Random

Can you believe my dad makes me wear a helmet around the house?!?!

Not really, it's just half of the shape-sorting ball!
Peek-a-Boo! Here is Addie playing with me. She loves this game right now, especially while getting her diaper changed. She tries to say it too, but it ends up sounding like "ak-bo". We love it.
Here she is after coming home from the grocery store yesterday. The checker gave her a BALLOON! She played with it in the backseat on the way home and squealed and laughed and had a great time. Oh, the joy a little balloon can bring into one's life.







Also, a warning for those who check the blog every day or so. We are switching DSL providers and there will be a lag between shutting off service with the one and the new one starting. The new company said it could be A WEEK OR TWO before they start. Since service gets shut off tomorrow, we could go awhile without internet access. I barely know how I'll make it through, so no complaining from you people please! Sorry for the lack of posts (and email abilities for that matter).

Pool Party

So our neighbor Kelli got an inflatable pool...

Before it was even inflated, the kids, already in suits, started swarming. Have you ever lived in Southern California in the summer and left a piece of food outside? The ants will come within seconds and before you know it, the food is covered. Well, it was kind of like that.

Let me remind you that there are 22 children living in our apartment complex. The oldest is 6. No kidding. So it was quite a circus out there!
Here is Addie keeping a safe distance from the revelry.
And here is what happened when Prissy Missy was put in the pool. She went in no further than her ankles.
Here is a cute shot of our neighbor's little guy Lucas. Notice Addie's proximity to the pool...

Father's Day

Here is the dynamic duo on the Big Day.

Going out with my Baby

Actually not with the baby, with my husband....

For our anniversary, we went to see a show in Westwood called "George Gershwin Alone." It was a biographical sketch about one of the best composers EVER! (Niki is a big fan). It was a terrific show and we had a really, really good time.

Best of all, we went OUT OF THE HOUSE, ALONE, AT NIGHT! Being out after dark is a rare event these days, so it was especially exciting.

Special thanks to Nate & Ashley Murray, whose babysitting love made this possible.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things...

Why not combine two great things into one experience?

(please note Addie's choice of footwear while rocking)

Baby Likes to Rock It

Addie was given an airplane from Niki's parents
(it has been waiting in their attic for a grandchild for quite some time),
and it ROCKS!



Addie LOVES it.



She has even learned to say "rock"



(Addie has also considered her future as a wing walker, but that does not meet with parental approval.)

How Does This Thing Work

Addie finally got interested enough in the bike outside to give it a try. It took much coaxing, let me tell you! It proved to be a little challenging for her....

She couldn't figure out how to "use her legs" like mommy was telling her, and also sit at the same time. So here she is standing, to use her legs.
And here she is sitting, but not getting anywhere.
Aha! Finally she figured out how to sit AND move her legs at the same time!

Now she can ride a bike like all the big kids! (although she is still a little hesitant about it and only tries for a few minutes at a time)

Our Wedding Video

Being that it is the eve of our Sixth Wedding Anniversary (Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, 6!), we just finished watching our wedding video. It is a tradition for us to watch it on each anniversary and we have found that we say the same things each year. So here is a synopsis for you- read carefully- you just might find your name below.

-Wow, we were skinny!
-Oh, we miss Pastor Philip's accent!
-Hey, remember how sick Jessica was? She looks like she's going to puke going down the aisle!
-Here comes Brooke and her "good reading voice"
-Who's idea was it to surround Greg like a Nascar pit crew? Do you think it was Joe? No, I'll bet it was Brad & Mark
-Hey, there's Quincy- we need to call him (we really do say this every single year)
-Hey, there's Paulo- we need to call him (really)
-Hey! There's the Rios Family! We need to call them (are you sensing a theme yet?)
-I can't believe we kissed during the ceremony before the proper time. Ha ha!
-What a great ceremony
-Push fast forward- let's watch the groomsmen dance during prayer
-There's CW!
-Wow. Mark (Spangler) and Laura (Tagliere) (who walked down the aisle together) don't look any different (this is stated in a slight air of disgust)
-Here comes "the huncher"
-Thank God for Carl Barnes and all this great video
-Our reception was fun
-There's Aunt Dewey!
-Who thought it was a good idea to give Niki a mic? (I'm embarrassed watching myself every year)
-Greg, you're SMOOTH with a mic
-There's the Vances, the Doyles and the Fays- look how little their kids are!!!
-Hey, I wonder what Mark Tatlock is going to say?
-There's Dan- he married Randy Alcorn's daughter- he's cool
-There's Lori Johnson and Dhon Wellons seperately. Wonder if they would have believed us if we told them they'd get married some day
-Jim & Jamie Daggs are hilarious- we're gonna miss them!
-Someone's wearing some BLUE eyeshadow! (then Greg says) Electric Youth!
-Kelly & Susan Coudsy are funny too!
-Chris Kropf looks so young- had he started shaving yet?
-Ah, Joe's toast was the best
-Look at that cake!!! How'd she do that?
-With the rowdy crowd at one table, you'd never know there wasn't alcohol served
-Did we ever thank Nicole Rehman enough? CAN we ever thank Nicole Rehman enough?
-Melissa- I didn't mess it up!
-There goes Hector...
-Ruth "Hip Check" Dyer- is there a statute of limitations on catching the bouquet?
-Thank you, Niki's friends, for telling Greg he's NUMBER ONE!



There are a LOT of inside jokes in this post. Maybe, if you beg, we'll explain A FEW.

Spy

I spy with my little eye...

Catching the Fever

Well, the Cavs are down one game, but we're still rooting for them! See?


No, I did not stage this picture.










We are happy to report that Addie is mostly over her virus! Her fever has been gone for several days, but it seems her throat is still hurting a little. She is up and around like normal, just extra cranky. Oh well, what can you do?!

Diagnoses

Yeah! It's not an ear infection! The doctor took one look at Addie's throat and had much compassion for her. He says there's a rotten virus going around causing high fevers and sore throats. Of course we wouldn't want this, but we can't help but be relieved that her ears are not the problem. And though the next few days will not be fun, a virus means that we don't have to go to the pharmacy again! Yeah! We will, however, be short on sleep for awhile, but that's a familiar issue for us. So no blog posts for a few days at least- try to survive. :)

High Scores, High Temps

An exciting weekend at our house...

Some of you may not know that we are Cavs fans around here (Cleveland Cavaliers), out of loyalty to Niki's half-sister Carolyn, who is married to the Cav's coach, Mike Brown. Well there was a big game on Saturday and the Cavs beat the Detroit Pistons, taking them to the NBA FINALS for the first time in the history of the team! It was a very exciting game and we were extra thrilled to see lots of shots of Mike with his sons, our nephews, accepting the Championship trophy after the game. They are the cute boys in red, in case you're not sure.













We had some more excitement today (Sunday) when Addie came down with a fever of 103. Yuck. There isn't any obvious sign of what she is fighting, so our best guess at this point is it's the ears again. We will be visiting our dear friends at the Pediatrician's office AGAIN tommorow! Poor thing, she is more pathetic even that "normal" sick Addie and we are giving her lots of cuddles and video time. We'll let you know what we find out. I'm sure this illness will do a good job at distracting us during the long wait for Thursday night's playoff game between the Cavs and the San Antonio Spurs.

Nitty Gritty

We went to the park today to give Addie some time in the sand. Playing in dirt of any sort is one of her new favorite things.

Oh dad, you're so funny!

Earning her Keep

We decided it is time that Addie earn her keep around here, so we put her to work on the car today.
Sing it with me now- at the carwash, whoa whoa whoa, working at the carwash yeah
You missed a spot
Here she is playing with the soap- watching it drip off her hand was VEERRRRY interesting to her.