Family Weekend

Oh we were so excited for Andy to come back in town on Friday! He had been gone for almost a week and a half between a trip with his dad and brother and a work one as well.

We decided to celebrate everything finally being done with the house by getting OUT of the house and doing a lot of fun stuff around town. House & move stuff has been going on since the end of April, so this was the first weekend in almost FOUR months that we could just enjoy!

We drove into town Friday afternoon and took Addison to the Childrens' Museum. She spent most of her time at the "tot spot" and loved just exploring. If we lived closer, I know we'd be there every week. It was great.

Spent most of her time in a car of some kind

Then...although I don't have any pictures....

We went to Collinas to pick up some of our favorite pizza and went to visit our good friends Sawyer & Lauren and got to hang out with Brayden and their newest little beauty, Laney. Shoot, I'm so mad I don't have pics!

Saturday morning we got to go eat breakfast at Empire Cafe....oh it's all about the food whenever we actually go into town. Food and shopping....

Because after breakfast we went to Rice Village and poked around some cute baby stores. I sucked it up and bought two maternity shirts (I was trying my darndest not to actually buy maternity stuff this time around), and we found our double stroller at the Right Start that just opened up again. Why did this place have to disappear up here? I miss it so much!

So here is the double that we decided on.... It's a Baby Jogger City Mini and I love how light and narrow it is for a tandem. You can also put the little one in it as soon as they can hold their head up at 2 months, so you don't have to cart the car seat around. Love that!

Saturday afternoon, it was off to the pool. Andy had never been to Creekside, so we introduced him. He disappeared for about 10 minutes to the water slide, so I think he liked it as much as the other 10 year old kids around him.

Little fish

absolutely

loves

the water!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Tiny "Dancer"

Addison started this little "Mommy & Me" dance class this week. I think mommy was doing most of the work. I was absolutely zonked after 30 minutes. There wasn't much dancing, but there was music, which is pretty much all Addison cares about anyways....that and maracas...oh and she got a balloon & sticker when she left, so she was good to go.

It was an excuse to play "dress up" with her though....I wasn't the only mom.

I couldn't take pictures at the class, but I did get a few right before we left.

She still kind of has that "drunken sailor" walk and I LOVE it.

Tiny dancer playing with rocks...

enough already

On a side note...I walked into the playroom the other day and found her on TOP of the play table. It's her new thing....climbing on everything. The only problem is she can't get down.

Big Sister in Training

I have been a little worried about how Addison is going to adjust to having a little brother. It brought me a little comfort and warmed my heart to get these pics this morning. She has been loving playing with her "baby". The only problem is when she gets tired of her, she throws her out of the stroller or hands her to the dog. Might have to work out the kinks....

Giving kisses

"Rock, rock"

"feeding"

Taking her for a walk

Forget the baby, bring on the diva....

Childrens' Museum

Today we got out of the house to give our painters some room (they are almost finished...only one more day!!) Whoohoo!

We met Georgia and Macie at the Woodlands Childrens' Museum. Where have I been? This place is great! She was loving going from one place to another. There were all these cute little areas to play in. Addison was most interested in the trains, blocks, and dinosaur/truck area. I may have a little tomboy on my hands!

She loves food...real food/fake food...doesn't matter

And stealing food...

This poor guy was not too happy that this little girl was all up in his trains

"shopping"

Then back to the trains...

Adorable Macie who is about to welcome a little sister, Lexi!

Dirt is so much fun.....

I would have taken a picture of her trying to "eat" the dirt, but the other moms were already giving me weird looks as it was....

Loved the hat

This cracked me up..

I turned around and she is right in between these three older kids just watching whatever they were doing and loving being a part of it.

The Uh Oh Song...

Andy and I decided to sign up for this "Love & Logic" parenting class at church. It's actually got some great information to offer. Yesterday we learned about the "uh oh" song....which made me laugh because it's really not a song at all...just a method for a time out sort of consequence. You're just supposed to use this goofy sing song voice so you don't say what you really want to say to them.

Basically, they're saying not to give any warnings or count to three, etc. when your child is misbehaving, but scoop them up while saying, "Uh oh....time for a little _____ time". This can be bedroom time, pack n' play time....any place where they are contained and away from you. If they throw a fit, you're supposed to let them do it, have time to calm down, then go get them, give them a hug, etc...

Well Addison has been pushing my limits lately, so I pictured in my head all of the great ways I was going to start using this. The class was saying you can basically start doing it at 7 months old, so the way I saw it....I was already behind. =) My child thinks the word "no" is hilarious and an invitation to continue doing whatever she was doing to cause me to say it.

So I'm trying to figure out where this "uh oh" time is going to take place... I don't like the pack and play because I don't want that to be seen as punishment seeing how we still need it to serve it's purpose of a travel bed for her. She's too young to just put in her room....so I'm thinking of just using the high chair and turning it away from me so she doesn't get the attention.

This works great in theory until she just starts acting up so many places that are just way too far away from the high chair and I"m too exhausted to do anything about it.

Like today, we spent an hour in HEB doing grocery shopping and she is letting me have it while standing in the check out line...trying to throw food out of the cart, etc. I know I've heard people say, just leave the cart and take them to the car....but those people have got to be crazy because there is no way I'm going to go through that hour and a half of grocery shopping all over again!

Then she's eating lunch in the highchair and proceeds to start throwing her cup, spoon, food overboard. I just ignored her and took it as a cue that lunch (which hadn't even started) was already over.

I was cleaning up in the kitchen from said lunch, and I look up...she is halfway up the stairs (having moved the baby gate herself) just smiling at me because she knows she is not supposed to be up there. So this time I had had it and just scooped her up saying, "oh, you must want to go take a nap" and put her in her crib. She was none too happy.

So rather than go on and continue to add to my "bad parent portfolio", I will just stop here and ask if anyone has anything else that's worked as a consequence for a 16 month old. I need to figure something out before December comes and little man is here....having a little bit of a momma freak out today.

I will leave you....if you are still reading.... with a picture showing her sweeter side....she's getting so big!! She loves to climb into any kind of chair...table, etc....just usually can't figure out how to get down.

Can You Hear Me Now?

We might want to up our cell phone plan now...this child has definitely gone over her minutes. Addison is in this phase right now where everything is a phone...everything.  Remotes, hands, little people toys, shampoo, carrots, oranges....you name it, she has it to her ear in serious conversation.  It cracks us up.

See what I mean, the little people duck is a phone....

Check out the video of her own little conversation