If only we could've thought of a name without a "d"

Today Addison's preschool class celebrated her birthday and gave her a good-bye card with all of their handprints and names. After I read her the inscription and each name on the card, she asked about her new preschool. I told her she would start at her new preschool as soon as there was an opening and asked her (purely from my own curiousity) if she wanted to go by Addison or Addi in her new class. She said, with much expression, "Oh...Addi! I'm so tired of writing all those "d's"!" She was a little quiet when I reminded her she would still have to write the "d's" in Addi.

What shoulda been

Five years ago today, I should have been holding a tiny baby in my arms. I should have been tired and sore and excited and nervous and in love in a way I'd never known before. I should have been beginning my life as a momma.

Instead, I was depressed and discouraged because my due date was yesterday and when is this baby going to decide to come out!

I didn't know it then, but little Addison Grace would stay put for a whole week past her due date and then would get stuck on my pelvic bone. We would meet for the first time, after 3 hours of pushing, on Tuesday, November 4, 2002. She made me work for her!

Addi Pie,

It blows my mind that you will be 5 years old in less than a week! The time has flown by. It seems like I've always known you...like you've always been a part of me.

Each morning I hear you amble into my room and make your way to my side of the bed for the sole purpose of giving me a kiss. It's my wake-up call and it beats hearing the beeping of an alarm any day! You shower me with kisses everyday and are always up for a hug or some snuggling. You've always been sweet and loving. I hope you never grow too big for those traits.

Addison, I love being your momma. I knew before you were born that you were something special...something to be excited about. I can't wait to spend another 5 years with you, except I wish I could find a way to make them go by more slowly than the first 5! All the work's been worth it :)

Love you,
Mommy

Just think, this time next year we could have 3 of them*!

*by them, I'm meaning girls, not parties

We are almost 2 hours into Addi's sleepover birthday party and I've never heard so much screaming and squealing in my life!

So far, the girls have made pizzas, dressed up Bryan, sang Happy Birthday, eaten cupcakes and ice cream, changed into pajamas and are now watching a movie. I'm hoping for a little more quiet during the movie. There has still been constant chatter, but at least it's been kept at decibels at which most humans hear.

One sweet note is that Addi has been totally fine letting Libby tag along. Bryan and I are betting that won't last much longer.

I'll be back tomorrow with pictures.

I'm so glad we finally did it

Last Saturday we had our pictures made.

It was fun and the pictures are beautiful, if I do say so myself :)

They were taken by Kevin at Life's Too Short Photography at Pullen Park in Raleigh. We had a great time and wish he would move to Dallas before we need family pictures again :)

He's posted a few of the pictures on his blog if you're interested.

more pictures, just because

Wordless Wednesday - all ready to hit the road

Baby P

A little over a week ago, I had an ultrasound. If we were finding out the gender of this baby, it would have been the time to do it. However, according to the sonogram lady, Baby P moves so much that she wasn't even sure by the time the ultrasound was over.

I must say I was a little overwhelmed at the thought of this baby moving as much as Libby did/does. I've told myself this whole pregnancy that surely this baby would be more easy-going and calm. Since the ultrasound, I've considered going Cold Turkey and giving up all sugar, caffeine, chemically-altered foods for the rest of this pregnancy in hopes of calming Baby P down.

Then I come to my senses and realize I Need Chocolate. I can't give up chocolate. And if I'm not giving up chocolate, a Dr. Pepper every once in a while won't hurt either ;)...(my, how my food restrictions have relaxed since I was pregnant with Addison).

Even though Baby P was all over the place, we were able to capture some good shots. I'm not sure how well they'll scan, but I'll give it a try. There is one picture of Baby P's face that I just love. I keep it beside my bed and look at it every night. When she took the picture, I was looking at it on the screen and I told Bryan that I could've seen that face and known it was one of our babies. You won't see any of that. The only reason I see that when I look at the picture now is because I can remember how clear it was to me on the screen. The bottom 2 pictures are actually the same picture...the bottom of the baby's feet. The lady knew it was my last appointment and said she wanted to make sure this baby knew where he/she came from. But the feet are upside-down, so that's why I've posted the picture twice.

Do you see that sweet little face?...on the right side toward the bottom?


hint: the heel of the right foot is touching the word FROM

fyi: North Carolina is the Tarheel State...did y'all already know that?? I didn't before I moved here :)

I don't even know what to say.

Read this.

As a mother of 2, possibly 3, little girls, I can't imagine their need for this at the ripe old age of 11. It breaks my heart and, honestly (maybe naively) I cannot fathom that there is a parent out there (who isn't consumed with a drug habit or isn't truly psychologically disturbed) who would not agree with teaching abstinence to a middle-school aged CHILD. If the public schools must be involved in this aspect of life (and they long ago took the stance that they would involve themselves), why not teach the one and only method that provides protection...protection from pregnancy, protection from disease, protection from the side effects of birth control pills, and protection from the emotional damage?

Can't you just buy some money??

(at bedtime)

Addi: Daddy, I want you to play with me Every Day!
Daddy: Like we played hide and seek when I got home from work today?
Addi: Yes, but Every Day.
Daddy: Well, we can play again tomorrow when I get home.
Addi: No, I don't want you to go to work. Can't you just buy money at the store?

Family Fun at Hillridge Farm

Betcha didn't know these were part of the rainbow

I overheard Addi and her friend Salina talking while they were coloring today.

Addi: I'm using blue because blue is my daddy's favorite color.
Salina: My favorite colors are purple and hot pink.
Addi: I like cold pink, purple and hot blue.
Salina: Really, I like all the colors of the rainbow.
Addi: Me, too. But not brown.
Salina: I like brown.
Addi: I only like hot brown.

The sign we've been waiting on

Update: We've had the Sold sign out for about a week and have movers coming the first weekend in November. I feel like I need to purge, but it's hard to force yourself when you don't have to put it all in boxes. I keep telling myself that I'll end up throwing out a lot when I have to unpack all the boxes, but just think how much I could get rid of if I purged now and then again when I unpacked. And, think is probably all I will actually do about it :)

I realized I needed a little Mommy Time-Out today when I heard these words pour out of my mouth:

"Just eat whatever you want!"

I'll most definitely regret them tomorrow :)

Going, going, gone!

We are waiting to hear back from our relocation company, but our house has a (at this point) verbal contract on it! Needless to say, we're thrilled! As soon as the relo company finishes up some paperwork, it will be official.

And, in the knick of time as we had an Open House scheduled for Sunday. Bryan and I planned on taking the girls to a pumpkin patch, but the temperature is supposed to almost be 90 on Sunday. Now we can delay that trip for more seasonal weather...and that was written with complete optimism that we will, in fact, see seasonal weather this October.

We have put in an offer on "the" house in Frisco and should hear back from the sellers today or tomorrow. We're hoping to have all that hashed out by Monday.

So, we'll be having Thanksgiving in Texas. Maybe we can get some more seasonal weather there :)

God is good and we are thankful.

A Delayed First Day

When we found out we were moving I went back and forth on whether Addi would begin preschool here. Bryan and I talked about it and finally decided we would wait to start her until we moved thereby avoiding the difficulties involved with not only moving her home, but also her preschool.

However, it now looks as though the girls and I will be here much longer than we'd hoped. And, honestly, she's been driving me crazy. (It hasn't been her fault. We've been living waiting to move. That isn't a fun way to live. Plus all her friends have either started school or preschool.)

Today, she began her time in Miss Angie and Miss Jeneane's class. She spent last week preparing by working in a kindergarten letter workbook. Every day she would pull it out and tell Libby she couldn't play because she needed to work. This morning she told Libby that Libby might get lonely today because she was going to preschool. (Of course, Libby responded with, "I wan go preschool!")

She had a good day and is really excited about going back on Thursday. She even told Libby that tomorrow they could hunt for something that starts with D to take for Show and Tell. Oh, and since there's another Addie, she's decided she wants to go by Addison. Her teachers, who've known her since before she turned 2, say they are having trouble remembering to call her Addison instead of Addi.

I got a picture at the beginning of the day with Addison and Miss Angie and at the end of the day with Addison and Miss Jeneane.