Since We Moved

we have been very busy cleaning, unpacking, organizing, decorating and painting. i know i said in november that i was going to paint befroe we moved in, but things just never turn out the way you would like them too. so kyle and i spent our school vacation time painting. my sisters have put in many hours to help us out (thanks guys) and though we're not done yet, we will be taking a break until summer. we still need to paint our office, bathrooms, and hallways. plus touch ups. grandma is so nice to let us do this in her basement. her favorite color for walls is white, so i think our tahitian red in the kitchen is a bit bold for her taste.

it's an amazing feeling to go from a 900 sq. ft. one bedroom, one bathroom and shared laundry to 2,200 sq. ft. three bedroom two bathroom complete with our own laundry. we are absolutely loving it and feeling like we are swimming in the extra square footage. oh, what a wonderful feeling! i think addison's favorite part is the carpet. her poor knees really had to toughen up for crawling all over hard, mexican tile. now they will somewhat soften on the carpet. well, i guess i should say would've softened. addison started walking a couple of steps at a time in later december, now she is walking pretty well. i laugh every time i see her going from one room into another because when she sees a transition in the flooring, she gets down on hands and knees to crawl over it, then is back up and walking. what makes her even think to do that?!

Harley Puppy Dog

I was looking though some of our family pictures and wanted to share some of these.

A few months ago Uncle Carson suprised us one night by taking us back to his bedroom and showing us the cutest little boxer puppy I've ever seen. Harley and I soon became great friends. She was full of energy and loved to play and then she would turn around and be the best little cuddle bug ever.

Harley was surprisingly obedient for a little puppy dog. When we took her on a family walk we couldn't find a leash so we put her in the back of Addison's stroller. She was soon excited by the new sights and sounds and wanted to walk on her own. I letter her out and she stayed no more than 20 feed behind or ahead of us and would come right when we called her.

We enjoyed watching movies together, taking naps, and playing outside.

A couple of weeks ago Harley had quite the adventure and so did we. On new years day she escaped out the front gate and was lost. We frantically looked for her all over the neighborhood.

We posted dozens of signs, talked to neighbors, and searched the streets up and down for her. Luckily though we got a lead from an animal hospital nearby that someone had dropped off a boxer puppy and they had animal control come pick her up. I spent that afternoon waiting at the animal shelter for the truck to return from the route. When I saw the truck pull up and watched them take Harley out my heart was relieved. Poor dog had quite the adventure.

Addison's First Christmas

All of my family was in town this year for Christmas. Christmas Eve the family always goes to a movie and dinner at Texas Roadhouse. This year, Maeli - the oldest grandchild - and Jennifer really wanted to see The Princess and The Frog. Grandma and Grandpa watched Addison and Cameron at home, which is starting to become part of the tradition and they couldn't be happier.

Christmas was a blast this year. It was my first Christmas as a Dad. Growing up I thought that parents got jipped on Christmas because the kids got all the fun toys and stuff. But it was so much fun watching my daughter opening presents even though she had no idea what was going on. We woke her up around 8 am and started opening presents. Santa gave Addison blocks, and a Disney movie. Brittney bought me a beautiful painting, several Calvin Klein belts, and my favorite candy bar - Butterfinger. I made her a Dating Jar where on any weekend she can pull out a fun and unique date idea for that night. She also got a gift card to her favorite store - Charlotte Russe. We cooked our traditional Christmas morning breakfast, crepes, and then headed out to our parents. Both Grandparents gave Addison toy cell phones since she is always putting ours up to her ear and saying "hi" and then she presses all the buttons. She got a toy monkey and a puzzle from the Grandma and Grandpas and princess sippy cups from her cousin's Maeli and Cameron. Let's just say she was one spoiled grandchild.

The next day, Grandma and Grandpa McKay took the grand kids to Freestone park to ride the train while Brittney had a photoshoot with Uncle Ernest's family. Addison loved the train.

For New Years, Addison saw fireworks for the first time at Grandma and Grandpa McKays. We walked out to the end of the cul-de-sac and watched the Jones' traditional display. She cried when they exploded and we had to take her back inside before any more went off.
We moved into our new place which is Brittney's Grandma's basement. It's 2,200 sq. ft. of space and we couldn't be happier. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen with a small pantry, a large storage room, and a very spacious family room. Oh, and we have our own laundry which is a huge plus! We are loving all the room and Addison loves the carpet. We will miss our French Cottage, but we are excited about our new home and can't wait to give it the "McKay" treatment.