I don’t remember exactly when Addy began calling our family outings “family dates,” but we think it’s adorable and have adopted the term ourselves.  Any time we spend time away from home with just the four of us, we now refer to our time together as a “family date.” 

Last night, Andy planned a special “family date” to help celebrate the cool, fall weather.  He packed all the accessories needed for a picnic dinner, picked up fried chicken and sides, and we headed to the local park.  It was such a nice fall evening and we enjoyed throwing frisbee, eating dinner, laying in the shade of some large (for Texas) oak trees, and watching Addy enjoy the playground.  It was a picture-perfect evening, so here are some photos to share.

There is nothing like a precious baby that has been freshly bathed and is wrapped in a towel! 

As we were driving around town this morning, I heard a voice from the back seat say, “Go faster Mommy! I like feed (speed)!”  She acquired this new phrase during a get-away with friends at their lake house in Missouri.  While there, Addy went tubing, went knee-boarding, went swimming in the lake every day, rode a four-wheeler, “drove” a boat, and was thoroughly spoiled by our friends, “Uncle” Chris and Miss Rhonda.  She had a blast, as did all of us.  Thanks to Chris, I’m sure we will be hearing all about the “extreme” activities she wants to do for a while.

Last week we enjoyed a wonderful family vacation in the Poconos with my Mom, Dad, brother, sister-in-law, and adorable new nephew.  Each day of the vacation we had a key word around which our activities revolved.  On Monday, it was “train”, on Tuesday it was “sweets”, on Wednesday “lake”, and Thursday was “outdoors”.  On Wednesday’s “family date” as Addy refers to them, we went to a lake and played on the playground and enjoyed the outdoors.  However, the temperature kept us from getting in the water.  As we watched many northern residents swimming and boating, our Texas blood kept us all from getting into the lake when the temperature was only in the high sixties.  Addison had a hard time understanding why she couldn’t go swimming with the other kids.  We promised her that she would get to enjoy the water the following day via paddle boating with Daddy.  On Thursday we headed to Bushkill Falls, an amazing place where we hiked among gorgeous waterfalls, picnicked, and enjoyed some of the kid friendly activities on site.  After lunch, we walked toward the small lake.  Addy was brimming with anticipation for her paddle boat ride.  She had practiced how to move her legs, we had talked about seeing fish and turtles, and she was ecstatic about having one-on-one time with Daddy.  As we approached the counter to pay for the paddle boating excursion, she was beaming.  The sweet girl behind the counter asked, “How old is she?”  Andy quickly responded, “Almost 3 (seeing the sign that read 3 and above were admitted.)  Her polite but very firm response was, “Children under 3 cannot go.”  Addy clung to Andy and turned her head away from the girl as big tears welled up in her eyes.  Then, not being able to contain her disappointment any longer, she began crying.  It broke my heart to see her like this.  She had been so excited and her hopes for a great adventure had been dashed.  Andy, however, used it as a lesson.  He hugged Addy and comforted her, but gently told her, “We don’t ever lie even when we want to.”   Since last Thursday when this happened we have had multiple discussions about the paddle boating experience (or lack there of) and it continues to be a teaching point for her.  Plus, Andy and Addy still got to have their time together putt-putting when the boating didn’t work out.

Yesterday I ran upstairs to wake Ashton from his morning nap, leaving Addison downstairs coloring.  As I was tending to Ashton, Addy boisterously ran upstairs to find me.  She paraded in and proudly asked, “Am I fancy, Mommy?”  with her arms spread wide.  Confused but thinking, “How cute!” I responded as any mother would, “Yes, baby! You are so fancy!”  Then, she began repeating over and over again, “I am pretty.  I am so pretty.”   At that point, I looked more closely at her as she danced around and recited her oh-so-humble-statement.  It was then that I realized that she had scribbled all over her legs and arms with pen.  All I could do was  laugh! I hope you do the same.

Tomorrow will mark Andy’s return from three weeks at camp.  It has been 28 days (minus a brief period last Saturday evening/Sunday morning) since we have all been together! Needless to say Addy, Ashton, and I are overjoyed that he is going to be home with us!!!

Addy know that her daddy will be home sometime soon, but I haven’t told her that he will be home tomorrow yet.  I think it will be best for me to just let it be a surprise when he walks in the door tomorrow night because otherwise I will be bombarded with questions every 5 minutes about whether it is time for him to be home yet or not, making tomorrow miserable for me.  Since last Saturday, she has woken up every morning asking “Is Daddy here?”  I can’t wait to see her face when he walks through the door tomorrow night! 

Ashton has changed so much during the time that Andy has been away from us, so I can’t wait for him to interact with his daddy too! Since Andy has been at camp, Ashton has really become a talker.  In fact, the other night when my friend Holly was over, I had to stop mid-story because Ashton was babbling so loudly over the top of me, I could hardly think.  I can’t wait to see Ashton’s smiles and coos when he sees his daddy tomorrow night!

Of course I have been missing my hubby like crazy so I am also ecstatic he will be home! I am so thankful for Andy for so many reasons.  The following are just a few:  He is a man of integrity, he’s a provider for us, he loves all 3 of us (Addy, Ashton, and I) unconditionally, he is extremely complimentary, he is creative, he is ahard-worker, he is organized, he is generous, he is courageous, he is bold, he is honest, he is relational, he is great at communicating, he is entertaining, he is passionate, he is funny, he is determined, he is a “forward thinker” , he is observant, and he is my best friend! 

We can’t wait to see you tomorrow night, babe! We love you!!!

This face says it all:

Ashton is definitely his big sister”s number one fan!!! At the sound of her voice or with a glimpse of her face, Ash’s whole countenance changes.  He will follow her voice around the room, and I am convinced the first time he will roll over from his back to his belly will be to “follow” her. 

Here are some recent pictures of why Ashton loves Addy so much.  She is such a sweet big sister and wants to include him in her play (most of the time.)

Ashton Andrew Green

9 lbs. 4 oz.

21 1/2 inches

For those of you who have been reading my blog, you may remember that a couple of months ago I wrote a post where I answered random questions about myself in a word or two.  One of the questions was about a wish list item and my answer was “a kitchen table.”  Despite the grief Andy gave me about this answer and how much fun he made of me for having a kitchen table as my top desire, he followed through with my wish.  Yesterday he went out to “look for new jeans” and came back with a brand new kitchen table as a surprise for me.  I love it!!! I am so excited about it for the following reasons:  it is bigger than our previous table and will serve us well with two children and entertaining guests, it is beautiful and matches our decor, and it doesn’t have all the wear and tear of the table that we have been using for the past 7 years.  My husband is amazing!!! I am so thankful for his generosity with me and that he shares with so many others around him.