More Fall Fun in Minneapolis!

Our sweet pumpkin in her cute Fall sweater dress and tights......playing at home!
Addison LOVES to brush her teeth now.....she walks around the house for atleast 20 minutes wiggling her toothbrush in her mouth with drool running down the front of her :-) Such a big girl!



Is it really the end of October already???!!! I can't believe how quickly the past almost 14 months have gone since Addie was born!

In the last couple weeks we have had the peak of Fall, and now things are really cooling off around here. The highs are around 50 degrees this week. Addison is definitely feeling the change in weather.....with a constant runny nose and a little cough. Poor thing! It never seems to turn in to anything more serious than a cold, thank goodness, but I'm sure she can't be terribly comfortably with a constant head full of snot! Ugh! We are doing our best to keep her hydrated, well fed and warm!

Addie got her new brown puffy Winter jacket last week, and it fits perfect! After we were disappointed with the thin "Winter" jacket that we had ordered from Patagonia, we re-ordered a new jacket from Old Navy, and believe it or not, it is much thicker and warmer than the other! I guess we learned our lesson.....you don't have to pay a lot of money to keep your baby warm! :-) Good to know! We have also bought a couple more Winter hats to add to our collection from Opa from last year (some of which still fit great!)

Addison is continuing to enjoy music class each Monday......she seems to like the other children, and loves exploring the instruments and sounds! She takes wonderful naps after so much stimulation in this class. She is also doing well with daycare. Last week she had to go for 3 days, as mommy had to work an extra day, but seemed happy each day when I came to get her. The caregivers said she loves to go on the buggy rides with the other children! I came to pick her up on Friday evening and she was sitting on the mat next to a smaller child turning the pages of a book and "reading" aloud to them. So cute! Our favorite moments are of course when mommy and/or daddy arrive at the end of the day and Addison lets out a squeal as she hurries over to us with open arms! Our sweet baby girl! :-)

On the days that daddy works and mommy is home with Addie and Wally, it has been fun to excite them at the end of the day that "daddy is coming home!" They each run from the living room to the door and await his arrival! We even wait in the hallway sometimes! One day last week Addison was hiding in the kitchen closet when daddy arrived....it was adorable! :-)

Addie has had some fun days with Annie lately, and she seems to remember how much she loves her each time! Yesterday when Annie arrived to watch Addie during the Vikings/Packers game, Addie ran across the room to greet her with a big hug! We are so fortunate to have the BEST babysitter ever!

We are eagerly awaiting Opa and Jojo's arrival this Wednesday evening for 5 days!!! We have a few activities planned to celebrate Halloween with them, but other than that they are just looking forward to some snuggle time with Addison! And Addison can't wait to show off all of her new tricks! :-) There will be ballerina pictures soon! :-)

a return to summer for a few days!!!

Our family at the pumpkin patch!


Addison and her friend William on the slide!
Addison loved the string trio! She sat in this little red chair for ~20 minutes hypnotized by the music!
Addison and daddy rode Sadie, Joe and William rode Babe!


One of the last times wearing sun-dresses this year!
A lazy day with daddy-resting!

We have had some interesting weather here lately! The temperatures returned to the upper 70s-80s for about a week or so.....so we have been taking full advantage of enjoying outside time!

Addison turned 13 months on the 6th of October...wow, our big girl!

We had a busy weekend...including mommy and daddy each getting to spend a night out with friends, a Saturday trip to Uptown for shopping and appetizers (Addison entertained the entire place by switching around all of the outside chair cushions, and dancing!), and a Sunday trip with our friends the Grunnet family to Apple Jack's Orchard (pumpkin patch) in Delano, MN.

Addison loved the trip to the pumpkin patch! There was a petting zoo, a store with a cafe/bakery with yummy treats, a small cow train that went through the fields, lots of pumpkins to choose from for Halloween, a small slide for kids, and wagon rides! Addison's favorite part of all was listening to the string trio-she was absolutely still and quiet, watching intently for about 20 minutes! We had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful weather. Addison has a pumpkin that weighs the same as she does this year....19 and a half pounds! We look forward to carving it with her some day soon and baking pumpkin seeds!

Addison had another fun day at music class yesterday.....this time she got to play with ribbon sticks and egg shakers! She always loves the rhythm sticks and parachute rides too! She really does seem to just LOVE music! She regularly makes her way over the piano at home and reaches up to play a few notes, as well as strumming the guitars a little too! :-)

Enjoy the pictures!

Beginning of October and Fall!

Mommy and Addie enjoying a beautiful Fall afternoon.
Serious Addison in the family photo!
Tractor girl!! She loved driving it!
First time seeing pumpkins....she was amazed!
Giving daddy kisses!
Loving the new car seat....even before it was in the car. And of course, monkey blanket always along for the ride!
Cuddling with Wally in the bathroom of all places :-)

October 4th and a high of 81 degrees today and 86 degrees tomorrow! I think this is our Indian summer before we welcome the beautiful Fall! There are a couple of trees beginning to change color, and we are anxiously awaiting peak season in a few weeks! It is absolutely gorgeous here this time of year.

Knowing that the cold weather is right around the corner, mommy and daddy have been busy looking for the perfect jacket for little Addison. It is definitely a challenge to know what will be just right for her this season. Hood/no hood?, snowpants/snowsuit?, hat with chin strap, hat without? It seems crazy, but we sure don't want her to be chilly this Winter! The search continues.......

This past week and a half has been busy and fun!

We continue to attend music class on Monday mornings at MacPhail. Addison LOVES this class! She dances almost the entire time, and loves exploring the instruments-jingle bells, finger cymbals, egg shakers, and drums! We have learned some new songs to sing at home too! The only thing difficult about music class is when it is time to put away the instruments and toys.....Addie is still working on learning that it is ok to clean up....the toys will be back again! A good lesson learned!

Addison is doing ok with daycare....although she does not like drop-off time. She now cries when I leave her because she would rather be with mommy....definitely breaks my heart! However, she seems to have good days once it gets started and seems happy when I come to get her in the evenings. It is definitely a transition, but hopefully will continue to improve with time. I have noticed that she has become much more social with the start of school....walking right up to other kids on the playground and in group play vs. hanging back a little. Miss Social!

We went to a "farm party" about an hour from here on Saturday with Noah's co-workers. It was a beautiful afternoon, and we enjoyed checking out the pumpkin patch, playing outside and eating delicious barbeque. Addison loved finding sticks outside!

We had a 1st birthday party that we attended on Sunday for one of Addison's little friends, William. It was enjoyable for Addie and us.....good food, fun people and lots of entertainment watching the three little ones run around and play!

Addison is now in her new carseat....yea! Our big girl is still sitting rear facing per the recommendation from the pediatrician, but is now in a large convertible "lounge chair" as we call it....she seems much more comfortable vs. being crammed in the infant carrier!

New developments for Addison......giving lots of kisses to everyone on command (she is so proud when she does this!), we are now working on hugs! :-) She is also very excited about stacking things and building towers, going on the slide at the park, opening and closing doors (cabinets, her room doors), fitting in to small places (like behind our cement poles in our condo), and climbing! Our little monkey continues to grow up!

A look ahead......a trip the pumpkin patch this weekend, planning our ballerina outfit for Halloween,and a visit from Opa and Jojo the end of October!