January 17-18, 2012

While I was off work, we took the opportunity to make some play dates that we normally wouldn't be able to do in the middle of the week! It was also a really good time for me to catch up with a couple friends I hadn't seen much since Logan went to Heaven. We met up with Jessica and Rex at "the jumpy place", as Addy calls it, on Tuesday!

The kiddos had a lot of fun running and jumping around!








A super fun day for sure!

Then on Wednesday, we met up with Nikki, Josiah, and Ashlynn at another "jumpy place"!





The only pictures I could get of Addy and Josiah jumping together were these:



And I use the term "jumping" loosely! They thought it was fun to just fall over and roll around!

Most of the time we were there, these two were doing this:




Sitting in the little coin-operated rides that Nikki and I were NOT putting coins in! They didn't care, they loved it! In fact, I'm not sure they even know those things move! We kept encouraging them to go jump, but they definitely preferred to play on these! Hey, they were having fun, and Nikki and I could chat, so it worked well!

Other than these play dates, we tried to keep Addy on a somewhat regular schedule going to Wendy's house. Usually it was once or twice a week, but it was something. We'd read that part of grieving for kids, and especially kids this age, is the uncertainty of how their world was going to change. We felt she benefited from this, because I think she felt "normal" going to Wendy's.

Grieving is happening, but Addy doesn't like to talk to me about it. She will usually ask, "Mommy are you sad"? I answer her honestly, "Yes, I'm sad because I miss Logan. But, I'm also happy that he's living with Jesus in Heaven. It's ok to be sad". If I ask her if she's sad, she usually just shakes her head yes, but doesn't say anything else about it to me. She opens up a little more to Steven, but not too much. She will usually just say she wants to send balloons to Logan. So we do!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Addy and Maggie have really become best buds as Maggie has been really settling down more in recent months. Saturday morning, Addy was playing and lined up all the pillows on the floor. Maggie decided that would be a perfect place to chew her bone! Addy called to me in the kitchen and said, "Mommy, look! Maggie likes my pillows"!



I had a couple boxes of sugar cookie mix left from Christmas that we never made, so we asked Mackenzie and Katie to come over and help us make some cookies!




I think they all had fun! :) I know we all enjoyed eating them!

January 7-9, 2012

Saturday afternoon Grandma E had to fly home to MN. We dropped her off at the airport and then went to Gatlinburg, TN! Steven came up with the idea a few days prior that we should get away for the weekend, just the 3 of us. I suggested Costa Rica, but unfortunately the condo wasn't available! :) Steven said, "I was thinking more like Gatlinburg". We hadn't been there in 6 years, and I agreed it would be fun to go back!


After we arrived and checked into our hotel, we ate some pizza for dinner at a quiet little restaurant on a hill called Ogle's Brick Oven. It was really good pizza! When we got back to the hotel, Steven and Addy went swimming!




The pool was neat with a bridge across the middle and a waterfall at the deep end. Addy didn't mind it, but she LOVED the kiddie pool they had!


She really loved having her daddy in the kiddie pool with her!


Did Steven enjoy the kiddie pool? Not so much! He said, "You know this water is 50% pee"! :) Such a good daddy to sit in that little pool just because Addy wanted him to!

The hotel had milk and cookies from 8-10 pm each night, so when Addy was done swimming, it was a great bedtime treat!


After a quick shower, she was settled in bed, ready for lights out! She slept pretty well while we were there.



We woke up in the morning to the sound of ducks outside our room! They were swimming in the stream having a great time. Addy liked watching them and quacking at them!



Girls on the right, boys on the left!

Sunday we had a really relaxing day in Pigeon Forge. We ate at the Village Cafe, which was really good! We still talk about that place, and can't wait to go back some day!


There were some shops we went through around the cafe, then we went over to the Christmas Village. Addy wanted to see Santa! We didn't think he would still be there, and he wasn't. She was fine, she had fun looking at everything else!





We went back to the hotel for Addy's nap, and then had a BBQ dinner in Gatlinburg. It was okay, not a place we'd go back to. We decided to have a funnel cake, or two, for dessert! Steven likes his plain with just powdered sugar, and I like mine with powdered sugar and strawberries! Addy? Well, she didn't care, she liked both!


For the record, we didn't finish either one. I think that was Steven's last bite. We were joking that it was rather gross that we bought 2 funnel cakes! Oink, oink. :)

Then it was time to go swimming again! And this time, Addy did a little more actual swimming!







The air seemed a little cooler in there the second night, so Addy and Steven got in the hot tub for a little while to warm up! The water wasn't that hot, and Addy didn't stay in very long, but they had fun!

More milk and cookies after swimming...because we obviously hadn't had enough sugar yet!


Monday morning we ate breakfast at Flapjacks and then walked around Gatlinburg for a little while.


It had been sprinkling on and off all morning, but once it really started to rain, we decided it was a good time to head home. That is, until I remembered that we hadn't taken ONE family picture on this trip. And I really wanted just one! So my sweet husband got out in the rain, in the spot we had talked about taking a family picture the night before, set up the camera, and we captured this family picture:


A great end to a very restful and fun weekend!

January 4-6, 2012

On Wednesday, most of our family and friends that live out of town had to leave. Addy and Nina had some time to play, though, and they took turns playing doctor. It was so cute!



Wednesday afternoon my parents and Jerik, Susan, and Nina left as well.

On Thursday morning my aunt Mary came to visit for a little bit before her flight left. Addy was having fun and being silly wearing her skirt on her head!



The silliness continued when she put her new dress on along with her bike helmet on her head and her new crown to top it all off!


Addy also did a lot of dancing with Grandma E. She's definitely into the princesses, so when she wants to dance, she says, "Maybe I can have this dance, please"? It is so darn cute, we never turn her down!



Notice they're dancing in front of the fireplace? That's not by accident. That's the only place Addy likes to dance...so she can watch herself in the glass of the fireplace! If we're in the kitchen and she asks us to dance, she insists we go into the living room to dance. It makes us laugh!

Then, for some reason, when Grandma E is visiting, we are usually ready to buy our "mass quantity" of ground beef! So we spent a fair amount of time splitting up that 80 lbs of ground beef to freeze!


Addy and Grandma also mashed some bananas for us to freeze and use later for banana bread! I love that Addy put her apron and chef's hat on to do this!


Then, playing with Maggie!


We took Addy to her first movie in a theater! We saw "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked". It was really cute! Addy enjoyed it and sat through most of it really well. She got up for a few minutes to move around, but other than that, she sat and really paid attention to the movie!



Addy and daddy dancing round the Christmas tree outside the theater!

Friday morning it was time to go to My Gym! I realized it had been a long time since I'd taken any pictures of Addy at My Gym! Since Grandma was here, and of course Addy wanted Grandma to help her, I took pictures!





















This was Ms. Kristen's second to last week at My Gym. She has been one of Addy's teachers since we started at My Gym. She was wonderful!