Her 2-year-old summer

Picture Credit: Aaron Yung Photography. He snapped this of Addison during Ansley's 6 month photo shoot. It's one of my favorite pics of her EVER. Nashville peeps, you need to check him out!

I was looking back through my blog from last summer, and, boy, was I ambitious! Knowing I was pregnant and it would be the last summer of just Addison and me, I was so intentional about making each day count. Maybe I was even more intentional about documenting each moment, but, nonetheless, reading back through those posts made me TIRED. :)

This summer has been wonderful as well, but with a little sister who still nurses every 3 hours, we've stayed a little bit closer to home... I'm ever thankful for our back yard water fun because even taking them to the neighborhood pool is a task I am not up for most days...

That said, here have been some highlights of Addison's 2-year-old summer so far:

1. going to the zoo and standing like flamingos. There is a new flamingo exhibit at the zoo since last summer, and they are Addison's favorite animal now--all because they are pink. This is a camera picture because, of course, my camera battery went caput as we walked through the entrance. I didn't even get a picture of Ansley on her first trip to the zoo... Lindsay's camera lasted about 5 minutes longer than mine, so I look forward to getting some of her pictures.

2. going to VBS. We went to Brentwood Hills' VBS this week, and Addison got to join Savannah's class. She has been wearing her beaded cross necklace that she made there all the time because she says it matches the one that she gave me for Mother's Day... Sweet girl.

3. going to World Music Day at the local library and story time at the downtown library

4. learning memory verses
I googled "first memory verses" and we are picking one to learn each week. This is hers for this week. She learns everything by repetition. When she wants to learn a new song, she asks me to sing it over and over until she knows it, so I thought she was ready for this. Plus, I am rereading Sally Clarkson's Mission of Motherhood, and she inspired and challenged me to help Addison begin to learn scripture. Addison loved looking through magazines and finding the pictures to match the words, and when she gets stuck, she just looks at the pictures to remember. I have the sweetest video of her reciting her verse so proudly, but I'll have to figure out how to get it on here...

5. fingerpainting--most recently artwork for her daddy and granddads for the upcoming holiday

6. baking--in her kitchen and mine. She loves bringing me treats and helping me make dinners

7. pretend play: Dora adventures, Animal hospitals, Grocery trips, Rec Room campouts, making up fairy tales, playing wedding and prince and princesses, etc.

8. making her sister laugh--again, I have no pictures, but sweet videos of this, so I need to figure out how to post

9. eating banana popsicles--from Publix, so delish, and I can even enjoy these!

10. going to the playground and creek

11. being a spunky and carefree 2-year-old

I love these sweet moments, and even the not-so sweet ones, with my big girl. Here are some recent Addy-isms:

I was brushing her teeth, and she boldy said to me, "Get out of my face." Shocked and a little ticked, I responded with, "We don't speak like that to Mommy, and we don't say that to anyone. You know better than that!" Demure smile on her face, she replied, "You're right, mommy, I'm so sorry. Would you get out of my face, please?" Grr...

I bumped in to her and said, "Sorry, babe." She replied, "Oh sweetheart, you don't have to apologize, it was just an accident," and patted my arm."

Picture Credit: Aaron Yung Photography. He snapped this of Addison during Ansley's 6 month photo shoot. It's one of my favorite pics of her EVER. Nashville peeps, you need to check him out!

I was looking back through my blog from last summer, and, boy, was I ambitious! Knowing I was pregnant and it would be the last summer of just Addison and me, I was so intentional about making each day count. Maybe I was even more intentional about documenting each moment, but, nonetheless, reading back through those posts made me TIRED. :)

This summer has been wonderful as well, but with a little sister who still nurses every 3 hours, we've stayed a little bit closer to home... I'm ever thankful for our back yard water fun because even taking them to the neighborhood pool is a task I am not up for most days...

That said, here have been some highlights of Addison's 2-year-old summer so far:

1. going to the zoo and standing like flamingos. There is a new flamingo exhibit at the zoo since last summer, and they are Addison's favorite animal now--all because they are pink. This is a camera picture because, of course, my camera battery went caput as we walked through the entrance. I didn't even get a picture of Ansley on her first trip to the zoo... Lindsay's camera lasted about 5 minutes longer than mine, so I look forward to getting some of her pictures.

2. going to VBS. We went to Brentwood Hills' VBS this week, and Addison got to join Savannah's class. She has been wearing her beaded cross necklace that she made there all the time because she says it matches the one that she gave me for Mother's Day... Sweet girl.

3. going to World Music Day at the local library and story time at the downtown library

4. learning memory verses
I googled "first memory verses" and we are picking one to learn each week. This is hers for this week. She learns everything by repetition. When she wants to learn a new song, she asks me to sing it over and over until she knows it, so I thought she was ready for this. Plus, I am rereading Sally Clarkson's Mission of Motherhood, and she inspired and challenged me to help Addison begin to learn scripture. Addison loved looking through magazines and finding the pictures to match the words, and when she gets stuck, she just looks at the pictures to remember. I have the sweetest video of her reciting her verse so proudly, but I'll have to figure out how to get it on here...

5. fingerpainting--most recently artwork for her daddy and granddads for the upcoming holiday

6. baking--in her kitchen and mine. She loves bringing me treats and helping me make dinners

7. pretend play: Dora adventures, Animal hospitals, Grocery trips, Rec Room campouts, making up fairy tales, playing wedding and prince and princesses, etc.

8. making her sister laugh--again, I have no pictures, but sweet videos of this, so I need to figure out how to post

9. eating banana popsicles--from Publix, so delish, and I can even enjoy these!

10. going to the playground and creek

11. being a spunky and carefree 2-year-old

I love these sweet moments, and even the not-so sweet ones, with my big girl. Here are some recent Addy-isms:

I was brushing her teeth, and she boldy said to me, "Get out of my face." Shocked and a little ticked, I responded with, "We don't speak like that to Mommy, and we don't say that to anyone. You know better than that!" Demure smile on her face, she replied, "You're right, mommy, I'm so sorry. Would you get out of my face, please?" Grr...

I bumped in to her and said, "Sorry, babe." She replied, "Oh sweetheart, you don't have to apologize, it was just an accident," and patted my arm."