Addy 16 mo, Baby #2 26 weeks

I haven't done a post in a while to update on what Addy Paddy's been up to so here it goes. . .

I'd always heard that parents like to watch their kids sleep. I thought that was pretty lame until Addy came along. Seriously, how cute is it to watch your little one being so peaceful (and still!) with her butt up in the air?! I know, I know, I'm lame. Addy really is a great sleeper (until about 5am where she'll wake up at the slightest noise!). She takes great naps and goes down around 7 after family devotions and bath time with Daa.

This is Addy helping to undecorate for Christmas. She is really a strong little stringbean and knows everything has it's proper place. She loves to help clean up and often puts things away that I didn't see. It's really nice that she likes clean-up time!

Addy is really into her stuffed animals. She likes to cuddle them, hug them, give them kisses and sleep with them. She also likes to 'talk on the phone.' While she's not allowed to play with real phones, she makes anything (puzzle pieces, blocks, eatible goldfish. . . ) into phones and will walk around talking on them. She's really entertaining.

So. . . I thought I would post a few videos of some of the cute things she's doing these days.

In this video, she inspects Boomer's (OU's mascot) teeth and talks up a storm. Right off the bat she says her really cute version of 'noo' and I think she's wondering why Boomer doesn't have top teeth or a tongue.

Here's Addy talking on the phone. :)

Here's Addy showing off some of the words/signs she knows. She also was quite talkative in her playpen and I tried to catch some of that but she saw me when she turned around. :) Besides eating, diaper changes and outings, this pretty much sums up our days together.

As far as Baby #2 goes, we're 26 weeks and doing well. This baby has a lot more wiggle room since my stomach is so pliable and he/she really takes advantage of it! It's weird to watch my belly bouncing all over the place. Seriously alien. I've been swimming a few times a week and that has really eased my lower back pain so really, as long as Addy gets a good nap in the afternoon so I can rest a bit, everything is great. I still can't imagine managing 2 kids under 20 months but I guess it's a bit late for that now. :)

Christmas in Texas

This year we spent 12 days in Texas for Christmas with Brad's family. For most of them, this was their first time meeting Addy and she was quite the attraction!


We flew to Dallas early Wednesday morning via Denver and Addy did really well. She read books, flirted with the people around us on the plane and kept us busy trying to contain her squirming. It was an exhausting trip and she was great! I can't imagine traveling with a grumpy kid (or two!). Anyway, we spent one night in Dallas with Brad's Dad & 'Bonus' Mother before driving to Houston to meet up with the whole family.

While on the way we did stop at the famous 'Woody's' for some TX BBQ. I'm telling you, it was the first time I had real Texas BBQ and it was good but Woody's is a gas station! And it was packed out! Addy got her first taste (and loved it) and then we headed down the road.

We had a blast in Houston with all the family and Brad and I hardly saw Addy (except to change diapers and put her to sleep). She was totally entertained by all the cousins and they did a great job of feeding her and keeping her out of trouble. She had a great time but by about Christmas Eve, she started showing signs of being super tired and started this 'Mama Mama' thing where the only thing that was ok was for me to hold her. Whew.

On Christmas Eve we visited Don & Susie's church and we chose the 'kid friendly' service given that there were so many little ones. Good thing, Addy enjoyed getting to go down front to hear the Christmas story and eating Cheerios and singing. We had our annual Tamale contest and while we did win the 'story' category, our tamales did not win the overall prize again this year. We bought our tamales at Victor's Tires (an auto shop on the West side of SLC that sells the best tamales in town) and now I know why the Texans voted for our story. . . they are used to eating out of auto places. :)

Anyway, Christmas morning started early for us (thanks Addy) and we actually had to wake the big kids up this year to get them moving. That was a first. Addy didn't open her presents until the chaos of all the other kids opening presents was over and they were all sent up stairs. In fact, she only lasted for about 1/2 the chaotic time and then she had her alone time reading books in her playpen. I think that saved our day from major over stimulation! When that was over, she opened presents with the adults and got lots of puzzles, books and monogrammed items. :) She had so much fun and then, it was nap time.

We enjoyed the sunshine in Houston and relaxing with family for a few days and then Monday, we headed back to Dallas. On the way, we stopped at yet another gas station turned eating joint called Buckey's. Again, there were tons of people eager to pay for food from a gas station. :)

Back in Dallas Brad and I did a trip down memory lane and drove around all his old stomping grounds in Lewisville. We saw the places he lived, played and went to school. We even drove past the barber who cut his hair as a kid on main street in Lewisville. Much of it had changed but it was neat to see anyway.

We also had the opportunity to go to a Dallas Stars game when they played the Red Wings. We got to sit in a box (thanks Cowans) and rotate one period into the seats on the ice! The period Brad and I sat there the Stars scored a bunch and we were even on TV when a fight broke out between players right in front of us. I had a horrible expression on my face. . . so much for my 5 seconds of fame.

After some down time in Dallas we headed to Oklahoma to Brad's sister's ranch house for New Years. We got to shoot bow/arrows, go for ATV rides (not me, of course) and walk the property. It was nice to be outside. However, there were quite a few of us and 2 dogs and when the wind/storm showed up, we bailed. We all ended up leaving on New Years Eve to head back to Dallas.

We flew home on Sunday and Addy was so tired that she fell asleep at the end of our leg to Denver. She also slept on Brad's chest during almost our entire layover. So much for getting out our wiggles. But, it was nice to have a break from trying to entertain her.

We got home to a lot more snow and really cold temps again and we have successfully made it through the laundry and putting the Christmas decorations away. Whew, almost back to normal. Actually, I got a bug to 'nest' this week and started re-arranging furniture and cleaning out closets to make room for the new baby. Now that I'm almost 25 weeks I really do look/feel pregnant and the baby is moving around like crazy so this baby's arrival has been on my mind a lot lately. I think we're almost ready for baby Slease to come. It is SO much easier to get ready the second time.

Anyway, Happy New Year. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas season and didn't gain as much weight as I did! :) Pool, here I come!

All characters mentioned in the song are fictitious. Any resemblance to our family members, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Christmas Party!

We decided at the last minute to host a Christmas party at our house this year. We had a going away/Christmas/birthday party in Denver before we moved and we really had fun. Having just moved here, we were a little hesitant (would anyone really come? we don't know that many people. it's really last minute. etc.) We decided 2 weeks ago to send out an evite to our neighbors and new friends from church.

We got the house cleaned, asked people to bring desserts and appetizers and set the time for 4-6 (after Addy's nap and before Addy's bedtime).

Little did we know that so many people would be able to come! We had 30 adults and 26 kids, lots of desserts and lots of chaos! Our new house isn't that big, and of those 26 kids, all but 1 were under 10! Oh boy. The kids found every toy Addy owns, every sweet treat available and made themselves right at home while their parents attempted conversation while keeping an eye on the sugar loaded kids.

A PhD student Brad has been meeting with weekly from Beijing named Daniel, was able to come and he likened the scene to the Beijing subway. Have you ever seen those UTube videos?! Well, he wasn't far off. It was hot, crowded and loud!

We we really did have a great time and it was nice to briefly connect to each person that came. What an answer to prayer that we already have made friends with so many neighbors and couples from church. Addy had a ball with all the 'big kids' and she did a great job sharing all her toys. Of course, it was so busy that I forgot to take pictures so use your imagination. . .

This was the living room before the party. Now fit 50+ people here, in our little kitchen and (luckily!) in our basement!

Most people stayed the whole time and when 6 rolled around, they all cleared out for other parties, concerts or dinner. Our house looked like a bomb of cake, brownies, sweets and treats had gone off! (thankfully most of the toys got picked up by the kids/parents!) Brad took Daniel home (and took Addy with him) and I got to work cleaning. After a good floor scrubbing, everything looked ship shape.

After putting Addy to bed, Brad and I sat down with hot chocolate and opened some Christmas presents. We opened all our gifts and realized that most of the presents weren't for us but for Addy Paddy. We saved those for her to open today.

Today after church, Addy got to open her presents. The first one she spent a long time playing with and after the 2nd or 3rd present she just started going back for more. It didn't take long for her to figure out there was something cool in each of those pretty packages. Hopefully she'll figure out that not every pretty package is for her. :) Thank you to all of you who sent gifts! Addy loves them!

Addy with her rainbow glockenspiel from Great Grandpa Hulsbos. She loves music and the instruments he sent were a big hit!

Addy opening her new puzzles. Thanks Aunt Bev & Uncle Tom!

Merry Christmas to everyone and thanks to those of you who came to our Christmas party! We'll be back at at it next year!

When we returned from Gunnison for Thanksgiving, we found our house quite covered in snow. Fortunately a neighbor used his snow blower on our driveway to clear a way to the garage, but it was a lot of snow. When we were gone SLC had record cold temperatures along with a few crazy snow storms.

The day after we arrived home, it snowed all day and night and these photos are from that storm. Addy did get to go out and play again but it was much colder and the snow was a bit wetter. She didn't last very long before she just looked cold and on the verge of miserable. Brad wondered if it was worth bundling up for 20 minutes to stay outside for 10. :)

20 week ultrasound. . . it's a

Baby! :) The Dr. assured Addy that it isn't a puppy. I think she was a bit disappointed. Baby Slease looked great on the ultrasound and is growing right on track with the expected due date (April 26). I've been feeling the baby move for over a month now (over a month earlier than with Addy) and Brad has also been able to feel our little gymnast lately too. This little one is quite a mover, just like Addy was. Addy likes 'baby in the tummy' and she really likes poking my bellybutton back in. It's really sticking out already. Strange. I did go back and look, though, and I'm about the same measurements with this baby as I was with Addy. I feel so much more comfortable with this pregnancy though. I think my stomach muscles aren't protesting the stretch quite as much. :)

I've been more sporadic doing postings because I'm busy chasing a toddler around these days. We've been battling colds since September (every time I take Addy to the Kids Club at 24HourFitness, she gets a cold and passes it to us) and so going outside has not really been an option. That's been annoying to say the least. I've learned my lesson though and I'm cancelling our Kids Club membership. I'm not paying $15 a month anymore to get colds.

Addy and her favorite past time.

Addy has changed quite a bit since Thanksgiving. When we got home, she started playing with her 2 teddy bears like they were babies. She puts them to bed, tucks them in with a little pink blanket she has and she rocks, hugs, cuddles and kisses them. It is so cute! She has also gotten a lot more outgoing and she waves to everyone and wants to explore anyplace she can get her feet on the ground. She loves books and wants to read them all the time, even during diaper changes. She also developed a fear recently. . . the printer! She freaks out when it prints something and even when we show it to her, she's really upset about it. Weired

Here is Addy with 'Colorado Bear.' Thanks Anneliese, she loves this bear!

Addy still doesn't really have any words yet, but she has mutated some signs for things like milk, please, all done, up, banana, water and food. We recognize what she's trying to tell us but they're Addy speak so no one else would. She doesn't seem to mind that they're not right because she knows we understand her. I guess she figures that's the point. :)

We did decorate for Christmas when we got home from Gunnison after Thanksgiving (although something got messed up with our photos!) and we're really enjoying the lights and decorations. So far Addy is doing really well with 'no touch, just look' at the Christmas tree and decorations. She has a few she can play with but mostly she just points to the angel on top and waves. :) I'm hoping she maintains her manners at Aunt Susu's house at Christmas time!

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and safe travels to where ever you are celebrating!

Thanksgiving Trip

Here's our slideshow of our Thanksgiving trip to Gunnison.

We left UT the Saturday before Thanksgiving (just as it was starting to storm) at 4am only to find out that in Addy's new snazzy forward facing carseat the oncoming traffic makes it nearly impossible for her to fall back asleep in the dark. As soon as it got light she did fall back asleep for a short nap. It was a long 8 hours. :)

Gunnison was beautiful but COLD! It was much colder (mostly negative temps!) than usual at this time of year and it snowed at least 3/4 of the time we were there so the sun wasn't out to help warm things up a bit. (We did, however miss a crazy cold snap in SLC and nearly a foot of snow!)

Our pictures show our time with family (Grandma & Grandpa Bursch, Auntie Jenny, Great Grandpa Hulsbos, Great, Great Aunt Evie, Great Uncle David & Great Aunt Mary, and cousins Danny & Kaitlin), a few glorious sunny days in Crested Butte and Gunni, and of course, Addy. You might also notice a herd of elk. We saw this 100+ herd just across the street from my parents' place.

Addy had fun playing with everyone and she learned to play the keyboard and guitar, to twirl and worked on her singing. She loves music and attention.

The drive home was more smooth as we rigged up a headlight shield for Addy between the front seats. Our car was so loaded up with stuff that Brad wouldn't have been able to see out the back window anyway. :) A much more enjoyable 8 hours.

We had a great time. Enjoy.

Catching up

Looking at our blog, I see it's been a while since I last updated. I thought I'd catch you up a bit. It seems like It's been a busy month but without looking at my calendar, I have no idea what we did except for last week.

Early in November, we had an overnight visitor. Our friends were having their 10 year anniversary and having recently moved to UT, they were really only able to pull off an overnight in Park City (funny how at this point, even one night away sounds great!). Their 4 year old, Morgan, spent the night with us and while we were really tired after her visit, it was really fun.

Brad did all sorts of cooking projects with Morgan, we went to the park to run around, and of course, Morgan played constantly with Addy. Morgan adores Addy and did a great job teaching her how to share and how to play WITH someone. It was so cute! It was daylight savings weekend so sleep (for Addy!) was a little weird but Morgan went with the flow and did really great even though Addy woke her up REALLY early Sunday morning.

Below is a short slideshow of the visit.

After Morgan's visit, Addy caught a cold at one of her childcare situations (gym, MOPS, Bible study, church) and decided to share with with all of us. Usually Brad doesn't get colds but so far this season it was all of our 2nd. Brad got it the worst and even had to work from home for 3 days! He never does that. He and Addy are still working on getting over the cough part of the cold and it stinks dealing with respiratory stuff when it's so cold out. We've been a bit cooped up! Ahh!

That's all I can really figure we did in November besides our fun Thanksgiving outing. More to come. . .