Halloween Fun

We went to an apple orchard with our friends Danielle and Doug who had just got engaged (Congratulations!) and Audrey, Neil, Evan and Amelia. It was a nice day and just slightly cold, but Addy was happy to wear this very cute hat Dad bought.
At the orchard there were a number of pumpkins to choose from.



Addy enjoyed sitting among the pumpkins looking for the best one.





She found one she really liked and wanted to show Evan how strong she was by trying to lift the pumpkin without putting down her favorite leaf.

On Halloween Addy had a hard day. That day she got her top 2 teeth and she wore this chicken suit that Dad picked out last year before Addy was even born. She handled the teeth and outfit well and enjoyed seeing all of the kids trick or treating.

The rest of the weekend plus has been even harder. Addy has been fighting a bad fever. On Saturday Mom and Dad took her to the after hours doctors office where she recorded a 104.9 degree temperature. She has been struggling with the fever all today as well. We went to her doctors office today and got some medicine which we hope will help quickly. Luckily Mom was already taking Monday as a vacation day and has Tuesday off.

October Fun & Games

October brought some fun times hanging out with dad. Addy loves hanging out with her dada and he loves hanging out with her.

Addy also found a new place to play in the family room.








She pulled out the basket of toys and then crawled up onto the shelf.
















For a couple of days she loved sitting on the shelf.

We also went to Stephen & Elise's soccer games and met up with Grandpa Ken and Aunt Deborah. Addy went right to Grandpa Ken. She enjoyed hanging out with him at the game and at lunch.

September & Family

The end of September brought a visit from Aunt Melissa, Uncle Andy & Cousin Lia, as they were in town for their niece Milana's baptism. Grandpa Denny also came down to visit everyone. (Grandma Barb was sick and could not make the visit.)





Uncle Andy shared with Addy one of his favorite books. She really got into Uncle Andy's story.














Addy showed Lia some of her favorite finger foods, pasta pick ups. I'm not sure if any were shared, but it did seem like Lia was interested in what Addy was eating.
























The girls sat nicely together as we were getting ready to meet Andy's dad for dinner.

We had a nice dinner with the family and then took the opportunity to take a group picture.

The following weekend Grandpa Denny and Grandma Barb came down. (The reason Grandma was ok with missing the prior week.) Grandma watched Addy while Grandpa, Dad and Mom went to the Michigan vs. Wisconsin game. (It was a very good second half of a game.)

To England We Go

On August 28th Addy, Mom, Dad and Aunt Martha flew over to England for a week. Addy was wonderful on the overnight flight and slept the whole way. Grandma Denise picked us up at the airport and we drove 4.5 hours to the Lake District in northwest England. Addy was good for the drive up as well, but she enjoyed the break here where we were able to stretch our legs in the fresh air.

We met up with Aunt Deborah, Grand Aunt Caroline and Grand Uncle Bob who flew over with Grandma a few days earlier and Great Grandma and Grandpa and Grand Uncle Robert who live in England and Steen who came over from Denmark. We all stayed together in a wonderful house with a lot of stairs.




We brought a baby backpack instead of a stroller to carry Addy around in and she loved it. Mom and Dad were both able to carry Addy around with comfort and ease.














Addy was so comfortable that she even fell asleep a couple of times in the backpack.

























Even though we had some rainy days, we were still able to catch the beautiful Lake District Landscapes.
























Even more important than seeing the English country side was the time we were able to spend with Great Grandma and Grandpa, Grand Uncle Robert and the rest of the family. We loved having Addy get to meet and spend time with everyone!

A few pics that don't belong anywhere...

... but Addy asked me to include them!








An old farmstead apple.






A tortured old tree.


















And a robber fly taking a break in the sand from a day of hunting.

August and Everything After

At the end of July, we were getting Addy all prepped and ready for her first Glen Lake August. She had fun trying out her froggy pool in the back yard! It only took her a little while to get over the giant eyes staring at her.














Froggy pool came with us up to the lake, and the weather was awesome and great for swimming, but Addy was all about getting into the lake.












As with the pool a month before, we planned on starting her out slowly, but all Addy wanted was to get in the lake!







She loved the waves and the sounds, and had fun splashing and kicking (sometimes gulping) in the lake. She can't wait to come back next year and do some real swimming!



She also took in all the rest of the fun that Glen Lake had to offer. She loved the swings and the sand, and the playing with friends and family.

The sand felt funny, but was fun to dig my hands and feet in!

And there were lots of fun people to spend the week with!

And of course there were some great views to wrap up each day. We can't wait to get back up there next year!
More updates to follow. Stay tuned!

Blogging vacation...

... or at least a vacation from blogging.

We've had a really busy couple months, so we apologize for the lack of updates! We'll start where we left off so long ago and bring you up to speed. When last we left Addy, she was a sitting, rolling, giggling little 6 month old girl. She's definitely got a personality and sense of humor all her own, so when she finds something amusing, we just go with it. Over the 4th of July weekend, "burp, burp, burp" was apparently the funniest joke a 6 month old could hear.




We also started varying Addy's diet quite a bit, and still haven't fund anything she doesn't like. Some meals are messier than others!

In mid-July, we all went over to Grandpa Ken's pool for Addy's first time in the water (besides bathtime). We thought we'd start slowly with her feet in the water at the steps, but Addy was all about getting right it. She loved hanging out in the water and kicking her feet!

The end of our July took us to the Vyn's cottage for some fun. We spent the warm rainy weekend hanging out on the lake and playing a very long and damp 18 holes of golf at the nearby course. We also heard the great news that we'll be welcoming a brand new Sever at the beginning of next year. Congratulations Brett and Linda!

Thanks so much Jill and Craig for hosting again this year and thanks to everyone else for making the trip out!

Alright, that's the compressed version of our July. Stay tuned tomorrow for a look at our August!

Happy 6 Month Birthday Addy!

Wow has our baby girl changed! It seems like every day she is changing in some way. We especially notice it on the weekends when we are spending more time with her. She is growing physically, now in 12 month old clothes, but also growing mentally. She is sitting up by herself.

We have started feeding her solid food. We started out with cereal which she has really enjoyed. She gets cereal at daycare and then also when she gets home at night. We have also started feeding her vegetables. She has eaten peas, carrots, sweet potatoes and green beans. So far we have yet to find a food she won't eat.

A week ago we were able to see Grandma and Grandpa as well as Aunt Melissa, Uncle Andy and Cousin Lia. It will be fun to see Lia and Addy grow up together and play together. They were playing well together and were even sharing toys as well as attention.

Even though Addy has become a hip 6 month old...

... she still has time to laugh and play with dad.

Memorial Day Memories

We packed up the car this past weekend and took Addy for her first trip to Glen Lake! She was awesome on the trip up, sleeping most of the way, an only got up to eat and play when we were ready to stop anyway. Despite the $4.20/gallon fill-up in Cadillac, we had great travelling weather that kept getting sunnier the closer we got to the cottage! We also timed it pretty well, as Grandpa and Grandma Weener, Aunt Melissa and Uncle Andy, and Cousin Lia showed up just a little while after we unpacked!

We spent the weekend enjoying the weather (a little cool at the beginning of the weekend, but still pretty!), the company, and the Leelanau Peninsula! We took trips into Glen Arbor, Leland, Empire, and out to the Otter Creek beach on Esch Road.

It was nice to get a chance to see what the Cherry Republic garden looks like before it really takes off too! (I'll have to post a pic later this August so you can see what I mean.)

The weekend gave Matt a good birthday present as well. Not only was Sunday beautiful for most of the day, but it finished off with a really cool light show as a thunderstorm passed behind Alligator Hill.All in all, a spectacular weekend, and a great introduction for Addy, who'll hopefully grow to love it up there as much as we do!