We're back in Nashville!

And we are back... it was an adventure for sure and we almost stayed 1 more day in California! I had booked us super early flights because I didn't want us to have a long lay over in Dallas and I didn't want to get home late either. Well our flight was scheduled for take off at 6:05 am and my parents live about 2 hours from the airport, so we needed to leave by 2. Yea that didn't happen. We actually didn't even wake up until 3! We rushed out the door. I even went in my yoga pants, which is hilarious because on the way out there I wore high heels and was all dressed up. I never go out in public in my yoga pants! LOL. My sister would have been so proud of me for the casual effort I had made. We finally got out the door at 3:30 and we barely made our flight. We got stuck checking in our luggage and we were seriously delayed by our boarding passes because we had trouble checking in our little Addison. Scott had to get out of the security line twice to try and get it corrected which just delayed us even more! Then when it is finally our turn to go through the security check an entire flight crew cuts into our line. They apologized and told us they were sorry that there were so many of them and I looked at them and said 'its OK, we pretty much have already missed our flight.' We did make it but we were one of the last people to board. Our seats were not together... we had 2 seats together and then another aisle seat about 4 rows behind us. We asked the woman in the seat in our row if she minded moving and she said yes she did mind and chose not to move. So I sat with the girls and Scott was a few rows back. It was hard to be on my own but luckily Charlie played on the xoom and Addison took a nap. I'm not exactly sure when but it was over an hour and half into the flight both girls were hungry and Scott had their food. I tried to get his attention but I couldn't. A women in front of me heard me tell Charlie that daddy had her snacks, so she offered to go get them from Scott. As I was describing him to her the woman next to me snapped that she would just move and went back and told Scott, 'go! Your wife needs toys and crap!' It was hilarious! I was grateful. It was a lot nicer to travel together. After we got to Dallas and checked in for the next portion of our flight our seats were changed so we could sit together and that was awesome. It was nice to not have to worry about that anymore. The airport was fun of course, we made the most of our hour. Charlie and I walked around and ordered our lunch. Addison went potty and got herself situated and it was good downtime for mommy and daddy to chill and not be restricted to the tight quarters of the airplane.
The rest of the flight was great. Both girls slept the entire way and it was a nice smooth flight. All of our luggage made it back, well mine was missing handles but at least the bag made it. LOL! Ernie picked us up and when we got home Janette was waiting for a us with warm pizza. That was perfect because we were so hungry... she even thought to turn our heater on so the house wasn't freezing. It was a cold day too. Nashville welcomed us in style with freezing rain... of course in true Tennessee Spring time it was a nice 75 degrees 2 days later. In fact today it was a beautiful day and I wore a super cute short sleeve dress and wasn't cold at all. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. The trees are in bloom and the hills are green again. The blooms are simply beautiful and full of vibrant pinks and purples, very serene and honestly lovely. However on my way home tonight it started raining as a soon as I walked out of the building...

Too cute!!

She really didn't want to wear her hat!
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'Everyone is calling me Princess today!'

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Addison on Finding Nemo!

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The best seat in the house!

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Maryam and Charlie Mae, Disneyland March 2011

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Disneyland!

We of course had to go to Disneyland on our California trip... and we had a blast. We all had a great time. Jennifer, Brett, Maryam, Jax, Scott, Charlie, Addison and myself went and we all really enjoyed ourselves. It was so fun to take Charlie again now that she is a little older. First she wanted to go on Finding Nemo, which we all thought was so funny because she use to be scared of that ride because of the fact that it takes her under water. She really enjoyed it and I of course got really excited when she needed to hold my hand. Addison really enjoyed it too. I got some great pictures of her looking out the submarine window. She is at the age where she is just looking all around and trying to figure out what is going on. Next we went to Fantasyland where the girls wanted to go on Pinochio and the carousel. What a blast. Addison did really well again and was just amazed by all the colors, lights and sounds. She was just looking around in amazement. Charlie was just too funny. She of course asked me if Pinochio was real, and how did they make the fairy appear out of no where?
Next we went to lunch where I decided to tell Charlie Mae that if she ate her lunch she could have anything else she wanted! Well she did!!! She enjoyed cotton candy, churros, popcorn and rice crispy treats... the kid walked around with junk food in her right hand. It was so funny to watch her walk, because she barley was paying attention as she was so focused on eating he junk. She even had some of her Auntie Jennifer's pickle, which I find disgusting that she would share by the way. All this junk food, was a nightmare at about 12:30 in the morning when Charlie woke up throwing up in bed. It was awful. She puked about 5 times that night. I had to give her a shower and change the sheets. It was crazy. I felt so bad for her. Her little belly hurt so bad. Luckily it only lasted about 12 hours and she was fine. I felt so guilty. I usually don't let her eat junk food and her snacks are usually banana's or apples. I tried at Disneyland to get her some grapes, but I was outvoted. Oh well. She had a blast. They both got some new ear hats. Addison didn't really wear hers for too long, but Charlie wore hers for most of the day. Charlie wanted to get a pirate ears hat, but she couldn't find one to fit her. She was blessed with her mother's small head. When she asked me if she could have it, I told her yes, but she had to wear it. She looked at me and pointed her finger and said "ok, but only at Disneyland Mom!" Hahaha! That made me laugh so hard because you have to wonder what all those people do with those dumb hats they buy? It is so crazy to see all the people walking around in Disney clothes. I'm wondering if there is a "people of disneyland freaks" website! Haha!

First sleep over!

Charlie Mae spent the night with Maryam at Auntie Jennifer's tonight... This is her 1st time! We are all so excited for her. They are in sleeping bags and will have a big day tomorrow because we are all heading to Disneyland. Jennifer said they painted their nails and they went right to sleep. We all had such a long day. After our hike we went out to dinner and then came back to Yaya's for birthday cake! Mom made her lemon and jello cake. It was delicious. We all enjoyed it. Then the girls had baths and put their pj's on and headed over to Auntie Jennifer's. Tomorrow we will head on over and go to Disneyland! We are all excited!
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Joshua Tree National Park

Today we went on an awesome hike to the National Park... the weather was beautiful and the skies were as clear as they could be. It was an incredible view and the girls had so much fun. We went for a hike that was a little over a mile. We walked to Barker Damn and then around to make a nice loop. Afterwards we went to Skull Rock where we all climbed on giant boulders. Scott carried Addison on his back in a travel pack and Brett carried Jax the same way. I was so proud of Charlie Mae and Maryam, they did an amazing job and walked/ran the whole way. Charlie fell a couple times staying true to her silly off balance self, but that's OK. She didn't get hurt and just had a few slips. I on the other hand took a dive and have a nasty bruise on both knees and thighs. All and all we had a great time and it was apretty awesome day. I forget how beautiful the desert is. There was so much to see and the colors were amazing. The girls had so much fun playing together and just spending time together. Its going to be hard to leave for sure... I don't even want to think about it. Jennifer has more pictures on her camera so I'll add more soon, here are a few good ones in the mean time.

Our trip to the pier...

Today we spent the day in Orange County and went to see the ocean. Charlie Mae got a kick of walking out on the pier and really wanted to play in the sand. We told her it was too cold of course but she had fun watching the surfers. The waves were pretty high and there were several surfers out. All and all we had a fun day.

We're in San Juan Capistrano

Addison is hanging out with with her Uncle Nat and opening her birthday gift... it is so nice to see everyone.

Cousins!

So happy to be together again!!
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We made it!

Maryam, Charlie and Addison!! We were met at the airport by Auntie Karen, Auntie Kathy, Yaya, Auntie Jennifer and Maryam... They started screaming as soon as they saw us and Charlie Mae ran to her Yaya! It was the cutest happiest greeting ever!
We survived the plane ride and both girls did pretty good. Addison went back and forth between me and Scott and Charlie played on the XOOM. Charlie only napped for 20 minutes so we'll see how this will play out. For now we are off to lunch!
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Leaving Texas

We are on our way.  It was a quick layover in Texas and it went pretty smooth. We were able to stretch and the girls were able to walk around. Addison even took care of her business and this mommy and daddy are very happy about the timing on that. Haha!  The plane is really comfortable and we are anticipating a smooth flight. We are waiting for Charlie Mae to fall asleep... she was awake for the first flight and is fading fast.

This is going to be an awesome trip.

Flying high

We have wi-fi on board gotta love my xoom.

Playing around in Dallas!

Here we go...

We are at the Nashville airport waiting to board. Check in was smooth and relatively painless. For those who are following, we ended up bring milk for Addison. We are sitting together and both kids are wide awake! Happy travels!
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California here we come!

What a night... Scott and I are finally settling down and resting. It has been a crazy day. I had many projects to finish before i left the office today and I wanted to make sure i didn't leave a mess for my back up since I won't be checking emails or voicemail. Then i tried to check us in online but the airline wouldn't let me. So i called and wanted to make sure i could secure our seating but she said i couldn't. I had to wait until we got there. Oh well I'm sure they wont seat our kids with anyone else. I just want to make sure Scott and i can sit together so we cam help each other. We are going to have our hands full. We are all packed and super excited to head west. We will be waking the kids up around 3:15am--- yep! We are! We are going to have a big day ahead of us. We have been trying to figure out how to take Addison's milk, what to put in Charlie's backpack of fun! And how are we going to carry all this stuff and carry these to amazing girls... Its funny because I'm sitting here thinking about how excited I am. I haven't seen my sister since July... now that is crazy! She hasn't seen Addison since she was 6 months old. I almost feel like I'm introducing her to my family. I'm also so excited to See Jax. He was still such a baby and now he is walking and talking. This is going to be a great vacation! We have missed our families so much. We saw Nat and my mom in October. Leslie in December and Richard in March! But no Jennifer and no Justin... I miss them the most. I am so excited to see Maryam and Charlie play together. They have talked on the phone and have written each other letters! Hahaha!

We have big plans too--- Disneyland, Sea World, San Diego, Orange county... oh the fun! I'll update with some pictures in the morning. Wish us luck on our adventure. I better get some sleep. Let the fun begin. See ya next week Lebanon.

Charlie Mae

Charlie has been having so much fun in her room lately. Behind her is her purple guitar that she loves. She actually took it to show and tell for 'G' week! She put it in her backpack with the top sticking out and put it on her back. She looked like a little hippie! Her teacher told us that she got up in front of the class and sang 'this little light of mine'. She can't really play it but she tries really hard. We will definitely sign her up for some lessons! Her favorite song right now is 'lay me down easy' by Billy Currington. Its hilarious because she can sing the whole 1st verse in a southern accent. Too cute!!
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Addison swinging!

She laughs the entire time we push her... She is so funny. She has the sweetest little giggle.
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Crazy Static!

We all sure had a great time at the park.
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Addison is so funny!

This is her new thing... She loves to put stuff in her mouth and make funny noises. She is hilarious!
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Pillow pet frenzy!

Addison has 4... And that's all I'm going to say! Haha!
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The most handsome guy in the world, my Scott!

Scott has been doing a great job with the kids but he's ready to go back to work. We think we've found the perfect nanny too! Wish us luck w/week #2!! So far she is awesome!
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Addison looks like her daddy! So cute!

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Look out Spiderman, here comes Charlie!

She did a great job! I am so proud of her... She loves climbing around and it is amazing how she is growing to be so adventurous. Little miss purse and shoes is starting play rough & tough! Haha!
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Charlie Mae on a tire swing.

The weather has been so nice after the snow, that we were able to get out and go to the park! It was so funny because Charlie took her bike and she could barely make it around the outer park loop! I guess she needs to work up those muscles again. We all had fun!
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Walking on sunshine...

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Exploring the zoo!

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Playing w/goats!

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Nashville Zoo!

Today was an amazingly beautiful day in middle Tennessee. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The weather was an awesome 70 degrees. We woke up this morning and decided we wanted to go to the zoo. We wanted to spend the day outside and thought this would be a great way to do it. We hadn't been to the Nashville Zoo before and Charlie Mae had been talking about a petting zoo because they were going to have one at her school last week, but because of the awful rain they canceled it. It was really a nice family day. Addison and Charlie cruised along in the double stroller for the most part. Addison had her moments where she needed to be carried, but I was proud of both of them. They were both well behaved and we all had fun! Our double stroller is so old and awkward! Jennifer actually found it at a garage sale years ago and it is so heavy, big and bulky. It is really hard to maneuver but I think it is worth it rather than pushing 2 strollers all day. Now of course I can say this because Scott did all the pushing. I asked Charlie Mae what her favorite part of the day was and she said it was the alligators! Who knew? It is a really nice zoo. Now we all know it is nothing compared to the "World Famous San Diego Zoo", but it was fun. We saw elephants, tigers, monkeys, alligators, zebras, flamingos, meercats, giraffs,and we went to a petting zoo. Charlie was able to brush the hair of a goat. She loved it. I of course didn't touch anything and even kept my hands high. The goats were making me so nervous! They were jumping all around. Even though they were little guys, they seem hyper!
We really did have a great time... all Tennessee joking aside. We saw some interesting people. I saw this lady who's shirt read "cheap, used & available"... I also saw some overalls, spandex, neon, bright orange and Titans jerseys! And just a few more funny things Ms. California noticed: No toilet seat covers, lids on all cups, a large grassy area that had sidewalks all around it, but everyone just walked through it anyways. NO metal detectors, of course no one was in a hurry. There was a ton of people there but I never felt crowded. Even in the tighter viewing areas no one pushed or got too close. Everyone was patient and waited their turn. All and all it was a great day and the girls had a blast. Addison went right to sleep tonight she was so tired and Charlie really enjoyed being outside and loved the animals. We will be going again soon! As long as the weather stays nice... however the forecast for tomorrow is RAIN!!!

Where's Addison? Peek-a-boo baby!

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Charlie celebrated FAT Tuesday today at school!

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Uncle Richard, Charlie & Addison March 7th, 2011

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Welcome to TN Uncle Richard!

Yesterday afternoon Uncle Richard was in Tennessee and it was awesome to spend some time with family. He followed me out of downtown Nashville and we headed to Lebanon. It was a wild ride too! At one point we both thought we were going to get a speeding ticket, but luckily we didn't! For whatever reason he decided to pull over the car in front of us! Haha! Thank God! I had just got a speeding ticket not even 2 weeks ago! The last thing I needed was another one! We went to Lebanon and showed him our house and Charlie Mae gave him the grand tour. Then we headed out to dinner. We had a blast! The food was good and the kids were perfect! I love how they were just so well behaved. No fits and they both ate their dinner! We went to a local steak and pasta joint called Demo's. It is pretty good, I always enjoy it and the people are very nice. It always seems like it's not too loud or too quiet. Kid friendly if you know what I mean? Haha!
It was so nice to be with family and just talk to someone who knows me. It was also nice to share my children with family. We didn't have much time together, but we sure had fun and great conversation. He was cold of course, which I understand! Haha! We all know that weather is my biggest complaint! It had been almost a year since I had seen Uncle Richard. It had to be last March when we were all together for Grandma's passing. Addison at the time was only 3 months old. Wow, it is amazing how time goes by. I just can not believe it is already March and a year has gone by so fast. I don't tink I can write anymore about that, because I am doing everything I can at this moment to fight back tears. It was great to see him and it made me even more anxious to get back to visit. We are heading out to California on March 19th and will be out there until the 26th. It is going to be great to be with my family on my birthday and on March 25th. This is going to be a hard month for all of us and I'm glad we are able to be together. Karen and Kathy will be flying down for that week as well. I can't wait to see them too. Come on VACTATION here we come!!!!

Charlie Mae in trouble, say what?

Charlie Mae got in trouble at school for the second time in 2 weeks! Yes, she had to "pull a fuzzy" twice. I believe this system is equivalent to having your name written on the board. She is not allowed to have 3 fuzzy's pulled in 1 week or she will get a sad face on her report. She has had 3 fuzzy's pulled for the entire school year and 2 were in the last 2 weeks. The most recent was for her messing up another student's puzzle. She just decided to take the pieces from him so he coulnd't finish and picked up the puzzle and shook it so all the pieces will fall out. Prior to that she went to school and actually told her teacher "I'm just going to be crazy today!" Where she got this, I don't know? And according to her teacher she held true to this statement and had a very crazy day! At one point she was asked to clean up the area around the play kitchen after she was done playing and she refused! She crossed her arms and shouted sternly "I'm not going to clean up that kitchen, I'm not, I'm not!" Her teacher repeated herself and said "young lady go clean up the kitchen." Charlie Mae said, "I'm not a young lady, I'm a little kid and I am not going to clean up that kitchen because I don't want to!" This led to her needing to pull a fuzzy! Charlie Mae came home from school and told me what happened and how she got in trouble and she was embarassed. She knew that it was not good. I tried to explain that after we play we always need to take a few minutes to clean up after and she looked at me and said just as serious as could be, "well I'm just not going to play in that kitchen anymore than, and I won't change my mind!" WOW! Yep, that is what I was thinking. This was all very funny, but serious too. We had just talked to her, or as Scott would say "got onto her" LOL! about not cleaning her room and how she needs to put her toys back after she is done playing. Now, don't think that I make my 3 year old sit up in her room and clean it up all by herself, because I don't. I do however expect her to help put away her toys. She knows where everything goes. Well this weekend she really messed up her room, with the help of baby Addison of course and she didn't want to clean it up. I talked to her a little bit about it and said if she started it, I would come back and help her. I was so impressed because when I came back into her room she had made a real effort to pick up. She put her books back on her shelf, tried to make her bed, and put every toy on the floor in her closet. I appreciated the effort.
Charlie Mae is a real handful, let me tell you. She is really smart and learning so much at school. She can verbally spell her whole name and speaks so well. She is adapting so well to Tennessee and is making friends. She has been to countless birthday parties and is even attempting to go on slides again! We had a few months when the slides scared her, but she is doing better now. She went down a gigantic slide at Clydes Slides last weekend! I was so impressed. She even went all by herself!

Addison is walking!

My little 13 month old is walking! We are so excited! She is so cute... she waddles just like a little duck! Hahaha! It was so funny, how on Sunday she couldn't walk and then Monday evening when I got home from work, she just walked right to me! It was amazing. My heart was overwhelmed. As if Her big smile on her perfect little face and adorable soft voice as she says "mommy" wasn't enough, now she walks to me to greet me. The feeling is incrediable. My two babies are amazing! Addison is eating really well now too. She is slowly moving away from baby foods. She is having saltine crackers and bananas! I am so proud of her with her milk too. No more bottles for us and she handles her sippy cup like a big girl. She loves her big sister and follows her around every where. They are starting to share toys and play together which is just too cute for words. I love watching Addison try to put together a wooden puzzle after watching Charlie Mae do it. It is so funny how she is trying to keep up. Thankfully Charlie Mae is an awesome big sister and is really helpful. Just last night Addison was sitting on the living room floor playing with her toys, after we just got home from dinner and Charlie Mae started to take off Addison's coat for her. It was so funny to hear Charlie say, "you don't need your coat on, want me to help you? Ah here you go sweetie" Of course Scott and I are watching this and even though we can hear how sweet Charlie sounds and we are proud of her for being helpful, we are both shouting "Charlie be gentle"!! LOL Let me just say, one thing Charlie is not it's gentle! She lacks the soft touch for sure!
I have video of Addison walking and if I knew how to post it, I would. Maybe my awesome sister will do it for me, as she has has the video! Hahaha!