Do you see the difference?

Happy Birthday to me!

It seemed that all the 5th and 6th graders knew it was my birthday because I got a lot of birthday wishes today. I received a steak dinner from a co-worker and tons of comments on my Facebook wall. Additionally, I came home and Addison was singing a beautiful rendition of Happy Birthday in her own words. Jonathan had went to our favorite bakery and got me a birthday cake. We ate Razorback Pizza(my favorite) and now we are resting at home. Jonathan bought me a new phone again this year for my birthday and I have a MP3 player on the way. It was a great day! I am truly blessed!

HE SMILED!!!

This post is dedicated to Jonathan. In 15 years of taking photos, he rarely smiles much less shows teeth. This pic is rare and to be celebrated!

Not as easy as it looks...

Need I say more!

Can you say YUMMY???

In order to get Addison to stop screamng about going to her Mimi's house, we promised her everything including ice cream. She wanted to really see her Mimi, but a waffle cone with sprinkles filled with cotton candy ice cream changed her mind. She is now running wild through the shouse all sugared up!!

Come on, hear the noise!!

My fridge finally went caput! After a popsicle was thrown into the fan and a blade broke(I'm not naming names...it wasn't me), the sound was unbearable. It sounded like one of those HUGE fans that are in the high school gyms. It was used as well and time to suck it up and purchase a new one. We found this one at Lowe's and I LOVE IT!! So quiet, I thought it was broke! It feels so good to purchase items cash and carry for my home! Praise God!

What a difference a year makes

We just returned from vacation with my brother, Chris, and his family in Branson, MO. Addison had a blast with her cousins, Tanner, Hannah, Bailee, and Alexis. The week was filled with Silver Dollar City, White Water, go-carts, bumper boats, swimming, and shopping. During one of the shopping trips to Branson Landing, I took a picture of Addison on the boardwalk. When I asked her to say "cheese", I realized that I had taken a picture of her in the exact same spot a year earlier while on vacation with mom and dad. See if you notice the difference in the past year...

I think she is taller, has more attitude, and more hair. What do you think?

To all the Fathers

This post is to honor the fathers in my life...my brothers, my dad, and Jonathan. They are all amazing men in their own right and enjoy spending time with their children. Family is always first and that truth is evident in the love that shines in their children's eyes. HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

This is my youngest brother Chris. He lives in Lindsborg, KS with his family. He is the father to my 13(almost 14) year old niece, Alexis, my 11 year old niece, Hannah , my 10 year old race car driving niece, Bailee, and my nephew, Tanner. Chris is a history teacher and a coach. He will begin his first season as the head football coach at Smokey Valley High. Wish him luck!

This is my brother Lance. He is the father to my 14 year old niece, Ashton and my 12 year old nephew, Caleb. He works hard to support his family. He is a logger. You know the big machine that picks up the huge trees and takes all the limbs off of it so that we can have toilet paper and writing paper. That is thanks to him.












This is my older brother Bo. He is the father of my very first nephew, Jacob who is 15. Bo works at Arkola as a test supervisor working in the lab. When we study rocks and minerals, he swears he will come talk to the class. I am holding him to it.

This is my husband Jonathan. He is Addie's Daddy! Addison absolutely adores him and when he is gone, her favorite words are. "Where Daddy doe?" She is the spitting image of him as well. I hate to say, but she is growing up to be a "daddy's girl"! Jonathan works hard everyday to ensure that things are taken care of for us at home and that Addison is as spoiled as can be.

And finally, my daddy!!! I am most certainly a daddy's girl. I don't go a day without talking to him. Most of my Saturdays involve spending some time with him. He is an excellent father who devotes all his spare time to all of our families. His grandkids adore him as much as we do. My brothers and I have been out of high school for over a decade and on Friday nights, one of us is always in attendance at Dad's games. Lance helps him coach and I usually am in the stands cheering him on. During the playoffs last year, all of us were together to support him. If I ever need anything, all I have to do is pick up the phone. Dad is always willing to help. Whether it is advice or an errand, Daddy is to the rescue. Thanks for all the love you share daily Dad! His love for his family and his love for the Lord is what makes him so special. I love you daddy!!

To all the Father's out there, have a blessed day!

Two Peas in a Pod

Our friend, Leslie, had a wedding to attend so, we were lucky enough to have her daughter, Ava Grace, spend some play time with us. Addison and Ava are getting to the age that they love spending time with one another and look forward to the next time. Here are some pics from the evening. It truly was a blast. Thanks Leslie and Ava.

Sharing the transportation responsibilities

I thought they were giving out on me...

But, here they are showing off their writing skills.

Dancing Queens!!!

Playing choo-choo in the playhouse.

It truly was a great evening. I can't wait to see what these to cook up the next time they are together. I think we may try the Alma Aquatic Center if we can arrange it. It blesses my heart to know that Addison is developing such great friendships at this age.

What would you do...

for a Klondike Bar?? Let me begin this post by saying that my freezer has been acting funny and I should have known better. Okay, I was at my dad's house a couple of weeks ago and was looking for something sweet to eat. Although my mother is diabetic, my dad has a ferocious sweet tooth and I can always find pies, cookies, cakes and in this case, the infamous Klondike Bar.I have never been a fan of hard coated ice cream bars. I think because my dad always bought the cheap ones on a stick that left a film in your mouth. I typically would not have chosen this treat, but I had a sweet craving so I said, "what the hay?" Well, it was very enjoyable. The crisp chocolate that snaps when you bite into it and then it is heavenly as the velvety sweetness melts in your mouth. Needless to say, I have thought of the Klondike bar many times over the past weeks. Well, I went to buy groceries yesterday (the first time in a month) and couldn't fight the temptation. I bought a 6-pack of the bars. That first one was all that I remembered it to be. I told myself going in that I would not eat more that one a day. If you remember from earlier, my freezer has been acting up, so I was forced to double up my efforts to ensure that the bars don't go to waste. I still have 3 left, but I will probably be forced to eat them all tomorrow so that they don't melt. So, in conclusion, this is what I would do for a Klondike bar...

1) map out a plan to eat one a day to keep the obsession going

2) totally blow the diet and exercise plan I began this week (I am still walking to work off the extra bars)

3) eat a bar that is totally liquid on the inside (darn freezer!)

4)refuse to share with Addison by telling her that it is "nasty" because it is melted.

5) write a post about my new obsession.

I promise after I eat the remaining 3, you won't hear another word about the KLONDIKE BAR!!

Tan the Man

Tanner is my six year old nephew and the baby of his family. He and Addie were inseparable this weekend. Tanner did such a good job taking care of Addison. He is a big boy now with lots of responsibility! Addison already misses him and can't wait to see him next month when we meet my brother's family in Branson for a week. I can't wait either. Here are some cute pics of Addison and Tanner.

Sweet!!
This Tanner, Bailee, Hannah, and Alexis with Addison. Can't wait to see you guys again!

There's no place like home, there's no place like home...

We are in Kansas visiting my brother, Chris, and his family. It is about a 6 hour drive from Fort Smith to Lindsborg, KS. Traveling with Addison was not that bad, but you can probably tell that by the above pic. She slept most of the way. However, she was up late. The sun did not go down until almost 10pm so it all worked out for the best.
Since Addison was awake and full of energy, we went to the neighbor's house and fed the horses. Addison also collected some eggs from the chickens, swung in a tire swing, and jumped on the trampoline. All of this after 9:30pm! It was fun, though.
After my neice, Alexis, played a softball game this morning, we went to the McPherson City Park. It was sooooo much fun. They had these stepping stones. So, being the competitive family we are, we were trying to see who could get across without double stepping. Dad was so determined to win that he did it but fell on the rocky bank in the process. He had a scraped shin, but we had a great laugh.

Dad and Chris left us at the park to go get some bread for the ducks. The kids loved feeding the ducks and the ducks loved the kids. We even feed a turtle. On a side note... dad fed the ducks Cheetos. OPPS...I hope they are okay!

Addison was so excited that we had to hold on to her everytime she got close to the water. Bailee did a good job taking care of her. Well, this post only gets us to Saturday afternoon. I hope to post again later. We are going to make smores by a campfire tonight. YUM!!

It's official!!

Well, Jonathan and I stood before a minister for the 3rd time yesterday to confess our love and commitment to one other. The Lord has known all along that we belong together, but we were too blind and deaf to see or hear Him working in our lives. It has been a long 15 years, but this time I believe it is FOREVER! We have a beautiful daughter and she is all the more reason to make it work this time. We went VERY low key this time. Jonathan and I even discussed that we were going to do everything different this time. We ate lunch together, rode to the church together, wore jeans, invited a few close friends and family, had no music, flowers, or cake and IT WAS PERFECT!! Please pray with us the 3rd time is a charm!!

This is my best friend, Robyn, who drove like a madman to get from Dover to Fort Smith for the 7 minute ceremony!! Another one of my best friends, Leslie, was there taking photos. Our guest list included...my parents, Jonathan's mom & sister, Leslie's husband, Graham, and their daughter, Ava Grace, our pastor, and one of Robyn's friends from Dover!!

A Memorial Day to Remember!

Please read the entire post to understand why I included this pic of some beat up Easter lilies. I have mixed the highs and the lows of the day in this post. Read on...

This was Addison on the carport as Daddy worked the grill. Definitely a high of the day. Look at that face!! I came home to a surprise!! Our 1 year old lab-mix got escaped the backyard and attacked my Easter lilies. I was FURIOUS!!! Need I say that this was a low of the day!!

Jonathan at his "man-stove"!! Man, that's HOT! (the grill, I mean) Another high...the food was delicious and I actually stuck to my diet.

Another pic of Coco's handiwork. Jonathan and I had been recently discussing finding a new home for her. Well, this made the decision for us. She was picked up this afternoon and will now live on a 10 acre farm. Everybody wins!! As I said before, the day had its highs and lows. But, it was definitely a day to remember.

Spring has sprung!

I have been wanting to work on my flower beds and window boxes for the last 2 weekends, but the rain kept me from it. This weekend the rain was short, but Addison had just had surgery so I was uncertain if I could get it finished. Well, during her nap on Saturday, I took advantage of the sunshine and the result is below. I felt like I really accomplished something. I just wish my backyard looked this good. But, that is a whole other story. Here is a hint...(stupid dog!!)

Addison thought I was taking her picture. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was really trying to take pictures of my plants, mulch, and flowers.

Addison was running to the porch to pose for this picture. She was quick!!
Doesn't the monkey grass look good in the red mulch? Oh, and doesn't Addison look cute?

I just can't get a pic without her in it!! Maybe I take her picture too much???

These are the Easter lilies that the Swinney's bought me last year for Mother's Day. They shot right back up and are ready to bloom. And of course, notice Addison!!

Happy Mather's Day?????

The question marks are there for a reason. I have been up most of the night with Addison, so I am not so sure that my Mother's Day will be all that happy. You see, Addison had tubes put in her ears and her adenoids removed on Friday. Her ears only bother her when I put the medicine drops in. However, the removal of the adenoids have caused more discomfort and pain for my little princess. She has a cough and each time she does, it rattles everything up there. On top of that, she is now congested, so every time she sniffles, it hurts her. She has been whining most of the night, saying... "Momma, Addie hurt!" I never woke up during the night until I became a mother. Now, every sound is intensified because I think something must be wrong. In turn, I don't get much rest on nights like this while Jonathan is dead to the world. Ahh, to be a daddy. Oh well, I have been needing to add a new post about Addison's big hospital adventure so here goes...

Addison's surgery was not until late in the morning, so to keep her mind off food, we took her to the park to play. I think it worked. She only ask for a snack and a drink once during the morning. I told her she would have to see the doctor first and she was okay with that.

When the nurse called me for the pre-hospitalization interview, she said Addison could have her favorite toy or blankie with her. Well, Addison doesn't have a favorite toy or blankie, so we went to the gift shop and let her pick out a "special" toy for her "BIG ADVENTURE." I had recently purchase a Dora goes to the Doctor book, so Addison in turn chose a Boots doll.

This is Addison and Boots after the meds had started to kick in. She was sooooo loopy!! We shot video of her babbling, giggling, and falling over. (I don't know how to get the video from Jonathan's phone to blogspot. I did add it to facebook though) Anywho, it was hilarious!!

This is Addison being wheeled to surgery. She was such a BIG GIRL!! She never cried. She was ready for her "BIG ADVENTURE!" She even said "cheese" for this pic.

The nurses and staff at the hospital were so accommodating. We went into a recovery room that had a large, comfy recliner. They had me sit, put my feet up, and handed Addison to me so that she would be with mommy when she woke up. I am so proud of how she did. She was a trooper.

After all this (and being up a 4am), I will have a Happy Mother's Day after all because being a mother has made me the HAPPIEST of all.

I hope everyone has a blessed Mother's Day!!

The countdown has begun!

Never have I felt so ready to be out for summer break. Well, maybe I have and just don't remember it. My kiddos are a little wild! My friend, Leslie, and I have a few theories!! I truly love my job(especially in May when I am about to get some kind of a break). However, don't let anyone tell you that teachers get 3 months off in the summer. It is actually only 2 and a half. And that is not counting if you want to get your room ready for the next group of kiddos or if you have professional development. (which I have 70 hours this summer between coaching and grant opportunities) All this to say...we are in the home stretch ladies and gentlemen. Then I get time to spoil myself and my daughter. =-)

Cloudy with a Chance of Fun!

Even though it was cloudy today, Addison and I went to the park to play. She had an amazing time as these pics will show. We stayed about an hour before it started getting crowded. We went to lunch and a movie after the park. It was a true "girls day out" since, daddy was playing softball in Tulsa. My child is such a daredevil. She wouldn't stay on the little slide. She went for the "MONSTER" slide. This was the first of about 10 trips down this slide.

WHEEEEEE!
At the bottom, ready for another go!

Addison kept saying "HIGH, MOMMA, HIGH!"

Ready for the slide. AGAIN!!