to eat lunch with Papa and Nonnie and spend some quality time with Nonnie's dog, Poppy. We spent a short amount of time at home before leaving again to welcome my dad, Addison's Doodah, back from the BSA National Jamboree. She was ecstatic to see her Doodah again, but the scent of delicious Cake Shop cupcakes lured her attention eventually. We used the rest of the afternoon to build tents out of bedsheets, watched a little bit of TV and nursed my growing migraine. Addison as usual was outstanding in her compassion and understanding when my migraine hit. She softly rubbed my head and kissed my cheek while I attempted to sleep. She's not great at leaving me to rest, but waking to he smiling face, even when enduring a migraine, never upsets me. Robert arrived home and escorted Addison out for a walk to the park which allowed me to heal my pain in peace. We dined on a late dinner of pork chops, green beans and mashed potatoes and celebrated with a variety of cupcakes thanks to my mom and The Cake Shop. As has been the norm this week, Addison ended her day with a partial viewing of "Mary Poppins", read three books with her Daddy Bear and went promptly to sleep. I love days when she doesn't nap...bedtime without arguments!

Currently contemplating what fun Addison and I can have tomorrow!

BTW, when Addison returns to school next week, she will move up to Ms. Donna's 3-4 year old class! VERY exciting move!!

dress-up fun, new favorite movies

Betty recently crafted a Wendy Moira Angela Darling costume for little Miss Addy. Because of computer difficulties, I have only been able to post the photos of said costume to my facebook page. If you are not a facebook friend of mine, you can view the photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2887457&id=5247387&l=f90286dd05
I will be updating that facebook album to include other photos from the month of July.

We purchased new movies for our growing Disney collection last week. We added Robin Hood, Alice in Wonderland, Bed-knobs and Broomsticks, and Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins is by far Addison's favorite movie this week. She already has "Spoon Full of Sugar" memorized and sings it frequently while playing. We watched Alice in Wonderland once and will probably not watch it again for quite some time. The only part of that movie that she truly enjoyed was the caterpillar who smokes. She now pretends to smoke straws or sticks in imitation of that caterpillar. Of all the parts she could remember, why that one?! She enjoyed Robin Hood, but it's been overshadowed for the time being by Mary Poppins. Bed-knobs and Broomsticks has been another favorite, though the storyline is completely and totoally over her ability to comprehend. I don't really like the story at all myself. I would be OK if we never watched it again. Unfortunately, Addison really enjoys the flying bed scenes, so I am certain we'll watch it multiple times. I'm off now to watch this weekend's third and final showing of Mary Poppins.

summer, sleep habits, and sweet nothings

It's summer! I am relaxed, rejuvenated and refreshed. So far, I've only had two weeks off of work, but it has been enough. Teaching over the summer is idyllic: 9 - 1, Monday through Friday. Average of four students per class. Could it get any better? I do not think so. I have two weeks left of summer school, then two weeks off before the fall semester begins.

Addison's night terrors returned with full-force after our recent Disney World trip. She had three night terrors in six days. The night terrors have gotten much, much more intense with some unpleasant side effects that I will not describe here, but (knock on wood) we're at seven days without one! Let's hope for day eight!

Seven years of wedded bliss have passed for Robert and me, bringing our total of years together up to eleven. When I stop to think about all we've accomplished in those seven years, I'm impressed. We graduated from high school, college and grad school, bought a car and a house, began our professional careers, and most importantly created a life. Words really fail me when I attempt to describe just how lucky I feel to share my life with Robert. He supports me, guides me, challenges me, and loves me through any and every obstacle that has come our way. I love Robert for the wonderful husband and friend he is to me. I love him for the energetic, entertaining, loving father he is to Addison, and I know she adores and admires him, too. I would not change even one minute of the last eleven years. I love you, Robert!

Spring Break fun!!!

Disney World provided us with entertainment between Sunday and Wednesday. We hit Magic Kingdom twice, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Epcot is fantastic this time of year because even with the insanely high volume of people that visited on Monday, the immense park dilutes the truth so you feel like the park is less crowded than it really is. The International Flower & Garden Festival was well worth the visit. Gorgeous flowers. I am now inspired to do more gardening in my yard. Coincidentally, Stacia & Steve visited Magic Kingdom on Tuesday, too, so we dined with them for lunch and dinner, and rode on a few rides together. After we left the park that day, Stacia & Steve got engaged! Very exciting! Stacia promises that Addison will get to be a flower girl! So thrilled! (See full photo recap of our trip here.) We came home Wednesday afternoon, exhausted but relieved to still have two days left of Spring Break. Robert went back to work, so Addison & I ran errands and hung out together. We spent some time yesterday dying Easter eggs with my mom and grandfather, Papa. We made 18 eggs, but two fell victim to falls and did not make the final basket count. Addison is eager to see where the Easter bunny hides her eggs tonight and optimistic that he will leave some goodies for her in the empty basket.

Today was a family beach day. It was windy when we arrived and quite chilly. The water was unbelievably cold but did not deter all swimmers, including my brother Hoyt. It quickly warmed up and we had a fantastically relaxing day. Addison ran, jumped, and splashed for hours. She built sandcastles with my dad, buried my brother and watched as his friend, Kat, sculpted a mermaid out of sand around his buried body. (Addison was given a choice of mermaid or princess. She chose mermaid.) We grilled chicken and ate lots of junk food. It was an ideal trip to the beach. You can see photos from our beach trip here. Sadly, I ended up with ZERO photos of my mom, but I want you all to know - she WAS there. :-)

quoteable Addy, Senators not making good choices

Addison: "Mommy, I'm so proud of you for putting on your shoes all by yourself! Good job!" Funny stuff.

This Senate Bill 6 stuff sucks. I may change careers. So far, I'm thinking of working at Hallmark. I've always loved Hallmark. With the variety of outside influences that overwhelm my students' each day, there is no way that I will show enough student gains (at least when measured by standardized testing) to be retained. I am so disappointed with the 21 Senators who think Senate Bill 6 is a fair and equitable way to manage teaching and student achievement/learning.

recent Addison-isms

1. Uses "from" instead of "when". Ex., "Can we go to Nonnie's house from we are done with dinner?"
2. Acutely aware of sounds and often says things incorrectly, but will correct you if you try to correct her: "Whistle Man" instead of "This Old Man". This causes us to be aware of our pronunciation.
3. Ability to replace words in songs with other rhyming words.
4. Enjoys replacing words in songs with silly words just to make us laugh. Particularly fond of using "booty" or "goose".

thoughts from my brain

First, I need to clarify - my sleepless night on Friday was not at all related to my caffiene overdose, but rather the steroids that were injected into my hip late that afternoon. The steroids were given to reduce my hives that I'd been battling for a week. I only just yesterday figured out what was causing the hives. My Snuggie. My cuddly, fuzzy, pink Snuggie. It now must be retired...to the garbage, unless someone claims it first. Any takers? Perhaps my brother Andrew is interested...

I love days like today. The weather was chilly but great. My students were cooperative and compliant, for the most part. I had a long-overdue and much needed parent meeting where the parent appreciated and praised us for our efforts with his child. (It was at this point in the day that I realized I was still wearing my "Belle" sticker that Addison adorned me with earlier this morning!) I got to give my intern an excellent evaluation (she really is going to be an awesome teacher). Then I got to go pick up Addison and Robert. We shopped at Kmart (Addison's first ever visit there), stopped in Toys-R-Us and bought Addison an adorable Princess castle alarm clock (yes, she really did need a clock for her room), and then headed off to eat yummy pizza at Barnaby's. We came home and have been lauging for the last hour. Now I'm stoked to play "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, thanks to Jason who shared an online version with us!). I absolutely adore days like this.

Looking forward to breakfast for dinner tomorrow with Uncle Patrick! Yum!

Show off!

Addison spends a great deal of her free time attempting to whistle. This video captured her best efforts to date. She beamed with pride afterwards, continually repeating, "I'm a big girl now that I can whistle! But I still can't snap." I guess we know what her next project will be.

my grown up little girl

Addison astounds me each and every day. Yesterday, her teacher mentioned that while she was playing Disney Princess songs in class, Addison would tune in to the first two or three notes of a song, and proudly declare, "THAT song is Aurora/Cinderella/Mulan/Pocahantas/etc." Miss Stacey says Addison was correct every, single time. Smarty pants little girl has an ear for music.

This week, Addison refused to sleep with a pull-up on at night, citing that they itch her skin. I can feasibly see that they are uncomfortable and chose not to argue with her much to Robert's dismay. All he could visualize was pee-soaked mattress, night after night. Luckily we found avoided the pee-soaked mattress the first few nights (we did not buy a mattress protector until today!). Addison ended up with a few accidents - two at most - which impressed me. Last night was night four of this effort, and I was beginning to feel pretty confident. I awoke around 11:30 and tried to get Addison to use the potty one more time. She refused. Robert tried again around 12:30. She again refused. We conceded. At 4:30, Addison appeared in our room at my bedside. She said she couldn't sleep. I picked her up, assuming that I would find urine-soaked clothes. When I realized her clothes were dry, I said, "Great job, Addison! Your clothes are still dry!" She pointedly responded, "Oh, Mom. I already changed my clothes and my blanket." When I questioned her further, she informed me that before walking to our room, she changed her wet clothes, put them in a dirty clothes pile, changed the protective blanket on her bed, and THEN came to our room. What three year old does that?! She's so grown up sometimes it baffles me.

I recently began a self-study. Largely, this is due to the excess time I have at school now that my fantastic intern is teaching all my classes. (Seriously, I hope my school administrators will hire her next year. She is a gifted teacher, and there aren't many people that are truly GOOD at what I do every day. Most people run as quickly as they can in the other direction!) Anyway, it's given me time to think about my teaching, my organization, me in general. So far, I've realized that:
1. I am a stuff-accumulator.
2. I have a minor addiction to online shopping.
3. I use up all my patience and energy at school and don't have much left to give to my family.
4. I really miss music in my life, singing and piano.

There are other things that I can't remember now, but it's been interesting. I hadn't taken the time to reflect on myself in quite a while...and I'm glad that I am able to know.

We have an exciting weekend planned. Tonight we have dinner to celebrate my mom's dad's birthday. He was actually born on February 29th, so today is his birthday observance. When I was little I would always write on Februrary 28th: "Papa's Birthday (Observed)". I have actually celebrated more birthdays than my grandfather. He's a mere 21 birthdays old! Happy Birthday, Papa!

coins, boots, shopping, V-Day song

That is the sum total of all the change in my wallet. I never use cash. Just debit or credit cards. I guess that's why I get so excited when I have coins. I love to scan them immediately after receiving them to see what dates are on them. Today I lucked out an got a 1965. The others were 1986 and 199-something. The older, the better in my book. I don't DO anything with the coins, other than spend them later. I just find it most interesting to see how old the coins are and imagine what exciting paths they have traveled before they reached my grubby little fingers. Today it dawned on me that soon enough 1986 will be an "old" coin, eventhough it doesn't seem old to me. I remember 1986 pretty clearly, so that coin can't be OLD yet...right?

Today we did a TON of shopping. Robert bought a VERY nice grey wool pea coat. Stylish, and on SALE! It was originally $300 and we bought it for $90. No such deals in the women's department at Dillards. We returned the rain boots that Robert originally bought me for my birthday. Before you think, "Why would Robert buy Nicole rain boots for her birthday?", consider where I work. My school is a series of 21 portable buildings. We have ZERO interior hallways. That means if it's a rainy day, anytime I need to go to the office or another classroom or the lunch building (it is NOT a cafeteria, we eat in our classrooms), I get soaking wet. There are small rivers that rush between buildings, following the slope of the land along our campus. In sum, YES, Nicole really did want rain boots for her birthday. The boots he picked were really cute, but did not fit over my massive calf muscles, which I was blessed with thanks to genetics. I did a lot of research (talking to my co-workers who also have rain boots), and decided to check out Dillard's stock. I got some super-cute black and white polka-dot ones. Addison also NEEDED some rain boots, so we found her some Hello Kitty ones, which also had polka-dots.
We also shopped at Pier 1, ate lunch at our favorite Chick-fil-A, and rounded out the morning at Marshall's. We stocked up on some new dress up clothes for Addy's class at school, she picked out a Tinkerbell outfit, a cute summer skirt set, and I bought two new tables for our living room. It was a great shopping morning. Addison got really mad at me in Dillards when Robert was shopping for coats, but she later said she was mad with me because she was hungry. Go figure.

Looking forward to our family dinner tonight for all the February birthdays! Yummy spaghetti, bread, salad, and birthday cake!

Here is Addison's Valentine's installment of rhyme and melody for you:

BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to me! I don't feel old. Today I had several people ask me if I was 26, and one person even asked if I was 24. Those failed guesses were music to my ears and calming to my soul. I love life and and cannot believe how far I've come in these 28 years. It's pretty awesome what I've accomplished so far.

Recent Addison-isms:
1. (At dinner) "Hey, Daddy! Wanna see my BUTT?!" (as she gets out of her chair and pulls down her pants to show off her little booty.
2. "Mommy, did you learn you students at school today?" "I taught my students things today, yes." "Ok, but did you LEARN them something today?"
3. "Oh, my, Mommy! That's very clever!"
4. "Mommy, are you ready for your birthday surprise? (whispering) I got you a special Candyland game! We can BOTH go to Queen Frostine today!"
5. "Look at my sticker! Ms. Becky gave it to me because I was SO sweet today!"
6. "Look! I just got 45 on the Wii Penguin game!" Me: "WOW. Didn't know you could read the number 45, Addison!"

Last but not least, Addison drew me a birthday card that I will photograph later when my batteries are re-charged. She drew a spider in it's web (ironic choice for her arachnophobic mother, right?!) that was amazingly realistic for a three year old. Later she drew a cat, complete with whiskers! The card, like my cake, said "Happy Birthday Princess Mommy" and was covered in layers of pink marker and pink princess stickers. (The cake had pink balloons on it, too.)

I had a great birthday. No complaints. Robert cooked me a great dinner, we had yummy red velvet cake, and we even found time to play Wii, which has been a rarity lately. Very good day. Happy girl am I. I'll be even happier when I try out my new rain boots on Friday.

i'm a bad blogger...

because I don't post very often. I've got a list of reasons why, but I won't go into them. I'll just try to make up for it now.

Addison spent last week being sickly: virus for four days, ear infection, bronchitis. The day she returned to school we found out there was a chicken pox outbreak in her class. As of now, she does not have any indication of them yet. (knock on wood). I have never been so glad that she was absent from school for a week....though the incubation period for chicken pox is 10 to 21 days.

Addison watched the first two and a half seconds of LOST this week. The scene with Juliet buried at the bottom of the Swan sight, below the metal rubble has haunted her since. Addy continues to insist that "the girl at the bottom of that hole needs two band-aids on her checks, and wash her hands and take a shower because she's dirty." Addison is not yet ready for prime time TV. We learned our lesson.

Life with my intern is pretty sweet. I'm afraid now that it will make me lazy. I'm getting paid to work, but I don't really have to do much work anymore. My intern is awesome and I would love it if we could hire her to work at Pace once she is finished with college. She's organized, patient, positive, and not intimidated by my challenging babies.

Addison is reading lots of words, constantly asking "what does this word spell?" and remembering the next time she encounters the word. She loves writing her name. Here are some other things she's recently become accomplished at:
1. Candy Land: she ALWAYS wins, and we aren't just letting her.
2. Bossiness: "Get that for me, Mommy!"
3. Temper Tantrums: "But I WANT THAT BOUNCY BALLY, DADDY!!!!!" With respect to tantrums, age 3 is worse than 2 was.
4. Helping with meals: she loves to stir, mix, pour, carry items to the table. She also sets silverware out for us at most meals.
5. Blessings: We must say a blessing at each meal, per her training at school. She has different prayers for each meal of the day.
6. Imaginative Play: Stuffed animals are REAL, especially a lion puppet named, appropriately, Mr. Lion. They talk to each other, Addison, and us. Addison teaches them what life is all about.
7. Style: Every time we are out shopping, walking, anything, Addison notices what other people are wearing and comments on it. "Mommy, that lady has on pretty brown boots!" or "Mommy, I like that girl's necklace/earrings/purse/shirt/jacket/skirts/etc." She is a little stylista in training, no thanks to me and my blue jeans wearing self.
7a. She refuses to wear anything except cotton stretch pants. NO blue jeans, khakis. Only black or pink stretch pants.

I suppose I should comment on Christmas and New Year's celebrations. Both were awesome and exhausting. This was one of the most fun-packed winter vacations I ever remember having, but so tiring. We went non-stop for two weeks. Addison's birthday celebrations - count them - FOUR! One at school, two family parties, a giant friend party at home. Then Christmas. Then New Year's. Then Matt & Helen's wedding. All wonderful, all fun, all enjoyable. We are still trying to recuperate though! Back to Addison, we were astounded at the amount of STUFF she accumulated between birthday and Christmas. Next year, we will probably only give her one or two presents per event. It was over-whelming and excessive this year. She's a lucky (read: spoiled) little girl...but she totally deserves it. :-)

For kicks, here's a pic from Matt & Helen's wedding. I love my friends. They are the best friends a person could ask for. Wouldn't trade them for the world. Patrick, who I love most dearly, is hiding behind Matt's big head...but this was the only group shot I got all Christmas break, so it's being posted, even without Patrick's smiling face shining for all the world to see.

Christmas songs for you!

Merry Christmas to you all from Addison!

The Princess Party last Saturday was a total blast. Here is a pic of all the kids with Princess Aurora.
Princess Aurora painted faces for an hour and had a dance session with the kids that involved more bouncing and jumping than actual dancing. It was a perfect 3 year old party if you ask me. The kids didn't stop moving for three hours and Addison was exhausted when it was over. She seemed quite overwhelmed by all the activity and was worn out by present time. She got lots of great Princess items: games, books, a doll, building blocks, dress-up clothes. There is no end to the Disney Princess merchandise. She got NO repeat gifts, which I though was a minor miracle! Addison was most excited that her friends from school were at her house - she kept saying, "My friends are coming to MY house?! That's CRAZY, Mommy!". It was a really great day. And we continue to celebrate. Today we got THREE birthday gifts for her in the mail: one from Uncle Brian and Aunt Pat, one from Fenella & Mark, and one from Uncle Marcus. She was in love with each item she opened: a new outfit, books, and puzzles. We've read all the books twice already and done one of the two puzzles.

Tonight was the first night we've had at home in a long time. We've been spending two nights a week at Margie & Bill's house stringing paper cranes for Matt & Helen's wedding. It's going to be beautiful, but it's quite time-consuming. We average about 1 crane strand per 45 minutes...and we're hoping for 125 strands total.








And, finally, here is a parting shot of our little fairy princess on a crane folding night....

Three days of school left. I cannot wait for Christmas vacation to begin!!!!!!!!!!!!

all grown up

Addison and I shopped at the mall this morning. Before we left home, Addison packed her black purse complete with lipstick, cell phone, mirror, and debit card. She calls her debit card her "wallet". I assume this is because she knows the debit card is like money and Robert & I keep our money in our wallets - I guess it's a fusion of the two ideas in her mind.

After we'd successfully shopped for a dress for Mommy, Addison asked for a cookie. We walked down to the cookie shop, she made her selection, and then as the girl wrapped up the cookie, Addison pulled her debit card/"wallet" out of her purse and tried to hand it to the cashier. I was in disbelief. She wanted to pay for her own snack! I secretly paid with cash and pretended to hand her debit card/"wallet" to the cashier...I don't want to spoil this responsible behavior! She beamed with pride as she carried her cookie to a table.

Today was also the first time I've seen her eat an entire cookie. Typically, Addison will only eat cookies with icing on them (Oreos, etc.), licks the icing off, and leaves the cookie on the table. Today, however, she ate the entire cookie. Perhaps it was pride, perhaps it was hunger. I'll never know. I do know that I was a proud mommy today, for many reasons.

Career Options for Addison

Lately, Addison has been experimenting with career options. Her teachers taught a unit on "community helpers" and Addison has wanted to be everything from a police officer to a fire fighter to a doctor. The last two nights, though, she's leaned toward something new: hairstylist.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some samples of her work (with a little help from Daddy):





I'm pretty sure Robert should discontinue his work as an engineer (the environment can wait!) and he should immediately begin studying to become a stylist. Clearly, based on the beautiful work he did on my hair.





I wanted in the worst way to return the favor to Robert by giving him a stunning hairdo, but his short hair made it difficult. This is the best Addison and I could muster. There are two little clips on the left side of his head, and one big clip in the front.

The most exciting part for me about all this hair-play is that Addison now LOVES to wear bows and will even voluntarily brush her hair! My days of fighting over making her hair look presentable are over! Let's hope it's for the long term! Wish me luck!


And now for your further entertainment is a video of Addison reading some words. Enjoy!

photo recap of the last few weeks

Addison's first haircut! Really, just a small trim. We had to maintain the "Princess Aurora" qualities of her hair. Robert held her like the for about 20 minutes. Addison pretty much has the most rockin' daddy ever. In the end, Addison and Miss Natalie made friends. CHEESE!



We made Halloween cookies with Nonnie, Doodah, Uncle Andrew and Aunt Evelyn. They were delicious, as usual.







We made a voyage to Disney World and met Marie the kitty - TWICE! Addison cried both times!

On our way home, we drove over to St. Augustine to visit Stacia, Steve, and Cat. Addison LOVED their cat, Cat.







Then we returned home and found our own Halloween kitties...
And Addison attended at Chuck-E-Cheese birthday party. Here she is with her best buddy, Kelley.

busy, busy

Betty & Phill finally closed on their new house on Wednesday! We went over for family dinner. It's been a loooooooooong time coming - almost 3 years since they started looking for a house! We can't wait to get them all moved in to their new place. It will probably take a month, so wish us luck!

Tomorrow is a really big day for us: Addison's first haircut! Miss Natalie at Athena Salon & Spa gets to do the honors. Robert & I love Natalie and we think Addison will too. Adds came to watch me get my hair cut a few weeks back and seems excited about the idea now. She's been bribed with getting TWO lollipops after her haircut is done. She'll also get another, super-secret prize if she's cooperative. (We'll take her back to the pumpkin patch for another pony ride!). Hopefully she'll comply & end up with nicely-trimmed hair.

In other news, Addison is doing great with "Your Baby Can Read". She is consistently reading all but three of the words in the starter DVD and we are very pleased with her progress. She loves watching the DVD and reading the book and playing with the flash cards. Her favorite part is quizzing Robert or me. "OK Mommy, this is a tricky one! It's ELEPHANT!". I love it!

I will end with a funny story. Addison and I got Halloween costumes for Andrew & Evelyn's Halloween Party. Addison was concerened because Robert did not purchase one. Since we returned from the store, Addison has decided that Robert MUST have a costume....and the costume she's chosen for him is a giant banana. I think it's hilarious and adorable at the same time. Robert is not biting, though, and is hoping that ignoring her requests will make it go away...we'll see on Halloween which one of them wins this argument!

no more sickness here!

We are all finally healthy. Robert had a moment yesterday when he thought he might be coming down with something, but thankfully it was nothing serious. I spent the weekend enduring a raging sinus infection, but now feel 100% better. Addison is A-OK now, thank goodness!

Addison returned to school this morning with a cheerful grin and a bit of a skip in her step. She agreed to walk to class with Miss Stacey, which gave Robert & me great relief and comfort...oh how we dread the return to school after a break! She even turned and blew a quick kiss to us before disappearing into the classroom! Hallelujah for this morning's drop. We can only hope that the rest of the week goes as smoothly as today did!

We visited with baby Stokes again. Addison got to hold him this time, which tickled her to no end. She held him for about 2.5 seconds and then said, "Ok, Daddy. Now you take Stokes." She held him just long enough to snap a quick photo, which pleased me! She was very gentle and (mostly) calm while we were there. Her excess engery was diverted to Trevor & Jen's dog, Yoshi. Poor Yoshi. By the time we left, he was hiding under their coffee table...Addison can be a little too gregarious sometimes. But the way I see it is that Addison was just given Yoshi a taste of what life will be like as baby Stokes grows older!

We also went to the pumpkin patch, but I'll have to write about that another time....