Our Little Flamingo - Happy Halloween 2012!

Addie decided to be a flamingo for Halloween this year, and she looked so precious in her little pink costume! She definitely had the knack for trick-or-treating this year and was not at all hesitant to knock on doors. She made people smile with her loud "trick-or-treats" and "thank yous" all night long. We also had some special dinner fun - candy corn quesadillas. The adults thought they were delicious - Addie just liked the chips!

Addie also was able to celebrate Halloween with her friends at a party earlier in the day. She had fun playing at the park with Ellie and Kenley and brought home lots of yummy treats!

The week before we attended the Waldorf Halloween Journey - Addie always loves the journey, especially the elaborate puppet show.

Addie the Flower Girl

During our trip to South Dakota in August/September, we spent a weekend at Camp Lakodia near Madison, SD.  One of my best friends from high school, Nora Schaefer, got married on September 1st.  I was a co-maid-of-honor, and Addie was one of the flower girls.

Addie was the most precious flower girl. She played the part beautifully, throwing her petals with a flourish and doing a little twirl down the aisle. She was supposed to sit by Jay in the audience during the ceremony, but she went back and forth between Jay and I.  Nora's 2-year-old son, Carter, was the ring bearer, and he didn't sit still either, so luckily it was a very kid-friendly wedding!

We all had fun at the wedding dance, and Addie was so excited to "stay up late and dance all night."

Trip to Missouri and South Dakota - 2012

We took our annual summer trip to visit Grandpa Pat at Lake of the Ozarks, MO in August. We had a great time again this year with Grandpa, Auntie Jen, Adam, Kellie, Jordan, and Mary. We spent some time on the water in the new ski boat and the pontoon. Addie "learned to swim" all by herself with a life jacket on - she was pretty proud of herself! We also made homemade ice cream and enjoyed some good meals on the grill. This year we had a bit of rain so we also spent a day at the outlet mall and at the arcade and shops next to the dam.

After Lake of the Ozarks, we road with Grandpa up to his house in Macon to spend a night. We had fun going through all of Jennie's old stuffed animals and other trinkets from high school. Addie was excited to come home with a few "new" old toys.

Then Grandpa gave us a ride up to South Dakota to spend a week at Grandma Kristi's house. Addie loved petting and feeding the horses, and of course had all their names memorized and could tell them apart after the first day. She didn't want to ride a horse this year, but she says she will ride one when she is 5 :)

Grandma Kristi took her to the zoo in Sioux Falls, and we had a fun night at Darci and Clay's house. Addie just loves playing with Ivy and Paisley!

We also spent some time with Grandma Dorothy and the Baumberger clan.  Markell and Julie hosted a picnic at their house in Garretson, and Addie had fun playing and swimming with all of her cousins.

It was a wonderful trip, but as always, we were ready to get home.  Two weeks on the road is a long time for anyone, especially a 3-year-old.  Addie was such a trooper though!  She really is a great little traveler, and Jay and I can't wait to take her on our next vacation!

Family Trip to Yellowstone

I'm a little (ok, a lot) behind on my posts.  This one should have been posted in July 2012.

Since Jay has been working in North Dakota, we decided to go up to Montana to visit him for a long weekend rather than him coming back home to Florida. Addie and I flew into Bozeman, and Addie was soooo happy to see Jay at the airport. It had been over two weeks since she had seen him, so it was a sweet reunion. We spent that first night in Bozeman and then headed to West Yellowstone the next morning.

We stayed in a nice cabin in Island Park – it had a loft, hot tub, and kitchen. Addie called it “going camping.” Not exactly camping, but figured we might as well have the comforts of home! The next day we drove to Yellowstone and saw Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, and Canyon Falls. The park really is stunning, and huge! We did not realize how much driving we would be doing, but Addie did just fine in the car. We made many stops to see things, and always kept watch for animals. We saw a lot of bison and butterflies. The next day we stayed in Idaho and went to Mesa Falls. We were able to walk right up next to the falls – they were beautiful! Addie enjoyed the visitor’s center where she learned about the local birds, animals, and butterflies.

On our last day, we drove back to Bozeman and went to a couple of City parks. Addie really enjoyed the dinosaur playground. We bought take-out from the Food Co-op and had a picnic dinner at another park. We also went to the mall and drove around the City for a while. We really enjoyed our time in Bozeman! The next morning Jay dropped Addie and I at the airport and we flew back to Florida. Jay went back to work in North Dakota, and we are anxiously waiting for his next visit back home!