Polar Express

This past weekend, my mom took me and Addy and my sister and her kids to Palestine, Texas to ride the Polar Express train. You ride a train from Palestine depot to the "North Pole." The kids are all dressed in their PJs. During the ride, they play music from the movie and pass out hot cocoa and cookies. Then they read the book. Once we reached the North Pole Santa boarded the train and visited each kid, handing them bells. On the ride "home" we sang Christmas carols.


The kids and the adults had an absolute blast.

Waiting to board the train

The Conductor pucnhing our tickets

Dancing

Waiting for Santa

Scott's Triathlon

In October Scott competed in his first triathlon. He did amazing. Addy and I had fun getting up early (along with my parents and sister's family) and watching daddy in his race.

Crossing the finish line

She drove her car from heaven

Addy and I were laying down the other day getting ready for naptime. I just started talking with her and asked "Where do babies come from?" She said "From heaven." My heart melted a bit and I told her she was right. They come from heaven and grow in their mommy's belly. She said "Yes, but not yours because your belly is broken." (We have talked about me not being able to have babies because my belly is broken.) I said, "Yes. So, do you know how you came to mommy and daddy?" She shook her head and said "I drove my car from heaven."

Family Pictures

Thanksgiving

This year we travelled to Arkansas the weekend before Thanksgiving to visit with Scott's family. We were delayed a bit because on Friday (the day we were supposed to leave) we got home from work/school and Addy was acting really strange and tired (which is not normal). I felt her head and she was HOT. So we called this great service we have through Scott's work -- within one hour of calling we had a nurse practitioner at our home and she diagnosed Addy with strep throat. She made up the antibiotics and handed us a kit that included chicken soup, Tylenol, Gatorade and some other things and we were set -- not even having to leave the house. It was great.

Anyway, so we left Saturday morning and spent a couple of days in Arkansas visiting. We visited with the entire family Sunday after church and celebrated "Christmas" with Scott's family. Then Monday we visited the Little Rock zoo with Mimi. We were also able to catch Hannah's basketball game one night. We had a really great time visiting Arkansas.

We headed home Wednesday so we could be home to start a home improvement project that we have been planning almost since the day we moved in to our home 2 years ago. We are (meaning Scott with help from my dad and Dwayne) is converting part of our attic into a new playroom, and eventually a media room. Hopefully we will be done within the next couple of weeks/months and I will post pictures.

Arkansas Christmas

Talking to the birds

Halloween

My Beautiful Tinkerbell

Disney Take 2

We went back to Disneyworld September 15-22 with three other families from our church (one family being my sister's). This trip was different, but also a lot of fun. Although we had a lot of fun in April, it was so much more fun to have friends to travel with. Addy also had more fun because she had people her age to play with. Also this trip, Addy was tall enough to ride some of the rides she wasn't able to ride in April (like Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain and her favorites Test Trak and Soarin'). We were also able to go to a special Halloween party that takes place at Disney during this time of year. It's called Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party. Everyone dresses up and they have trick-or-treating, a special Halloween parade and a special Halloween fireworks show. We all had a blast and Addy can't stop talking about going back. I think it will be a while though. Mommy and Daddy are "Disneyed out".

They thought they were so big bc they got to ride by themselves

Thunder Mountain

Crazy driver

Addy's favorite -- Alice

Dancing with Woody

Dancing with Jessie

Seven Dwarfs

The Crew

Addy Funny

Scott and I were explaining to Addy the other day that the next day was Labour Day --a holiday, and that we didn't have school or work. The rest of that day and into the next I kept hearing Addy say "It's a hallelulah day." (She says hallelulah instead of hallelujah). It took me two days to figure out she meant "It's a holiday."

Princess Play Day

The gymnastics place that Addy goes to has summer programs for 3 and up. We didn't get to participate too much this summer, but I know it will be a favorite activity of Addy's next year. Every week they have a "Parent's Day Out" program from 9-1 and you drop your kids off and they get to play, have a gymnastics class and watch a movie. A couple of times every summer they have a special theme. The last themed play day was a Princess Play Day and Addy was able to go since she had just turned 3. It was for girls only and they dressed up as princesses, had a gymnastics class, dance time, tea party, and they put glitter makeup on them and had a photographer come take their pictures. The very last thing of the day they had a fashion show and all the parents were invited to come watch and cheer on their princesses. Addy had a blast and keeps asking when she can go back for Princess Play Day.

Addy's 3rd Birthday

I can't believe my baby is 3 already. It has gone way too fast. This year we had Addy's birthday party with family and friends at our church gymnasium. We rented a purple and pink Princess bounce house and the kids had a blast jumping and playing. We had a family party later in the evening at my parent's house. We swam and ate and had a good time. Addy was exhausted at the end of the day. Mimi also came down for a visit and we had fun playing with her for the long weekend. Addy was so excited about her birthday this year and talked about it incessantly until it was over.

Bradford Family

Addy checking out her Princess bounce house

Playing pin the tiara on Ariel

Addy's friends

Jumpin'

Family party

Checking out Cinderella's Castle

Addy & her Ariel cake

Gymnastics

We enrolled in Addy in mommy and me gymnastics classes this summer hopeing it would help with her coordination some. She loves Friday mornings now because that means she has "gynnatics." It is actually a good workout for me too, because I spend a lot of time chaseing her around the gym. In the fall she will start the preschool gymnastics class and she will go by herself. Here are some pics of Addy showing off some of her new moves:

Stretching

"Back flip"

Working on stomach muscles

"Cartwheels"

The most favorite - jumping into the pit

Bars



Sliding down the pole

4th of July

We had a pretty low key weekend the 4th. Addy started the weekend with a stomach bug so we were in all day Friday and Saturday. On Sunday the 4th we went to church, ate at Denny's with my family and then headed to my parent's pool. After naps we packed up, grabbed some KFC and had a picnic in Katy and waited for the fireworks to begin. All in all, it was a great laid back weekend.

Memorial Day

We stayed home this year and lounged around the pool at my parent's house. Addy is really getting good at swimming with her floaties. We even have her jumping in from the side of the pool. We had a nice, relaxing weekend with family.