60 months

Dear Addison,

I keep telling myself that I need to write you this letter. I sit down to do it, type a couple of words and then can't finish. The words I want to write are up there in my head, but they're just jumbled up with all of the other things that are going on. I can't get them to come out the right way. So I decided just to write whatever comes to my mind.

It's been five years since I held you in my arms for the first time. At the time it was all a blur. I was so jacked up on drugs that the whole thing seemed surreal. But I loved you instantly. That I do remember. And I'm pretty sure you loved me back.

Your random hugs and kisses brighten my day. Although you have so much more confidence than you did a year ago, there are still times when you shy away from the world and come to me for comfort. I love to hold you in my arms or rub your back while you cling to my leg and remind you that everything is going to be fine. Whether your scared, embarrassed or just need a hug, I am always there for you. At night I lay with you and sing You are my Sunshine, just like I have for the past five years. When the lights are out and you're all tucked in I kiss you goodnight, tell you I love you and wish you sweet dreams. Sometimes I want to jump in bed with you and hold you all night, but I let you rest so we can do it all again the next day.

But, since I'm writing you this letter to look back on, I'd like to add that you do have your moments. You're so much like me that it's hard to admit sometimes. You love to write, color and draw, but if for some reason you mess up or go out of the lines it's like a bomb went off in our living room. Your emotions are all over the place and you get so upset. After time has passed and you've calmed down, I explain to you that nothing or no one is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's those mistakes that help us learn and grow. It's going to be a few more years before you completely understand, but you're getting it. You're getting better at handling situations which makes the amount of alone time you have a lot less frequent. There are times when you're kicking and screaming for no good reason at all, but I let you have your moment. I let you be upset and figure it out. It happens to all of us. When it's all over, you're still my sweet Addison.

On any given day you'll tell me a story and barely stop for a breath. You'll draw me pictures and show them off, each one like it's your latest masterpiece. I see you and Morgan playing and drawing together and then five minutes later you're fighting. It's minimal and doesn't last long. Just something sister's do. Most of the time the problem is resolved before I even get involved. You have a passion for learning and are doing so great in school. We work on your reading, writing and math mostly because you love to. I have no doubt that you are going to do great in Kindergarten next year. I included this picture of your teddy bear Sammy because he is your best friend. You sleep with him every night and he's often found close by you throughout the day. You love this bear just like you love everything in life.

You have the sweetest smile and the most perfect teeth. You still won't use the fluoride toothpaste because you refuse to spit. You still prefer for me not to do your hair, but I can often convince you to let me pull it back out of your face. You've started biting your nails and I'm trying to stop it before it gets out of control. Wish me luck. The freckles under your eyes and on your nose are still the cutest ever! You've recently been wearing more skirts and dresses, but you're still not girly. You love to water the flowers and ride your bike and you're swimming like a fish. You love to wake up early on the weekends and play quietly with your sister.

I love your silliness and funny faces. The way that you growl for no reason at all. I love how excited you are to see me when I pick you up from school. I love everything about you.

I love that you are my daughter.

Love,
Mommy

check up

Most kids don't like going to the doctor. Mine, they love it! I'm not sure if it's the promise of a lollipop and sticker at the end or if it's that they get to cook for me while they wait.

Everything checked out just great with Morgan. She weighs 28.2 pounds and is 37.5 inches tall. She past the hearing and vision tests with 100%. No shots this time around, but she did have her iron checked with a finger prick. No flinching, no crying. In fact, she sat there and studied every move they made while I had to look away from the tiny drop of blood.

Some things never change though. There's something about this stool and sitting under the counter. I took this at her 18 month well visit.

I love this little face.

to my mom

I hope you have the best 32nd anniversary of your 29th birthday!

Happy Birthday mom! We love you lots.

happy anniversary

It's been 7 years since I married this guy. He's always making me laugh. There is never a dull moment.

He's going to kill me for posting this picture.

A lot has happen over the past 7 years. Just like most couples we've had good times, bad times, and a lot of fun times. We've had two beautiful daughters who fill our lives with so much joy. Each day we learn and grow. Everyday is an adventure and I wouldn't change it for anything. I love this life. I love Michael.

I know that we can make it through anything together. Thank you for marrying me! Happy Anniversary!

a perfect day

I wanted to spend as much time with the girls this weekend as possible. Michael and I are headed out of town soon and my mommy guilt has kicked in. I wanted some good quality time with them. I feel like I succeeded. Saturday morning we played outside and got a lot of things done. At some point we took a break to have an Oreo snack. I love weekend mornings when we don't get out of out pajamas until lunch time.

The girls watched a movie while we were getting lunch ready. I looked out and saw them like this. I promise that I did not ask them to pose for a picture. They were all snuggled like this for a good amount of time.

*This is my new favorite picture of them!

After a long and successful nap with Addison we all got up and headed to the redneck carnival that was right up the street. Morgan thinks she is ready for the rides, but she really isn't. She would get to the point where I would actually put her on the ride and then she would freak out. It was probably the world's fastest carnival visit. Three rides in 30 minutes and we were out.

We took the non traditional route and did frozen yogurt before dinner. Why not?!

We ended the day as a family watching Good Luck Charlie. One of my favorite shows. What? You don't watch kids shows? You should. This one is funny. Then I read books and tucked them both in for bed. It was the perfect day.

taking flight

Not me. Not yet. My nerves aren't ready.

Our nephew Matthew has been at Embry Riddle learning to be a pilot for one school year. In fact, he can officially pilot a small plane all by himself. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that within 4 months or so he had his private pilot's license. Now he can fly a plane, with all of those buttons and switches and monitors ALL BY HIMSELF.

Yeah. I'm not ready. I did take a picture by the plane.

The girls as co-pilots.

All of these pictures were taken before take off. You can see Matthew in the background doing all his pre-flight stuff. He takes it very seriously. Everything was checked out and things were noted. I have no clue, but it all looked important.

Michael and his sister Angela. There's Matthew again.

Here's our crew. Michael's sister Angela, her husband Scott and Scott's sister Candy on the end. They flew down to visit and help Matthew move into his first apartment.

Michael, Angela and Candy flew. I was going to let Addison go, but she chickened out at the last minute. She's more and more like me everyday. Morgan wanted to go in her place, but I wasn't ready for that either.

And off they went. We watched them take off. Matthew even did a wing wave because he knew the girls were watching. While Matthew was surprising the three of them with a zero gravity move (and they all almost lost their lunch), we were back at the pool enjoying the sun. Much better on my nerves.

mom's day

I love being a mom. I love waking up everyday and seeing these faces. It's not always easy being a mom, but the hugs and kisses make it all worth it. My heart is filled with so much love because of these two girls. This was taken outside church Sunday morning.

I got a bunch of love on Mother's Day. For weeks I've been getting cyptic messages about the Mother's Day gifts they were working on at school. Addison told me she painted a box, but wouldn't tell me what color. Morgan kept talking about a tea pot. And then Thursday afternoon I received this pin from Addison. I wore it to work on Friday and she was so thrilled. I also wore it all day on Sunday.

Morgan gave me a sweet angel picture she made using her hand prints with a poem on the back. She also gave me a card with a painted teapot, a cute note, and a tea bag taped inside. To end the day the girls put on a show for me.

A big thank you to Nana Patsy for making cards with the girls and teaching them this song. It really was the sweetest thing and made my Mother's Day that much more special. We love you!

And mom. You're a great mom and a lot of who I am today is because of you. Thank you for teaching me the skills to parent my own children. We're very lucky to have a Grandma like you!

another bike ride

Round two of the birthday bike. I still think this is the coolest thing ever! Thanks to Mrs. L, the school director, for doing this for the kids.

family celebration

Michael's parents and niece came in to town the night of Morgan's birthday so we waited until they arrived to do presents and cake. Morgan didn't want or need much, but I had to get her something. New flip flops that she asked daddy to put on immediately and a Strawberry Shortcake dress.

The girls love getting cards in the mail. The money is a bonus. They both are really good about taking their money and putting it straight in their piggy bank.

I bought Morgan this fancy cupcake at Publix so we could sing Happy Birthday at home. She did everything she could to lick all of the icing off the top. I have a million pictures that all look like this.

She is definitely my sugar and sweets eater.

The only gift Morgan asked for was a cash register. You can see it here in the background. She loved all of her presents and was one happy birthday girl.

I totally came home and put on my pajamas so don't judge. It's all about how cute Morgan is anyway.

This may be one of my favorite things ever. She put on her Strawbery Shortcake dress and was so excited about how it was a good "spinning dress". She twirled and twirled like this the whole night. She was running into walls and falling down all over the place because of the dizziness.

We love you Morgan! I hope you enjoyed your birthday. Based on the smiles, I think that's a yes.

may 8th

Tradition in our house is to wake up to some sort of decorations. Since we had some teenage boys sleeping in the playroom we scaled it back a bit. Morgan didn't seem to mind. She still thought she was pretty special.

Since Michael's parents would be in town that evening for the birthday festivities, we only let Morgan open one present that morning. Her present from Addison, which happen to be a new princess dress and two crowns. Her best friend at school was kind enough to give her a present as well. Coloring stuff and bubbles. Only hours into her birthday and she was already over the moon.

Just like Addison, we did Chick-fil-a lunch with the kids in her class. Unlike Addison's class, every single one of those kids was quiet while eating their lunch.

When it was time for cake there was no more silence.

Morgan's teacher said that she wore the birthday crown almost all day. She was so cute with all the attention. Definitely not as shy as her sister. The girl's love when daddy comes to special events at school.

Me and my sweet girl. She had such a great day.

I have birthday bike video. Coming soon!

pool party

I didn't want Morgan to feel left out or cheated, but I really didn't want to have another big birthday party. Remember that I've mentioned I have the best neighbors EVER! They were kind enough to host a pool party at their house. It wasn't much, but it was just enough for Morgan to feel special. We did pizza and a couple of side dishes. I even bought some bottled soda. The kids get a kick out of them and they just taste so much better.

The only thin Morgan requested for her party was a Princess and the Frog cake. I still don't know why she was so adamant about it, but it doesn't matter. Her face lit up when she saw this thing. I surprised her with Tiana plates and napkins as well. You would have thought she won the lottery.

She loved the cake, but hated the pictures.



Morgan had a blast opening presents. The bubble gifts were a huge hit.

We had a great afternoon swimming int he pool, eating cake, and hanging out with some really great friends. Thanks to everyone who made Morgan's day so special.