Fall Festivities

Fall is here! We have been enjoying the nice days outside, 

bundling up on the chilly days,

                            and spending time doing activities inside on the really cold days!

Last weekend we spent time together at the Virginia Law Families'  Harvest Festival. There was so much to do at the farm-- a petting zoo, hayrides, a corn maze, a huge slide and lots of other fun activities.

Addie went on this huge slide with her Daddy and LOVED it! She kept asking for more!

On Halloween morning, Addie and I spent a few hours at Bounce N Play with a few friends. It was our first time, and she had a ball! It was definitely a special treat that we will have to take advantage of on another chilly day.

This was Addie's very first year of trick or treating. We took her to The Lawn, a UVA Halloween tradition.  She was a pro! Although she didn't like to say, "trick or treat," she would forcefully stick her arm out at every door demanding her candy... as sweetly as she could of course, and she would usually receive it with a "Thank You" :)  Everyone thought she was darling and her parents happened to agree.

Practicing her door approach

On our way to The Lawn

"Check out my stash Mom!"

UVA's OBX

Last week was John's fall break at UVA law. We packed our bags along with 12 other UVA couples and kiddos and then headed to the Outer Banks for our annual week of fun! This year, because of our large numbers (26 adults, 13 kids) we rented two houses across the street from each other. The weather certainly wasn't beach perfect, but it was great to relax with friends and of course have John around. Addie especially loved getting to spend so much time with her Daddy! 

                                                           waving goodbye to the ocean


We came back from our trip happy and hopefully rejuvenated just in time to hit the grind-- to begin getting ready for finals, round 3! This time, the pressure is off as John has accepted a summer offer at the prestigious firm Winston and Strawn in DC.  Heavenly Father must have listened to sweet Addie's prayers each night as she knelt and asked for, "Daddy job." We couldn't be happier.

RAGNAR

Last week, John and 11 other UVA law friends ran the RAGNAR, a 200 mile relay race throughout MD, West Virginia, Virginia, and DC. It took them about 30 hours to finish it, with only small cat naps in between runs!

These guys and girls are awesome!! We are so lucky to have so many good buddies here at UVA that are always up for an adventure!

To celebrate the big finish we all drove up to Annapolis to Chicken Ruth’s, a great Ma and Pa restaurant featured on the show Man vs Food.  John and his two friends Steve and Jon Guynn tried to complete the 6 pound milkshake challenge, but the ice cream got the better of them!!

While the gang was doing most of their running, I got to cuddle up with this little guy, Fletcher James Durrant!! After a long stay in the hospital he was finally ready to come home this past Sunday.  Mom and Dad are so excited to finally have their family together at home and we couldn’t be happier for them!

In other news, Sunday was Addie’s first official day in nursery.

Needless to say, she was not a fan. We will keep trying!

2T

A few days ago, I bought Addie a few pairs of leggings for the fall weather we are beginning to experience here in Cville.  I snatched a couple to bring into the fitting room to try out, including her current go to size of 18-24 months, along with the next one up that this store carried, size 2T.  As I hiked the pants up on her cute little chub legs I saw that the 2T would be the smarter size to get.  Has my little girl really graduated to T as in TODDLER size??

Creating a masterpiece 

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. She has been acting so grown up lately! No longer a little baby. Adeline is so verbal! She can say and use over 100 words correctly.  Recently she has been learning the lyrics and tunes to new songs and often times we come across her singing to herself as she plays. A few of her favorites right now are If you’re happy and you know it, Twinkle Twinkle little star, and I am a child of god.

Biker Girl

Sharing a slurpee with Pop

She has also been saying prayers! She starts by addressing Heavenly Father, then as mom or dad says that we are thankful for our family, without any nudging she begins listing each member in our family.  It such a sweet thing to witness our little girl choosing the right at such a young age and doing what she has learned.

Addie saying prayers at church

She’s a good helper too. Her latest thing is to push up her bench right by the sink when Mom is washing dishes and, though she can barely see over the edge, she likes to grab the sponge and clean the dishes, just like mom.  She also takes good care of Samson. She feeds him breakfast and dinner and makes sure to have him wait to eat until she gives him the go ahead, “Oh-Tay!”

Cuddle time with her BFF

Even though it is a little sad to watch her grow up so so quickly, at the same time it is so exciting to watch all that she learns each and every day. We love our sweet toddler girl!

Loving playing in the rain