Thankful

I have so much to be thankful for--the list goes on and on, but some of the most important include:

my amazing husband
Addison- our adorable, loving daughter
our supportive families
the best girlfriends ever
our health
opportunities in life
Callie dog
laughter
music
yummy desserts

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanksgiving in Seattle

Ryan, Addie and I headed off to Seattle to celebrate Thanksgiving with Ryan's cousin, Holly and her boyfriend, Troy and their family. It was about an 8 hour drive to Maple Valley, which is only 30 minutes east of Seattle. Addie did great in her car seat until the last hour or so- of course once the traffic picked up and it became dark out. We fully enjoyed all the yummy food that Holly prepared for us and the great company! Friday we went to Seattle to check out Pike's Place market and the Aquarium. It was absolutely beautiful in Seattle--sunny, blue skies and no rain!!! We were able to see Mt. Rainer, a view of the Cascades, all the beautiful buildings, and the harbor. We lucked out!! The Aquarium was awesome---the touch and feel exhibits for the sea urchins, sea stars, and sea cucumbers was a hit for Addie. Addie also liked standing right up close to the glass of a giant-size aquarium. She fell asleep before we made it to the sea otters and fur seals, but we enjoyed watching them play and relax. Today we are off to IKEA, but no boys allowed on this trip!

Let it snow!

We were excited to wake up to a light dusting of snow this morning. We got Addie all bundled up in her snow gear and took her outside. She didn't know what to think, but she knew that she loved it! The cold didn't seem to bother her nor did her snow boots. We are so excited to take her sledding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing this winter. Let it snow!!

"Hot"

Addie's new favorite word is "hot!" Anytime anything comes out of the oven or microwave, she says "hot" several times. She also likes to think that all her food is hot, so she can spit it out! Another favorite saying of hers is "bark-bark." If she hears a dog bark she repeats what she heard. We have found that she will not say these words on command, but we think it is fun to try. We have also heard cat, dog, hi and yes. It is amazing that she will be talking to us sooner than later!

Intermountain Tree Company

Big news....Ryan started his own company called Intermountain Tree Company!!! It is still in the beginning stages, but he hopes to be ready for shipping in the spring. His role is to broker the sale of trees between the client and the tree distributor by arranging trucking and the ordering. Ryan has made a lot of contacts from traveling to trade shows in the Northwest and working for Webb for 5 years. Once the company website is put together we will share it with everyone. It will be exciting to watch this company unfold!

Trick-or-Treat

Addison loved trick-or-treating!! We took her to a few houses on our street and after the first house she had it figured out. She is really big into sharing, so at times she tried to give them candy. She went into one house and starting sorting her candy- sorting is one of her favorite things to do! She was dressed up as a chicken- I will post photos once our main computer is up and running again.

Home Make Over

Prior to the wrist accident, we had plans to remodel the downstairs room. We decided to still do part of the renovations, but not the bathroom addition. Our wonderful neighbor, Bill, helped Ryan put in a wall with double french doors to make a bedroom and entry way. We also ripped out the old, yucky carpet and added hardwood floors, painted both rooms, replaced the lighting, trimmed the window, and re-stained the baseboards. It is still a work in progress, but already it looks a million times better!! Now we officially have a guestroom if any one wants to come visit!! I will post photos once we are all done with the remodeling.

The big fall

About a month ago, I decided to make our lives even more interesting by falling down the stairs and breaking my wrist! I tripped over the baby gate and preceded to tumble all the way down our staircase. Luckily Ryan had just gotten home from work, so we rushed to the ER. It was obvious that my wrist was broken, bc it was the shape of a S, but x-rays confirmed that I had broken 4 bones in my left wrist. I had surgery that night and ended up with 4 pins in my wrist. I still have the cast on and will be getting it removed on the 18th. It has been an adjustemnt taking care of Addie with one hand, but we are making due. Addie has been a huge helper with fastening her high chair and car seat buckles and putting on her shoes. We are so thankful for all the help from our parents too!!