Random catch up

I have so many stories I want to write down before they are forgotten so this entry is going to be very random.

First off, Addy loves exploring outside the river house with Nick. She finds the thickest brush and makes him walk through it with her and loves running around outside. One unfortunate day she ran into a cactus. Tacus, as Adalynn calls it hurt her little ankle so now she wears boots every time we go for a walk anytime we pass a cactus she asks "Remember when tacus hurt me?"

Speaking of exploring, I took the kids jogging down a long stretch of road nearby. We passes horses, cows, deer, houses, a cemetery and a rustic wedding venue. The only part Addy remembers though is that we passed a dead deer that had been hit by a car. She proceeded to talk about said deer for the next two and a half miles. "Why him do that?" "Maybe next time him not get hit by a car and died!" "I'll blow him a kiss. That make him feel better ." Let me tell you, those two miles felt like 8!

Charlie is smiling, laughing, cooing and blowing raspberries. That boy is only three months old and weighs a whopping 17 lbs! His nickname around here is The tank or Tank tank.  The first time I had the joy of hearing his laugh he was fussing and I swaddled him up. That made him smile but try to free his arms. I said "You just like this so you can practice escaping" and he looked at me and laughed. I think we have a little trouble maker on our hands!

We went in to SA recently and saw family and friends. We had dinner at Super Gma and Gpa's house and afterword she and Addy played a game about a spider coming to chase them. It was so sweet to see Grandma acting so young and running away from imaginary spiders with Addy. We watched the Super Bowl at Matt and Kayla's beautiful new house and had a great evening spending time with our old friends.  Cason and Addy got into a pit of a wrestling match (Addy was showing off her forward rolls and Cason tackled her) and she got her very first bloody nose. She was not happy about it mainly because her clothes got messy. I love that prissy girl!

Today we had gymnastics and are getting ready for our friends to come for a tea party after nap. Addy helped me make dessert (my attempt at petit fours failed so I picked up the crumpled pieces to make some cake balls) and pink lemonade.

Addy and Charlie spent a fun night in SA with Lolly and Pops and Nick and I got to enjoy a quiet day and a half at home. Friday morning Addy got her first haircut. She was so brave and perfectly behaved. Shirley took the kids to Luby's (Addy's choice), Super Gma and Gpa's, burgers with Bella, Morgan, and Blakeley and the zoo to ride the train. Addy also got a strawberry shortcake bike.

Nick and I had a dinner where we didn't have to feed anyone else, watched a show we wanted to see, slept in until 8, went for a run and missed our kids. It's so nice to have some alone time but I'm glad we were only away from Addy and Charlie for one night.

Addy has discovered a carton called Dora the explorer. It has quickly become a favorite and we are constantly hearing about Swiper the fox. Addy doesn't like Swiper. He is bad. He is not nice. He needs to go away. Oh goodness, Swiper.

TGIF

Who would have known that Fridays are as exciting for a stay at home mom as they are for a working girl? I am so looking forward to family time and Nick being around to help. He has been super busy this week working every night this week so it will be great to relax a bit.

This week we went to SA Monday for a dr appt and spent the night with Grammie and Grandad. We ate dinner with Super GMa and Super Gpa. Grandma made fried chicken for us which is a huge elevation in status!  That is usually a treat made when Jim comes in town only.

Tuesday we went to the mall with Grammie and had a little Alamo Cafe for lunch at Addy's request. Adalynn got to pick one item from Clair's. she wanted the first thing she saw and then we did an exchange game. I asked her " Do you really want that bow or a necklace?" She put the bow back and got a necklace. We did it a few more times until she ended up with some Chapstick. She started asking herself "I want that or Chapstick? Chapstick. " it was so funny!

Wednesday we went to ladies Bible class. We are continuing the Seven study and just finished a week long clothing fast where you are supposed to only wear seven items. I did a lot of laundry last week. Addy loves taking Charlie to his class with me before I drop her off. We also got to enjoy a grocery store adventure with one potty break, 25 minutes of crying Charles, and 4 things left off the list for another day because I couldn't bear to go back through the isles.

Thursday we went to gymnastics and spent time with Emily and Callie at Chick fil A. Addy looks forward to time with her friends so much and talks about it constantly! She is such a little social butterfly.

Finally, Friday we enjoyed some morning park time (why is it 70 outside on Feb 1?) and spent the afternoon playing play dough, practicing letters and working on puzzles. When Nick got home we went down to the river. Addy wanted to go in the little kayak that was out there. Nick, being the good sport that he is, agreed to take her for a ride. They clearly exceeded the boats weight limit and it started swaying and water rushed in. They both ended up wet and I think it will be a while before they go for another boat ride.

Contemplative

I am finally getting used to being in Kyle and feel like I'm finding a grove. We are making some friends, finding new parks and things to do and settling into a routine. Nick and I are constantly debating where we should live next year. We are torn between North Austin (not exactly in our territory but the schools are good) or staying in this area for a few more years. We have moved 3 times in 4 years so we are kinda ready to settle to a more permanent life but Nick still hopes to start a business in the near future so we don't want to tie us all of our money in a home right now. It is hard to think of leaving because we are starting to adjust but I also don't want to put down roots too deep in a place we can't stay. Hopefully God will give us some clear direction in this!

We are doing a study called "Seven" in Women's Bible Class about excess in our lives. It is eye opening and a hard pill. Last week we did a food fast and this week is a clothing fast. We are supposed to wear only 7 things all week. I have two shirts, jeans, a dress, workout shorts, shoes and a nightshirt. I am not loving this one because i love clothes but it is crazy to think about others in the world who would be grateful for that much. This study is really touching my heart and making me want to do so much more for others and especially for people in impoverished countries.

On a much lighter note, Addy picked out her own clothes today and is wearing a Dallas Cowboys thirty, a red tutu and black yoga pants. I love that girl!

Sunday fun day

Yay! It's working! I recently updated the iPad and haven't been able to update the blog in forever. We had two wonderful Christmas celebrations with our families. Addy got a cozy coupe car and pez from Santa and Charlie got a suitcase and some pacis. We spent a few days at the lake with the Campbells and a few days in SA with the Bantons.

We have been busy with Tuesday gymnastics for Addy (she is doing so great in the 3-4 class even though she is only 2), Wednesday ladies Bible class at church, and play dates usually on Thursday or Friday. Charlie is smiling and cooing now. He loves when his sister talks to him, standing up, and swinging. He is a great sleeper and usually gets  me up just once a week. Addy and Charlie both love being outside and we have been going for lots of runs in the stroller together. Addy is currently really enjoying going to the YMCA to swim and play wither friends, eating as many meals as possible at Chick fil A and dancing all day. She also loves lining up all of the chairs in the house and putting her babies and little people in them and calling it a school bus. We all have to ride.

We had the best day today. We have been attending Hays Hills Baptist Church in Buda and have really been happy there. Addy loves her teachers Mrs. Carol and Ms. Krystal, I'm meeting nice girls in Ladies class, the song leader is fantastic, and the people are so kind, sincere, and amazing. The Kimbro family has been so welcoming and friendly to us. Today they invited our family over for lunch after Bible class. It was wonderful being with such a loving and happy family. Their children and grandchildren were over for lunch also and all of the kids ran around playing after we enjoyed a delicious roast and biscuits. I love living back in Texas!

Favorite Addy Phrases

I have been meaning to do this post for a while and I'm grateful to have two sleeping kids so I have a chance to write it. Having a two year old is hilarious! Addy has a bunch of super cute phrases she throws out there every day and I want to record them before she outgrows them.
 1)Sometimes happens
this one comes out when Addy drops something, gets something dirty, breaks something etc. She just shrugs her shoulders and declares "Sometimes happens". It is so funny and I love how laid back she is about things.
 2)That is my park (part)!
 This little gem comes most frequently when getting into the carseat. Addy can and thinks she must buckle her chest strap. Heaven help the unsuspecting friend or grandparent who does not know that that is Addy's part. Other things that can trigger this phrase are feeding the dog a scoop of food, turning on the light in the bathroom, and pushing play on the Blueray player.
 3)My have trouble with things
 Nick and I suspect that this one started when he was trying to hook up the dryer and was having a hard time. Addy remembers EVERYTHING and picked up this saying. I love that she says "my" instead of I and this saying comes out while putting on shoes, pulling up pants, cleaning up toys and actually lots of other times. I will be sad when she stops having trouble with things that are so easy to remedy and I can't fix all of her troubles.
 4) My do it own self
 Strong willed and independent, Adalynn likes to do a lot of things 'own self'. She can climb into the Tahoe, go potty, put on shoes, put away toys, feed the dog, pick out pjs and put away her plates and cups. Don't even thing about helping her unless you hear her say phrase three.
 5) Both of us match
 I remember in middle school not wanting my mom to even have the same eye shadow as me so I love right now that, just for a short while, Addy loves to match with me. I don't mean matching outfits, I wouldn't subject either of us to that. Anything can qualify you as matching in Addy's eyes. Oh, we are both wearing shoes? Both of us match! Toenail polish in different colors? Still matching! Are we both eating pizza? Yay, both of us match! I love this precious little girl!

Time flies

Time flies when you are having fun. Time also apparently flies when you are sleep deprived and your children do not nap at the same time. This week has been busy in the best of ways. On Wednesday we went to Ladies Bible Class at church for the first time. It was so refreshing to spend the morning child free with ladies studying Jonah and talking about life. I have a feeling this is a part of the week I am really going to look forward to each week. Addy's "teacher" is also her regular Sunday school teacher so she is really loving that. They played inside, heard a Bible story and then played on an outdoor playground. I got a happy, tired two year old at the end and who could complain about that!

Thursday we had a special play date for Adalynn. Cari and Lilly Coburn came up from San Antonio and the girls played kitchen while Cari and I chatted and then we all made cinnamon dough ornaments. They had to bake to dry s my house smelled amazing all day. We all walked down to the river (the girls needed walking sticks and rocks to tops of course) and then we had lunch at Chick fil A so Addy and Lilly could run around the play place. They had a blast and it was so nice to see our good friends.

Thursday night we had the Kimbros over for dinner. Nick grilled a delicious tri tip and I made broccoli and rolls. I hope we are just like them in our golden years, they are such good people and we loved getting to talk about everything fromthe old days at A&M to politics to kids. Mrs. K,as Addy affectionately calls her, plays dolls with Addy and admired all of her puzzle skills. Charlie, when you read this I am sure you will think "Where was I. All of your days are about Addy.". You, my handsome little friend were asleep... For everything. You rest up all day so you can stay up all night. I do love our time alone together though. Our 3 am dates on the couch with a blanket and a bottle are exhausting but your snuggly little self makes it worth my while to get up every time.

On Friday we went to a Christmas movie popcorn party with the Kyle moms group. Addy loved watching Frosty, making crafts and playing at the park and i met a girl that I want to be friends with so overall, very successful morning. Friday afternoon when Nick finished working we went down to the river. Addy brought her little blue bucket full of rocks to throw in. Nick likes to skip rocks on the water and is actually very good at it. Addy likes to throw rocks in and see how big of a splash she can make. They are very sweet together. Charlie, you sit in my lap and sleep. Being 3 weeks old is a tough gig.

Nick and I are making most of our Christmas gifts this year. We are making an infused vodka for our families. We went to IKEA last weekend to get the bottles for it and we spent tonight poking tiny holes in hundreds of cranberries, cutting 15 limes, and pouring liters of vodka into our bottles. We got almost 12 of 14 gifts made and they are looking great. It was actually really fun to work on it together and have some quiet time after both kids were in bed.

Last night Nick generously took some of the night feeding over so i could sleep in our bed some instead of being on the couch most of the night. Charlie woke up to eat for the first time about 15 minutes after Nick fell asleep. Two hours later he was up again. We were up from around 1:45-3 and finally got him to sleep. 3:30 came and Nick had to come back to calm him down again. Charlie got up for the day(ya right) at 6:30 and Addywas up at 6:45. I took the kids so Nick could stay in bed until 9 but he paid me back with an afternoon nap from 2-4 so we are all somewhat functioning.

Today we had to return Nick's rental car to Austin so we decided to also visit Zilker park. They have a great big playground and a train that you can ride around the park. It was great and I definitely want to go back when I can jog again and visit some of the many trails with the kids in the stroller.