One full week

Today marks one week that we have been in California. In some respects I cannot believe it's already been a week, but if I think back to all we've done and all that's gone on - it's been a busy week ;) Yesterday, I started off the day with a swim at a nearby gym - they were kind enough to get me a month guest pass for $20 - you really can't beat that. I am extremely pleased to have this convenience nearby! After my swim, I headed back to the parents and we had breakfast and then headed out to 'the market' for some fruit and veggies. We went straight from there to the water park where we met up with Auntie Anita, Uncle Rob and the cousins (Logan, Garrett and Myles) The kids played great even though there was a slight breeze - they were in the water and on the playground and running down the hill.... good fun! Then we had lunch, took naps and finished out the day by helping Grandma weed and plant flowers!

Today we were on our own, well, we just didn't have cousins to play with since Anita and Rob both worked today. But, today was still eventful. Addison helped Grandma feed the kitties - which is becoming a daily routine and one she looks forward to as well ;) She LOVES the kitties! However, she's learned that most of them are "scared" (with good reason). After that we had some breakfast and Grandma got out the play dough. I don't think Addison has ever played with play dough before and she just loved it! I would say it occupied her for nearly 2 hours!

After play dough, Addison and Grandma picked tomatoes - they each had a bucket and at first Addison's job was to take the stem off of the tomatoes that Grandma picked, but she got bored with that pretty quickly. Then her job became to pick the yellow ones (pear tomatoes) She did pretty well with it, a few not-so-ripe ones were picked but seems like that's the danger in having toddlers do your gardening.

After lunch we just played outside and on the swings...oh, AND in the dirt. I don't understand her fascination with the dirt or picking all the rocks out of the dirt, but I know it's harmless. All of this, of course, led to bathtime. And then to bedtime....

Tomorrow Grandma has chemo for 1 hour and we are spending the day at Auntie Anita's. Auntie Emmy comes up from Santa Barbara tomorrow as well. That's all for now!

The West Side - Day5

On the first day of our trip out here, my Grandmother's husband passed away. So, we have had quite the week with much of my father's family here from out of town and some of them staying with my parent's. Addison has had a lot of fun getting to play with her cousins and 2nd cousins. Yesterday she had quite a long day - she slept a little restlessly on Thurs night, then she played ALL day with her cousins (well, she did nap, but still played very hard!) She was super tired Friday night when we tried to Skype with Dan and she really, really misses her daddy :( Here's a little clip for Daddy, just to let you know even though she misses you, she really is having some fun out here with Grandpa, Grandma, the cousins and all the other family!

Back on the Homefront (day4)

Well, since the girls left it's been a bit too quiet around here. On Tuesday Ruby and I went for a run around Reed's Lake, made dinner, and then and gave the inside of Michelle's car a good cleaning. Wednesday night I went mountain biking got home made dinner, mowed the lawn, got out the weed trimmer for the second time this summer, and took Ruby for a 25 minute walk. Thursday after work I took Ruby up to Wabasis Lake Park where we visited the Cool family (they are camping there for the week). Ruby got to do some swimming,which their kids found very entertaining. She found a spot where she was taking about a 6 foot running leap into the water off from a ledge. When she hit the water she would make a huge splash and actually submerge for an instant. I almost wish we had a camera to get a photo, she was fun to watch. Then today I took the dog for another lap around Reed's Lake, this time during my lunch hour, then tonight we took a good walk after dinner, and I did laundry,dishes and the bathroom got a major cleaning (scrubbed the ceiling, walls and floor). Now it's time to unwind!


From home, Dan and the dog

THE TRIP - Day 2

For those of you checking in on us, here is "the scoop".... Earlier this year, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She has a tumor in her lung and some spot in her lungs and also some of the cancer has spread to her lymphnodes. She began chemotherapy in early August and is handling those treatments very well. However, I felt that I really wanted to spend some time with my parents after this news. Given this situation and the fact that I (Michelle) am currently unemployed, I figured that I had the opportunity to go now, so I purchased 2 tickets to CA ...for the month of September. We left Dan at home :( wish he could have come too...

So, Addison and I left yesterday for the west coast. Addison was a great little traveller! She was quite excited about taking a "trip" and going to visit Grandpa and Grandma... There were a couple minor outbursts in the plane, but nothing major to write about. I was SO thankful! Here's a little picture of her watching her "shows" while we were flying :) I felt like I was sitting next to a teenage daughter instead of a toddler...she was in her own little world...

Since we arrived, Addison has been busy playing with her cousins and chasing the kitties at Grandpa and Grandma's. Here's a couple pics of Addy with her crazy cousins (two of them at least)

I hope to update more during our trip, but for now....I'm too sleepy....

Birthday Girl!

Well, it's been awhile! I'm not going to try to "catch up" - it's summer in Michigan and we are enjoying it, that's all that needs to be said.

However, I couldn't let the day pass without saying "Happy Birthday" to our dear daughter, Addison. What a blessing! We didn't have a big party today...that is for another day, but we did have cupcakes (or, "muffins" according to Addison), we went to the park and had some great family time! Here are some recent pictures and a clip from today of her with some new toys that Grandpa and Grandma Wissink sent (she's obviously been introduced to these characters before!)

Addison teaching her puppy to go potty!

Addison teaching her puppy to go potty!
Originally uploaded by dmmodz

April Showers...

So, I believe I heard on the news that we had a record set for rainfall in April – the record being a record HIGH amount of rain. I had absolutely no problem believing our favorite weatherman recite this little tidbit of information since I have been home, with the dog and Addison for most of those rainy April days. But, the upside to all of it is that despite the rain, the weather has been warmer (I can stand a little rain if it's not freezing rain!) and the old adage of 'April showers bring May flowers ' is sure to be true. In fact, we have already been enjoying a plethora of daffodils and hyacinths in the neighborhood. I started pointing out the flowers to Addison during our walks as they begun to pop out - it gave her something more to look at and gave me a little hope that spring was truly on it's way. At first, they were few and far between, but now, they are plentiful. Addison is especially fond of the dandelions. I have greatly encouraged her delight and even told her she could pick all of them and put them in her bucket. I’ve found it to be a wonderful way to accomplish some work outdoors while watching her pluck away at plentiful, plump yellow heads in our yard. She loves keeping her "fwowers" and asks about them frequently. It has been a tad bit tricky to keep her away from the random tulips (or 'oowipsisis') in the yard, but so far they have survived. The hyacinths are a different story altogether.

Hopefully, she'll be better at listening before the roses have to teach her a nasty little lesson...

Library Chaos

Today was the first time I've taken Addison to the library. I have contemplated the trip for quite some time - Addison LOVES her books, she loves it when we read to her and I actually think that she tries to read to herself sometimes (which is hillarious!) Anyway, today was the day. I am contemplating joining a book club and wanted to pick up the book thry're reading - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - so it was a "kill two birds with one stone" idea. Right? Wrong...

Not only did I not pick up my book, but my whole perception of a nice, peaceful and serene library was blown away. Welcome to the kids section of the library where kids run free, play with trains, yell at the fish and some EGR mothers forget to teach their children manners and patience.

To start things off, we learned that the kids section is conveniently located downstairs where the temper tantrums and lack of social consciousness go unnoticed by the general public. Addison's first wonderful discovery was the fish tank with TURTLES! We spent some time checking out the fish, making fish faces and marvelling at the swimming turtles. Then it was off to the magnetic wall with the letters and the gears. Then she noticed the books - wait, there's books in this place!! A LOT of books! I tried to find some that were age appropriate to take home while keeping Addison from creating a huge disaster by pulling all the books off the shelf and piling them on the ground - I was envisioning her trying to read them and tearing pages...I really didn't want to get kicked out on our first visit.
After she had her fill of all the books (or maybe just disappointed that mom kept putting them away), she found a dollhouse to play with - she was especially intrigued with the "grandpa" doll and repeatedly pointed out that he was wearing 'glasses.' This was all good, until a sweet little blonde girl approached and wanted to play with the dollhouse too. Addison promptly took a doll from the girl's hand and declared 'MINE' - um, CAN WE PLEASE LEARN TO SHARE??? The little girl cried and needed comforting while Addison seemed completely unaffected by the fact that she'd obviously caused the distress - which was quite disturbing for me. The little girl came back and Addison allowed her to play with some of the dolls and furniture, although it took a lot of monitoring, quite a bit of correction, and even some apologies for bad behaviour. Mommy decided that maybe we should play somewhere else. So, off to the train station... here, Addison was the recepient of the bullying. As she tried to demolish the forest in the middle of the train table, it seems she was in the way of a couple young boys who were determined to see Thomas make it all the way around the table. By this time the library had become utter chaos. Seeing as Wednesday is storytelling day, I think the kid's section was at maximum capacity - kids all over, some mom's (or nanny's?) on their cell phones while the kids run all over and climb on the chairs or spill all the legos...

I think we were in there 45 minutes when mommy decided it was time to try to coax Addison out. I grabbed our coats in one arm and made my way to the check out counter with a slightly resistant child in the other arm. Phew, I'm second in line after the woman just finishing up, but wait, as I approach the counter (child getting ever more resistant) there's a woman who walks up with her daughter and informs me they just have a "quick question"....um, do you NOT see the precarious situation unfolding here??? Apparently, she did not. She simply continues to address the librarian with the question of utmost importance:

"What happened to the kitchen toys? My daughter expects to see them here and is disappointed she can't find them..."

Seriously? You couldn't wait?
It's at this point I give up the struggle and let Addison wander free...it seems there are other parents doing the same and I'm not about to battle it out because some woman can't be patient, or teach her child (note: child is roughly 4) the commonly accepted practice of WAITING YOUR TURN.
Now, I realize that patience is not a virtue I posess, but at least I try!

So, now I'm finally checking out. I try to keep Addison in sight and successfully track her down at the fish tank after I have books in hand. We managed to get out with not too much racket...Addison just had a minor collision with a pole while trying to avoid being snatched up for the ride on the elevator. Of course there was a monumental fit on the way home because the books were in the front seat, out of her reach...

phew. Next time I'll be more prepared...
No more nice, quiet library. At least I still have nice, quiet naptime!!

A little extra time!

About a month ago my employer cut our work week down to 36 hours. What that means is that a few days a week I'm home around 3 o'clock. There's no question that the cut in hours/pay is impacting our standard of living, however, I could not ask for it to come at a better time in our lives. It's awesome to get home and spend time with Addison before the witching hour rolls around. She is so much fun to be around these days. Even with the reduced work schedule it seems time just flys by. A few times each week we have been able to squeeze in a good walk with the kids prior to dinner, but sometimes that's even hard to justify since the weather has yet to "break" and it's hard to go through the routine of getting coats, boots, mittens and hats on before heading out the door. I usually try not to complain about winter hanging around so long, but I'm ready for warm weather.

Sorry, I should not complain, I did get out and completed my first run around Reed's Lake today, well, perhaps calling it a "run" is exagerating a bit. It took more than 40 minutes, Ruby was pulling me the entire way and the EGR track team lapped me.

My favorite recent photo of our daughter:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7760299@N03/3371947210/in/set-72157614217827821/

Are you all done, or do you want some pudding?

I know, posting these videos is kind of like cheating (in the sense of blogging). But we just feel these are so entertaining, we have to share.

The girls, playing dress up

The Bakery

Aunt Emmy got Addison an apron for Valentines day and Michelle decided to try it out. See for yourself how things went.

(sorry it's rotated)

Happy Birthday Ruby

Ruby turned three years old on Friday. We almost forgot but we made it up to her on Saturday. Addison was giving her some lovin' early in the morning.

And then after we cleared the drive way of mother natures latest creation, and after Addison woke up from her nap, we took Ruby to Petsmart to get a new toy. As it ends up, she found a long lost friend. One of her all time favorites from when she was a pup. It's been three fantastic years, could not have chosen a better pet.


(FlashBack)

Sassy Pants

Lately, we've become enthralled with how quickly Addison is picking up on things - Dan and I were amazed a couple months ago when we could ask her to throw something in the garbage and she would run over to the cupboard, open it up and drop whatever it was into the garbage. Sure, sometimes she had to stop and see what was in the garbage and maybe even threaten to dig something out, but she usually got it right. So, for the last couple months she has been picking up more and more and I KNOW she understands things like "Come with mom, please", "Please don't take off your diaper", "We are all done with the pacifier", "Do NOT take off your diaper", "No, we are not going outside right now" and "Sit on your bottom" Lately, however, the challenge has become being able to differentiate between what she does not understand and what she does understand but decides she doesn't want to do. For instance, we've begun to count for Addison when she is not listening to us... it goes something like this: "Addison, please sit on your bottom" (no response), "You need to sit down on your bottom, please" (just a little smirk) and at this point I begin counting to 3 (this is something they do at daycare, so I know she is familiar with it) However, lately, if I've asked Addison something twice, she'll look at me and say "doo" - which is her way of saying "TWO" Soooo SASSY! It's like her 18 month old version of: "what are you going to do about it?"

Of course, there is also the run tactic. Yesterday, I took her and Ruby out for a "walk" - we went 1 1/2 blocks then attempted to turn around and head back home. Addison, however, was not having it. She wanted to keep walking, so first she ran away, then (after being caught) she proceeded to sit down and have a little fit. At this point, she was picked up and carried a little way. When we were about home I put her down to walk again and she walked nicely for a little bit, then she wanted to walk without holding my hand and the next thing I know, she's falling back a little, then a little more. Finally, I turned around to see the mischevious little grin and, with a naughty giggle, she does a 180 and is off...in spite of my "Please come to mommy" request. I'm trying to take it in stride and tell myself that every child has these moments.

The final "sassy" story is also from yesterday. Addison had her 18 month check up yesterday, she was the ultimate little trouper - no crying or tears with her shot :) However, after the doctor we had to run a few errands and Addison just wanted to go outside to play... so she was having her own little protest in her carseat. I tried to be the good mommy and be somewhat entertaining while driving, so I began singing along with the radio and not only did I get a big "NO" from the back seat, but I turned to see Addison with both index fingers firmly planted in her ears. I couldn't help but to laugh which only encouraged the behaviour. I managed to get a shot of it while we were at a stop light...what a riot ;)

Ok, so Michelle and Addison left on Saturday for California to go meet their new nephew/cousin Miles. While they are gone my highest priority is to work nights and weekends on painting our living room. Saturday after I got home from dropping the girls off at the airport I started doing to patching and sanding. Sunday after church (and before foot ball) I got the ceiling painted and continued with sanding and patching the walls and trim. Tuesday and Wednesday I worked on painting the trim and the plan is to cut in all the corners over the next few days so I can roll paint on all the walls on Saturday and do clean up tasks on Sunday. Ruby has been a good little helper through all of this, she just hangs out and watches. Apparently the smell of the paint does not bother her too much but at the same time she knows enough to stay and safe distance.



My project prior to this was to build Addison’s tricycle. (I actually built two, one for Addsion and another for a friends son) The question that may arise is did I actually build a tricycle or assemble it, and the answer is that I did indeed build it (which may not have been possible without the help of my dad and brother). I came up with the concept which was inspired by a photo I once saw of a Litespeed trike. But litespeed discontinued manufacturing this model back around 2002 plus it had a pretty hefty price tag of $850 which is way out of our budget. The next closest thing is made by Lynskey Performance, but it's price is even harder to swallow. So about 6 months ago I started gathering parts and made a few purchases on e-bay for basics like pedals, seats, seat posts, wheels, tires, handle bars and such. And then my dad acquired some aluminum tubing from a local supply center and during my time off over Christmas we fabricated the tubes and my brother welded the frames. Since then I’ve been working on painting and polishing the frames for final assembly. They are pretty much complete other than a few finishing touches. Addison’s trike has the polished (shiny silver) finish and the one for our friends little boy is candy apple red over a orange metallic. I was hoping the orange would come through the red a little more than it does but it’s still a great color.

Vocabulary

It seems like every day for the past month or so we’ve noticed Addison picking up new words, new signs and a new passion for wanting whatever it is she doesn’t have or shouldn’t have. Regardless, we love it all…well, we love the learning, but could probably do without the fits of rage over having to put away the laundry basket.
In spite of all the new learning and discovery going on, Addison still seems to lack one important word in her vocabulary – “mom” That’s right, still no “mom”, no “mommy” or “ma” or “mama.” A few weeks ago I was extremely excited to hear the sound “m –awe-ne” come out of her mouth until I realized that it really just meant “want it.” You see, up until this point Dan had tried to convince me that Addison just hadn’t mastered the ‘m’ sound and so she couldn’t say mommy. Now there’s really no excuse other than the fact that she doesn’t have to say mommy because she knows I’ll respond to whatever happy or discontent sounds and gestures she makes. Oh well.