Go Dawgs!

Duke and I spent a BEAUTIFUL day in Athens a couple weekends ago and as always...we had a blast. The weather was absolutely beautiful and it is always so nice to spend the day with great food and friends. However, this trip to Athens was especially neat because we got to meet Uga VII, well I got to meet him. :)

Our friend, Jessica's Dad is friends with Uga's trainer so we got to go visit him at the hotel and see his suite, yep folks....he has a suite. He was sooo sweet and as you can tell from the photos, he was definitely not as impressed with us as we were of him. :)


Don't you wish people hung a sign outside your hotel room when you blessed them with your presence? ;)


He was sleeping when we got there.


So sleepy!


I guess he thought he would humor me and open one eye!


How cute is he??? And yes, I left there wanting a bulldog puppy!

We had such a fun (long) day and I really wish Addison would have been with us so she could have gotten to meet him. She would have LOVED it! I'm not quite sure when we will be brave enough to bring her with us to a game...right now she is simply THRILLED with the idea of getting to spend the day at NaNa and PopPop's whenever we go. She even woke up last Saturday and TOLD Duke and I to go to the football game so she could go to their house. I love it and believe me, so did her Daddy!

Here are some more pics from our fun day:


James, Jess, Me and Callen


My handsome hubby!


Kris and Jessica


The boys being...well themselves! Sometimes it is better to just not ask!

Happy Birthday Addison!

Wow! I can not believe that Addison is truly 3 years old today! Where have these last 3 years gone? I remember that the first year seemed to last forever and that the second year went by quickly but the third year has just flown by!

Each year I say that I think the past year has been my favorite with her and I feel the same way this year. It has been so neat to watch her learn over this past year and grow into such a sweet little girl. She truly has such a kind heart and I love that about her! I love to just sit and watch her play with her friends and see her little personality come out.

Here are some things that Addison is into right now:

1). BABIES!!! She adores them! Real ones, fake ones, pictures of them...it doesn't matter - she loves them!

2). Everything is Why? or Why not? It really doesn't matter what you say to her, you will probably get one of those two responses. By the end of the day, I am out of reasons.

3). I know she is my child but I happen to think she's pretty darn smart. She knows her phone number, her address and birthday and almost knows the days of the week. She knows all of her colors and can count to 20. She knows all of her shapes and really, really, really wants to tie her shoes (we're not there yet but CLOSE...real close). She knows the names of everyone in mine and Duke's side of the family and can tell you who is who's brother, sister, mom or dad.

4). She loves to swim and has no fear of the water. She learned to swim without any help from a life vest or water wings over the summer and loves to dive down to the bottom of the pool and retrieve dive sticks.

5). She loves animals...all kinds expect snakes and spiders (and I hope this stays that way). :)

Addison, you are growing into such a kind and considerate little girl and your Daddy and I are so proud of you! I look at you all the time and can not believe that God as trusted me with such a precious gift. I hope you always know how loved you are and grow up to realize that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to.

Happy 3rd Birthday sweet girl! We love you so much!

Addison at her 1st Birthday:

Addison at her 2nd Birthday:

Addison at her 3rd Birthday:

Landon's 1st Birthday Party!

Last weekend we got to celebrate a very special little man's birthday. Our dear friends Kris and Jessica's little boy, Landon, had his first birthday party last Saturday and it was a BIG one! All of my girlfriends children are so special to me, but Landon definitely holds a very special place in my heart.

Duke and Kris lived together when Duke and I first started dating so naturally, we did everything with Kris and Jessica. The four of us have definitely come a long way together and have shared our share of laughter and tears together. It is so nice to have friends like that! With that said, you can imagine Jessica and I's excitement when she learned that her due date with Landon was the exact same date as my original due date with Addison! To make it even better, Landon ended up being born on Addison's birthday! Addison and Landon are exactly two years apart and Addison thinks it is really neat that Landon is her "birthday buddy!"

Here is a picture of them when Landon was two days old:

How precious is he?? And look how small Addison looks!

So sweet!

And here is picture of Mr. Landon now:

He REALLY enjoyed his birthday cake! Too cute!

Happy 1st birthday Landon! Addison can't think of anyone else she would rather share her birthday with!

Trip to the Fire Station!

Our playgroup took a trip to the Fire Station last week and the kids had such a good time! Mr. Ken is fireman at the station we visited and he also goes to our church.

All of the kids were amazed by all of the gear that the firemen wear although poor Addison and a few of the other kids could have done without the mask and the oxygen tank. Addison was less than thrilled with this part and was ready to go outside and play on the fire truck once he put that on. Mr. Ken was so gracious and let each of the kids climb up on the firetruck and take a turn "driving" it. Addison thought this was so neat and couldn't wait to get home and tell Daddy. Speaking of Daddy, Mr. Ken showed all of the kids the different equipment that they keep on the firetruck. One of the things that he pulled off the truck was an ax. When he pulled this off, Addison was quick to announce (very proudly I might add) that her Daddy had one of those at home and that he chopped wood with it! Oh the things that children remember! :)


Mr. Ken showing the kids all of the gear they wear to keep them safe.


Addison was much more excited about looking at the truck.


She wasn't quite sure if he was really going to let her do this or not! ;)


Hey...maybe she will marry a fireman one day?? :)





So excited!


She loved driving the ambulance!


Mommy & Addie

We had such a fun day! I am so lucky that I get to experience all of these fun things with such an amazing little girl!

Babies Babies Everywhere!

My brother in law and sister in law welcomed their first child, Kami Nicole, on November 3rd and she is BEAUTIFUL! She was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and is absolutely perfect. We are so excited to have another little girl in the family.

Addison loves her and thinks that she is a baby doll. We have already had some serious conversations about why she can't pick her up and why she has to wait until an adult is around until she can hold her. :)

Lucky...Brent and Jennifer live in the neighborhood across the street from us so, I can pop over quickly and get my baby fix. All of these precious babies that continue to pop into our lives are NOT helping my desire to have another one. Although it is nice to be able to give them back to their Mommies and go home and sleep (or at least try to)! :)

I couldn't wait to hold her!

So precious!

Already a Daddy's girl!

Welcome Kami Nicole! We already adore you!

1st trip to the dentist!

Addison had her first trip to the dentist a few weeks ago and I have to admit that she did better than I EVER expected her to do. I was COMPLETELY prepared for this visit to be horrible but to my surprise...she never cried the first tear. She actually LOVED the dentist and is still talking about her.

Addison has always been very curious about toothbrushes and dental floss so I think this helped some. We also read a Curious George book the night before about going to the dentist and I showed her the dentist's picture online and some photos of what the dentist office looked like (technology is wonderful) so she was very excited to meet her.

I was so proud of her and can not believe how fast she is growing up!

Helping Dr. Hogan clean her teeth

Cheese! All done!