Addison's Bday

Here are the pictures of the party as promised. Addison had so much fun. She did not like her cake, but everyone else did! I made it ... I thought it was pretty good. When it came time to open presents, she was interested at first, but then she got a little overwhelmed. Ella, Maddie, Marshall and Ellie helped her open them. She got several books and so many cute toys, including a play cell phone and key set. Laura and Zach got her a childrens bible that we will be able to read to her at night before bed. We are very excited about that! Also, Uriah's mom got her some dress up things. And my family got her some puzzles and a doll baby. We were so blessed to have such generous friends and family. Thank you for coming!

picture

Addison with her pumpkin pancake!

The semester is over!

Halleluah! My first semester of nursing school is behind me. I feel like I can finally breath! Addison had her 2nd birthday yesterday. Addison had so much fun. We had several family and friends over. I will never forget it. Im going to post some pictures tomorrow. Uriah's mom is in town for Addison's bday so we made pumpkin pancakes this morning and then we went to the Holly Springs Christmas parade. This evening, Ellie came over so her mommy and daddy could go on a much needed date before baby Ainsley arrives. Addison and Ellie played and played, then we had some taco soup and then watched The Incredibles... it was really fun!

Children are such a wonderful blessing!

Animal sounds

Addison loves to read! She will bring us book after book and say, "mooore?" One of her favorite books is about animal sounds. So, now she knows some animal sounds. If we say, what does a kitty cat say? she will say, "meooow" in the cutest, most high pitched voice. If we ask her what a cow says she will say, "mooooo". We ask her what a dog says and she says, "dog". Haha.

I feel so blessed to have such a beautiful daughter. She is not only beautiful on the outside, but she has a beautiful personality, too. I am able to see it more each day. Children are the most amazing blessing, but such a big responsiblilty. I can not help but think to the future and how important my actions are, because she is watching me. How do I teach her to be confident, but humble? How do I teach her to be authentic? How do I teach her to love Jesus? I pray that God gives me the wisdom to be able to teach her these things not only with my words but with the way I live my life.

My dear friend, Mrs. Helms, read this to me from her devotions yesterday. I asked her to send it to me and I thought I would share it. This has truly been an encouragement to me during a difficult time in my life for me and my family.

"Rest with me a while, You have journeyed up a steep, rugged path. The way ahead is shrouded in uncertainty. Look neither behind you nor before you. Instead, focus your attention on Me, your constant Companion. Trust that I will equip you fully for whatever awaits you on your journey.
I designed time to be a protection for you. You couldn't bear to see all of your life at once. Though I am unlimited by time, it is in the present moment that I meet you. Refresh yourself in My company, breathing deep draughts of My Presence. The highest level of trust is to enjoy Me moment by moment. I am with you, watching over you whenever you go.
Psalm 143:8; Genesis 28:15"

I am asking for prayer from friends and family that the Lord would be working in my mother's heart. Please pray for strength for me and my siblings and also for wisdom and grace in a time of extreme hardship.

God sometimes allows us to endure challenges so that we learn to depend on Him instead of ourselves. In the moment, it seems unbearable and it is extremely frustrating because we do not see how it could ever work together for good, but then God chooses to reveal a part of his plan and we can breath a sigh of relief because in that moment, He reassures us that He is in control.

So... if you are feeling like your world is out of control, remember that someone does control it. It is just not you. The people in your life will make choices that disappoint you, hurt you, and make you angry. I am speaking to myself too when I say, do not be discouraged, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28

New word!

So I was cleaning up after dinner and Addison came running in with her favorite book, "Bill Grogans Goat", pointed to it and said "book?" I was so excited. She kept repeating it over and over again like she was so proud of herself.

Another thing she did this evening while Uriah was out running an errand was bring me all of the pictures she could reach in our living room. She only brought the ones with her dad in them. She pointed to his nose and pointed to her nose. Then she gave the picture a big kiss. It was soo sweet. Finally, she brought me a picture from our wedding. It was one of Uriah and his dad, (we call him Pappy). He just got done spending a week and a half with us. She kept pointing to her Pappy and saying more, more. I am going to call him tonight and tell him. He will be so happy.

The worst blogger ever!

Okay, so I did not keep up with this thing like I meant to. I guess I have some catching up to do.


About Addison:

Addison is now 20 mo. old. She is saying a few words: mama, dada, nana, this, no, more, uh-oh and I think she said "what's that?" this morning. She is running around everywhere and loves her building blocks. Addison's nap schedule has gone from two naps each day to one in the afternoon. She seemed to adjust well to this. The other day I came into her room in the morning to find her leg flung up over the side of her crib. It is time to upgrade to a big girl bed! Addison loves to give kisses and hugs. She also loves to cuddle. She is such a sweet little girl with a beautiful and outgoing personality. We are so proud of her.

Uriah and I:

We moved to Holly Springs in February and got a great deal on our home. It is sort of a fixer-upper, but it has alot of potential. We have done all the major upgrades we can do right now, but it is coming along... slowly. Since my last posting I also was blessed with a job working at WakeMed in Cary. I moniter people's heart rhythms and watch for arrhythmias. I am definitely learning a lot about the heart and I know it will help me in nursing school (which I am starting in 5 days... so nervous). I also just finished up a nutrition class this summer and it was very interesting. Uriah still works at Meld and he loves it. I am so proud of how hard he works and he never complains. He really loves the people he works with too, which makes life a little more enjoyable in a working environment.

When we first arrived in Holly Springs, I was feeling very lonely. I have always been a city girl and here I am living out in the country. That is, until the Lord totally answered my prayers. We met Laura and Zack Hanlon! We are starting a small group with them in Holly Springs and are so excited! The best thing is that Laura has a little girl around Addison's age. Her name is Ellie and they love each other! Yesterday, Laura and I and the girls took a trip to the library during story time and today we went to Java Divine to hear Stacy Clearman sing. It was great fun, but Addison was a little taken back by all the loud music.

I feel so blessed to have found a friend my age with a daughter around Addison's age. Now, I feel that there is a reason we are here in Holly Springs. I am praying that our small group would grow and that we would be able to reach people in this area for Christ.

My first post

This is our beautiful daughter. Her name is Addison, but sometimes we call her our little muffin. I could just shoot myself in the foot for not starting this blog when she was a newborn. I have never done this before - the whole blogging thing. But the way I see it, this way, I can have a place I can record me and my family's memories and have an outlet for my thoughts.

I put Addison down about 15 minutes ago and she is refusing to go to sleep. But she does this... its sort of a game she plays with me. She will see how long she can stay awake so I will come and get her. But I am doing good so far... I'm not giving in!

Addison is now 13 mo. old! She is just starting to gain the confidence to walk more than three steps! We are so excited! I just finished a crazy 16 hr. semester at Wake Tech along with carrying a job... now I get a semester off to be with my little muffin! I am also working part time as a CNA at night - just for a little extra. Uriah, my husband is a wonderful, loving, hard-working man who is an excellent father. He works at Meld - a small buisness here in Raleigh. The make eco-friendly, modern concrete counter tops. Uriah is in charge of the design sector they recently started last year when he was hired. He loves his job and that is sooooo... important.

The picture above is at her great-grandparent's house in illinois. We went there for Christmas. It was so great to see them.

Anyways...

I am going to keep posting about life and the new things Addison is learning along with pictures!