Welcome to Addie's little playroom....

Are we crazy or what?

Tim and I finished our big playroom project the other night and I wanted to share it with all of you. The pictures above fill the walls of Tim's used to be "Man-room" now turned "Addie's Playroom"! We had such a good time doing this project. Addie's mamaw made the transparencies at school and managed to convince her principal (THANKS to him!) to let her use an overhead projector. We picked out some of Addie's favorite cartoon characters and proceeded to paint them all over the walls of the playroom! We were up until midnight some nights just trying to get it all done. Addie loves them and will even point to them when you say their names...Tim taught her how to high-five the elmo painting because we put it right at her eye level! It is so funny! Im sure it will one day be a huge pain when we have to re-paint the room, but for now, it sure is cute! Hope you enjoy....

Christmas Morning at our house...

This Christmas morning was one of my favorites! It was so much fun watching Addie discover her presents from Santa! Check out this sleepy face...She had just come down the steps with her blankie in tow....and realized that something was different... This is her look of confusion.....Why are there people here this morning...and whose toys are those in my living room?

Her new car was one of her favorite gifts. She spent most of the morning in that car and she even learned to say the word "car" too! She thinks she is big time!

"Look Momma.....theres another new toy!"......Her new train table was a hit too, but the track didnt stay in place for much longer...

And of course she enjoyed the kitchen too! What a morning we had! Tim and I had a big ole country breakfast. We listened to Christmas music and watched Addie play hard for hours on end!

It was definitely a day to remember! What fun we are going to have with her for many years to come! I am a bit sad that it is all over. Tim headed off to work this morning and I already miss having him around. Addie is not going to like it one bit when she wakes up!

Christmas at my Mom and Dave's house!

Sunday we celebrated Christmas with Addie's Mamaw and Grandpa Dave! Addie spent the night there Saturday and after Tim and I got back from church, I headed over to help them get ready for our night. I spent the whole day there just playing with Addie and putting together some snacky foods! It was such a nice day. Tim came over after he helped "Santa" put Addie's kitchen set together....We all sat down to this beautiful table and enjoyed some of our favorite foods! Addie absolutely loved this new stroller from her Mamaw and Grandpa Dave. She must have pushed that thing around for over an hour.

Before we exchanged gifts, Tim, Mom, Dave and I all took Addie to our church to see a live nativity presentation they had planned for the church families to enjoy. Addie liked the adventure out, but was not too thrilled to be so close to the sheep and other animals they had there!

Mom and Dave got Addie the Rose Petal Cottage for their house. She loved it! It will definitely be something she will grow into, especially as pretend play becomes so fun for her!

Busy...busy....busy in her little cottage!

It was a really great night with lots of good food and some wonderful company! Addie is so loved by her Mamaw and Grandpa Dave and that makes me so happy!

I also have some great pictures from Christmas morning when Addie first saw what Santa brought her for being such a sweet girl! I will post more in the next day or so. I really hope everyone had a great holiday and soaked in some precious time with their families and friends. I have so enjoyed my time with my loved ones and wish I lived closer to those I could not spend time with over the holiday....Is it too much to ask that they all move to my neighborhood so that we could spend Christmas together?

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Well, I am feeling the Christmas spirit now! I finally got all of my shopping and wrapping done and was able to really relax the past couple of days. We had Christmas with my Mom and Dave on Sunday before they headed out of town, and tonight Tim, Addie and I plan on starting a few traditions ourselves. We will take Addie to the family service at the church at 5:00 and then we will head home to make some of our favorite foods to munch on until it is time to head to bed and wait for Santa! Before bedtime, Tim insists that I watch "Its A Wonderful Life" all the way through and that this will also be a part of our "Christmas Eve at the Hewitts"! I am feeling very blessed this Christmas and just so anxious to see Addie excited about the holiday! I have tons of pictures to share with everyone and plan on posting some great memories in the next coming week! Happy Birthday to my Dad on the 22nd........and a special Birthday wish to my "Mamaw" today....We miss you!

Addie and Daddy Weekend

I have class this weekend, so Tim and Addie get to spend some quality time together. I am counting down the minutes for our holiday festivities to begin. Tim has some time off next week and I am so ready to soak in some good times with him and Addie. We are going to a Christmas Party with some of Tim's friends on Saturday night ,and then my Mom and Dave are having a Christmas party of their own for us on Sunday night before they head to West Virginia to spend the holiday with my Papaw. Im sure I will be taking lots of good pictures and have plenty of fun stories to share! Now, I am off to bed and early to rise for another loooooong day of lecture!

Silly Girl!

Addie is obsessed with her belly button these days! She loves to point it out to people and doesn't care where we are or who is around, she pulls that shirt up and shows it off! This must have been a grumpy day...notice the paci.....she doesn't ususally get one of those until bedtime!

And another mean face for you.......

Addie and I are finally taking our last trip to the post office this morning to mail off one more gift and a huge stack of Christmas cards! I dread waiting in that long line with Miss Priss, but hopefully she will be in a good mood since she is sleeping a little longer this morning. We are both looking forward to having Tim home next week!

And the Santa saga continues....

Thought I would make some of you laugh and share this snap from our photo shoot with Santa....

What a temper! Too bad you can't even see her adorable Christmas dress. Don't worry, Tim and I plan on dressing her up again and snapping away, this time without "Santa" nearby.

Addie and I are going to try and finish up some last minute Christmas shopping today. I have gifts to package and get in the mail, so I am assuming they will be fashionably late! That's okay....I actually love getting surprise gifts after the holidays, so maybe my gifts will be a welcomed surprise!

Getting ready for Christmas...still....

Do you think Addie wants me to come and get her or what? And poor Lily, she just looks frightened!

Unfortunately, I am still having a hard time shopping this year for Christmas. All I have the motivation to do is buy for Addie....what is wrong with me? The child does not need much at all and really won't know the difference anyways, but I still just want to spoil her rotten. Don't worry, Tim and I are sticking to our guns and have not made any purchases since the "big one" last month (her play kitchen), but when I do go out to shop, I always end up in the baby section or the toy aisle! What I should be doing in those aisles is picking out something for a child that really could use those things....a new toy or a new outfit to wear for a little girl who doesn't have many new things to play with or new outfits to choose from. Perhaps that will be a goal for Addie and I this week as we venture out to finish up Christmas shopping!

Last week I posted about the new tree that Tim and I purchased and planned on using for years to come since the darn thing was outrageously expensive....remember? Well, this morning I spent a good chunk of time, taking all of my ornaments off that stupid tree and we hauled it back to the store for a refund! The lights were slowly burning out and it just kept getting dimmer and dimmer. So Tim and Addie and I made our way up to Garden Ridge where we ended up lugging another tree back home to redecorate and take our chances on! Geeez......I've had enough tree decorating to last me a while..wish us luck!

Rainy day AGAIN???

The rain is never going to stop! It has been so wet here the last few days and I am missing my little furry animals more than ever. Each time I come in that front door I brace myself for Sally's enthusiastic welcome, or stop to listen for the "thump" on the floor upstairs as she jumps off the bed to race downstairs and greet me. Her corner in the kitchen that used to hold her bowls is empty and seems to scream at me each time I pass by. Little by little the white hairs are dissappearing, but every so often I put on a sweater or coat to see a subtle reminder that I used to have a "man's best friend"! Most of all, I miss cuddling with that "basket-case" of a dog each evening after I drag myself to bed after a long day with Addie....this was her time with me and she soaked it up! Bailey the cat liked to spend more time by himself, but he too is missed around here. I walk by the small "doggie" door that is now permanently closed off a million times a day and wonder to myself if he thinks I don't love him anymore, or does he know that I was forced to make the decision to find him a new home. Do animals reason like that? Either way, I am deeply saddened and feel like I have lost 2 little members of our family. I am struggling to remain positive about the situation and thankful that both of them are in good, loving homes, but I still miss them both terribly! I am constantly reminding myself how very blessed Tim and I are this holiday season......Have you all met my little Addie yet? Will someone please make this rain stop....what I need right now is a little sunshine!

Is that you Santa?

Who is that coming around the corner?
Brian was able to snap this photo of the girls watching "Santa" come into the room...right before the madness... And so it begins...Addie immediately lost it and little Lily just stood as still as ever, trying to figure out why Addie was crying and who this big red man was...

"Please don't come any closer....who are you?"...

And there you have it.....my favorite picture of them all....Addie and Lily just couldn't figure it out and they weren't liking it one bit. They were both a mess when we tried sitting them on his lap! I'll post those pictures when we get closer to Christmas!

Well, perhaps Addie will enjoy Santa a little more next year. Just like Kristy said the other night "atleast we didnt wait 2 hours in line at the mall...". We were able to snap a picture of the three of us that I can use for our cards this year, although I was hardly expecting to be photographed. It was the only picture we got where Addie wasn't bucking and screaming with her hands in front of her face! Goodness Gracious....what a drama queen!

Kristy and Lily Visit

Now, tell me you don't think this picture is adorable! All we do is ask them to "kiss kiss", and they simply oblige! How cute! I love watching our girls play together... This visit was the first time I saw Addie not want to share something that belonged to her. When Lily came over and tried to sit in Addie's chair, she became very frustrated and practically pulled her off. This picture was snapped when Kristy and I were trying to show them that they both could sit in the chair. As you can tell, Addie was not quite convinced. She loves this chair from her Mamaw and Grandpa Dave!

Kristy and the girls....What a fun day, as always!

Kristy, Brian, and Lily are coming again tonight to have a little Christmas fun with our own personal "Santa Claus". Hopefully, you will get a peak of this adventure on our Christmas Card. I have feeling Addie is not going to like sitting on "Santa's" lap as much this year! Wish us luck!

Bed Head

This is what the little munchkin looks like when I wake her up from her nap! Her hair is everywhere! I just love that little head of dark crazy hair. Addie has been having a time getting ready for the holidays. She loves the noisy decorations at her PopPop's and GaGa's house and shopping with her Mamaw and Grandpa Dave is always fun because they like to buy her things for their house! She loves the tree and points to it all the time saying "ball" because of all the round ornaments we have. I put a Santa light in our window in the kitchen so that it looks like he is looking in at us, and everytime we come down the steps and she sees it she smiles and says "Hi"....waving that little hand of hers! Tim wants to spoil the child rotten for Christmas, and I have to reign him in. I want there to be something left to get her for next year please! Besides, aren't we working on a budget here? He would do anything for that little girl....you gotta love that! I hope everyone is feeling festive and ready for time with friends and family over the holidays. I have more pictures to post soon from our visit with Kristy and Lily and the final Christmas tree pictures too! Take care....

Getting ready for Christmas...

Tim and I finally bought a grown-up Christmas tree on Sunday. We can't have a real tree due to Tim and Addie's allergies, so we figured we should have a nice "fake" one. I had to use a pencil to keep the tree straight last year, so it was time to make the investment. Addie was so amazed with the lights on the tree. She just stood back and watched us put it together. She also fell in love with this reindeer decoration I have. She carried that thing around all over the place!

For some reason, I just can't seem to get motivated to shop for gifts. Since I stopped working, I have sort of trained myself to stay away from the mall and places like Kohls, Target, Old Navy....for fear of spending money we don't have on things I don't necessarily need. Now I think that mindset is keeping me from enjoying Christmas shopping!! Plus, I have been feeling a little down in the dumps about my animals and that doesn't help my urge to shop either! Hepefully, I will get motivated here soon and get it done. Christmas is just around the corner.... I will post pictures of the finished product sometime in the next week or so....

Addie visits Berwind, West Virginia...

Some of my favorite child-hood memories take place in that tiny coal-mining town in West Virginia where my grandparents lived. Addie finally got to take her first trip down there to see my Papaw while we were visiting over Thanksgiving. She, of course, made herself right at home and was a big show-off for all of our family. This is Addie getting a ride on Papaw's knee as he sings this old song to her. She loved it when she was teeny, tiny... Since we will not travel for Christmas, Papaw gave Addie her Mickey and Minney Mouse early and she LOVED them, especially the pink one! She carried that thing all over the living room and it was just as big as she was....

Papaw also sent us home with a bed for Addie when she gets old enough to move out of her crib. It has a dollhouse for the headboard, and it is adorable. I am going to repaint it and get it all ready for her over the next year. She will love sleeping in this bed, I just know it! Today, Kristy and Lily are coming down for a visit and Addie and I are very excited. We haven't seen them in a few weeks and it seems as if so much growing takes place in that period of time! I will take lots of pictures.....

Oh...many of you have asked.....Sally, the dog, is not behaving herself in her new home. My Dad and Julie are doing all that they can, but she is not making it easy for them to fall in love with her. She has already scared off one of thier precious cats and that was only after she bruised him all up and sent him to the vet for some x-rays....I''m very worried and pray that she will settle down and get a long with the other animals. I have no idea where she will go if this doesn't work out.....Hopefully, Big Ed (the cat) will venture back home soon....

We are alive!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Tim, Addie, and I headed to West Virginia on Thanksgiving day to spend the holiday with my family. It has been almost a year since I headed to the mountains to see everyone, so we decided to tackle the trip. We had dinner at my Aunt Sandy's house and Addie got to spend some quality time with her cousins, Gunnar, Dariyan, and Samiya. They were so cute! This is my Papaw after a nice full tummy! He loves to have the family all around him, so he was in heaven that day!

All of the kids played really well together. Addie was a big show-off and shared her toys so well with her cousins. Papaw brought stockings for all of the little ones with these little books in them. You know Addie loved that! Books are her favorite thing these days. Somehow we ended up with extra books in her stocking once we got home...did she do that on purpose?

This is Addie and Daryian. Its so neat to see them side by side. Daryian and her brother just turned 3 in November. I remember when they were Addie's age just like it was yesterday.

I'm not sure about you all, but this Thanksgiving was pretty special to me, because in all my 30 years, I don't think I have spent as much time focusing on all of the things I am really, really thankful for......Its not that I am ungrateful, but in years past, I am usually preoccupied with family and traveling and food and other craziness, but this year, I felt especially THANKFUL! Thankful for a loving husband, beautiful healthy baby girl, wonderful family, my health....and some amazing friends. I tend to worry a lot about the little things and fret over things that are often times beyond my control...so....I made sure to take the time to really feel blessed. And it felt great......So...Thank-you God for blessing us and getting us home safe and sound!

I will post more about our trip in the days to come.....I better get off here and go celebrate! Tim turns 35.....oops 33 today!!!! Happy Birthday Honey! Don't worry, Addie doesn't know that you are older than me!

Cowgirl Addie!

When I visited my Dad and Julie a couple of weeks ago, they sent me home with a brand new pair of PINK cowgirl boots for Addie. I was so excited to see her in the boots......Addie on the other hand was not quite sure how she felt about these new shoes!

This was right after I woke her up from a nap, so we plan on trying again here in a few days. The boots light up and she loves that, so for now, I have them on the play room floor where she can get used to them before we try a second time! Thanks Dad and Julie!

I had class this weekend and was extremely overwhelmed with essay tests and presentations, so I did not take time to update my blog at all. Addie is doing great and she enjoyed her weekend with her Daddy of course. Saturday night she actually spent the night with her Mamaw and loved every minute of it! She does well over there too.....We have an allergy appointment this morning and I am anxious to get there and get Addie on a new plan since the animals are gone and the house it clean! I am hoping we will gradually get off the breathing treatments, if it had anything to do with the animals in the first place. I just want her to be healthy! Thanks for your prayers and support during the past couple of months!

Quick Update on the Hewitt Household...

Here's a little peek at Addie since I haven't really taken many pictures here lately. This was taken this morning as I sat at the computer checking my email. She doesn't go far from me!

I have not felt much like playing on the computer this week, so my blog posts have been behind, I know. Addie and Tim are still fighting a bad cold and I can't seem to get rid of this sore throat I have had for a week now. I have been very busy cleaning the house and trying to get rid of all the dog and cat hair before I report back to the allergist on Monday. I have called each night to check on Sally the dog down in Florida, and she is doing fairly well, despite a few bumps a long the way. I am still missing her terribly and just very sad about it all. When is this all suppose to start to feel better? I hope everyone is doing well and gearing up for the holidays. I am looking forward to spending some time with my family. I'll try and post again tomorrow with some new pictures....take care!

Back home without my dog...

I made it back from my Dad and Julie's house in Florida safe and sound. The trip was extremely long, but my book on CD and the many calls I kept getting from wonderful friends checking up on me made the miles go by fast. It was nice to visit with family I hardly ever get to see and I wish I had a few more days to spend down there with them. Sally and the other dogs, Blue and Cody, seem to get a long quite well. They just accepted her into their home without any fuss at all and that eased my mind tremendously. Sally was amazed at how she could go in and out of the house all by herself and figured out those doggie doors within the first few minutes we were there. She loved running in all of those pastures and made me proud by not chasing the horses or tormenting the goats. She even left the cats alone. Unfortunately, she already chewed part of their screen door while we were out for an hour or so on Saturday....YIKES! I was horrified, but my Dad and Julie weren't upset at all, and MR. Fix-it Dad just said that he would take care of it! She slept with me in my little twin bed both nights, except for one night when I caught her in bed with my Uncle Ed while he was reading.....I think she may like him a little! Im glad he is there to help with the transition. OK......sorry to bore you all with my Sally stories....I have not had much else going on here so she has been on my mind day and night. I knew I would miss her, but I just didn't realize how quiet my house would be without her tagging a long. It is just a very sad situation for us. I am comforted so much by the fact that she is down there with them though, and so thankful that they are willing to give her a chance. I'll take some pictures of the little girl today and hopefully, have a happy post for tomorrow!

Sally Mae...

With Tim's help, I was finally able to get my paper submitted and my bag packed for my road trip tomorrow. My heart truly aches tonight as I prepare to say goodbye to a very special part of my life for the past 5 years. Tim packed her "things" for me and it brought me to tears to see the empty space beside the trash can where her bowls have always been. I am very thankful that my Dad and Julie are generous enough to welcome her into their home. They even seem excited to have her join them, and I am comforted by that. We will miss her terribly, but know that she will be getting the attention and love she deserves in her new home. Its strange how life works out sometimes.....Sally Mae was my dearest friend during one of the times in my life that I needed that the most....I will always hold her dear to my heart! Pray for Sally and I as we hit the highway for 12 long hours tomorrow! One last road trip together......

Just relaxin with Mommy...

Am I cute or what? She just loves cartoons.....I have to turn them off to get her to play with me!

Addie and I had a pretty uneventful day yesterday since my Mom was sick and storytime at the Library was cancelled due to the holiday. We spent a lot of time playing in the floor and did manage to get out and play at "Birdies" for a couple of hours. That is a local inside play area for children from ages 1-5. We love it there. They keep it very clean, and there are so many different toys to play with, including this giant blow up jumping thing that Addie has just discovered she loves! Atleast it gives us the chance to get out and do something when we have no other plans. Sometimes a few of my friends and their kids will meet us up there. Today we have music class and then another relaxing afternoon in the playroom. I am trying to take it easy the next couple of days and relax. I have a very loooong road trip ahead on Friday to Florida. Sally and I are headed South to see her new home with my Dad and Julie! I need to be well rested for that adventure! So....Im soaking in my time with her this week and giving her as much lovin as possible....she is such a sweet dog! I know that my Dad and Julie will fall in love with her too!

Happy Birthday to Addie's Mamaw!

Today is my mom's birthday. Addie will more than likely call her "Mamaw" since that is what she calls herself. I called my grandmother, her mother, "Mamaw" too, so.....that makes it rather special. Addie loves my Mom, and for those of you that know my mom, she LOVES Addie. They are pretty cute together I must say. We had planned on spending the day with Mamaw since she too is out of school for Veteran's day, but she is home with a very bad chest cold and doesn't want either of us to come around her! So, maybe Addie and I will call her and try and sing over the phone.....we are both dissappointed that Mamaw will have to spend her birthday in bed. We hope you feel better really soon. Happy Birthday Mom! We love you....

Addie and Lily....

LILY: That's my doll.....and my bottle.....can I have it back? LILY: PLEASE.....can I have my doll back?

ADDIE: She's my doll now! Don't you even think about it...

On Thursday Addie and I took a little road trip to visit Kristy and Lily for the day. Kristy and I both agree that the days that we get together seem to fly by so fast, unlike some of the longer days when we are by ourselves. The girls played well together this time, other than a few "sharing" issues. I could sit and watch them for hours. How cute! I still can't believe how close they are in age...a little Carrie and a little Kristy...who would have thought?