Merry Christmas

This is the first Christmas Addie has started to understand what the Holiday is all about (from a child's perspective anyway).  It was so fun to see her really get into present opening, talk about Santa Clause, Reindeer and the most fun of all is the Chipmunk Christmas CD, which we listen to in the car pretty much everyday!  I was really excited for her to start learning the fun traditional Christmas carols, but looking back, Chipmunk Christmas is not a great way for a 2 year old to learn the words!  Although she was actually able to master Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman, we get requests for those songs on a fairly regular basis!

Addie opening presents at the Muckenhirn's, she was probably the most excited about her candy cane, which you can see she is clutching in her hand and refused to let go of!

Present from Aunt Rachel, a book all about counting!

Addie is never intersted in stopping to pose for a picutre, as soon as we pull out the camera she will yell "Smile" but doesn't actually smile or look at the camera, so sometimes it is an effort to catch her sitting still and actually looking at you!

Present from Uncle Dave, industrial size tramopline that literally takes up half of the downstairs living room!  Can't wait for summer to move this out to the deck and let Addie jump in the fresh air, but she does love it and gets in a few minutes of jumping every night. 

Her favorite quote while jumping is "Look at me, I jump really high!" So funny, she is like 2 inches off the mat!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

So the Little Miss was lucky enough to have two birthday celebrations this year!  Since Addie's birthday is on November 28th, she is always going to be competing with Thanksgiving.  We first celebrated at the Muckenhirn's and Addie was pretty excited about her ice cream cake, which ended up creating a little mess on the table cloth, but that is what two year olds do, especially ones that enjoy sweets as much as this one!

Out of all the nice presents that Addie got for her birthday, she probably had the most fun learning how to blow the party favors, once she figured this out, she was all about showing off her new skills!  Although she was pretty rough on them, most of them ended up with chewed off ends, which of course means that she was able to ensure she got all of them to herself!

The next celebration was at Nana's house with Auntie and Jade.  We stuck with the traditional birthday meal - pizza!  Although we probably get more excited about pizza than Addie does, she would have been just as happy with "Ogurt," which she requests for every meal, every single time we ask her what she wants to eat!

Since the first piggy bank that Addie received from Nana on her 1st birthday ended up broken into multiple pieces on the floor, a perfect 2nd birthday gift was another piggy bank - but this one is indestructable, even for Hurricane Addie!

She struggled a bit with the quarters as the piggy bank is one that keeps track of the money, as it needs to be able to read each coin that is put in, and the quarters usually need a little extra strength.

Mike likes to call this Addie's "I-pod" as it had a little radio type thing attached to the book that she likes to carry around and put up to her ear like a cell phone and listen to all the fun songs.  Her favorite being "Twinkle."

She was pretty proud of her big girl cake, and was actually able to enjoy it this year (she was really sick last year and did not have the true "first cake" experience, but she has made up for it this year!)

Diving into the cake and ice cream and picking the little sugar dots off of the frosting (fun for kids, not so much for adults).  Addie had a wonderful 2nd birthday, and thanks to everyone who made it special!!

Science Museum

Addie and I were excited to be invited to go with Sarah and Emilia to the Science Museum as they had 2 extra passes with their annual membership - it is good to have friends in high places! So we headed out on a cold Saturday morning to check out the exhibits and have some indoor fun. The girls are to the point where they will engage with each other for a bit, but then will be off running and doing their own thing! Oddly enough, they sort of ended up in matching cute red outfits!

Addie checking out the ice fishing pole - just pull on the pole and up comes the fish to the top of the ice - this was a fun one to do over and over!

The girls were very excited by the boat races, in fact Addie was so enthralled that she refused to leave and explore the other parts of the exhibit until I physically pulled her away while she was kicking her legs and crying............mini public temper tantrum.

Extreme concentration and focus on getting the boats properly set up!

On our way out of the museum there was this neat little ball that would collapse and expand to the point that Addie could get right in the middle of the action!

Before we headed home, we stopped at CiCi's Pizza for some lunch, which was quite an experience, it actually felt like we were in the middle of a Saturday Night Live skit! However the girls thought it was great and had trouble focusing on the goal of eating, they were so busy trying to entertain each other.

Thanks again for a fun day!

First Haircut!

Addie was starting to grow a mini mullet, so we decided it was time to take her for her first official "real" haircut. Apparently the trim that I gave her didn't count, maybe because it didn't look so hot! So off we went to KidsHair in Edina, they are a little spendy for the little amount of hair that is actually being cut, but they have lots of distractions and obviously are used to squirming toddlers, so we thought this would be a good place to start. In reality, it probably would not have mattered much as to where we went, because Addie just sat their with a petrified look on her face the entire time - haircuts are scary! No hair washing needed here, a few sprays of the water bottle and we are good to go!

Addie checking herself out in the mirror, "Don't I look pretty?"

As you can see, there is not a lot of hair to work with in the front, we are still waiting for that to fill in........

The hairstylist did let Addie put in her own hair product, which is the only time during the whole ordeal that she cracked a smile.

I did not get a good "before" shot, but I can tell you that it doesn't look all that different than the "after" shot pictured above. The only real difference is now the back is even and is a little closer to the length of the hair on the sides. Although Addie was partial to her braid, a $20 braid, who knew it could be such fun?

Birthday Cupcakes

Since we were only having small family birthday parties this year, Emilia and family came over one night for dinner and some b-day cupcakes. Addie lucked out with a great new outfit that she has received lots of compliments on, and 6 pairs of high heel dress shoes that the girls had a good time trying out for the first time! We now keep the shoes in the basement where there is carpeting, because Addie just doesn't have her mother's natural grace quite yet....... Addie and Emilia are doing some prep work, getting the sprinkles ready, aprons on, and spatulas ready to go.

This picture looks like Addie already started to enjoy the chocolate frosting, from the looks of her chin.

Mommy trying to have a little control over the sprinkles, they were going all over my freshly mopped floor and it was sort of freaking me out!

Addie finished off her cupcake in about half the time as Emilia and actually shoved the entire last half in her mouth all at once, it was a bit of a disaster, but she had fun!

Thanks for coming of Mia, it was fun!!!

Mommy & Toddler Halloween Party

It is amazing how much can change in the course of a year! Below is a picture of the Mommy & Baby group that we have been a part of since Addie was only 6 weeks old. What an amazing group of women, we have been so lucky to have each other over the last 2 years. It has been wonderful talking, sharing stories and advice, laughing and watching our little babies turn into 2 years olds! Halloween 2009 - Addie still screaming her head off!

Halloween 2008 - Addie screaming her head off!

Cute little costumes, Addie is a Panda Bear, in case that wasn't obvious (most people thought she was a cow!)

MY Halloween

Addie was a cute little Pumpkin for Halloween this year. This year was much more exciting than last, as she could actually walk to the houses, rather than her half-hearted crawl! Addie loved wearing her costume, and had a number of opportunities to do so. She had a little party at daycare where all the kids dressed up and had treats, and we also attended a Halloween party with our friends from Mommy & Baby group (will post pictures from that later). I was able to get Addie to stand still and pose for a picture with her little pumpkin bucket, before we got dressed to go outside and start knockin on doors! Since Mike was unable to partake in Addie's first Trick-or-Treating experience (Gopher game) we had Grandma and Auntie Katie come over to participate in the fun. Grandma thought it would be funny to arrive in her Elvira wig wearing the most hideous teeth ever, as soon as Addie saw her she turned around and started running back to me crying, "scary." Nice mom.

Since this was Addie's first year, Nana had Addie practice her lines by knocking on the garage door and going through the whole rehearsal. She caught on very quickly and pretty much thought this was the best day of her life, I only have to say "Trick-or-Treat" and I get candy??"

Here is Addie pitching a minor fit about having to put her coat on over her costume, which she wasn't thrilled about, but the allure of more candy quickly turned her attitude around.

After we returned from Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood (probably hit up about 5 houses) Addie stood guard over the candy bowl by putting her hand on it and repeating "My Halloween" over and over again about 100 times! She is good entertainment.

Grandma's Surprise Party

Grandma Muckenhirn turned 50 on Halloween and the kids stepped up to organize a surprise party for her at a local Watertown restaurant, which sounds like is frequented by Jim and Patti on a pretty regular basis. Even though it was a small gathering, there was plenty of entertainment. Since we had the upstairs blocked off for us, Addie was able to run all over and that she did. She had a great time pulling down the streamers and kicking the decorative "balls" back and forth with Dave, which didn't last the night after Addie decided they looked sturdy enough to hold her weight!

Addie hamming it up and wearing the birthday hat.

Addie and Grandma after Grandma took her first ever shot! And then a 2nd...........

The group, with Patti's head cut off by Mike's huge melon!

Minnesota Zoo

So I am very behind on my postings, not sure what my excuse is for this one being so far behind, because we went to the Zoo in August and it has been over 2 months now, but oh well!

We decided to take a Saturday morning and meet Auntie and Nana to spend some time outside looking at and naming all of the great animals! We tried to snap a family picture on our way out of the Zoo, but it looks like Addie was getting pretty tired (and close to lunch time), and not totally bought-in to sitting down and posing for a cute pic.

So in order to get out to the petting zoo portion of the zoo, everyone gets on a open bus type vehicle, which Addie decided was terrifying and spent the entire ride crying, while the other parents were giving me looks of sympathy and being grateful their children were behaving!

The goats ended up being a little too aggressive for Addie, they will climb right on top of you or knock you down to get that little handful of food. Mike walked out with poop goat prints all over his pants!

We thought it would be cute to have Addie pose on the marble turtle, which started out okay, but soon turned scary as you can see by the look on her face.

I realize it is starting to sound like Addie was either crying or scared during this entire trip, but I actually think she enjoyed it quite a bit. She was able to stay really engaged for about the first hour or so and was really interested in the smaller animals that she could see up close. I am sure next summer she will appreciate it even more!

Time With Auntie

This is the email that I get from my Mom, "Erin, I know you are sick, but it has been 10 days since you have put a post on the blog, Addie could have braces by now." Oh please lady, I talk to you every day, so I am pretty sure that you get the highlights!

Dear Tiddles, I know you are feeling sad, so this posting is for you, hopefully will make you smile!This picture is from the last time that both Katie and I were home visiting with my mom a couple of weeks ago. Addie was enjoying some cuddle time with her "Aunnie." Don't even try to pry Addie's snacks out of her hands, it isn't going to happen, especially at Nana's house where she gets to load her snack cup up with cookies, and this generally happens before Mom even gets out of bed to find the evidence.

Umm, Dad I hate the MN Vikings, why did you put me in this dumb sweatshirt? Mike has now brainwashed Addie to say "Go Vikes" and pump her fist in the air. So sad.

Addie talking to herself about something that is apparently quite hilarious!

The Lacek Girls Visit

Long before I became a Mommy, I was a nanny! I started when Emmy was just 6 months old, and it is wonderful that we have stayed in touch with the family since then (Emmy is now 8 and Ali is 6.) They came to stay at our house for a night and it was so much fun to have a sleepover! In fact, the next morning as the girls were having a little snack, they said to me "cookies and water, doesn't get any better than this, today is the best day of my life." Pure hilarity. It really is the simple things in life!It will be great when Addie gets to the point where she is willing to pose for pictures. Ali was trying so hard to get Addie to sit on her lap and smile, but as you can see, she just wasn't having it, and started to throw one of her "fake" temper tantrums.

Addie cuddled up next to Ali on the couch, handing her a book to read to her, but I think Ali was more interested in the cartoon on T.V.

These two are total hams! I tried to get Addie to pose in the picture with her matching pink flower headband, but of course, she had her own agenda!

This is a small glimpse into what pretty much every room in the house looked like, it is amazing the messes that 3 little girls can create!

Night, night. The girls all ready for bed, Addie is her comfy feet pajamas and the girls in their cute matching sets. I don't think they ended up actually going to bed for about another hour, but I tried! They were just having too much fun showing off their gymnastic skills, and Addie was having a great time trying to keep up! Thanks girls, come again soon!

State Fair

So the state fair was a little overwhelming for Addie this year. We started the morning off by meeting Nana and Eileen in a rather huge parking lot, walking across a dust field, and taking a coach bus over to the state fair grounds. Which would have been fine, but it was standing room only and I had to put Addie's stroller in the cargo department. Luckily, a lady was nice enough to put her child in her lap so that Addie and I could sit down, which was a really good thing as Addie still bawled her head off because she was scared. Kind of ironic, as she gets so excited every time a bus goes by, especially a "school bus Mommy!"

So we finally arrived at the fair and started off at the Miracle of Birth Center and saw a few baby animals, which is always entertaining. The rest of the time we spent scoping out the food stands and Mike sent us on a mission for a particular cheese curd stand. Addie tried a fresh squeezed lemonade and thought it was probably the best drink she has ever had!

Addie caught sight of the carousel and thought that it looked like great fun, so Nana bought her a ticket and off they went on Addie's first carousel ride. She started out fairly confident, just sitting on the horse was fine, but when the carousel started up, her face became more and more distraught with each circle around until finally she was again in full force tears. Sad trip on the carousel, we might skip that next year. Actually, we might skip the State Fair altogether and stick with the small town fairs!

Horse Races

Just when people were starting to compliment me on being impressed with how I was keeping up with Addie's blog, (apparently no one thought I had it in me) I go and ruin my good standing by letting almost two weeks go by without a post! However, I can't take all the blame for the delay, it is Mike's job to upload the photos to the computer, and he was getting a little behind on that project.

Well here it is, and not only is it late, but it is also a little old. In August we met Sarah, Jeff, Emilia and Susan and Andy at Canterbury Horse Races, they were having a family event sponsored by the Carlson School for alumni.So while the rest of us were enjoying our buffet dinner of sloppy joes and hot dogs, Addie was showing off a bit by running over to the bench next to our picnic table climbing up and jumping up and down with her tongue sticking out. The kid is not a good eater to start with and then add horses, tons of people, and kids running rampant and playing in the jungle gym, it is almost impossible to get her to focus on eating.

We took a quick pic of the family in front of the track, it was so entertaining to watch Addie see the horses race. You could just see her face light up with excitement when the horse rounded the bend and were close in view. Lots of finger pointing, squeals of delight, and "OOHS" and "WOWS." It is so fun to see how excited she gets about the simple things in life.

The girls were lucky enough to find a spot where the horses were standing around waiting to race. They spent quite a bit of time at the fence just observing, Addie is even on her tippy toes trying to get a closer look! They would turn around every once in awhile to make sure Sarah and I were still there and to say, "Horses Mommy." So cute.

On our way out of the stadium, we had Addie stop to put her face in the cute little Jockey cutout. I tried to get her to look at the camera, but by that point, she had about all the excitment she could take for one night, and was no longer interested in entertaining us!