Addalyn - 2012 (Jan through April)

In efforts to get caught up on my blog - I'm going to recap my kiddos for the year of 2012 so far and start off fresh for May with a post on our Easter celebrations and life going forward :)

In January of 2012, Miss Addalyn officially became a big girl - she got potty trained!  She started showing interest in the later months of 2011, but we never really pushed it.  Our daycare always said, wait until she's 2 1/2 before starting to think about it, which she was on December 3rd.  Given our travels for Christmas and all the busyness of the season, we had decided to wait until January.

Miss Addy had other thoughts...she started asking to go right around mid December and really just took the initiative.  With the travels to MI and such for the holidays, we had a few setbacks, but as soon as we got home and settled into our routine again, she did great.  By the end of January - she was pretty much potty trained!  She's still wearing a pull-up at night, but it is dry pretty much daily :)

Goofy Addy

In February, we did not have any really exciting things going on.  Typical MN excitement.  She did get very in to Valentine's day - she gets excited about any holiday that includes sweets :)  She helped me put together her Valentine's for her daycare party by coloring on each of them.  That was pretty much all of the excitement for Valentine's day -- however Daddy made a very kid-friendly romantic meal for us!

Heart-shaped strawberries and mini pizzas!

"Cheers Dad!" Addy used her wine glass from her toy kitchen dinnerware for supper and had juice "like us" :)

The highlight of 2012 for me (and probably Addy too!) so far was March - when her and I got to go to Disney on Ice with grandma Jean!  Addalyn had SOOOO much fun.  I absolutely loved it as well, I had never been to anything like it as a kid or now, so I was enjoying it just as much as Addy.  If not more! 

Addalyn wore her princess dress that Jean had made for her and given to her as a Christmas present - which made the occasion that much more fun and special!

Grandma Jean and Addy --- love this pic!

Cinderella's ball ---- just a shot from the show.  Cinderella was probably Addy's favorite part of it.  She still talks about it and says "the step sisters were naughty and they need a time out" :)  She also points at all of the Disney princess when she sees them and says "I saw that one, and that one, and that one....etc".  Too cute!

Little Princess Addy

Group photo with the scene in the background!

 My little Addy Jane is SOOOOOO much fun these days.  I love having conversations with her.  She is SO dramatic when she talks.  Seriously, NOOO idea where she gets it from?  :)  J/K - I'll claim her drama, I don't think I have a choice but to claim it. :)

Drama is not all bad.  It also means when she's excited and happy, she's REALLY excited and happy.  And when she tells story, there's a whole lot of tones, and deep breaths, and arm movements, and, well - you get out of breath just watching her!  And she's full of giggles, hugs, and lots of love!

She's pretty good most days and doing things we ask, like brushing her teeth, going potty before bed, etc.  But, she doesn't mind testing those limits every once in a while.  Sometimes she gets in trouble and has to do time-outs or go to her room.  But it hasn't been too bad so far.  I'm nervous though - I've heard people say that 3 yrs. old is worse than 2!

She has been going through a phase the last few months where she prolongs bedtime for as L-O-N-G as she can.  She'll go to bed at 8, and sometimes it'll be 9 before she finally is sleeping.  She wants to read books, come out and talk to us, have the light on, then off...you name it, she tries it.  Grrr!

A rare occasion where she hadn't come out of her room...I had gotten her to go to her room for bedtime by pushing her in the laundry basket.  Assuming she'd eventually climb out, I didn't think much of it.  Aaron went to check on her later and this is what he found --- sleeping Addy in her laundry basket! Silly girl!

 Addy is still a WONDERFUL big sis for Mr. Blake.  She absolutely loves him and loves to take care of him.  They play extremely well together most days.  She is too funny, because a lot of times she will still talk "baby" to him.  She'll raise her voice to a higher pitch and say "good job, buddy!" or other things.  She also calls him Lover-boy, Blakers, & Blaker/Blaker-boy.  It cracks me up when she calls him Lover-boy!

I'd say that Addalyn is still VERY VERY much a daddy's girl.  95% of the time she'll want daddy to do something over me if she can.  I'm okay with that...what girl doesn't want her daddy??!!!!

 Miss Addalyn and her daddy love to make me VERY VERY nervous by some of the things they do together. I sometimes have to tell them go to the carpet because they start doing these things on the tile. The more I get scared - the more they laugh at me.

 Addalyn Jane is getting WAY too big.  She knows all her colors, shapes, counts to 10+ when she feels like it, sings lots of songs - has a huge list in her vocab and tells stories very well.  She's starting to learn letters.  She knows 'A' pretty well.  And when she sees an 'M' she says "M for McDonalds & Mommy."  Aaron just taught her lately that M is also for Michigan so sometimes she yells that out too!

I love my almost 3-year old tons.  I keep thinking each stage is so fun and that I don't want my kids to grow up.  I really do wish they could stay little forever.  But I know that's not possible.  So, I try to appreciate all of the things that make them little.  Good and Bad.  Sometimes I let the little things get to me -- but I keep trying to embrace it all :)