Live, Love, Laugh.....and Photograph!!

Blake Nicholas Grayson

2012-01-30T13:50:00.009-05:00

Blake Nicholas Grayson

January 4, 2012

7 pounds 1 ounces

20 1/4 inches

born at 2:23pm

Yes, I have been SLACK with blogging. I can't promise that I will keep up as well as I did when Addison was born; but, I am going to try to at least post pictures on the blog occasionally!

St Patrick's Day Parade 2011

2011-03-29T21:53:00.012-04:00

Tybee St Patty Parade 2011

2011-03-16T22:25:00.000-04:00

After Tara Feis we went to Tybee's parade. As last year, we had a great time. The weather was great!! We even made a little trip to the actual beach so Addison could play in the sand a bit.

Tara Feis 2011

2011-03-15T21:52:00.000-04:00

Just Because I'm caught up with my BLOG!!!!!!

2011-02-21T22:36:00.001-05:00

Horsing Around @ Addison's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-02-20T14:57:00.021-05:00

We had Addison's party at Norwood Stables. We went to a birthday party there a year ago and that is all that Addison has talked about. She we knew that was the place for her birthday! It was a beautiful day. We could not have asked for a better day. The weather was perfect (75 degrees)!! All the children had a wondeful time playing. We had a petting farm that all the kids enjoyed. Then the horses came out - one brown horse & one brown pony. Addison loved the horses and rode several times. We are going to take her back in a few weeks (maybe after St Patrick's Day) to ride!

Happy 3rd Birthday Addison!!

2011-02-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

On Addison's birthday we had cake & ice cream that night. She was so cute with her cake. She got so excited as you can tell in this picture. Then when we started to sing happy birthday to her she got shy and put her hands over her face (so sweet & cute). Then when it was time to blow her candles out she knew exactly what to do! Happy Birthday Addison!!

Feb 8 - Addison turns 3!!

2011-02-10T21:30:00.003-05:00

Addison turned 3 on February 8, 2011. Wow I cannot believe that 3 years have gone by. She is growing up so fast. Addison is a very independent little girl. She loves helping and doing things by herself. Addison loves playing make-believe. Mrs. Rose, Addison's teacher, told us the other day that she has the biggest imagination in the class & she loves that. Addison loves playing with Barbies; but never got into playing with dolls as much as I have tried to push them. She LOVES horses! She loves having books read to her and has started to "read to me". She likes to make up stories that go along with the pages. Addison loves being outside and running around. Addison still loves music and will just start singing in the car. She is better at knowing who sings songs than I am. I love the fact that she loves music! Addison started dance around 2 1/2 and loves it. She loves showing us her first position and other dance moves. She is so cute in her little leotard. I think tap is her favorite although she like both tap & ballet. Addison is so much fun. She is truly a Grayson and loves getting others to laugh. She is a "ham"! She is so cute & funny. Addison - Mommy and Daddy love you very much. You have brought so much joy & happiness to our life! We Love You!!

On Addison's birthday, I dressed her in the dress that she wore for her 1st birthday party. Only now its a shirt for her and not a dress. I included a picture from her 1st birthday as a reference of just how fast she is growing up!

Now.....at 3.

Addison at 1....

Baking cupcakes

2011-02-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

We baked cupcakes the night before Addison's birthday for her class. She loved making the cupcakes. I can't believe that I didn't get a picture of the end results! We also baked a cake & decorated it for her birthday dinner & celebration the next day.

Addison, Hollis & Foster

2011-02-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

Grayson Christmas

2011-01-05T13:18:00.001-05:00

We were suppose to celebrate Christmas with the Grayson side the weekend before Christmas at our house. Well Addison ended up getting the flu the day before our get together. So we moved it to New Year's weekend. As always we had a great time together.

Randon December Pictures

2011-01-01T23:03:00.007-05:00

Christmas Morning

2010-12-30T22:06:00.002-05:00

Christmas Day

2010-12-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve

2010-12-29T21:45:00.000-05:00

Putting out Reindeer Food

2010-12-29T13:13:00.000-05:00

Someone at Nick's work gave us reindeer food to put out Christmas Eve. Addison thought that was the coolest thing leaving food for Santa's reindeer. Cute...

Christmas Cheers

2010-12-28T21:29:00.001-05:00

I just love this dress that Addison is wearing so I thought I would grab a few pictures before we left to go whenever we were going that day. As you can see Nick and Addison's picture is super cute. Well mine & Addison's - well - lets just say not so great! Oh, well at least I'm in a picture, right?

Christmas Baking

2010-12-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

Christmas School Program

2010-12-26T17:52:00.002-05:00

Addison was a sheep in her Christmas school program in December. All the children were so cute in their outfits!!

Gingerbread House

2010-12-23T21:32:00.000-05:00

Pictures with Santa

2010-12-20T16:38:00.000-05:00

This years pictures with Santa went much better. Addison actually sat on Santa's lap & told him what she wanted for Christmas. She told him that she wanted a black horse & a barbie with a tail (i.e. - Mermaid).

How the Dancing Grinch Stole Christmas Recital

2010-12-06T15:27:00.013-05:00

Addison had her first dance recital. I had to make her costume for the performance. I must say that it was a big pain; but, all the girls looked so cute up on stage. Addison's class were Christmas Trees. Addison did great with the performance. She actually got up there & did the dance that she had been learning. When she finished up her performance and came off stage, the first thing she said to me was "Mommy, I want to go back on stage - that was fun!" I think we have a star on our hands!!

November

2010-11-26T14:21:00.001-05:00

October

2010-11-06T12:59:00.001-04:00

Disney

2010-10-06T11:51:00.001-04:00

September

2010-10-06T11:24:00.000-04:00

First Dance Class

2010-09-26T11:38:00.003-04:00

Hair Chopped Off!!

2010-09-10T11:13:00.001-04:00

I didn't realize how long her hair was until I compared pictures. I miss the pretty long hair; but, I do not miss the fights with brushing the tangles out!

BEFORE

AFTER

More August

2010-09-06T10:51:00.004-04:00

August

2010-09-03T15:35:00.000-04:00

SLACK

2010-09-02T22:51:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have been slack and most likely will continue for the next month or so; but, I thought I would post a couple of pictures. I'll explain what all has been going on once everything settles down. Really nothing big or exciting just busy!!

Beaching it with Grandma & Papa

2010-07-12T22:38:00.003-04:00

4th of July 2010

2010-07-08T22:15:00.001-04:00

On 4th of July we spent the day at the beach and as I am sure that you can tell from Addison face, we had a blast. It was a perfect beach day. The day before was super windy and not such a good beach day. But 4th of July was great - perfect wind - perfect temp - perfect skies - perfect company! I just love the beach!!

Fireworks

2010-07-06T22:03:00.000-04:00

We stayed at the beach 4th of July weekend with the Barlow's. It was nice watching the fireworks and just walking back to the house rather than having to sit in traffic to go home. Addison loved the fireworks and still talks about them.

Just Because...

2010-07-05T21:59:00.000-04:00

Pool Fun

2010-07-05T21:43:00.005-04:00

Are you suppose to be up there Addison?

2010-07-03T10:48:00.000-04:00

Daily feeding ducks, turtles, and fish.

2010-07-02T15:40:00.001-04:00

Yes, I said daily feedings of the ducks, turtles and fish. We now buy "duck bread" and feed the ducks, turtles, and fish in our lagoon almost daily. Addison loves going outside to do this and I figure us buying a loaf of $1 for a little fun each afternoon is well worth it!

Potty Training Weekend

2010-06-28T22:25:00.000-04:00

Potty Training weekend went well overall. I have known for about 2 months that Addison was ready to potty train. When your child comes to you & asks for her diaper to be changed you know she is ready! So we were finally was able to set aside a weekend were we did not go anywhere. I think we turned down several offers for the beach, pool, dinner and so on. But we were dedicated! We spent 3 days totally committed to potty training (Thursday, Friday, Saturday - we stayed home most of Sunday too; but, did fit in a little pool time).

So how did potty training go you ask? Addison now is totally potty trained for pee peeing on the potty - we are still working on bowel movements. She is afraid still to poo poo so we are still having accidents; but, she will get it! How did we do it? On Thursday morning, Addison and I collected all the diapers and threw them away together. Then we took off her last diaper and put a pair of big girl panties on her. She had 2 accidents first thing on Thursday morning, then did great the rest of the day until Daddy came home. Then it was like a totally different child. It was the weirdest thing - she regressed and didn't want to sit on the potty - asked for a diaper back. I told her that we wear big girl panties now. So she held it & didn't go potty for several hours. Then she woke up the next morning - I was sure it was going to be a new day and she would do fine. Well she held it all morning saying it hurt to use the potty. I then got worried that she was getting a UTI so we went to visit Dr. Shelley that afternoon. By the time we went to visit Dr Shelley she decided that she would use the potty; but, I still took her to the doctor just to be on the safe side. From Friday afternoon on she has not had any pee pee accidents with the exception of a couple of nap time accidents in the past few weeks. She is so good about telling you she has to go potty and can hold it so well for her age. I think a lot of this is because she was ready. Now for BM's; I am clueless and we are still continuing to work on ways to let her know that she doesn't need to be afraid to go do #2 on the potty. We have offered rewards, we have a poo poo wand, we have told her that she will get it one day and there is no reason to be afraid. I keep telling myself it will happen too. So for now, Addison is totally potty trained to go pee pee and still working on bowel movements. She is still wearing "night time panties - ie night time pull-ups at night. Although there have been mornings that she wakes up dry. We will worry with that later - I am just glad about daytime!!!

Spending Time with Family

2010-06-20T22:01:00.011-04:00

Fathers Day weekend we went to my Aunt Brenda & Uncle Robert's home on Saturday. We had a great time catching up with family. The whole Meade family was there with the exception of my Uncle Robbie who was out of the country. I thought I took some pictures around the pool; but, I guess not. Here are a few pictuers that I did capture that day. I cannot beleive that I did not get a picture of me and Dad together.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T22:30:00.000-04:00

Just Because....

2010-06-15T22:16:00.000-04:00

Mason comes over to Play

2010-06-12T21:59:00.001-04:00

Patrick and Mason came over a few Saturday's ago while Kindall was throwing a shower. Mason and Addison had a great time playing together. They played in Addison's room and then went outside to feed the ducks too!

Tybee with Best Friends

2010-06-10T20:49:00.026-04:00

We did our annual friend trip Memorial Weekend. I do not use the word Best Friends lightly. I say it every year; but, my childhood girlfriends are the Best Friends a girl could ask for. I am so blessed and with each year of friendship added I realize it even more and more. We are all so luck to that all our husbands get along so well. There were 7 couples so 14 adults and 13 kids with one more on the way. Once Melissa and Jeff have Amy ,which we got to celebrate while at the beach house with a little surprise shower, the adults and the kids will be equal - yikes that means once the next one of us has another child the children will out number the adults. Maybe we can keep this little secret to ourselves and hope the kids do not figure that out! Wow - I love every minute of the chaos in the house. Although to be honest with you there really is not that much chaos. All the kids get along great - everyone is just laid back and enjoys spending time with each other! It's the one time of year that we all know we can get together and enjoy the company!

Chrissie, Rachael, Brandi, Melissa, Anna, & Shelley

YOU ARE THE BEST!!! I LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU!! YOU ARE THE SISTERS I NEVER HAD - THANKS FOR BEING SO WONDERFUL!!!!

Couldn't this be a Coke Advertisment

2010-06-05T22:52:00.005-04:00

Addison and Foster are so sweet together. Chrissie and I laughed when they started sharing their Coke together. It was so cute and luckily I had my camera in my hand so I grabbed a quick shot. I'll post more pictures from our friend vacation in the next few days.

Don't Bug Me....

2010-06-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

Addison had her end of the year school program. It was "Don't Bug Me". Addison's class sang the "Ants Go Marching On" song and one other song which I can't remember. Since Addison's school program, she sings the Ant song all the time. It's so cute. She marches to it too!! Addison loves music!

All the little bugs at school were so cute in their outfits! Addison's hat kept falling during the whole program. I wanted so badly to go up there to fix it.

Madelyn, Addison, Ashlyn, & McKenna

2010-05-17T20:47:00.000-04:00

Swim Lessons with Ms. Buffy

2010-05-16T20:24:00.000-04:00

Addison started swim lessons in May with Ms. Buffy. At first I wasn't so sure how they were going to go; but, Addison started to warm up to "swimming". Buffy showed us a few things to work on after our first five sessions with her. We are working on those items and will start a new set of sessions in July. To date, Addison is pacticing kicks, jumping in the water, and blowing bubbles. We are still working on her actually blowing out water and not sucking it in. Addison likes to drink the water. Addison now will go down the slide and loves it!!!

After swim lessons we always go for a quick play on the playground!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-11T23:26:00.000-04:00

For Mother's Day we took both my Mom and Nick's Mom to breakfast on Sunday morning. We then went back to my parents house for a little while and headed back to Pooler so Addison could nap a bit. That afternoon we went to the pool. It was a great Mother's Day.

Weekend filled with Parties

2010-05-10T23:23:00.000-04:00

The weekend of the 8th of May we attended two birthday parties. First Madelyn's party which was themed after Alice in Wonderland as well as she had a petting farm come to the party. Terese, Madelyn's Mom, went over the top. I was so impressed with the decor for the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party. Addison had a great time with the petting farm part of the party. She wanted to hold each and every animal. We may have a future vet on our hands - Addison loves animals.

After Madelyn's party we rushed to Payton's outside water party. Addison had a great time at the water party too. We ended up staying at Robbie & Holly's (Payton's parents) until after 9pm.

Party # 1 - Madeyln's Birthday Party

Tea Party & Animals

Birthday girl # 1 - Madelyn

Party # 2 - Payton's Birthday Party

Outside Water Party

Birthday girl - Payton

Baseball Game for a Cause

2010-05-03T22:53:00.000-04:00

We went to the Sand Gnats baseball game to help raise money for Cancer. Payton & Addison had fun at the game. I am not much on baseball so I enjoyed chasing Addison around rather than watching the game. I must document this little story from the game - There were some bouncers at the game. Addison saw them and wanted to go so bad to play on the bouncers. I noticed that there was a fee to jump on the bouncers and play the other games. Nick had given Addison some money earlier that night. I told Addison that Mommy didn't have any money on her so we could not bounce - Addison looked up at me and said I have money in my pocket. I asked if she wanted to give up her money to bounce. She told me yes. I figured once we got up there and she actually had to give up the money should would not want to; but, she did. So Addison had her first lesson on spending money at age 2 (how cool is that). Now I guess my next lesson will need to be on saving. Although she does a good job at putting money in her piggy bank when we give her money.

High Heels & Sunglasses

2010-05-02T23:05:00.000-04:00

These pictures were taken during April and I thought I would include on the blog. A girl has got to have her sunglasses and heels!

Our 6th Wedding Anniversary & where do we spend it...

2010-04-27T22:08:00.078-04:00

We decided to head to Orlando with Addison for our anniversary. Nick and I love Disney World so what better place to celebrate our 6th anniversary. We had a great trip. We stayed at the Gaylord Palms Resort which was fabulous! Addison loved the alligators and fish that were around the hotel. It really was a very pretty hotel. The pool and water park at the hotel was very cool too. Addison enjoyed running around and playing in the kids water park. Nick surprised me with a massage. We also ate dinner at one of our favorite restaurants (Maggiano's). We went down on a Thursday night. Then got up Friday morning & went to Magic Kingdom and later that day headed to Hollywood Studios. Then Saturday we decided to stay around the hotel and enjoy it. As well as do a little shopping at the outlet in Orlando. We had a great time and as always, I can't wait to head back down to Orlando to visit again. Sorry for all the pictures.

Bunnies

2010-04-26T08:55:00.007-04:00

Holly was able to get a bunny from a co-worker so we did bunny pictures right after Easter. Addison loved the bunny and could not get enough of it. I had a hard time getting her attention for the pictures because she wanted to play with the bunny. Thanks Holly for getting the bunny.

Girls Night Out

2010-04-18T21:19:00.000-04:00

Nancy, Rebecca, and I went out for girls night out. My cousin, Tori, was able to get us a good deal on a hotel room so we were able to stay downtown and not worry with driving home. We had a nice dinner and then went out for some good girl time. We had a great time and are already planning our next girls night.

Mason & Addison strolling around.....

2010-04-17T20:47:00.003-04:00

Literally Mason was strolling Addison around in Payton's stroller. They were having the best time & you can see it in their faces.

Tinker Bell shoes

2010-04-15T20:38:00.000-04:00

Addison fell asleep wearing her "tinkerbell" shoes. Addison was in Kami's wedding and before the weddinng to get Addison used to the shoes I had her wear them. She loved them so much that she would not let me take them off the night I purchased them. She called them her "tinkerbell" shoes.

Strawberry Festival

2010-04-13T22:28:00.008-04:00

After the race, we went to the Strawberry Festival that was going on at Ottawa Farms in Bloomingdale. Addison got to ride the horses (although nothing like free riding them - I actually felt bad for the horses). We picked strawberries, which Addison thought was a blast. We only had to tell her a few times that she could not eat the strawberries. She keep telling us that they needed to be washed first! After we picked our strawberries, we went to get a bit to eat. We sat on the grass and enjoyed the BBQ sandwiches that were there. Then we walked around & enjoyed looking at the different vendors that were selling stuff. Then we went home with one tired little girl!

Ronald McDonald 5K Run

2010-04-13T21:27:00.009-04:00

Merrill Lynch had a group of us that ran in the Ronald McDonald 5K Run. We had a great time! I even came in 2nd in my age group (okay so there were only roughly 125 people that ran the race - but this may be the one & only time I can say I was 2nd in my age group so I thought I would post it.) My time was 27.52 minutes.

We enjoyed the festivities after the race too. Addison enjoyed the Italian Ice and chocolate chip cookies as you can see around her face in the below picture.

Shopping with Aunt Kathryn

2010-04-06T21:14:00.003-04:00

We went shopping in Hilton Head with Aunt Kathryn. Aunt Kathryn paid to let Addison ride the horse. Needless to say, all the other horses that we walked by were "broken"!! We had fun hanging out with Aunt Kathryn!

Tybee Run

2010-04-06T20:58:00.002-04:00

The weekend of April 3rd me & Marianne ran in the Tybee 5K Run. Pre-Addison, Marianne and I used to be able to run together alot and workout together too. So it was nice running again together. Although she did smoke me by coming in 2 minutes faster!!! The last part of the course kick both of our butts. It was in the fluffy sand - Wow talk about a workout!!!

Play-doh Fun

2010-04-05T21:29:00.010-04:00

The Easter Bunny gave Addison Play-doh. She loves it!! She sat there for almost an hour Sunday night playing with it. All who know Addison, know her sitting for an hour doing anything is pretty impressive!! I know what I am bringing out next time I need to get something done!!!

Easter Bunny

2010-04-04T23:11:00.007-04:00

Addison was very excited about what the Easter Bunny left for her. She loved everything in her basket! Thankfully the Easter Bunny didn't bring too much candy!! (wink, wink)

4 Days, 4 Egg Hunts

2010-04-04T22:25:00.081-04:00

Easter Day Egg Hunt

Sunday, April 4th

Easter Day was the last egg hunt. We went over to Jimmy & Jodi's house for lunch with the family. While I know that Easter is not about egg hunts and the Easter bunny; we had a great 4 days straight of "Easter Fun". I want Addison to grow up enjoying the egg hunts and Easter Bunny; but, I also want her to know & remember to reflect on the real reason why we celebrate Easter.

Easter Day was lots of fun at Jimmy & Jodi's. The kids played outside with Cooper's new tee ball set. Addison did a great job hitting the ball off the tee ball stand! Of course she has no idea that she is suppose to run the bases; but, enjoyed hitting the ball. She loved every minute of being over there. Papa took her on a practice bike ride. She just enjoyed being outside running around.

We did not manage to get a good family picture that day. It was funny, Addison was all about being in Uncle Gary, Aunt Kerri, and Alex's family picture. Then when it came time to take our family picture, she didn't want anything to do with pictures. Well at least she was all smiles in someones family picture. So the first picture is what we got for our family picture. Nick was a good sport that day with his knee (just 5 days after his knee surgery).

Savannah Quarters - Westbrook Country Club Egg Hunt

Saturday, April 3rd

Then on Saturday after I ran in the Tybee Beach 5K run, we rushed to Westbrook's Easter Egg. We met the Bonorato's at the egg hunt. Marissa and Addison had a great time running around playing and chasing each other other the hunt. You will see Addison used a beach bucket as her basket....I forgot her basket so the beach bucket was what was in the car.

2nd Egg Hunt - Egg Hunt @ Hull Park

Friday, April 2nd

We were invited back again this year to an egg hunt in Hull Park. Addison had a good time this year and actually enjoyed picking up eggs! We met Mason, Payton, Jackson, McCall, and Hadden there. All the kids had a great time running around playing. We all ended up going to dinner afterwards at Tubby and had a nice dinner together. (Well the company was good; the service not so - but at least we were with great friends)

School Easter Egg Hunt in Forsyth Park

Thursday, April 1st

This was the first egg hunt of the year. Addison school took them on a field trip to Forsyth Park for an Easter Egg Hunt. Grandma came to help & to Addison hunt eggs. Thanks Mom for going to be with Addison. I know she loved having you there! Grandma did what Grandma's are suppose to do and let her eat whatever candy she wanted. Needless to say - Addison was hyped up on sugar when she got home that night!!

Grandma & GG over to help....

2010-04-01T21:02:00.006-04:00

Grandma & GG came over to help while Nick had knee surgery. K came & sat with Nick Thursday afternoon so I could go to work and Mom picked Addison up from school. We went outside for a while and played while both Grandparents were over helping out! Addison stayed with my parents the first two nights after Nick's surgery - thank goodness!! Thanks to all who helped out!! Isn't Addison dress super cute - thanks to Aunt Laura & her crew for the bunny dress!!!

Hollis turns ONE!!

2010-03-29T21:36:00.026-04:00

Hollis turned One!!! We went up to Loganville for Hollis first birthday! We had a great time visiting as always!! We were even able to fit in a little mini-photo session for Hollis one year pictures. Hollis loved her cake and didn't take any time to dig right into it! All the kids had a great time. We were able to go outside and play. Of course the kids loved that. You will see those pictures below too. You will even see the picture of my attempt to get all the kids together for a pictures - that's all I will say about that. The picture speaks for itself.....

Happy Birthday Sweet Hollis!!! We Love You!!

1st Boat Ride of the Year

2010-03-25T21:00:00.000-04:00

We went on our first boat ride of the year. It was a little chilly out on the water; but, nice on land. It was a great boat ride - thanks to Mike & Cat for always including us on your boat trips! Addison has not stopped talking about Uncle Michael's boat!!

Addison's love for Horses

2010-03-24T22:26:00.036-04:00

We went to Hayden & Lukes"s Birthday party Saturday, March 20th. They had the party at Norwood Stables. It was great weather for an outside party!! We discovered at the party that Addison loves horses!! She was the only child that rode the horse over and over and over again! I seriously think she rode more than any other child! She first got on the pony then couldn't wait to get on the horse which was much larger. I was surprised that she didn't have a fear of the horse - instead she hopped right on and was ready to ride!!

Hayden (the birthday girl - 2 years old)

McCall & Addison

Sorry for so many horse pictures - I know you will not believe this; but, I actually stop taking pictures of the horse rides since she rode so many times.

St. Patrick's Day 2010

2010-03-17T20:43:00.056-04:00

St Patrick's Day is one of those days that Nick and I love. We love spending time with family and friends! Nick and some of our friends (the husbands) have taken over the actual planning of the events for St Patty's Day. It is very nice having them plan the day. It is so funny they start having "meetings" about the big day the day after St Patrick's Day. For instance this year, they did a conference call the day after to access what was good and what didn't go well. Then they meet again about 6 months before St Patrick's Day, then again about another 3 months before to go over duties and to start getting the event in order. Then they have various meetings leading up to the event. The handle everything securing our spot, deciding who is going to bring what foods and what items. All the females have to do is show up with the kids!!! I just want to say how thankful I am for them and how well they do planning the event!

The above is the spot that the men secured! Yes, everyone in the picture somehow is associated with someone in the main group. Once someone comes to our spot they never want to leave or go elsewhere for the parade.
This is Addison new "cheese smile". Too funny....

Addison wearing Alex's hat

That sure was a yummy green cookie!!

Jackson

Mom & Dad enjoying the parade

The kids in the "cage".

McCall

Payton all smiles

Addison watching the parade with Uncle Michael & Aunt Cat

At this point in the day, it was way past Addison's nap time. She was starting to get a little sleepy. By the time we left from downtown that afternoon, she could barely walk.

Mason & Addison playing together - trying to climb the tree.

Time to call it a day when your child gets on the bench and tries to lay down to sleep.

Yes, I took pictures of Port-a-Potties - Why, you ask? Because they were our own personal port-a-potties. I told you the guys planned everything. They even went as far this year to get port-a-potties! Which I might say was an excellent idea - one for the guys and one for the girls!!!! Again, guys thanks for all your planning & preparing for the big day! We had a blast and can't wait to do it again next year!!

Shamrock's

2010-03-15T18:24:00.000-04:00

Aunt Kathryn got the cute tights & green skirt for Addison last year. She looked so cute before taking her to school that day. I laughed when I dropped her off at school because I told her teachers that I figured that the tights would be super dirty when we picked her up from school. Well to my surprise they were not only dirty but had two super huge holes in them. One would think, oh poor Addison, she fell. Oh no, not my child - her teachers said that she picked the holes (yes she did it herself). Oh what I am I going to do? Well at least I got this cute picture before we went to school that morning. Aunt Kathryn - can you get us a new pair of tights for next year?

Tara Feis Irish Celebration

2010-03-14T17:28:00.000-04:00

We went to Tara Feis which is a kid-friendly Irish event that is held yearly the weekend before St. Patrick's Day. It is a great family event that was started 19 years ago....pretty cool! This year Addison had a GREAT time running around & playing the games that they have for the children. Maybe next year she will be ready for the crafts and face painting that they have; well can the short lines for some of the slides and such. After Tara Feis we went to the Tybee Island St. Patrick's Day parade.

Addison & Alex "attacking" Nick!

Okay, I know these are pretty much the same; but, I couldn't decide which one so I decided to post both....

Addison & Alex playing one of the games.

Just Because....

2010-02-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Just Because - these are pictures that I have meant to post & time has just gotten away from me. I am been really bad the last month or so about taking pictures. I think with spring, hopefully, on it's way I will get the camera out more. We tend to do more in the spring & summer.

Addison wants to see MORE SNOW

2010-02-18T21:11:00.007-05:00

Addison put her hat on and looked at me and said "I want to go outside & see snow." I felt so bad. She remembers going outside the other night when it snowed; I guess she thought it had snowed again. She must have walked around for about 15 minutes telling us snow was outside and she wanted to go see it! That made me want to pack up right then and take her to the mountains to see more snow! But, I guess it will have to wait until next year! I guess she really liked the SNOW!!

Trying to convince Daddy to let her go outside to see the "snow" with a hug and kiss. Looks like Daddy won in this deal since there was no snow outside.

Gearing up for St. Patty's Day

2010-02-17T21:57:00.002-05:00

We are exactly 1 month from St. Patrick's Day!!

Addison is ready.....are you?

This is the dress that Addison wore last year as a dress. Now we are using it as a shirt. It's neat to see how much she has grown.

Addison's Birthday Party

2010-02-14T11:12:00.015-05:00

We had Addison's birthday party at Monkey Joe's for all her little friends. We had 19 kids - all except 4 were under the age of 3. Wow that is a lot of toddlers running around. It was so cute, we kept telling Addison that we were going to Monkey Joe's for her birthday party when she woke up from her nap. So one of the first things she said when got up from her nap was she wanted to go play!! All the way there she talked with us about who would be there and the fact that it was her birthday party. Whether she really understood it was her birthday I am not sure.

She had a blast playing at Monkey Joe's. She even came up to me towards the end of the party and said "Mommy, I have fun at Monkey Joe's. I love you." Wow talk about melting your heart. A two year old saying that.....so anyone that thinks I am crazy for having a party for her, oh well call me crazy. Those words made it all worth while!!! I know she will not remember; but, for that moment in time she had a blast and that it one of the things life it all about! Living it to the fullest!!!

Addison - I want you to continue to live life to the fullest and never forget the feeling of being a child and carefree!! I love you!

Happy Birthday, my little ladybug!!!! I am glad you enjoyed your day!

Really, Snow in Savannah

2010-02-13T22:12:00.017-05:00

Believe it or not, it snowed last night. I think we got 1-2 inches. My guess would be 2 inches. We decided to take Addison out last night since she has never seen snow. We held off on her bath and let her stay up later than normally so she could see the snow come in. We wait for some snow coverage on the ground and then we bundled her up and took her outside! She really liked the snow.

This is what it looked like this morning when we woke up! Very pretty with all the snow on the ground. It was all gone by noon with the exception of those that built snowmen. All the snowmen were still standing in the neighborhood - slowly melting away! Will be have to wait another 20 years to see snow in Savannah again? The last time it snowed in Savannah I was 10.

Everybody Up

2010-02-10T22:02:00.003-05:00

It was so cute. Addison decided she would play this game with everyone. And I mean everyone (Grandma, Papa, GG, Aunt Kathryn, Mommy and Daddy) - if someone wasn't participating, she would pull them in.

She would say "everybody up" and everyone would have to stand up; then she would say "everybody down" - everyone had to sit down. Then she would throw out another command; maybe "everybody hands up". This game must have continued on for 15-20 minutes. The command that she gave the most was "everybody up" and "everybody down" so at least we all got our exercise for the day!! I think we may have a leader on our hands!

2 Year Stats

2010-02-09T21:43:00.002-05:00

Addison had her two year well visit with Dr. Shelley today. I love Dr. Shelley. He is always so relaxed and always willing to spend time answering your questions. Addison weighed in at 26.2 pounds (40th percentile) and 35.75 inches (90th percentile). Dr. Shelley says that Addison's height amazing him given my height and Nick's. Maybe she was able to grab some height from my Dad's side of the family (that's the only place I can think of)! Dr. Shelley told us that we could start the transition to low fat milk. He said we could keep her on whole or start to move her down. I decided we would move down to 2% milk so we are slowing doing that right now!! He said she was doing great and all was going well!! He said we didn't need to see him again until she was 3 years (well and sick visits - but we all know, we like to avoid those)!!

TWO

2010-02-08T21:03:00.001-05:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 2.

Today you turn 2! I had to snap a quick picture before we went off to school and work. Look at you, where is the little baby that I once was able to hold in one arm? You are so much like a little girl now. You talk to me and have conversation with me. You tell me you love me and give hugs and kisses for no reason at all (which are the best by the way)! You play make believe with me whether it is cooking something for me at your kitchen or playing with your baby dolls. It is so hard to believe that 2 years have gone by and so fast!!! Addison, Mommy and Daddy love you more than words can ever express! I don't think we will ever be able to put in words how much you mean! We LOVE you, Addison ~ Love, Mommy and Daddy

Cake & Ice Cream

2010-02-08T20:16:00.007-05:00

We had a very small get together at our house on Monday night. Basically I wanted to have a little something on Addison's actual birthday since we were not doing her party until the weekend of the 13th. So, Aunt Kathryn, Grandma, Papa, Aunt Kerri, Uncle Gary & Alex came over to help us celebrate. Addison loves Tow Mater and wanted a Cars cake so that is what she had!

Addison took two bites of her cake and was done with it. I wonder if she did the same with her cupcake at school today too! We took cupcakes to school so she could celebrate her birthday with all of her school friends.

2010-02-07T20:59:00.002-05:00

Chrissie, Shane, Foster, and Hollis came in for the oyster roast. Addison and Foster had so much playing together! When they were leaving Sunday, Addison hated to see Foster leave! You can see from this picture they were giving each other signs of affection. Foster getting ready to give Addison a kiss!! Foster - remember as you grow older your job is to protect Addison from all those boys out there!

Oyster Roast 2010

2010-02-07T10:40:00.002-05:00

Yet another successful oyster roast put on by my parents. They have been doing this for at least 12 years and it has grown to be a really hard event. It started out just family and has grown to some 300+ people (grant some of these are friends of the other couple that help host it; but, still WOW)!! This year we sweated because of all the rain that we have had. It rain on Friday; but, fortunately Dad and some other were able to get the tents up Thursday night. But there were still so many things to do Friday night. We went over to help with what we could. Here are a few pictures of Addison Friday night. You will see that she wasn't going to let the rain stop her fun!!!!

The weather was wonderful all day Saturday and then right before the oyster roast it started raining a little. But stopped in time for the actual oyster roast. We didn't let the rain interfere with the fun!! We had a good time as always....Addison did too!!! She loved running around dancing and playing with her friends that were there!!!

All wiped out - she fell asleep on the sofa with the party still going on outside!!

Ice Cream with Papa

2010-02-01T10:21:00.003-05:00

Random Pictures from January

2010-01-31T09:49:00.010-05:00

I have a bunch of random pictures from January so I figured I would post them all under one post.

@ the Teeple's Beach House

2010-01-30T09:19:00.010-05:00

A couple of weekends ago we went to the Teeple's beach house. We love spending time down there.....thanks for always having us!!

Addison loves being in the boat with Uncle Michael. Too bad he is trying to sell it. If you know of anyone that wants a great boat that has been taken care of, just let me know & I will put them in touch with Michael.

Silly Girl

2010-01-29T09:14:00.000-05:00

Snuggle Time

2010-01-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

Daddy & Addison had a little snuggle time on a Sunday afternoon...so sweet and some alone time for Mommy!

Later that day....McCall & Hadden's 1st Birthday Party

2010-01-27T20:21:00.000-05:00

Addison is always excited to go to Jackson, McCall, & Hadden's house to play. This day it was the twins 1st birthday party. Addison is going to teach McCall the ropes....you can tell that McCall loves being around Addison (a little girl power).

Hadden & McCall

Rain Boots again...

2010-01-27T20:09:00.002-05:00

Addison got another pair of rain boots. She kept saying that she wanted boots like Mommy so we decided to give the rain boots another try. We went to the store & let her pick them out. Well we kind of persuaded her to get the ladybug ones! Anyways, now she loves wearing them!!!!

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-26T22:54:00.010-05:00

We went over to Brandi & Aaron's New Years Eve. We had a good time catching up with them....we have been so busy lately that we had not spent time with them in a while. We ended up staying over there until 11:45pm....I am shocked Addison & Marissa both were still up!! Addison was fast asleep before we got out the neighborhood to go home.

Yep, it was late & time for bed!! Happy New Year 2010!!!

Pizza Party

2010-01-26T22:49:00.004-05:00

During the holidays, a few of my good friends that were in town came over with the kiddos for pizza and hanging out. We let the kids running around and play & we got to talk and enjoy each other.

We also found out some exciting news that night too.....Melissa is expecting child #4!!! We are so happy for she & Jeff!! I can't wait until the new addition is here.

Fun with Fingerpaint

2010-01-26T22:26:00.003-05:00

Just Because...

2010-01-26T22:21:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas 2009

2010-01-12T21:55:00.039-05:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to get a Christmas post up. I had some issues with one of my memory cards and it just so happens it was the memory card that I was using to take all my Christmas pictures. I was able to recover some of the images and have sent the card off to the company in hopes they will be able to recover the rest. I am so upset.....I figured that I might as well go ahead & post some images.

We had a wonderful Christmas season! We really enjoyed celebrating with friends and family. We had our Grayson family get together at Buddy and Laura's in Valdosta this year. It was really nice all being together....except for the rainy weekend! Thanks Buddy & Laura for hosting this year!!! And thanks for the yummy BBQ from Smokin Pig. (On a side note, if you are in Valdosta, GA you must stop and eat at Smokin Pig - Buddy & Laura know I love it!!)

Then we were able to celebrate and spend Christmas Eve with Mom and Dad. We went over to their house that night. On Christmas Day we went over to my parents house again. The Kynerd side came over as well as K (ie GG or Nick's Mom) and Kathryn. It is so nice that me and Nick have family that enjoy being together and do it often!!! We both have wonderful families!!! We were also able to fit in some friend get together this season too!!!

Christmas morning was so much fun. I knew when we walked into Mom and Dad's house Christmas Eve and Addison's eyes lit up when she saw the presents. She with a high pitch voice just keep saying "presents, Addison's presents." She couldn't wait to open them. She was so sweet Christmas morning too when she saw what Santa left for her. She walked in and with her eyes wide open....."Wow, toys!!" She first saw the Potato Heads that Santa left under the tree. She also was excited about the kitchen Santa left. She enjoyed opening all the other gifts. It was a wonderful Christmas Season!

Christmas in Valdosta

Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning

Later Christmas Day @ Grandma and Papa's house

Yep, Still not wild about the man in the red suit...

2009-12-22T21:50:00.003-05:00

We got to see Santa at the Christmas party at Bank of America. As you can see Addison still was not wild about Santa. Maybe wild about is an understatement!

Christmas Card Rejects....

2009-12-20T22:20:00.005-05:00

Addison wanted nothing to do with the camera....what's new, right? All she wanted to do during my Christmas card photo shoot was run around and pick flowers. These are the rejects that I didn't use for our Christmas cards......

Disney never disappoints....

2009-12-18T19:17:00.046-05:00

We went to Disney World the first weekend in December with the Youngblood's and the Dart's. This is Addison's 2nd time; although she doesn't remember the 1st since she was only 7 months old. I tell you what...Disney never fails!!!! I LOVE Disney World!! Nick and I went a number of time before we had Addison; but, now that we have her it's so neat to see Disney through her eyes!!! At one point I got teary eyed by her reaction of the lights, sounds, characters, and whole magically experience!!

We went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. The parade that night was awesome!!!! All the characters were in their Christmas finest! It even snowed....only at the Magic Kingdom can you have snow when its 60 degrees. The music was wonderful.....the sounds really put you in the Christmas mood. I know this is going to sound crazy; but, for me one of my favorite parts was when the toy soldiers came by us. They had music instruments that they were playing; but, the best part was their real wood "feet" or shoes. It really made the sound of actual toy soldiers marching along the street. Okay so maybe you had to be their to really experience it all.....but it was wonderful!

We went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. We did not make it to Hollywood Studios this time. Despite the rain, we still had a great time; besides we were in the "Happiest Place on Earth." It rained all day Friday, I think we were all soaked from head to toe by the end of the day. I'm shocked none of us ended up getting sick because it was not only raining; but, cold too (well cold for FL standards - and mine too)! We got to see Santa while we were in Epcot, well lets just say that Addison is still not to fond of the man in the red suit. Maybe next year...I keep telling her that she will learn to love him!!

She just tells me no

I can't wait to go back and we have only been home for a few weeks.....

Brian, Nick and Addison on Toy Story ride.....I think Brian and Nick had just as much fun as the kids!!

At this point on the ride, Addison wanted off...Addison loved the tea cups....Mom not so much! I used to love them....I just can't handle them now that I am older.
Addison and Jackson had fun dancing to Mickey's dance party!!! Those two just love each other!! They play so well together!

This is about as good as it gets when trying to take a picture of 5 kids...
Addison loved all the characters from afar....as long as they didn't come to close. Alex on the other hand love them and gave tons of hugs. Addison not so much, just high fives!

Thank goodness for the aquarium at Epcot!!! We spent almost 3 hours there just looking around while it was raining. This allowed us to dry off a bit before we got brave enough to battle the rain again on Friday! Addison loved looking at all the sea life!! She was in aw of all the fish!

Oh, and here is our Santa picture.....yeah, she didn't like him! There is always hope for next year!

Another attempted at a group picture of all the kids....I think I got a better picture this time round. It was a challenge!

Addison got to ride on the race cars!! She loved "driving" the car. Her little head barely fit over the wheel!! Maybe next time she will be tall enough for the kid roller coaster. Although I do not think she was ready for that this time anyways!

All bundled up and exhausted from a long day!! I had a long sleeve shirt on her, borrowed McCall's jacket that she was not wearing, a big sweater, and my sweater on her. Needless to say, she was bundled up and all cozy!!! Nancy, thanks for letting us use the light jacket that McCall wasn't wearing!!

I wanted to get a picture of us in front of the castle; but, Addison fell asleep before I could do it. I went ahead & had Nancy take a picture because I want to make it a tradition to always get a picture in front of the castle with the family when we go to the Magic Kingdom. Next time, I will just make sure to do it 1st thing so little one doesn't fall asleep on me!!

We had a fabulous time and I can't wait to do it again!!! We only ended up with 4 new stuffed animals (Nemo (or as Addison calls him Marlin), Dory, Woody, and Tiger. I was actual a little worried that we would end up with many more since my child LOVES stuffed animals. Now just to decide, which old stuff animal needs a new home........

Is it a hat???

2009-12-17T18:51:00.000-05:00

Addison found my laundry mess thing that I use to put delicate items in to wash. Well she decided that it was a hat! We were going out to eat & she insisted that she wear it. Fortunately we were able to get her to take it off before we went in the actual restaurant. Nick and I just laughed.....she keep saying it was "her hat".

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-12-15T23:31:00.008-05:00

I just love this first picture....

We went to my parents for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful meal....ate way too much! We had a great time visiting with family. I ended up spending the night so we could get up to go shopping early on Black Friday. Its a tradition with Mom and I....I look forward to in the future, it becoming a tradition with Addison, my Mom and me (in the way distant future). After a long day, Addison and Nick took a long needed nap!

Bubble Bath!!!

2009-12-15T22:00:00.005-05:00

This was actually Addison's first bubble bath!!!!