Deer Lake

The Addington Family has started a yearly tradition of going to Deer Lake. Carol and Gary head up to Deer for about three weeks each summer and the rest of the family joins them as much as we all can. We had a few days that we were all able to be together and were able to have some great family time with all of the kids. We would all agree that it is not as relaxing as it used to be but realize that it is the season of life with the ages of all of our kids. Check out a few favorite photos from the lake....click here to see more.

Emmy and Brynn looking off the dock at a the minnows

Cameron loving the water

Emmy's first pedicure (thanks Aunt Amy!!)

A Few Days in the Valley

Our family met back at home on Friday night and it was heavenly to spend a few days in the valley. We came home to some very tall grass, many weeds in the garden and our absolute favorite....BLACKBERRIES!!! Cameron has been waiting for them since last summer. We are blessed to have them growing wild all along our driveway and in the woodsWe got up early on Saturday morning, still wearing jammies with bowls in our hands and picked for a good hour. Cameron and Emmy each had their own bowl and by the time we were done picking, their bowls were empty and their faces and fingers were covered with the pink stains from the berries.

Emmy and Cameron were so excited to pick berries they were running down the driveway to get them!

Matt had a wedding so the kids and I were able to hang out at home and headed to a local dairy farm to celebrate June Dairy Month. They had a a free lunch for all attendees and ice cream too. G'ma Deb, G'pa Don and Aunt Lindsay were all there helping serve the lunch. We headed home afterward and were able to tackle a number of projects and some yardwork.

It was so fun to just be home for a few days and enjoy the simple pleasures of sleeping in our own beds, eating supper together on Friday night as a family, mowing and raking the lawn, pulling weeds and going to church together today.

Happy Father's Day...a few days late!

Because we were at the lake over Father's Day I didn't get to post this but I want to recognize all the dad's/grandpa's in our life...we love you all!!

Daddy's don't just love their children every now and then...it's a love without end....Amen
- George Strait

Rainy Season

The beginning of June rained a lot so we spent a lot of time indoors playing games, coloring, painting, and watching movies. One Cameron and my favorite games to play is Candy Land. Have you ever played a board game with a three-year old? I had not prior to playing with Cameron and I now know that I need to throw the directions and rules out the window at this age. I found myself getting a little frustrated and even competitive (against my 3-year old mind you!) when Cameron wanted to play the game "his way". At one point I even closed up the board and had to put it away for a while...he kept wanting to go write to the licorice forest, wanted to choose the color square he moved to, and never goes in order for his turn. That being said...I am calming to the fact that it is OK to not follow the rules at his age and just playing is what it is about!! I have now started to enjoy Cameron's rule and I go right to the spots I want to got to as well!

In between showers we played outsi de a bit. On the rainy days, Cameron had a hard time getting dressed so he wore his jammies all day!!


















Because of all the rain, the lawn has been growing quickly. For a while we thought we would need the hay baler to get it mowed! Cameron and Emmy were great helpers at mowing the lawn and raking the many grass piles.

I realize this is breaking all safety rules...

Cameron working very hard at raking the grass into piles around the yard...

=

This Week...

This week was the start of what will be a very busy month and a half. I had a great couple of days on Monday and Tuesday with the State Officers and it excites me for the work we will do in the coming weeks at our camps and conferences.

When I came home on Tuesday Matt was not feeling very well. He had a sore on his lower abdomen that was really beginning to hurt and by Wednesday the pain was almost unbearable. It was bad enough that he decided he needed to go to the doctor - he hasn't been to the doctor in the last 7 1/2 years we've been married so I knew it was bad!! He found out he has an infection and was able to get some antibiotics but has since continued to feel awful. He has had a fever over the last few days and had a number of flu-like symptoms.

Tuesday night G'ma Carol came to visit and play for a bit before she and G'pa Gary head to Deer Lake for the next few weeks. Cameron helped G'ma make pancakes, his favorite!!











Wednesday night we were blessed to have our good friends the Bakke's down to visit. Their twins Kate and Annika are now four years old but when they were just four months old I had the chance to babysit them for the school year. It is so fun to see them now and the sweet little people they've grown to be.

One Thursday afternoon, I picked the kids up from daycare and Emmy was running a fever. By the time we got her to the clinic she had over a 103 temperature and her heart was racing at 160 beats per minute. She was a little trouper and sat very well while the doctor checked her over. It was determined that she has an ear infection. Between her and Matt we were hoping for a two for one deal on our antibiotics this week!!

Today the kids got to spend some time at the farm with G'ma Deb and G'pa Don. Wyatt was there too so fun was had by all. They just got 50 baby chicks at the farm so it was a highlight to see them and hold them. Cameron got pooped on by one of the chicks so he wasn't too sure of them after that but he has still been talking about them this afternoon.

Another highlight of today was that Emmy got her first haircut! She sat very still and gave only one or two shy smiles (non of which I was able to catch :) There wasn't much to cut but were were able to get the hair out of her eyes at least.

Emmy is 20 Months!

I am one day late in posting this blog!! I know this isn't a huge milestone but it just seems like Emmy is growing so much faster than she should be. She has such a fun personality that makes us smile and laugh constantly. One of her most favorite things to do is dress up and try on different hats. I've been capturing pictures of her in different hats in the last six months and I hope they make you smile as much as they do us!

We Love You Emmy!!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Today the kids and I had the chance to go to Albert Lea for a play date with some very good friends of ours. We had such a great day and one of the best parts was just being back in the area. Albert Lea will always be a place that is near and dear to my heart for so many reasons. Those being...

• I met Matt there!
• I did my student teaching there and also had the opportunity to teach at the high school for two years
• We met and still have some of our best friends there
• We built a house there
• We were part of some of the best high school basketball there...go Tigers!

There are many more reasons but these are some of the highlights. Matt and I were there for four years and they were great years. When we first arrived in Albert Lea this morning I just drove around for a bit. I stopped by our first house we lived in after we were married...our High Street House.

It looks like it needs a little work now but it is such a cute little house that we loved being at. So many memories flooded back when I drove by. The neighbors, walking Sogn down by the lake, our little garden in the back yard, etc. Everything in that house was tiny but it was cute, quaint and we were happy there!

We went on to have our play date at the Richards. Jess and I had a great visit and the kids had a chance to play. We've been friends with the Richards for a long time and their company helped us build our house in Albert Lea. Their twins Maxx and Maya are so sweet and just a few months older than Cameron. We had a great time!












After we left their house the kids fell asleep before we even left town so I decided to drive by our other house...the house we built. 71827 Phillip Drive....a beautiful neighborhood and a beautiful house. We only lived in it a year! Not enough time but it was such a blessing to have the opportunity to build and get to know a lot of different people in the process. One of my most vivid memories was shingling in the frigid temperatures of Christmas break! It was Matt, our friend Kelvin, and me. One of the days Kelvin actually put a nail through his thumb with the nail gun....craziness! As I went through the neighborhood I also stopped at our good friends the Troe's. They were our friends through church and then became our neighbors. Again, some of the best people we know. It was great to see Carrie and Emily who was graduating tonight. I took a picture of the what our house (still have to say it is our house!) looks like now. It is so beautiful with all of the grass and the landscaping done.

I think there were about 20 other people I would have loved to stop and see today but I guess I'll have to leave it for another trip to Albert Lea!

Silliness!

Sometimes it is fun to just be silly!!Cameron was really not trying to be silly in this picture...he just didn't feel like putting his clothes on all day!