Fun in the Sun!

We thought the sun would never come out (and stay out) again. After dodging storms all weekend, we were finally able to take Addison on her first official boat ride today. Addison is one busy little girl, and I felt like I was wrestling an alligator for the first part of the ride. Eventually, she relaxed and settled down enough to actually enjoy the ride.
I have said it before, and I will say it again... This little girl is all about the accessories! Yes, she really does love to wear her sunglasses! In fact, she gets very upset if you try to take them off!

After a short nap, we regrouped and headed down the street to the Grices for a Memorial Day cookout. A great time was had by all!

Aside from the weather, we had a great Memorial Day weekend, and we hope you did too!

Snip, Snip

Addison had her first haircut yesterday. Her bangs were getting so long, and I decided it was time for a little trim. We were in Charleston so I took her to Bangs and Bows in Mt. Pleasant. She was such a good sport. Believe it or not, she sat really still while the stylist gave her bangs a little trim. Here are a few pictures from our day. She was a little concerned at first, but once she realized she was sitting in a special pink car, she was all smiles!

Fish Tails and Fairy Tales

It was a dreary day in the Lowcountry today so Craig and I decided to pack up the little one and head to the aquarium in Charleston. We met up with my friend Melissa and her little boy, who is 18 months old. As you can tell from the pictures, Addison had a fantastic time! We saw lots of really neat fish...
We saw a scuba diver...We saw some turtles...And we saw PENGUINS (our favorite)! Now, for that fairy tale ending I was talking about. Every little girl has to kiss a prince or two... (Wait, where are you going?) (Please don't run away!)

...before she finds her FROG!

Oh frog, I think I LOVE you! What a perfect ending to a perfect day!

And She's Off!

It's official! Addison is really walking now. She's been taking 6-8 steps here and there for the past few weeks, but she just took off on Tuesday night. I was sitting on the floor, and when I looked up, I expected to see her teetering down the hallway. Instead, I saw her practically running down the hallway. Then, I watched her walk back down the hallway, around the end table, across the rug and into the kitchen. After her bath, she walked back and forth between the bedrooms upstairs. And she hasn't looked back since. Although she is still a little shaky, especially when moving from one surface to another (as you can see at the end of the video), she definitely prefers walking to crawling now. She will crawl if she is on a mission to get somewhere in a big hurry, but otherwise, she walks, walks, walks.

I celebrated my birthday on Wednesday, and I can't imagine a greater gift than watching my little girl take off walking. What a treat it was!

These Shoes Were Made for WALKING!

I have so much to catch up on, but in the meantime, I thought you might like to see Addison's newest trick. She's been crusing for some time now, and she began taking 2 or 3 steps at a time last weekend. Tonight, my friend Barbara and I were sitting on the floor across from each other playing with Addison, and all of the sudden, she took off! She took 8-10 steps across the room to get to Barbara. With a little encouragement, she walked again and again and again for us tonight! I am sorry that the videos are sideways -- I haven't figured out how to rotate them, but I will work on it! Look out world, here she comes!

Don't Leggo of that Eggo!

Addison tried her very first Eggo waffle this morning, and I think the pictures say it all. She LOVED it. Unfortunately, she learned what happens in our house when she lets go of her Eggo... The dog eats it! Addison's favorite game is to throw things on the floor while she is sitting in her high chair. I'm thinking the first time might be the last time she throws her Eggo on the floor!

Fall Fun

Fall is officially here, and the oyster roasts have begun. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I love it when it actually feels like Fall in the Lowcountry. Addison attended her very first oyster roast last night. Although she is too young to sample the oysters, she had a great time playing with Lauren while the grown ups ate lots of yummy oysters. There was a little chill in the air, and it was a perfect evening for an oyster roast.

The Wild, Wild West

Well, we have returned from our adventures in the Rocky Mountains. What a wonderful trip it was! Our little girl clearly shares her mom's love of traveling and adventure seeking. She was such a trooper!

My family has a place in the middle of NOWHERE, and I just love the time I get to spend there. Believe it or not, this was Craig's first trip to the ranch, and of course, it was Addison's first trip as well.

We met my brother, his girlfriend and her 2 children in Charlotte on Thursday afternoon. Our adventure began with a 2 HOUR thunderstorm delay on the RUNWAY in Charlotte. The longer we waited to take off, the more nervous I got. I had no idea what Addison had in store for us on the flight, but as it turns out, she did not make a peep for 5 1/2 hours!

We spent the first night in Denver (it was 2:30 am EST) when we finally arrived. On Friday, we headed for the ranch, which is 5 hours west of Denver. We stopped in Vail for lunch on top of the mountain. Addison enjoyed her first ride up the mountain in the gondola. Hopefully, she won't be afraid of heights because I plan to have her riding the chairlift and skiing down the bunny slopes in just a few years.

After lunch, we continued our journey to the ranch. Needless to say, we were all exhausted when we finally arrived. Addison had her first major meltdown, but I didn't mind because she was so good on the flight and the drive to the ranch. After dinner, we all turned in for a good night's rest.

Since we had no cell phone or internet service while at the ranch, we enjoyed many outdoor activities. We rode four wheelers (yes, that is Addison riding the four wheeler in the Bjorn); we rode horses; Craig fished in the pond; we shot BB and potato guns; my mom and Craig did a little gardening; we had a wonderful 4th of July family picnic; we ate entirely too much and we spent many hours rocking on the front porch looking at the beautiful view.

(Addison says, "These are MY brownies!")

My mom drug out my old stroller for Addison-- I imagine this thing was the 1970s version of a BOB stroller. She also found one of my old walkers, and much to my dismay, she put my child in this contraption. My brother said it looked like a metal spider that was ready to collapse and eat my child at any second! Luckily, there were no injuries. Talk about a blast from the past!

We took Addison on her very first tour of Aspen and all the town has to offer. This is one of my favorite places to visit when we go West. In the summer, I love to stroll through town, and in the winter, I love to ski at Snowmass. Hopefully, Addison will learn to love Aspen as much her mama does.

As always, our vacation was over way to0 soon. I loved every minute of my time in Colorado, and I was so glad to introduce Craig & Addison to the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Hopefully, our future will include many more trips to the Wild, Wild West.