Tribute to summer days

I am posting pics of events from this summer that I haven't had a chance to post yet. This is from our trip to the Larsen family reunion. Addison and I went (Steve had school and work) and had a wonderful time. It was great seeing all my dad's side of the family. It wasn't fun sleeping in the same room as Addison, but she was a great trooper with all the traveling!

Being at Great-Grandma Larsen's house helped Addison get over her fear of touching grass.

Addison with Great-Grandma Larsen. Steve and I really wanted to have Addison meet all of her Great-grandparents quickly, so we're glad we have accomplished that goal.

Addison with Great-Grandpa Larsen. Grandpa Larsen said that Addison had a great personality-that she is sweet and he could tell we were raising her right. That really meant a lot to Steve and I.

Addison and I took one last trip out to see Steve and work and eat lunch with him. Now that school has started, we won't be able to run out and see him.

Addison is a hard worker! She wanted to give her daddy and poppa a hand!

Addison really loves baby dolls and often has a doll in hand (she always has SOMETHING in her hand- a spatula, doll, etc.)

Addison loves going for rides in her car. She will hop in and I'll ask her, "You wanna go for a ride?" She loves going all around the house and all around our neighborhood.

We try SO hard to keep the bathroom door closed. She loves toilet paper! I guess we didn't close the door all the way this time, because she came running out with the rest of the roll (good thing the roll was almost empty)!

We came home to this BEAUTIFUL sunset one day. Our fence was in the way, so this was the best shot I could get. It was like the heavens were open and light was setting the clouds on fire. I just wish my picture did it justice.

Say hello to our garden spide friend. She lived at our house for 3 days. I begged Steve to kill her, because I didn't want her having eggs. On the 3rd day of begging, we found a HUGE ball on her web that we're pretty sure was her eggs. Finally, Steve gave in and killed her. Sorry girl- I did not want lots of garden spiders running around our house!

I took pics on Sunday of Addison to create a photo book for her. I am trying to make a book on Shutterfly that would be a play book for Addison. It identifies part of her body and is full of pictures about her. I think it will turn out cute. It won't be as cool as the example book I found (I'm not at tech savy with editing pictures), but I think it will be pretty cool!

And so it begins. . .

The school year and started again and our lives here at the Dodson house are definetely at full pace again. I haven't blogged lately because of everything that has been going on, and with school starting I don't know that life will slow down any time soon.
With the end of our summer, we enjoyed being able to go to the Larsen reunion in Idaho and celebrating Kimber's wedding in Utah and reception in Oklahoma. The Larsen reunion was lots of fun, and it was fun to be able to be a part of Kimber's wedding. I've already worn my bridesmaid dress again if you can believe that, so good work Kimber.
This school year looks like it will be a busy one. Our school is now on a 7 period day instead of our 4 block day. It is taking a little time to get used to it. Our passing periods are shorter too (5 mins. instead of 6, which doesn't sound like a lot. . but it makes a difference to me). I think it will be a good year; I just have to get adjusted to it. It will be a nice change to be able to have students for an entire year instead of just a semester.
Addison will be on her same schedule as last school year. Two days a week she gets Grammy time with my mom. She gets some one on one time and gets to bond with her Grammy, and then three days a week she goes to a home daycare by my school. Debbie is great with the kids, and Addison loves playing with the other kids.
I'm hopeful that this next year will be filled with as many wonderful memories as we made last year, and I'm also hopeful that with Steve graduating in December that we will be able to find the right job for him once he graduates. Happy New School Year!

Scorpion flashback!

I had a little surprise in my laundry basket this morning. I was folding laundry and I picked up a t-shirt only to unveil a scorpion that was at least two inches long (probably 3 inches if his tail was laying flat)!
I grabbed Addison and went to my room for a shoe. I put Addison behind me and started my attack! I was SOOO nervous! I missed him the first time and he started to run and try to hide in our other clothes. After about 20 hits and with Addison bawling behind him, the scorpion was no more.
This has definitely flashed me back to my childhood! When we first moved into our house on Santa Fe, it was a brand new house that had been sitting there for a year. It was chalk full of scorpions! For months, we would be walking around and see one of those creepy creatures running around! Thankfully and surprisngly, none of us got stung (that I remember).
The best story, though, is my dad. My dad wore his jeans two days in a row (pretty typical of him). In fact, the man could put on his pants and shoes in the morning without even getting out of bed. He went to work and began making calls. Suddenly, he felt something moving around in his pants! In the middle of his office, he took off his pants only to find a scorpion had had breakfast with him, driven to work with him, and had been making calls with him!
Here's hoping the bug killers that come next Monday will rid us of any of this scorpion's relatives, because they probably don't like me anymore. . . :)