Merry Christmas, Part Three

Santa Claus came early this morning. Adison must have been a good girl, because she had a Galloping Jumparoo Pony under the tree. She LOVES it. She bounced for at least 40 minutes while I finished up in the kitchen. We spent most of the day at my mom's house. We had a huge meal with more food than 3 families could eat. Uncle Jamie, Aunt Jenny, and Uncle Joey were there all bearing gifts. They got a kick out of watching Adison rip up the wrapping paper. Adison's Grandma and Connie stopped by for a little while to drop off her present. They got her a ball that lights up and moves around. She played with that for a long time. Hopefully it will get her crawling soon. This was one of the best Christmases I can remember. I was lucky enough to spend it with the people that mean the most to me. The holidays are about sharing time with family, and I have the best family in the world!

Merry Christmas, Part Two

We spent Christmas Eve at Jamie and Jenny's house in Orlando. They hosted a very nice dinner party. Jenny out did herself with both the food and the decorations. Everything was absolutely beautiful! I do have to mention the turkey and ham that Jamie spent the day smoking. He was worried that he overcooked the turkey, but I thought it was perefect. Adison had a fun time flirting with everyone. Uncle Jamie & Aunt Jenny got her a stuffed puppy that she played with for a while (Thank you!!). I think her favorite part of the night was messing with the spoons on the dinner table or maybe when everyone kept sneaking her cookies and chocolate. By the end of the night, she was worn out and ready for bed. Good thing--Santa couldn't show up while she was awake, could he?!?!

Merry Christmas, Part One

We celebrated Christmas with Lance's side of the family this weekend. It was nice to see the kids get so excited about the presents. I thought that Adison would be too young to enjoy the unwrapping process, but boy was I wrong!! She really tore into a few of them. She did like the paper and bows alot, but the toys were fun too!! Of course, every gift she was given had sound. Just so you know, toys are alot LOUDER today than they were when I was a kid. I've heard it only gets worse. After a couple of hours with every toy sounding off at the same time, I'm not sure that is possible... Seriously though, we really enjoyed our time with the family. Thanks to everyone for all of the great goodies!

Our Favorite Little Present...

Here Comes Santa Claus

We are getting ready for Santa at the Lowery house. The tree is up, and the house is covered in lights. Adison likes to look at the decorations for a little bit at a time, but her interest quickly goes elsewhere. Of course, what is Christmas without a few pictures that will cause Adison much embarrassment in about 15 years?? Holiday obsessed parents should be banned from clothes shopping during this time of year! (This outfit was purchased for photo opportunities only...)

Happy Thanksgiving

This year, we had Thanksgiving at my mom's house. Aunt Dianne, Uncle Bobby, Kevin, Meredith, Chad, & Billy came from Tampa for the day to join our family for lunch. As always, we had way too much food which resulted in everyone over stuffing themselves. Adison had her first go at mashed potatoes and peas. She surprisingly loved both of them along with the sweet potatoes and green beans. I think granny may have even snuck in some lemon pie somewhere during the day. Adison is definitely the one thing I am most thankful for this year. I can't imagine my life without her. She amazes me more and more each day. She really is a blessing in my life.

Fun with Daddy

Adsion has really been enjoying her play time with daddy in the evenings. Go figure, we buy her all of these educational toys, and she has more fun trying to chew on daddy's ear. Last night, Lance was on dinner duty with Adison while I finished up in the kitchen. She finished her green beans in record time, but she was wearing more of them than she put in her stomach. Note to self--Daddy doesn't get dinner duty anymore. (I think that may have been his plan all along!)

Happy 30th Birthday Jamie!

Last weekend, we had my brother's 30th birthday party at our house. Friends turned up from all over the place. The gang from Clermont showed up in an old, oyster house RV which was a hoot. We had some of the Ft. Lauderdale crowd and Trevor and Heidi were there straight off of their honeymoon. It was so nice to see everyone again. We don't get the chance to get together as often as we would like. We barbecued all afternoon and held one massive cornhole tournament. Jenny made AWESOME Florida State cornhole boards. Everyone chipped in with side dishes and appetizers. There was enough food to feed an army. Adison was a hit at the party. I was really surprised how good she was. She was passed around all day and never got fussy. She is a little busy body though, so a crowd is really right up her alley. I think she would have partied all night if I hadn't made her go to bed. I lost track of Jamie somewhere after midnight, but based on what shape he was in the next day, I would say that he had a really good time. (I won't mention any names, but he wasn't the only one in rough shape the next day...) The best part of the whole party was that by 11:00 the next morning you couldn't even tell that anything had happened at the house. Everyone was great about pitching in to clean up. It really was a great time. My birthday wish for Jamie is that that he enjoys his next 3o years as much as he has his first 30. He is the best brother anyone could ask for!The Birthday Boy

Marshmallow anyone?

The coolest RV in town!

Fun in the Kitchen

Adison has decided she wants to "help" mommy in the kitchen. She sits on the rug next to the fridge and plays with an assortment of bowls and spoons while I cook. Not only is it cute to watch, but it really does make preparing dinner much easier. I forgot what it was like to have TWO arms to work with...

Mason Turns 3!

This weekend, we went to our nephew Mason's 3rd birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese. We had a really fun time watching all of the kids running around. Lance and I even had a little Skee-Ball competetion. He won, but barely. Adison was on stimulation over drive. She had never been to a place quite as exciting as Chuck-E-Cheese before. Adison also got to spend some time with her cousin, Makayla. Makayla is 4 months older, and we joke that they are on opposite ends of the growth scale since Adison is such a shrimp and Makayla is such a chunker. Soon, Adison will be old enough for a play date. I can't wait to watch the girls grow up together. All in all, it was a really nice afternoon. Mason enjoyed being the star of the show. It's hard to believe he is already 3 years old.

(The Birthday Boy!)

(Makayla & Adison)

Our Jack-O-Lantern

We had a great time carving our pumpkin for Halloween. We really made it a family affair. I drew the face, Lance cut it out, and Adison played in all of the filling. She wanted to eat the seeds until she actually got a mouthful of them. Being the 1st time mom that I am, I thought she was having a reaction to the pumpkin, so I stripped her down and drenched her with water. Turns out, she was just pitching a fit over having the pumpkin goo taken away. I guess I should have put two and two together.

Pumpkin Patch

We had a very busy day yesterday. Adison and I got up early in the morning to get ready for her Halloween pictures. Granny went with us to Ocala to have them taken. I was so proud of Adison this time around. She actually seemed to enjoy the pictures instead of screaming the whole time. I think she was too busy trying to figure out the flash to think about being mad. She looked even cuter yesterday in her witch's costume than she did the last time I put it on her. Michelle Foster is our photographer and does an awesome job!! She had a great backdrop set up with a wooden bench and pumpkins. I can't wait to see the pictures! After we finished up there, we went to a pumpkin patch so that Adison could pick out her first pumpkin. I sat her in the middle of the mini pumpkins, and she bent right over and picked up the one that she wanted. I also picked out a bigger pumpkin that Lance and I carved last night (stayed tuned for a posting on that.) Who knew that pumpkins could be so fun? This year, all of the Halloween stuff was really for the grown ups of the house. It was so fun to watch Adison eat the grass at the pumpkin patch and drool all over her witch's hat. She really does remind me to slow down and take it all in.

Election 2008

Adison took part in her first election yesterday. We took her with us to the polls to cast our votes. I held her while Lance voted, and he did the same for me when it was my turn. She drooled on my cheat sheet so much I could barely read it. She won't remember the election of 2008, but we thought it would be cute to get a picture for her baby book.

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks 2 years that Lance and I have been married. Boy, how time flies! This time last year, we were in Vegas with Marty and Jenn, and I was pregnant. What a difference a year makes. This year we are having a much more low key celebration. Addie and I went to the office to visit Lance earlier in the day, and we are going out to dinner later this evening. We really just want to spend a little time together and enjoy each other's company. Lance is a great husband that works so hard to provide for his family. I knew that I loved him before we had the baby, but watcing him now as a father, makes me fall deeper in love with him everyday. Today, I am reminded how lucky I am. This anniversary, I want to celebrate the little family we have created. It is the most important thing to both of us. Here's to another year of love and laughter. I'll cherish every second of it!

Look what I can do...

Adison has a new trick she wants to share with everyone. Just last night, she sat up by herself for 15 minutes before she face planted into the rug. She has been sitting supported for a while now, but this was the first time she really accomplished it on her very own. Of course, that meant she was forced to sit all day today just to prove that she still could. The following video clip was just one time today that I had her "sitting pretty." For those that are curious, she is eating a teething biscuit (today was the first time for that too. She thought it was DELICIOUS). And for those who may be concerned, the fall at the end didn't hurt. Well, it may not have felt the best in the world, but she didn't cry. She's learning early: "NO PAIN--NO GAIN."

Laughs All Around!

For the past month or so we have been getting a laugh here and there from Adison. Just this past week, she has been opening up and really giving us some good ones. I don't know how you guys felt, but hearing my own baby laugh was the best sound in the world. We'll do something that gets her going and then we'll keep doing that same thing over and over trying to get her to laugh again. Her first real laugh was at Maggie playing tug of war with Lance. It was the cutest thing. I came out of the bedroom to find Lance sitting down with Adison on his knee, Maggie trying to pull a toy away from him, the baby laughing, and tears streaming down Lance's face from laughing at Adison. Of course, it happened when I was in another room, but I could hear the whole thing unfolding, and it was kind of fun to picture it in my head before I actually saw what was going on. Now, we walk around looking like complete idiots doing anything to get a laugh out of her. This is proof positive of how one simple thing can make all the stressful times not seem so bad. It's funny how one little laugh can put your whole life into perspective...

Fun at the Fall Festival

Bushnell held its annual Fall Festival on Saturday. It was a big day for us. Adison and I started out by going to the parade with Granny and Pa. She had the best time. I was afraid that the sirens might scare her at first, but she didn't even flinch when they blew past us. She thought it was funny when we went out in the road to see Stan and Shane on the Dixie Choppers. Pa even caught her a frisbee that she quickly turned into a chewie. No, I didn't get to wash it first, but I have learned to pick my battles and have realized that a little dirt really won't kill her. Several of my former students came by to visit. It was really nice to see them and watch them interact with Adison. I have to admit that I do miss them quite a bit. After the parade, we went to the LDL booth. Lance had a big display set up with trailers and mower stuff. We had alot of people come through, so I think it was a success. Shane's wife brought their new son Landon (Adison's boyfriend) up for a while. It really is hard to believe that not too long ago our baby was that small. After the festival, we took that scary leap and left Adison with my mom for the night so that we could go out with some friends. It was the first time that we have left her for longer than 2 hours, so it was a pretty big deal for us. We left with strict instructions that if she cried for longer than an hour, Granny was to call us so that we could come and get her. We dropped her off at 7:00 and by 9:15, Granny called to let us know that she was sound asleep. It was a relief to know that it was a good experience for them, but secretly, my feelings were hurt that she could get along without me. Lance and I had a great time with our friends and really enjoyed each other' s company. Between the baby and the rest of life's obstacles, I think we kind of forgot how much fun we have together. All in all, it was a great day. Thank goodness the Fall Festival only comes around once a year though!
One of the many chew toys of the day!



(Adison wants a pony like this!!)



Hey Stan, throw us some candy!



Adison & Junior enjoying the day.

Family Day

Sunday we had a family gathering at Granny's house. Adison met her cousin Billy for the first time. Billy has been wanting to meet her for a while but has been in bad health, so we have had to wait. Aunt Dianne, Uncle Bobby, Kevin, Chad, Uncle Jamie, Uncle Joey, and Aunt Roxanne were all there. Of course, everyone thought that Addie was the cutest (me too, but I'm a little biased.) Adison showed what a big appetite she had at luch. She devoured an entire jar of sweet potatoes AND a whole container of bananas. I think she could have gone for more, but we didn't want to over do it. It was nice watching my mom being the Super granny. Everytime Adison made a peep, she was right there scooping her up and whisking her outside. She always acts like that with her, but it was fun to see her showing off her "granny skills" to my aunt. She waited a long time to have a grand baby at one of these lunches, so I guess she is entitled to do whatever she wants. It is always nice when we get together with family. I wish we could do it more often. It's funny-growing up we were the kids running around at these gatherings. Now, our kids are the ones being fussed over. Boy how the times have changed!!

Game Night

Saturday night was the first game night that the WHOLE family attended. We met at Brandi's (the usual game stop). Lance was a little nervous on the way since he had never been to game night before. It may have had something to do with the fact that I didn't tell him until we were almost there that he may have to draw, act, sing, or sculpt at some point in the night. He had no clue what he was in for. When we first got there, we ate and watched to end of the FSU / Miami game (GO NOLES!!) Adison played with Blayne, Broc and baby Colter. Blayne and Broc were very gracious hosts to her. They had out pillows, a blanket, and toys for her to play with in a matter of 5 minutes. It was all too cute to watch. Then the game began. Cranium (hopefelly that is spelled correctly...)was the game of the night. The girl team included: Brandi, Jen, Brooke, Zelle, and myself. Husbands plus Broc made up the boys team. No surprise--Girls got the "V" for Victory on the night!! I think Lance had more fun than I did (towards the end of the game an over tired baby got the best of me and I had to watch from the sideline). It was nice to get away from the house and have a few laughs. Lance swears that the girls cheated somehow and that the next round will go to the guys. We're going to have to make a scoreboard so that we can keep a running tally of how many times the guys come up short...