The longest month

How do we get through the loooong, winter days?

We dress up! A hat, a purse, usually shoes too! Today she was "Going to nonnie and papa's house. Be careful, it slippery!" she said.

We have friends over to play! Ian and Addelyn colored and put stickers on their coloring books to pass the time. Addelyn loves to color with markers. Just keep an eye out. Sometimes markers end up coloring other areas of the house. The couch, my purse (that was with a Sharpie....grrr.....)

We pick out our own pjs every night. This pair obviously needs to be put into the "too small" container. Addelyn was not bothered though. Her belly hung out the front and the rings around the arms and legs were skin tight but she was proud of the ones she picked. It is a nightly tradition. "I pick them out!" she yells as she runs to her drawer. Everything is "I DO IT!" lately.
Everything.

We put a big bag of balls into our pack and play and Addelyn and Trey loved it. They jumped and rolled around and threw the balls! This was entertainment at our house for days.

Ahhh January. Although we have had a fun month, we aren't too sad to see you go.

breakfast fave

The new breakfast favorite at our house these days is Crispex cereal.
Lately when we get Addelyn up in the morning, we have been greeted with the word "pispes" and for awhile I didn't quite comprehend what the early morning greeting meant. Ahhhhh to learn the language of your toddler!

blog stalker

Okay all of you blog stalkers. You know who you are. Don't worry I don't think mine is being stalked- mine is uninteresting to most unless you are grandparents and friends who care about my family's latest events. But I know how blog reading goes. You look at a blog that you often read and you see another interesting blog, which leads you to the next, and to the next, and to the next.
Suddenly you don't even know the connection that led you to the blog.
So another new blog I found that I'd like to share. It was recently started and I think it could be a good one. :) If you aren't a blog stalker, pass this one by. Ha ha.....

http://amothersplace2.blogspot.com

"Mommy is here"

Oh Addelyn. You make me smile with the words that come out of your mouth these days.

You love to play with your babies. You rock them, you hold them, you burp them (usually with a very loud, deep "baaaaaaaap"), you change their "awky" diapers, ,wrap them up in blankets, console them with words like, "It's okay, baby" or "Mommy is here."

You have such a sweet little heart and I love to watch it come out when you hold your babies.

"I change YOU!"

Quote of the Day:: (I have a feeling I'll be posting these one liners quite often!)

Mark was laying on the floor this afternoon, watching a football game. Addelyn came into the room, tried to grab his legs and push them in the air, and said, "Daddy, I change YOU!"

Simple prayers

Tonight was another moment to remember. Before bed, Addelyn and I read books and then rocked and talked about our day. She kept asking questions about things that had happened and I loved watching the progression of how her mind works as she thought about her day. When I asked her who she wanted to pray for tonight, she said "Lebi. And Jiller too." I started praying- as I usually do after she requests who (or what) we pray for. She said, "NO, Mommy! Addelyn pray." She folded her little hands, said, "Dear God. Thanks Lebi and Jiller. Amen."
A moment I won't forget. Love that little girl.

quotes of the day

Addelyn is really saying lots of things these days that I don't want to forget. She is really making sentences and it is fun to hear how she puts words together. A few from today...

#1. I walked into our house after working this morning. Natalie, a very sweet college gal that we love, was babysitting. Addelyn ran to me and gave me a hug and said, "How was work, Mommy?" That moment warmed my heart.

#2. Lately Addelyn has been announcing when she has to poop. Sometimes it is in time to get on the potty and go and sometimes it is after the fact. Tonight after dinner she was playing with Mark and she looked at him and said, "I poopy, Daddy!" He asked if she wanted to go sit on the potty or if it was too late. She looked at him, grinned, and said in a grunting voice (as she obviously finished going) "Too late, Daddy!"

book suggestions

I like to read. Any good parenting books you would suggest? Especially specific to toddlerhood. Potty training. Strong willed children. Discipline. Any of the above!
Would love to hear any suggestions!!! THANKS!

Holiday Recap

The past few weeks have been full. But not crazy. We have had a lot of great time at home and also great time with our family and friends too. We spread our family celebrations out and that seemed to be a great option as we actually got to have quality time with everyone. We also didn't feel overwhelmed or rushed throughout the Christmas season. Here is a little picture recap of the past few weeks....

Christmas Eve Service at OHC - our new tradition started when we had Addelyn -we spend Christmas Eve and morning home together as a family after going to church. We go to a service and serve during a service. Last year we greeted. Not Mark's favorite option of serving. This year we helped in the nursery. Note to self....I think greeting is a better fit for me. :) ha ha ha....not that I don't love the kiddos but there were A LOT of TODDLERS! It was a beautiful and encouraging service though. Our favorite part of the evening is when our friend Doug sings O Holy Night. It is such a peace-filled moment.

One of our days together at home included building a fort.

It also included rolling around in the snow! Aren't kids the cutest when they are bundled up?!

We had the Kramer get together this past weekend. Addelyn's cousin Autumn entertained us (she is six months older than Addelyn and has quite the personality!) I'm sad to say our celebration had to end early with a trip to the ER for Addelyn. She had been sick earlier in the week and has had some stomach issues that were continuing. She ended up having some scary symptoms that led us to call the doctor and have to bring her in. She is starting to feel better now, thankfully. Hopefully she'll be 100% soon.

I'm glad we still got to have some quality time with my family. Quality narco time. Of course, the joke is always on my dad and I. Thanks to my sis for this picture. I just had to post it to show everyone that it is hereditary. :)

Mark played Wii a lot over Christmas. Seems everywhere we went to celebrate there was a Wii. I even played it and liked it too. I tried out the Wii Fit yesterday when everyone was napping and had a good time. I'm thinking I could handle having a Wii too as Mark keeps mentioning how fun it would be to have one. Honestly though, wouldn't the excitement wear off and it would become another dusty item on our shelves? Plus, I have a pile of books I need to read before I add more ways to spend my free time!

"LEBI!! I WANT LEBI" Levi is my sister's boyfriend. He is a great guy and we love to have him around. Here is the story though. Addelyn LOVES Levi. Anytime we are going anywhere- she asks if "Lebi" will be there. The other night she woke up during the night and wasn't feeling well. Guess who she called for? LEBI! I wished he would have been there.....I could have used that extra sleep.

Ari-Anne (on the right) is our friend from college. She moved to Hawaii with her hubby Mark and they were back for awhile to visit last week. They stayed at our house for a few days and I'm thankful we got to spend some time with them. Tricia (on the left) came over one night and we all hung out. Now we just need to figure out how to get to Hawaii and visit them. I'm only semi-kidding. I would love to make it happen! When else in our lives could we go to Hawaii and have a place to stay, plus some amazing tour guides?

Jacob, below is the newborn son of Ryan and Kristen. Ryan and Mark have been friends since high school. We were glad we got to meet him while we were back in Perry! He is going to be a linebacker. A solid little guy and very sweet! We also got to see Carter, Addelyn's other little buddy (the son of Mark's other friend since high school), but somehow I didn't get my camera out for that outing. Go figure!

We were supposed to head to Perry to spend time with Mark's family later on Christmas Day. The weather kept us in Waterloo but we headed there on Saturday. We had a great time. This is Trae (otherwise known as Godzilla), Addelyn's cousin. We had a blast hanging out and letting the kiddos run around.

Doesn't this look dangerous? Two little ones right by the Christmas tree? Both Addelyn and Trae had unwrapped their presents to each other once or twice before they made it to family Christmas.

Addelyn and cousin Ty playing. Ty is GREAT with Addelyn. What a sweet kid.

Mark's cousin Jeff got married on Saturday night, the day after Christmas. We celebrated together at the Hotel Pattee in Perry. Here is Great Papa Quinlan and the kiddos. The twins are Mark's cousin's kids- Jack and Reed. I love watching them run around and interact. They are so funny and cute. I just realized- Addelyn is the one little girl in the midst of all of these bruisers running around. We might have to work on that. This is the best picture we could get of all of them together.

Jeff and Rosa, the newlyweds

One of the favorite gifts this year (she actually received one for each potty). We are in the MIDST of potty training. It is going very well so far. Most days. :) Addelyn's favorite part of the whole thing is flushing. Be careful, she feels she has the right to be in on everyone's flushing. Yikes. Gotta work on those boundaries. Make sure you lock the door if you go at our house!

Christmas Eve Day (and the night before) is becoming a tradition of celebrating with my mom and Tanner and Levi and Jill. They all come to our house and we hang out, eat, play games, open gifts, etc. Oh and the ladies always wear their new Christmas socks. We get a fun pair every year and wear them. Jill forgot hers this year so she had to wear my old ones from last year.

Hmmm....more Wii??? Tanner got a Wii for Christmas- he was SOOO excited! I think Mark and Levi were excited too. I was trying to get them to stop for lunch and they were in "the zone."

Gift opening! Addelyn received so many nice things for Christmas. Thanks to everyone. Thanks thanks thanks! You are all very generous. Addelyn would have fun for a bit when opening gifts and then would get bored. But we are enjoying playing with her new toys now that she can focus on them!

Can't forget, our DTI Christmas Party outfits. You are not allowed to enter unless you are wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. Mark always enjoys going above and beyond. This year he borrowed pants too. Impressive huh? Don't even ask why I'm scolding him in this picture. Notice our friend Dave in the background?

What a great Christmas season. This year I actually felt like I had time to breathe and celebrate what it is all about. For that I'm thankful.