Congrats to Jay!

I have been meaning to post, but last week Jay got a promotion at work!!! He is now the Assistant Category Buyer for the food and beverage department at Sears! We are so proud of him!!! Addy and I just went there today for lunch and we had so much fun! Addy was a little shy meeting new people, but ate like a big girl in the cafeteria. She even got some goodies from some of Jay's co-workers that work in the grocery department. Again we are so proud of Jay. He only deserves good things!!!!

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

Every year since Addy was born I have taken a picture of Addy and Jay next to this one decoration at the Pumpkin Patch we go to. I though it would be fun to do comparison shots of all those times. So amazing how fast she has grown!

Pumpkin Patch

Today we went to Dave's Pumpkin Patch. Addy had a blast. They had a cute little maze for her to go thru and she loved all the piles of pumpkins there were around. We got some great pictures. It was a great time and we just loved watching Addy have fun.

5 Years and Weekend

Yesterday Jay and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. I can not believe it has been 5 years already. We had a great dinner with Addy of course. Then after Addy went to bed we watched our wedding video. It was so fun to see it and relive all of those wonderful memories!
Today we had a busy morning. We started off the day at the gym before 8:00 and then head to The Olympic for breakfast with my dad. Johnny Appleseed festival was going on downtown Crystal Lake so we stayed for that and met up with Arlyn and her family. Addy loved the petting zoo, well she loved it when they weren't in her face. I was so proud of her. I didn't think she would go in there, but she did with Jay. She was quacking like a duck to the ducks and loved the little bunnies. After that we tried the pony rides and boy did she love that too. This was her very first pony ride, but she thought it was pretty cool. Of course we have a lot of pictures, but can't wait to go again next year!

Nick and Jessica's Wedding

This past weekend Addy and I went with my family to Galena for my cousin Nick's wedding. We had a great time. Addy loved dancing. The minute the band started she was on that dance floor all night. Of course she only wanted to dance with kids her age or older. She even got into a congo line all by herself. I was shocked she even knew what or how to get into one. My little girl is growing up so fast. We took a lot from this weekend, but here are some of the pictures. Addy loved hanging out with her cousin Spencer and Olivia(flower girl) Enjoy the pics!

Visit with new friends

Today my friend Kendra came over to visit with her 3 kids. This was the first time for her to meet Addison and for me to meet Kate her youngest. Addy was in heaven with the boys. They came for lunch and then played outside for about an hour or so. Addy loved chasing the boys and the boys were great with her. She went down for a late nap at 2:30, didn't think she would go down, but she did. Those boys wore her out and me out too. I am not sure how Kendra does it. I tried to get as many pictures as I could, but of course they are very busy so trying to get one of all of them looking was impossible. So enjoy the ones I took. It was such a fun visit!

Isn't she cute?

I took these two pictures of Addy this weekend. I was singing a song to her and she just looked so adorable just looking at me. She grows up more and more every day. Despite the raining weather we still had a great weekend. Addy started to take interest in the potty. She wanted to be in the bathroom alone and when I peaked in she was just sitting on the toliet smiling at me, then of course wanted her privacy. She is definitley getting more and more independent. She wanted to wash her hands the other day(a new thing she is obsessed with) and I was behind her while she was on her stool and she turned to me, pushed me, looks at me, shakes her head no. I couldn't believe it. She was also helping me dust. She loves to help out that is for sure. She just gets more and more fun every day.

Faith Hill

Last night was one of the most memorable times in my life! Jay won tickets through his work to go see Faith Hill in concert. She was taping a Christmas Special for the show Soundstage on PBS. Those of you know that I LOVE Christmas time and Faith Hill so seeing her sing Christmas songs was amazing. The song she did for the movie The Grinch called "Where are you Christmas?" she performed and that is one of my favorite songs! She looked beautiful as always and we had great seats so we were pretty close to her. Since the performance was being taped she did have some songs that she had to do over and had to have breaks for makeup. Of course some crazy and loud fans would yell out "Is Tim going to perform?", I was wondering myself, but I was happy just to see her. Faith said no that he would not be performing with her tonight,but of course there are those annoying fans that kept asking. Faith performed about an hour and 15 min of her Christmas songs. She did a 15 min intermission for her to change outfits and for the crew to change the stage and came back for another hour or so to sing all her greatest hits. She sang all of my favorites including "This Kiss", "The Secret to Life", and "Wild One". This was a once in a lifetime moment for me and I thank Jay so much for entering to win these amazing tickets. He knew how much I have always wanted to see her in concert and how this dream has finally come true! Her Christmas album comes out September 30th and it is amazing!

Cookie Monster

My sister Emily took this pic on her phone I believe and I thought it was such a cute shot!

Addy at Nonna and Grandpa's

Here are some pictures to show what fun Addy had while we were away for the weekend. She definitly had a great time!

Weekend in St. Louis

Jay and I headed down to St. Louis for Chris and Hanna's wedding. We had a great time! My parents were kind enough to watch Addy so we could have a nice get away weekend. She of course had fun with my parents and when we got back we weren't even sure how excited she was to see us. We got to our hotel Friday night and stayed at a great hotel right in downtown St. Louis. We went to the rehearsal dinner Friday night and it was so nice. Chris's parents hosted it the Schlafly Tap Room in downtown St. Louis. The food and drinks were excellent. Saturday the wedding wasn't till 6 so we were able to explore St. Louis so we headed down to the Landing and also walked to the Arch. For a special treat we headed to Westport Plaza where I used to go when I was little to eat at my FAVORITE restaurant Casa Gallardo. It was just as good as I remembered, thanks to Jay for letting me choose lunch. :) The wedding itself was beautiful. This was the first Jewish wedding we had been to and it was an amazing experience. If you talk to Jay he will tell you his favorite part was when Hanna and Chris were lifted up onto chairs during the reception to the song Havanagela. All and all it was a great weekend and we got to visit with friends that we hadn't seen in a long time. Check out some of the pictures.