Summer Projects!

As most of you know we have been doing a lot of yard work since we have moved into our new home. For awhile we were forced to put it on pause while Chad was out, but now that he is home we have been working on it over the past couple of weeks (well lets be honest, Chad has been doing most of the work). We have seen a huge improvement over the past few months. The One thing we have been looking forward to since moving in has been getting a fence put up around the backyard. It has been the one thing we have really wanted to put into our home. After putting much hard work and labor into cutting down trees and removing the debris we were finally ready to get our fence. On Thursday the fence process started and after much anticipation our fence was officially put up and finished on Friday Afternoon! They finished right as Chad was pulling up in the driveway and we couldn't wait to take Addison and the dogs out in our "New" yard. Here are a few before and after pictures of our yard.

Here is what our yard looked like when we moved in. You were unable to even see the house behind us.

As you can tell Chad had a lot of work on his hands, but he was ready to take it on. After much hard work it soon became this:

Again, that is minus the huge pile of tree branches we had taking up half of our yard for 3 months while Chad was gone. Its amazing how much bigger our yard seemed without it! This is our new FENCED in Yard!

I can honestly say I never thought I would be so excited about something so silly as a fence, but we are truly happy and excited to show it off. The yard still needs some work, half of the yard is still tree trunks and dirt, but we are going to put that off for awhile. We also have a huge corner of the house where we plan to hopefully someday plant a garden! Im not sure if that will happen this summer since we have a late start on it, but hopefully next Spring we will have something going. We spent a lot of time in the yard this weekend. Its something we all enjoy, Addison loves it but the dogs enjoy it even more! They are so excited to venture out on their own (and I must say it is VERY nice to just throw them out in the yard for awhile. I am excited about not having to take them out in my PJ's anymore!). Here are a few pictures of our "Yard Fun"

Maddie is excited to be running FREE!
An exhausting day for Cooper!

Addison having Too Much Fun! :)

At the end of the day we are thoroughly enjoying our new yard. Its been a lot of hard work, but it is nice to be able to play ball with the dogs, throw a frisbee, and take Addison out there and let her run around. The next project I plan on tackling is painting! I cant wait to get some paint on these walls! Stay Tuned!

Celebrating our First Fathers Day

Today was a big day for our family. Not only was it our first Fathers Day, but today was the day that Addison was being dedicated in church! For the past few months we have been attending Kingsland Baptist Church that is located just a few minutes away. We all seem to really enjoy it. Dedicating Addison was something that was important to Chad and I, and I was so glad when the oppurtunity approached us. It was very exciting for Addison. Not only did she get to go up on stage, but she got to sit through "Big Girl" church with us. We were surprised at how well she did throughout the sermon. The best part was everytime we would sing, Addison would kick her legs and rock back and forth like she was trying to dance! I must admit it was pretty funny, she definately gets her dance moves from her Daddy! But she was such a good girl and it made me even more proud of her. Here are a few pictures from Today:

The Snell Family

Addison:
Addison and Her New Bible she recieved:

The rest of the day was pretty groggy and rainy, but we made the best of it. We got some lunch and then I cooked Chad his new favorite meal of mine, Homemade Orange Chicken! I had made it earlier in the week and it was such a success Chad requested it again. Since it was Fathers Day I made it once again :) As most of you may know, we will soon be in Clermont to celebrate Addisons Birthday! We will be coming home around June 29th and staying until after the 4th of July. We have decided to take Addison out to breakfast at Disney to meet Mickey for the first time. I am so excited to take her. We cant wait to share this special day of ours with our family and Friends. Not only will we be celebrating her 1st Birthday, but also Chad and I surving our first year of parenthood and still coming out with most of our sanity. It has been one heck of a year, and I wouldnt of changed a thing!

Happy First Fathers Day Chad! We Love you!

11 Months Old!

Wow! Where does the time go? I woke up this morning and It hit me that in 1 month our little girl will be 1! She has grown so much in that time. Its funny to think that when we brought her home from the hospital she couldnt do much of anything. She basically would eat, sleep, and yes poop. Now she laughs, giggles, walks, talks and does things you wouldnt even think could ever be exciting until you have a little one. Her latest thing is pointing. Any time she see's Mommy or Daddy she points at us and smiles. Everytime Chad pulls up in the drive way she points at him the whole time until he comes and picks her up. She also does a fish face. I can make a fish face and once she see's me doing it, she will walk around the house smacking her own lips together and making her own fish face! Its Hilarious! Although I cant take too much credit for it because she started doing the fish face on her own.

Now that Chad is home we are trying to find a church that we like. On Sunday we decided to go to a Baptist Church right down the road. We were debating between taking Addison with us during the service or leaving her in the nursury. Addison isnt one for sitting still too long so we decided to put her in the nursury. Anyone can tell you this is a big step for me. I hate leaving her period, especially with strangers where I know she isnt too comfortable. I swear I have anxiety when I leave her in a situation like that. So we dropped her off and when I left I could hear her crying. It absolutely broke my heart. The whole church service I couldnt get my mind off her. I was wondering if she was screaming and crying the whole time. By the time the service was over I told Chad I was more than ready to pick up my baby. I practically ran to the nursury, Chad has never seen me walk so quickly. Once we got in there, I immediately saw my little girl and she saw me just as quickly. She got a HUGE grin on her face, pointed to me and started kicking her legs! It was the greatest feeling ever to see her so excited to see me. I went over and picked her up and gave her a big ole' hug! The lady said she was a sweetheart and that she was such a snuggler (are we talking about the same child?!). The rest of the day she was in a Great mood. Chad had to leave to go to work around 2pm, so after he left I put her down for a nap and she took a good long nap. I think the day wore her out. But I was so proud of her. It almost made it worth leaving her for alittle while to walk in there and see that happy face. Its just one more reason why I love her so much.

Here is her latest picture. Mommy gave her a rare treat...Whip Cream!

Home Sweet Home!

As most of you may already know, Chad is home! We are all so excited to have him home and he is just as excited to be back. Addison was so excited to see her Daddy and we couldnt wait to show him all the new things she had learned while he was away. He was so surprised at how well she is walking already. She still crawls, but for the most part she is up on her feet and walking! She went from taking about 4 or 5 baby steps, to completely walking across the house. She is such a fast learner, and we are both so proud of her.

Chad actually had to work all day today and he wont get home until sometime tomorrow Morning. However once he returns Sunday morning he will have off the rest of the day and Monday! So we are excited to get to spend a few days with him before he returns to work for the week. Im not quite sure what we are going to do just yet, but Im sure we will find something. We are just so glad to have him home and he should be home for the next 6 months or so. He loves spending time with Addison every chance he gets. He called me tonight from work after I put Addison down for bed. He commented on how he hopes he gets home early enough in the morning to be there when Addison wakes up. We have a little ritual that we do every single morning. After Addison gets up, I (or now should I say we) pick her up and bring her into our room and have "cuddle time" every morning before we start the day. Sometimes she will fall back asleep, and other times she just lays there and will love on us. It allows us (and by us I mostly mean me) to wake up before we start the day. Its one of my favorite times of the day with Addison (and there are days where bedtime is a very close 2nd!) and I know Chad missed that. But he is back so we can now get back to being Our Family. It has been a loong 3 months and we are all glad it is over. Although I must say that it really brought Chad and I closer together. I think we both realized that we often take each other and the time spent with each other for granted. It allowed us to grow as a couple and also as a family. It was our first seperation and we made it out alive like I knew we would. But I love him more because of it. Life is Great!

With Every Step she takes...

Addison is officially walking! Okay, its not very well and pretty wobbley at times, but it is walking none the less. She can pull herself up and take a good 4-5 steps on her own. Her face is absolutely priceless, she thinks she is such a Big Girl now. As excited as I am that Addison has reached a new milestone, I cant help but realize that she is growing up too quickly. I also wasnt prepared for her to begin walking any time soon. Most babies usually dont begin to take their first steps until closer to a year, but not Addison. She decided to take her first steps a few days shy of turning 10 Months. Before I know it she will be running all over the place, guess I better pull my running shoes out of the closet! I will soon be needing them to chase after her!

On Another good note, Chad should be returning home sometime late this week! Addison and I have been anticipating his arrival for what seems like forever. Over the past 3 Month period, I have calculated that I have only seen Chad for 11 days total. Once he returns he will be home for atleast 6 Months. These past few months have been hard on us all. Addison and I both miss Chad tremendously. I know it has been even harder for Chad to be the one who is away. I cant even imagine how hard it must be for him to leave Addison. He commented to me last time he was home saying how much Addison had changed in the past month. He said she had grown so much during his time away. I know he will be excited to see Addison take some of her first steps. We cant wait to have him home with us so we can get back to our somewhat normal family routine. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers for a safe trip home. We will keep everyone informed when he arrives! We Cant Wait! :)

"Addy"-tude!

"Addy"-tude will be my section designated to our one and only Addison. Please excuse my dry humor, but I think it is pretty funny :) Here I will fill you in on our growing daughter and new things that are going on with her.

Friday morning Addison woke up with a low temperature. She has Never been sick before, but like any Mom I took every precaution to make sure that she was okay. Addison got her first tooth about 2 weeks ago and her second one is now coming in....therefore giving her a nice little cold. She was a trooper, but it certainly made for a cranky few days. After taking Addison to the Doctors office to get her checked out, she immediately came home and passed out. I put her on our bed since I decided I was going to lay down with her as it had been an early morning for us. I stepped away for a quick moment and when I returned this is what I found....

Yes! That is right, that is our dog Maddie *Cuddling* with Addison! You may be thinking "So What?" Well, anyone who knows Maddie Knows that she will not go within a 10 foot radius of Addison. Maddie avoids Addison at any and all costs. If I put Addison on the couch, Maddie jumps down, if she starts crawling to her, Maddie runs. Maddie has never been too keen on our latest addition, so you can imagine my surprise when I walked in and found her laying with her head on her. I Knew it was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity so I ran to get my Camera. Chad would have never believed me otherwise. It lasted only a few short minutes and then it changed to this...

Yes, this is Cooper. Our lovable little snuggle boy. Cooper and Maddie are complete opposites in every aspect. Cooper loves Addison. Often times you will notice Cooper in the background of every picture of Addison I take. Somewhere there is a tail, nose or paw hiding in there. He cant get enough of her! Lucky for us, he tolerates the ear and tail pulling. In his spare time he is often found licking her face or hands. Maybe because it seems she always has food on them. None the less, it is gross and I am trying to break him of that habit.

On a Good note, Addison is feeling much better today! Her tooth has finally broken through the gum so she now has 2 teeth! Okay they really only combine to about a 1/4 of a tooth, but it is still exciting. I cant wait for Chad to come home and see how big his little girl has gotten. Addison will be so happy to see him. We Cant Wait to Have him Home! :)

My First Blog!

Most of you should know me, but let me give you a bit of an introduction. My name is Ali, I am 22 and I currently live in Georgia. I have the best job in the world as a Stay at Home Mom. I have been happily married to my wonderul husband Chad, also 22, for almost 3 years now. He is my Rock and my Best Friend. He knows how to make me laugh when I need it the most.He is in the Navy, so at times you may realize he will be gone due to his work schedule.

In July 07' we welcomed the greatest blessing God could have given us, and that is our daughter Addison. She is a beautiful, loving, free spirited, goofy, vivacious little girl. Most would agree that she has a smile that is contagious. Who knew something so small could have such a dramatic impact on your life. I never knew uncondtional love until I met her.She is my life and my reason for living.

So now that brings me to my blog. I will admit I am not much of a "blogger" or as a matter of fact even internet savvy. I honestly didnt even know what a blog was until very recently. Why am I doing it you ask? The reason for my blog is so that friends and family both near and far are able to know what is going on in our Family on a weekly basis. Although we are only a few hours from home, I still find it hard to inform everyone on what is going on with Chad, Myself and Addison. It seems as though Addison is learning something new everyday and I am just now realizing how fast she has grown. Since Chad has been gone I often find myself writing to him about every little milestone Addison has reached. From standing and feeding herself, to new foods she is trying. I figured that by starting a Blog, I can share all of that with our friends and family as well. We want to remain connected with each and everyone of you and allow you to be a part of our family in your own way. I regret not doing it earlier. I hope to share with you our journey together, show the love I have for my family, our ups and downs, our good days, and our bad days. At times you might even find a bit of humor. However I will go ahead and inform you I am not the best writer. My writing chops are a bit rusty so please be patient with me.

I thank you all for visiting our Family Blog and I hope that each and everyone of you will be back to watch us grow and allow us to share our journey with you...