Hokey Pokey Time

You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out, you put your left foot in and you shake it all about..

You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn your self around. That's what it's all about!Fun family times at our house!

DeDaddy & Ducks

Recently we took McKenna and Addison to see my Grandfather, it was good seeing him. After our visit we went to Johnny Finn's for lunch and so Addison could feed the ducks. It was so much fun! Thank you GG & Papa for such a wonderful day!

GG & Papa with the girls.

She loved the ducks and could have fed them for hours. It was so cute watching her.

Notice the sign...

She loves lemons, just like her Mama!

Sunday Lunch

Our first lunch where we were all sitting at the table as as family. So sweet! Thank you timer on my camera for capturing this moment.

Christmas Traditions

Over the past few months Brian and I have been discussing what traditions we want to start as a family. The most important goal being keeping Christ in CHRISTMAS because He after all is the reason for the season. We decided that Christmas Eve would be the day we celebrate Jesus' birthday. Some of the traditions are baking a Happy Birthday Jesus cake and have the kids decorate it, going to Church as a family, eating Chicken a la King and reading the true Christmas story before bed. So this year we did just that! Scroll down to the bottom for a cute video.

We used simple icing and sprinkles for the cake this year...

Brian did most of the icing... Addison watched intensely and stuck her finger in the cake when she could...

mmmm licking the spatula...

Daddy putting the sprinkles on the cake... Addison eating the ones that fell on the table...

Finished product with Addison reaching for the cake... see a common theme here? Needless to say Addison had a huge sugar rush after the cake was complete!

Family picture before going to Church and the last picture of me pregnant :)...

Brian reading Addison the Christmas Story...

Addison reading Brian the Christmas Story...

Video of Addison reading to Brian...

Next Christmas will be extra busy and fun celebrating our Christmas traditions as a family of 4, spending time with our families and celebrating McKenna's birthday.

My Brother's Wedding

One of the most difficult facts about McKenna's due date was that she would be making her appearance around my brother's wedding on December 31st. I was supposed to be a bridesmaid, but had to make the heartbreaking decision to withdraw because of all the uncertainties regarding when McKenna would arrive. For some reason I thought that I would deliver her early because God knew the desires of my heart and He knew I wanted to be at my brothers wedding. But when the due date came, without any indication of labor I was discouraged and came up with a plan B for Addison's care since it would surely overlap with John's wedding. As it turned out my water broke the night of my due date, had an easy delivery, got released from the hospital early, have been blessed with an easy baby who likes to sleep and my recovery was going well, so we decided to go to the rehearsal dinner and wedding!

Mr. & Mrs. John Beeson...

Picture of the ceremony... It was very cold but I can understand why they wanted it outdoors because the venue was beautiful!

The reception was amazing as well! I love the smores station outside, a perfect fit for a winter wedding!

McKenna and Addison had matching outfits...

Addison loved playing and dancing with the camera... I had to apologize to the Bride's parents for all the random pictures my daughter took with several cameras that were on each table at the reception.

Addison had a blast at the wedding! She enjoyed showing off her dance moves (she had the dance floor to herself) and chasing the lights on the ground.

This is one of my favorite facial expressions...She also had a lot of sugar!

The most difficult part of the trip was our hotel stay in Salado. It was difficult getting Addison to sleep because she has never slept in the same room as us. Addison is a restless sleeper and McKenna squeaks and grunts... combine the two and it meant no one slept very well. Addison also woke up when I had to feed McKenna. Needless to say I will do some research the next time we stay at a hotel, maybe a suite will be easier.

We had a great time at the wedding, it is so sweet to see my bother and his wife so happy. It was also great getting to spend time with my family.

Coming Home & Meeting Big Sister

We were released from the hospital around 6:00 on Sunday. My parents met us at the house with "Big Sister" Addison. Addison was real cute and kept pointing at McKenna saying "Baby". She also loved poking and patting on her little sister aka live baby doll.

I don't feel she really understands what is going on...yet. Right now Addison is receiving the same amount of attention she always has, just some of the roles have changed. Brian has stayed home with me all week long and has been super helpful in getting Addison ready for school, playing, feeding, etc. The real test will come when Brian goes back to work. My parents and Staci have also been a huge help.

I know it will be a love / hate relationship for awhile between Addison and McKenna. I also know that it will be hard at time to balance the two girls since they are in such different stages of life. My top goal is to make sure both girls are equally loved by Brian and I and I know we will make it happen.

Christmas with Family

With McKenna being due on Christmas Eve and all the busyness associated with that, our goal this Christmas season was to celebrate Christmas "early" with each of our families. We celebrated with Brian's family over the Thanksgiving and on Thursday night we celebrated with my family.. my dad, Vicki, Rachel, Shane, Ashton & Alex. Unfortunately John & Stephanie we not able to attend, they are busy in Waco finishing up the semester and getting ready for their wedding on December 31st. We initially had the dinner scheduled for December 11th, but we were all struck with the stomach plaque that week and had to postpone.

GG & Grandpa put up a fun, child friendly tree with shatterproof ornaments. Addison was in awe of the tree and kept gently touching the ornaments and said "pretty". Kind of makes me wish I put up a tree this year because she is a lot better with it than I thought she would be. Oh dwell, I will take advantage of the 50% off after Christmas sale and stock up on shatterproof ornaments for next year. The twins... Alex & Ashton or is it Ashton & Alex... I can never tell them apart unless I physically see them in person. I love their hats and outfits! Addison had fun opening gifts, she was blessed with a Violet doll (Brian loved it because it came with a USB cable and you can program it), a dancing & singing frog, doll, doll gear and much much more. GG gave the girls a voice recorded "The Very First Christmas" book, it is something the girls will treasure for years to come. GG personalized the book and Addison lights up every time the book says her name.

Here is Addison shaking with the frog...

Addison was also very interesting in the gifts Ashton & Alex got...

The fun really started when it came time to eat. Of course, the kids got to eat first. Here is everyone in the line-up getting their tummies full. It was great listening to all the different sound effects made to get the kids to open their mouth for food.

After the kids ate, then the adults sat down for a delicious meal of smoked ham, veggies, salad and potatoes. Dessert was yummy as well with apple pie and cup cakes. It was pure joy getting together with my family, next Christmas will be even more fun with all 4 Grandchildren, 12 months and up... they will be all over the place!

Pops Doing Addison's Hair

Pretty cute... It was really sweet when I walked out of my room and saw Pops doing her hair. Out of respect I will not mention how long the pig tails lasted, haha.

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving this year was divided into two days. On Thanksgiving Day, we went over to my parents house for some family food, fun and fellowship. It was great having the entire family together! The traditional Thanksgiving meal was served and it was super yummy! We also celebrated my parents 10th wedding anniversary! Her is a picture of the proud grandparents with all their grandchildren! Brian's parents drove in from Hereford on Thursday, so Friday we had our family Thanksgiving meal. The most exiting thing about the meal was Brian smoked his first turkey and it tasted great! Here is Brian "preparing" the turkey... The finished product... During the rest of visit with Pops & Grandmommy, we celebrated Christmas, went to Inner Space Caverns and went to dinner at Pappadeaux with my parents. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving and I know Addison had a lot of fun spending time with both sides of our families. We cherish everytime we can all get together.

Sweet Berry Farms

On Friday after Addison's school party, Staci, Addison and I ventured out to Marble Falls to visit Sweet Berry Farms. A lot of families go there every year to take pumpkin pictures and partake in the fun outdoor activities. Before heading out to the farm, we at lunch at the Bluebonnet Cafe, it was yummy southern cooking. We did not get pie (which is what they are famous for), can you believe it!

The weather at the farm was warm and beautiful! The potential to get great pictures was there, the biggest issue was that Addison pulled out her side pony tail, so hair was in her face. Addison had fun playing on the pink tractor... The assortment of pumpkins were too distracting... we could not get her to look at the camera... This pumpkin was really heavy...

The official "Pumpkin Picture"...

Addison thought the goats were "pretty" (her new favorite word)...

Chasing your shadow is fun too...

We enjoyed our time with Staci! Staci starts her new job on Monday, so we will miss hanging out with her during the weekdays. The past 4 months have been so much fun having her around.

We look forward to visiting Sweet Berry Farms next year with both kids...

Addison Meets Dedaddy

On Tuesday Dad, Vicki, Addison and I went to visit Dedaddy (my Grandfather). This visit was extra special because it was the first time he meet Addison. The visit went really well and it was great seeing my Grandfather, he was awake and alert the whole time!I love this picture because there is a picture of my Memother who passed away in August on 2003 in the background, I so wish she was here to see Addison. I know she is watching over us from Heaven.