Race for the Cure and a few other things!

We have been having a lot of fun with Addie Blaire the past few weeks and here are just a few pictures that I had to post....

Addie Blaire is loving her dance class!! She really gets excited each week to go, partly because they get a treat after every class. (She even glances over at the table where the candy is frequently during each class just waiting to get her hands on it!) I finally found some dance clothes to fit her, so I had to take a few pictures in her ballet clothes.

She is even improving in her dancing skills, she is trying so hard to keep up with all the big kids in the class. She dances around the house on her tiptoes with her hands on her shoulders just like in class. She even says "doors, windows, roof and the arms come down" just like her teacher does in class when learning her arm positions. I love going to watch her each week, it is the highlight of my day because I can't stop smiling watching those all those sweet little girls.

She sure loves to put on a show for me too because she knows I am watching her through the windows, so she hams it up a little extra sometimes.

I am thinking she is looking a little proud of herself in this picture, like "yeah mom, I know your taking pictures so check out this move!:)


We spent last weekend with my sister in Little Rock on Friday night and Aunt Brandee watched Addie Blaire on Saturday night so Mitch and I could go to a shower. We even got to do a little shopping after the race. We got pretty creative, since Addie needed a nap the 3 of us took turns shopping together while one sat in the car with her sleeping. It worked pretty well and we all found some great bargains or at least that is what Mitch thinks!!

This is a picture of the Fowler girls after the race. It was a early morning because we walked with the Ace Glass group (thanks to Lindsey for the really cute shirts!) and we had breakfast with the group before the race and then jumped in line a little late on the walk . I love doing this each year because breast cancer runs in my family and I can think of no better way to celebrate being a woman and walking for all those that have battled this terrible disease. This was Addie Blaire's first race and she loved all the excitement, the firetrucks, the bands, the cheerleaders, and even all the motorcycles, but what she didn't love was her stroller!! So I definitely got more of a workout than I signed up for because I carried her for a majority of the race! She had fun though so that is all that matters.

This is a picture of the Fowler Girls or as Addie says these days "the family." She is very interested in who is in her family. She hugs on Mitch and I at the same time saying we are a family, wanting Mitch to kiss me and then she kisses him and so on. It is a daily ritual around our house, so on Friday night at dinner when Aunt T informed her as she was telling them that me, and mommy and daddy were a family, that she too was part of Addie Blaire's family it really got her to thinking. So now she has to go though the whole family when we talk about it. For instance, in the car on the way home the other day she started to ask me about who was "Ellie's mommy's name and went through all the kids she knows asking their mom and dad's names. She was so interested to learn about how the kids were related, and how the whole brother and sister thing worked out having to share a mom and dad. It was really a very enlightening conversation for her I think. So thanks Aunt T for opening her eyes to a whole new world. Thanks to Aunt Bran for watching her she has stopped talking about eating pizza with "mas!"

We brought plenty of snacks for the race, which also worked to entice her back into the stroller at times!

The weekend before we had a Razorback watch party at the Maneth's and I couldn't resist getting a picture of all the kids in there razorback gear. This is most of them or at least the ones we could plea with to sit long enough for us to take a picture.

Three future cheerleaders - Addie Blaire, Ellie, and Lilly!

Hope Fair!

We went to the fair last week with some other kids and it was a lot of fun because there were very few people there that night so we practically had the place to ourselves. I didn't know how Addie Blaire would react to some of the rides this year becasue last year she wasn't able to ride that much. Well, she loved it, and she did every ride that she could possibly get on. It was so much fun, I wish the fair came to town more often!

Addie Blaire, Griffin, Olivia, Payton and Brady.

Trying out the caroseul, she said "faster mommy." After the roller coaster, the caroseul just couldn't compare.

The slide, which was a little steaper than I realized! I think I screamed louder than she did!

We put the kids on this one together because the guy said it was okay, but then it started going up in the air and we had our 2 yr olds in there by themselves. Needless to say, I was not too happy with that guy, but the kids had a blast!

The little cars that these two guys rode last year. It is crazy what a difference a year makes because this year they each wanted tod rive their own.

She went for a spin with two other drivers, Olivia and Payton.

Her prize after a good ole game of picking the duckies in the water.

Flying high in the elephant.

Addie Blaire was so afraid of all the animals when we first arrived there, but after seeing Griffin in the cage with a goat she got brave and even tried to pet it.

I am including a few pictures from Janice's birthday party that the kids had for her. Janice know to these two as "Nona" had a birthday and so on the way that morning addie Blaire was telling me in the car all the things we needed for her party. ADdie Blaire loves birthday parties, so much so that she talks about them all the time. She told me we needed balloons, party hats, cake, and blowers. I tried to get all the stuff while Angie got the present. The kids had a great time and I think Janice was really surprised.

Watching them try to blow these things was pretty funny.

She loves these hats, I brought them home and at least once a day she walks around the house with one on.

"Nona" happy birthday!

Kids say the Funniest Things!

I had to include this post that tells about some of the funny things that Addie Blaire has been saying lately, or else I might forget!

*The other night at my parents, my mom had bought her a tricycle at walmart that day. Addie Blaire had helped to pick it out in the store so she had seen what it looked like. Well that night when "Pop" was getting it out of the box, Addie started yelling "Pop, pop Nana bought me a broke tricycle!" My mom said it was so funny because she knew what the one in the store looked like and that was not it! So Pop told her he thought he could fix it and she preceded to help him "fix it."
* We were getting ready to leave the house the other morning and she loves chocolate milk in the mornings so I had already made her some and I just refilled it with regular milk as we were heading out. Well, she took a sip and looked at me and said "mommy that is not chocolate milk and I'm mad!" I thought it was really funny that she knew what emotion she was feeling and how to show it because she was shaking that bottle at me and pointing that finger at the same time.
*She and the woman that cleans our house were talking the other day and she knows a lot of Spanish, well as we were walking out the door she looked back and said "bye Veronica, Adios amigo's." I thought it was funny because she remembered to speak to her in Spanish.
*Mitch and I mess with her all the time and ask her who her best friend is? Well usually she will say mommy, but if Mitch pretends to get his feeling hurt than she will say daddy or vice versa. So the other day we asked her and before she had a chance to think about it she simply said "my best friend is mommy and daddy" She catches on to things so quickly. I wish I could write all the things she says everyday, because it is what makes each day with her so new and special!

Dallas Game!

Mitch and I went to the Dallas game last weekend and had a blast! The weekend getaway was great and the game/stadium was really an experience. My parents keep Addie Blaire and she had a great time with them. Her "g" even came and visited on Saturday and the grandparent took her to a pumpkin patch in Arkadelphia, where she got to pick out her own pumpkins and even ride a pony!! I am told that she was standing there crying in line for the pony and my mom says that everyone around thought that she was forcing the poor child on to the pony, but in reality she was just mad that she couldn't get on it right away!! She is really not scared of much these days, which can be a good and bad thing at times!!

As for the weekend, Mitch and I got to hang out with my cousin Collin and his girlfriend Maggie, and Mitch's friend Mark kuonen on Friday night. We had a really good time and got to eat some great food. We even crashed one of Jerry Jone's parties (not really on purpose though.) On Saturday we spent the day with a few other couples having lunch (without kids, which was a first in a long while) and shopping before some tailgating at the stadium. The stadium for those who have not gotten the chance to see is so awesome. It is so big and the tv screen is so clear, I was really amazed by it. The game also wasn't bad to watch since we beat the Aggies! Here are a few pictures from the stadium...

Mitch and Jill being silly at the Cowboy store.

I think it is even clear enough to see in this picture how it was almost too easy to watch the game on the television rather than the field. I guess that is unless you were one of the lucky ones to sit in the $300 plus seats, which by the way we were not!

It was a very wet walk back to the car after the game, but all worth it!

Football Season is Here, Go Hogs Go!

We went up for the Georgia game in Fayetteville a couple of weeks ago with Addie Blaire I must say it was a lot of fun, a little hectic, and very tiresome but totally worth it! We went on Friday night to eat with the Kestner's at their cool new resturant, Mellow Mushroom. Actually, it has been arond awhile but we missed their grand opening and this was our first time to try it out. It was great pizza and Addie Blaire loved the fun decor and live music. They even brought their new baby to eat with us and he is too cute! I think it will have to be a stop for us each time we are in town! We stayed with Justin and Lauri, who are always so great with Addie Blaire. Here are a few pictures from the weekend...

Justin and Addie passing some time while waiting for the pizza.


Posing with the "mellow mushroom".

Okay, so I have to explain this picture.. We went to tailgate before the game with some friends and so Addie Blaire was having so much fun we decided to walk over to the area where the players come though to check it out. The Razorback was there and (last year when we took her to a game she loved him) so I decided to get Lauri to take a picture of Addie giving the razorback a high five. Well she has apparently decided since then that he is a little scary, so she started screaming and crying and grabbed my neck and wouldn't let go. This picture was just too funny because it was a total disaster, razorback not knowing what to do, addie crying and me laughing at the whole akward situation! She now will tell you that "the razorback gave me a high five and I cried." Oh well, maybe next year!

Watching the team come by, she loved the cheerleaders. It was at this point that it finally clicked for her what she was wearing, and that is when she decided that she needed some pom poms.

Dinner befor the game.

She has been practicing calling the Hogs for months now, so it was so cute to see her really do it with the crowd. She didn't know what to think when everyone around her was doing it. I think up until then she believed she was the only one who was supposed to do it, or at least that is how it goes at our house. She really got into it though!

It makes me smile just to look at this picture because it shows how much fun she was having at that point in time. So for all the grandparents this is the video that I didn't take, but you still get the idea of just how much she loved it!

She really liked the fireworks after each touchdown, so it is a good thing we left before the 3rd quarter because there wasn't much to be fired up about after that!

Doing her best "wooooo...."

A time out for some dippin dots, a great way to pass the end of the 1st quarter...

and a trip to buy some pom poms, a great way to pass the first of the 2nd quarter....

then back in the stands for the end of 2nd quarter, as you can tell we didn't sit too long in the stands, hard to keep a 2 year old stationary for very long!

giving it one last call before half time, but now with cool pom poms!

This is when she woke back up at the house after the game in her comfy tshirt (with dippin dots stain) and diaper. I must say it was just as tough on us though and quite relaxing to watch the end from the Lester's. (by the way she is actually saying cheese for the camera, it was a first for her to acutally look at me and let me take her picture, so proud!)

These pictures are from the Gentry's house last weekend. We went to see them for the weekend after I got back from a meeting in Dallas last week. We watched the Alabama game with them and the kids had fun having there own game party with Cheetos! Griffin even stopped by with Ronnie to hang out with Addie Blaire and Collins.

Addie's face in this picture reminds me of her dad's when he was watching the game also. It was quite a grim face after that loss!

Hanging out with Collins.

I am posting this picture because this is one reminder to myself of a bad mistake in parenting that I made recently. I taught Addie Blaire how "to scratch". I thought it was so nice of me telling her how to help herself when something was itching because I kept catching her rubbing her mosquito bites up against my shirt or something to scratch, it made me feel so sorry for her. I simply showed her with her fingers how to do the same thing on her own. Well now, she scratches her bites all the time. She even wakes up in the middle of the night calling for "mommy to scratch it!" It is pretty funny, but probably not the best habit to get her into doing because these poor bites will not go away now.