51 Weeks...

I need to prepare myself.  In one week my little baby will be one year old.  I can not believe that it has already been one year.  Life surely does flash before your eyes.  I really don't think I will have too much time to sit down and think of that this week.  And thank goodness for that, because I would more than likely drive myself crazy!

We have had a pretty busy day today!  I finally got my car back this morning...hurray!  My own vehicle feels foreign to me since I have not driven it in so long!  We did a little last minute shopping for Addison's one year pictures that were scheduled for today, but ended up rescheduling them for the end of the week.  We really have not had any good outdoor pictures for Addie and it rained almost all day here.  So lets pray for good weather at the end of the week.  I had to watch Max this afternoon and we had some dealings with our other house tonight.  This is why I am blogging when I should really be in bed!  I only have about a half hour until it is really Wednesday, so I better get this done!

Addie is doing fabulous.  She has a bit of a runny nose right now, but those things never seem to slow this little girl down!  She is still walking in between two people, but she has also began to take off from furniture on her own for about two steps!  I don't think it will be long!  She has learned how to purr like a kitty.  So now she can moo like a cow and purr like a kitty (she can even roll her tongue)!

This has been a poor week for me taking pictures!  Trust me, I will surely make up for that this next week! hehe!

Addie loves to play in the water at the sink!  If you turn it on a little way, she has a blast!  You just have to make sure she doesn't turn on the hot water!

The classic around our house...Addie and Daddy crashed on the couch together!  Notice when Dan is watching her, she never has any pants on!  Apparently it's too hard to get them on after changing her diaper...lol!  Or she escapes before he has a chance!

Momma and Addie before bed.  Look at that cheesy smile from Addie!

Sorry for the lack of pictures!  Lots to do this week!  Everyone have a wonderful week!!  

Look, I even have about 3 minutes to spare!

Road Trip?... "I'll POP on THAT!"

This weekend we took a little road trip to Picker's nation!  I have mentioned before that one of our favorite television shows is American Pickers on the History Channel.  Our friends Megan and Matt are also big fans, so we decided to take a road trip together!

It is hard for Dan to get off the farm.  Milking cows has to happen every day, twice per day.  Not to mention all the chores that need to be done every day.  It is hard to find someone you can fully trust to take care of everything.  One little mess up can cost a lot!  It also takes a lot of planning ahead!  Anyway, it is super difficult, but we pulled it off!  We may have left a little later than planned, but the trip was great!

The Picker's shop (Antique Archaeology) is in Le Claire and it was about a 2 1/2 hour drive.  We made our first stop there and then hit up several other Antique shops in town.   It was full of them!  There was SO much neat stuff!  Megan and I were both thinking that we needed to have some really good jobs so that we could buy some of the beautiful antiques that we saw!

So on to some of the pictures from our trip.  To be honest, these will not be as exciting if you do not watch the show.  The shop is so much smaller than it looks on t.v.  We were surprised to see Danielle there on a Saturday.  She really does work all the time!  While we were there I think the ladies got about three phone calls from Mike and Danielle told us that Mike and Frank were driving her crazy (which is SO common on the show!)!!  And the title of this blog post -- When Mike and Frank want to buy something and they make and agreement with the seller, they often say, "I'll pop on that!"  Like I said, none of this will mean anything if you don't watch the show!

Here is our picture with Danielle!  Don't we look like a great group?!!

In front of the big Phillip Morris man.  We watched the episode they purchased this in!

With the famous car!

While mommy and daddy were out having fun, Addie stayed back with cousin Maddie, who also watched Max and his friend Trey.  Addie was having a blast with them before we left!  She did have some attachment issues today though.  She went to bed without her mommy and daddy last night, and when she woke up this morning I had to quickly get her ready and haul her to my mom and dad's house so that I could go teach Sunday School.  By the time my mom dropped her off for church she would not go to anyone but her momma!  I think she was nervous that I was going to leave her again!  She spent the rest of the day attached to my hip...oh, I guess that really isn't any different than any other day!

We have a very busy week this week! We have ONE year pictures on Tuesday and the rest of the week will be spent getting ready for Addison's birthday party!  We have about 8 dozen filled cupcakes to bake, fill, and decorate.  We have Addie's cake to make, decorations to make, food to prepare, and all that other stuff!  Most of it can't be done until the last minute, so I am so thankful that one of my strong points is organization and perfection!  We can do this!  I am excited to make Addie's first birthday a memorable one!

FIFTY Weeks...

Wow, can Addie really be fifty weeks old?  Time really does flash in the blink of an eye and I need to remember to cherish this time because it goes so quickly!

This week has been busy as usual and we have had an exciting week!  Addie has began walking between people and furniture when you encourage her.  She still is very reluctant to go on her own, but this is where they start, and I am hoping that it will not be too long before she is moving on her own!  I think it is just a matter of her figuring out that it will get her around much faster than crawling.

We have been outside a lot.  The weather has been perfect this week and we want to soak it up as much as possible before it gets cold.  She loves to play in her climber and take walks in her stroller.  Addie and I have also been going out and picking pumpkins!  We have a pretty good crop of them this year and it makes me very excited because I love pumpkins!  

We have been working a lot around the house.  Getting things ready for the big birthday party!  Which is in less than two weeks!!  We also had to go to our other house and do some cleaning.  Nothing major, just some dusting and mopping.  Addie loved running around the empty house!  I wonder if she remembers it or not.  It  is so hard for me to go back there because we share so many great first memories with Addie and it is going to be so hard to let go when the time comes.  For now Addie will just be able to have a blast running around an empty house!

"Here I come Mama!!"

On Sunday Daddy's Packers played, so she had to dressed appropriately (according to daddy).  This jersey looks more like a dress, but Addie didn't seem to mind!  Here she is sitting in the glider.  She likes to sit there and moo at the cows!

Being a goofball the night she decided to start walking!

Well, I think that is about it for the week.  Dan and I are headed to Le Claire this weekend to take a little trip for our anniversary.  Addie is staying with her grandparents and should have a blast with Uncle Max!  This little trip is a big deal for us because dairy farmers NEVER get off the farm! lol!

Everyone have a great week! I am heading to bed!

W-A-L-K-I-N-G

ADDIE IS WALKING!!  We are so proud of her!  She was taking several steps and going to momma tonight!  She enjoyed it, especially with everyone cheering her on!  She still needs to be encouraged and will not walk on her own (still chooses crawling as her mode of transportation), but she will walk to you if you tell her to!!  Here are some of the pictures taken tonight as she was walking to momma!

She would walk and mommy would throw her in the air!  She loved it!

She was asleep about two blocks away from Tom and Shelly's house!  All that walking tuckered this little girl out!  

And one more comment from Dan (who loves her to wear her jersey that is way too big)...GO PACK GO!!!

Four Years Ago...

On a day similar to today.  Just a little on the chilly side and a bit cloudy.  I married my best friend.  It was one of the happiest days of my life.  We were just beginning our journey together.  Today I sit here and think of just how blissful this journey has been for us.  Although, I would have to say that the greatest of these journeys has been becoming parents.  It has been such a joy to raise Addison together and Dan has become such a perfect daddy, the daddy I always dreamed he would become one day!

Dan, I am truly blessed to call you my husband each and every day.  Thank you for the life you provide for Addison and I, and for being such a wonderful person.  We love you so much.  Happy Anniversary!!

Thanks to Nichole Priebe who also shot our wedding and allows us to share great memories through her photos! 

She has honestly been with us since the beginning!

A special thanks to all of our family and friends.  Without your everyday support and love, we would not have made it to where we are today!  We love you!!