Addie's Performance-Dora's Glowy Star

Addie's First Recital-"Dora Glowy Star" May 1, 2010

Video to come soon! Addie did great! So proud of her.

An Important Phrase

A new phrase Addie has learned this year is "car-rider line". Everyday at 2:30, Monday-Friday you will find us sitting in the car-rider line to get Miss Ella. It is a part of our day that Addie really enjoys. So, I had to crack up the other day when I walked down the hall towards her room to find that she had lined all her cars up in the exact u-shape & the same direction as the car-rider line at Ella's school. When I asked her what she had made she said, "All da people in de car liner-line." She was very proud of her accomplishment.

Alot of days she will fall asleep before we even get to the line but on the days she is awake she always seems amazed by the process. The teacher always stands at the bend in the line to announce the name of the student being picked up. Before the teacher can announce Ella's name Addie will say, "Ella Kunkel column 2. Ella Kunkel column 2." She is always a hoot.

P.S. We wear our Christmas & Halloween pj's year round as long as they still fit :) Everyday is a holiday!

Addie's First Week of MDO-August 2009

We had a rough first month of MDO. Addie cried everyday at drop-off. But, once we got over the initial hurdle things have gone great! So loves Ms. Terri & Ms. JoAnna. She has made alot of new friends. She tells me her best friends are Lola, Brayden, and Taylor. She makes new friends very easily now that she has been in MDO. Anywhere we go where there are other kids she has made a friend within a few minutes. She is learning so much socially & academically! She finally has her colors down, and she loves to learn new songs and nursery rhymes. She is definitely my fun-lovin, good time kiddo.

Addie singing 'Pants on the Ground'

Ever seen a McDonalds worker this fancy?

Pretty sure this next photo breaks plenty of health code violations. This McDonalds would be shut down I am afraid. Although, she would be graded 100% for cuteness, I am afraid there would be a big fat 0% in her store window due to live animals on the griddle.

Our fancy upper-class posing :)

Our action pose...Can you tell she is saying, "Grrr?"

Baby girl loves dresses, and loves dogs...when they are stuffed...or on a chain. As long as they are at a comfortable distance she loves dogs. Get to close to her....and that is another story.

Addie Grace is two! Feb 28, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BABY GIRL!

Addie turned two on Saturday, Feb 28th! I can't believe my baby girl (and probably my last baby) is already this old. Here is a quick look back at the two years we have spent with this precious soul (mostly the first year since I blogged all through her second year)! Her character lights up our world.

Hope you enjoy a few baby pics of my precious Addie...I held back the tears, but I did come down with baby fever after looking at the newborn pics...I think I am recovering now...Maybe???

HERE ARE A FEW (OKAY ALOT!) NOTES ON LITTLE ADDIE GRACE:

-Her vocab has exploded. Here are some of my favorite phrases lately...

*In the car they were watching Dora and Dora asked, "Who's birthday is it?" Addie said, "Boots the monkey!" Plain as day I might add.

*Tonight when Matt walked through the door she said, "Look at me!" Very, Very clearly.

*"Mama, Mama. Whatcha doin?" She sounds like the girl on Phineas and Ferb when she says this.

*Soweee (Sorry) Sissy (followed by a huge hug).

* Bye moon (waving goodnight to the moon).

*Mama what dat?"...with her little hand up to her ear. Anytime a car drives by or a plane goes over head.

*She does have one baffling thing though. She calls Matt "Neh Neh". And when she says it she clearly means Matt. I even ask her, "What is Daddy's name?" "Neh Neh," she replies. I guess it is good though that he has his own identity now, because up to this point he has been, "Mama" just like everyone else.

*Another favorite moment is when we were driving if front of the mall and Addie starts jabbering about "Kikikees" in the backseat. At first I thought she was talking about a cat, but then I quickly realized she was seeing the sign for Chuck E. Cheeses. I asked her, "You want to go to Chuck E. Cheeses?". She said, "Yeah, Yeah." I said, "No honey not today we have to go get sissy from school." Then she begged, "Mama, Mama...Pahwheeze! KikkiKees Pahwheeze?" Oh how pitiful she was.

*Addie loves to imitate anything and everything Ella does. Therefore, she has sought out her independence alot earlier than Ella. Addie gets mad when you try to help her strap in the car seat, and she refuses to sit in a booster because sissy doesn't. She is also getting picky about what she eats and what she wears. If sissy won't eat it Addie won't...even if she has taken a bite and likes it. When sissy says it is gross Addie quits eating. Addie has also witnessed Ella throw many fits over what she wears so she now feels obligated to do the same. I never thought I would have to struggle with a 2 year old kicking and screaming because they wanted a dress when you gave her a top.

* Addie wishes she could go to school so bad. One morning I got to talking to other moms and lost track of Addie. When I started calling for her Ms. Emily called out, "She's in here!" I go in to find sweet little Addie sitting prim and proper doing everything the class was doing. Ms. Emily was so sweet and let her stay all the way through the Pledge of Allegiance. The kids were getting a kick out of her. Ella thought it was funny too. Addie would have stayed the whole time, but I had to drag her out screaming instead...poor baby. This has happened many more mornings as we will walk Ella to her room and before I have a chance to blink Addie has stripped off her coat, thrown it in the floor, and found a seat with the others. I will be so happy the day we can take her to school & say, 'Yep you can really go in this time!"

*Addie is a little engineer so never give her anything that you think she can't open or tear up, because she will figure it out in about 30 seconds.

* Addie was really cute when I dropped Ella off this morning. We we chatting the hallway with friends and class had been going on for several minutes at this point. I tell Addie it is time to go, she looks down the hall towards Ella's class and yelled, "BYE SISSY!"...and walked on out happy as can be.

She is the same way at dance class as she is at Ella's school. She did bust through the doors everytime we were there, but she is finally broke of that. Now she sits and waits patiently, but the second she sees it is over and that the girls are getting stamps she breaks her neck through those doors, runs across the dance floor and demands her stamps from Ms. Heather. I think of it as her special reward for being so patient. It does break my heart that she is the tag-along to all the activities and not the participant. But, by August she should be able to start getting to participate!!!

*Addie likes things the way she likes them. If her foods get mixed on the plate she gets very frustrated. I have witnessed her picking up a handful of peas one-by-one and removing them from the mashed potatoes they rolled into. This has to be done before she begins eating. She also HATES long-sleeved shirts. Lately, I will hear her throwing a fit in another room and when I go to inquire she is standing there trying to push her sleeves up and they just won't stay in place. Addie loves to play in the water in the sink, but hates when she gets her clothes wet. She loves to strip down to her diaper and getting her clothes wet gives her that opportunity to do so.

*Addie has always been good at taking naps. Recently, we have been struggling with this a little more. She only gets a sippy of milk when she naps & when she goes to bed at night. When she sees me pouring her milk she does one of two things. She either drops to the kitchen floor and throws a complete tantrum, or she shakes her head and yells, "No, No!" and runs around the room trying to get away from me.

*The day concludes with Addie pointing up to a story in the book rack on her wall and us snuggling in her comfy chair to read one of her favorites with her sippy of milk in one hand and a blankie in the other. Her favorite book at the moment is 'Violets House' from Baby Einstein.

A few of Addie's favorite things:

Foods= Ranch dressing w/Carrots, Chick-filet nuggets, Strawberries, Chicken Pot Pie, Rice, Green Beans

Best friend="Bray Bray" (Brayden) Addie gets very excited when she sees Brayden at preschool, and anywhere else for that matter. Future son-in-law?...Guess time will tell ;)

Fav things to do= Bath time. Dress up. Reading books. Barbies. Eating the tops off of Color Wonders...and oh yeah coloring with them too. Swinging & sliding at the park. Being backup singer to Ella. Getting in Mama’s makeup (without mama knowing), toothpaste, & handsoap (without mama knowing). Cuddling her baby doll. Playing in her Rose Petal Cottage. Playing pretend with Ella. Going to the grandparents house (PawPaw & Nenny on both sides). Playing in Chick-filet playland after school.

Fav tv characters= Dora & Barney

Most unique characteristic= Her tooth on the bottom right is what I call a double-tooth. It looks liek two small teeth, but it is actually fused together at the bottom.

"Waking up is hard to do."

Addie has a hard time waking up many, many mornings when I go to get her up to take Ella to school. Don't worry I checked to make sure she was breathing before I ran for the camera. She is such a violent sleeper. I do not understand how she sleeps as sound as she does with all that movement. When Ella turned 2 we moved her to a twin bed, but I really do not think Addie could handle that. She needs the four walls of the crib to cage her in, or she would end up on the other side of the room in the morning. She may be in that crib for a while yet.

You will also notice alot of clutter in the crib. That is because Addie has to sleep with 3 blankets at night, a sippie of milk, a stuffed animal or doll, and usually a toy or book on top of that. If you can't find something you need it is probably in Addie's bed. I am sure we break every sleep code in the parenting safety manual, but old habits are hard to break.

Thanksgiving in Missouri

We spent Thanksgiving in Missouri this year. We all had a really good time seeing both sides of Matt's family. We spent Thursday in Mexico with the Hawkins side and Friday & Saturday in Salisbury with the Kunkel side. In between the trip to Salisbury on Friday we squeezed in a little Black Friday shopping in Columbia. Katie and I were in line at Toys R' Us by 4:30 Friday morning. This was my first official 'get up way before the crack of dawn to stand in the line and freeze your booty off' Black Friday experience. I think everyone should do that at least once in their life! Thanks for going with Katie!

The girl's favorite part off the trip was having adjoining rooms with Gma & Gpa in Moberly. Nightly popcorn parties ensued!

We will be making a second trip back shortly for Christmas...gosh can't believe it is already here.

Everybody now...Do the pee pee dance...

Warning: I know potty stories only interest and excite the parents themselves...therefore, if it makes you sick to hear a parent gloating about their child's bodily functions please skip to the next blog post.

With that said...

Addie went pee pee on the potty today!! I am in shock. Ella was 3 before she did the same. Addie is 21 mos. She was gleaming from ear to ear. She thought it was so cool to get up there on the potty like everyone else. She kept saying "Momma, pee pee. Momma, pee pee," the whole time. Then she kept wanting toilet paper to wipe herself. I really didn't expect her to go the first time I put her up there so I was surprised when she did.

I knew she was getting close to trying to potty train, because she can not stand a wet or dirty diaper. On several occasions she has taken changing her diaper into her own hands. In my opinion there is not a sound more frightening than that of the Velcro being ripped open on a fully loaded diaper at the hands of the diaper wearing diva herself. And even more frightening is having said toddler running up to you from across the house carrying in her hands an open poopie diaper. Yeah...try retracing those steps making sure "no poop is left behind." Not my shining moment.

Ella was almost as excited as Addie about the occasion. She said, "Mommy can I hold Addie's hand?" This is something we have to do for her sometimes when she is on the potty. Then she kept saying in her high-pitch squeal, "Addie! This is so exciting. You get to go pee pee on the potty for the very first time! Good job Addie! So proud of you Addie!" Then in typical Ella fashion she picked up her guitar and wrote Addie a pee pee on the potty song and performed it on the spot. My little Taylor Swift in the making .

As soon as Addie was done and had a diaper back on she ran to the other bathroom and started patting the potty in there saying, "Pee Pee!" We will see how long this lasts.

Technology in the Hands of a 21 mos old=Happiness!

This is Addie on the way back from Missouri. It kept her satisfied for part of the trip. Matt had hooked his IPod into their Fisher Price Headphones and it made for a great sanity saver. Ella used it part of the time to listen to Taylor Swift, and then of course Addie wanted it too so when Ella was asleep she got it. She was happy as a lark. She loves anything that looks mature and typically out of her reach. But, of course she is our little engineer and she figured out how to get the hold off the top so she kept turning it off. That's Addie. One smart cookie! An Ipod should definitely be on every 21 mos. old's Christmas list.

What would Addie look like with hair???

Here is your answer! Although she looks a little like Joe Dirt I still think she is adorable :) The look on her face is priceless.

"In My Mini-Minnie High Heels."

I can't wait for Halloween! My dream was for Addie to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween, but I did not want to pay $50 for the ensemble on Ebay. But, Aunt Katie was able to score the shoes, ears, & dress(in red none the less..hard to come by now that Minnie Mouse on MM Clubhouse wears a pink dress). But, come on classic Minnie is red so that is what I envisioned.!!! If we can just get her to keep the ears & gloves, and heels it will be just precious this Halloween. You should have seen her trying to figure out how to walk in heels. It was hilarious! She was walking on her heels with her toes pointed up in the air. Too cute to see a 19 mos. old in heels! And, they are the most precious heels I have ever seen. THANKS AUNT KATIE!

The Kunkel Cousins

I have pictures of Taylor when she was 4 holding Ella as a newborn. Now it is my Ella bella that is the oldest cousin holding her new baby cousin!

Here is Ella feeding Caroline Marie or 'baree' as she calls her. You should have seen the proud grin on her face when she was handed the bottle and allowed to feed her. It was priceless. Nothing thrills her more than when she is allowed 'big girl' privileges or responsibilities. She said she was going to be a babysitter someday. She did a great job!

Nothing is as lip-smacking as Pop-Pop's corn

YUM! Addie was thoroughly enjoying her first taste of salty, buttery, summertime "oh-so-yummy" corn-on-the cob!


That is to say once she figured out how in the world you are supposed to eat it...I am sure it was just as tricky for everyone on their first experience. The cob isn't quite as tasty as the corn as she quickly figured out.

Concrete Angel

I had the camera and Nanny and Pop Pop's the other night and was so glad I was able to capture this moment. Addie was mesmerized by the "little girl" in Nanny's flower garden. I thought it was just precious!! Hope you enjoy.

Mullet No More

Sniff, sniff...another milestone. My baby got her first haircut today. She sat up in that big ole chair with that big ole cape on and didn't move an inch while Crystal cut her hair. She had this look on her face of awe and amazement (with the little mouth slightly open) that she was finally getting to do something that big sissy does all the time. You could tell she felt like big stuff up in that chair. She craves independence, and she throws a fit when mommy denies her the right to do something she doesn't need to be doing. Her haircut looks adorable...unfortunately, I have no pics yet of the final result. Our camera died, but Crystal had her camera handy and let us borrow it for a few shots. Thank you Crystal!!! We are going to have to work to keep a bow in the hair while it grows out a little cause she looks like a little boy from certain angles.

This also brought back memories of the day Ella got her first haircut too. She was exactly 1 year. We took her on her birthday to get her haircut and then afterwards to McDonalds for her first Happy Meal. Ella was born with a full head of hair and needed a small trim at 6 mos, but at the first official haircut daddy had to hold her and she had to be occupied with a squirt bottle, comb, and mirror.

Seriously...No wonder I keep finding gray hairs.

Okay so let's talk about what my little mischievous Addie has been up to this week.

First...I had food coloring out for a craft I was doing for church, and I pushed it to the back of the counter cause I knew grabby hands #2 (Addie) would be all over that. Well in the mean time while my back was turned grabby hands #1 (Ella) decided she wanted to see some purple and pink food coloring...cause after all pink and purple are her very favorite colors...as I am reminded by her daily. Well Ella then put the food coloring in reach of Addie who proceeded to yank the top off the yellow food coloring and pour it all over her body and the floor. When I tried to grab it from her it made it worse cause her grip got tighter and more kept pouring out. So off to the bath we go...luckily this was on the hardwood not carpet. Well I decided to kill two birds with one stone so made Ella get in the tub with Addie. Then Ella started crying and screaming bloody murder. Well the food coloring on Addie turned the tub water pee yellow so Ella thought Addie had peed all in the water so she was frantically wanting out of there. I kept trying to tell her it wasn't pee, but she wouldn't listen. So then I had to drain all the water and start all over....problem solved.

Second...later that evening I left to go to church to get my room ready at VBS and Matt was in charge of getting Addie up from nap, ready, and to VBS. Well he hears her start whining and told Ella to go occupy her till he could get back there. Well Ella does and then comes running for Matt talking a bunch of gibberish. "Oh my goodness, Oh my Goodness." Well Matt then realizes Addie is bucknaked in her crib (she likes to take her diaper off all the time)...and there is pee everywhere..sheets, bumper are soaked. Judging from the amount of pee Matt said there was I am thinking she probably had been naked for a few hours since I just lay her down in her crib awake and she puts herself asleep. She decided she wanted to sleep in the nude I guess...hope that stage doesn't last too long. Maybe I should start duct taping the diaper.

Third...just today I was in here checking my facebook cause I am obsessed with it and Addie comes trotting in the bedroom covered in brown paint...hair sticking straight up from the paint in her hair. I run in the living room and find it in the couch, floor, and all over the kitchen wall and floor. Don't know where she found the paint, but she found it all right. Ella of course is right behind me the whole time going, "Oh gosh...Oh my goodness...Look mommy she painted your wall...Oh my goodness what are we going to do?" That is her new thing now. I must be saying Oh gosh all the time cause she loves to say that. Anywho, I got pictures of the damage today as proof for the future of all the trouble she got in as a little tike. This is cute though...Matt was asking her tonight if she had fun painting herself and she started holding up her hands acting like she was painting herself. She knew exactly what he was talking about.