The Happily Ever Afters of the Skalons

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful Easter weekend we had!

We started out the morning with an amazing Easter service at our church, The Vine, and were reminded again of how thankful we are to be part of such an amazing church family. For as long as I can remember, Easter services have always been one of my favorites to listen to. There is always such an excitement in the air on Easter morning and people tend to be much more open to the Lord, the sacrifices he made for them, the idea that he died for them and then rose again just three days later so they can eternal life with him in Heaven. This Easter was no different, in fact it was more for me. As I sat there listening to our pastor David, sitting beside my husband, surrounded by our best friends, and feeling our unborn son kicking in my belly, I was completely overwhelmed by the blessings in my life. Thank you Jesus for ALL of it!

Easter morning was crazy at our house so I got zero pictures of the craziness the Easter bunny brought with him or how adorable Addison looked in her "church clothes" but I did manage to snap a few photos throughtout the rest of the day as we hunted eggs at cousin Melette's and then MawMaw and PaPaw's.

Ready to hunt some eggs's...

And the boys are off! They knew exactly what to do this year!

Addison got so excited she took off without her basket and came running back with a handful of eggs!

Addison got Thumper from NaNa and PopPop and she was THRILLED! Her reaction when she opened him was PRICELESS!

My sweet Daddy and I...

Hard to believe she will turn FIVE this year! She is growing up so quickly!

Addison and her Great Granddaddy who is 82 years old...

So thankful he was able to be with us this year...

Sweet Cousins...

After Melette's, we headed over to Duke's parents for more yummy food and more egg hunting. Addison found one of the "Golden Eggs" this year and was so proud of herself!

Daddy caught eye-ing her prize money...

What a wonderful Easter we had! Hard to believe next year we will have another little bunny to chase after!

A Sneak Peak at Our Maternity Photos

2011-04-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I was SUPER nervous about having these done but I am SO glad I did now! We met the most precious lady named Lindsey one hot Saturday evening and she did a fabulous job of capturing this special time for our family. I sent her a few photos that I liked a few days before we met her, told her the only thing I wasn't comfortable with was "showing" my belly and she went to town.

Thank you Lindsey for providing our family with these memories!

Breakfast With The Easter Bunny

2011-04-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

Mom, Addison and I ventured to the mall early one morning to enjoy breakfast with the Easter Bunny and Addison had a BLAST! She couldn't have enjoyed it any more and literally GLOWED the entire time we were there.

She was so excited when she saw him coming her way!

As you can imagine, the kids were all over him but Mom managed to snap this shot of her that shows just how excited she was...

After we visited with him, we made some cute crafts and enjoyed yummy Chick-Fil-A...

Even NaNa got in on the craft...

What a fun morning with my sweet girl!

37-ish Week Appointment

2011-04-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

I had my 37-ish week appointment this morning and everything looked great. Dr. Graham did an ultrasound to get a sneak peak at baby Braxton and see how much he was weighing these days. It was so amazing to see how much he had grown since our last ultrasound at 20 weeks. He was practicing his breathing (yay!) and the ultrasound tech commented again on how "active" he was. Another thing she kept commenting on was how big his feet are! This was funny to us because at our 20 week ultrasound, the lady made the same comment. It seems that our little boy already has a foot that is measuring right at 3 inches. Maybe he'll be tall??? We shall see!

One thing for certain is that he looks just like Addison did! We have wondered from the very beginning if he would look like Addison when he was born and from what we can tell, they look just like. What do you think?

And here is a shot of Addison when she was just a few days old...

They have the same chubby cheeks and the exact same mouth. Oh I can't wait to hold him!

Right before the ultrasound, the lady asked me if I wanted to guess the weight of the baby and I guessed 7lbs. She sort of looked at me like I was crazy, but sure enough, Braxton was measuring right at 7lbs. Dr. Graham wants to do another ultrasound at 39 weeks to see what he is measuring then but right now, we are still praying over whether or not we will elect to have a C-section with him. I have so many girlfriends that have had wonderful experiences with C-sections and we absolutely do not want to experience everything we went through with Addison EVER again but either way it's a big decision. I have to admit that I keep looking for things that will help make the decision easier but so far, I haven't found it. So prayers for knowledge and wisdom are greatly appreciated in the Skalon household right now.

In the meantime, we are counting down the weeks until Braxton is here and getting VERY excited! All of us simply can not wait to have him in our arms!

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes...

2011-04-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Addison: "Mom!"

Me: "Yes, honey?"

Addison: "You're like a kangaroo and Braxton is your Joey!"

...Love her!!

A New Toy for Brownie

2011-04-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Addison and I got Brownie a harness last week and she is LOVING it! It's so funny to watch her hop around with it on.

Addison thinks its the greatest thing to be able to walk her and it's been nice to have her in the back yard with us while Addison plays on her swing set or the trampoline. Even Belle is loving being able to play with her!

What a fun summer it's going to be!

36 Week Appointment

2011-04-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

I had my 36 week appointment today and everything is looking good! I am almost 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced so things are moving in the right direction. Dr. Graham also said that he was much lower and he could feel his head (a little weird, I must admit) so we are excited to see how things progress over the next week or so.

Next Thursday we get to have an ultrasound done to check in on this little (PLEASE be little and NOT has big as your sister!) guy's weight...Yay for getting a sneak peak at him and for starting my weekly appointments! He's almost here!!!

Look Who's Almost Here!

2011-04-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, Jessica and Liz threw me the sweetest baby shower in celebration of Braxton's upcoming arrival. The shower happened to fall on my birthday and was the perfect way to kick off my last year in my 20's!

The theme of the shower was Owls and everything turned out absolutely adorable! Look at these precious invites...

The beautiful food table with lots of yummy food...

The precious Owl cupcake cake that Jess made!

Soooo exciting! He's almost here!

Sweet little clothes...

And yummy favors for everyone to take home...

I say all the time how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends and all of these sweet ladies completely blew me away with their excitement and love for our growing family...

Addison was so excited to help me open all the gifts for Braxton and it was so special to have her there to share in this special time. The bear in this photo is a special gift that Mom took her to make as a gift from her, to Braxton. She was so excited to give it to me and it is so special. She made the bear at Build A Bear and when you press it's leg, it has her precious voice saying, "Braxton, I love you so much!"(and making a kissing sound) Melt my heart!!! What a wonderful big sister she is going to be!

Mom was able to come and meet some of the ladies that she's heard so much about but never met. So glad she could share in this day with me! Think she is a proud Nana???

What a special day this birthday was for me! Thank you so much to the sweet hostesses for pouring so much love into this shower. I love you both so much!

A Peak Into Braxton's Room...

2011-04-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick sneak peak into Braxton's room as we try to put the finishing touches on everything before he makes his big debute...

It's no secret that Duke and I had a tough time agreeing on bedding that we both liked for this little guy, but we both agreed on this set and I couldn't have been happier with it when it arrived.

Duke did the wainscoting on the walls and we chose a green to go on top so the room wouldn't be "so blue"...

Next, I set out to make this cornice board...and I have to admit that I'm pretty darn proud of how it turned out since I am probably the least "crafty" person you could know.

First, I measured (yes, Duke helped with this part) and cut two pieces of foam board the same length has the windows in his room. Then, I used Duct Tape (Yep! Duct Tape) and taped them together. Next, I wrapped the foam board with batting and covered it with Burlap. Time consuming, but Pretty Darn Easy!

It looked like this when I was done...

I measured out circles using newspaper before I cut them out of brown fabric so I could play around with the placement a little bit before I attached them onto the cornice board.

After I decided exactly where I wanted them to go on the board and how big I needed them to be, I cut the circles out of brown fabric and took them and had them monogrammed.

And this is the final product! Not too bad, huh???

Then my "Oh So Talented" girlfriend, Melissa, painted these two pictures to hang over his dresser and they look adorable in his room. Thanks Melissa!

We have added a few things that I need to snap some photos of but it's coming together slowly but surely. Can't wait to have him in this room, hope he likes it! :)

Addison's Spring Program

2011-04-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

Addison had her Spring Program at school a few weeks ago and it was absolutely precious! The theme was "I Am God's Friend" and we have been singing the songs at the Skalon household for weeks! We are so thankful for her teachers and the sweet friendships she has made this past year at Hebron!

It was so hard to get a good picture of her up there but she did SO good! She knew all of the motions and every word. She was so excited to get to be up on the RISERS as she so sweetly corrected me when I called it a STAGE. Too cute!

Her teachers hosted a sweet reception for the parents afterwards in her classroom and she was so excited to see all of us there.

Daddy and his sweet girl...

Nana and Pop-Pop got to come also...

I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of her!

Way to go Addison! You did a fabulous job! We love you!!!

34-ish Week Appointment

2011-03-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

I had my 34-ish week appointment today (which I call my 35 week appointment but everyone else in the office kept reminding me that despite the fact that I am 4 days past 34 weeks...I am not actually 35 weeks yet...whatever, we are rounding UP people!) and it was quite interesting.

Somehow I have managed to gain an additional 4 pounds in the last two weeks (seriously???) and I decided that I will get on the scale backwards from that appointment on and do not want to be told my weight gain each week. Truly...I've gained more weight this pregnancy than with Addison and although I know I shouldn't worry about it...I do.

Braxton's heart rate was a strong 150 and he was kicking and moving around so much that the nurse had to keep trying to "find" him each time he would move. I'm telling you...this little guy's a mover! I received the wonderful news that I WILL have a choice of which way this baby enters the world unless he is another big baby like his sister was, so I was so thankful for that. After everything both Addison and I went through to get her into this world, Dr. Graham was concerned that when my tailbone healed from her birth, that it may have healed pointing up. If that would have been the case, Braxton would definitely have been a C-section baby. However, yesterday, Dr. Graham didn't find any reason that if Braxton is in the 7 lb. - 7 1/2 lb. range that I couldn't have him naturally if I chose to. So, we will continue to monitor his growth and see where we are around 37 weeks. Fun and so thankful for that news!

What Dr. Graham did find yesterday is that I have already started to dilate. I am only 1 cm so he wasn't too concerned about it but did tell me that I need to take it easy, etc. unless I'd like Braxton to be here before Easter. He said that because I was past 34 weeks (and only 1 cm not 2 cm) that he didn't feel it was necessary to put me on bed rest and if I could make it to 36 weeks that he wouldn't stop labor if I did go into it. He made me promise if the contractions continued or if I felt like they were getting stronger, that I would come back in and let him check me and I agreed. So we'll see what happens in the next few weeks.

We are all so excited and anxious to meet this little guy and it seems like it may be sooner than later that we get to see his precious face!

20 Week Ultrasound Photos

2011-03-29T10:59:00.001-07:00

When we went for our 20 Week Ultrasound appointment (right before Christmas), we were able to get the best glispe of our sweet boy...

Talk about feeling blessed!

So Much For Keeping Up With This Blog...

2011-03-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

At this point, all I can say is "Oh Well" and try to move on. I truly had every intention of documenting this pregnancy using this blog so we'd all have something to look back on in a few years.

I had plans of taking the weekly photos (okay...I'll be honest..maybe monthly photos) of my ever expanding belly, writing about each doctors appointment, etc. I even had a cute story planned for the first time I felt him (by the way...we're naming him Braxton) move but all of that went right out the window when he decided to "bless" me with the exact same pregnancy symptoms as Addison did and the toilet and Chex Mix became my best friend. So...here we are, at 34 weeks and 4 days (which I will call 35 weeks) and I am just now returning to the blog.

So...what have we missed? Let's see??? Christmas...we had a wonderful Christmas despite the fact that the Christmas tree didn't make it out of the box until about 3 weeks prior to Christmas Eve and half of our typical decor never saw the light of day. Oh well, we still enjoyed our last Christmas as a family of 3 (crazy to think that!) and Addison was beyond thrilled that Santa brought her a "Big Girl Bike" complete with pink streamers on the handles.

Our weather was crazy this Winter and we got hit pretty hard with snow a few times. We had almost 6 inches at our house and it pretty much shut the entire state down for a week. Addison loved the snow the first day but as the week went on and she wasn't able to do much, she was ready to see it go. We passed the time by playing games, watching (lots) of movies and baking.

Addison is beyond excited to welcome her baby brother into the world and constantly showers my belly with hugs and kisses. She is so sweet! Each time I leave for work or to run errands, Braxton and myself get separate kisses. Then when I return, she will place her hands on either side of my stomach and tell him how much she missed him...Melts My Heart!

Addison continues to thrive in school and with her learning, I know every parent thinks their child is smart, but Addison truly amazes us daily. She can write anything you ask her to and is always wanting to know how to spell things so she can write them. Her vocabulary and the way she puts things together truly is amazing. She knows how to spell (and write) her entire name as well as Mom, Dad and Braxton. She knows her phone number, my parents phone number, her full address as well as her birthday and my due date (which she tells EVERYONE!). She just learned how to count to 100 on her own and we hear her do that a lot (which makes for some long car rides...Ha!) but we are so proud of her! :)

I have a doctors appointment tomorrow so I'll have some "baby" news to report then. The plan is to try and determine whether or not this peanut needs to be a C-Section baby or if we're good to go the "other way" so I'll let you know. Hard to believe we're almost there! Let's hope I can at least blog about the next few weeks.

Brownie the Bunny

2010-12-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

This little girl has really settled into her new home and we are all enjoying her. She is right at 7 weeks old and truly couldn't be any sweeter!

We've had the best time watching Belle and her play together! Belle is so excited to finally have someone her size to run and play with! When we put Brownie back in her cage, Belle sits in front of it and whines for us to get her out. They're best buds...at least in Belle's eyes!

Luckily, Belle is even sweet enough to share her toys with her...

Addison is thoroughly enjoying her and in all honestly, probably holds her too much! We have to constantly remind her that if Brownie is in her lap, she can't eat or drink.

We had quite the entertaining conversation with Addison about Brownie the other night. I asked Addison why she had chosen her out of all the other rabbits that Aunt Bridget brought to the party and she very seriously looked up at me and said, "Because this rabbit matched my hair Mom!"

And there you have it...that's how Brownie came to join the Skalon crew!

Addison's 4th Birthday Party...

2010-12-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

It's still so hard for me to believe that this little lady turned FOUR this year! Where does time go???

Addison loves to paint and draw so we came up with a "Painting Party" theme and ran with it...

I ordered these cute little piggy banks from Oriental Trading...

Made a sign to put by her awesome cake that Mom made...

And a few sweet centerpieces for the tables...

Added an apron for each child to wear while painting their pigs and a few polka dot balloons and POOF! We had a party! :)

Addison had about 25 of her friends there to celebrate her special day and each of them were so cute painting their pigs.

Love this sweet picture of the birthday girl working so hard on hers!

Mom truly out-did herself on Addison's cake this year! She even included a little pig pink (Can you see him???) to go along with the piggy banks...so stinkin' creative!

The beautiful cupcakes that went along with the cake...they were DELICIOUS!!!

And just to top everything off, even this paint bucket was cake...yep...you could eat it!

Addison was in awe of her cake as you can tell! She couldn't stop looking at it.

Happy 4th Birthday sweet girl! Make a wish!

Duke and I were so proud of her this year as she took the time to open and "read" EVERY card that came with EVERY present before she opened the gift. Then after she opened the gift, she found that person and said "Thank you" for her present. We were quite proud parents even if it did take her a hour to open her gifts!

The guest(s) of honor at the party were definitely these sweet little bunnies that Aunt Bridget brought to share! Aunt Bridget had asked us before if she could give one to Addison for her birthday and we had agreed. Addison SQUEALED with delight when Aunt Bridget told her she got to take one home. She picked the little brown one immediately and made sure everyone knew that one was going home with HER. We had fun teasing the parents by telling them the bunnies were the kids party favors! The looks on their faces were priceless!

A proud NaNa and Pop-Pop with their birthday girl!

Such a beautiful group of girls...Aunt April, Aunt Bridget, Addison and Maw-Maw!

We had such a fun day with our sweet girl and simply can not believe she is truly 4! It's even harder to believe that this time next year we will be a family of four!

Happy Birthday to our sweet little lady! We are so proud of you and love you SO very much!

Addison's Thanksgiving Feast

2010-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Right before Thanksgiving, Addison enjoyed a Thanksgiving Feast at her school with all of her classroom friends. They had the best turn out and all of the parents provided the yummiest food for the children to enjoy. I am truly loving being Room Mom and having the opportunity to be so involved with Addison during her first year of school. She has the sweetest teachers and Duke and I both feel so blessed that she is in their classroom.

Look at this craft they did...What a sweet reminder this will be of how precious she was at this age!

Some of the sweet children in her class...

Our little turkey waiting to eat...

Each child shared with Ms. Tracy and Ms. Christy something they were thankful for before their Thanksgiving feast and their answers were proudly displayed around the classroom. Duke and I got the biggest kick out of Addison's answer!

Me with my sweet (and growing up WAY too quickly) girl!

Addison with her precious teachers. SO very thankful for them!

Thankful for Sweet Girlfriends...

2010-12-13T09:15:00.001-08:00

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Addison and I met Christina down at The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate both of these lovely ladies birthdays. We sure do miss our "Chris-nina time" since she married her prince charming and moved to beautiful Destin but we were so glad to squeeze in some girl time (and yummy food) with her while she was home.

I stumbled across this photo of the three of us at Addison's 2nd birthday...look how little she was! Precious!

So thankful to have such wonderful girlfriends that love your children like their own!

Fun Surprises!

2010-11-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

These pictures are back from when we told my parents we were expecting again so they're a little old but too funny not to share.

Needless to say, as you can see from the pictures, they were quite surprised and we definitely caught them off guard...FUN TIMES! :)

We told them right around Grandparents Day so I purchased a frame that said something about being Grandparents and placed the ultrasound photo where the picture would go with a note that read, "Coming in May 2011."

Here is where the fun began...

Addison opening the "flap" for them...

Oh boy! Even Addison looked shocked! I think this was the first time she really heard us talk about the baby because we were so afraid she would tell everyone (she would have) if we told her before.

Think it's starting to sink in...and Dad's just realizing what's going on. I LOVE his face here. PRICELESS!

Let me look at this a bit closer!

And who knows what was being said here...but it's a classic moment caught on film of my dear parents. :)

I told you...too good not to share. I love my parents!

It's A......

2010-11-29T11:55:00.001-08:00

We are THRILLED to announce that this little one...

Is A...

BOY!!!

Duke and I took Addison on her birthday (November 24th) and had a 3D ultrasound done of the baby so he (Wow! Still getting used to saying that!) could wish her a "Happy Birthday" and meet his big sister. She was so excited when she learned that she was going to get to meet the baby but I think she was a little disappointed when the image appeared on the screen. I hadn't even thought that this little one wouldn't exactly resemble a "baby" to her but she did think it was really neat to see him moving around and see his little heart fluttering. She was equally as excited as Duke and I when we learned this little miracle was a baby boy since she has said since the beginning she wanted a baby brother.

We let Addison share the news with our families on Thanksgiving and she was so precious. I wish I would have thought to of video taped it but we were dying to tell everyone and I didn't even think about it until afterwards. All we would have heard is a bunch of screaming anyways, this group is definitely excited about a little boy and has you can imagine, Duke is still on cloud nine.

Let the days of cars and trucks begin! We can't wait to meet you little prince!

Thankful

2010-11-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

For my little turkey, my little one in the oven, my best friend and husband, family and friends and especially for a God who loves me despite all my imperfections.

I didn't take a single picture this year at any Thanksgiving function which completely stinks but as soon as I steal some from other people, I promise to post.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled from top to bottom with family and friends. We spent Wednesday evening with friends (so many that we haven't seen in SO long) and it was so wonderful to catch up. We are so thankful for friends you can truly GROW with and this past year, GROWING seemed to be the theme in all of our families.

We spent Thanksgiving day at Duke's Mom's house with both of our families. It was so nice to have both families together enjoying each other company and the WONDERFUL food was an added bonus. This was the first year that Mom and I did not battle the crazies (except for the year I was in the hospital with Addison) but since I am still trying to get over a horrible cold, we decided it was best to skip this year. So sad!

We did announce a FUN surprise to all of our family and I will post about separately.

Stay tuned...

Happy 4th Birthday Addison!

2010-11-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Addison,

Wow! Your Daddy and I simply can not believe that you are 4 years old! You won't realize the meaning of "Time Flys" until you have children of your own (at least I never did) and honestly I don't think your Dad and I truly realized the meaning of it until this year.

This has been a big year for you! You started a Pre-school program at a church down the street from us 3-days a week for a few hours each day and (thankfully!) you are finally enjoying it. This was a very big adjustment for you (and me) but we have pulled through it together and you are doing SO well. Both of your teachers ADORE you and tell me and your Daddy all the time what a joy you are to have in their classroom and what a big helper you are to the other students. They say you are quite the "pleaser" and always want to do what is right (Lord, please stay this way!!).

You know all of your letters (upper and lower case) and can write all of them. You always tell people that your name is Addison Lee Skalon and your Daddy and I get the biggest kick out of that. You can write and spell your name as well as mine and most of the time you get your Dad's 90% correct. You love to read and thoroughly seem to enjoy learning and being challenged. We spell and rhyme EVERYTHING at our house these days and there is never a quite moment!

You have such a big heart and are the most thoughtful 4-year old I know. You are always asking about other people and make sure all of them (and their pets) are included in your prayers each night. You adore your Uncle Adam and light up when he walks into the room. You are quite the family girl and are definitely the happiest when we are all together.

This is also the year you learned you were going to be a big sister. You couldn't have been happier when we told you and your reaction was priceless. You are very curious about the baby and like to kiss and touch my belly to try and feel him/her move. You are going to be a wonderful big sister and your Daddy and I can't wait to watch the two of you grow up together.

Addison, thank you for being you! You are such a blessing to your Dad and I and we thank God everyday for trusting us with such a precious gift.

Happy 4th birthday sweet girl! We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Whew! Catching up!

2010-11-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

Its crazy that I haven't updated this blog in a while! It honestly took every ounce of energy I had to post the video of Addison announcing that we were pregnant and after I did that, I just disappeared! Ha! It probably has something to do with the fact that life hasn't stopped or slowed down one bit since we found out we were pregnant again and when you combine that with a very sick pregnant lady...it doesn't make for a good combination. So all of my "plans" for documenting this pregnancy with this blog have gone right out the window along with most of my meals the last four months. Sorry but its true!

So where are we now??? I just had my 4 month appointment yesterday and everything looks wonderful with the baby. I have been just as sick with this little one as I was with Addison and I am back swearing to Duke that this will be the last baby I give birth to. Ha! Most days I still live off of Zofran and as of yesterday they put me on Zantac to try and help heal my esophagus since the last couple of times I've gotten sick its been very bloody (Fun times! I know!). I've gained right at 6 pounds total and this will probably be the only time I post my weight gain.

I have said since I first found out I was pregnant that I thought this little peanut was a boy and I still feel that way. I have managed to convince most of our family members its a boy so if its a girl, we are all in for quite a shock! Addison has been so precious and can't wait for the baby to get here. She loves looking at my belly and likes to talk to EVERYONE about the baby that is in her Mommy's belly. Lately, she even brings them over to "see" the baby and then promptly tells them that they can't really "see" the baby because it is inside my belly and isn't big enough to come out yet. Love her! She is going to be a wonderful big sister!

Speaking of the little peanut, here is a picture of my ultrasound photo at 8 weeks:

Quite the looker already, huh?

Hopefully I will be better about updating this blog...at least I promise to try. Its funny because I write all sorts of blogs in my head all throughout the day, but when it comes to actually writing them or going to sleep - sleep always wins.

Thanks for hanging in there with us and for celebrating our blessings!

Christmas Cards!

2010-11-19T15:35:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love getting Christmas cards in the mail? It is one of the things I look forward to the most. I remember when I was growing up I would take all the Christmas cards that my family got and put them up on our walls in the kitchen. I loved looking at the pictures and seeing how people have changed and how children have grown up. Now as I have my own family and my own children, I look forward to sending one out just as much as I do getting some.

There are so many different places to choose from when making your Christmas card. I have used Shutterfly before and will be using it again this year thanks to an offer for free Christmas cards to bloggers (that would be me!)

Just look at all of there adorable choices (over 700)! Here are some of my favorites...

A classic example

LOVE this one...

I seriously don't know which one to pick! I guess I'll play around with all of our million photos from the year and see what I come up with! But you can check all of their designs here http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

And, just to make your shopping a little easier...they offer lots of awesome photo gifts (perfect for the Grandparents)! Last year we did a photo calendar for Duke's Dad and he LOVED it! You can check all those wonderful products out here http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

And if you are a blogger and want to get in on this too, you can check my Facebook page!

Now to start working on my cards! Woo Hoo! Check your mail people!

Addison has something she wants to say...

2010-11-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treatin' 2010

2010-11-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun time Trick or Treatin' with some awesome friends! This was the first year that Addison TRULY got the concept of going house to house and boy did she get it! It didn't take long for her to realize that the more houses she visited...the more candy she got!

Addison decided that she wanted to be a Baby this year and since I have felt so crummy lately, I was thankful for the easy costume...plus she was warm and comfortable. She also had ZERO interest in standing still for me to get any photos of her but between all of the cameras, I managed to collect a few decent pictures.

Enjoy the photos of our Halloween adventure!

Addison enjoying some pizza before filling her belly with goodies...

My sweet "baby" and her TIRED Mommy...

Some of the kiddos on the Hay Ride...all ready to go! (Yes...there were more kids than this!)

Awesome friends...

Sweet Kaylee the Scarecrow...

And the "KING" of the Hayride...Landon!

Our drivers for the night...James and David

And my two favorite people...

Lola Cate the ladybug and Addison the baby, gathering some candy...

Capturing a rare moment where the kids stood still for a photo...

Landon LOVED Trick or Treatin'!!!

Addison and "Beans"...

Kris and the "safety sword" he would wave to let James and David know all the kiddos were on and they were good to go...Hey! We're all about safety people! ;)

My sweet girl at her last house!

We had a wonderful night and Duke and I are LOVING the candy Addison worked so hard to collect for us...Just kidding! :)

Braselton's Largest Fall Festival

2010-11-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Our church, The Vine, threw a Fall Festival this past weekend for the city of Braselton and we had a WONDERFUL turnout! I LOVE our church for so many reasons but one of the main reasons is that we are an extremely GIVING church (to everyone...not just our members), which is one of the main things Jesus calls us to be.

We had lots of fun games...

Yummy treats....

Hot dogs to feed 1,000...

And A LOT of chips and water...

A hayride driven by these two guys...

Which Addison LOVED 'cause it meant she got to DRIVE...

And even a dunk tank which 4 brave (and very cold guys) volunteered for (including our Pastor!)...

I got to serve with these amazing ladies for the day!

And since both Duke and I helped with the festival...Dad came by to hang out with Addison...

And help keep her half way clean...

He also managed to earn some MAJOR cool points when he showed up on his motorcycle...

It was a wonderful day spent with some of my favorite people!

Halloween Weekend 2010

2010-11-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a crazy (and FUN) weekend!

We kicked our weekend off with a little Mexican food (Yum!) and then some family pumpkin carving. I don't think I'll have to say much about this experience, these photos will tell the whole story for me...

Addison checking the pumpkin out...

Still not so sure...

But I convinced her to stick her hand in there...

Trying "one more time" so I could get a picture...What can I say??? She's a good sport!

But I knew after this face, she was done...

Cause then she said the pumpkin "stunk"....

And she strated to gag...

I think my favorite memory of the night was when she told us, "You know I didn't like this last year...and I still don't!" I knew we were done at that point!

But the finished product was awesome...

Duke did a GREAT job and we definitely made some memories!

Mission Accomplished!!

Addison's Character Parade at School

2010-10-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Addison's school had a Favorite Book Character Parade the Thursday before Halloween and the kids got to dress up like their favorite book character. Addison has a book called "When I Get Big" and its about a caterpillar that wants to know what she will be when she grows up. Its an adorable book and Addison has always loved it! At the end of the book, the little caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly so Addison dressed up as her for her school parade.

Here are a few photos I snapped of her before she left that morning..sleepy eyes and all...

How cute are all these little ones in their costumes?? I really thought the teachers did a great job with it and LOVED that they dressed up also! How fun?!?

Addison's teacher was Clifford and her other teacher was Emily...they were precious!

My little butterfly...

Addison with some of her classmates...

And as you can tell, she loved the Halloween cookies we made the night before for her class! All of the kids had a great time with the icing and sprinkles.

What a fun day!

Miss Priss

2010-10-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

I say all the time what wonderful friends I have but I am also lucky because not only are they fabulous...they are TALENTED! And let me tell you, it pays to have talented friends! :)

Just look at this adorable outfit that my friend Melissa made for Addison...

Adorable, huh? Wish I could just "whip" things like this up but until I can...I always have Melissa! Check out her website at www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Reeces-Lil-Pieces/155901024422086 and see if you see anything you'd like her to make for your little cutie or you can email her at reeceslilpieces@yahoo.com. She's wonderful and oh so talented! She can do more than make precious clothes (of course, she can!), she also paints and makes lots of cute signs.

Speaking of precious...how precious is this face??? This is typical these days...silly girl!

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

We took Addison to pick out a pumpkin on Saturday and she had a blast. Every year, I look forward to doing this with her and this year was no different. This family outing always turns out the same way for the Skalons, let me enlighten you.....just for fun! :)

Addison could truly care less about which pumpkin we pick cause the other activities (pony rides, hay rides, face painting, etc.) are much more fun. It takes me FOREVER to pick out which pumpkin I want because I hate making decisions and although I know pumpkins grow on the ground...I like to attempt to find the one without a "flat spot" on the back...try it one year...its not easy! And then you have Duke, that gets tired of following me around, looking at pumpkin after pumpkin and finally says, "Just pick one Margo!" And that's how it usually ends! Although this year, Addison was old enough to get in on the "pickin' fun" and after we chose a big pumpkin, we got to head over to area with the "tiny baby pumpkins" as Addison calls them and start the "selection process" all over again...she really is a lot like me. Poor Duke! ;)

Truth is, she liked these bunnies a whole lot better than picking out any pumpkin and now all we've heard about is how much she wants a bunny....again, Poor Duke!

She actually did very good with them. I was scared she was going to squeeze the little guys too hard, but she was so gentle with them.

My camera died right after I snapped this picture but I LOVE it...a perfect shot of my two favorite people!

We're loving this fabulous weather and soaking up all the fun we can!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Fall, Football and FUN!

2010-10-14T07:21:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed an awful football game at the Murphy house a few weekends ago (Yes, I used "enjoyed" and "awful" in the same sentence...the outcome of the game was awful but the company was great)! I have told you before that Duke and I are beyond blessed to have such wonderful friends and simple Saturday nights like these continue to prove it.

How fun is this photo? And just for the record, we did NOT plan our "matching" outfits...Proof great minds think alike!

Typical photo...girls on one side of the room....boys on the other....and a baby doll in the middle!

So thankful Addison gets to be surrounded by such amazing women who truly adore each other!

We are hopeful the Dawgs will provide us with some better football but until then we are thankful for amazing company!

Addison before school this morning....

2010-10-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

Where did September go???

2010-10-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Seriously? Is it REALLY October already?? Where did September go??

I think it's safe to say that we spent September trying to adjust to school. Yep...I think that sums all of September up for us. :)

School was not an easy transition for Addison but this Mom is VERY thankful that we seemed to have turned a corner in the last week or so and she is now enjoying it. Her teacher says she is doing wonderful and is a "joy" to teach. I am excited to be Room Mom and we are looking forward to all of the fun parties the holiday months are going to bring. Can you say FUN?!?!?

One bummer is that ever since Addison started school, she has decided that she does not like ballet. We've tried and tried and attempted to wait this "phase" out but honestly, I'm tired of fighting with her on ballet nights and Duke's tired of paying for something she isn't enjoying. So...we will try ballet again next year....maybe. We'll see. Sad for me since I was looking forward to the recitals and loved watching her practice (who doesn't love a 3-year old in a Tu-Tu??) but for now...we will wait.

Another unfortunate event in the Skalon house is that the Bulldogs are stinkin' this year which makes for "moody" Saturdays. This past Saturday we had a slight glimmer of hope that we were going to pull off a win but those hopes didn't pan out as we had hoped. On a good note, we did enjoy the "stinky" game with good friends and yummy food!

So, I think that's it for us! We are loving this weather and excited for all of the fun activities that are coming up. As of right now, Addison wants to be a Baby for Halloween so we'll see if that changes or stays the same. A few weeks ago she wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizzard of Oz so I'm holding off on buying a costume for now.

On a different note...can you believe Miss Addison will turn FOUR in just 52 days???? Now that makes me sad. :(

Third Day of School...

2010-09-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today was Addison's third day of school and the morning started out great. It was her turn to bring snack in for her class (which also means you get to be the line leader all day) so she was quite excited to share her snack with her friends and be first in line ALL DAY long.

She how proud she was with the "snack bag!" How cute is that??

All was good until we pulled into the parking lot and she realized that she actually had to GO into school in order to be the line leader. She had a complete meltdown which resulted in me having to walk her into school because the sweet lady who tried to get her out of the car, could not.

So I walked her into school and can honestly say that it took every "strong Mom" bone in me to walk away from her and leave her there. Thank goodness I had my sunglasses on my head because I definitely needed them to make it out of the school with any ounce of dignity left. I just kept repeating to myself, "This will get easier, This is a GOOD thing!" Although that is very hard to convince yourself of when you've just let a stranger pull your screaming child off of you and you've turned around and left. I'm sure this will cost us a therapy session or two down the road (just kidding!).

Addison did say that she had a good day at school and she enjoyed being the line leader, however this was after she told me (a minimum of 4 times) that she did not have to go to school tomorrow and that she was "done" with school.

Keep praying for us...I have a feeling next week isn't going to be much better!

Second Day of Pre-School...

2010-09-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today was Addison's second day of pre-school and it was definitely harder than yesterday. Today, all of the excitement had worn off and going to school was no longer something "fun" we had talked about for the past few weeks. I don't think she didn't want to go to school because she didn't have a good day yesterday, in fact, I have no doubt that she had a wonderful day yesterday. I just think that Curious George was a little too interesting this morning and the thought of getting ready wasn't so exciting anymore.

After she pitched a fit that was so entertaining that I could have sold tickets to it (unless of course you were me and trying to get her dressed and out the door) she was all smiles as we pulled into the parking lot of her school and sweetly kissed me and waived goodbye. (How can her moods change so quickly???)

I did much better today and didn't shed a tear (Yeah Mom!) and Addison was thrilled to see her NaNa this afternoon when Mom picked her up. Addison had lots of stories for us this evening and even sharing a few of the songs that she has learned.

Tomorrow is her day to take snack for her class so we made that together tonight and she is very excited about sharing it with her friends in the morning. She is also excited because she gets to be the line leader ALL DAY tomorrow and she stresses the words ALL DAY when she tells you that...it truly is quite precious.

Hoping the idea of being the line leader tomorrow helps our morning....I'll let you know! But for now, this Mom is glad to have day two behind us!

First Day of Pre-School

2010-09-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Addison,

Today was your very first day of Pre-school and you did wonderful! In fact, you did MUCH better than me and I was so thankful I had sunglasses on when I dropped you off so you didn't see the tears running down my cheeks. We had a great morning at home before you left for school and you were so excited that today was the day you FINALLY got to wear your backpack. Your Daddy and I purchased a small Guardian Angel pin for you and we pinned it into the inside of it for you. You absolutely loved it and couldn't wait to show your teacher and tell her that the angel meant that Jesus, Mommy and Daddy were always with you. You have such a kind heart and we are so proud of the little lady you are becoming!

Here are a few pictures I took of you before we left:

This is the angel pin that Daddy and I got for you...

You were all smiles in the carpool line and as you can tell in this photo, quite excited...

Sweet Addison, I am not ready for you to be old enough to attend any type of school, but I know that you are going to LOVE this and will have so much fun. It was so strange going back to the house after I dropped you off and not having you there. The house was WAY to quiet and I got nothing accomplished because I watched the clock all morning and wondered what you were doing.

I couldn't wait for 12:30 PM to roll around so I could go and pick you up. I was so excited to see your smiling face come around the corner!

You shared lots of fun stories with me on the way home and said you were excited to go back tomorrow. I am so thankful you had a wonderful first day...but please stop growing up!

I love you!!

Mom

Fall Temps and Georgia Football

2010-09-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

It was absolutely beautiful here on Saturday and it couldn't have been a nicer day to kick off football season! I laughed to myself as my alarm went off at 6 AM and I rolled out of bed to put the pigs in a blanket in the oven...being up this early can only mean one thing! Vacation or football season has officially begun!

After dropping Addison off at her Maw-Maw's for the day at a very early 7:30 AM, we headed straight to Jame's house and then right to Athens.

First "tailgating photo" of the season...

This was Liz's first Georgia game but I think she's "hooked" now!

Gooooo Dawgs!

What a great start to the season! Let's hope the cooler weather and WINNING games both stick around!

Addison's Pre-School "Meet Your Teacher Day!'

2010-09-02T06:40:00.000-07:00

We got to meet Addison's Pre-School teachers this morning at her parent orientation and I have to say, it went better than I thought it would. Not so much for me, I can't tell you how many times I "blinked" and "had something in my eye" that was making my eyes "run water" while the children's pastor and director were talking to us, but I was good by the time we got into the classroom and from the excitement in Addison's eyes, there was no way I couldn't be. Addison did great and truly seems ready for next Tuesday. She was all smiles when we pulled into the parking lot and couldn't wait to meet her teacher.

Here is a photo I snapped of her right before we left the house:

Both of her teachers seem very nice and Addison took to Mrs. Tracy right away, which I am SO thankful for, and even gave her a hug before we left. Here's a photo of the two of them...

And her other teacher, Mrs. Christy....

Hard to believe we are actually doing this! Please say lots of prayers for the Skalon family that Tuesday will go well for us.

Let the sleep overs begin!

2010-08-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

Addison had her very first sleep over guest Friday night and I have a feeling it was the first of MANY!

It was only appropriate that Addison's best friend Sophia be her first sleep over guest and Addison couldn't have been more excited. This was also the first sleep over for Sophia and I felt certain I was going to be walking her home around 12:30 AM but both of the girls surprised me and fell asleep pretty easily after lots of giggling and whispering. It was absolutely adorable to watch the two of them and its hard to believe either one of them is old enough to be having sleep-overs!

Sophia was two years old when we moved into the neighborhood...and now she is holding MY baby!

They shared lots of secrets...

And lots of giggles...

And at 1 AM when I peeked in on them, this is what they looked like...

Precious...Absolutely Precious...

No Fear

2010-08-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Remember those shirts??

I think I owned about three or four of them which is embarrassing to admit now, but at the time, they were cool and I thought I was as well! :)

Anyways, while at the beach this year, I came to the conclusion that my child has just that...NO FEAR and this just might be a Mother's WORST fear.

Seriously...Addison wanted to ride the Ferris wheel while we were at the beach and I was absolutely fine with that until I realized that she wanted to ride this thing ALONE. Yep...alone! And just in case you think this was a small Ferris wheel...it wasn't.

See...not so little!

After laying down the "Mommy law" (or to be completely truthful...the man telling Addison she wasn't tall enough to ride alone) Duke climbed into the small cage with her and away they went.

So you can imagine my surprise when I heard her tiny voice calling my name and saw THIS...

I'm telling ya...she's nuts! And so is her Dad for letting her do that!

Duke loves that she seems to be fearful of nothing and enjoys his "partner in crime" since I do not share their love for those types of adventures. I am glad however that they have each other for whatever limits they choose to push. :)

Despite the fact that Addie did not get ride the Ferris wheel alone, she did get to "fly" in the airplanes...

And as you can see, was quite proud of herself!

Who knows??? Maybe flying lessons are next???

Annual Beach Trip

2010-08-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Every year we pack up and head to Myrtle Beach for a week at the beach with my parents. My parents started taking my brother and I there probably 14 years ago and it's been neat to carry this tradition on with my family.

Each year the trip has gotten easier as Addison as gotten older and each year our car weighs less and less (which Duke and my Dad are VERY thankful for!). This year, Addison and I headed down on Sunday with my parents and Duke joined us on Tuesday for the rest of the week. Addison did GREAT on the way down thanks to Dora the Explorer (she ALWAYS saves the day) and despite starting the questioning of, "Are we there yet?" five minutes into the trip...we were good.

Its fun to go back and look at pictures of Addison each year and how much she has grown. Here is a picture of her last year...

And look at the difference this year...

She still wasn't a huge fan of the beach this year but she did play in the ocean for about 30 minutes or so with her Daddy ('cause her Mother won't get in it!) but other than that...she preferred to stay at the pool. I did manage to snap a few photos of her before she decided the sand was "itching" her.

We did find this crab (at least he used to be) and she thought that was pretty neat...

This year we had lots to celebrate! Mom turned 29 again! Happy Birthday to the most beautiful lady I know!

And my handsome hubby turned 33 just three days later! Happy Birthday sweetheart! We love you!

And two days after that...Duke and I celebrated five years of marriage and enjoyed a nice dinner out while Mom and Dad watched Addison for us. (Thank you both SO much!!!)

PLUS...on top of all of that...my Dad accepted a job right before we left for the beach!!! CONGRATULATIONS Daddy! We are all so proud of all of your accomplishments and the way that you manage to remain so strong for our family no matter what is thrown your way. We love you!

To celebrate all of these blessings, Addison spent the week working on her swimming

Trying to fly...

And helping her Daddy work out all day, every day, as he threw her OVER and OVER!

We even worked on her balancing ability while we were there...

And like you always do on vacation...we celebrated with a little ice cream! Yum!!!

We even got to visit with Pat and John while we were there which was an added treat and has become quite the tradition!

The Four Divas! I have a photo of all four of us (in Myrtle Beach) starting from when I was about 6 months prego with Addie... I am SO blessed to have these women in my life!

We had a wonderful trip this year and are already looking forward to making more memories next year!

Guess We're Really Doing This...

2010-08-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Addison's pre-school teacher called the house tonight to introduce herself to us and I couldn't help feeling a little sad when I hung up the phone with her. First let me say that she seemed VERY nice and when I told Addison that she had called, Addison was quite upset she did not get to talk to her herself. "Didn't she call to talk to me?" she asked.

Her name is Mrs. Tracy and she seems very nurturing which I am extremely thankful for. She asked lots of questions about Addison and from talking with her, I think Addison will do well with her.

I simply am not ready for this next phase although I know Addison is going to LOVE it and SHE is ready, which is what matters. The school is very close to our house and they have a K-12 program that she can attend which is our "big picture" hope for her. I already asked Mrs. Tracy about helping with the parties, etc. so hopefully I will get to be as involved with her class as Addison wants me to be. I figure having your Mom help in your class has got to still be cool when you're 3! Hoping so at least!!

Addison will start school on September 7th and right now it is all she talks about it. Please pray her excitement continues and my excitement builds! :)

2010-08-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

We had a very exciting evening at the Skalon house tonight...Addison started ballet! She has been talking about taking ballet for probably 6 months now so at the beginning of the summer I took her up to watch a class to see if she really wanted to do it. Guess what??? She did! So tonight, Addison got her wish and she started ballet. Can you tell how excited she was??

Mommy and Addison right before we left...she is growing up WAY too quickly!

Addison walked right into the dance studio tonight like she had been there a hundred times before. Duke and I got the biggest kick out her tonight because she talked to "Mrs. Sarah" the ENTIRE class! It was so funny!

Addison had a great time and is ready to go back tomorrow...trying to explain to her that she can not go to ballet every day is going to be challenging!

Unfortunately, we will miss next weeks class since we will be at the beach. Addison heard me telling her teacher this tonight and she said she didn't want to go to the beach...let's hope this dedication and commitment continue throughout the year! ;)

Puzzle Pieces

2010-07-29T04:46:00.001-07:00

These days you simply never know what is going to come out of Addison's mouth. Sometimes her phrases are hilarious, sometimes they make me realize "ooh, I shouldn't say that around her anymore," and sometimes they stop me dead in my tracks and melt my heart.

Tonight we had been playing with her puzzles and had picked all of the pieces up and were headed upstairs to bed. When I picked her up and put her on my hip, she looked at me and said the sweetest thing. In her tired little voice she said, "Look Mommy! We fit together like a puzzle piece!"

Yes, sweetie we do....a perfect puzzle if you ask me.

I love her heart!

Southern Gal Tips for a Big City Trip...

2010-07-28T03:36:00.000-07:00

I have to say that overall, I think I did pretty well for a "southern gal" as I navigated my way around Chicago last week. However, I did learn a few key points while I was there and just in case any of you have plans of making a trip up there soon...here's a few pointers for you that you will definitely thank me for (or at least get a good laugh out of right now).

1). Taxi drivers don't understand that in Atlanta, we don't walk to our destination, even if it is only "4 blocks that way" and they don't like to take you anywhere if that's how far you want to go...so save yourself the trouble of tracking one down. One morning...after 3 taxi's had refused to take me to the office because "it was only 4 blocks that way," I completely lost it and (nicely) explained to the next taxi driver that I was not from here, I had blisters ALL over my poor toes and YES, I understood that my destination was simply "4 blocks that way," but if he would take me there, I would tip him whatever the amount of my taxi ride was. I'm not sure if it was the sound of desperation in my voice or the offering of the tip, but that guy took me to the office! Magic, huh??

2). Speaking of hailing a taxi...it's not the easiest thing to do and once you get one...you better get in it...QUICK! Yes, I actually had a guy (yes...a man) jump in front of me when I turned my back for one quick moment to gather my things. No worries, I absolutely did not mumble things under my breath and I absolutely maintained my Southern Ladylike composure. :)

3). Take a pair of flip flops! No one wears heels until they actually get to where they are going and until then, they wear flips flops and carry their "nice" shoes in their bag. Believe me...my "nice" shoes wish I'd have known this prior to my trip up there. While we are on the shoe note...make sure you do not walk over the sewer grates that are everywhere on the sidewalks. Your heel WILL fit down in it and you WILL break it off if you're not careful.

4). This lesson surprised me the most...Southern people truly are friendlier..to EVERYONE. I was told on two separate occasions that, "I must not be from here" while riding in a taxi. I thought surely that they were referring to my southern accent but was surprised when they both replied that I was "too friendly." What??? All I did was ask them if they were having a good day and that was being "too friendly?" Isn't it natural if you are riding in a car (with a COMPLETE stranger AND you are a GIRL and you are ALONE) to attempt to make conversation with them in hopes that they truly take you where you want to go and don't think they can take advantage of you since you CLEARLY have NO clue where you are going? (Obviously, I have watched too many DateLine Specials and 20/20 episodes) But I did feel sorry for the taxi drivers after they said that. How boring to drive people around all day and not talk to them. No fun!

Most of all I learned that it's fun to visit a big city...but it's even better to come home. Me, myself and my feet couldn't have been happier to be back! (And the two loves I had waiting for me were icing on the cake!)

Trip to the Windy City

2010-07-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

I spent the week last week in Chicago for work (my company is based there) and got to sneak in a few "tourist" sites while I was there. I stayed at a super cute hotel that was very modern and trendy and the complete opposite of anything Duke and I would ever stay in when we travel together so that was fun. I ate WAY too much pizza although it was quite good and I have to say I will think twice before ordering Pizza Hut or Domino's again. :)

Speaking of food...we ate at a wonderful steak restaurant called Gibson's and if you ever get to visit Chicago...you MUST eat here. It was SO good and so was the people watching! Fun times! All of the walls were lined with signatures from famous people that visit there often so that was fun to look at as well. Unfortunately, Brad Pitt choose not to eat there that night. :(

I made it down to Michigan Avenue (dangerous since Duke wasn't with me to be my voice of reason) a few times and it was nice to have time to walk around and see things. Downtown Chicago has some beautiful buildings and the weather was great. They were filming Transformers 3 outside one of the nearby hotels so I walked over there but wasn't able to see much. They had the concrete all torn up and were obviously shooting a scene that involved guns and police cars but other than that...I couldn't tell much. Sorry I'm not able to provide any "spoilers" for you guys. :)

Speaking of "spoilers," I feel certain that I saw at least a dozen of the future American Idol contestants preforming on the sidewalks. I can't promise if they will make it into the show or simply make the preview show where they show all of the "good" hopefuls...but I feel certain I will see at least 3 of them this year. Just call me Chicago's newest "talent scout." :)

The first night in town, some of us went up to the top of The Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower) and it was beautiful.

We rode an elevator up to the top (103 stories) and this was the view at the top...

Pretty impressive, huh?

Recently they added this "sky deck" to one side of the building and it is literally a piece of super thick glass (I'm sure there is a more technical term for it, but you get the point) that allows you to walk out a few feet and look down with a clear view (since all you are standing on is glass). I was feeling adventurous so I ventured out onto it and this was the view, some 1,300 feet in the air.....

It really is breathtaking and just might cure anyone's fear of heights...

This photo was taken from another window of the tower...I was hoping Duke and Addison would be able to see how it truly is a ledge. Can you see the bottom??

This is what it looks like if you were able to see the top of the building from the ground...

We were up there while the sun was going down and it was absolutely gorgeous...

The view was so pretty once the sun went down...

It was crazy to me that you can not see the top of this building from the street...

Overall it was a great trip and it was fun to be a "tourist" for a week. Thanks Chicago for a fun trip!

Circle Circle Dot Dot....

2010-07-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

How long has it been since you've played Cootie? The best part of playing this game with Addison is learning which bug represents each of us at the end!

This particular afternoon, Duke was the blue one, she was the pink one, I was the green one and Uncle Brent was the red one. Fun times!

Family Night for Camp Kidzu....

2010-07-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful evening at Camp Kidzu Family Night and the kids loved showing their family and friends what they had learned throughout the week.

Here are some fun pictures from our evening...

Addison and her "buddy" on stage...Tennyson. I LOVE the grin on his face! How sweet is he???

So thankful that so many parents came out to support their children! Addison was so proud to have her Daddy, Na Na, Pop Pop, Aunt Bridget, Uncle Derek and Cousin Jake there to watch her!

What a great way to end a wonderful week!

Last Day of Camp Kidzu

2010-07-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

We had such a WONDERFUL night at Family Night for Camp Kidzu and all of the kids loved showing their parents what they had been learning all week.

I haven't downloaded any of the pictures I took last night but here's a cute video of Addison performing one of the songs she learned....

I'll post some photos from last night soon...we had such a wonderful week and I am still singing all of the camp songs in my head!

Camp Kidzu - Day Four

2010-07-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

Addison had another fun filled day at Camp Kidzu this morning. She is enjoying making lots of fun crafts like this one...

And eating lots of fun yummy snacks like this with her friends...

However, her FAVORITE part of the entire week as been the dancing and singing on the STAGE!

Girlfriend is quite the performer up there....

We are having a Family Night tomorrow night and all of the kids get to preform the songs they have been learning each day for their parents. Duke and I can't wait! Stay tuned...I'm sure I will have some cute photos to share!

Happy Thursday!

Camp Kidzu Day THREE - God is full of SURPRISES!

2010-07-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

We had another wonderful day at Camp Kidzu and filled it with more special memories and great friends. Addison was so excited to go back this morning and wear her "camp shirt" (as she has called it all week).

It has been neat to watch Addison blossom this week and explore on her own. Typically, I am with her on Sunday mornings since I teach her pre-school class each Sunday but I am not with her class this week so it's been neat to stand back and watch her participate without Mommy right by her. She is quite the little performer and says that "the singing and dancing parts" of camp are her favorite.

Here is a photo of Addison and her sweet friend Haley that is in her class. Haley and Addison have been been best buddies this week and it's been so sweet to watch them walk to worship holding hands....Awwww!

Today the kiddos talked about how God protected Paul from a poisonous snake when his ship washed up on an island. How cute are these snacks that they got to eat??? The water is blue Jello. The waves are Cool Whip. A Vanilla Wafer is the island and the gummy worm is the snake. Yum!

As you can see...the snacks were a HUGE hit!

We are having a wonderful week with our friends!

And I feel so blessed that I am able to share in this special week with Addison and make such fun memories with her!

Addison dancing at Camp Kidzu

2010-07-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

This video is so dark but I thought it was too cute not to share. You can see the "outline" of Addison and get an idea of how much fun she is having this week.

Camp Kidzu....Day 2

2010-07-13T11:04:00.001-07:00

We had another wonderful day at Camp Kidzu. It is so neat to see all of these children growing in their relationships with each other and God. Our theme for the week is High Seas Expeditions and all of the children have LOVED Pirate Jake!

Nicole and some of our Kidzu kids leading the children in one of their daily worship songs...

Our Bible Point today was that God's word is comforting so the children got to wear their P.J.'s...and they all looked ADORABLE!

Addison choose to wear her butterfly P.J.'s today...I love the back of them!

I LOVE this photo of Addison worshiping and singing this morning...

Me and my sweet girl in our P.J.'s!

We are having a great week and can't wait to go back tomorrow!

Camp Kidzu!

2010-07-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

We are at Camp Kidzu (our church's version of Vacation Bible School) this week!

Addison had a wonderful first day and it dawned on me as I was getting her ready that this was her "first day of camp!" All of a sudden she looked so big to me and like so many moments likely, I realized she is growing up.

Today, Addison learned about Peter and how God frees him from prison. After camp, when I asked her what she learned she replied, "About a guy named Peter." After a few more questions from me, she told me that Peter was sent to jail. When I asked her why Peter was sent to jail, she replied, "For saying bad words like hate." Oh well! At least she got some of the story right and I know she was listening. I did however use that moment to reinforce the fact that we do not use the word "hate"...a word that she has learned from somewhere and Duke and I are extremely ready for her to forget.

Stay tuned for some fun pictures (and I'm sure stories) as we enjoy this week with our friends!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

2010-07-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

My daddy was my hero
For my very youngest years;
Daddy kept me safe and happy,
And he chased away my fears.
I watched in awe and wonder
At each manly thing he did;
Oh, I looked up to my daddy,
When I was a little kid.

My dad was still my hero,
As the years passed, one by one.
He taught important lessons,
And he took some time for fun.
He was my firm foundation;
On my dad I did depend;
He was always there for me,
My dad, my guide, my friend.

My father is my hero,
Now that I am fully grown.
I love him and respect him,
The best man I've ever known.
I knew when I would marry
That my husband had to be
A great man, just like my father,
Dad, my hero you'll always be.

Thank you Daddy for being you! I love you so much!

Missy

Happy Father's Day...a little late

2010-07-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

So we celebrated a big holiday a few weeks ago and even though I am late blogging about it...we had a special day with the awesome men in our life.

The weekend started out crazy...and ended crazy. I had gone to Chicago for work and was supposed to get home Friday at 5 pm but because of bad weather, wasn't able to get home until 7pm Saturday. Needless to say, that messed up my plans for planning something for Duke and I was bummed about that. Not to mention that I had no make-up, clothes, shoes, hair dryer, curling iron, etc. until Monday so I wasn't a happy wife to be around....which means he deserved a WONDERFUL Father's Day even more! Let's just say that I DID NOT earn any points in the Wife of the Year department this year!

Thank you Duke for loving me even though I am far from perfect. Thank you for loving me and all of my grumpy moods when Delta looses my luggage. Thank you for having dinner cooked and ready for me (with flowers waiting) when I finally got home Saturday evening. Thank you for NOT being mad at me when I didn't eat a single bite of that dinner because I was too tired (and if I am super honest...too grumpy). Thank you for letting ME sleep in on Father's Day. Thank you for loving Addison the way that you do and showing her what true love looks like. Thank you for being silly with me and for playing princess with Addison. I fall in love with you again and again when I watch you with Addison.

I love you!

Bahamas Trip with Friends!

2010-07-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Last summer we started planning a couples trip with our dearest friends, Jessica and Kris Jones, and Mr. James Murphy. Well...lets be honest, "We" didn't start planning this trip...Jess and I started planning the trip and a few weeks ago we finally got to go on it! We have always talked about taking a "big" trip together but ever since the kiddos have come along, trying to find time to take vacations that didn't include the kids seemed next to impossible. I think we all knew if we never pulled the trigger and booked the trip...years down the road, we'd all be sitting in our rocking chairs still talking about taking a trip! :)

This summer marks the 5 year wedding anniversary of both Duke and I and Kris and Jessica so that seemed like as good of an excuse as any to hit the road, or in this case...the ocean!!! So a few weeks ago, we left early Friday morning and headed to the Bahamas!!! It was soooo beautiful and we had such a great time doing absolutely nothing! Truly, we did NOTHING!!! We did however eat like kings (and queens), drink lots of fun girly drinks (Okay...the guys drank "men" drinks), bake in the sun, laugh our heads off and make some amazing memories.

Here are some of our pictures from the trip:

First night on the boat, so excited to be on vacation and still pale! :)

The islands of Nassau:

The beautiful island of CoCo Cay...we truly thought about missing the boat back and just staying here...

On the boat on the way over to CoCo Cay...

Jess and I enjoying being lazy...

The guys enjoying being well....themselves...

Two of the awesome people we went on this trip with...Kris and Jessica Jones...Happy 5 years guys! (Just a small note...Kris and Duke were roommates when him and I started dating so we have come SO far with these two! Believe me when I say, SOOOO far! Right Jess?)

The other awesome couple we went with...James and Liz! We are all so thrilled that James has found such a wonderful person as Liz and we all ADORE her!

All dressed up for The Captain's Dinner...

Our last night at dinner with our awesome wait staff....

Our anniversary buddies...

Thank goodness for awesome girlfriends!

My handsome hubby...and realizing we took a lot of pictures this night since I am in the same outfit in half of our photos!

And what do you do when you know you're never going to see any of these 2,000 people again??? You SING of course with your best girlfriends!

We had such a great time and are so thankful to have been blessed with so many things including wonderful friends over the past 5 years!

So Lucky....

2010-06-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

To have a husband like this....

Our Little Fish

2010-06-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Out of the Mouths of Babes....

2010-06-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

Addison was drawing the other morning while I was getting ready and when she finished, she brought this picture to me. Even though I wasn't quite sure exactly what it was a picture of...I told her that her drawing was beautiful! However, nothing could have prepared me for what she said next.

When I asked her exactly what this beautiful drawing was...she looked at me and said, "It's my baby brother in your belly!"

Really?? Where does she get this stuff???? I obviously have WAY too many girlfriends that are pregnant and a child with one heck of an imagination!

Precious Conversations With Addie....

2010-06-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Last night we were driving home and this is what I heard...

Duke to Addison: "Addison you know what? You're the sunshine in my sky."

(Long pause....)

Addison to Duke: "You know what Daddy?"

Duke: "Huh?"

Addison: "You're the clouds in the sky that make it rain!"

Have I told you today how much I ADORE her?!?!?

Celebrating Special Times With Precious Friends!

2010-06-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Our family had the honor of celebrating a HUGE milestone for a very dear family friends of ours a few weekends ago....Madison graduated from High School!

What seems like a very long time ago (in reality about 17 years ago) my Mom replied to an ad in the newspaper of a new Mom looking for someone to help watch her young daughter so that she could return to work part-time. All I can say is THANK GOODNESS Lisa posted that ad and Mom replied because the bonds that were formed from that moment on can never be broken. That little girl (Madison....and YES this is where our Addison gets her name) is no longer so little and she now has two beautiful sisters that will soon follow in her footsteps.

Congratulations Madison!!! We love you!

Madison and I...hummm...16 years ago or so...still not sure if even that long ago explains these pants! :)

Crazy to think that she is now holding MY little girl.....

Addison felt SO big posing with Madison and all of her friends and it was SO sweet for them to include her....looking at this was a flash forward for Duke and I and one that we are NOT ready for in ANY way!

My precious family of three...

Duke hitting on Mom....just kidding! He never reads this anyways so this comment serves him right....HeeHee!

My sweet Daddy! Love him!

Addison, Madison and I....and yes I called Madison "Addison" and Addison "Madison" ALL night! Way too confusing!

Addison so proud to be posing with Madison...

And the lady who started it all...Miss Lisa! Thank you for posting a tiny ad that brought two families (now three) together forever. I love you!!!

Just A Typical Saturday Night....

2010-06-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

Dance Party Style! Have I told you we have the BEST friends?????

Our Little Cover Girl

2010-05-27T09:42:00.001-07:00

Look who's on the cover of Hall County Magazine this month!!! Soooooo fun!

I have to say I learned a few things during this photo shot with Addison:

A). Getting a good photo or trying to get a child to warm up to a complete stranger isn't as easy as it looks.

B). Warn the nice photographer that saying "That's a nice shot" while shooting a 3-year old in a doctor's office isn't smart! Addison heard that, thought he meant that she was about to get a SHOT (makes complete sense, we were at a doctor's office) and it resulted in a complete meltdown and at least a 30-minute break. Oh well!

Addison was so funny when I showed her the picture. We had gone to Publix and the magazines were sitting on the rack. I grabbed one and said, "Addison! Who is that on that magazine??" Her eyes got real big and she replied, "That's Addie!" I said, "How did your picture get on here?" In which she replied, "Oh Mom...that man just took my picture and put it on there."

Of course! Silly me! :)

Three Is So Much Fun!

2010-05-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Addison has been VERY vocal lately that she wants a little brother or sister. It changes everyday on which one she would prefer but we are excited she has backed off on telling everyone she is getting 2 babies! Yes....TWO!!!!

This morning when I woke her up for church, I had the greatest conversation with her. It went something like this....(keep in mind this popped out of her mouth the MINUTE she opened her eyes!).

Me: "Hey sweetie! Did you have sweet dreams?"
Addison: "Yes, I did. Thanks. Mommy??? I REALLY want a baby brother. Why can't we go to the hospital and get one?"
Me: "Well Addison we will have to talk about that."
Addison: "I know how we can get one Mommy."
Me: "Really, how?" (I thinking it is WAY too early to be talking about this!)
Addison: "We just go to the hospital and put a quarter in! That's how we can get one!"
Me: "Really? Just a quarter, huh?"

I love this kid!

You Might Be A Redneck If.....

2010-05-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

It started like this....

Turned into this....

And the kids had a BLAST!!!!

And here's a video just so you can see how "redneck" this was!

Friends, Cookouts and Lazy Afternoons!

2010-05-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

A few Sundays ago, we headed over to Kris and Jessica's house for some yummy food and fun times with great friends. We absolutely love the beginning on summer when it's not horribly hot and the bugs aren't eating us for dinner! We had such a fun evening with the kids...I captured a few priceless photos of the kids and a video to go along with them that I will post in a separate post. It's so good, it deserves it's own post...don't worry...you will agree when you see it, I'm not just being lazy. :)

Addison and Landon jumping in the bouncy house together...

Addison and Uncle James sportin' their "mean" faces.....

Addison and Mommy.....

Who knew a lawn mower could be so much fun...this gives you a glimpse of what my next post will be all about!

It was a great beginning to many summer nights! We can't wait!

Little Friend, Little Friend....

2010-05-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to Addison's newest friends...(I would tell you their names but they change everyday).

Addison and Mom ventured into PetsMart one afternoon and this is what I came home to, two tiny, tiny mice. Of the joys of being a Grandmother! Unfortunately they only lasted at our house about 2 weeks before Duke said they had to go, but I am sure they are much happier at my Mom and Dad's house (although I don't think my Dad feels the same way).

As you can see, Addison adores them and has zero fear of them...

Although the mice didn't live with us long, they provided lots of entertainment during the short time they lived under the Skalon roof. One night Addison came into the living room and informed me that her mouse wasn't laying on her blanket anymore with her. You can imagine the look on Duke's face when she said this! I calmly (Yes...I remained CALM) asked her what she meant and she begin to explain to me how she had gotten one of the mice out and laid it on her blanket so it could watch her movie with her. Of course she did!!! Isn't this a normal thing to do with a mouse???? Ummm, No!

It was quite funny because Addison was heartbroken that this little mouse didn't want to stay on the blanket and Duke and I were freaking out that there was now a mouse loose in our house! No worries, the mouse was still in the playroom (thank goodness!) and after about 45 minutes or so of a nice game of "chase," the little mouse was back safetly in it's cage and had earned itself a one way ticket to live at NaNa and PopPop's house!

From the short amount of time they lived at our house, I think they are much safer over there anyways!

Fun Times With NaNa and Pop-Pop!

2010-05-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday morning, Mom and Dad came over and picked Addison up for a fun filled day at the Yellow River Game Ranch. The original plan was for me to also tag along on this trip, but Addison decided she did not want me to go (she told me this OVER and OVER) so I decided to stay back and let her have some one on one time with them minus me.

Addison had such a good time and was sound asleep (and VERY dirty) when they pulled up in the driveway with her. Her favorite part was seeing the deer (Bambi) and loving on the bunny rabbits.

When I was just a little older than Addison, we used to visit the game ranch quite a bit so it's neat to see my parents take her there and make special memories with her. As you can tell from these photos, Addison got her love of animals from her NaNa....

Thanks to NaNa and Pop-Pop for such a special day!

Mother's Day

2010-05-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

As always, I am late on this post but since "late" (I simply prefer "behind") seems to be normal for this blog, I guess I really don't have anything to apologize for, right?? :)

Nonetheless, I had a wonderful Mother's Day surrounded by lots of lovely and amazing women that make my life so special. Mom, Dad and Adam went to church with us in the morning and we celebrated our church's third birthday! Happy Birthday to The Vine! It was a great service and they showed a video of our church's last year, which was amazing to watch.

Later that afternoon, our families came over and we enjoyed a cook-out while the cousins had a wonderful time playing with each other. We had a houseful so I was a horrible picture taker, but Dad did snap this photo of Addison, Mom and I right before they walked out the door to go home.

Most days, I am still in awe that I am a Mom. You would think that after three and a half years I would be settled into this responsibility but I'm not sure if you ever really do? Just the other day I was filling out paperwork for our insurance and I listed myself as Addison's "Mother" and I paused for a short second. I remember being little and thinking that my Mom was the prettiest and greatest lady around. This probably has something to do with the fact that she never left the house unless she was fully dressed with her makeup just perfect (unfortunately, Addison has been subjected to many a trip to Publix with me in a baseball cap and not a trace of makeup on) and on cold winter days, Adam and I would get off the school bus and have hot apple cider waiting for us (yes...I am serious). So my views of what this role called "Mother" should look like, come with pretty big shoes to fill. Most days, I feel like I take it day by day and wish that Addison came with a handbook. :)

However, I am so thankful that I have a lady that I still find to be the prettiest and greatest lady around, to ask all of my questions about Motherhood to (thank goodness!).

Addison. thank you for giving me this title of "Mom." You will never know the honor that I feel each time I get to call myself your Mother. I dreamed of what you would look like and what you would be like from the minute I found out I was pregnant. Thank you for making my most amazing dream come true. I love you baby girl!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a
stray animal, and I learned that it was good to be kind
to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
Prayer and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and
wanted to say, 'Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn't looking.”

Thank you for always being the perfect Mom, no matter who was looking. Thank you for providing me with such a wonderful example to follow.

I love you!

Love,

Missy

Pre-School or Bust!

2010-05-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday was a big day in the Skalon house (well...before you get too excited, it wasn't THAT big of a day but it felt VERY big to me). Last Tuesday, Duke and I went and toured a pre-School for Addison. (Do any of you reading this have as big of a knot in your stomach over this as I do???) Probably not!

No worries, I am rational enough to understand that this is a much bigger deal to me than anyone else - even in my own household. Duke thinks this will be good for Addison (I know that it will) and Addison is very excited and ready to go...although she is ready to jump right into kindergarten and skip pre-school all together so that she can ride the school bus (this of course puts an even bigger knot in my stomach!). The program we are considering for her is 3 days a week from 9:00 am -12:30 pm, which I think will be a good starting point for her since she has never been in any type of "school" environment before. It is right up the street from us at a local church, which is actually the church I attended throughout high school, so I feel a little more comfortable with that part or I at least feel like I am somewhat familiar with the environment.

Again, I understand that most children cross this milestone sooner than later and I am not the first parent (nor will I be the last parent) to send my child to a pre-school program. However, I simply can not think of another time (up to this point in her life) when as a parent, I am expected to drop my child off with a room of strangers and then leave her....this is the part I struggle with. So, we will see how my feelings on this progress over the summer and I will continue to pray that I become excited. Speaking of getting excited, I do get excited over the idea of being "room mom" and don't think I didn't ask the sweet lady that gave us a tour of the school when I could sign up for that! :)

As always, thanks for sharing in all of our adventures and milestones (big and small) with our family. Any suggestions for me on this topic are greatly welcomed!

2010-04-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Addison is getting so big so quickly and Duke and I find ourselves wishing we could freeze time with her all the time now. Every stage with Addison (okay not EVERY stage, but most) I have said, “This is my favorite age!” These last few weeks have been no different and we continue to love how easy it is to go somewhere with her now. Just us and Addison (not the entire house!)…it is wonderful!

Addison continues to be very vocal and amazes us every hour with the things she says. I wish I could record every conversation with her and keep them forever. I try to write the “best of the best” down or burn them into my memory but I know as time passes, I will forget them and that makes me sad. Unfortunately, my memory is not as good as Addison’s and I have to say, hers is phenomenal! This girl can remember anything you tell her and then some! You can be talking with her and she will bring up something you told her 6 months ago. It really is amazing.

Here are some other “Fun Facts” about Miss Addison these days:

• She knows her phone number and address.
• She likes to tell us how to get to our house once we pull into the neighborhood. Most of the time she uses “turn left” and “turn right” when giving the directions.
• She can tell you her birthday and point to the correct month on a calendar when asked when mine and Duke’s are.
• She knows her full name and the full names of me, Duke, and both of our parents.
• She call tell who everyone in our family is and how each person is related to the other, ie: brother, sister, mom, dad, etc.
• She can count to 20 and has recently learned to count to 5 in Spanish
• She is REALLY into things that match and everything has to be in its correct spot (she is SO her Daddy’s child!)
• She loves to look at different signs when we are driving down the road and point out letters that are in her name. This is what I hear all day, “Look Mom! There’s an A and a D…just like in Addison”
• She can tell you how to spell her name but still gets confused sometimes that she has to say the letter “D” back to back. Sometimes when we are working on this, it sounds like this…..

Me to Addison: “Addison, How do you spell your name?”
Addison: “A-D-I”
Me (interrupting): “One more D”
Addison: “I just said D, Mom!”

• Speaking of spelling her name, she did inform me the other night that she had “too many letters in her name.” Maybe we need to consider when choosing names for baby #2?
• We are working on writing her name right now. She’s got the A down pat and we just started working on the D.
• She continues to tell everyone (sometimes before they ask) that she is going to have a baby sister AND a baby brother soon! Those who know us well, know that twins run on my Dad’s side of the family and although we would take whatever God has planned for us…. We would prefer to NOT be tested in that way.

She is quite the little sponge right now and I try everyday to soak up every moment with her.

I love you so much baby girl and feel so blessed to be your Mommy!

Find Your Wings

2010-04-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold

So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the truth

And If I never told you
I want you to know
That as I watch you grow

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
And guide you on your way

May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky

Sweet Girl...I'll have tears as you take off but I'll cheer as you fly!

Spring is Here!

2010-04-21T08:34:00.001-07:00

I know Spring is offically here when I come home and see this!

Oh to be three again! :)

An Entire Month of Easter Activites...in One Post!

2010-04-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter and were lucky enough to celebrate everything great about this holiday for an entire month.....truly!

First, our church held an egg hunt with 10,000 eggs (no I didn't add too many zeros...there really was that many!) and despite the chilly weather and the CRAZY wind, everyone had a great time! Notice the scarf that Addison is wearing...it is mine and she was THRILLED I let her wear it. When I put it on her, she looked in the mirror and said, "I look like a Mommy don't I?" Oh Addison, you are growing up too quickly! I love you so much sweet girl!

A few days later, we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of hunting eggs with our friend's from the Mommy and Me group Addison and I are a part of. All of the kiddos had a blast hunting eggs and decorating cookies. The weather couldn't have been any prettier and it was so sweet to watch the kids together.

Addison all ready to hunt eggs...Ready...Set...Go!

I love this sweet picture of Addison and Mrs. Jana!

Addison has loved this swing at Mrs. Jessica's for so long and we are thankful it still holds her up!

I say all the time how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends and we are even more blessed to have wonderful friends whose families love us like their own kids! Jessica's parents (Scott and Rhonda Kennedy) hold an egg hunt each year at their house and Addison had a blast this year! I love this picture of Addison and Jess....such sweet girls!

My sweet little girl who was more concerned with the fact that the candy was melting than actually hunting for eggs (or taking a photo with her Mom)! :)

Finally...the Easter Bunny came and we had one VERY excited little girl! And just for the record, she does own "non-winter" P.J.'s but refuses to wear them! So that is why she is wearing polar bear P.J.'s on Easter morning! :)

We enjoyed a wonderful Easter service at our church with my parents and brother and headed over to my Mom and Dad's shortly after church for a yummy Easter lunch and more egg hunting!

Addison was Miss Hollywood all day and was ready to go! ;)

All of the cousins hunting eggs....

Sweet picture of my two favorite people.....

Hugs for NaNa....

And PopPop too....

I love this photo I was able to capture of Addison....so sweet!

And then there is this....Can you say, "Sugar High???" :)

After too much food and definately too much sugar, we headed over to Duke's parent's house for more Easter fun and our last egg hunt of the year (Addison was a pro at this by now!)

Some of my nephews...how handsome are they???

My new niece "Baby Kami" as Addison calls her. She was so excited to hold her all by herself!

Addison and MawMaw resting after finding so many eggs! Addison was worn out!

Look at who I found "cheating" as the adults put the eggs out for the kids...too funny!

And both of them thought it was soooo funny they got BUSTED! These two are trouble! :)

As you can see, we had a very busy and blessed Easter and we hope all of you did as well!

Christina and Daniel tie the knot...

2010-03-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

One of my dearest friends got married in Athens a few weekends ago and our family was lucky enough to share in festivities. Christina was a beautiful bride and we couldn't be happier for her and Daniel.

Enjoy the overload of pictures that everyone takes at a wedding..... :)

Addison was in awe of Christina the entire day and kept saying, "I want to get married" in which Duke quickly replied, "You have a VERY long time to wait!" To see the way that Addison looked at Christina was so sweet (see the photo above) and I wish I could have known what she was thinking in that head of hers. Guess there is some real truth in the saying that every little girl dreams of her wedding day. I know I certainly did and it looks like Addison is going to be no different....we're in trouble! ;)

Where did our child go???

2010-03-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

One thing about having curly hair is no one ever notices how long your hair truly is. Just for fun the other night, I straightened Addison's hair (no worries, I only used a blow dryer) to show you how long her hair truly is...and this is AFTER her haircut!

She doesn't even look like the same child with straight hair, does she??? We got the biggest kick out of watching her play with her "long hair" as she called it. She really does have SO much hair! Doesn't it look like she is wearing a wig?

Another year older...

2010-03-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Somewhere among the craziness of the last two weeks, I turned 28. I have officially decided that I am going to stay 28 forever, so just a heads up...no more birthdays for me. :)

I say all the time what an amazing husband and family I have but the following story will prove it. I'm telling ya...I am a very lucky lady!

My birthday fell on a Friday this year and we had so much going on that weekend that I had asked that we celebrate it with everyone when things calmed down a bit. My girlfriend Christina was getting married that Sunday so I had a bridal shower to attend for her late that Friday afternoon, her wedding to get ready for on Sunday plus I had to be packed and ready to leave from her wedding in order to catch a late flight and then be in Tampa for a week.

However, my hubby had other plans. First, when I got home from the shower, I had a complete surprise waiting for me. A sewing machine! Can you believe it??? Which part, right? That I wanted a sewing machine or that Duke actually went out on his own and bought me one!?! If I were you...I would choose BOTH! But YES, I wanted a sewing machine (I watch my Mom make cool stuff for Addison all the time and I know I can make half of the dresses I buy for her at a lot less than $40-50 a pop!) and YES my sweet, sweet husband shopped for one on his own and bought it for me! Love him!

Then, we had made plans to grab dinner when I got home from the shower but by the time I got home, I was exhausted, it was POURING down rain plus Addison had fallen asleep on the floor watching T.V. and was in an AWFUL mood. With that said, I suggested Duke just run out and grab the food and bring it back to the house but he insisted we go anyways. So after a major meltdown from Addison and an all out war to get her dressed and half way presentable to go out in public....we piled into the car and headed to grab a quick bite to eat. To my surprise, my parents were waiting for us at the restaurant...major points to Duke for setting that up AND not throwing in the towel when Addison pitched her fit! I do mean MAJOR POINTS if I could go back in time and let all of you see the tantrum she threw!

To top everything off, we were sitting at the table and all of a sudden, Addison says, "Look Daddy! A cake!" Naturally, Duke and I look over and behind the bar in the refrigerator, sat an adorable Barbie cake that my Mom had made for me! We all died laughing because of course it was supposed to be a surprise and how in the world Addison saw it, we will never know! Leave it to Addison!

Here is a picture of the wonderful cake:

Addison enjoyed wearing the "Birthday hat" when they so nicely came over to sing Happy Birthday to me!

Thank you so much to my wonderful family for being so determined to make my birthday so special!

Addison's 1st Hair Cut!

2010-03-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

Addison had a big day last Saturday...she got her first hair cut! She did SO well with it and was so excited about the entire day. She looked like such a big girl sitting in that chair and Miss Jamie did a great job with her. As you can tell from the pictures, she was a very proud little girl and felt so grown up. Na Na went with us and Addison liked watching her get her hair cut after she got hers done, although she made sure to let Mom know that SHE was going first (quickly reminding us that she is definitely three!).

Right before the first snip....look how excitied she was!

The first cut....and yes I was feeling VERY nervous right about now. ;)

Watching very closely to make sure Miss Jamie didn't take too much off...

She sat so still the entire time...such a big girl!

All smiles and ready for her treat!

Mommy had to get a picture also (please excuse the no makeup...we had LOTS to do that day!)

Such a blessing to be her Mommy!

Things they are a changing....

2010-03-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

March has been a month of change for the Skalon's. As many of you know, I started a new job the last week of February and it was a change that didn't come easily.

For the past 2 1/2 years, I had been working for Hall County Magazine, a publication that I helped start with my dear friend Eryn and a wonderful woman that attends her church. Like anything that you start from the very beginning and pour so much into, it was a hard thing to leave. But sometimes opportunities fall into our laps and we know its time to move on. That doesn't mean that the choice is any easier and it's sad to know that you will no longer be a part of something that simply started as a conversation between two friends and a "dream." However, if the past 2 1/2 years have taught me anything (and believe me, they have taught me A LOT!), it's that anything you can dream and want badly enough, can come true. It has been great to watch something morph into a reality but I am looking forward to this next chapter.

So, as of February 22nd, I became an employee of Cox Target Media. It's been a change and we are adjusting. Going to work for a large company is extremely different than working for a company that has a total of 7 employees but it has it's benefits as well (one of those being just that...good benefits!). If you remember, I worked for Cox Communications for 4 years before I had Addison and it was a great company to work for, so I am excited to be under their umbrella again. I am still able to work from home and my territory is right in my own backyard so it truly was a great fit. Now if I can just learn all of the new stuff I need to know...we'll be in good shape. :)

The hardest part of this entire "change" was that I had to go down to our corporate office in Tampa, FL for a week and that almost did me in. Yep, I put my big girl panties on and navigated the airports of Atlanta and Tampa by myself! I learned a few secrets of "air travel" along the way and vowed I would never again take a late flight out of Atlanta when I have to be in a class by 7:30 AM the next morning. But, the trip itself was great and my brain was on information overload at the end of each day. Being away from Duke and Addison was so hard but thankfully we all survived (even Belle) and I owe a very special thanks to NaNa, Pop-Pop, Maw-Maw and Pa-Paw for feeding my crew while I was away.

One day...this will be funny!

2010-03-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

"An unusual kid"

2010-03-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

You simply never know what Addison is going to say these days. Here is one of the latest conversations we had with her......

Duke to Addison: "Addison, what is your name?"
Addison to Daddy: "My name is Addison Lee Skalon"
Duke to Addison: " If your name is Addison, why do people call you Addie?" "Do you have two names?"
Addison to Duke: " Humm...(long pause)...(slowly placing your finger to her lip, as in deep thought)..."Yep! I'm just an unusual kid!"

A few days later, Addison was in the childcare room at church and a little girl was climbing up onto something. Her Mom happened to be working childcare that night so she called the little girl by all three of her names (first, middle, last) in order to get her attention. When we picked Addison up that night, Stacy was laughing so hard at Addison and explained she had a story for us. Addison heard her call Ayla by all three of her names and asked Stacy why she called her that? Stacy explained to Addison why she had used all three of Ayla's names and then proceeded to ask Addison what her name was. Stacy said she completed expected Addison to say, "Addison Skalon" and move on but instead she got this reply:

"My name is Addison Lee Skalon. Or sometimes Addie Skalon, or sometimes Addison Lee, or sometimes Addie, or sometimes just Addison."

Stacy said Addison was so serious in what she was telling her that she was cracking up. I explained the conversation we had with her a few days prior and the fact that Addison blurted out all of her names/nicknames made a little bit more sense to her then. Guess Addison just wanted to make sure she had all of her names covered. :)

I have to admit, as crazy as the age three can be...it sure is amusing!

Typically Saturday night with friends!

2010-03-08T06:47:00.000-08:00

We are SO blessed to have the best friends. Last Saturday, we got all the kiddos together and as you can tell from the smiles (and children being tossed in the air) everyone had a wonderful time...and slept well that night!

How many tattoos could they fit on their small arms??? Lola Cate and Addison were quite proud of their work!

Uncle James earned MAJOR points when he got one on his cheek (the girls chose the location of the tattoo, of course)!

Even better...he couldn't get it off for church the next morning and it looked like a "hickey"...how long has it been since you said that word???? :)

Jess said no tattoos for sweet Landon but he sure did enjoy playing in Addison's kitchen!

The girls made sure the guys got their workout in for the day with airplanes rides and laps around the house!

And of course they had to ride together...solo wouldn't be as much fun...or help Daddy build muscles! :)

Oh how these guys have grown up and what a blessing friends like this are!

The "Blizzard" of 2010

2010-03-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

We have had some crazy weather this year but it sure has been fun! A few weeks ago, Atlanta got blasted with some major snow so we bundled up tightly and ventured outside. I have to say, Addison is definitely my child because she was less than impressed with all of it. We might have been outside a total of 45 minutes and considering the amount of time it took me to dig up clothes that were snow "appropriate" that isn't very long!

I did manage to snap some good photos of her. You can tell how hard the snow was falling by the photos.

Trying to catch a snowflake on her tongue...

Look how little she looks in front of the house.....

Daddy's snow angel!

Nothing like some hot chocolate to warm you up....Yummy!

Even Belle spent the day cuddled up with us on the couch...she also agreeed with Addison and thought the snow was over-rated and cold :)

Like I said, Addison was less than impressed and when we asked her what she thought about it, she said, "It was cold." That pretty much sums it up. The Skalon women are ready for the warm weather!

Curls Galore!

2010-03-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

From the moment we found out Addison was a little girl, Duke prayed that she would have curly hair. He definitely got his wish! This was Addison's hair about 20 minutes after she got out of the bath the other night. Perfect little ringlets....just like her. :)

We're Alive...Promise!

2010-03-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can not believe it is already March! This year is already flying by!

In typical Skalon fashion, we have been running around like crazy and enjoying every minute of our crazy lives. Addison seems to have changed so much since Christmas and I find myself wanting to freeze time with her even more these days. She is DEFINITELY three (no doubt about that one) and has become extremely independent and willing to push any and all limits you may give her. We moved her out of her crib about two months ago and I still can't decide if this was a good idea or not. She has done pretty well with it and if I wanted to be honest (I know that's what I am supposed to do) the transition overall went better than we expected. The main problem is nap time which has now been renamed "quiet time" but as you can see from the photos below...most days, it's just not worth it and not much of this time is spent doing anything "quiet"....

Can you find Addison???

Funny how she put all her dolls to bed and then crashed in the floor!

Yes, Addison is definitely three and doing all the things she "should be doing" according to my Mom. She sure is fun though!

Speaking of fun...here are some photos of fun stuff we're gotten into lately:

Painting with friends from our Mommy & Me group at Imaginations at Play

Getting our nails done...

She wanted bright purple...we compromised and got hot pink ;)

Playing with the fake dog inside Old Navy...funny thing is, people thought she was part of the "set up" and looked shocked everytime she would move! :)

Having play "dates" at the mall...if I didn't know his parents, I'd be worried. (No worries - he is our pastor's son) ;)

And yes, they really walked like this through the mall..it was actually easier to keep up with them this way! :)

So as you can see, the beginning of 2010 has been a busy one but we wouldn't have it any other way. We have enjoyed all of the snow days this year also...how crazy is that??? And I snapped some of the cutest photos of Addison out in it (although she didn't stay out long at all and wasn't thrilled with how cold it was). What can I say? She is my child!

Special times with special friends!

2010-01-26T00:25:00.000-08:00

You know how you have those friends that you honestly can't remember ever not being friends with?? It's almost like life started and BOOM they were there? I have to say that I am fortunate to have a few of those types of girlfriends and I am SO thankful for each of them! We can go a month and not talk and then when we do, it's like no time has passed at all. LOVE,LOVE, LOVE them! Don't know what I would do without them!

The Skalon's got to see one of these girlfriends of mine over the holidays and it was WONDERFUL as always to see her (and her great hubby)! Lena and I grew up living right next door to each other from the time I was four and she was two. Four and two!! Crazy, huh? My parents lived in that house for over 2o years and moved out the summer I got married - Lena's parents still live there - and that's a LONG time to live next door to someone. I have so many memories with her and her family and I can only hope that we build that same type of relationship with our neighbors here in Ivey Chase. It's really neat to think that Lena and I are at the same point in our lives that our parents were when they each moved into that that subdivision in Lawrenceville and now we are getting to raise our families together. Pretty neat..... :)

Lena now lives in Nashville with her awesome husband Jason and we love visiting with them when they come into town. We grabbed dinner with them over the holidays and played catch up on all the exciting things we have going on and of course, snapped a few pictures....

Pretty girls!

Look how much Addison has grown over the years:

(Barely a year old)

(Just turned 2)

(Three and crazy) :)

Since Addison was up (it was WAY past her bedtime) we decided to attempt a group shot...at least we're all in the picture! :)

We had such a fun night catching up with the Cox's and can't wait to see them again soon!

He's still here...

2010-01-22T06:05:00.000-08:00

Remember my post around the holidays about our new "friend" the HAWK that had taken up residence in our backyard??? Well, guess what??? He's STILL here!

We have had some really cold weather lately and we didn't see him for a few days (which did NOT hurt my feelings in the least), but as soon as it warmed up...he came back. Lucky us!

I will admit...he is VERY pretty and he is fun to watch from our kitchen window BUT I would love to be able to let Belle outside without searching my backyard first and I would love to be able to let her stay outside for more than 3 minutes at a time. That is the reason we got the darn fence in the first place!

Here are a few recent photos of him (we really should have given him a name by now!)...

He likes to perch on our fence...

He's very photogenic and looks right at you when you ask him too... ;)

He even likes to play on Addison's swing set!

Crazy, huh? I just really want him to find a new "home" before the spring gets here and we all want to play outside. Anybody want him??? I will gladly give him directions to your house! Just let me know...we are currently accepting adoption applications.

Happy Friday!

Birthday fun!!

2010-01-20T14:11:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun celebrating my Dad's 60th birthday! Here are a few photos from our special night!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Chris-nina came to town!

2010-01-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

Wow! I feel like we are still in "holiday mode" around the Skalon house and believe me...that's not a good thing! Good thing I only have to show you guys what I want you to see. Hee! Hee! Don't you wish things were always that way?? I do sometimes!

Anyways...over the holidays (maybe that's why I still feel like we're in holiday mode...because I'm still BLOGGING about the holidays!) Christina and Daniel came to visit and as you can tell, Addison was SO excited to see her. Christina moved to Destin, FL a few months ago and Addison and I have missed our lunch dates with her terribly. This was also a very exciting trip for me because I got to meet Daniel for the first time and give him my "stamp" of approval! Him and Christina got engaged over the Thanksgiving holiday so we definitely had a lot to celebrate! :)

Addison loves Aunt Chris-nina!

The future Mr. and Mrs. Cole!

Daniel got Christina this PRECIOUS puppy for Christmas and all of us had the best time playing with her. Belle and her were so cute playing with each other the entire night and Addison thought she was the greatest. Maybe it's time to get another puppy???? ;)

Just kidding! Don't worry...I know my limits with Duke! :)

Wonder What This Means???

2010-01-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Think this means Addison has spent too much time in time-out lately??? I was cooking dinner the other night and this is what she did with her dolls. The best was when she left the room only to come back a few minutes later, bend down to one of the dolls and ask,"Are you sorry?"

Oh the fun of having a 3-year old! :)

Happy 60th Birthday Daddy!

2010-01-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

Today is my Dad's 60th birthday! 60!!! Can you believe it? It seems so weird to me that he is turning 60! (Sorry Dad!) ;)

If anyone deserves to have an awesome birthday, it's my Dad. My Dad is one of the most selfless people I know and has always put our families needs and wants before his own. Even now that my brother and I are grown, most of the time it seems like you have to beg my Dad to purchase something for himself. I think Duke wishes everyday that I would have inherited this trait from him. Hee Hee!

I am lucky to have a wonderful relationship with my Dad and the older I get, the more I realize how precious that relationship is to me. I was definitely a Daddy's Girl growing up and still am to this day. I have learned so many wonderful things from him and I can't wait for him to teach Addison so many of the same things. I love to watch the two of them interact with each other and watch her bring out the "soft" side of him (Yes, Dad....you have one!). :)

Thank you Dad for always being there for me no matter how big or small my problem was. Thank you for coming over to my apartment and putting my very first Christmas tree together for me. Thank you for leaving your golf game to come and rescue me when I was stranded on the highway when my car had "died"....(it really was just out of gas!). Thank you for teaching me how to balance a checkbook and save money (Duke also thanks you for that one!). Thank you for teaching me to always believe in myself and listen to Margo...the rest will be easy.

Most of all, thank you loving me and ALWAYS believing in me.

Happy 60th Birthday!!! I love you!

Christmas Day at Mom & Dad's

2010-01-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas Day at my parents house! I have so many wonderful memories of long mornings spent sitting in the floor of their living room playing with all of our surprises. I remember how much I used to love to watch my parents open their gifts from each other. I loved watching my Mom open the gifts that were usually hidden deep down in the bottom of her stocking or watching as my Dad went and got the box he had hidden in some other room of the house so my Mom wouldn't find it. I have always been in awe of their love for each other and still am.

We headed over to my parents in the afternoon and enjoyed a great day of friends and family. We were lucky enough that Pat and John were able to spend Christmas with us again and they brought Addison's favorite 4-legged friend, Sandy.

Addison was so excited that Santa had also came to visit her at NaNa and PopPop's house! Who knew the old man made multiple trips?? PopPop was thrilled he brought her a kitchen so Addison could always make sure he had a snack waiting for him! ;)

Addison educating Captain John on how these kitchens work...he caught on beautifully! :)

Addison was so excited about her kitchen and new food that we ended up doing most of her Christmas in the floor of her room at my parents house.

I love the look on Addison's face in this photo. Addison LOVES pajama's and if she could have it her way, she would never take them off. Look at her face when we agreed to let her take off her dress and put her new pair on! Classic!

So sweet!

The Tesh's (minus Sandy!)

The 4 Divas! (More explanation on this photo later...promise!)

Poor Addison was so tired and worn out...she laid down right on the floor!

Stockings are a BIG deal in my family...you just never know what you're going to find in them! Duke was very excited about his deodorant and shaving cream. :)

See...like I said...you never know what you're going to find in them!

Addison looks so grown up to me in this picture. She sat so quietly and watched us open our gifts. I love how her little legs are crossed.

Pat got Mom and I glasses...a princess one for me and one with flip flops for her for all our fun memories at the beach!

My brother got Addison a bible and wrote her the sweetest message inside of it...I know she will treasure this one day.

My parents have the greatest neighbors and they have basically adopted Addison has their grandchild. This photo proves how much Addison has them wrapped around her little finger! If you only knew Scott...you would know how funny this picture is.

By the end of the night, Addison was exhausted and Duke and I were overwhelmed by how blessed we are to have such amazing family and extended family. We had such a wonderful Christmas and it's hard to believe it's come and gone. Hope Santa was as good to all our friend's and family as he was to us!

Santa Came!

2010-01-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was definitely the most fun with Addison...she was all about Santa this year! She has always liked Santa, she has never been the child that cried when she went to see him, but this year...she LOVED him! Duke and I had so much fun re-living our childhood through her.

We enjoyed a somewhat early morning with just the three of us before we headed over to my parents house to celebrate Christmas with them. Addison was so excited to come down the stairs and see what Santa had brought her!

Look at the excitement on Addison's face when she realized that Santa had enjoyed her cookies she made him....too cute!

The only thing Addison asked for this year was a "Disney Princess Mirror" and much to her delight...Santa came through!

Santa also brought her a case of princess dress up clothes and she was THRILLED!

Santa even brought Belle a new sweater!

We are lucky enough to have the best neighbors and Addison adores their two little girls. They came over Christmas morning and the three of them were so cute playing with Addison's new stuff and exchanging presents.

The Skalon's must have pretty good this year because Santa sure was good to all of us! ;)

Christmas Eve (Part 2):

2010-01-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

After church, we headed straight to Duke's parents house to celebrate Christmas with his parents, two sisters, brother and their families. I have always loved Christmas at his parents house. Between his siblings, there are seven grandchildren, so there is always so much excitement about Santa Claus coming and you really get to see the "magic" of Christmas in their eyes. This year was even more special because Duke's brother and his wife, Jennifer, had a little girl in November and this was her first Christmas. So as the grand kids had fun with their new toys...all the ladies had fun passing sweet baby Kami around. :)

Here's a photo of all the gifts before the kids came down (think they are loved??):

Addison's big gift from them this year was her kitchen and she was SO excited to see it waiting for her when she walked down the stairs! Once she saw that, she wasn't interested in opening any other presents. We all spent the rest of the night eating plastic food. :)

Our attempt to get a shot of all the grand kids:

So proud!

A glimpse at all the craziness!!

As I mentioned before, we are all so in love with little Miss Kami. As you can see in the pictures, Addison and Ansley were a little out numbered when it came to boys vs. girls, so Kami helped to even that number out. Needless to say, Addison is in awe of Kami and wants to love on her every chance she gets. I snapped these photos of Maw-Maw and two of her three girls and I simply ADORE them. I was so glad I was able to capture such a sweet moment between a grandmother and her grand children. I can't wait to print them out and give them to Ruth.

All of the kids are getting so big and time is passing way too quickly. Look at this photo I found of the kids from just two Christmas's ago:

It's hard to believe that much time has passed already! I'd love to slow time down.

Hope everyone had as memorable of a Christmas eve as we did!

Christmas Eve 2009 (Part 1):

2010-01-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

Our church offered three Christmas eve services this year so we attended the 5 PM service so we could get to Duke's Mom's house as close to 6 PM as possible. This was the second year that we attended Christmas eve service at The Vine but this year was even more special because my parents, brother, John and Pat were able to go with us. This was also the first year that our church was in it's own building (last year we met at Chateau Elan) so that was even better.

I am so glad that our family adopted the tradition of attending church on Christmas eve. I can remember attending midnight Christmas eve services when I was younger and I remember how much I enjoyed it. I'm sure it will be a while before we ever attend a midnight service with Addison but I'm glad we are able to go to an early service with her.

Addison really enjoyed the service this year and just like last year, we left with a few memories I know we will never forget. First, Addison LOVES listening to our band play and she spent a good bit of the time front and center watching them. There were multiple times I thought she was going to walk right up on stage and was thankful we had chosen an end seat so Duke could grab her. Maye we have a future musician on our hands??? Or maybe she's going to have a thing for guy's in bands?? Let's hope it's the first one! ;)

Second, our church closes out our Christmas service by lighting candles and singing Silent Night. I had not given any thought to the fact that Addison would want to hold her own candle until right before it came time to light hers. I went ahead and lit her candle, thinking I would help her hold hers and blow mine out. Well, right as I went to blow mine out, Addison leaned forward to see what I was doing and put her hair right into her candle. All I can say is God was defiantly looking out for her that night because I happened to see all of this happen out of the corner of my eye and Mom and I both grabbed the end of her hair before much of it burned. Needless to say, I was done with the candles before we had sung the second verse of Silent Night. :)

The last thing is something I know I will never forget and I am so thankful Jason, our outreach pastor, found me after the service and told me this. At the end of the service, our pastor was leading people in prayer and talking to everyone about asking Jesus to come into their heart. At the end, he asked anyone that had prayed that prayer for the first time that night to please raise their hand. Jason said that a few moments passed and then you saw Addison's little hand come up. She raised her hand! How precious is that?!!?

Now, I know that at 3 years old she was probably doing what she told to do (raise your hand) but the thing that got me was the fact that she was listening (which is HUGE for a 3-year old!). Also, Addison does not attend regular service with us on Sundays so I wondered if she would be so overwhelmed and distracted by the band, stage set up, etc. that she wouldn't "get" anything that was said that night. I just couldn't believe that she had done that and thought it was so sweet. I have to say that I was so humbled at that very moment, knowing that God is doing wonderful things with her and her heart. It was such a special ending to a wonderful service!

Christmas with Mom's Side Of the Family

2010-01-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

In typical fashion, I am so behind on this blog and all of our Christmas festivities. Sorry! I guess the best way for me to try and play "catch up" is to attempt to break all of the craziness down into different parts. :)

So here we go....

We always do Christmas with my Mom's side of the family the weekend before Christmas since all of us have our own families now and so many places to visit Christmas day. It is so nice to have this time to get all of the Great-Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, cousins and great cousins together and I wish we were all able to do it more often. Both of my cousins have little boys that are about 6 months older than Addison so it is always fun to get them together and see how different little boys are than little girls!

Here's our attempt at trying to get a photo of the great cousins together:

(Ryan, Addison, Michael)

They were singing some Christmas song at this point :)

I love this photo of my Grandfather and all the great grand kids:

(Ryan, Addison and Michael)

My Grandfather with most his grand kids:

(Melette, Me, Granddad, Adam, and Nick)

And since we were in such the picture taking mood...my Grandfather with most of his children:

(Ken, Dave, Nadine, Granddad, Mom)

We had such a fun afternoon and WAY too much yummy food. All of the kids were so excited about Christmas and got lots of new toys to hold them off until Santa came! :)

Cookies with Santa!

2009-12-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, my girlfriend Kate and her family had a group of us over for cookies with Santa. We had so much fun decorating cookies and visiting with friends until Santa arrived. I did not tell Addison that Santa was going to be at Mrs. Kate's house so she was quite surprised when he walked through the door. In fact, I wish so badly that I would have had my video camera with us because when she learned that he was there, she literally jumped up and down screaming "Santa!!!" and squealed sooo loud. No fear of Santa for this little girl! Everyone got the biggest kick out of her!

The "cookie table" :)

As you can see, Addison enjoyed hers

I was able to get some of the sweetest photos of Addison and Santa. She LOVES him and it has been so much fun to experience the Christmas "magic" all over again with her this year.

Looking for Santa out the window. I can only imagine what she must have been thinking!

SO very excited to see Santa!

Making sure Santa knows exactly what she wants...

She stared at him all night...she was amazed by him!

Cheese!

Our 100th attempt at a family shot... :)

The Varn family

Ethan telling Santa, "Look Santa!! It's you!!" It was priceless!

Santa even loves Mommies!

I adore this photo of Ethan and Hudson...Ethan was way over having people scream "Smile!" at him! :)

All the kiddos!

Sweet Hudson!

Thanks to The Varn's for such a fun night!

Santa came to Ivey Chase!

2009-12-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, Santa Claus came to visit the kids in our neighborhood and everyone had a wonderful time and was on their BEST behavior! ;)

Here are some cute photos I got of Addison and the big guy!

As you can tell, Addison LOVED him and was soooo excited to see him. She even got to see the jingle bells off of his sleigh and Santa let her shake them so she would know what to listen for on Christmas Eve. :)

I love this photo of Addison and I. What a special memory of such a fun stage in her life.

Addison really enjoys making crafts lately so she was very excited that she got to make a candle holder for us to have at home.

And I'm sure I will receive a big lump of coal in my stocking for this photo and comment but I couldn't pass it up...doesn't this photo of Santa remind you of exactly what you would envision a Santa in Dacula, Georgia to look like??? Missing tooth and all! (Just for the record, and as you can see in the other photos...Santa had all of his teeth!)

Merry Christmas!! It's getting closer! And Addison hopes after her Mom's last comment that Santa still stops at our house! :)