Addie and I took a trip to Duluth this week to hang out with the Lepiens. The girls got along really well and we had a nice couple of days! Natalie and I even got to escape and see the movie, The Proposal. Now we're sticking around home to get Addie back into a normal routine... her schedule has been a little off since vacation ;)

We are paying the price of letting Addie sleep with us while on vacation. She hasn't gone down very easily the last two days for bedtime and naps, but last night was the worst. She woke up around midnight and would not go back in her bed. She constantly screamed (and I mean screamed), "Mama and Dada's bed!" I tried to calm her/put her to sleep for an hour, but when that was unsuccessful, we had to let her cry it out. She screamed for over an hour, while my poor husband sat outside her door. We both did a lot of praying last night... cause what else can you do?

Larson Family Reunion- Oklahoma and Branson, MO... We had a great week. Oklahoma included shooting clay pigeons, boating and tubing on the lake, and some good southern cookin' :) In Branson we stayed at a time share and spent each day at the pool. The evenings consisted of family time- games and sharing stories. Addie did very well. She warmed up to most everyone right away. She slept pretty well (most of the night in our bed) and she loved being in the water every day. It was a lot of driving, that's for sure. We were definitely ready to be out of the car and home today. Brandt and I decided we need a vacation from our vacation now. I guess that's what it means to have kids! But we've had a relaxing afternoon today, considering Addie's been napping for over 3 hours already :)
Baby boy is still crazy busy in my tummy! I have felt more tightening these last couple days. A little uncomfortable as well. I don't think I'll make it to 40 weeks... but I'd like to make it a few more!

All done! We finished baby boy's room tonight. I really like it :) Thanks, Erin, for your help!! Now we are officially on vacation! We leave in the morning - Oklahoma, here we come! Happy 4th of July :)

A few of the latest things...

-I think Addie is teething... 2 year molars?? She chews on her fingers constantly and is having trouble sleeping / falling asleep. Hope it passes...

-Baby boy is CRAZY! I don't think he ever sleeps... honestly! I don't remember feeling Addie move this much. It's a blessing, yes, to be able to feel him move, but it would be nice if he calmed down every once in a while! I think Brandt and I may get a run for our money with this one :)

-B went shopping today (he does this twice a year) and bought cute plaid golf shorts! Love them!

-Addie and I are halfway through our 8 swimming lessons. Four more this week. We don't do much- float, bob, kick our feet, blow bubbles, dunk the head... but it's 30 minutes of swimming each day and she loves it!

-We rented The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night- a great movie! We highly recommend it.

-Finally, we are leaving this coming Saturday for the annual Larson family reunion. This year it's Oklahoma and Branson, Missouri. I am looking forward to a week with the family-- all the family!

Now you know everything there is to know about the Sorbel clan ;)

Life can't get much better than this. Home every day with this beautiful little girl :-) I'm lovin' it!!

Addie and Aunt Kylee painted her room last Wednesday... I finished it up last night, so here are the results! Kinda fun- Addie LOVES her room :) Baby boy's room is almost finished... pictures to come.

My mom and I took Addie for her two year pictures last week. We went to Flash! and had a GREAT experience! She was just about perfect- here is the link and login if you have some time and want to look through some of them.

http://flashportraits.com/

Go to "My Portraits"
Last Name: Sorbel
Sitting Number: Addie
Password: Addie

Hola! Well, right now I should be helping my hubby prime the walls in the baby's room downstairs, but after an hour of painting (with a mask on), I looked at the primer can and it said "Pregnant women should avoid..." Yikes! So here I am, upstairs, while Brandt works by himself. I'll be able to actually paint- just not prime the walls.
My first two weeks home with Addie have been fabulous! I've loved every single day :) We've been getting out- play dates, library, Como Zoo, etc... so that definitely helps. I thought it'd take both of us some time to get adjusted to our new routine, but we both figured it out within a day. We're even back to the crying when I do drop her off at Nana's or Grammy's - she loves me ;)
That's all for now! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

A few photos from the birthday festivities! Addie had a wonderful birthday week :-) Thanks to all of you who celebrated with us!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful girl! We love you!















One day old















One Year Old



















Two years old!

Friday we spent in Maple Grove with the Lepiens. The first pic is Nora and Addie getting ready for the pool!!
















Saturday morning we headed to Trout Lake Camp for the weekend! Addie was just about perfect all weekend ;) She loved driving "Papa's boat" and we had a very nice relaxing time with family.

My two favorite people in the whole world!!!

Well, today was the last day! Bittersweet... that's what I'll call it. Now I'm relaxing with my hubby, watching So You Think You Can Dance, and NOT grading papers :)
Tomorrow we are hanging out with the Lepiens, and Saturday we head to Trout Lake Camp for the long weekend!!

Not too much going on... I only have four more days of school with kids and about a week and a half of teacher work days... then I'm done. So I'm a little anxious about that. I am looking forward to spending the summer with Addie, and of course awaiting the birth of baby boy, but I still am sad about being completely done with teaching.
On a completely different note, we are beginning to introduce potty training to Miss Addison. She enjoys sitting on the potty, which is a good thing! But she is a little confused about when you are supposed to sit on it. She poops in her diaper, then tells us she pooped, and then wants to sit on the toilet. It's a start, no doubt, but not exactly the right order! I haven't committed myself fully to this task, since I'm still teaching, but in about 2 1/2 weeks, we're going to do it!
Any of you out there have any suggestions or tricks for potty training??

We spent Mother's Day at Como Zoo with the Sorbel clan. Addie absolutely loved it! We had to visit the "kokies" (monkeys) twice- those were her favorite! You can bet we'll be going there a few times this summer!!

We had Ana and Adam over last night for dinner and cards. I finally got to see her preggo belly! It was a wonderful evening :-) So here we are... old roomies, now pregnant friends...and yes, she is 3 weeks ahead of me. Ha!

My students at school are reading Treasure Island right now, so I have a copy at home. This is what I found Addie doing yesterday morning... reading the 8th grade novel! So I followed her around with the camera and then put together a slide show of "motivation" for my 7th and 8th graders. I told them if my almost-two-year-old can read this book, so can all of you!!

Addie and I went with Amber, Liam, and Landon today to see "Thomas and Friends" LIVE at the Target Center. It was a blast! Addie couldn't get enough!! So fun!

Dada... poop... stinky...
Addie's new favorite words, in that order! Don't ask... :)

Well, I have to give credit to my husband for this one... we purchased Addie some new bedroom furniture- table and chairs, toy box, and as you can see, a big girl bed! I've been anxious about switching from crib to bed... worried how she will do, worried none of us will get sleep, just worried... So we weren't going to make the switch for a while. But last night, my mom and I went out on a date, and when I got home, my little girl was sleeping soundly in her big girl bed! She got up once, fussing a bit, but Brandt went down, gave her a hug and a drink of water, and told her to go back to bed. And she did... and we didn't hear a peep from her til this morning! Brandt is an amazing father-- I couldn't be more thankful for him! And way to go, Addie! She was so proud of herself when I went down there this morning. Hopefully tonight will be the same :)

We have been struggling with getting Addie to eat lately. I know I did it wrong from the beginning- when she started eating solids, I should've given her everything we were eating... instead she ate mac and cheese, grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, and lasagna (or spaghetti). Now those foods are ALL she will eat. We serve her what we eat now, but many nights she ends up throwing a temper tantrum, throwing food on the floor, and not even trying the foods in front of her. I'm a softy when it comes to all of this because I don't want her to go hungry, but I've been trying to be consistent with it. Some nights she doesn't eat dinner and goes to be without a snack. Is that ok? I know we're not the only ones who've gone through this. Any suggestions?

23 weeks this weekend! Books say that baby boy is about one pound and also about 8 inches from crown to rump... crazy! And yes, he is a crazy one. Moving around constantly! He was kicking pretty good last night, so I had Addie put her hand on my tummy. He kicked her. I asked Addie, "Did you feel the baby kick?" She said, "No." I said, "Do you want to feel again?" She said, "No," and then pulled my shirt back over my tummy. Ha! And so it begins... ;)

Addie's talking up a storm. Very rarely do I struggle with understanding what she's saying. Her big thing lately is relating everything in life to Dora, backpack, Swiper... (if you're a Dora watcher, you know the characters...) For example, we will drive by a lake and she'll point and say, "River." I'll acknowledge her observation and then she'll say, "Boat. Dora." I'll agree that they do take a boat over the river in Dora. Then she'll say, "Grandpa" because we've told her we will go on Grandpa's boat this summer! I'll remind her that we'll wear lifejackets on the boat this summer, and she'll respond with "Lifejacket. Backpack." Yes, Addie, we get lifejackets from backpack... kinda. Just funny stuff :)

Happy belated Easter!

Photo Shoot with Mom

We had our annual Easter Egg hunt with the Sorbel's today. Eggs are hidden all around Maple Grove and we follow clues from one "traditional spot" to the next. This year's was a bit shorter, which was nice because it was chilly out! Addie loved being outside! It was a fantastic day!














Addie and Dada!

















The girls... and of course my hubby in the back :)

First off, the baby is very healthy and has Steph's chin. Second, riddle me this:

If There Sat A Big Orange Yacht,
Yellow Eagles Always Hot!

Note: Nothing incriminating in this picture.