When I first imagined staying home with Addison each Friday of the week, I pictured elaborate days filled with learning and trips and shopping. 

I've been back at work for two and a half months and my Friday's aren't quite elaborate.

In fact, their quite ordinary. But wonderfully ordinary.

This morning, Paul let me sleep in while he gave Addison her 6 am bottle. Then she sat with me on our bed and played while I ate breakfast in bed. (What a husband, right?!) We played and watched The Cat in the Hat for awhile in my bed when she started to get ready for a morning nap. I laid her flat and laid down next to her and the next thing we both knew we we're out. We both took a long morning nap and woke up happy and content. She giggled as I changed her diaper and prepared her bottle and as she ate we watched some classic Sesame Street. She has been playing in her room ever since she finished eating while watching me pack her things and my things for the weekend trip to see my parents. 

It's been a wonderful morning.

Plus it's too hot for the zoo. Right?

4th of July

For the fourth of July this year, we went to see Paul's family in Michigan. We loaded missy up in the car and were off for a 15 hour drive. We spent 4-1/2 days with family, eating, sitting on the lake and boating and loved every minute of it.

 Addison's 1st time on a boat.

 Meeting her great-grandma for the first time.

Isabelle and the cousins (Addi & Ava) with Diane.

 Addison with her grandma Diane.

 The living room was practically a toy war zone. Between two toddlers and Addison, it was wrecked.

 Cousins with their great grandma.

 Lake Macatawa. We sat in the backyard overlooking the lake, eating smores and watching fireworks that people were setting off from their docks.

Paul and I ended our trip in St. Louis on the 4th of July. We watched the largest and loudest fireworks we had ever seen from our hotel room, sipping on some leftover Coke Zero cans from the trip while Addison slept soundly on the king sized bed. Quite possibly the best 4th of July ever.

a typical conversation with my mother

Last night I spent half an hour on the phone with my mom:

Mom:    So I took this woman shopping for an outfit to wear at her daughter's wedding. She wanted to go to the Sonshine House to find something (a free clothing place sponsered by the local churches) but that would be a lot of work to find her something so I told her I'd take her to the thrift store and get her an outfit. So I took her to the thrift store and got her a couple of outfits and got myself some outfits.

Me:       Mommmm....

Mom:    I know! But I found this really cute dress. It was so cute I wore it back to the office. I literally bought it, changed in the dressing room and went back to work. Nancy laughed and said, "Seriously, Connie!? It is really cute though."

Me:      Well I don't blame her. You took another woman shopping at a thrift store and then came back in a different outfit.

Mom:   Well later John came in the room and sort of looked surprised and said, "You weren't wearing that this morning were you?!" Which is funny because the dress isn't really normal for me. You know it's tie-dyed and all.

Me:       I'm sorry, did you say tie-dyed?'

Mom:    Yea, and it's a short (did my mom buy a tie-dyed romper?!)...a mini-skirt (please tell me you did not just say mini-skirt), well it's not a mini-skirt, it's just a shorter dress. Like to my knees (oh heavens mom, a dress to your knees is not a mini anything). AND, it's belted!

Me:       This just keeps getting worse.

Mom:    No! It's way cute! I'll send you a picture.

Me:       Well you probably should. The image I have in my head does not sound cute.

Mom:    And what's better is it matches my suede purple heels that I got at the St. Paul Thrift Store.

Me:       Stop.

This is what I was invisioning and please tell me you would not tell your mother to stop talking too if this is what you thought she bought at a thrift store to wear to work and church. Turns out, she did send me a photo, and the dress looks nothing like this. Thank heavens. It's more of a tribal print dress, not tie-dyed. Again, thank heavens.