Home for the Holidays

It's that time of year again...time for cuddling by a cozy fire, sipping hot cocoa, basking in the glow of the Christmas tree, spending time with friends and loved ones...what's not to love about the holiday season?  With Christmas just around the corner, it feels like Autumn has quickly flown by...time to stop and smell those Fall roses...

Our Fall has been loaded with traveling and holiday activities, with more fun things in store this month!  We began October with a trip to Eastern Washington to visit my grandparents, a strategic plan to miss the snow that can make a trek over the pass next to impossible.  It was so much fun to have the four generations of women together and Addy loved trying to play with all of Grandma's collectables...  We'll definitely have to make another trip once the snow is gone! 

October also brought us officially into Toddler-hood - we now have a walking, mischeif-making, disappearing act on our hands that we like to call Addyson.  We've learned that there IS a thing as being TOO quite and silence means there's something keeping her occupied that shouldn't be.  Testing the bounderies is Addy's new favorite past-time, along with shaking her head "no" at us - the two of which do not go well together.  I've determined that I need to invent a force field that can keep toddlers out of arms reach from any problem areas at the touch of a button.  AND it needs to have the capability of keeping sippy cups and food from being chucked off the high chair tray...like a reverse feature!  Please email me if you can help me with said invention... Can't say this girl doesn't have a personality though!  She is full of jibber-jabber these days, although mama and dada are the only words we can actually understand.  She loves looking at our family photos and constantly points at them so that we'll name who's in the picture. She's extremely inquisitive and observant - thank GOD it doesn't seem like she inherited my complete lack of observation. She's a very happy, bubbly girl that loves to play peek-a-boo, run from the tickle monster, "train" Lucia (aka feed her treats) and read books.  In fact, pulling ALL the books from her bookcase is one of her favorite activities!  We're still working on the clean-up game...

November made a quick pit-stop at our home, giving us enough time for Thanksgiving and a trip to Cali.  And not just any trip, but my first flight with Addy BY MYSELF.  I know, I know...you're asking yourself, "Has she gone insane?!"  Well, yes, there are days I think I have but luckily this decision didn't cost me my sanity like I thought it would.  Let's just be thankful it's only a two-hour flight or I might have had a different outcome.  I made sure I was stocked with anything and everything I could think of to keep Addy occupied on the flight.  Crayons and coloring book?  Done.  Stickers and new toys?  You betcha.  Snacks and more snacks?  If you know my daughter, you don't even have to ask me this question...I might as well have had a mini-mart in my diaper bag.  So off we flew to see Grandma and Grandpa Jones!  We got them all to ourselves for a few days until Daddy, Auntie Sarah and Uncle Carl flew out a couple days later.  We went shopping with Grammy of course, and got in some good time on the beach.  The weather was incredible and we even got to play a round of golf!  First time for me since I was newly pregnant with Addy and I even shot a par!  Yes, just one, but I'll take my small victory against the golf course after my two year hiatus. :)  We also met the most well-trained flock of ducks any of us have ever seen - Jeff would whistle from 50 yards away and 40 ducks would fly right to us, landing/crashing inches from us!  It was one of the more entertaining things I've experienced on a golf course.  Here's a short video to pass along the entertainment: Duck Video

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving was amazing, delicious and full of appreciation for all we've been blessed with.  I think now more than ever I can truly understand and appreciate the unconditional love a family has for one another.  Growing up, I knew my parents loved me and I them, but until I became a parent myself, I could never fully grasp HOW MUCH I was, and am, loved.  It's a pretty incredible feeling - to look at my daughter knowing I love her with every being of my soul and realizing my family has that same love for me...it's humbling, actually.  So much to be thankful for, some many blessings we've been given, it would take me a year just to write them all down.  But as we plow head-first into the Christmas season, it's always a good reminder to reflect on what Christmas is all about and count your blessings - you might just find yourself getting enveloped in the spirit of giving and being a blessing to someone else.  Merry Christmas!!



There's a crack in the back!



When did October sneak up on us?  I can't believe Fall is already here!  The last month has been chalk full of activity - birthdays, visiting relatives, tropical vacations...what a whirlwind!  We ended our amazing summer with a visit from Brian's parents and grandmother and threw Addy's birthday bash while they were in town.  We did a monkey-themed party at the park for our little monkey, celebrating with family and a few close friends.  I could not believe how well Addyson did for the entire party.  She sat on my lap and opened gifts, interested in everything and not once getting fussy.  And she is definitely my daughter - she DEVOURED her cake! :) It was such a perfect day, beautiful and sunny and full of love for our baby girl.  We couldn't have asked for a better birthday celebration!  And we could never thank our families enough for their generosity and being there to celebrate our daugher. :)

 

Of course we had to do a small celebration on her actual birthday as well.  Just had Mima and a few friends over to the house for dinner and cupcakes.  Addy certainly remembered what cake was and jumped right in!

It's still hard to believe that our baby is officially a toddler, it seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital and having no idea what to do with her!  Addy has grown up so much and we marvel on a daily basis on how smart she is and what a big girl she's becoming.  She loves bathtime and reading stories.  We made "Addy's Corner" in our living room with all her books and music toys - she'll stand at that bookcase and take out all the books and flip through the pages, singing to herself as she goes.  It's one of the most entertaining things ever and just cracks us up!  After her bath, she loves to try to get away in all her naked glory, crawling as fast as she can down the hallway in a fit of giggles as we chase her.  She's very ticklish, especially under her arms and chin.  She is more and more fun to interact with every day and Brian and I are just relishing every moment.  We thank God every day for blessing us with our amazing daughter - our happy, smart, funny and loving Addyson. :)

Brian and I just got back from Jamaica and had an absolute blast with our friends.  From sunbathing on the beach to climbing up Dunn's River Falls, dancing with the jamaican ladies on the catamaran and snorkling in the beautiful ocean, there were so many amazing memories made.  Although our flight experiences left much to be desired, the trip was so much fun and our friends that joined us made it one that we will never forget!  I'll let the pictures do the talking. :) 

 

The morning after we got back from Jamaica, little Miss Addyson got baptized!  She was such a good girl, sitting in the pew with all of us during the service before her ceremony.  When the priest took her up to the Holy water, she thought it would be fun to play in it and splashed in the bowl while he poured it over her forehead.  That's our monkey! :)

Last weekend we took Addy to Remlinger Farms for the first time to go pumpkin picking!  We used to take Justus every year when he was little and it was so much fun to carry on the tradition with Mima. :)  We got to see the puppet theater and pet the farm animals.  Then we rode the little train before going to see the pumpkins.  We've been blessed with the best October weather I can remember in Seattle and it was 75 degrees that day!  We will definitely be making this a yearly family outing. :)

So often I take a step back and wish I could just freeze time and make these moments last forever.  Life gets busy, time flies by, we all get distracted with work, paying bills and planning for the future.  Sometimes we just need to stop, look around us and count our blessings.  I thank God every day for my amazing husband, daughter, family and friends and this awe-inspiring world he's created for us. <3

Celebrate Good Times!

Hard to believe September is just a few days around the corner - wow, this summer has flown by!  We've been busy making the most of the beautiful Seattle weather and trying to spend as much time around family (and water) as possible. 

Addyson continues to grow leaps and bounds - not only in size but also in personality! She's definitely a water baby, always wanting to walk right into the water with no problem.  She loves going swimming with Mommy and Daddy too. :)  She's warped to lightning-speed in her crawling - look away for 2 seconds and you'll be going to look for her!  She's constantly pulling up on anything she can and cruising along the furniture, taking a step here or there to reach for us or the couch, but most of the time it's a no-holds-bar "leap" (or rather "fall") of faith to get to us.  She's become much more lovey, gripping us tightly with her arms and legs when we pick her up and snuggling into our shoulders.  She gives kisses and smacks her lips making kissing sounds at us.  My favorite is when we read "Plant a Kiss" and she does the kissing noise as soon as we start reading.  It is so cute! 

Addy is such a happy little girl, smiling almost constantly.  She claps her hands when she sees us or whenever she gets a burst of happiness.  But not only does she clap her hands, she claps her FEET!  It is hilarious and so adorable!  She truly is such an angel when we are out and about - we get comments from family, friends and strangers all the time that she is just amazingly well-behaved and happy.  We've very lucky. :)  She recently started waving hello and good-bye but doesn't do it often so Brian hasn't even seen it yet!  She's ticklish just like her mommy and laughs and laughs when the tickle monster pays a visit.  She's also a wily little monkey, already trying to test the limits.  The other day she kept going to the TV console to pull up and we'd tell her 'no' and pull her back to the middle of the room.  She thought this was the best game in the world, laughing as she crawled (SPRINTED) yet again towards the table.  Boy was it hard not to laugh and keep a stern voice on that one!  Another of her favorite "games" is 'Quick! Eat the Flower!'.  The park around the corner has been abloom with field daisies and dandelions, the likes of which apparently look like candy to my daughter.  She'll pluck one and look at me out of the corner of her eye as she slowly brings it up to her mouth, just waiting for me to tell her 'that's icky!'.  More giggles ensue during this game.  Luckily she's a pretty good sleeper but she loves to use her newfound skills when we lay her in her crib and pulls herself up so she can cruise around her crib.  She'll play with the sound machine and her stuffed animals around the crib, sometimes sit and bang her head against the crib (apparently that's normal for this age!), then lay down and fall asleep.  The video monitor is waaaay better than any other entertainment we have!  Let's jsut say that if it weren't already apparent, there is no longer any room for doubt that this strong-willed girl will give us a run for our money!  But I wouldn't have it any other way! :)



What a time full of celebration in the Jones household right now!  My baby brother left for his first year of college a few weeks ago, following in mine and Brian's footsteps as a Sundevil!  We are so proud of him.  My darling, amazing sister-in-law, Sarah, just got engaged a few weeks ago and the whole family couldn't be happier.  She will be marrying an equally amazing man and we are thrilled for them!  Uncle Carl will be a great addition to our family. :)  I can't wait to plan with my SIL and see her as a gorgeous bride!  Addy also graduated to the Grasshopper Room and is officially considered a toddler at school.  My amazing MIL and FIL came up to visit this week and we celebrated Addy's birthday early - a separate post will come with pics of the party and her actual birthday next Wednesday.  I can't believe my baby girl is going to be a year old!!



Celebrating Carl and Sarah's engagement!

11 month pictures

Feet Clapping!





Fun wedding with my bf and her hubby

This month...
Addy's first: Kissing noises, waving hi/bye, cruising and pulling up, swimming, climbing stairs, eating SUGAR!
New foods: Birthday cake, snickerdoodle cookie, tofu
Favorite food: Pasta, spinach
Least favorite food: Raspberries
New 'Words': Ba-ba-ba