Memphis Monday: PRETTY TREES (I'm sure I've used this one before...)

It's been a while, and in the few weeks I've been absent from the blog, the beautiful crepe myrtle trees have started to bloom. Thank you, Memphis!

A few weeks ago Jason's parents drove out a "new" car that we bought in Utah. It's a '97 Nissan Maxima I named Goldie. It's been WONDERFUL to have two cars again, I don't feel so trapped, and Goldie HAS A SUN ROOF. I love it! She also has a much bigger back seat than our Corolla, which I'm looking forward to once this new baby arrives!

It was a lot of fun having his parents visit with us, even though it was only for two days. Jason had two very large tests to study for, so he didn't get to spend much time with them, but Addie LOVED having Grandma and Grandpa here. We fed some ducks, colored pictures, wrestled on the ground, and discovered she loves Altoids! Addie warmed up to them very quickly this time, and we're hoping to see them again in August!

Memphis Monday: EARLY SPRING

Spring is here! We're supposed to hit 80 degrees today (it already feels like it) and the pretty pink flowering trees (Myrtle something or other) are in bloom. Michigan and Utah, I bet, are still feeling a bit chill, but here in Memphis spring is all around. Ahhh...

Trip to Atlanta, GA

Jason wanted to attend SECO, an optometry conference held in Atlanta every year. His school gave students $100 to supplement the trip, so we decided to head over and make it a little vacation! We went with some of our friends, the Gibbons, and had a great time exploring the city and some its attractions. First, we went to Coke World. We were able to taste up to 64 different kinds of Coke products, my favorite was Aquious which is distributed in Taiwan. Mmm...
Next we went to the Georgia Aquarium, the world's largest aquarium. It was spectacular! There was one tank that held 6.4 million gallons of water! We were able to go through a tunnel underneath the aquarium and see whale shark, manta rays, potato groupers, and thousands of other fish. Addie loved the fish and tried to hug them all afternoon.
On Saturday while the boys attended classes at the conference, me, Julie, Corrine and Hailey went to the Atlanta Zoo. Most of the exhibits were pretty sad, actually. They were cramped and we often didn't see any animals. The panda bears and lion cubs, however, were out playing which sort of made up for the rest of our disappointment. Later that afternoon Julie, Addie and I ventured over to the Center for Puppetry Arts because they were hosting a special Jim Henson exhibit. Many of you probably know my family's love for the movie Labyrinth and Muppets, so I was really excited to go! It was interesting to read the information on these spectacular puppets, but very sad because we weren't supposed to take any pictures. I couldn't resist, and took this snapshot very discretely. Who remembers the riddle this guy and his red twin ask Sarah?So, that's it! We had a blast staying up late playing fun games with the Gibbons, exhausting two pregnant ladies, and enjoying the sights of Atlanta. I wish we would have had a bit more time, for there was so much more to do! Maybe next year...

Introducing our singing sensation...Addie!

Lately Addie has been obsessed with the movie Annie. Every day she asks, "Moo-ee? Annie?" and nearly every day I give in. She's just so cute when she watches it. Jason and I can quote nearly the entire thing. Here she is singing along to "The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow" as she does with nearly all the songs.

We try to only let her watch one movie per day, so if she doesn't finish it in one sitting she can start where she left off later in the day. I think that might even be too much, but I've been feeling strange preparing for this new baby...I'm worried Addie won't get as much alone time with me and will be sad and jealous, so I've been completely spoiling her. Adelyn also loves Mary Poppins and is starting to get into Toy Story 2. Jason isn't thrilled that her two favorite movies are musicals, but what did he expect? She's alone with me all day! Addie also knows when to laugh at all the funny parts, but is starting to really hate dirty/yucky things. She has a difficult time watching "Chim Chim Cheree" in Mary Poppins because she can't stand to look at the chimney sweep's dirty faces. I think it's funny.

Don't forget to look at her hair! It's getting so long and I'm lucky because she sits still pretty well while I play with it. I can't wait until I can do braids!

On Saturday a miracle happened...Memphis had 4 to 5 inches of snow fall! Everything in the city shut down (They even canceled church! That never would have happened in UT or MI!) so we took the time to introduce Addie to snow balls. Mmmm...a lifelong love was kindled. She was asking to eat snow balls for days.

We're going to Atlanta, GA tomorrow with some friends for the weekend, so hopefully we'll have some fun pictures to post soon!

Memory Monday: I'M RUNNING OUT OF MEMPHIS ONES...

I couldn't think of something to post about Memphis this week, we've been stuck inside for the last six days with hacking coughs and never-ending snot faucets, so I didn't do much. My friend Karie had this on her blog, and I thought it would be fun to have a Memory Monday instead. Here is how to play:

1. Add a comment on our blog leaving one memory that you and I and/or Jason had together. It doesn't matter if you know us a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. If you want to play again, re-post these instructions on your blog and take a stroll down memory lane, too. Enjoy! (If you comment on our blog, we'll make sure to comment on yours.)

And, as always, a picture just for fun. This is Addie getting her pacifier from under her crib again. Reminds me of the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz.

Memphis Monday: STROLLER STRIDES

This is my third week doing Stroller Strides. It's an exercise group made up of moms. Four days a week, we take our kids around in strollers (running or walking) and stop at various "stations" during the hour-long workout to do strength training, cardio, abs, etc. I LOVE IT! This is the best overall body workout I've ever done, and I can take Addie with me! She likes getting out the house, and I don't have to find a babysitter. It's perfect for me. I am always sore the next day! Our trainer is excellent at mixing up the workouts so I never get bored, and I have been able to start making new friends outside of church. It's been great. Hey moms, wherever you are, look it up! There might be one in your area!

Addie and I made valentines for many of her friends on Saturday. We had fun coloring, finger-painting, and delivering them. I love finding easy crafts that we can do together. Do any of you have any other ideas of things we could do?

This was our dinner on Sunday. I made pizza crust, separated it into three smaller sized pizzas, and then added interesting toppings to spice it all up. The one on the wooden tray is tomato sauce, spinach, mushrooms, chicken and cheddar (Jason's favorite of the three). The white pizza is tomato sauce, spinach, chicken and feta cheese (my favorite, I love feta!). The last one is a baked potato pizza, modified from the Stevie B's version. It has ranch, thinly sliced gold potatoes, bacon bits and cheddar cheese (also very good, but I'd use more ranch next time). It was fun to branch out and try something new. I have the BEST and EASIEST crust recipe, if you want it. It's my mom's recipe, she is a pizza making genius!

Memphis Monday: A COOL PLACE TO BE BORN

Growing up in Michigan, I was often the only kid in my elementary classes to have been born outside of Michigan (if I remember correctly), let alone in Utah, a place completely unknown to most other kids my age. I always liked that about myself. It made me unique, and I always felt cool bringing it up. Well, Baby #2 will be born in Memphis, TN. Since we are not planning on staying here, this little one will always be able to boast to other kids that they were born in the birthplace of rock and roll music, minutes away from Graceland, amongst BBQ ribs and pulled pork. How cool is that? I'm already looking forward to it.

On a side note, Jason's arm is much better. He is still taking his daily dose of Advil because the elbow occassionally flares up, but the swelling is gone. In a couple weeks he shouldn't even have to take Advil anymore. He was told this is something he'll have to be careful of his entire life, but if he doesn't rest it on hard surfaces for long periods of time and doesn't bump it into anything, the bursitis shouldn't be too much of a problem. He had to go back to the doctor a couple more times and they never charged us for it. I believe in miracles! Anyhow, we feel blessed to be here and are VERY glad he's over it.

My two schweedahts, all dressed up for church...

Knowing she's not supposed to have her paci unless she's in her crib, Addie will often crawl under her crib and hide from me with her contraband.

From this...

To this!