Photo Dump

The girls are helping more in the kitchen and I'm loving it. Avery is getting the hang of putting the silverware away. Although she licked almost every single piece before putting it away! Addison loves to work the hand mixer and the blender. She can hold the mixer by herself now and feels very proud. They both drag stools and chairs over to the counter when ever I start to prepare dinner. Avery still can't go with out a nap and often will pass out in her stroller or the car. Addison is a busy builder and tries to create when ever Avery isn't there to knock it down. Both girls are loving life this summer. We bought a new little plastic pool for the back yard and they beg every day to get in. Bring on the hot summer days!

Snoopy Land

We're maxing out our Kings Island passes this year and loving it. Avery got to ride the bumper cars for the first time. She had no idea what was going to happen! She kept going in a circle over and over. It was pretty funny to watch and she loved it. Addison still loves the little roller coaster the best. We found a small petting zoo in Snoopy Land this time. Avery liked feeding the goats and Addison liked the llama. Grammie treated us to giant icee's and they hit the spot! It started to rain and we had to run into a show. It was an acrobatic show and the girls loved it. It was a fun day even though this was the day that I ended up going to the hospital !

We Love Our Daddy

Father's Day has come and gone and poor Dave had to deal with a left over of a day. I ended up going to the ER a few days before father's day and still wasn't feeling well. I was on my way to a girl's night and threw up out the side of my friends car. It was pretty embarrassing and then I came home and started having terrible pains. Dave took me to the hospital and they diagnosed me with pancreatitis, It was hands down the worst pain I have ever been in. They gave me lots of pain meds and sent me home. I had gotten tickets to the Dayton Air Show to celebrate and it was POURING rain. Dave still wanted to try and go and it was terrible!I was feeling crappy and the girls were very unhappy to be in the rain. We tried to make the most of it and went and took Dave to a nice lunch. So on Father's Day I wasn't up to much of anything. Poor Dave had to help the girls after church when I sure he wanted his day of relaxing. Luckily I had already gotten the supplies to make a decent meal. Dave got a big steak all to himself and managed to get Addison to eat some asparagus. She kept calling the asparagus kiwi and it was funny to play along with the trick. Dave was showered with lots of hugs and kisses from his ladies all day. Addison and Avery gave him some much needed new socks that he didn't even return. Dave was headed to a scout trip the next day so I had got him a new sleeping bag. He was pretty happy, but not surprised since Addison had told him about it beforehand :) Dave is the positive anchor that this family relies on. He is always willing to sacrifice his wants for our needs. He's always willing to buy the girls fancy new shoes and take us out for a family event over buying his guns. He gets up every morning that he is home so I can sleep in a few extra minutes. He makes the best waffles and wheat pancakes. He's always willing to go on a bike ride and carry Avery's bike the whole way. He's a great dad and I am forever grateful that he's ours! I had fun going through old photos of my dad and me when I was a baby. He too is a wonderful dad and continues to put up with me! Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads in our lives!

It's Getting Hot Out Here

We have had 90 plus degree weather the past week. Mixed with rain storms here and there the humidity is unbelievable! We tried to go to a sandcastle event, but only lasted about 30 minutes. The girls were really hot and looked like they were going to pass out! My dad had to go out of town for a couple of weeks and was going to miss his favorite holiday... Father's Day:) We went down the Sunday before he left and celebrated. We brought down the supplies to make his favorite kilbasa sausage and noodles dish. Addison and Avery picked out some nuts to give him on his long drive to Idaho. We topped the night off with strawberry and rhubarb crisp. Avery was a stinker and threw all her food on their newly pressure washed deck...oops! We showered Papa with what we love most about him and then we had to head back. Once again I am grateful for the example I have because of my dad. Lately, I haven't been feeling very well and he has saved me by coming to get the girls. He is always willing to help babysit to give Dave and I a chance to go out. He calls to check in on us and I always enjoy talking to him. Lately when I call I always ask for John Fajen please. I love our weird and funny relationship. Happy (early) Father's Day Dad!

Meanwhile...

Meanwhile why Addison was at camp Avery and I played! She is a lover of the outdoors and mostly just running away from me. She still wants to be completely rocked to sleep. It's a love/hate relationship. Most nights I really enjoy it, but when I have to go in there 3 and 4 times I'm done! She is such a mamas girl and has a feisty personality. Currently she doesn't want to sit in her booster chair anymore. It is a STRUGGLE. I'm hoping we're almost past the 30 minute melt downs. She has ended up sitting on mine or Dave's lap for the past couple days. I'm hoping this is just a little phase. Addison has been getting speech and developmental therapy services for about a month now. Her pediatrician wanted me to have her screened by the states, Help Me Grow program. I set up and appointment and they came and did some screenings. She qualified for speech and developmental services every other week. Our overall goals are to increase her expressive language and to help her self soothe. Getting rid of the bottle was a huge step towards those goals! In the past month she has picked up a few new words. She says, "ME!" and pats her chest when she wants you to follow and help her. We're working on adding ,"Help, me!" Meal times are still the biggest guessing game. Although, Avery is still delayed in her speech I have seen her make improvements. I am grateful for my knowledge from my degree and for the help of the therapists that come faithfully. They are so patient with her and answer all my little questions. Right now we'll continue to have services for 6 months and then test again. Keep on growing Avery! 

Let It Go!

Addison had the highlight of her life this past week at Frozen summer camp. She got to go for 5 whole days for 2 and a half hours. Everyday she wanted to wear something Frozen. They made Olaf hats, snow globes, colored , played games and ran around outside. On the last day Elsa herself came for a visit. Addison was so excited to tell me that Elsa contained her freezing powers long enough to let them sit on her lap. The best part of the camp was that she got to go with her two little friends Brielle and Eve. They all had a blast and I hope that her love for princesses continues to be magical.

Dinner Snoozing

Avery missed a nap one day a couple weeks ago and was dying by dinner. We caught on video her trying to feed herself and fight off sleep. It was amazingly funny. We finally got her out and I sat in the recliner with her for a good 45 minutes before just putting her down. I loved the feeling of rocking a sleeping little one. She is such a light sleeper normally that this never happens. I abandoned all my household duties to let her drool all over my ironed shirt. I ended up falling asleep with her towards the end. It's the simple things in life and I often want to slow down time to remember these moments. 

The Many Faces...

Oh the many faces of Addison and Avery ! They both have such different personalities and I love to catch them on camera. Avery is loud and wants things now! Addison is timid and embarrasses easily. They can get each other to laugh like crazy though and I love it! Addison is really into wearing tall socks and jacking them up as high as she can. Very big fashion statement:) Addison wants to match Avery every Sunday and even had me buy matching pajamas for them. I'm pretty sure that won't last into their teenage years! I'm enjoying it now while I can. Avery finally gave up her bottle! She threw it out the shopping cart a few weeks ago and we all waved bye bye to it as we moved past it. It was the perfect farewell. She likes to say, "Ba, Ba, bye bye" now. We still have a few moments of meltdowns once the fridge opens and there really isn't a bottle sitting in there. Both girls are loving doing crafts. Avery is now big enough to sit at the art desk and do some coloring. She thinks she's pretty fancy and then eats the crayons! One day I gave her a tube of glitter glue and she squeezed and squeezed until it was dry. It was pretty funny to watch. The hot summer has arrived and we are loving all of our time outside. I'm grateful to be healthy this summer with no broken bones or kidney stones. Here's to a summer of late night bikes rides topped off with snow cones!

Haircuts & Hiking

Addison's hair is growing like crazy. I think she has a goal to have flowing blonde hair like Rapunzel and Elsa. I couldn't handle the struggle we were having each morning and decided it was time to get a trim. We went to a little kids hair cut place and she got to sit in an airplane. She did surprisingly really well. They gave her a balloon and a sucker and she was a happy lady! After the haircut we went on a little hike as a family. We need to start timing out Saturday outings a little better! Avery fell asleep on the way and we waited in the parking lot until she woke up. The trail was shaded for the most part so it was enjoyable. It was about a mile and a half and by the end both girls wanted to be carried. We have a goal as a family to go on more hikes than last summer. I even took a turn carrying Avery in the back pack and didn't die! 

The Dentist

I took the girls to the dentist last month and it was a success! Addison went right after she turned 2 and it was terrible. I found a great pediatric dentist and went with high hopes. Addison had a hard time laying back and letting the hygienist look in her mouth. Once they turned on the Disney channel for her she relaxed. She opened wide and let them count all her teeth. I was really proud of her because I could tell she was very nervous. I've been trying to work more with Addison on overcoming her shyness. She has a really hard time saying thank you to people. She mumbles it, but she's getting better! Baby steps! Avery was all over the place at the dentist! I didn't get a picture of her because I was too busy wrestling her. She let them count her teeth as well. She didn't even bite:) I'm glad the girls love to brush their teeth. They each got a sand timer to use to help brush their teeth. 

Calling All Artists...

We now have a big four year old in the house! A while back I asked Addison what she wanted to do for her big day. She told me a painting party with pink glitter paint. We got to work on making all her dreams come true:) I had a lot of fun working each night making fun things for her party. She wanted an all girl party this year. It is funny how much she has changed in a year with her preferences of who she likes to play with. I let her invite five little girl friends to come enjoy the celebration.We started the morning off with sprinkle pancakes which she mostly just ate the sprinkles off:) Addison doesn't like cake and just wants to lick the frosting. We settled on a cookie cake this year. She also wanted a pinata which I don't even think she knows what one is! We took a different route and made a rainbow punch pinata. Each girl got a rainbow lollipop, stickers and some dot candy. Once they got the hang of it they loved it! We lined up foam poster boards and each girl got an apron and a paint pallet to go to town with. It was so much fun to watch. Avery had a blast with this part of the party. Each girl filled their pallets up 3 or 4 times. It was fun to see each child's different style of painting and the colors they each wanted. Everyone was finished painting except the birthday girl who could have painted for an hour! We moved onto snacks and cookie cake. Addison picked rainbow fruit kabobs which she helped me put together the day before. She also wanted rainbow goldfish and water. Easy enough! We make rice krispie treats to look like paint brushes which she also helped me make. Addison was shy when we sang her to, but I think she still enjoyed it. All of her little friends brought cute gifts. She got a lot of new art and craft projects which of course was a big hit. Mostly they all enjoyed running around on the swing set and the newly filled sand table. Addison was lucky enough to have her favorite babysitter Emerie come in the morning to help with the party. They had a McDonalds happy meal picnic and Emerie gave her a new tea set they up. Having Emerie come turned out to be a livesaver. She played with the girls and helped keep Avery happy. Grammie and Papa were able to be with us as well. They gave her a minnie mouse bat and mit. That will be a summer time hit. Grandma and Grandpa Michael sent a new Elsa dress to replace the one with holes. She put it on immediately and has worn it every day since. Dave and I gave Addison her very own bike with training wheels. Addison wakes up every morning and wants to go outside and ride it .She's pretty good at riding it and before we know it she won't need the training wheels. We finished the day with mini pizzas and frozen yogurt.

Addison is such a joy to have in our family. She has a contagious laugh and a fierce scowl all in the same breath. She dislikes meal time and could roam around snacking on crackers all day. She loves to dress herself multiple times a day and hates being dirty. She somehow has claimed a whole slew of high heels of mine for her closet. She lays out her outfits the night before complete with socks, shoes and a bow. She only ever wants her bangs pull up on top with a pretty bow. She loves her hair long and flowy as she says:) She finally has started eating carrots which is the only vegetable she'll touch. She always asks for blackberries and the store and tells me that aren't too expensive to buy. She loves to color, create, paint, cut and glue. She sure does love her morning cartoons and begs for them every day. She enjoys the zoo and roller coasters at kings island. She loves to facetime to Aunties and often is found doing it on her own. She wants a book read every night in bed followed by someone laying by her for a minute (she usually just sits and pokes you in the face and giggles). Addison has a memory like no one I've met her age. She can remember trips or things we've done from a year ago. I'm grateful everyday that Addison June chose to come to our home and that I have the privilege of being her mom. I love that everyday she tells me that I'm cute and likes to rub my arm when I sit by her. She has grown up so much this past year and I can't wait to see what this year holds in store for her!