Updates All Around

It has been a long time since we posted and we apologize...life just seems to get in the way! We hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and spending time with family and friends. In an attempt to save time here is an update on each of the Thomas family members:

Addy is: loving life as always. She is 100% into the holidays this year. She was thrilled to spend time with her favorite two boys over Thanksgiving. Ethan, Henry and Addy were quite the trio! Addy is still loving school and has been enrolled in a music class...can't wait to see their Holiday Concert on Wednesday! I could spend two hours updating on Addy but she is happy, loving and growing and that is all that matters!

Jim is: working and trying to relax. Jim's company is growing at a rapid pace and that means many long nights and weekends for Jim. He does a great job balancing work and family and always puts family first. Proud to have such a hard working hubby and loving daddy.

Kelly is: pregnant...enough said. I am over half way through this pregnancy and doing as well as possible. People warned me that it would be different than with the first b/c the tiredness never goes away...they were right, I am ALWAYS tired. Evenings and weekends are spent getting ready for the Holidays. Almost two weeks off at the end of the month will be well deserved.

Peyton James is: growing and kicking his mom. Yep- it was confirmed that the little one cooking inside is indeed a baby boy. No doubts about the name...100% agree on Peyton James. We are very excited for his arrival in mid-April but we have lots of work to do to prepare for his arrival!

Snoopy is: working on devouring a 3 foot candy cane (rawhide of course). As always, she is living the good life and not really knowing how good she has it! 

All in all- we are a happy and healthy family and that is all that we can ask for. We hope you all enjoy the holiday season and take time to enjoy each moment and memory. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy...maybe I will have time to post more during break!

Henry wasn't so thrilled with Santa but Addy and Ethan were ok with the big guy!

Most of the Hunt Great-Grandkids with Great Nanny and Pappy

Addy and "Turkey" at the Little Gobbler race on Thanksgiving

Big News

I'm Going To Be A Big Sister!!!



     Yes, that's right, the Thomas family is growing. Baby Thomas will be joining our family in Mid-April. Addy is so excited to be a big sister and loves talking to and giving kisses to the baby. She was no so excited when we told her that she was going to have a baby brother! Yep, that's right...we had some testing done already and all signs point to a baby boy joining our family in April. Of course, it was early and they wouldn't confirm that it was a boy but the ultrasound was pretty convincing! 

      Addy is warming up to the idea and is more and more interested in a brother because he will have his own toys and not bother her babies! This pregnancy has been totally different than with Addy. I can't say that it has been easier/harder but it is just different! Hopefully things will continue to progress well and we continue to stay healthy!

All In A Day's Time

      Every day we are amazed by Addy's accomplishments. It seems like we pick her up from school everyday and she has a new skill or something to share with us. Today was one of those days that I was in awe at what she knows and understands. Some days she seems like a typical three year old and other days she seems wise beyond her years. Here is a glimpse of our conversation on the way home today:
Addy: "Mom, can we call dad? You have to push 703-X5X-1X4X." (the x's were actually numbers)
Me: "Whose number is that?"
Addy: "That's our phone number."
Me: "Wow that's right! Do you know where we live?"
Addy: "2XXX3 Coach XXXX Sxxxxxx Ashburn, Virgina"
Me: "You are right again! That's great!"

    You see, I teach fourth grade, children that are at least 6 years Addy's senior. At the beginning of the year we study Virginia Geography and they are asked to write their address. Well...more than half of my students did not know their address! Is it me, or is it not important to teach your child(ren) their phone number and address? GEEZ!!!
      Addy also loves all things numbers and math. She loves to count things and "put together and take away" but her favorite "math" is geometry. The child LOVES shapes. One night a couple of weeks ago we were sitting in the family room and I heard Addy reciting "octagon, pentagon, hexagon, triangle, circle, square, rectangle". She was playing with some flash cards that I picked up out of the dollar section to help her with colors, having no idea that she was so into shapes. I knew that Addy was able to identify her basic shapes but the "advanced" shapes threw me for a loop. No way does she know these shapes. We sure enough when I asked her to identify a hexagon she counted the sides and she was right! I don't think that I knew these shapes until MUCH later.
       Being a teacher, I of course take education and learning seriously. I am so excited that Addy is so eager to learn and understand how/why things work. I can only hope that this continues in the future!

A month already?

     Has it really been a month since we updated? Things have been busy in the Thomas house. Addy went back to pre-school full time in the 3-4 program and is LOVING it and learning more each day. I went back to work for yet another rousing year of teaching America's youth and Jim has been slaving away at work. Needless to say our evenings are spent preparing dinner, eating dinner, cleaning up dinner, taking baths and preparing for the next day. Add in to that laundry and trying to keep the house clean and we have almost zero down time!
    August brought big changes to our Northern VA Family as we said goodbye to Aunt Jess. Addy had a hard time understanding that Aunt Jess was going to college. There were lots of tears on the morning that she left but Addy was super excited to see her on Skype a few days later. We miss Aunt Jess lots but we are having fun gathering things to send her in care packages.  Addy has been filling the silence at the Sleep house with lots of visits and sleepovers!
      I don't anything else fantastic to report about...lots of business means not a lot of fun for us! I have managed to capture a few pictures this month of the few things that we have done! Hopefully we will have more updates this month as things settle down!

Back to School Flowers from Daddy

Ready for a Sleepover with Mamaw and Papa

Happy Birthday Aunt Jess

Hanging with two of her favorite guys!

Winnie the Pool

Yep...I said it right, "Winnie the Pool." That is of course, according to Addy. Jim took Addy to see the movie the other night so I could finish up putting our upstairs back together after the whirlwind painting/switching rooms that has gone on in the last week @ the Thomas house. Addy didn't love the movie as much as she loved the Slurpee and GIANT popcorn that she had. Jim said she was very well behaved and even asked politely if she could stand up and dance. She was so excited to share her leftover popcorn when she got home and tell me all about the previews for the other movies that she wants to see. She was so excited to tell me that there is a movie coming out about a Dolphin that is hurt. She LOVES animals and helping them...too bad they make me an emotional wreck! Good thing Mamaw Katie wants to see that movie, too!

Vacation at Mamaw and Papa's

Addy and I have finally returned from our month-long Tennessee vacation at Mamaw and Papa Hunt's house. We had a great time but we sure did miss Daddy! Some of the highlights of our trip (other than 4th of July with family) were: a visit from the Ulrich Family, a trip to The Lost Sea, Papa teaching Addy how to play baseball, a trip to Costco (HAHA), playing with JB and Mallory, nightly visits by the resident deer of the neighborhood, Addy learning how to swim without floaties or help, and of course Daddy and Aunt Jess coming to pick us up! I am sure that I am missing a whole lot of stuff but those are just some of the highlights. We also did a lot of work in Mamaw and Papa's new house! Addy of course was spoiled rotten and has been giving us a run for our money since coming home! Here are a couple of pictures of our trip ENJOY!

Concentration

On our way down to the Lost Sea

Pool Time with Sammy

Splash Pad fun with JB

Just like Mommy

4th of July

WOW...it's hard to believe that the 4th of July has come and gone already. We hope that everyone had a great 4th with lots of fun, family and friends. We spent the 4th in Tennessee at Mamaw and Papa Hunt's new house! It is AMAZING! There are still lots of workers around and things to be done but Mom and Dad have done an awesome job making this house into a home. The pool was done on Friday afternoon...just in time for the weekend! Here are some pictures from the weekend...there are way too many that I would like to share but here are some of my favorites...ENJOY

Addy and Ethan are best buds!

Mamaw and Papa with the Grandkids

Addy was so sad that Ethan had to go home

LOVE this kid!

"Because I Love Him, Daddy"

     Everyone has celebrity crushes, right? Growing up I can remember having crushes on various celebrities like Luke Perry and Donny Wahlberg. I don't really remember to what extreme I was obsessed with these boys but I do remember that it was around the age of 12 or so.
      So yesterday Addy was NOT going to take a nap...I realized this and gave up. I told her that I didn't care if she didn't sleep but she had to go to her room and take a rest. Not long after being sent into her room I heard her begin to have a monologue between herself and several of her classmates. I heard the typical phrases like; "No thank you, Bella." "Greyson please get down." and so on. I thought nothing of this until I started hearing phrases like; "Hi Justin, how are you today?" "I told you Justin, you need to just calm down and relax." You see, the problem is that Addy does not have anyone in her class nor any friends by the name of Justin. So when Jim came upstairs and asked her who she was talking to this is the conversation that followed:
Dad: "Addy, who is Justin?"
Addy: "Justin Bieber"
Dad: "Who is Justin Bieber?"
Addy: "He is my boyfriend."
Dad: "You are too young to have a boyfriend, Addy."
Addy: "No I'm not!"
Dad: "Yes you are, Justin Bieber is not your boyfriend."
Addy: Hysterically starts crying and insisting that Justin Bieber is her boyfriend.
Dad: "Why is he your boyfriend?"
Addy: "Because I love him."
Dad:  Rolls his eyes and declares that our child is trouble!

I don't think that I have ever laughed so hard. A stranger would have sworn that this conversation was between a 13 year old and  her dad, not a 3 year old and her dad! Needless to say, Addy has her first celebrity crush...Justin Bieber. After all, she does know EVERY word to Baby Baby. She even has a dance that she made up for the song! Oy Vey....I think that I am getting grey hair already!

Just a Saturday Morning on the Farm

We are very fortunate to live in an area with so much within a short car ride. One of our favorite things to do on the weekends is visit a local "farm". Addy LOVES to to see all of the animals up close. Her favorite part is going to the indoor equestrian ring and watch the horse shows. Last weekend while Jim played golf Addy and I headed to the farm. It was a warm morning but not too hot. It wasn't long before Addy said, "Mommy, I am ready to go now...the animals stink like a diaper!" I laughed so hard but I couldn't have agreed with her more. Let's just say that our trip to the farm only lasted about 30 minutes before we headed to the mall!

Hotlanta For Sure

    WOW! It's almost June 1st! Where did May go? I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and that you were able to beat the heat (assuming that it was hot where you are)! Jim and I were lucky enough to sneak away for the long weekend. We hopped a flight Saturday morning to Atlanta to take in the Reds vs. Braves series. We had a great time doing a whole lot of nothing! The only "touristy" things that we did were visiting the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium. The World of Coke was awesome...we got to try Coke products from around the world AND enjoy some VERY cold Diet Coke on a VERY hot day! The Georgia Aquarium was AMAZING...well what we were able to see through the massive amounts of people was amazing. We only stayed for about an hour because there were just too many people. The highlight of the aquarium were the Whale Sharks. If you haven't seen one, look it up. They are so huge that they almost seemed fake. The highlight of the whole trip was definitely the two very hot baseball games. The Reds lost both games but both games were hard fought. All in all, we had a great time and it was good to get away for a few days of no responsibilities!
      You are probably wondering what Addy did while we went to Hotlanta? Addy spent two glorious days at Mamaw Katie and Papa Jon's! How lucky is she!! They did all kinds of fun things like going with Aunt Jess to watch Mamaw, Papa and Aunt Jenny do a lake swim, playing with the kitties, playing with Aunt Jess and being spoiled to pieces! We truly are lucky to have family so close and willing to watch Addy so we can have some time to ourselves!

Cheering on Mamaw, Papa and Aunt Jenny

Jim Thinks I'm Bad...

Jim is always telling me that my car is a mess. Ever since getting my new truck I have been very good about keeping it ultra clean. After seeing this truck I am even more aware of keeping junk out of my car. My mom and I were out and about the other day when we came across this...the entire thing was PACKED with junk. I can't help but laugh at the little monkey in the middle. When I say the whole thing was packed I really do mean the WHOLE thing...cab, back of the cab and the entire bed. The only spot that wasn't full of junk was a very small area in which the driver sat. I think I may have stumbled upon the newest reality show. The only question that I pulled away wondering was, "I wonder what that car smells like?" EWWWW

A New Favorite

This is one of my new favorite pictures! It has been super rainy here this week so we haven't had much time to play outside. Addy went to Pennsylvania today with Mamaw Carol and Papa Larry. They had a great visit with Pap-Pap & Great Grammy Doris and with Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Fred! Can't wait until we can go up this summer for some fun times!

3 Years Old

    It is hard to believe that 3 years ago Addy joined our family! It really does seem like yesterday! The last three years have been such an adventure. At three years old Addy is quite the little lady. While we don't have any "official" data from the doctor (check-up in June) we do have lots of statistics on our little lady! Addy LOVES to talk. She is always talking: on the phone, to her friends, to her family, to her baby dolls, and to pretty much anyone that will listen. She loves her baby dolls...I am beginning to think that she really does think that they are real. She also will do just about anything to be able to play outside. Her best friend is Snoopy. Snoopy loves Addy, too! Addy LOVES school. She is learning so much: she can count well beyond 20 in English and Spanish, she knows all of the letters and most of the sounds that they make, she can write her name and anything else that you spell out for her, she knows her address, birthday, and almost her whole phone number. She is a sponge...she asks about EVERYTHING: why do you have that, what does that do, why do you need that?
     Jim and I often tell ourselves that we are pretty lucky b/c Addy is a pretty good kid. She is great about entertaining herself, usually does what you ask her to do, likes to help and is generally pretty happy. We are also finding out that she is also very strong willed. If she wants/doesn't want something she will let you know and dig her heels in until she is totally exhausted from having a meltdown, until you give in or she negotiates for something else. Addy is a great eater...she eats a variety of foods but she doesn't like to try new things. She is a pretty good sleeper BUT she doesn't like to sleep in her own bed...this means she usually sleeps in the guest room. We are fine with that...as long as she doesn't sleep with us!
    As you can tell, Addy keeps us pretty busy. We hope that we can keep the blog updated so you can see/hear all about what we have been up to.
   

Happy 3rd Birthday Addy




Birthday Party at School

 


Playing Ring Around the Rosie with Mamaw Carol and Friends




Aunt Jenny made an AMAZING Dora cake!





Daddy wants to start her early!

 


A scooter just like Ethan's



It's Good to be THREE