TONS of changes in 2009... now that i think about it, everything changed in 2009

If you only knew us from our lifestyle, you might not recognize us now. Changes in 2009 include:
1. Moving from our house to an apartment- it was the right choice, even though a hard choice and not our preferred choice
2. James finished his probabtion at his job. He took lots of tests, read a lot, cleaned a lot, and proved he is fit to be "one of the guys"
3. We became MOMMY and DADDY to Addison Leigh (8-28-09)
4. We went from eating out almost every meal, to eating aalmost every meal at home
5. drinking raw milk, eating raw butter and cheese
6. including fruits and veggies in our diets from our local farmers market
7. making homemade bread
8. eating grass fed chicken and beef
9. transitioned to eating naturally and pesticide and antibiotic, etc- free foods
10. Jake had to move in with grandma (hopefully he will return in 2010!)
11. we started a BUDGET to pay off debt! (hopefully 2010 will be even better. we start dave ramsys program in jan.2010)
12. We stepped down from the worship team and left our church home of 4yrs. (still looking..hope to find a new church home ASAP in 2010)
13. Got new jobs as Dorm Supervisors... and all that goes with supervising college kids.
that about covers it... new jobs, school, church, house, food, family dynamics... is there anything else that could have changed that didn't???

merry christmas! photos by dan minkler

Growing growing growing at 3mo

Addy had a growth spurt last week... Thats why I didn't post anything. She ate every 2hrs around the clock for about 4days! I was exhausted! She just started to roll on her side on Dec. 2nd. Once she rolled onto her belly in the middle of the night and woke up very angry because she couldn't roll back! So cute! Rolling is a new challenge. After her 5am feed she is not as sound asleep and gets mad when she rolls on her side, so mornings have been leaving me with less sleep. She has also been gnawing on her hands non-stop, which also leads to her gagging herself and drool puddles on her shirt. I'm thinking she may be working on teeth. We will see. I haven't noticed anything yet.
She is getting so big! Her 'sleeping bag' is 0-9mo and her feet are at the end! I don't know if they make them for 12mo. She is LONG and LEAN, so pants are a challenge. Im sure this is only the beginning :-)
She still loves her baths, loves to be held by me, and is getting used to being on her tummy. I put her in her boppy while I get ready and she watches me. Soon I know she will be asking to borrow my make-up!
Last week we walked Christmas Tree Lane and saw all the Christmas lights and Addy was in AWE! I thought she would sleep through it, but after a quick 20min nap, she had enough enery to see the next hour and a half of lights. Needless to say, slept good that night ;-)
Some cute things: She watches me eat and imitates me chewing, She started squealing and chatting the weekend of Dec.2nd, if I stick out my tounge she sticks hers out.
Well that's enough for now. I have video but cannot figure out how to download it to my computer, but maybe one day I can post videos :-)
We took Christmas pics today! Hopefully we will get them soon!

December Pics!

Here is Addy during a playtime 3 1/2mo

Addy with her fireman teddy 3mo old

This was at Thanksgiving at my parents house

Addy is 3mo old

Addy's second date!

Addy went on another date with Logan. Logan was showing her cool stuff, like how to roll on your side and making noises like a raptor. He even shared his toys and blanket with her... what a gentleman! Even though he is 5wks older, Addy is already longer than he is and has bigger feet. LOL!

Christmas is Around the Corner!

LOVE

I was looking through all the pictures on the computer and found this one of Krissi and I. When I took a closer look I saw that Krissi did not have and braces on. Crazy how time flies and it's only getting faster.
Life is going great, I am off "probation" and enjoying it very much. Adisson is getting cuter, stronger, bigger did I say she's getting cuter!
Krissi is by far the best mom ever. She has taken motherhood by the "horns" and is doing well above par caring for Addy. Great job babe!
Life is great in so many ways, we are very blessed.

Another web site I found... http://www.aslpro.com/ It has a sign language dictionary. Addy and I are going to attempt to learn 2 signs a day. Today we learned M-O-M, mom, and thank you. Gotta start with the important ones first :-) We will see how this goes and if I have time to keep it up. I hope so. Babies learn to speak manually before vocally, so I will be able to communicate with Addy at an earlier age. Today she is 11 weeks old! That's almost 3 months! I cannot believe it! She is getting cuter and cuter everyday! She is becoming a mommys-girl and just wants me to hold her all day long. It is hard to get things done with her fussing everytime I put her down. I do enjoy it though! She wants to see everything and doesn't want to miss a thing. She has been good about sleeping at night and only waking to feed. However, she has spent the last three days awake all day long, with no more than ONE 20 minute nap. I'm waiting for her to just crash and sleep for a week straight... but Im not sure if thats coming. She no longer fits her newborn clothes. She is onto 3-6mo clothes and almost has outgrown them in length. She is swimming in the in width. She is long and lean.

She visited James at the fire station for the first time. She was very good, until the guys wanted to hold her. She fussed and cried the entire time she was being passed around by the daddys who wanted to see if they still had the baby touch. If Addy is any indication, they have all lost it! :-D They were all really good with her, and it allowed me to actually enjoy a hot meal I didn't have to rush through. Addy did make it clear she wanted to be with mommy. She wore herself out and slept the entire way back home.

Well, that's a quick update! (addy is asleep on my lap). More to come ...

Katie watched Addy while I was getting my hair done this morning. Then she was my sous chef. Grammy wastched Addy while we were cooking. I think Addy wore them out! HAHA!!!

She is now 10 weeks!

Here is some of the produce I got in my box today! Pomagranates, spinach, potatoes, green beans, carrots, yams, onion, apples, squash, and cilantro!

I have made carrot cake, quiche, and soup so far!

Addy being a little goober!

SOAP NUTS

What the heck?--- That was close to James reaction. A soap nut is natures only natural detergent...grown on Chinese Soapberry trees. Its SO much cheaper then our regular TIDE so I thought I'd give it a try. Addy was also getting a rash from coming in contact with my clothes all the time. Her special "DREFT" detergent isn't cheap, and I didn't want to wash all our clothes with that without trying a few cheaper options first. So... on to the soap nuts. They are a nut, kida waxy on the outside with a slightly awkward smell. BUT, they clean our clothes effectively, and you don't need fabric softener with them. I only have to use a few nuts, and the nuts last for several loads. Addy has not broken out since we switched to the nuts. So the nuts are here to stay. James is getting used to them. Our clothes are now 'green' :-) and contain no toxins and harsh chemicals. And I can get over 330 loads for about $30 with shipping and handling. WAY cheaper than dreft and tide and fabric softener sheets!
Not bad for a wierd looking NUT! Google is great :-)
We have used them for about a month now, and I plan on continuing.

CSA

I have discovered something new! It's called CSA... community supported agriculture. I can order produce directly from a local farm and it will be delivered to me. It is seasonal and fresh and organic. I can choose what I want in my 'box'. I am trying it out with a one time order and if it works out, I can suscribe weekly. This supports my local farm, and is VERY convenient for me.... Now I just have to gather some new recipes :-) OH YA.... it's pretty cheap too! My order should arrive this thursday! I will keep you posted!

Addy is 9weeks old now and becoming more animated everyday! This was during our evening playtime. We start and finish each day with a play and chat hour. She is so expressive now!

HaPpY HaLlOwEen!

Today was Halloween. James is working. Addy and I spent our first halloween by starting off at the dogpark with my mom and her dog Gus. Addy did very well. She ate, then slept. So I had a little time to focus on Jake. After that, we went to another dogpark and met up with Bailey and her husky Nikolai. An hour later, Addy was screaming NO MORE DOGPARKS! So we dropped Jakey off at Grandmas.
My parents came over this evening. We made healthy- homemade pizza. I made the dough in my bread machine... a combo of whole wheat flour and spelt. We used low-fat mozzerella, and turkey-pepperoni. I added some pineapple to one pizza as well. On the weight-watcher scale, our pizzas were very low in points. And contrary to the frozen store-bought pizzas, very low in sodium as well. We may have even saved a few bucks too! And they were YUMMY!
I do not like scarey movies, or lots of candy. The thought of spending sixty bucks on a costume I will only wear one night is not appealing either. Needless to say, if Halloween did not exist, I would not be sad.
Addy and I had a mellow first Halloween. I am looking forward to seeing her get excited in the years to come. However, I am glad they are not in the near future, and we can spend these nights with family.

photos by Josh Robinson (Addy 1wk)

Mommys Birthday

Addison Ready for the BEACH. 10-17-09
We stayed 5days at Morro Bay. Jake went as well. We walked around the shops, walked along the beach, ate some yummy food and played bocce ball with the family. My sisters Kim and Katie came, and my parents joined us on the weekend.

10-09-09 Her favorite place to sleep

Grammy and Addy at the park... Bouncing...

10-06-09

Gotta give Jakey some lovin' at the park. He tried to smile :-)

Girls Night Out #1

Addy went on her first 'Girls Night Out" with her mom and aunt Bailey! We went to the cheesecake factory. We had chinese chicken salad and red velvet cheesecake. Then we walked around the mall and went shopping. Addison was great! She wore a new outfit with her favorite bow. Bailey wore her new boots, and I wore my new shirt (not that you could tell, the sling covers everything). It was so much fun, that Addy slept 6hours that night. Unfortunately I kept waking up at every noise she made thinking she was gonna be starving. And she was up ALL day today. The longest nap she took was 20 min max. So maybe that means another long nights rest tonight. So since she just fell aslepp, I thought I would add these pics. Now I better go to bed, while Addy is sleeping.

Addy is 5 weeks old. I started walking at 4weeks postpartum with my mom. I started with 2 miles and jumped to 4 within the week. So far, so good! Today Bailey walked with me and Addy and my mom. Usually Jake goes as well :-) Here we are about to leave for our walk today.

Keeping myself busy...

OK, so we do have a few other things going on besides just taking care of Addison.. even though I know that is what you guys wanna hear about :-)
Since I am at home, I am going to attempt to make our meals at home. This will be a lot healthier and cheaper. I found a website that has a lot of information about healthy living www.passionatehomemaking.com So, since I am feeling much better these days, I am starting my adventure! I made my meal plan for the week, made my shopping list and was off to the store. James is very excited about the recipes. The foods are mostly unpasteurized, without preservatives, and include fruits and veggies! I had to google a few ingredients like spelt, rapadura, and kefir. I discovered new areas of the grocery store that I have never been to before. All the recipes are from scratch. James said, "this is all you need for a weeks worth of meals?" So here we go... a new adventure for me. Our grocery bill was a fraction of the cost and James is looking forward to our meals. We even had to have tomorrows breakfast tonight because we couldn't wait til the morning to try it. We had oatmeal (rolled oats) with flax seed, dried cranberries and blueberries, chopped apples, raw honey, cinnamon, butter and milk. YUMMY! It only took a few minutes to make!
Tomorrow James is off to work, so I will be preparing much of the recipes for the week ahead. First on the list is making granola. (its first, just because I like it! and wanna snack on it)
SO... that's the adventure I am embarking on. Hopefully it will last :-S I will try to let you know how it goes.

Having so much fun

Addison is such a great baby. In this pic we are chillin, its great when she falls asleep on me. Its all been a joy. She says hello to Nana and Papaw.

Addy is one month old

Tomorrow is Addy's one month doc appt. She can now: track people with her eyes, turns her head to see me when I talk to her, lift her head up and slowly put it down. She is getting long and has outgrown a few newborn outfits (with the feet in them). She smiles whenever she is falling asleep. She enjoys staring and trying to absorb all that is going on around her. We have been playing classical music. We just got Baby Einstein dvd's too. They have sounds, music, and have simple pictures that are shiny, colorful, etc.

Yesterday we went to the park for the afternoon. Addison slept through almost all of it. She seemed pretty content. We walked around. We are trying to take advantage of this cooler weather and James day off.

Uncle Dave and Tara stopped by today and met Addy. Addy was pretty fussy while they were here because her feeding was broken up. I was trying to rush her, which just messed up her routine. The tables at dinner left little room to even move, so consoling her was pretty difficult. Uncle David stepped in and kept her wuiet enough for us to eat our food. Oh the joys of an infant! Once we get in a routine (or so we think) She decides to switch it up.

I am starting to feel better. I participated in a 2 mile walk that benefitted the local animal shelter. Addy, Jake, and I went. Addy and Jake did very well. I pushed my luck today and went on a 4 mile walk with my mom, Addy and Jake. Jake did excellent! Addy did excellent too! She just got hungry at the end, which I expected. OH YA.... my mom did well too! Its nice to get out of the house, and the weather is beautiful these past few days.

That's a quick update on the last few days...

Day at the park

Went to the park today and had a great time!

Three Weeks Old

I can now hold my head up (still working on putting it back down), track my mom and dad with my eyes, and am starting to make noise, besides crying ie. cooing. I make tons of faces and am practicing my smiling for when I learn when to use it. I am starting to stay awake more and take in my surroundings by staring at them for a while.

My Outings...

Here Addy is a week old. She went over to Logan's house and had her first date.. closely supervised of course :-) Logan is about 6 weeks older than Addy. Logan tried to put his arm around her but she just ignored him (If only she would keep that up when she's older) Logan is such a cutie! He has great parents so we aren't too worried about these two...yet ;-)

This was Addy's view of dinner. She is 2wks old here. She slept through it in her sling. Most people are suprised I have a baby in there and it keeps people from touching her when we go out to busy places :-) Dont want her to catch any bugs! We went to tepanyaki for Heather's birthday with my family. (I didn't even drop food on her head!)

Auntie Bailey came over and showed me her new coach shoes... so we had to introduce Addy to COACH. She is 3weeks old now and getting bigger and bigger everyday!

She's getting so big

Sleeping baby

After a short bath, diaper change, clothes change, eating......It's time for a nap. :)

Daddy's little girl

First Bath

Our little bundle of joy had her first bath tonight and did great. We are having so much fun.

Addison got to go to grandma's and grandpa's and meet her brother Jake. Jake did very well. He was so excited once I told him he could come over and I let him sniff her. I thought he was gonna walk right onto my lab. Jake still wants to come home with us, and I can't wait til that day comes. For now, he is enjoying time with his uncle gus (yellow lab in the background). They are buddies. Soon Addison and Jake will be buddies too!

New to the blog

Well, here we go. Trying something new... blogging.