Addilyn's Favorite Trick

As I have mentioned before, Addilyn is quite the little dare devil. She LOVES being thrown around. This is one of her favorite things to do with Daddy. She seriously laughs hysterically through the entire thing.
You can see the excitement on her face in this first one.



She flings herself off of Bryan as hard as she can and get pretty far...

She also loves being thrown up in the air. Look at that mouth. I bet she's eaten a fly or two in her day.

Addilyn's Birthday

Addi's birthday was so much fun. We started the morning off making a giraffe cake. After a nap (only Addi unfortunately) we headed to Grammie and Granddad's for cake and swimming. We didn't want to do TOO much celebrating without my side of the family so we decided to save the presents for when my parents are in town for Bryan's graduation. We did cake first and while my little girl was shy at first, once daddy helped her have a small taste she... ummm... dug right in. So, for those of you who wish they could have seen her in action, I will provide you with a play by play. (I know, how EXCITING!!)

1. innocent giraffe cake that Mommy spent far too much time on, minding his own business.
2. I wonder if this flickering thing will hurt me. We should have taken a time out and had her watch Amanda Jergensen's little girl's birthday video. Luckily Bryan was a little quicker than Cameryn's daddy. ;)
3. After Daddy giving me a little nibble from his finger I think I may taste a bite... while remaining a dignified lady, of course.
4. You know, this crap ain't bad...

5. YUMMY! I could get use to this. Is this how Mommy is going to let me eat now that I'm a big girl? I'm digging in!6. Oh yeah, bizzo! This giraffe is going DOWN! (***Note: This picture makes me giggle because she has her lip wrapped around her fingers.)
6. Oh... ummm... am I being un-lady-like? Do I have something on my face? Oopsy...
7. What have we here? An WHOLE PIECE of this cake, as they call it? I wonder if I can fit the entire thing in my little one year old mouth... 8. I believe I can. Look at me go!!! Mommy ain't got nothing on me! (***Not true. I can eat cake like no body's business.***)9. Hugs. My new best friend.

Addilyn's cake eating experience is only trumped by the Ladies' first birthday. When Kelly tried to take Grace's cake away from her (which she had one hand FIRMLY on, while eating furiously with the other) she SCREAMED bloody murder. Seriously, Bloody Murder!!!

Bryan's Birthday

Bryan's birthday was this past Thursday (as mentioned in the previous post). He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth so we were just going to call it good with no cake. We figured we were going to have enough cake on Addi's birthday 2 days later. Well, all day long Carter kept talking about going to "Daddy's Birthday" and how there was going to be cake with candles there. We were going to get to sing Happy Birthday, too. How can you NOT do it after hearing all that? So, I ran to the store when Bry got home, got a 6 pack of cupcakes, and we sang to Bryan. Carter had his own cupcake that he got to blow the candle out on. He ate his cupcake and we took the other 5 to the kids across the street from us. Bryan's birthday was wonderful. His mom came and watched the kids while we went to dinner and then (are you ready for this...?) grocery shopping. I know, but money's tight. Hopefully next year we can do more. But just spending time with him alone was worth it. He's so very amazing and I am the luckiest girl in the world!!


Bryan was watching Carter blow out his candle...

YUMMY!!!

How Did I Get SO Lucky?

One year ago almost to the exact moment our little Addilyn Saige was born. What an amazing year it has been watching her grow, watching Carter become the cutest big brother, watching Bryan become the worlds biggest softie... I feel so blessed to have this amazing family. I can't even begin to tell all my faithful readers (which is only my sweet Grandma) what I love most about my little baby girl. She truly has a special spirit. I know that Heavenly Father has some wonderful things in store for her. I can only hope that in this incredibly harsh world that she will make decisions that will allow her to live up to her amazing potential. (I know, I'm such a mom... I can't help it!)
***We took pictures today ("Professional" ones) so I'll add to this post with some pictures when I have some edited.***

How Do I Fix This?

Addilyn decided a few months ago that she is DEATHLY afraid of dogs. All dogs. Big ones. Small ones. Sleeping ones. Barking ones. Even our very own Violet. She SCREAMS whenever Vi comes around. Therefore, either she is screaming or Violet's outside. The picture below is the look on her face when she even hears the collar clanking. I don't know what I can do to fix this little problem. I don't want to get rid of Violet (sorry, Bry) and we voted and decided to keep Addilyn as well. So... any ideas? People say that Addi will get use to her, which I am hoping but in the mean time?....
I just love the look on her face in the picture above. I think it's so funny. And her hair blowing in the wind... it's just a cute picture of her. :)
mmmm... Cheerios...

I Love This Picture

and I'll tell you why. First of all, photographically speaking, I love the light. The light on the top left part of the picture is so perty. It's so warm and inviting. Second of all, it tells a story. This picture is truly the story of my life. Carter wants to BE Daddy. I mean, the kid will do ANYTHING Bryan does (hence, me asking Bry a BILLION times to stop throwing balls in the house...). I love the way he is looking at Bryan in this picture trying to do exactly what he is doing. He is trying to cross his legs and get his hands behind his head. This picture is just such a "lazy day" picture. You can tell Bryan just got home from work (note the scrubs) and that the weather is nice (note the long sleeves), and that no matter what letters Bryan ever has after his name, he will always be him (note the skate shoes). I just love everything about this picture, most of all the two most important boys in my life...

Little Swimmer

Carter took swim lessons last summer. They went... fine. He cried for the first week and tolerated the second week only because he knew Miss Katie would give him a sucker at the end of each lesson. This year, however, he cried the first day, tolerated the rest of the first week, and then decided that he is 1/2 fish. Seriously, the kid won't stay above water. Good, right? Sure... unless you can't really swim; which is the case with Carter. He doesn't just gracefully go under water, either. No, no. He will stand on the big step, jump, and just flop under water (never leaving the big step where he knows he's safe) and swim around (if that's what you want to call it) gathering toys and rings from below the surface. So... this is the only picture I have managed to take of him. But I assure you, that IS the top of Carter's head. My little fishy. He's loving it!!