Happy Halloween!

Addison went to school today dressed ready to celebrate her first Halloween!  Yes, her outfit is complete with candy corn socks.  She cannot wait to put on her costume tonight and go trick-or-treating with her cousins, Logan and Aiden.  Check back in the coming days for some more pictures!

Pumpkin Patch

One of my favorite things about this time of the year is getting to go to the pumpkin patch.   We have been the past four years with my nephews and I could not wait to take Addison for the first time.  

Last week Josh's Mom and Grandma (Addison's Mimi and Gigi) came down for a quick visit during Mimi's fall break from work.  So, before they hit the road back to Oklahoma Friday evening we made a quick visit to the Pumpkin Patch around the corner from our house - Storybook Farms.  A special thanks to Mimi and Gigi for playing with Addison at home last Friday.   I am not sure who loved it more, Addison or Mommy. I love being able to pop out of my office for some Addison-kisses.  It makes my day!

Addison made it home with her own little pumpkin just her size.

This picture cracks me up... she is so serious!  I promise, she really enjoyed herself - drool and all.

Another wonderful memory made... we absolutely LOVE our little pumpkin and cannot wait for more trips to the pumpkin patch and hopefully the Arboretum in our very near future!

Baby Top Ten: 0 - 6 mo

As Addison approaches the big 6-month mark, I wanted to remember some of our favorite things  during this stage of her life.  She is into something new everyday and I know I will forget unless I write it down.  In no particular order, here are our top 10 baby items we have loved during her first 6 months.  (Warning:  there is a lot of "love" and "favorite" going on below.)

1. Wubbanub:  One of Addison's favorite things.  A great gift idea and it can go straight into the washing machine.  Seriously, cannot leave home without it.  We have one at home and one that goes back and forth to school.   Best invention.

Wubbanub (picture source)

Sold at Buy Buy Baby

2.  Bottle Warmer:  Ideal for breast milk.  Addison takes breast milk from a bottle all but one time a day.  We have found our bottle warmer to be one of our favorite baby things.  It is so easy to use and beats using hot water to warm her bottles.  This is the one we have but I think any of them would be great. 

First Years Bottle Warmer (picture source)

Sold at Buy Buy Baby

3.  Kalencom Diaper Bag:  This seems to be the perfect size for me and has held up great.  I probably even put more in it then I need.  Comes with a insulated bottle bag, zippered pouch, and changing pad.   This picture doesn't capture its cuteness!

Kalencom Diaper Bag Cotton Candy (picture source)

Sold at a Boutique in Bridgeport, TX or Buy Buy Baby

4.  Dr. Brown's Bottles and Inchbug Bottle Bands:  I have decided that there are WAY too many choices when it comes to choosing bottles, pacifiers, nipples, etc.  We went with Dr. Brown's from the beginning by a recommendation from my sister and haven't thought about using anything else.  These work great for Addison and never caused confusion with breastfeeding.  Some people think there are too many parts to keep up with and wash... not an issue for us.  In all reality, you don't need a lot of bottles.  We have more than you may need if you stay home but since Addison is in school, here is our inventory:
6 - 4 oz bottles
9 - 8 oz bottles (3 packs of 3)
6 - size 1 nipples
6 - size 2 nipples
6 - size 3 nipples

Dr. Brown's Bottles (picture source)

Sold at Buy Buy Baby or Babies R Us

Along the same theme with bottles, we love our Inchbug bottle bands.  We keep them on Addison's bottle when we wash them and they come in all kinds of fun colors.

  Inchbug Orbit Labels (picture source)

Sold at www.inchbug.com

5.  Chicco Travel System w/ 2 Bases:  Another love!  We have been very pleased with our Chicco Travel System that included the infant carrier and stroller.  The carrier is so nice as it just snaps into the base.  Josh and I each have a base in our car - 2 bases is a must!  The stroller was great before Addison was sitting up since her carrier just snapped right in and now we love it because the seat lays all the way flat.   Addison can take a pretty good nap in her stroller if we are out and about.   We got the 20 lb infant carrier.  I think we made a good choice.  Addison will fit into her next size car seat sooner than later and we will just keep it rear facing until she is ready.  I don't think I could physically carry her in the infant carrier for much longer.  I don't care what kind you have, they are awkward to carry. period.

Chicco Keyfit Travel System (picture source)

Sold at Lonestar Baby, Buy Buy Baby or Babies R Us

6.  Bumbo Seat:  Best hand-me-down, hands down.  We got our bumbo seat from my mom's sweet friend and really cannot imagine what we would do without it.  We have been using it since Addison was just a couple months old.  The bumbo has seen almost every counter in our house, we have even used it in the bathtub when we travel.  Addison eats in her bumbo everyday now.  It is the best. They make covers for them now but honestly, we wouldn't go for the cover.  It wipes down so easily.

 

Bumbo Chair (picture source)

Sold just about anywhere that sells Baby

7.  Sophie the Giraffe:  We got Sophie as a gift and Addison loves this thing.  In fact, we bought one for her to have at school.  Sophie goes everywhere with us.  Yes, they seem a bit pricey but it is one of our favorite teethers.

Sophie the Giraffe (picture source)

Sold at the majority of retailers that sell Baby

8.  Baby Einstein Discovery Center:  Endless fun.  Addison can seriously play in her discovery center for what seems like hours.  She loves the bird but is starting to become friends with everyone now. Another great gift we absolutely love.

Baby Einstein Discovery Center (picture source)

Sold at Buy Buy Baby

9.  AngelCare Monitor:  This was recommended to us by my sweet friend Jen and it was one of the best recommendations we got.    We have loved her monitor.  It gives us such piece of mind with the movement monitor. If you are in the market for needing a monitor, this is the way to go.

Angel Care Movement and Sound Monitor (picture source)

Sold at Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us

10.  Tryp Swivel/Rocker/Recliner - Best Chair Storytime Series:  We have been very pleased with our chair.  It is so comfortable and is used ever single day, multiple times.   You pick the fabric you want it in, even a custom color for the piping if you want.  We have it in Addison's room and know we will get so much more use out of it.  Best part - it reclines!  This came in so handy Addison's first couple weeks home.  Josh would sleep in the twin bed in Addison's room and I would sleep in the recliner.  It allowed us to have Addison in her room, in her crib from the first night home.  One of my favorites!

 TRYP Best Chair (picture source)

Sold at Buy Buy Baby

Some additional favorites that I do not want to forget:

• Palmolive Baby Dish Soap - we hand wash everything and love this stuff!
• Fisher Price Bunny Bouncer Seat
• Green Sprout bibs and burp cloths

Phew... there are so many things out there.  I am sure everyone has their different favorite things ... these are some of ours and I am sure I am missing quite a bit.  I already have my list going for 6 mo to 1 year.  We may need to divide that group up!

Little Helper

Someone was helping Mommy with the laundry this weekend...

Logan is 5

We are all about the number 5 this past month from Addison turning 5 months old, to cheering for our favorite #5, and now to Logan turning 5 years old.  We cannot believe Logan is a whole-hand big!  He is the sweetest, loving, little blue-eyed boy around and the best big brother.

Logan, we have loved watching you grow over the years and cannot wait to see what the next 5 years bring from starting kingergarten to sports... it is going to blast.

We love you, Logan Scott, to the moon and back!

State Fair

After church last Sunday we headed to the great State Fair of Texas with the Smiths.  It has been a very long time since I have been to the fair just for the fair and not for the OU/TX game.   Nonetheless, it was a great afternoon outside with some wonderful weather, even better company, lots of food and some serious people watching.

If you are Landon, you can't go to the fair without getting a fried peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwich.  It really sounds a lot worse than it was.

We had a great afternoon!  We always love time with the Smiths.

Swingin'

We bought Addison a swing for our backyard recently and since then, Addison has been doing a lot of this....

She loves being outside whether she is in her stroller, in our arms, on a blanket, or now in her swing.
We will be swingin' as much as we can these days and enjoying the fall weather.

Class Pictures

Addison had her very first class pictures at school last Friday.  The kiddos 2 years and older wear uniforms so they asked the little ones to wear a red shirt and khaki pants.  Here is what we came up with...

We cannot wait to see how they turned out.  We hear she sat up all by herself for the camera.  I didn't have the heart to tell her teacher that Addison is subject to the paparazzi at home so of course, she is pretty much a pro.

Mondays.

Sometimes we all feel like sticking our tongue out to Mondays.

Little Sooner.

Someone is ready for the game this weekend and wanted to make sure her teachers knew all about it today.

It is going to be a good one.  Boomer Sooner!

Pinterest Project

Pinterest.  Enough said right!?  Well, we put our first pin into action over the past couple weeks and are SO happy with the results.  Addison got the best IKEA spice racks bookshelves put up in her room.

The project started with this...

And after a little bit of spray paint, we had this...

So fantastic right!?  Who would have guessed these cute little shelves are meant for spices?  They are the perfect size and even more perfect for the corner of Addison's room.

Here is the before...

And the after...

You want to buy some now too, huh?  Ikea is your place and for $3.99 a piece you can have a reading wall just like Addison's.

I peeked into Addison's room the other evening and found this.   Addison is very into books these days.
Love these two! 

I can't wait to see what pin becomes reality next! 

Mr. Handyman might want to start thinking about teaching me to be Mrs. Handylady.

Addison: 5 months

Baby girl, you are all over the place these days!  We have had a blast with you this month and as every month comes and goes, it is our favorite month with you.

 

At 5 months you:

• have cut a tooth!  Seriously, where did our baby go!?  Just a couple nights, Daddy noticed that one of your bottom teeth have cut through - your bottom left to be exact.  It won't be long before that sweet smile of yours is no longer a toothless grin.
• are teething like crazy given your latest development
• roll over to your tummy almost immediately if you are placed on your back but haven't quite mastered how to roll back onto your back when you have had enough
• LOVE your toes
• starting to realize that might just be someone you know looking back at you in the mirror
• sitting up tall all by yourself, seems close to 10 minutes sometimes before toppling over.
• can reach for your soft toy blocks when you are sitting up and they immediately go into your mouth
• move around your Baby Einstein excersaucer like it is the easiest thing in the world and definitely have a special bond with Mr. Bird that stares back at you
• are getting into a great routine at school that usually includes two naps of 1 hr or longer and a 1 hr nature walk outside everyday
• still have those pretty blue eyes and all that hair
• love your Daddy and laugh when he gives you kisses because his facial hair tickles your face
• are in bed by 7:30 and we sometimes will have to wake you between 6:30 and 7 am to start your day
• are so curious to your surroundings and love to be outside 
• love to discover new things and are so in tune to new sounds
• are starting to wear size 3 diapers.  We have had a few MAJOR blowouts recently so we are trying out the next size up to see if it helps.   I don't like that size 3 doesn't say "Swaddler" anymore.  That means you are getting too big.  "Cruisers"...what!?
• are wearing 3-6/6 months clothes and even some 9 months depending on the brand; size 2 shoes
• are eating rice cereal mixed with a little bit of oatmeal and breast milk everyday, 2 - 2.5 T in the evening
• get breast milk at all your other feedings, 5 times a day, 7 - 8 oz each feeding
• love to snuggle, especially at night or first thing in the morning
• are the most precious gift

  Addison Leigh, we tell you each month how grateful we are to have you in our lives.  You are our world.

 

 Your Daddy and I will stare over your crib at night and watch you sleep, soaking up every moment we can with you.  You are so special. Our hearts grow with love each and everyday for you.  We love you to the moon and back, sweet girl, and cannot wait to see what your 6th month brings.

Friday Night Lights

There is nothing like high school football, especially in Texas.  Josh and I took Addison with my family to watch our cousin play a couple weeks ago.  Here are some of #5's biggest fans!

(Thanks Logan for looking at the camera.)

Jackson comes from a family full of talent and we cannot wait to see where Jackson's athletic ability, combined with his academics, take him in the coming years.

Addison did so great and lasted until halftime.   She loved it!  I am not sure that she was really even ready to leave but it was past our regular bedtime and we didn't want to mess up her schedule up too much. 

I see a lot of nights under the lights in our future!

This week's game will be televised live this Thursday night on ESPN.  How cool is that!? 

Josh and I have a date on the couch as our house recovers from a week of "bugs" but we will definitely be cheering for our #5.  We are so proud of you Jackson!