....just because!

Well normally, I tend to blog about Addie Claire - but this time I figured that I would blog about just "life" in general! Don't worry, I am sure this will end up coming back to that sweet ACP somehow!
Sometimes we all take life for granted. I have come to realize this.... One day on Oprah...I know, I know....there was someone on there speaking and they said that if everyday you begin the day saying "thank you" for what you have in your life you will become more aware of your everyday blessings....so I thought, heck...I'll give it a try! The truth is whether that worked or not, we have so much to be thankful for....family, friends, health...the list goes on and on!!!
Just recently we have become good friends with our neighbors that we have lived beside for 4 years!!! You are probably thinking....after 4 years....you people are crazy! Well, if you have ever been to our house you know that the neighbors that live right beside us have bushes on both sides of their house(that we HATE!!!!) that must be a least 7-8 feet tall!!! Did I mention that we hate them???? Well, beyond those bushes on the other side are our new great friends....The Brumleys! We love some Paige and Brandon! I know that things happen for a reason and that God leads people in and out of our lives....and this "union" of friendship could not have come at a better time! It is so crazy that Paige and I have not been friends before this point....we have random circle connections that have taken us back...to high school! Yes, and I mean High School! We (Don, Paige, and I) all went to J.A. Fair - never knew it.....we know some of the same people.....I worked with her cousin.....I have kept her cousins....and somehow we lived right beside these bushes and never knew each other!!! So fast forward now and you will see us together almost everday....Brandon and Don sitting on the couch with the sounds of their little fingers going ninety to nothing on the PS3 or playing basketball in the blazing heat!.....Paige and I running at night together (Yes people I said running!!!) with the occassional sound of a water bottle or two being thrown....working on their new nursery - they are embarking on a very rewarding adventure in their lives, they are becoming foster parents! What two better people for this could anyone ask for? These two are excited beyond words...please keep them in your prayers!.....or planning neighborhood events!!! Addie Claire.....(see I told you it would come back to her!)...is in love with them. She watches Brandon all the time....but is still not quite sure of him.....she loves playing with Mrs. Paige, Har-Dog, and of course all the picture frames that they have in their home! Don, Addie Claire, and I are so thankful that this family has come into our lives. They have brightened it with love, laughter, and wonderful friendship (plus did I mention that Paige is a baker sent from heaven....note why we must run!) We are so glad that one day we stepped beyond the bushes....and met! So.....Thank you for the blessings that you give us each and every day...we never know when one more blessing may just be beyond the bushes!!!

Playin' @ Mills Park

Don and I took Addie to the Park last night to play! We had to wait until the sun went down, because as all of you Arkansas people know....IT's HOT! HOT! HOT! outside! This big girl had a great time. She ran around the "baby" section of the park and played her little heart out! She probably would have wanted to stay longer, but she started getting a little warm! Did I mention that it is HOT outside? Anyways, she did some swinging, some running (with some falling too), some sliding, and some playing in the dirt. She had a blast! She is not to sure about getting her hands dirty - when she would fall she would try to wave the dirt off! (Presh!) Daddy showed her how to brush her hands off and when she learned that - she was all about brushing some dirt off!

I hope you enjoy the pictures!

When we got home from the park, she kept playing with my sunglasses. She won't let them stay on for long, she likes to put them on the back of her head. This kid cracks me up! Anyway, we finally got her to keep them on long enough to take a picture! We kept telling her she looked like a "movie star!" and she thought that was hilarious!!!

Father's Day with Daddy!

Aww, how the year has come and gone!! Don's 2nd father's day was this June!! Just last year we had a 6 day old baby girl! It makes me sad to think about how much she has grown, how much she has accomplished in just one year!!! This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of Don and Addie Claire and it was taken on Father's Day of last year!!! I am one lucky woman to have these two wonderful people in my life - I love them to the moon and back!

Addie Claire and Daddy ~ Father's Day 2008

And here they are today! Wow look how much she has grown - my sweet Angel Baby!

Don had a great Father's Day! We woke up that morning and opened his presents. Addie had made him a really cute 'handprint' picture frame - he loved it & we also got him a new PS3 game! He has been playing the downloaded version on the PS3 with our neighbor Brandon, so I figured we would take the plunge and get him the real version! Of course he loved it!!! Addie loved helping daddy unwrap the presents and play with the cards. There is something about envelopes that this girl loves.

Here are some pictures of Daddy's Special Day!!!

Happy Father's Day Daddy - We love you VERY much!!!!

Bedtime, Cups, and other Stuff!

I must brag on my little sweet pea! My goals for this summer where #1 for Addie Claire to start sleeping in her own bed & #2 for her to start drinking from a cup and not a bottle. Well, let's say that we have done about 1 1/2 of those things! On Sunday we decided that that was the day! (Why Sunday, I have no idea?) But we put her in her bed for naptime, she cried about 15 minutes and was out! Don and I were so pumped - we were high-fiving in the hallway! She slept about 45 minutes and was awake! We were so proud of her and let her know it too!!! That night when we left Paige and Brandon's house about 9pm we brought her home, put her in her bed, and after only 5 minutes of crying she was out and slept until 8:30 the next morning. She did wake up once - I gave her a bottle and back to sleep she was - I didn't even take her out of her bed! YEA ME!!! So, today is Thursday and each night has gotten better with less and less crying. In fact, today she told me "ni-ni" we went to lay down and she layed down and didn't even cry! Yes, ladies and gentlemen....we have a big girl!!! Finally!

Playing Outside with Daddy

We took Addie Claire in the backyard the other day and let her just run! She loved it! She played and played and played! It's so hard to believe that my baby is old enough to run and play in our yard! She is such a big girl! Daddy loved watching her run and of course he loved playing with her. She has lots of toys in the backyard and he has been waiting for the day to let her play with them. He tried to teach her how to kick a ball, but all she wanted to do is pick it up and carry it around. She loves to collect things and carry them all around. She cracks me up! We also took her in the front yard to get some pictures of her with my day lillies. They are blooming and look awesome. And yes Paige, my flowerbed has been weeded and looks a lot better now! She would not sit still! We have a neighborhood kitty (really it lives at Mrs. Paige's house) but Addie Claire spotted kitty and took off after it! She loves that thing.

Hope you enjoy! LOVE, Jessica

The Wonderplace and Chuck E. Cheese

Happy Birthday Addie Claire!

On Addie's real birthday, June 9th, Daddy took the day off from work and we made the day a whole day of celebration. That morning when she woke up she had a whole lot of presents to open! She especially loved the baby doll that talks and crawls. Everytime we go down the toy aisle at Target she sees it and points with some sort of loud yell! So, of course, that is what she HAD to have for her birthday....along, with lots of other stuff.

We went to The Wonderplace first. She loved walking around touching everything. She loved the River Market the best because you could pick up and play with all the toy food. And of course, where did that toy food go - to the mouth of course! Thank Goodness for the icky bucket! In all honesty, we know that Addie Claire had a great time - but we had a great time too!

For lunch, we hit Chuck E. Cheese! She loved, loved, loved riding on the electric car things! (Don't know what they are really called) She got mad everytime we tried to take her off! She ate one whole piece of pizza by herself! She loved it!! I thought that she would be scared of the talking characters that sing and dance - but she wrinkled up her nose, pointed and laughed! Sweet baby girl!!!

That night - at around 4:06pm - the actual time she was born (we're not sentimental......I swear! :) ) she had cake and ice cream. At her birthday party she had a lot of pratice, but this time she decided to use a different technique....face first! The pictures speak for themselves!We had a great family day!I hope that you enjoy the pictures!Love,Jessica

And....we love ice cream too!


Addie Claire,

I hope that one day when you read this you will understand how much your daddy and I love you! You have brought so much joy to our lives. We honestly couldn't image life without you. I find it so hard to believe that you are one year old. I can remember bringing you home from the hospital, filled with such emotion. You are the sweetest, most beautiful little girl I know! I know that you have so much ahead of you in life and that you will make this world a better place! I love you more that you will ever ever ever know!!!! Always believe in yourself and know that your daddy and I are there behind you 100 %!

Love, Mommy