Counting Our Blessings

On this Thanksgiving day, we are counting our blessings. We have many things to be thankful for, but we are most thankful for this little girl! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving day!

Addison Land

Christmas came a little early to our house. Santa's elf (Craig) and a few of his friends spent a day last weekend building a Christmas surprise for Addison. Unfortunately, the weather was rather dreary last weekend, but Addison was able to sneak outside to play in between rain showers. Addison was more than excited about her surprise!

Daddy's little helper...The finished product!Whee! I love it! Such a big girl!

Giddy up!Thank you daddy! I love it!

Boo to You!

I've been so slack about blogging lately, and I am pretty sure nobody even checks in on us anymore. I try -- I really do, but for some reason, I just can't keep up with the blog these days.


We've had a great fall so far. Addison made her first trip to Disney World, and she absolutely LOVED every minute of it. Addison also had a very exciting Halloween with her cousin Ali and her best bud Lauren (aka Lala). I will post Disney photos in a separate post, but in the meantime, here are a few pictures of our little goblin and her goblin friends.Do we know you? You are just our size!
If you are trying to scare us, it isn't working! Thanks for sharing your candy.
I love lollipops!

Trick or treating sure is tiring! The girls decided to take a little break (in the middle of the street). Good thing we went trick or treating in a quiet neighborhood.Addison and her "best girls!" This is the life!

I'm quite certain that our little ladybug was one of the cutest bugs in town on Halloween! We hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Happy Fall!

This little girl is very excited that Fall is in the air! Cooler temperatures and fewer bugs mean more time to play outside with her favorite white dog.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

On a hot, hot summer day, my friend Barbara and I took Addison on a little trip to the Columbia Zoo. Although I don't seem to have any pictures of the lions and tiger and bears (oh my!), I do have several pictures of the wildlife to help us remember Addison's first trip to the zoo. Addison enjoyed her very first merry-go-round ride.

On the loose!

The view is much better from here, mom!

Addison likes to call these creatures "monks." When you ask her what sound "monks" make, she will say, "Aah, Aah."

Look mom, it's a feeeee (aka fish)! Addison is a big fan of the feeeee.

Although the sign said that this was a type of kangaroo, Addison insisted that it was a "keee" (which is Addison talk for kitty).

Addison was fascinated by the ostriches. She thought this goat was hysterical. I must admit -- it was a pretty funny looking goat!

This is the biggest turtle that I have EVER seen!

We had a great day visiting with the animals.

Rocky Mountain High (Long Over Due)

This post has been a looooong time in the making. In fact, I think I started this post sometime in late August. Maybe I will be caught up by the end of the year! :)

Addison and I had a wonderful trip to Colorado. The only problem was that our trip was way too short. As usual, Addison was a fantastic traveling companion. I was a little nervous about the flight since we flew by ourselves, but as it turns out, I had nothing too worry about. Addison was once again a trooper. We flew into Denver and met my mom who had driven out ahead of us. After spending the night in Denver, we woke up, had a little breakfast and then were on our way! We stopped in Eagle to meet up with my brother and his crew, who had also driven out, and then we were finally on the way to the ranch.

Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful this place is. The above picture is the view from my window. It is tucked away into the mountains 9 miles down a winding dirt road. It is miles from the closet town. There is no hustle and bustle. There is no light pollution. The only sounds you hear belong to your surroundings. The rustle of the leaves on the Aspen trees, the distant howl of the coyotes, the scampering of the little chipmunks running by. It is, by far, one of the most relaxing places I have ever been. Time kind of stands still.

What's a girl to do while she is tucked away miles from civilization you might ask? Well, I'll give you a little peek...

Nothing is more fun than splashing in the puddles with brand new boots!We did a little swinging...And a little porch sitting.Giddy Up! Addison wasn't a huge fan of the horses this year, but she did take a quick ride on a horse with me. She was a good sport, but she was way more interested in collecting rocks in the barn than she was the horses. Good thing she was careful about the "rocks" that she collected!Addison also enjoyed a little bird watching. Can you see the hummingbird in the picture below?Fun with water!Giddy Up! Vroom! Vroom! style.

We did a little exploring. Who knew independent toddler dressing could be so entertaining (for both of us)?Somehow, she managed to put two pairs of jeans on at the same time -- one on her feet and one on her head!

We did leave the ranch a few times during the week, and on one of our adventures, we made a quick trip to the Hot Springs Pool and Spa in Glenwood Springs. We enjoyed relaxing in the giant natural hot springs pool.
A trip to the ranch isn't complete without a stop in Aspen. We shopped until we dropped, ate a little lunch, played in the water fountain and took a dip in the creek. The water temperature in Aspen is definitely a little cooler than the water in the Lowcountry.

It was a wonderfully relaxing vacation, and from what I can tell, Addison enjoyed herself just as much as I did! I am looking forward to many more vacations with my little traveler!