The Scowl

Emily is always getting upset and annoyed because she thinks I don't read her blog (which is partially true, but only sometimes), so I thought I would surprise her with a post. Yesterday Emily had a rough day with Addison and didn't end up being able to make dinner before I got home. Since I was too tired after a long day at the hospital and a few hours of studying to bother with trying to make something, we went out to Red Robin. While we were there I got Addison to make this scowl she had been doing periodically for me (mostly in the bath tub), and until then Emily hadn't seen it and I don't think believed me. It was so funny we continued to get her to do it and she did it over and over the whole time we were there, luckily I even got it on video. We were all laughing the entire time and enjoyed each others company.

Cleaning and A Little Party

I picked up a  play vacuum off the curb a few months ago for Addison. It has sat in our garage collecting dust since. Addison squeals every time Dave turns on the vacuum and we caught it on video the other night, it was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. She throws her arms up and starts running in place and giggling. I brought in the play vacuum and Addison has been very busy "cleaning" around here. I love it and she makes me laugh how seriously she takes her job. 

I was sick this week with a little stomach bug. It was miserable, but we just kept ourselves busy to pass the time. I have a meeting or an activity every night this week. It is the primary program this upcoming Sunday and I am busy planning that. It is going to be really nice and a lot of work has gone into it! Recipe exchange was on Wednesday and it was a great turnout. I have really enjoyed planning this group and each month it gets better. 

We got invited to a Halloween party this past weekend. It was almost a deal breaker that costumes were required. Dave refused to dress up and I am pretty bummed. I called my mom and she managed to find a pretty harmless costume out of the dress up box. He got to choose from a giant peanut M&M or a Hawaiian tourist. He went with the tourist. He looked awesome (I secretly think that he enjoyed how good he looked!) The only thing that would have made it better was if we had a fanny pack...perhaps one of Grammie Fajen's would have done the trick:) I fulfilled a life long dream of dressing up as Harry Potter. Jenny let me borrow the one and only wand and cloak! We had a really good time catching up with friends and eating good food. Addison got to have a date with Will and a babysitter. She was a party animal and stayed up till 11! I felt bad that she didn't go to bed, but I kinda didn't think that she would being at Will's house. Dave survived his costume and we had a great weekend!  

FHE

Yes, that's right folks the Michael family is having FHE! Dave and I have always gone in streaks where we will have it and then we don't. Since having Addison we are a little more motivated to start having it again. Tonight we did a lesson on service and then made some Halloween monster mash. We bagged them up and made some "Booed" signs. It was fun to ring doors and run away (I almost sprained my ankle trying to get away). We plan to do a service night two more times before the beginning of the year and I am holding us to it. I am learning what it really means to serve being the primary secretary. It has been a difficult calling for me to get into the swing of things. There is a lot of behind the scenes work and I am learning to readjust my attitude about it. Taking an evening to talk about service and then carrying out an act of kindness really helped me keep things in perspective. Turns out Addison loves chocolate covered popcorn!

Weekend Trip

We went down to Pittsburgh this weekend. We packed up and waited for Dave to get home from clinical and then jumped in the car. We were greeted with my favorite steak salad when we got there. I think the first time I had it I talked about it for 3 days! Addison enjoyed the ipad for the entire drive down, it was amazing. She was laughing and busy learning about animals all at the same time! I never thought I would be "that" parent who let their child play with the $300+ electronic. I am already planning what apps to download for the long traveling trips at Christmas. Addison loved being around Harley as usual. She started saying something in a really low raspy voice over and over. We later realized she was saying, "Harley"! It was hilarious. She would say it and then chase him around. We took a few walks and Addison was thrilled to get to carry the leash. For most of the time Harley was walking her, but she was on cloud nine. Addison even managed to get Harley a devil Halloween costume. We love being so close to family for quick weekend visits.

Fowler's

A local chocolate company, Fowler's, does a factory tour once a year on Columbus Day weekend. You didn't have to ask me twice if I wanted to go! Dave wasn't too disappointed that he had to stay home and study (lame!). I keep hoping that Addison gets my love for chocolate and doesn't take after Dave's insistence that vanilla is the only way to go.  When we got there they wanted everyone to wear a fancy hair net. Poor Addison thought her life was over. We settled on putting her hood on and the net resting on top. The factory itself was rather small, but they manage to do a lot in there. We got around 10 samples of different kinds of chocolate! I handed Addison a piece of a caramel apple and she licked the caramel off and then chucked the apple! The sponge candy I think was both of our favorites. Addison let the candy melt in her hand first and then started to lick it. She was very worried about all the mess on her hands:) We left with stomach aches, but they were well worth it!

Fall Festivities

We ventured over to Brown's Berry Patch this weekend to kick off the cooler weather. The Quinn's invited us to join their family and we had a great time. Poor Addison survived despite the fact that we forgot just about everything she needed. She got her pants soaking wet twice, needed a diaper change with no diapers, froze her little hands and face off and the list goes on! She had plenty to distract her and keep her happy though. We went apple picking first and did more eating than picking. We picked a few really sweet ones to turn into caramel apples. We snacked on a few raspberries on our way over to the pumpkin patch. Addison wasn't too sure about the berries at first, but ended up loving them. The pumpkins were ginormous and we ended up picking out a twenty plus pounder. All Addison wanted to do was sit on all the pumpkins. Listening to her try and say pumpkin was priceless. It was a jumble between a really loud "P" and a kin at the end. There was a little grill there that we grabbed some chili and fries at for lunch. Addison chose to pull the wagon around the trees instead of eating. There were a whole bunch of kid rides and animals that we took Addison over to. She still has a fear of ravenously hungry goats, but did like pointing to the baby goats. There was a giant slide that you had to climb a rope ladder to get to. I have a giant fear of heights so when Addison started pointing towards it I felt my stomach turn. I conquered my fears several times and Addison loved the fast slide. At one point Addison got ahead of me and slid down sideways. She still had a smile on her face in the end! There was a huge bouncy pillow shaped trampoline. I took Addison up on it since Dave said his shoes had too many laces to undo...lame! I got up there and realized how scared I get jumping. I begged Dave to get his butt up there and he did. He ended up jumping for a long time! Addison was mostly scared, but liked being in her dad's arms while jumping. We grabbed some apple cider donuts and enjoyed them on the long drive home. 

We also got to listen to conference this weekend. I always forget how much I enjoy this weekend. Addison gave us the best present and took her long nap during the Sunday morning session. It was really peaceful and  I got a lot out of it. We had some friends over for chili and dessert in between sessions. Addison's bff Will kept her occupied during the afternoon session and Dave stayed awake! We ended the night by skyping our families which has turned into a Sunday tradition. Here's to cooler weather and fall festivities! 

Frogs

My parent's stopped on their way back from Boston this week. It was too short of a stay, but we will take what we can get. They got here on Monday evening just in time for a hot meal. I have been in the mood for soup lately so we have eaten a lot of it. I tried a new recipe called baked potato soup. It was a thicker consistency, but still really good. The next day I took my mom to D'Avolios for a lady lunch while Addison took a nap. It was AMAZING! We split a salad and pizza and tasted a bunch of oils and vinegars. I picked up a oil mister that I had been wanting as well. Grammie and I took Addison out for a wagon ride when we got back. Grammie found a frog along the way and picked it right up! I about died!! Addison liked to look at it in Grammie's hands,but not so much in hers. We put the frog in the wagon across from her and she squealed the whole way back. Dave studied for a little while and then we went to Anchor Bar to try their wings. We hadn't been there yet and had heard good things. The service was not so great and the wings were okay. I think we are Duff's fans through and through. Addison had a great time showing off for everyone and drinking out of a big girl cup. My dad helped me with the kitchen I am making Addison for Christmas for a while on Wednesday. We had lunch and then they headed out.