"You See!!"

We just finished dinner and I have to blog this before I forget. It's been a while since I've posted anything remotely bodily function oriented, so just to prove that our life is really not all neat and clean here is an interesting story.

We've been working on getting Addie to say "excuse me" when she has gas and she's really getting pretty good even though it sounds more like "you see." So tonight while we were having dinner, she tooted. We're definitely progressing as a family here because Anthony no longer laughs at this and can keep a straight face and tell her to say "excuse me." PROGRESS! So she said excuse me, did it again, and excused herself again. Then she started blowing on her arm making the same noise and saying "you see" all while smiling so big. She was obviously quite impressed by her own wit. Then we both failed on the straight face concept! My girl...I'm so proud. :)

Pinkalicious Party!

This morning it was -28F (that's the "feels like" temperature) and we needed something to celebrate, so we stole a great idea from Melissa and threw a Pinkalicious Party. For those who have not heard of Pinkalicious, it is a children's book by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann. It's actually for much older kids than Addie and her friends, but it was a cute idea & we had fun with it. We REALLY need fun here! The basic story is about a little girl and her mom who make pink cupcakes because the weather is bad (fits well here.) Then the little girl won't stop eating the cupcakes and wakes up PINK. The only cure for her PINKness is to eat all green foods. It's a really cute book with great illustrations.



We very much enjoyed ourselves with our friends. Including Addie, there were six little girls (one was missing from the picture) and one baby girl along with the moms. They decorated PINK foam butterflies with all kinds of fun foam stickers, donned their necks with PINK and white beads, drank PINK Crystal Light, and of course we decorated PINK cupcakes. Addie had more sugar in 90 minutes than she may have had in her entire life!



It was great fun for me too since I got to see friends. We could all huddle here from the cold and try to survive this insane Iowa winter while the girls were entertained! Thanks so much Melissa for your brilliant idea! :)

Many Thanks!

Thanks to all the comments with book suggestions! I have already checked a few out and devoured most of one. I guess I was hungry! I'll keep a running tally on the right as I complete your suggestions.

I am just finishing up "A Woman of Independent Means" by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey. I couldn't help laughing as I read this part:

"It occurred to me recently that by buying two copies of each album I could have the complete experience of a piece of music without interruption to reverse the record. The salesman had difficulty understanding my order at first, but when I finally succeeded in explaining it to him, he said he was going to suggest it to all his customers."

I think there was a little too much of myself here... I've at least learned that it isn't necessarily a GOOD thing when salespeople recognize you and flock to you. :)

Peek-A-Boo!

Smile!

Me: Addie, did you just do your diaper?
Addie: Biaper?
Me: Yes, are you stinky?
Addie: Kinky?

What a humorous prelude to changing a diaper. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Anthony is working all night so Addie and I played with Grace while her parents went out to dinner. The girls really seemed to have a lot of fun and I couldn't resist catching some of it on camera. It was funny because for a while Grace would sit in the chair, then run over to an activity table, and then run back. So later when Grace was sitting in the chair for longer than usual, Addie went over to the table in an effort to entice her. Of course I couldn't leave out the little squabble at the end.

We definitely need to do stuff like this more often. Addie had so much fun having a friend around (I guess I'm just not that cool?) She was so excited to eat dinner with Grace at our table. I tried to get a picture of them both smiling at the camera, but the best I could get was this one with Addie smiling and Grace just looking our way. For the rest of them, the noises Addie makes with her smiling made Grace look at her.

Brain Freeze

All the cold weather here is getting to my brain, so I thought I'd petition my brilliant friends for book suggestions. We go to the library almost once a week and I'm stumped on what to check out for myself. I've picked a few disappointments lately. Suggestions??

Men are from Mars

So, it's 8:30 p.m. and I just mentioned to my husband that I was going to go get a bowl of cereal from the kitchen. His response, "Didn't you eat enough for dinner?"

Translation please??

Houston Pictures

I was so NOT on my picture taking game while in Houston. I got one picture of Addie and her new cousin Maggie. Even better, I didn't get any pictures of Addie and Jane. Anthony is so much better about taking pictures in the moment...I just remember when I'm at home with nobody around and nothing else to do! Here are a few that squeaked through despite my carelessness!

Addie and Maggie (I said it was a picture...not a good one!)















Addie and Pops swinging at the park (75 degrees!!)














Addie with Nana (and Nana's phone, of course)

Random Things I LOVE

I think it's been a month since Lori tagged me to post 10 random things about myself. Since LoVe is the theme of the week (yes, folks, Valentine's Day is in 3 days) I thought I'd add that these are random things I love. So, these items are in addition to the important things in my life like my family that you can assume I love. :)

1. I love to play almost any game, but number and word games have a special place in my heart. Maybe that's because I can play them BY MYSELF (poor Anthony tries to be patient, but he loathes my games.) Sudoku, Scrabble, and Boggle are some timeless favorites but I've enjoyed some Rook and Rummikub "fads" this year as well. Nothing puts me to sleep like playing my Nintendo DS Brainage Sudoku every night. My husband is so good to put up with me!

2. I love road trips with my husband. Addie is welcome to join, of course, but I really love a long car ride with Anthony. Something just comes over us and we have great conversation. We could spend hours of dead time together in the house and find other things to do, but get us in the car for a while and the conversation is great!

3. Throwing stuff away should be considered a hobby because I really love it. I have a particular love for it when I'm pregnant, but either way I seriously get a rush of adrenaline from taking multiple bags of stuff that use to take up space in my home to the trash.

4. Right now I'm loving that my Sunday nights from 8 to 10 p.m. are filled with the PBS Masterpiece Theater Jane Austen showcase. I loved authors like Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy a little too long before it was "trendy." In fact, to show off my what a nerd I am...I saw the parallels between "Clueless" and "Emma" when I first saw "Clueless." The rest of the highschool girls were just enjoying identifying themselves with Alicia Silverstone, but I had to go and take it to a whole different level. NERD.

5. I'm a Fox News junkie. I love Sean Hannity & seriously feel like I know him...probably because he seems like the only person on TV who shares my conservative political views. Now that the only two Republican candidates still in the race are actually my two least favorite, there is a little more balance in our home as I have lost the desire to pay attention to any of it. Maybe I'm in a political depression or something...it's all just very sad to me!

6. I love working up a good sweat. It's not just working out...I really love running or spinning until I'm soaked through with sweat. My sad pregnancy workouts don't really cut it for me, but something is better than nothing.

7. Instead of hating the necessary current expansion of my figure when I am pregnant, I am trying hard to be positive this time around. Some people simply gain a basketball tummy and then lose it, but I take pregnancy weight gain to a whole new "sorry I didn't recognize you" level (which I'm also trying to remedy this time around!) So hear goes: I love that it is only temporary and that it is really TOTALLY worth it.

8. I love decorating my home and then being done with it. I really enjoy the process, but I have also enjoyed having it look the same way for the past three years while I just kept it clean and organized. Maybe we move enough to keep things fresh and new. One day I suppose I'll start getting the redecorating bug, but for now I'll just continue doing #3 as my hobby and relocating for my big changes. I really can't think of the last time I bought anything for my house...maybe some dishtowels?

9. I love giving gifts, sending cards, throwing parties, etc. All of these things have pretty much become things of the past since having Addie which caused the loss of 60% of our income and 80% of my memory...but one day I'll get my act together again.

10. I love vanilla soymilk. I'm actually just out of things to say & was working on a shopping list so I thought my love of soymilk was random enough to finish off my list. Special K with red berries and vanilla soymilk...who needs ice cream??

I'll think of someone to tag tomorrow...so BEWARE! :)

Man Brag

I forgot to post a little brag on my hubby for refinishing the kitchen counters while Addie and I were in Houston this past week. What a nice guy! :)

He also put together a website for our house, which we are putting on the market this month. Take a look, share with your friends, come buy it from us...whatever you are prompted to do. Check out the Big Yellow Barn!

Nursery!

Since Addie has reached the ripe old age of 18 months now, today she got to go to the nursery at church. They actually needed help for the first hour, so Anthony went in with her while I taught Sunday School. We were thinking it would be cool if we could just take the video monitor to church with us so we could watch her play. Anthony had the next best thing: the iphone!

She had a great time & especially enjoyed it when they blew bubbles. Despite my best efforts to teach her what the proper use of crayons is for the last six months, Anthony said she still pretty much sat down and started eating them. Yum! When we walked in she was standing on top of a stack of carpet squares. She looked at us, smiled, and said "GO!" with the sign (both arms out straight with fingers pointing ahead) and all.

Addie Speak

I thought I'd post this before we go to Texas tomorrow to prepare Nana & Pops for Addie's current behavior. We've spent a LOT of time inside lately, so I took some clips of Addie water "painting" the other day while we talked. Ever since she saw Emma's "ABC" video, she has been interested in reciting the ABCs, so I tried that and she resorted to her FAVORITE word right now... "NO." She says no at the most random times. I hear her saying to her toys, the TV, her food, and of course to us. The funny thing is she usually says it at the wrong time, like when I offer an apple she says "no" and then takes it. We also attempted to go through all of her cousins too. Sadly, the best pronunciation happens with Tiger (Nana's dog!)

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Here are some fabulous photos of our baby BOY! We are so excited here...most especially the dad of the house! I almost had him convinced that Addie would make a great golfing and sailing buddy until we hit the "babies and strollers" phase as of late. Glad to know we'll have some balance in this family! :)

Today also marks 20 weeks, which is almost equally exciting. We're halfway there!

Anthony's Dream House

Ever since we have lived here in the yellow barn, Anthony has had this dream of buying everyone else's unit and converting it into one big house. Well, the route to Wisconsin Dells offered even more inspiration for his idea as we drove past this barn that was completely converted into living space. It's probably about 8000 square feet of living space...a little more than we need. Either way, it looked really cool.

We stopped at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque on the way back, which was a nice break. Addie is always up for looking at fish and she was happy to get out and run around. This was the best picture I got because it was the only one she was standing still for!

Wisconsin Dells

Today was day 2 of 3 in Wisconsin Dells. Yesterday afternoon we went to the pool and I realized that the maternity swimsuit I thought was in good shape was NOT. So, first thing this morning I headed out in the -5 degree weather to try to find a swimsuit. All through the OUTDOOR outlet mall I walked, but to no avail. I seriously thought that I probably looked like the guys on "Dumb and Dumber" at the end of their long Mo-Ped ride to Aspen. If there was any bit of moisture on my face, it was definitely frozen. Even my Carmex was crystallizing. If I were going to live somewhere this cold, I might have to re-think my current position on drinking and cursing. As for the swimsuit, I eventually made it back to the resort and settled on a one piece just bigger than I would usually buy. With my 5 month pregnant stomach I just look like I have no self control.

As for Addie enjoying the trip...she LOVES everything about the resort except for the waterpark. She is so excited to run up and down the halls. She loves their children's room full of crayons and markers, with Disney movies playing in the background. She also thinks our room is really cool, especially the mirrors on the bathroom doors. Oh well, so much for seeing she and Anthony enjoy sliding down the slides together! She doesn't cry when we do the lazy river...so I guess that's cool. :) I really can't complain, seeing as I did the same thing to my parents untill I was like 12! Aside from Addie's reaction, I really recommend this place for anyone wanting a family getaway. The whole resort is really geared towards families and it's really a lot of fun.

Dancing in the Moonlight

Just a compilation I got off of my camera tonight. The first video segment is from the puppet show we went to a few weeks ago. Anthony just couldn't resist filming the "crack" viewing we were forced to enjoy. The rest is just Addie dancing to Doodlebops (her favorite) and trying so hard to keep her hands of the computer.

Black?

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Black

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

Take this test >

Well...since half of my wardrobe is black maybe something is right here. It just sounds so much more interesting to be a lively green or red! Yes...I'm bored tonight and my friend Betsy had this on her blog. I'm always up for a good quiz to tell me all about myself! :)

What to Post???

I don't know why I haven't blogged lately...maybe my brain froze! I posted an old picture I just got off of the camera of a former ice storm. It seemed appropriate considering the high yesterday was negative 3 (something like that...does it really matter once you get that low?) Anthony is in New York City this weekend hanging with Brent and Holly, so I'm sure I'll have some pictures to post of that when he gets home tomorrow.

Addie will be 18 months old in just a few weeks and she is changing all the time. She is getting to where she can copy almost anything we say. This picture is not very interesting, but it's the best I could get this morning. I was getting ready for church and Addie was watching Mickey Mouse. Someday I'm sure I'll have her doing something very reverent in the morning before church, but not today! We're going to Wisconsin Dells on Wednesday so hopefully I'll get some fun shots of Addie swimming.

Puppets and Politics

I couldn't resist the title, but this is seriously what our week has been about! :)

Addie and I traveled back from Texas on New Year's Day, from warm 70 degree weather to a frosty 8, yes folks... 8 little ol' degrees. Thankfully it is in the 40s right now and we are thawing out a bit for the next 24 hours before we get more snow!

The scramble to recover from a never ending cold for me, a new cold for Addie, and a day of travel was complicated by the very exciting Iowa Caucuses this past Thursday night. I've posted the only picture Anthony got. It's kinda hard to see what's going on, but at the moment the man standing next to me was explaining why he was supporting John McCain (no comment) and I am looking so in charge there with my hand on my hip. I seriously never realize that my hand is on my hip, but this is not the first time I've gotten pictures back from an event I was in charge of where my hand is on my hip. Yick...I'm one of "those" hand-on-hip people.

Back to the politics...we had a great night. I was the chairperson for my precinct, so I was running the show. The turnout was twice my expectation, but not as bad as I heard others got. At least people showed up early & everyone was checked in by 7 so I could close the doors. It was a lot of fun and I was very happy to see my candidate (Romney) win my caucus as well as my county where we've been active supporters! I was very sad and frustrated to see that Huck beat Romney, but I'm still optimistic that Americans will wise up to the idea of nominating a "nice guy" who is also qualified for the job of leading the free world. (Please remember that any nasty anonymous comments will be removed prior to public enjoyment so keep them to yourself.) That's where I'll stop...Oh, and I am now a county delegate which is just the first step of 3 in getting to the National GOP Convention so that's kinda cool too.

As for the puppets...Really, we went to see a puppet show today and I'm not just poking fun at the politicians. It was "The Practically Perfect Frog Prince" and it was put on by a group of children at the library. It was pretty cute. The frog puppets kinda freaked Addie out now and then, but she enjoyed dancing to the music. The princess was Princess Adeline, so I think she recognized that her name was said a few times (no, we do not call her Princess Adeline...just Adeline!)

Addie seems to have had a switch flipped this week. Maybe it has something to do with being away from home for a few weeks or being sick and starting to feel better. She is truly into everything! It's so funny. After playing with Tiger, my mother's dog, she now now actually plays with her toy dog stuffed animals like they are dogs. She pets them, makes them walk, etc. So funny. Yesterday morning I was putting my makeup on in the floor of my room so that she could play around near me. She sat down in my lap, reached into my bag, pulled out the eyelash curler, and started pretending to curl her lashes!! So funny. I'd better watch it with this little copy cat!

Sorry about the not so great pictures. I left the cord to my camera in Texas so these are both taken with the iPhone.