"Doggie"

Yes, it's true we are going to have a new "doggie" in our family. According to Addie, baby is "doggie." This new addition is expected to arrive in April...meaning our two little kiddos will be less than two years apart. Was it planned this way...no. Are we thrilled...YES! We couldn't be happier to add another little Graham to our bunch! I am 16 weeks and counting. Only three more weeks until we find out if Addie will have a little brother or sister. Can't wait!

 

This one is just because... :)

 

Fall

I had to get a few fall pictures before winter sets in. Couldn't resist all those leaves on the ground! Sorry this is a bit of Addie overload, but I love my sweet girl.

Addie adores David. They are the best of buddies. It just melts my heart.

 

 

 

The fam! I love when we get a picture of all of us together. It rarely happens.






We were at the park during sunset. I love these photos.

 

Pumpkin Patch

I absolutely love fall. I love the colors, the weather, the holidays, the food, and, of course, the pumpkin patches. Living in Illinois, we are surrounded with corn fields which seem to provide the perfect setting for pumpkin patches. This year, we headed to Didier Farm for our pumpkin patch experience. We were shocked with how many people were there! Despite the crowd, the kids (and the adults) loved it! We saw animals, went on a tractor ride through the corn field, rode a kiddie ride, and ate some pumpkin and apple cider donuts. It was such a fun afternoon!


Addie girl with all the pumpkins. We kindof liked the "ugly" pumpkins.

 

Enjoying the tractor ride.

 

Daddy and Addie. I love this picture. They are so cute!

 

Aimie and Jaxon. I love this picture too. Thanks for going with us!

 

Addie got to go on her first "ride" at the farm. We thought she was going to freak out, but to our surprised she liked it. While we were waiting for the ride to start, Jaxon kept honking the horn. Addie kept making this face when she heard the sound. So funny!


Life in the fast lane.


A picture of us all together!

Donuts with Dad

Growing up, Dave's dad would often either take the kids to get donuts on Saturday or have a box of donuts on the table when they got up. Dave wanted to start this little tradition with Addie girl. A few Saturdays ago, Dave and Addie (pajamas and all) headed off to go enjoy a few donuts for breakfast. According to Dave, Addie loved it! He snapped a few photos while they were there.
First bite...

 

Half way done...

 

Finished and satisfied!

 

I'm sure there will be many more Daddy/Addie trips to the donut shop!

Happy 4th!

 

I love her.

Lincoln Park Zoo

We recently visited the Lincoln Park Zoo. Now, this zoo is not like any other zoo I've ever been to before...it is right in downtown Chicago with skyscrapers on every side and it's FREE! Thus, people would just be walking through the zoo to get somewhere or going on their daily run through the zoo. How fun would that be! Anyways, we had a wonderful time at the zoo. Some of our favorite animals included the giraffe, the tiger, the rhino, and, of course, the polar bear. Addie liked the animals and would point when she was actually paying attention. But I think she LOVED walking all by herself more! Miss Independent! It was another fun Chicago adventure.

 

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the man I love. There is something special about a Dad and his daughter-a bond, a trust, a love. I could watch David and Addie play all day. It melts my heart. Dave, thanks for all you do for me and Addie. We love you. I'm so glad that we have a day to celebrate Dads. They deserve it.

The Birthday Girl

Guess who had a birthday!?! Our Addie May is 1! Wow, that seemed like the fastest year of my life. I try to enjoy each and every day because I know tomorrow she was be a day bigger, older, and wiser. ;) Sometimes, I wish I could keep her as my little baby forever...but part of the joys of parenthood is seeing your child learn and grow. It still amazes me how much they change over the course of this first year. What an adventure! Addie is such a sweet, independent little girl. We are so LUCKY! We love our little one year old.

The final 12 month photo with the bear. It is hard to image that she was about bear-size a year ago.

 

This photo captures the little personality of our Addie May. Screaming is what she does BEST!

 

The Birthday Girl. Thanks to Grandma Marilyn for the cute, party dress.

 

I got called off of work on Addie's birthday, so I quick put together some cupcakes, candy, and lanterns for a small little birthday celebration. Here's our little birthday girl ready for some fun!

 

Like everything else, Addie had to try to touch the flame of the candle! Luckily, we were right there to prevent a birthday burn.

 

Mom helping Addie blow out the candle.

 

Addie picked off the frosting of her cupcake first. Eventually, she nibbled on some of the cupcake. Addie is a VERY slow eater...so this was a long process.

 

PRESENTS! Finally, Addie has some new toys to play with! Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes and presents. We heart you!

 

A Weekend Away

Last weekend, my grandparents came into town and invited us to stay with them downtown. Lucky for us, it just happened to be our 4 year anniversary! We stayed in a hotel right on Michigan Ave. We had TONS of fun just visiting, walking around, shopping, going to the symphony (which was absolutely amazing), and eating some delicious food. After the grandparents left, Dave, Addie, and I walked to Navy Pier. We decided to ride the ferris wheel...I have to be honest, I was totally freaked out. The ferris wheel goes SO high, and while you do get a great view of the city, you also get a great view of how far away the ground is. We had such a wonderful weekend in the city. Thanks gma and gpa for the good times!

 

P.S. Happy Anniversary to my sweet Honey Buns! What a fun, love-filled 4 years it has been!

All In A Day's Work

Dave and I have been wondering when this moment would occur... Addie finally decided she was ready to walk all in one day!

Happenings

It happened. Addie is now ten months going on eleven! I thought she was going to be my LITTLE baby forever. I wouldn't exactly call Addie "little" anymore. She is our cute, little rascal who loves to cuddle, read books, get into most things, play with anything that makes noise, and see/pet DOGGIES. One of Addie's first words was doggie. To David's delight, she's obsessed! My apologies to those dog lovers out there (2 of which reside in my home), but I am not a fan of dogs. The other day she found the DVD UP, squealed with glee, started saying, "doggie" over and over again, and crawled right to the TV. Yes, she is absolutely in LOVE. And I am in LOVE with her. After ten months of having her brighten each and every day, we have a hard time remembering what life was like before our Addie May. What a blessing she has been in our lives! We cannot thank our Heavenly Father enough for sending us this sweet girl.


It has FINALLY started warming up in Chicago! Thank goodness! Addie and I headed out to the Botanical Gardens for an afternoon. We had fun walking around and looking at a lot of dirt and bare trees...spring has not sprung in the gardens. Oh well, we had fun taking some pictures.





The Easter Bunny came to the Graham home on Sunday! Addie found her easter basket with some fun goodies. The Easter Bunny also hid some plastic eggs filled with baby treats. I thought Dave and I were going to have to help her find all the eggs, but to our surprise Addie quickly realized that the eggs had yummy things to eat inside. She crawled from egg to egg, eating what was inside, and then moving on to the next egg. It was hilarious...good times.

Addie loves her Daddy. He usually has to go to the library to study because we have a hard time leaving him alone if he is home. Daddy tried to study at home recently, and Addie wanted to help. Probably not the most effective studying partner, but she sure is cute.