Here are finally some pictures from Addison's first birthday! They aren't in any order but obviously you can tell that first we made the cupcakes, then Addison sucked on the spatula, and then we ate them. :)

Mom and Dad came out for Addison's birthday and we started by opening the presents. Then, mom and I went out to the mall to do a little shopping. We met the guys a little later to get some dinner out. Mom and Dad left after that since it was pretty late and they still had to drive for an hour and a half. We went home and sang to Addison and watched her make a huge mess with a cupcake. I let Alex put the icing on his and decorate it. He thought that was extra special. Also, Nathan's mom sent a little something for Alex from Nathan's uncle. It was good thinking to include Alex so he wouldn't get jealous with Addison opening all of her presents!

The first picture is a few days later with Addison in the outfit from mom and dad and holding the baby doll they gave her. I tried to post the video of Addison devouring the cupcake but it wouldn't work for some reason :( Too bad!

Oh, also, Nathan's mom sent Addison the little purple bear blanket. We switched that out for Addison's burp cloths and she loves the thing. We call it her blanky bear and she carries it around everywhere. We came up with the goofy name because little Emily that I watch has a sleepy square that is a pretty similar idea.

This is our goofy Addison and maybe goofier mother. Addison is a major major thumb sucker and if she has a burp cloth in hand she is sucking her thumb. We always have at least two burp cloths laying around somewhere and this day she honestly was walking around with three before I decided to film her.

This bottom picture is from when Emily stayed with us for a week when her mommy, daddy, and sister went to disney world. Honestly it was not too much extra work. I do all of the same things with the other kids anyway and she is a very easy little girl to take care of.

It's so fun to watch our little kiddos becoming such good friends! They are always playing together and Alex is so sweet to his baby sister.

On a side note, my Christmas present is supposed to be here next week and I'm so excited! Nathan got me a Cannon powershot. I think that's what it's called. Our camera has been having a lot of issues. Mainly that the lense won't close anymore and it doesn't focus very well anymore. A lot of pictures we just took on our christmas tree outing didn't turn out too well. (We did get some really good ones though and I'll post those soon, hopefully.) Since it's more of a thing we use as a family I didn't think we should get it in any girly colors. Nathan went ahead and ordered it in this really pretty blue color though. It is the same color as this super cute purse Jillian and I just saw when shopping. He said that if he can use my girly green laptop in public then he can use a girly blue camera. :)

I know, two posts in one day! Crazy huh!? Well, I've promised a few people some video of Addison walking. Apparently it was dark in the livingroom. Sorry! She walks so well now. She's not really doing a lot of falling. I think she was just getting excited in the video. I finally cut Alex's hair tonight and had to post the pics of his mohawk I gave him afterward. He doesn't like it at all! He keeps saying put my hair down while he squishes it with his hand.

These are our Halloween pics! We got some good ones. Alex had so much fun trick or treating! He went up to a bunch of houses on his own. He said trick or treat and thank you every time! It was fun watching him get so excited. You could tell his bucket was getting heavy and he was getting tired but everytime we asked him if we could carry it he said no. LOL! We also got a good family pic before church on Sunday!

Okay Joy, I've been trying to think about what I want for christmas. It gets harder as you get older and buy pretty much whatever you really want. I was thinking I'd like a comfy jacket. Something casual, maybe sporty. Could be fleece or whatever. Maybe a maroon or navy blue or green? Probably a medium unless it looks huge then get small. Another easier thought would be a Victoria's Secret gift card. Since I've stopped nursing I'm in need of some better you know whats. Either one would be a great gift and I'd always be open for something home made or if you come up with a better idea.

I'm going to try and remember to get some video of Addison walking today. Hopefully I'll post it soon!

Okay, I know I'm getting really bad at blogging. I'll try to do some real blogging later today. Thought I should get the list for Christmas out there. The deal this year is the same as last year. Everybody gets one person and the kids are there for everybody to buy for if they choose to. We drew names out of a bucket yesterday at mom and dad's so no one can accuse me of matching people up this year. lol! Guys drew for guys and girls for girls. Here it is:

gifter- reciever

Jeremy- Nathan

Dad- Jason

Jason- Dad

Josh- Jeremy

Nathan- Josh

Joy- Jenny

Jenny- Joanne

Joanne- Jilli

Jilli- Mom

Mom- Joy


I think the amount last year was thirty? Does everybody think that works again? More or less? I'll be thinking about what I want Joy. I'm going to try to get my Christmas shopping done before December. We'll see if I make it! I'm guessing Joanne is going to make up an amazon wish list again? As far as my kids go for gifts. Alex is easy to buy for, but clothes are also appreciated for both of them :) Alex is wearing 3T in everything. I like the adjustable waist for pants for my skinny boy. Addison will be getting into 12 month and is starting to run out of clothes that were given to us. I have a hard time buying clothes for her when she'll grow out of them so fast! Also, Addison doesn't have very many toys of her own. I don't even know if she would play with them if she had them though. She loves anything that belongs to her big bubs!

I found this when I was looking for pics of the kids! Couldn't help but post it. Alex thought it was Addison. I had to tell him it was him a few times before it stuck.




I just realized that all the recent pics we've taken are on the laptop. Guess I'll have to post more sometime when N-dog is home:)

Well it's been forever since the last post I made! We've been super busy! There are a couple pics of the kids when Joanne and Jeremy made it out for the riverfestival. Alex is being stubborn in the one with all of the kids on the floor. That's normal for him. He doesn't like getting his picture taken. I was surprised he actually posed for a few. I love the bath one of Alex and Addison! They have so much fun in the bath together. I got a whole bunch more pictures but they probably aren't appropriate to post on the blog. Alex and Addison have been playing in their room a lot lately. It usually ends with Addison crying because she got either stuck under Alex's bed or the dresser. It's sooo funny! I put her in the cute turquoise pants and onesie outfit today that Nathan's mom, Julie, got for us when we were pregnant with Alex. We hadn't found out yet what we were having and she gave us an outfit for a boy and an outfit for a girl. She looks really good in those colors!

We had Addison's six month check up on friday. It went really well. I was expecting it to be good since nothing's really going on with her. She is 15 lbs and 13 oz. and 26 in long. She's in the 41% for weight, 55% for height, and 80% for head. Which means her weight and height percents have flipped and her head is still big. My babys have big heads! I was kind of expecting her height and weight to flip at some point. Hopefully we won't be having weight trouble with her in a few months like we did with Alex. She's scooting around on the floor a lot and almost sitting up on her own. She's been getting a lot happier now that she can entertain herself a little bit.

Alex has been pretty funny lately. He's started saying all kinds of funny things. When he thinks Emily or Poky are doing something naughty he says shame on you. That's something daddy tells Alex if he's naughty. When Addison is doing something he doesn't like he tells her knock it off. He's also a lot more into his little sister which is both good and bad. He loves playing with her and she loves Alex. He does play a little rough sometimes though. Yesterday he tried to stomp on her hand and thankfully missed. Today he gave her a cheerio. Thankfully he came and told me he gave Addison cereal. I ran in and it was sitting on her lips and hadn't made it in her mouth yet. Scary! Sometimes he thinks he's doing something nice and doesn't realize it could hurt her. They are super cute when they play together though. Addison totally adores her big brother!

So I think I need an update since the last post. We had Alex's doc appointment on friday and it went pretty well. He's doing fine with his weight which was a big relief! He's in the 15% for height and 4 1/2% for weight. The doc was nice and added the half! LOL! She said that if there were any growth abnormalities they usually show up by three so it looks like he's just small. Whew! The funny thing was when they had him undress to his undies. He really didn't want to do that! Then after that he just sat there pouting and wouldn't talk. All he would say was no. The doc said that this kind of action she sees more in boys at this age. She noticed his goofy tic right away. Sometimes if he feels uncomfortable or things just aren't like they normally are he blinks his eyes a lot. She just commented on it and made it seem kind of normal and moved on. That made me feel good! Next we talked about his development and he seems to be doing good. The only thing she seemed a little concerned with was his speech. He knows exactly what he's trying to say but sometimes he just can't form the words right. He actually just recently started trying a lot more! I'll sound words out and he'll repeat me. He used to not do that at all. She gave us a number of some people we could call to get an evaluation to see if he needs speech therapy. She said that the main thing is that he'll probably start to get really frustrated when people can't understand him. So, Nathan and I will talk about this at some point and decide what to do. We'll see. It couldn't hurt anything.

The other thing that's pretty exciting is that Alex pooped in the big potty for the first time! Yeah! He's been pretty much potty trained in the other area for a while now but we just couldn't get him to not poop his pants. He would always do it during nap time when he had his diaper on which wasn't too bad cause it's not a big mess. I've got him up halfway through his nap a few times and put him on the potty but he still wouldn't and as soon as he's back in his room he would do it. So, I put him on the potty a couple days ago and left him there for like a half hour. Finally, when I was on the phone with my mom, he yells me poop big potty! I was so excited! We went to Wally World later that day and bought him a car. He went in the big potty again yesterday too! Hopefully we'll be good now and he could officially be potty trained!

Just thought I'd write a little bit about what's been going on here with the kiddos. They are totally sleeping in the same room now! It was a super easy transition! I didn't think I could handle not getting my nap time break in the middle of the day. Keeping Alex up and having Addison sleeping in his room just wasn't working for me. So, I tried putting Addison in there with Alex for nap. She almost does better in there. It's like she likes sleeping in his room and he likes having her in there! I was shocked! Alex doesn't really want a whole lot to do with her but he wants her to sleep in his room. LOL! He still doesn't sleep a whole lot when he's in his room for nap time but it doesn't seem to bother Addison. We tell him to be quiet when she's in there and she sleeps right through him playing.

This last Sunday Nathan had off so we decided to go out to the farm and meet up with mom, dad, and Jilli. It was a lot of fun! Alex is getting really good with his fishing pole. I put sunscreen on me and both the kiddos and they were perfectly fine but I got burnt! I put it on myself and I guess couldn't reach very far on my back. So, I have a goofy half burnt back with finger outlines. Mom and Jilli also got burned super bad! glad I put a lot of suncreen on the kids! Oh ya, I can't forget to mention our little cannibal baby. Addison likes to chew on anything and everything right now. I would be holding her standing up and all she would want to do is chew on my shoulder and neck. When I passed her off to Jillian she did the same thing to her. Feels really funny! After the Johnsons left to go to a graduation party, we Mercys fished a while longer. I wish we could have gotten a picture cause I think it would have been pretty cute. We were all standing on the dock fishing. Nathan took Addison for me in the baby carrier so I could fish too. We were pulling fish out one after another! That was fun! I even took a fish off my own hook! We also got a bite on plankton on the end of Alex's fishing pole! I was playing around with it casting it out and a fish was really pulling on it and came out of the water with it but let go way before I got it out. It was so shocking and really funny!

We have Alex's 3 yr checkup the end of this week. I'm kind of nervous because I've gotten such a hard time from them before for being underweight. Anyway, I'd appreciate prayer that they won't give me a hard time about him being small and that he's at a healthy weight.

Alex's 3rd bday and Mom's day

It's been a really good mom's day and Alex's bday so far! We got some awesome pics too! Addison woke up around 7:30, which is a little early for her but not bad. I went in and fed her and Nathan said to come back into bed after I was done. I got to sleep a while longer while Nathan got up with the kids and made us breakfast! It's so nice to get treated like that every once in a while. I got to wake up and eat french toast, eggs, and tasty java! Then, we got all showered and dressed so we'd be presentable for pictures. Nathan had me open a card and bag with milka chocolate and some other tasty candy. I've got a major sweet tooth all of a sudden! Then, he sent me on a scavenger hunt for my other present. He put post its all over the house saying go look here and under here until I finally found my robe and shorts he got me. I specifically told him I wanted a robe for mom's day. He knows me pretty well. Usually anything pink works for me! lol! Alex got to open a card from nanna and he's been talking about how he's going to use his dollars to buy toys. He also thought it was a lot of fun to open all of the presents JJHA sent. We've played the memory game a few times and he's starting to catch on. He loves the spongebob book and the shirt with "Lightning" on it. It has Teridactals on it and says I'm so fly. haha! He thinks they're birds like lightning. We hid his trike under a blanket in the corner. It was pretty funny when I asked him to bring me my blanky and he found it underneath. He doesn't quite have the pedalling thing down yet but I'm sure that'll come with time.

Addison has decided all of a sudden that she likes Nathan! I'm loving it! He held her so much yesterday and was perfectly happy. She would even watch him walk around the room and smile at him a bunch. It's really cute and makes it a lot easier on me. I can actually get things done around here. She's been eating applesauce a couple times a day and is starting to get a lot better at it. She's been sleeping through the night and taking a nice nap during the day. I'm thinking about moving her into Alex's room now. I'm having her take her nap in there today and having Alex stay up just to test it out. He doesn't really need a nap anymore and I don't think he sleeps all that much when he's in his room. We'll see if I can handle this though. I'm thinking that by six months Addison will be scooting around the house and sitting up pretty well. She's started to put her arms out on the floor in front of her to balance herself when sitting up. When she's laying on her belly she started to pull her knees up underneath her but she just can't quite figure out how to lift her top part off the ground at the same time. She'll look at a toy and you can tell she's trying to get to it. She'll push her feet against the floor to try to scoot but she's just not there yet. She's gotten a lot easier for me since she's been playing with toys and rolling all around. She's still teething like crazy but the only swolen places on her gums are still her molars. We'll see when those front teeth come through. She's also started sucking her thumb and doesn't use her pacifier that much anymore. We got her a teething pacifier and she choose that thing like crazy. It's just right for her to hold and she goes to town on that thing!

So, I've never been much of a baker. I've never really liked to bake but lately I've been baking a lot! I think my sweet tooth is partly to blame. I've never really been into sweet things. Whenever I crave something it's always burgers or fries or something. Now it's totally chocolate! Especially chocolate mint! Joanne gave me this awesome mint brownie recipe that I love! I've made this white chocolate raspberry cheesecake twice now. It's soooo good and Nathan is a major fan of cheesecakes! When he was single he actually made some. He had a springform pan and everything! Last night I baked my mom's chocolate chip cookies. They are sooo good and the recipe makes a ton. I've changed the recipe slightly as well by accident one day and like it so much that way that that's just how I make it now. I had hardly any vanilla left and had a bunch of almond extract sitting around so I substituted a couple teaspoons with the almond. Nathan and I really like them this way and I'm thinking the next time I make them I'll do almonds instead of walnuts. mmmmm! Oh, one reason I think I'm into sweet stuff lately is because it's always made me break out in the past. Anything and everything sweet that I'd eat would make me break out the very next day. Nathan kept telling me that I'd grow out of it. I think I finally have and I love it! It sucks always having to worry about what you eat!

Oh, I've also been really into eggs lately! Weird huh?! I make them every which way. Boiled, scrambled, omelet, fried on toast, fried with pepperjack cheese. Got the last two ideas from my mom. All of the protein really gives me the energy I need to get throught the day. I love eggs! From my head down to my legs!