Grandpa Andrews built a doll house for Addy for her birthday. It is AWESOME.   I matched the barn that he made for her Christmas present.  Daron and I love them and if she ever outgrows them we are keeping them.  Grammy Andrews wrapped up a little rabbit family complete with beds, a refrigerator, tables, chairs, food, diapers, and little pillows.  Addy loves it and so do all of her friends. 

I love love love our new house and it is starting to feel like ours. Since the weather has been nice the three of us have been working on the back yard.  Addy helped paint the chicken coop and Dad built a little deck on the art studio/ play house.  Since I am a distractotasker I went from painting the chicken coop to replanting flowers to painting the food prep counter next to the grill.  Addy helped but up a garden fence in the chicken area to keep any loose dogs out. The chickens are smart enough to not venture too far but I would die if a loose dog ran into their area and hurt them.  We are excited about Grammy and Grandpa Andrews who will be here Friday! Whoo hooo.  We have got hikes lined up for them, projects lined up for them and plenty of Addy time lined up for them.

Just watched an awesome movie about an engineer who designed a safe needle when his best friends daughter (a nurse) was accidentally stuck at work.  I couldn't get the official movie page to come up but this link works - Puncture.  Some interesting facts about needles and the fact that in the late 60's manufacturers switched from glass needles (which could be sanitized) to plastic needles (which could not be sanitized).

• Each year, nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers suffer an estimated 800,000 accidental needlestick injuries in U. S. hospitals.
• More than 1,000 of them become infected with HIV/AIDS — just like the emergency room nurse in "Puncture" — hepatitis B and C and other deadly blood-borne diseases.
• Worldwide, needle reuse and needle-stick injuries result in an estimated 1,300,000 deaths, 23 million hepatitis infections and 260,000 HIV/AIDS infections annually.
• In November 2000, President Clinton signed the Needle-stick Safety and Prevention Act, which calls for the use of "safety-engineered" needle devices to protect workers. Unfortunately, a decade later, little has changed. The main reason: hospital group purchasing organizations (GPOs).

It is that time again! Spring!  Daron, Addy and I tilled the garden box which we had been throwing our food scrapes in since we didn't have a proper compost bin.  It seemed to work though!  Daron bought manure, peat moss and organic soil to add to the box.  The chickens even helped us spread it around.  Yeah, they kicked the dirt all around while looking for worms to eat!~  There were a lot of worms.  Once two layers were spread I bailed and painted the chicken coop.  Daron and Addy finished the garden then went and bought plants that you can have while it is still cold.  Peas went around the tree that we think is dead.  When we bought the house it had been unoccupied and in foreclosure so many of the plants and trees didn't get enough water.  We were happy to see all of the flowers that did make it!  We have yellow daffadils, a ground cover that has yellow sprouts, a beautiful cherry tree with white/pink flowers, some purple flowers that I don't know the name of and some tulips coming in.  Plants are pretty amazing.  It was very nice of Daron to tackle the garden especially since he doesn't eat hardly any of what it produces!  I am hoping the grass comes in all the way!

phase 1

phase 2

Phase 3

Addy had a "Wear your PJ's to school day!"

They also had Dr. Seuss Day and ate green eggs and ham. Thats what she wanted for lunch.  We had the eggs but no ham.

All the plants that surprised us this spring!

Pea's round the tree

Me Skyping with Aunt Karen on the big TV.  Love the techie husband.

Talk The Meat!

Daron was making taco meat tonight and Addy said "Talk the meat."
Daron said "Meat doesn't talk."
Addy said "Dad TALK it."
Daron said "ummm no."
Addy said "Talk the meat. Talk the meat."
Daron said "Actually Addy we read somewhere that you have to tell your kids no sometimes or else they will get spoiled.
Three minutes pass.
Addy says "Dad talk the meat."
Dad says "Uh no."
Addy says "Daaaad that thing you learned is not working. Talk the meat."
So the taco meat says "Man, it is hot in this pan...."

A Big Thank you to Uncle Dan and Uncle Robert, Mimi and Papa, Grammy and Grandpa, Jason and Petra and cousins, Aunt Sasa (Lisa), Aunt Karen, Great Uncle Curt and Aunt Claire, Braxton, Gracie, Cedar, Brielle, and Miss Stephanie. Addy has been opening presents, reading cards and kind of talking on the phone to all the well wishers. I am still uploading photos of her opening presents so if you don't see yours don't be alarmed.

Uncle Dan and Robert were the first gifts she opened.  A few days before her birthday.

She LOVES the pony book and figurines

The map is awesome too and I love it.  The Dora book/puzzle rocks too.

She likes to wear her makeup over and under the eyes...

The pile is growing

Bindi wonders why SHE doesn't have any gifts

We opted for a small party on Wednesday

The balloons were a hit and chasing Daron.

Addy leading the pack in her new dora dress.

Horsey cake that Addy and I made. She's good at cracking eggs and decorating

Happy Birthday Fairy Princess!

Happy Birthday Addyson! You have brought so much joy to all of our lives. I cannot believe you are four! You however have been telling everyone you are five. I guess when you are young you add years and when you are old we shave off a few years. Yup I am still 38...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  My parents had a great time with friends and I must say the look TERRIFIC in green!  It is great to see them so active and happy.  Here in Kanab we have gone from 70's and flowering plants one day to snow the next.  Yesterday I took a mental health day and went for some retail therapy.  Daron and Addy stayed home and sang Karaoke and danced. Apparently Addy like dancing the best but is planning to be a singer when she grows up.  As I type this she is in the bathroom singing.  She is making up songs about her toy animals.  She is good at rhyming too!  Due to the chilly weather the chickens haven't been laying many eggs.  This is a bummer since the girl who cuts Addy's hair does it for eggs.  Yup, never in my life did I think I would barter eggs for a haircut but I LIKE IT!

Morning hike.

Fat Bindi LOVING the sun.

Addy feeding the chickens

White legs, bare yard yup it's spring.

Addy's two best friends. Isa's in from Mexico!

I survived not only a head cold and migraine but the stomach flu this past week.  So I am thinking positively and looking forward to a wonderful healthy spring.  David and Paula sent us some beautiful photos of their front yard. Ahh spring!!!!

This week I woke up mid week with another head cold.  I finally got on antibiotics which I realized I hadn't been on for five years.  Yippee.  The sinus pain coupled with that time of the month for my migraines has made for a challenging week.  Especially since the weather is gorgeous and I have so many house projects and kids birthday parties to attend I don't have time to be down!  The other night I was pouring myself a beer and I told Daron "If anything goes wrong I have had my two "nerve pills", two antibiotics, a prescription nasal spray, and an Imitrex. Daron said my goodness how to you feel?  I said "GREAT!"  When I told my sister Lisa this on the phone she said "What's up Whitney?"  She's a riot. 

Below you will see a photo of dinner the other night. Pay special attention to the roasted brussel sprouts which were terrific. Daron even ate half of one.  There was also a tofu stir fry with fresh broccoli and green peppers.  Addy did eat a few "trees" as she calls the broccoli.   I also cut up oranges for Addy.  I made Daron a left over hamburger because I didn't want the poor boy to starve.  Then Daron pulled out the Doritos.  As you can see Doritos are the only thing Addy has on her plate and believe me it is not because she scarfed down her stir fry and brussel sprouts.

Addyson has grown out of her little table and chairs and she has been coloring at the kitchen table but refuses to use the cushion for her knees.  She likes the hard chair. Whatever.  So this little table and chair is perfect for her and I wanted to save it for her birthday but I couldn't.  It is so awesome she loves it!

Monday was short sleeve weather and many of our friends hung out at the park during the afternoon.  I am so happy we did because today is Wednesday and it is snowing! This is crazy.  Maybe I will be able to use my snowshoes after all.

Addy heading to school with her new necklaces from a birthday party.

Daron and Scott fixed the cracked cement on a 70 degree day! March 4, 2012

morning hike with Zeena

The chaos that is my hair.