The Strength of a Woman!!!

(Brad here...I have hijacked Ambre's beloved blog!)

Oh....the tangled web we weave! We do some crazy things some times but this one takes the cake! We have been in a "home transition" process for about a year now and we have finally sold our house. This of course means that we will be moving into a new house...very exciting, but always a lot of work. My work has sent me overseas to Azerbaijan for a month long trip that will preclude me from being involved in our move. This leaves Ambre on her own back, in NWA...and moving on her own! In a few hours she will wake up and the movers show up....total chaos in effect! I am very lucky to have a wonderful in-law family and her father Klaus flew in from Canada to be her moral support (thanks a million Klaus...I owe you!). Regardless, the brunt of the work falls on Ambre's shoulders. Ambre has had to endure some crazy stuff before but this is a new one and it is truly representative of the strength of women! I am so proud of her in tackling this incredibly huge task. Life is full of decisions and she could have said "No...I won't do it!" But she has instead made the decision to handle it with grace. That doesn't mean no tears will be shed or frustration won't become unbearable but in the end she will survive it...it will make her stronger and she will have done a very large thing for this family! Thank-you for being such a strong woman Ambre!

Our new house....not a great picture...but I am sure Ambre will post more soon!

While Ambre is moving...I have a day off in Baku Azerbaijan....nothing fancy (though not much in Baku is fancy)....but great views!

A day off in Baku!

I love you honey! I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Boxes, Boxes

here and there!

(pic taken by Owen)
Boxes, Boxes everywhere!

At least the kids are enjoying all these boxes!!! Owen has made them into slides, tunnels, houses, stairs, and hiding spots. Addyson likes to watch Owen and see what he is up to. Me... well I'd rather avoid all the boxes! But I guess my stuff won't just move itself and taking things piece by piece won't be very efficient. So, I guess I'll accept all these boxes and start packing them!
Why should I pack? Well our house is selling!!! I hesitate to say "Sold" as I it is still ours until the day we sign the papers!! For fear of jinxing us and having something fall through, I'll suffice it to say "our house is selling"!!!
About 3 weeks ago we accepted an offer on this house and were able to move forward with the house we were wanting to buy. We couldn't be more excited!!! The only downside is that Brad is out of town! That means I will be moving myself, 2 kids, 2 dogs, and all of our crap without my biggest helper! YIKES!!!!!!! However, I am very thankful that my dad is making the trip down from Canada to help us! I couldn't do it without him, my mom, and everyone else that has offered to help. Please say a prayer for me, for strength to get through the move and still be there for my kids. Also, say a little prayer that all the paperwork goes through and we will be able to close early next week! I'm looking forward to moving on and getting settled!

And looking forward to finding all sorts of new treasures that are packed away in boxes! I know the kids enjoy that as much as the boxes!!!

7 Months Already?!?!

Where has the time gone. It makes me sad to think she'll be one before I know it! She is my VERY active and curious 7 month old little girl. I want her to stay a baby as long as possible but I think she is already past that. She doesn't want to cuddle with me instead, she pushes off me with her feet because she wants down to crawl. She doesn't want to sit and make faces with me instead, she looks around me because wants to know what's going on behind me. She doesn't want to sit still so I can take her picture instead, she wants to go find Owen to see what he is doing. She is always on the go.She is getting a little, or should I say BIG, personality. She is happy-go-lucky as long as she is doing what she wants. If she is not happy with something she kicks both feet at the same time up and down. It is almost like a little temper tantrum...... uh oh! Luckily they don't last long and as soon as she is able to eat or get down she is back to her sweet self. Addyson loves to smile and giggle and this past Sunday she learned how to clap and wave!!!! Every time I get my camera out to get it on video she starts crawling towards me to eat my lens cap! Here is a quick action shot.

She is eating more now. She is a big fan of puffed brown rice, sweet potato, and black beans. Not a huge fan of bananas (I say this because every time she eats some she makes a funny face) but she still eats it. She tried green beans today for the first time and she ate 3! If she ends up liking green beans she is NOT my child! I think she has tried some other things but I'm drawing a blank. I usually let her taste a little of something healthy on my plate.

Addyson displays object permanence. If she drops something, even if it gets wedged between her and the high chair, she goes looking for it! She is great at picking up the tiniest of things.... and putting them in her mouth, yikes!

She is very curious and always wants to know what is going on. If she hears a sudden noise behind her she quickly turns to see what made that noise. If someone is doing something, she watches and studies them. She is responding to her name and now that she can crawl, if she wants me or I call for her, she crawls over to me! The dogs are not a big fan of her mobility especially since she really likes to crawl after them!

She is pulling up with ease and stands with confidence. She is able to move her feet to get them under her and she is able to hold on with one hand. Again, yikes! Nothing stops her! If there is something in her way she very quickly crawls over it or pulls up on it!

Owen continues to be her biggest fan..... and now wrestling partner. She has figured out how to get out of his holds but she is pushing herself up and trying to hold her own (with some help from mom).

She is growing like a weed, the 12 month clothes I bought last month fit just right! She brings us so much joy and we are so thankful to have her in our lives.

I don't think we'll ever be able to keep her still!
This 7 month photo shoot is over!!! She's outta here!

Hold Addyson

I'm a little behind in my blogging these days! You could say life is a little crazy! I haven't blogged about this yet for fear of jinxing ourselves but hopefully we are close enough now that I can say a little something. We are trying to sell our house,we have been since the beginning of July. We found a house that we love! It is MUCH bigger, had a BIG backyard, and is in a nice neighborhood! We would live on the golf course which means no more duplexes behind us!!! We have protected wetland on the left of us and a neighbor on the right! We'll only ever have 1 neighbor and I couldn't be more excited!!! SO, between trying to sell our house and keeping up with very active children I haven't had a chance to sit down and blog much.

Needless to say, I'm a bit late on my monthly "hold Addyson" picture.

Addyson- 6.5 months Owen- 28 months

I took the kids to see Strega Nona at the Walton Arts Center this morning with the MOMS Club. This was Addyson's second play and she l0ved it! She dances to the music and loves to stand up on my lap so she can get a better view! As always, Owen really enjoyed it as well and now that he is older he asks a lot of questions about what is happening on stage. While we were "dressed up" I thought I should quickly snap a few pictures before I ran out the door so I could get our monthly shot! Above you can see Owen's "squeeze face" as he is bear hugging Addyson. I can tell these shots are going to get a bit harder. Addyson is trying to get off his lap so she can crawl away and Owen is trying to hang on tight so he can practice one of his new "tackle" moves. Let me just say, I can't leave the kids unsupervised like I use to. No wonder I'm so tired!

Now that Addyson can sit on her own, we will probably be switching to a side-by-side pose.
I'm so thankful for my happy, healthy, and loving kids!

Giggles

This never gets old!!!

!

Pulling up

So she just started crawling on Monday and the very next day (Tuesday Nov. 3rd) she tried to pull up on the couch. Isn't it suppose to take her months, at least a couple of weeks, to try to pull up??? I specifically remember my Grandma encouraging Owen to try to pull up when he was 11 months or so. He had been crawling for a while by the time she had come to visit. She asked, "when is this boy going to start walking?" Honestly, I wasn't worried! I had less to worry about when he was just happy crawling around on the ground. Not her, she thought he needed to get moving. So she took his hands and placed them up on the couch (like Addyson's pose) and showed him how to pull up and then he was off.

Well our little Sweet Pea didn't need any sort of lesson. She wasn't going to wait around for mommy to make up her mind to get Addyson, Addyson was going to do it by herself! So a day after crawling she made the first attempt.

And 5 days later she was up!

Look how proud of herself she is!!!I was so impressed. She moved her feet and got them under her, she held on with one hand, and she was hitting the couch. She showed no fear and looked like she had been standing supported forever. What out world here she comes!!!

Standing up for the second time (first time I missed, I had been watching her but wasn't sure she was going to make it all the way up. When she did I was shocked! She let go and fell right away. Not too long after she crawled back over and stood up!)




Here she is playing while she is up. I'm amazed at how confident she is!

Missing

I don't often put my inner most thoughts on here, I mainly use this blog to "brag" about my children and post pictures and videos for our friends and family to live far away from us. Today, however, is going to be a bit different as I wanted to share so here goes....

Do you ever think about running away? If you did, what and or who would you take? Do you think about who would look for you first? Or who would notice you were gone first? Do you think about how they look for you? Would they use the news or tv show? Do you think about if you would really be missed? What would your family tell people about you? What picture would they use to look for you? Call me crazy but, I think about this every now and then. Maybe it comes from being a mom. A job that I LOVE! A job that is treasured. A job that is valued. A job, even thought it is all of the above, that doesn't get a lot of verbal recognition. Maybe that's why I think about it. Maybe it is my way of trying to see just how valued I am. Maybe it is my way of seeing just how much I am loved and treasured.

Where would I go if I ran away? Me, I'd go to a nice sunny beach in the Caribbean or something. Would I really run away? Are you kidding me. I can't stand to be away from the kids! The whole day Owen is at school I miss him. I can't wait to pick him up and see him run to the car with his face lit up and yell, "Mommy!" Addyson and I rarely spend any time apart but when we do I think about her full face smile and my heart just melts. But.... I still think about it.

So now that I've determined where I'd go if I had to courage to just pick up and leave my wonderful husband and precious kids (let me say again, I could never leave them.... at least not without telling them where I was going), who would look for me? How would they look for me? What would they say?

This morning on the Today Show there was a segment about a lady that went missing and told authorities a story that is believed to be untrue. Authorities think she ran away from home. I used this story to tell Brad my thoughts about running away. I asked him all of the above questions and I was so happy to hear his answers! Of course he would look for me! He wouldn't give up until he found me. He thinks our friends and family would come to help him look for me and to help with the kids. We were only able to talk about it a few minutes before I had to run out the door to a MOMS Club board meeting.

When I came home and pulled into the driveway I noticed something on the door. I wondered what sort of solicitor had come but then I realized the sign was tapped to the door. I didn't think solicitors did that so I started squinting my eyes to see what it was. Then I started laughing....
From the car I could see my picture and then I remember our conversation this morning (I had forgotten about it in the meantime). I quickly got out of the car so I could read the sign and then I could not stop laughing!!!

MISSING:
(This in an official Amber Alert)

Missing since 8:45 Tuesday Morning
Last seen driving to a MOM's Group Executive Board Mtg

Information:
Height- Tall
Weight- Skinny
Markings- Mole on her butt
Eyes- She has both
Looks- HOT!

Other CRITICAL information: Incredible Mommy and even better wife! Loves animals, reality tv, and helping other mothers! Compassionate, loving, and funny! Answers to "Darling," "Beautiful," or "Honey."
If you have ANY information as to her whereabouts please contact:
Brad Brewster (or Ty Pennington)

What I love about this is that fact that I didn't have to run away to see how much I'm loved, or what he would say, or how he would look for me, or what picture he would use!! I love that he put so much thought into it, even the picture he would use he carefully choose!! I love that he gets me!!! I love Extreme Homemakeover (along with all the other reality shows) and he gets that which is why he said to contact Ty Pennington! Brad gets all my quirky ways and I get his. He knows just how to answer my crazy questions and I love that about him! Thank goodness I didn't have to run away to find out! This Amber Alert has officially been called off!