gotta love that giggle

summer days.........

Hard to believe it is almost July. This summer is flying by. In one week, Addelyn and I will be leaving on Caravan to Daytona Beach, FL. Mark will be home for a week without us, working hard and I'm sure enjoying his boy time and sleep time. I'm excited and yet apprehensive as it could be interesting how it will all work! Thankfully we have the best babysitter ever, Katie Boelman, and she is going along to help out. I think it will be more work this week as I try to get everything ready. If you have ever traveled with a baby, you know what I mean!

Addelyn tried her sippy cup for the first time the other day. It wasn't a huge hit.

We'll keep trying! :)

Doesn't it look like they are both blowing up the inner tube? Of course, Addelyn is just chewing on it, like she does EVERYTHING these days. She is teething right now...has three new teeth poking out the top!
As we are getting ready for the beach, we had to try on the swimsuit and get out the new turtle inner tube. Addelyn seems excited and ready for the water! She has way too many swimsuits to choose from- at least five. Yikes, that sounds terrible but we got a few at garage sales and then as gifts too. They are so stinking cute on her! I love those little rolls that hang out the side of the suit.
Katie Wilson, the youth minister at St. Pat's in CF, is also a friend and neighbor of mine. Her daughter Sadie is only a week older than Addelyn. Finally the other night we hung out with the babes and went on a walk. They have matching outfits so we had to take pics. We took about 50 pics and Sadie never changed her facial expression. It was hilarious. Addelyn kept trying to grab Sadie's hair and pull it and put it in her mouth. She also kept grabbing Sadie's outfit. Oh our daughter, she just can't sit still. Aren't they cute though???
What cute little buddies!

goodbye to 2 door days.......

This week was the end of a season in my life. It was the end of the day of two doored cars. I believe I won't ever have one again. Who knows, I could be wrong but if I had to guess now, that door has closed!
Below is a picture of what my car looked like. This wasn't actually my car, I don't think I ever really took a picture but this is a 1996 Grand Am SE. Now you must know, mine was loaded. :) When I graduated from high school, I thought a sunroof, CD player, and tinted windows were the best buying perks EVER! Of course, now the car is LOADED with miles! On Tuesday, I handed over the keys to a high school gal whose family bought my car. As I drove to their house to drop off the car, I thought back to where those wheels took me....the summer after my senior year of high school, to my first days of college at UNI, college roadtrips with my friends, living and working in Woodbury, MN for part of a summer, my days of dating Mark, my first few years of youth ministry events (piling my LUGs into the backseats, and of course, even through the first few months of Addelyn's life (crawling into the backseat daily, trying to get the carseat in the right position!) Oh the fun....I'll kinda miss that good ole car.



But don't you worry now! The car has been replaced with a lovely Ford Focus Station Wagon. I still don't think it looks like other station wagons- I think it is more square so that makes it less "station wagonish." It is a much more practical family car than the Grand Am. Like I said, two door days have ended. Oh wow. A mom hair cut and now a mom car. What is next...ahhh...I'm only 26! ha ha:)

Oh, in case you were wondering...the whole station wagon idea is really growing on Mark. He doesn't even mind driving it! :)

am i horrible or what?

Today we had Addelyn's six month appointment. She has grown......she is 16 lbs and 25 and 3/4 inches long. Right in the 50th percentile again- our average sized babe! She was a little fiesty - and didn't appreciate Dr. Van Sickle checking her ears and mouth. After she did that, Addelyn keep giving Dr. VS "the look" and cried when she got close to her. Oh great, already she is afraid of the doctor. And of course, six month shots...never fun...she turned bright red, held her breath, and cried a cry that i haven't heard for A LONG time (thank goodness.)
You see, I have this problem, when people get hurt....I laugh. When Mark stubs his toe, I can't stop laughing. When someone falls going up or down the stairs, my immediate response is laughing. I know, it sounds sadistic almost. I can't help it. If I could control it, I would stop.
So guess what happens when Addelyn starts crying after shots? Yep, you guessed it. I laughed. AHHH...not a mean laugh but just my automatic-someone-got-hurt-kind-of-laugh. Mark was hoping I would be cured of this meanness by becoming a mom. Guess not..........................

weekend fun, as always!

Below are pics from the last few weekends. I'm a little behind because I got some pics from my family (go figure I didn't have my camera out at the best moments!) We are so thankful to have so many wonderful friends and family in our lives.

Addelyn and Carolyn (one of Grandma Kathy's best friends)....She definitely thought Addelyn looks like Mark! :) What do you think? Who does she look like, I'm curious to know!

On Flag Day, we headed to Joe and Andrea's new house for their annual Flag Day Party! Andrea is Mark's cousin. It was lots of fun, they have a beautiful new home outside of Des Moines. We are glad they moved here from Seattle, especially if they keep throwing parties like the one they had this weekend! :) Addelyn got to see her cousins, Reed and Jack (Reed is pictured above with Addelyn...sorry no pics of Jack...he was too quick for the camera!) Jack and Reed will be one year old on the 5th of July. Addelyn stared at the boys with a jealous look as they quickly crawled circles around her. She has mastered sitting up but hasn't been able to venture around and about yet. Soon enough, she'll be keeping up with the boys!

This picture is Addelyn with her cousin from the Kramer side, Autumn. Autumn will be one year old on July 7th. It is going to be fun to watch them grow up together! They are definitely the entertainment when the Kramers get together!

How cute is this, I know....probably a bad idea with germs but seriously, it was too sweet!

rain rain go away

It is hard to believe how close to home all of the recent tornados and now the flooding is. Our house is fine....but the flooding is making it hard to get anywhere. Yesterday Mark and I spent about three hours in the car, it was like we were in Chicago rush hour traffic at times, just as we tried to get around Waterloo and Cedar Falls. There are just so many roads closed. We are watching the weather, praying hard, and Mark has been working hard at sandbagging. (My shift is staying home with Addelyn!) I was thinking about the weather issues/disasters that hit around the world all the time and how it wakes you up when it is this close to home. It is easy to sit and watch things on the news but how crazy is it when it is right down the street from you!

I talked to Mark's mom, Kathy, tonight and we remembered how Addelyn was born during that crazy snowstorm on December 11th, six months ago. Go figure that her six month birthday would include more intense weather. It is so fitting for the personality of our wonderful little girl....INTENSE. She is going to make waves wherever she goes in life!

Here is Addelyn with her new little buddy, Trey Matthew Haak. His proud parents are Matt and Tricia. Trey had just turned six weeks old in this picture.

Addelyn looks like she is going to eat him!
Proud Mom Tricia
Look at those big beautiful eyes!

Addelyn was born to be a Cubbie. She has really no choice, according to her daddy! She is already cheering them on....what a record so far this year- 41-24

(not counting the game going on right now!)
Go Cubs Go!!!!
Pound it!
This past weekend, Addelyn and I made a trip to Steamboat Rock and spent the night. Here is Addelyn with Great Grandpa Kramer, who was entertaining her by taking his teeth out! She was very interested in what was going on! We had lots of fun seeing everyone.

happy days..............

Grandpa Kramer came over to visit the other night and Addelyn had lots of fun playing on the computer with him. She loves to press the keys!

First of all, Addelyn isn't swinging naked. It was a warm day and she was in a diaper in her new swing. She loves it. She gets a big grin and the grin grows the higher she goes. She just may be a dare devil like her dad! :)

She did lose interest in swinging after awhile though and found a new interest, eating her yellow swing straps!

Check out that smile! This is right after Addelyn's bath. She is a little wiggle worm and doesn't like to lay still while she is getting dried off and dressed. The other night she kept moving around...

She wiggled and wiggled and wiggled....

And finally rolled off her towel....

Onto her tummy! She was quite proud of herself. She has rolled from her tummy to her back before but never from her back to her tummy. She is usually too content laying on her back, playing that she doesn't want to go to her tummy. We figured it out...she wanted to wiggle away from her dad, who was trying to dry her off...so that is why she rolled. She is going to be a fun one when she can walk! :)

Reading time...Addelyn is getting used to this nightly routine of reading a few books. She enjoys the ones that have furry patches/other texture things for her to touch.

We are excited that summer is arriving, we enjoyed the warm weather this weekend. Another week begins...have a great one!