Summer Fun

We've had a pretty uneventful last few weeks. Addy's school ended and she has been going to a lady's house who keeps teacher's kids during the school year. She absolutely loves J's house and it wasn't really an adjustment at all. We've been trying to have fun and stay cool. On Friday we made some popsicles, and spent the evening at our neighborhood pool/splash pad. Tonight we got out for a little bit (it was really hot) to take a walk and feed the ducks. Here's some pics of our last few days:

Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to summer.

Memorial Day Weekend

We headed to Arkansas to visit Scott's family for the weekend. On Saturday we got to spend the day on Ouachita Lake with Scott's sister Susan and her family. We had a lot of fun and Addy loved the boat. She kept saying "more fast." The water was really cold, so we didn't swim, but Scott did tube and we had a good time just sitting in the boat relaxing.

The rest of the weekend, we spent at Scott's mom's house. Unfortunately, it rained all day Sunday and some of the morning Monday so we were stuck in the house, but we were able to get out for a walk after lunch on Monday to see the cows and then played outside after dinner.

Here's a few pictures at the lake: (I was bad and didn't take any other pictures through the weekend)

Last Day of MDO

Addy's last day of Mother's Day Out was today. They had a little program with each class doing a song from a Disney movie. The 1 year old class did "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. They put a bubble machine on the stage and let them just do whatever (since they can't really sing a song like that yet). Wasn't too exciting, but it was cute nonetheless. Addy, the girl who likes to be the center of attention everywhere we go was very stage shy.

I thought I would post a picture of her 1st day and last day and show you how much she has changed since we started there.

1st Day of School

Last Day of School

1 Year Old Class

Singing Chapel Songs

Super Cool Wife

This post isn't about Addy and doesn't have any pictures (though we did take some), but it is worth reading, especially if you are a girl and want to show your guy how much you care.

A couple of weeks ago Lez told me I needed to take off early on May 15. Since I always do what she tells me I told work I was leaving early (I was already working from home that day, so it wasn't a big deal) and began pondering what could be up. I'm a big fan of letting surprises be surprises, so I tried not to dig too much for what it was that we were doing.

Friday came, so I worked a half a day (6-10) and then got cleaned up and dressed. We headed to Chick-Fil-A w/ Addy for some lunch, utilizing the May coupon from the cow calendar--yahoo for free milkshakes! After a bit Grammy showed up, ate lunch with us, and took Addy to her house for the weekend. Surprise #1 was a child-free weekend, which (though I love Addy w/ all my heart) was awesome.

Lez had made up some "clues" to where we were going, so as we left lunch I got my first envelope. The message inside directed me to "head west, young man," so we hopped on 290 and took off.

After a little driving I got my next clue, which said not only to go north but also to turn on the car's CD player. Surprise #2 was the new Newsboys CD. Giddyup.

So, now we're heading north (towards College Station) on hwy 6, and I've pretty much figured out what we were doing after ruling out flying somewhere (like Chicago, where the Astros were playing) or driving to somewhere on the coast that we've not been (like Corpus). I've been pestering Lez for YEARS about wanting to go to Six Flags in Dallas, and it looked like we were finally doing it. Despite me pretty knowing what was up it was still fun just driving in the car w/ my girl and talking and all of that stuff. Lately most long car rides involve lots of watching kiddy shows or chatting w/ Addy or (if she's asleep) Lez just reading a book or something like that, but we ended up just talking for the whole four hours we were in the car, and that was really cool.

Got to Ft. Worth in the mid-afternoon and went over to the Ft. Worth Stockyards thing (in the "old" downtown) and watched some cowboys drive some longhorns down the street. That was sort of an added bonus fun thing since we got away from the house earlier than Lez had originally planned. If you are in the DFW area and want to kill some time rather than being bored, this is something that could be fun. We mostly just went, watched the cows, and then left.

We checked into our hotel and relaxed for a bit. Started to get hungry, so Lez gave me my next clues, which revealed surprise #3: a trip to the ballpark to watch the Rangers play the Angels. We had nice seats on the 14th row just past third base, so the game was in full HD and all of that. I'm generally a big fan of the Astros, but I must admit that it was really nice to go to a game and see some actual hitting (by the home team). On a side note: if you go to the Rangers ballpark in Arlington avoid the pizza, which was pretty tasteless and blah.

The next day turned out to be super rainy, so Surprise #4--Six Flags--got postponed. If we don't get a chance to use our tickets this year then I'm sure we'll go some other summer once Addy gets bigger. The day turned out really well, despite the main attraction getting rained out. On our way driving up Lez had suggested trying to get a hold of the Bulls, who are home from Bolivia on furlough, on the off-chance that they'd be visiting Laura's folks in Ft. Worth. It turns out that they were, so we started the day visiting for a couple of hours over breakfast with Gary & Laura.

It was still raining, so we found a mall and did some shopping there for an hour or two and then watched "Angels & Demons" at the mall's movie theater. When I read the books I actually liked DaVinci better, but as far as the movies go, A&D had more action and suspense and was over-all a better movie, especially since it was a good compromise between what I would have wanted to see (Wolverine or StarTrek) and what Lez would have liked (some girly show w/ Matthew McBongohey).

After the show we ate dinner at Abuelos, which wasn't quite as good as we had hoped but was still some tasty mexican and was something we don't have in Houston. Then we headed back to the hotel, got in our PJs, and watched some netflix online (currently watching the first season of Heroes, which rocks).

So, that's it. My super cool wife took me for a fun weekend off by ourselves to do stuff that I like. So, thanks to Grammy and Papa for watching Addy, and all my love to Lezlie.

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a busy, fun weekend. We started off the weekend going to our neighborhood's splash pad on Friday morning. (Unfortunately, I have no pictures of that). Then Saturday we had a church outing to the Oil Ranch, a park about 30 minutes northwest of Houston. They had a train ride, bouncy house, horse rides, petting zoo, a cow to milk and a whole lot of other things. We spent the morning there and had a picnic lunch. We had a lot of fun, even though it was pretty hot. Then Mother's Day, the guys planned and surprised us with a cruise around Kemah and Clear Lake. We met at Mom and Dad's house and a driver picked us up and drove us down to Kemah where we boarded a yacht. We had lunch and danced around on the boat with live music. We had a lot of fun, especially the kids. Happy Mother's Day to everyone.

GG's Visit

This past weekend, Addy's GG (my dad's mom) came to visit us. We had a fun weekend hanging out at Mom and Dad's: swimming, cooking, eating too much, watching movies and playing with GG. We are do glad you came GG and had lots of fun.

Addy's ABC's

Our Easter Weekend

We had a really busy, yet fun, Easter weekend. We started off the weekend Friday morning at a friend's house coloring eggs. We spent Friday night at Mom and Dad's grilling pizzas and enjoying their new media room. Then Saturday we were able to spend the day out in the country. Some friends of ours parents have a farm 1.5 hours outside of town. We had a lot of fun getting out of town, relaxing, grilling out, fishing and enjoying time with friends. Both Scott and I caught fish. It was actually the most fun fishing I have ever had. Sunday we got up early and got Addy dressed in her pretty Easter dress and went to see what the Easter Bunny brought her. We went to church and then spent the entire day at Mom and Dad's. We had a wonderful lunch (of course, way too much food), watched a couple of movies in their media room and then spent the rest of the day outside enjoying the beautiful weather. We even got the kids in the pool for the first time (actually the hot tub).

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.

Beware long slide show following!!

Astros Opening Day

We were able to get tickets to Opening Day for the Astros this year. It is so much fun to go to a game and we are so glad the baseball season has started again. GO 'STROS.

Waiting for the game to start

Bradford Family

Addy with Daddy
Playing with Grammy


Addy's crazy hair

Easter Picnic and Egg Hunt

Our church held the Easter Picnic and Hunt this past Saturday. We went and ate some yummy hot dogs and then Addy got to go egg hunting for the first time. I was really surprised that she just instinctly knew what to do. She had a lot of fun.

More Rodeo

Scott's mom and our neice Hannah came to visit during their Spring Break a coupe weeks ago and we went back to the rodeo. This time Addy actually got to see some things and go on a ride, instead of sleeping through it.

Addy on her 1st amusement park ride

She didn't want to pet the bunny

Looking at the chickens

Riding through the fairgrounds in her wagon

Houston Rodeo

Saturday morning we braved the 40 degree, rainy weather (yes, I know it's not freezing, but that's cold here in Houston) and headed to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. We had fun walking around the arena and looking at the cows and pigs there for auction. They also have a really neat children's area with a petting zoo, pony rides, watching the process of chicken's hatching and there is a section with baby animals. Unforunately, we didn't head to the children's area until after lunch and Addy missed it because she fell asleep. Peyton had fun though and we had fun watching him enjoy everything.

Late afternoon Mom & Dad took all the kids home with them so that we could go to the Rodeo and concert. We love the rodeo, watching the calf roping and bucking broncos and bulls. My favorite part though is when they get 30 teenagers and 25 calves. They left the calves loose and the teenagers have to catch the calf, put it in a harness and drag it to the center of the arena. It is so funny. The kids who catch a calf get a scholarship. This year, they added a new part to the rodeo that ended up being my favorite. It was called "mutton bustin". They get young kids (4-6 years old), put a helmet on them and put them on a lamb. The kids hold on as long as they can. So cute!!



Here's some pictures of Addy at the rodeo:

Prayers

Girl Scout Cookies

Yummy Thin Mints!!!!!

Goings On

Not much has been going on in our world. Pretty much, same 'o, same'o. So, I thought I would just leave you with some pictures of what Addy has been up to the last couple of weeks.

Also, here's a video of Addy talking . She is really getting a lot of new words added to her vocabulary, although we definately need to work on some of them.



Hopefully I'll be able to post the finished swing set project in the next few days. It is supposed to start raining Monday and rain all week next week, so we are really hoping to get it finished this weekend.

Western Day

Addy had Rodeo/Western Day at school today. So we got her some little pink boots and a hat. I could only find a black hat, so we embellished it with pink and clear rhinestones (it turned out sooooo cute). Addy's school brought in a petting zoo and a pony that the kids were able to ride. I don't have any pictures of the pony ride, but Addy loved it. I thought she might be a little apprehensive, but she was totally comfortable on the horse and looked like a natural.

We had Addy's 18 month appointment 2 weeks ago. Addy is definately going to be a big girl -- she is 95th percentile in weight and height. We also learned that she had another double ear infection. Fun, fun. We went back last week for a check-up and she was clear, but last night she started coughing and holding her ears again, hopefully it is her teeth because this would be the 3rd ear infection in 2 months if it is her ears again. Thankfully, the dr gave me a prescription to "hold onto" just in case I thought she needed it, so we won't have to go back to the dr to get a prescription.

Here's some pics from the past couple of weeks. I wish I had a pic of her riding the pony, but I was too busy holding on to her.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

all these things that i've done

now i've got the killers in my head (thus, the title). the previous list was lezlie's. this one is scott's. the idea is to copy & paste it into your blog, then highlight the things you have done. the items in bold are things I’ve done in my life.

on a personal note, i'd like to say that this is definitely not an exhaustive list of all the "cool" things life has brought me. i'm sure everyone who has ever done this has asked both "why is THIS on here?" as well as "why don't they have X on the list?"

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (does a lake count?)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty -- can't do it anymore or i would have
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch-hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (it was c#...does that count?)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied ($$ can't make you truly satisfied...iono how to answer this)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (saw a replica outside the ufizzi gallery...stupid government strike while we were in florence)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (again...does a lake count?)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (i'm not 100% sure about this, but i bet that i helped my sister do this)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (every year since college)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox (at least i think i did--mom correct me if i'm wrong)
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (see #15)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

What Have You Done?

I got this from Mindy's blog. It sounded fun. The idea is to copy & paste it into your blog, then highlight the things you have done. The items in bold are things I’ve done in my life.


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (if you count Rock Band)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty -- can't do it anymore :(
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch-hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (but, I've been on a picnic at the foot of the Eiffel Tower)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (if you count working for lawyers)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

So, what have YOU done?

Bad Hair Day

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Addison was really fun. She does not quite "get it" yet, but she was a lot more fun this year than last (since she was onlyh 4 months last X-mas). We started our celebrations the Saturday before Christmas and did our "Christmas Eve" traditions at mom and dad's house. We all got new pjs, ate crackers and cheese, and played a new game. Then, we were able to attend Christmas Eve candlelight service at our church this year for the first time since we moved to Houston. On Christmas morning, we spent a quiet morning at our house before joining the Seebers and mom and dad and mom and dad's house. Addy loved her kitchen -- she went straight to it after coming down the stairs -- and wanted nothing to do with opening the wrapped gifts. Although, when we got to mom and dad's house she went straight to the presents and started opening them.

I have really enjoyed the last few weeks and am not ready to start back to "normal" tomorrow.

Here are a few pictures of our celebrations.