Happy Trails!

Happy trails to you! The little one and I are off on a journey to the great Rocky Mountains tomorrow. We'll be back with lots of stories and pictures in a week!

Summer Days!

Today was one of those wonderful summer days. We spent the day on the boat with some friends of ours, and Addison was such a trooper. We stepped on the boat at 12:30 and did not get back to the dock until 6:00! Addison fell apart shortly before we arrived back at the dock, but I would say that is pretty good considering she only took a 30 minute nap all day. This child will not sleep for one second if she thinks she is going to miss out on some fun. We hope you enjoyed your day as much as we enjoyed ours!
Once we were off the boat, she was out like a light! She was asleep before we even made it out of the driveway to come home. I think this picture pretty much says it all! She decided to sleep through dinner, and she almost managed to sleep through her bath as well. Hopefully, she'll sleep in a little later than 6 am tomorrow!

18 Months

Sweet Addison Kate,

Your 18 month birthday has come and gone, and I am just now finding the time to post. You are one amazing little girl. I cannot believe how quickly the past 18 months have flown by. With the passing of each day, our lives become richer. You are no longer a baby -- you are a full fledged toddler. Life definitely does not stand still around you. You are on the go, go, go! You are so full of life, and you spread a little ray of sunshine wherever you go.

At your 18 month well visit, you weighed 24 pounds and you were 31 inches tall. You are growing like a weed, but you are still on the petite side.

At 18 months, you are very sure footed, and you have mastered the art of running. You rarely walk anymore. Who has time for that, right? You are also quite the climber. You love to load the sofa up with all of your toys and then climb right on up.

Your vocabulary is growing by the day. "Mama" and "dada" have turned into the sweetest little "mommy" and "daddy." Not only are you saying numerous words, but you are starting to string your words together into phrases now. Your favorite is "Hey Momo!" One of our favorites is when you point your finger at us and say, "not nice." You are also beginning to repeat things that you hear. I guess it's time for your parents to really watch what we say around you.

Speaking of Momo (aka Molly dog), she is by far one of your favorite things these days. You love to play with her (aka chase and torture her), and for the most part, she is pretty tolerant. You are obsessed with her tin of dog food. You love to scoop out a scoop of food and throw it on the floor. Over and over and over again. You've done some pretty funny things to her lately. You chase her around the house trying to wipe her nose and just today, you tried to "plug" her in to the laptop charger. Needless to say, she wasn't thrilled about that. Luckily, she is tolerating all of your "love" these days. (I think she has figured out that you will continue to feed her your leftovers as long as she humors you).

You also love to play outside "side" but we have to limit your time outside right now because of the heat. You love to play in your water table with your BFF "Lala" and ride your new "trike."

Bedtime is less of a struggle than it was a month ago and you are sleeping soundly through the night, but you have shifted your wake up time to 6 instead of 7. We are working on this, but I am afraid that the 6 am wake up call might be here to stay for a while.

When it comes to eating, some days you have the appetite of a horse and other days, you have the appetite of a mouse. One thing remains constant, though -- you love your milk. As long as you are drinking your milk, I am not going to worry. Some of your favorite foods this month are grits, eggs, cheese (of course), goldfish and most fruits. You are kind of on strike from the veggies right now, but we are continuing to work on that. I think meats are a hopeless cause right now. For whatever reason, you will have nothing to do with any kind of meat. Maybe next month... You discovered corn on the cob, and you just can't get enough of it.

You are learning to use a fork and spoon to feed yourself, and you aren't afraid to let me know when you would like to do so. You also think it is tons of fun to drink out of my straw when we go out to eat. This wouldn't be such a bad thing except that you insist on holding the cup that said straw is in. It hasn't happened yet, but I keep waiting for you to dump the entire drink out on yourself. I am sure that it is only a matter of time!

You've also decided that you can dress yourself. In the pictures below, you are trying to put your pajamas on over your dress. Somehow, you managed to put your top and bottoms on your legs. At some point, I think you just gave up and decided to stand on your head for some reason. You are one silly little girl!

You've always been strong willed, but I am afraid the best is yet to come. You are beginning to voice your opinions more and more. Those "terrific" twos are on the way, I think. For some reason, you are not a fan of Mondays. Often times, this is how your Mondays begin around here. The good news is that things seem to get progressively better as the day goes on. Those Monday mornings sure are rough! You're still cute -- even when you're a little crabby!

Little one, you light up our lives, and we love you more and more each day. Happy 18 months!

A Letter from the Dog

Dear Addison,

I am okay with the fact that you have officially renamed me. In fact, I think "Mo-Mo" is a cute nickname. I love to hear all of the toddlers in the neighborhood shout "Mo-Mo" at me every time they see me. I am also okay with the fact that you would like to play ball with me from time to time. And, I love the way you share your "leftovers" with me when you are finished eating. I would, however, like to discuss a few "other" things with you... 1 -- Dogs do not wear shoes. Not even cute little pink crocs. Please stop trying to put them on me. After all, you have a hard enough time putting them on yourself (especially on the right feet)!
2 -- I do not like to play dress up. Not your pjs, not your shirts, not your shorts, NADA!

3 -- Dogs do NOT like to talk on cell phones. Please stop pulling my ears and trying to make me talk on the phone.

4 -- I prefer to eat my food out of the bowl -- not off of the floor where you like to throw it. Also, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't put your dirty little hands (and most recently, your dirty little feet) in my water bowl. I understand that you find this terribly amusing, but I do not see the humor...
5 -- Although I have an eye for fashion, I do not like to wear your sunglasses. Please stop chasing me around the house with them.

6 -- I admit that I like to sleep. A LOT. But I do not need to be "plugged in" and "recharged." I will recharge on my own, little one. Save the chargers for the laptops and cell phones please! 7 -- Speaking of sleep, why don't you like to sleep very much anymore? 6 am is just a little too early, don't you think?

8 -- Wet noses are good when you are a dog. Please stop trying to wipe my nose with the tissues.
9 -- I do not enjoy it when you chase me around the house trying to "dry" me off with the kitchen towels. I am not a bull, but I might be forced to "charge" you if you continue to taunt me with the towels.
10-- Dogs. do. not. wear. hats!
I am thrilled (really, I am) that you love me so much, but please, for the sake of my sanity (or what's left of it), do not continue to "love" (torture) me on a daily basis. If the "love" continues, I am afraid I will be left no choice but to escape the next time the door opens!



Love (if you want to call it that),

"Momo"
Your favorite four legged friend

P.S. Did I mention that I really LOVE it when you share your leftovers with me?