Mommy/Daughter Day

Addison and I had a special mommy/daughter day a couple of weeks ago. We drove down to Hudson to a fun hairparlor just for kids. She got her hair cut and got it "princess" styled! Originally, she wanted to get her nails painted too but she got too nervous. Afterwards, we walked around and window shopped. We ate lunch together and picked out cupcakes to bring home to eat with daddy. It's fun having a girly day with my special girl!

My Little Lady

My little cowgirl! We had a mini dance party for Addison and I. She put on her tutu and cowboy boots. We cranked the radio and danced! It was a lot of fun!

Addison and I took turns brushing each other's hair and styling it. I decided to try some braids. Addison seemed to like the results.

Addison hanging out with her dog, Gigi.

It's a Daddy-Daughter Thing!

Addison has loved having her daddy around more now that we are living in the same state! Here they are enjoying some books together.

Steve has taken over a few chores to help me out now that I am a week and a half away from having Kimber. Tonight, he bathed Addison and got her completely ready for bed. He even used the hair dryer!

two peas in a pod

Cheers!

Sometimes Addison wears her daddy out :)

Steve and Addison playing hide and go seek. This is how I found daddy. . .we may need to work on his hiding skill! :)

I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast! She is a beautiful little girl. We love having her in our lives!

Addison's First Day of Preschool!

Addison began going to preschool after we moved to Ohio. She goes 3 days a week for 3 hours at Absorbant Minds Montessori School. She has loved her two teachers and being able to play with other children. Here is Addison on her first day with her daddy!

Addison's look seems to be saying "Okay, mom can we go inside now?"

Here's Addison the night before school started. We talked to Addison (again) about what school would be like and gave her a Minnie Mouse backpack. She loved it so much that she wore it around the rest of the evening!

Poppa Love

Addison LOVES her Poppa Larsen. Here's these two after Addison had her hair done by grammy and then grammy helped her to do Poppa's hair! Note: Poppa and Addison have matching bows!

First Trip to the Dentist!

Addison's first trip to the dentist was. . .okay. I told Addison what to expect before we went, but she still was really nervous when she saw that big chair. I had to sit in the chair and hold her on my lap. Addison did not appreciate the dentist brushing her teeth and messing with her mouth. When it was over, Addison was given a little bag of toys, a new toothbrush, and a coloring page. Addison then declared that going to the dentist was "fun." About ten minutes later in the car, Addison told me that she didn't like the dentist. Hopefully it will go better next time! :)

Our Christmas

My family had already left town before Christmas, so Steve and I celebrated with just our little family. It was really fun and special to see Addison open up her presents, especially since this was her first year to really understand the Santa concept.

Addison's Christmas wish list: a baby pumpkin, Minnie Mouse, a magic rose, and a ball. She basically asked for items that she already owned, but it was cute to hear her list for Santa.

Some of Addison's favorite presents that day: Minnie Mouse, a doggy sleeping bag, and a camera that takes real pictures!

Cookie Decorating

One of Addison's favorite activities this Christmas was decorating cookies. We decorated sugar cookies when all the Larsen clan was together and we decided to decorate Santa's batch with the Connelly family.

My little decorator!

The finished product. . .Addison had a little trouble not eating while working if you can tell!

Nate's awesome snowman creation!

Snow Tubing and Hamburgers!

I know it has been awhile since I posted, but life has been pretty crazy these last few months! I am trying to get this updated before Kimber is born, so here are some of the fun things we did this holiday season. We took Addison down to Bricktown to go Snow tubing. Afterwards, we went to Bricktown Burger for some yummy food!

Cousin Nate got to join us for the day. I couldn't go tubing because of being pregnant, so Steve and Nate took charge of Addison.

Checking out the bison down in Bricktown. Steve tried to get Addison to sit on it, but she didn't want to.

Addison saying hello to her new friend!

I just love this cute girl!

Addison looked so small in her snow gear!

Addison really surprised me when she went snow tubing. I thought there was a great chance that she would bawl and be scared, especially when I got there and realized that she had to ride the tube alone. Addison did really great though. She rode the snow tube twice and loved it! It has been fun this holiday having her try new things that she was too young for last year.

Farewell Grandpa Dodson

Our family lost a very special member recently, Steve's Grandpa Dodson. And even though he was Steve's grandfather, I really feel a since of loss at his passing too.
Steve and I began dating when we were sixteen. During one of his visits to Grandpa Dodson in Arkansas, Steve showed him a picture of me. Grandpa called me a "fiery redhead." Steve corrected him and showed him that I was blonde. "Nope," Grandpa Dodson said. "She's a fiery redhead. I can tell."

I loved Grandpa Dodson's sense of humor. He had a dry sense of humor that always made me laugh. Grandpa, Steve, and I would spend our visits teasing each other. Steve and I would try and get Grandpa Dodson to tell us stories about his youth, especially his experience in the Navy during WWII. Grandpa Dodson wasn't long-winded with his tales, but it was nice to get little snapshots of his life.

My favorite part of Grandpa Dodson was the love that he had for Addison. If we planned a trip to visit Grandpa, he would tell us not to come without her! :) When Addison was around, Grandpa had a special way of speaking to her. He loved to coo at her and would click and clack his tongue. . .it is hard to describe but it always made me smile hearing him talk like that because I could feel the love in his voice.
Not being LDS, Grandpa Dodson loved to tease us about how we shouldn't have too many children. "Two is plenty," Grandpa would say. He would then say that we shouldn't be like his son who had five children. I always smiled at this, because Steve's the 5th child in that story so a smaller family would have been a bit of a problem! This last trip; however, we told Grandpa Dodson that we were expecting our second child. . . another girl. Grandpa Dodson was silent for a moment and then said, "Well, I guess it's okay if you have one more kid- if it's a boy. But after that, no more. Three's plenty."

We were able to see Grandpa Dodson about a month before he passed away. We knew we were moving to Ohio and with Grandpa being as old as he is and with him having some health issues, we sensed this may be the last time we would be able to see him. I'm thankful that we were able to have this special man as a part of our lives. Steve and I are both sad that Addison won't remember him and that any other children we have won't be able to meet him- at least not in this life, but we have both promised to tell them all about this special man that we loved.

Santa's Beard!

In the bath tonight, Addison gave herself a bubble beard and said, "I'm Santa. It's Christmas! I bring pink presents!" I thought that was pretty cute.
I love the mind of a two year old! When asked what she wanted for Christmas this year, Addison told me she wanted 1. a ball 2. a magic flower (a reference to her attendance at the play Beauty and the Beast- see older post for pics) 3. a heart 4. a baby pumpkin -----all items she already owns! :) That was about a month ago and her list has remained the same, but she has added that she would like a "Minnie Mouse" and just tonight she informed me she also wants a "pink princess." We will see what Santa brings! ;)

Living at Grammy's House

Muffin doesn't usually let the little girls play with her, but yesterday Muffin decided she wanted to cuddle with Addison and let her pet her.

Currently, Addison and I are living at my parent's house waiting for our apartment to be available. Originally, Steve and I had planned to purchase a home in Ohio; however, it did not work out as we had intended. We had trouble finding anything we liked and after finding one home that we did like, we lost it during negotiations. I even flew up to Ohio to help Steve find something, but nothing seemed to be right for us.

I had been praying ever since we accepted this relocation offer to Ohio that Steve and I would find a beautiful home that would help us with this difficult transition. We are leaving our beloved Oklahoma where our roots are planted very deeply with having so much family close by and a close network of friends. During my visit with Steve, we both realized that God wanted us to not buy a home right now and to take an apartment that Steve had found. They are smaller than what we are used to, but they are brand new and it feels nice that we will be the first people to live in it.

I feel very sad that we won't be moving into a home and that we have to leave A LOT of our belongings in storage here in my parent's warehouse, but I really feel at peace about this move. I know that God really wants us in Ohio right now and I think our family will be experiencing a lot of growth. I even think that living in a fairly small two bedroom apartment will ultimately draw us closer together and will really be a rewarding experience for us. I hate change and have spend my entire life fighting against it, but I feel equally excited and nervous about this move. I am ready to embrace life in Ohio, so please Redwood apartments hurry and finish soon!

Beauty and the Beast

At a special tea party before the play began, the girls received a magic rose. They also got to listen to a performance by Bell and Gaston and got to take pictures with them. Here are the three girls chasing each other before the play begins. The girls loved the roses because they light up when you push the button!

Addison has been in an anti-picture phase. She doesn't like to have her picture taken and runs away most of the time, so sorry that a lot of the pics aren't the best. Here is Addison in her Belle costume. I loved that I was able to find it in a toddler size (and on sale!), so it didn't drag all over the floor!

Waiting for the play to begin!

Mommy and Addison at the special tea party!

I'm posting this really late, but I definitely wanted to share Addison's first time seeing a play! My mom bought tickets for Tyler, Jen, Bryn, Makenna, Addison, and myself to go see OCU's production of Beauty and the Beast. They were bringing in professional costumes and everything. We had a wonderful time, even though the girls were too tired to stay for the entire thing. Addison became very concerned when they locked up Bell's father. Even after he had been released, she kept asking me where he was and if he was okay. Her favorite character was Gaston. She said he was a "nice guy." :)

Carving Pumpkins!

Addison and I had Poppa over for Family Home Evening this week to help us carve pumpkins! Addison wanted her pumpkin to have circle eyes and circle mouth, which Poppa did EVEN though he wasn't thrilled about the difficulty level. :) Addison is waving her "baby" pumpkin that she picked out at the store. She LOVES when things come in her size!

Our finished jack-o-lanters. Not our best ever, but we were kind of in a hurry and we are elementary level pumpkin carvers at heart. :)

Poppa and Addison. I think my favorite part of carving pumpkins was when Poppa decided to tell Addison about the time that my older brother Tyler told on me for eating pumpkin seeds (I was 9 months old at the time, so it was probably good he told on me) Poppa quoted Tyler saying: "Mommy, Dan-yell-ee is eating a pumpkin seed!" Addison asked him to "say it again!"

Momma and Addison

It was actually night out, but the flash makes it seem a lot bright out. . . Overall, a fun and special FHE for Addison and me!