here's to my oldest little girl...

...who's no longer a baby. at all. she no longer wants us to sing to her before naps or bed time! yea, wahhhhaaatt? she holds her hand over our mouth & says 'bebe, no no, bebe' as in saying 'that's for babies mama, please, i'm not a baby.' sigh. BUT she does want us to hum! i will hum as long as she lets me.

i'm trying to spend as much fun time with them as possible. which isn't very possible when everyone is sick & grumpy. grrr. even though my head is POUNDING from migraines & stress, it's time for me to let it go & just have fun with my girls.

so in honor of addy's new found level of girl-hood i am posting a timeline of pictures (she also gets her own snacks ready, not keeping it as clean as i would ya know, carries her plate to & from the table, drinks out of a regular cup, wants to do grown-up things like wash dishes & sweep the floor, etc. i could go on & on, but you may get bored). i am just floored how much she has matured this past year. & i'm sure once she's in preschool i will be overcome with her abilities & independence. but it's all good & part of the process of raising kids, eh?

adeline in utero, august 2006. payette (????) river, idaho (gah! did we really live so near a place that beautiful?!)

the proud daddy after adeline was born, sept 2006. he was singing a u2 song to her while she sucked on his finger (adeline hardly slept at all during her first 2 weeks of life...sucking/eating constantly, wow is that hard to remember).
adeline around 2 1/2 weeks old. see: finally sleeping after two weeks.
one of adeline's MANY MANY MANY poop blowouts. i'm sorry for those who find this disgusting, in my mama mind it's funny to think i actually took a picture of something like this & find it humorous still.

baby beauty, august 2007

just 1 of her 1 year photos. she *loves* being upside down.

karate addy. one of my top ten favorite pictures of adeline. it captures her spirit.
september 2007

the last night of breastfeeding. i was for sure more upset about it than she was.
october 2007

um, winter 2008
2nd sled ride & she loved it.

april, 2008
sweetie pie with her first boo-boo on her upper nose & this was taken minutes before the first really bloody boo boo on the concrete steps (yes, it did take that long to get a real boo boo...which is amazing for how daring she is)

april, 2009
becoming my big girl.

i immensely enjoy spending time with adeline. it's shocking to acknowledge that wes & i are responsible for her upbringing...an awing task. she is such a sunny, inspired, independent, & loving kid. although she has her moments of the typical 'mine mine mine' attitude towards other kids (esp amelia!) she is the first to notice when someone else is hurting (emotionally or physically) & i am so proud of that ability for her. i keep finding myself looking forward to learning more about her as she continues to learn more words & interact with us & everyone around her.

when addy was a baby i could not go anywhere without getting stopped several times with someone, even men of all ages, telling me how special & beautiful she is. i was like 'yea i know, why are you talking to me?' but that's just the truth of adeline. she is that & more.

it pains me recently to see how shy she is becoming...fearful of kids her age. i don't know exactly what the reason is behind this new found fear & anxiety (i'm guessing it has something to do with her speech delay & also just her new understanding of social interaction recently). i am trying everything i know of to keep her from going the route of shyness; i know from experience that it's not a good thing most of the time. i am praying that god sends a wonderful friend to her soon, someone she can trust & have grand fun times with.
adeline, i love you more than simple blog words can describe. i hope & pray that we continue to have a loving, honest, interactive!, & fun relationship based on mutual trust.

& now your wee sis is waking up from her short nap (this travesty has been going on all week! lordy lordy, do i need a day that doesn't involve wrestling sick kids to take a nap, esp this week).