Celebrating Addie's 2nd Birthday at her Great Grandma's!

During Thanksgiving we celebrated recent birthdays for Roger's side of the family. Of course this included Ms. Bug's 2nd Birthday. I think this kid had more parties this year than Paris Hilton when she turned 21!

Elmo Live!

Addie's Grandma gave her an early Birthday gift- Elmo Live! The doll is actually pretty neat (read-annoying after 2 minutes). It really interacts with the kids. It tells story and reacts to kids by if it's hugged or if you squeeze his nose. Addie loves it, no matter how I try and curb her Elmo obsession.

Presents from our friends in Washington!

Our friends Josh & Stephanie and their two little girls Rian & Dylan sent Addison some special birthday presents for her second birthday.

Thank you guys! We love the baby puppy and the My Little Pony!

Pictures from our trip back East!

Addison at her Great-Grandma's house
Another pick with crazy pig tails

So sick, but still enjoying a popsicle

First time with Jello

Addison and Max

Shannon, Me, Kyle, Larry, Kristen, and Kaitlyn

Addison and her Aunt Kristen

My crazy kid!

Me, Larry, and Kristen

Shannon, Larry and Max

She was obsessed with this turtle

She warmed up to her Uncle Larry quite fast

Halloween 2008

Only my kid would have 2 costumes. A witch for school and a princess by night. Unfortunately, our camera was doing some weird stuff for the Princess pics :(

Addie's 1st School Picture

When Picture Day at Pinecrest came around, I thought nothing of it. On two occasions at Tutor Time, Addison screamed and wouldn't take a picture. Anticipating the same result, I purchased the smallest package this time. Alas, they came out pretty cute!!!

Enter to win a JuJuBe Diaper Bag!

You can comment on this site to enter to win a JuJuBe diaper bag! These are my favorite all time bags. The attention to detail on them is amazing, and the fabric quality isn't comparable to any others. Plus, the fun prints are awesome!!

The site has tons of cute stuff on it- it kept me busy doing some online drooling over products!

Wordless Wednesday!

Animal sounds

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Thank You & I Love You!

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Addie gets down with her bad self!

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All food is fair game..

to Addie when she is around!

Who says swim diapers are boring?

The concept of intended use is weak, I will admit. But we recently got our money worth out of this one:

Shopping for toys, toys, toys!

We've already started planning for Addison gifts this year for her birthday and Christmas. We've had luck and great recommendations on products so far that have held her interest all year.

The big thing for her this holiday will be a play kitchen. She's just started playing with dolls and pretend items, so I think this will go a long way. Since we live in a small house, space is an issue. We found this one that is wood (huge plus) and has lots of storage. Plus it's one sided so it will fit nicely against a wall.

I also love the wooden play food by Melissa & Doug. We have a couple of their puzzles and they are awesome! Such good quality!!

We'll also definitely grad the Word Whammer. She has both the fridge farm and the alphabet model. They are a huge hit! And it's awesome to have her in the kitchen with me while I am cooking or cleaning. I figured this we could even use this to fill in the gap in the alphabet letters over the last year.

I think for her birthday Roger and I are planning on getting her a tricycle. They have a few of them at Pinecrest where she goes to daycare, and although she can pedal them, we always see her riding them while pushing with her feet.

Lots of reviews to read and sale ads to shop! I'm excited to get Addie some new toys to play with. She hasn't gotten much since her birthday and Christmas last year, so most of what we have doesn't quite capture her interest anymore.

Wordless Wednesday: Helping Daddy in the yard!

Wordless Wednesday

I'm 21 Months Old!

21 months ago my little buggy girl was born! I try and look back each month and recall all of the fun things Addison did each month. This month I am consumed by fun times, but also by how big and smart this girl is! She is really turning into a little girl. It's only during our bedtime ritual that I get to snuggle her now and feel as though she is still a baby. Her head still fits perfectly on my shoulder, but her arms and legs drape so long I can't help but realize how much she has grown. I often hold her like a baby and ask "Remember when you were small?" while rocking her from side to side. She just laughs and giggles at me. Occassionally if it's late and night she'll let me snuggle her in the cradle position, other than that she wants to go, go, go! Dare I think that I may be ready for another? Not quite yet...

Our mornings are filled with breakfast, dressing, and hair brushing. All of which are marathon events excet breakfast, that is only marathon style on the weekends. She never stops eating! It seems like she constintly walks over to her highchair saying "Uppa". She has a particular liking to cereal in the morning. She'll eat whatever I give her, which is generally something boring, whole grain, and low sugar. It's funny to watch her attempt to fish out all of the pieces in the milk with her spoon. She also had soup for the first time this month, that was comedic as well!

As usual, each day she gets excited to put on her shoes (and mine) and go outside. Running around and playing on her slide are some favorite activities this month. She also jumped for the first time (both feet off the ground!). Inside or out she enjoys pushing her baby stroller or shopping cart. On occassion my heels fall victim to one of these toys. Roger seems to trip on them most often at night! LOL! I'm already trying to figure out where the heck a play kitchen will fit in our house!

Her words have advanced more, and she seems to have words that only she knows what they mean.

Some new ones:

• "Tank Tu" Addie's version of Thank you. She only says when prompted.



• "Muckkkk" Addie's version of Milk.

Until next month....

Wordless Wednesday: Someone loves mommy's jewelry box!

Our family picture from the Fair!

Ventura County Fair 2008!

Riding the carousel. I would have put her on a horse, but I was a little nervous at the lack of straps on them.
Ready to play a water game with Grandmom
Roger won two fish for Addison!
She attempted to scramble their brains, but we rescued them.
On another kid ride. Clearly I am having more fun than Adds. I got my four tickets worth!

Addison- really enjoying some roasted corn
Still really liking the corn. She ate the entire thing!
Excited over animals! My little animal lover!
Daddy is checking out the pigs
Doing her best to entice one over to her

Roger trying to get Addie to share her ice cream!

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Little Ms. Chatterbox

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Checking out my new slide from Grandma!

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Checking out my new swing from Grandma!

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Wordless Wednesday

*sigh* She plays with babies and strollers now...I love this girl!

Addison's First Haircut!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books Addison got her first haircut on Saturday. I figured it was time to even up the back mullet with the side wispy hair she has. She was all good when we got to Supercuts, and even when we put her up on the booster, but as soon as we tried to put the smock around her, she flipped! We tried everything, her paci, a flower, and a lollipop. We even tried my mom wearing a smock to show her it was ok. None of it worked. In the end, she sat on my mom's lap with paci in mouth, flower in hand, and my mom still wearing the smock. Comedy! You can see how hard she was sucking on her paci in the video, she was worked up! In the end they gave us a cute little certificate and we called it a day. You can't tell her cute much from the front, but the back looks much less straggly :)

Wordless Wednesday

Oh the Daddy love...

These pictures melt my heart! Lately Addison will grab our fingers and walk us over to where she wants something. It's really sweet, she gets overwhelmed though when she wants to hold both of our hands, in addition to something else. It's funny- her own little conflict of interest!

The Kid-Napper?

We picked this up at Pinecrest the other day while dropping off our remaining paperwork. All of the kids have the same mats, called Kid-Nappers, but in a few different colors. Now, they are pretty neat. They have an attached blanket and pillow and roll up for storage, but the name?? They really need to rethink that!!

We washed it recently and have been letting Addie sleep with it so it is something of her's when she starts her new school :)

I'm 20 Months Old!

My lord, 20 months old? My baby, my girl, I can't believe it. But those moments when I get sad that she isn't a baby anymore, she breaks out something new and entertaining. This girl is a blast!
Addison,as always ,continues her love for nature. We now will move her high chair closest to the backyard window so she can gaze outside. She cracks up watching the squirrels in the trees (on a side note- we have some crazy squirrels). Roger recently brought home a hummingbird and a seed bird feeder. We hung them both in the backyard a couple weeks ago and explained to Addison about the feeders and how the birds would come visit them to eat. Since then we've had tons of finches and a couple of hummingbirds. She (not so quietly) observes them in the trees and will point them out to us.
If she isn't outside, she wants to be. She's mastered the words "Shoes" and "Outside", which sound more like "sheewws" and "ow-sye" in her little language. We actually need to make sure our front door is always locked also. She can pull down easily on the lever. While outside, she loves to run all over. We go on nightly walks with my neighbor and her kids and she gazes up at the trees and yells to the dogs as we walk around. We've found these walks to be relaxing for her :) She is also all about being helpful. We've been working a lot lately in the backyard. She loves to pick up rocks and bring them over to us. We also recently bought her a kid rake and shovel, it was getting difficult for her to manage with the big ones :) She excitedly will throw things in the trash if you ask her. We just have to watch that she doesn't go crazy. I recently found an aray of toys in the trash as well!
Overall she still eats exceptionally well. She insists on always using utensils, and she has gotten pretty good at it. In the morning she generally eats cheerios, yogurt, or a banana (which sounds like "na na na" in Addie-talk. We just need to work a bit more on her table etiquette. Aside from being a compulsive quadruple dipper, she also has a fit at the end of meals if you don't clear her plate right away. When she is done, she's done. And if you don't watch out, the plate and it's contents will end up on the floor (right next to the eager doggies). While we are on that topic, who tested the suction cups on the bottom of kid plates and bowls? THEY SUCK! I've tried them all and none of them are a match for Addie and her arms.
Nighttime continue to be a breeze, unless she isn't feeling well. She still generally sleeps 12 hours straight at night. Before bed we have increased out stories to 3. It seems two wasn't enough and Addie always wanted "maore".
Some other things to note:

• She's perfected the word "ooww" whenever you attempt to brush her hair.


• She blatantly will tell you "Na-oo" if she doesn't want something


• If you are on the coach and she isn't, look out for "up-pa"


• Shortly to be followed by "da-own"


• She will repeat when asked "peeze" in our attempts to teach her how to say please when she wants something.


• "Baa-oon" means Balloon accordingly to Addison


• She will gleefully exclaim "Ball" when she sees one (side note: I have bought at least 3 of these in Target as a mean to distract a meltdown in public)


• Everything liquid and drinkable is "wa-wer"


• Unfortunately everything she wants is "mii-ine" (We are working on using words for everything when she says this)


• Her dolls are referred to as "be-be"


• She will tell anyone who listens that the stove, grill, and firepit are "ot" while holding her hand up as if she is motioning stop.


• We close each day with "nah-nigh"

Happy 20 months my little bug!

Ms. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous...

Addison was playing with my new JJB BeLight diaper bag the other day. This fun bag is perfect and lightweight. You can tie the strap in a variety of ways, so naturally Addie wanted to wear it as I was playing with it. AND THEN, she found my glasses. LOL. She knows she is funny and will keep of the act to entertain us. We just need to draw the line when she goes for people's actual glasses. Roger doesn't like that much :)

Addison's First Trip to the Beach!

Addison- carrying the bucket just like a purse. I love this kid!

Not too sure about the ocean when we first got there. She kept staring at the other kids and the water. Eventually she broke down, but she was still pretty cautious.
And then she would point to things of interest
Addison and my neighbor's daughter, Angelique
Snot and sand- doesn't mix well
She is obsessed with shoes. She puts mine on, then hers on. Sometimes she even tries to add a second pair :)
The older girls had toga towels, so Addie wanted one. We had to fold it in half so it wouldn't drag. And then mommy cleaver tucked it in the back strap of her suit to hold it up :)

Fun in the Sun!

This weekend we blew up the frog pool (courtesy of Gran-dude and Lisa) and played in the front yard. Personally, I thought the water was a bit cold, but Addie didn't seem to mind. She thought it was funny to splash me-even after I promptly splashed her back! She loves the sprinkler that comes out of the top of the frog. She will patiently fill up her buckets and then dump it right over. It's quite funny to watch her walk around inside the pool. She walks so cautiously taking mini baby steps all the way around.

Crabby Addie

Ahh, it seems my girl isn't a morning person. Just like her momma :) These pictures show off a bit of her 'tude.

A Few Pictures from the Picture People

We went to Picture People on Friday afternoon. All was well and Addie was happy and chipper. Then it happened, she saw the backdrop from our photo session being switched around (loud mechanical noises) from that point on she clung to me. I couldn't put her down AT ALL. She would cry and scream. At a last resort I just included myself in the pics as well. The were ok, but we'll go back soon and do some more. The one of just her even has my shoulder cropped out of it!

The World's Biggest Vacation Recap Post:

One hour into the drive to Arizona.
We have no shame in admitting that there was bribery by way of snickerdoodle cookies on the way there.
So happy to be OUT of the car after such a long drive!
She hates the tub, loves the waterfall in the pool. Go figure!
Hanging out in her new turtle float

Bubbles!
After the pool we have to take a break for a drink
Zeus is patiently waiting for his food. Addie must think there is some in there for her too, LOL!
Addison and her gran-dude.
She looks like such a big girl to me in this picture. She has the pout and all!

Kristen, Addison and I hanging out
The Zeus dog
Just a goofy picture of Roger and I
What is better than climbing inside empty cabinets??
Lake Pleasant, AZ

Roger and Kristen on the jet skis
Innovation at it's best. Bring the pool float in the boat to play with :)
I know I'm bias, but she can't be any cuter!
Sure, she won't like you take a wipe to her face, but she will wash it herself with water!
Addie thinks "another picture?" really?

Addie and her gran-dude playing in the water.
Getting ready for a cruise on the jet ski!
We must do everything just like daddy does.
Adds vs. the plum. The plum won.
She saw some ducks swimming by in the lake and tried to entice them over with her plum.

Chillin out in the captains chair of the boat
Oh- we got her to smile!!! NO way!!!!!
Intrigued with the birds in the trees.
After Roger took this picture I asked "Did it turn out?". He responded "Yeh, it's great". He has obviously accepted the same Addie picture taking mentality as I have. It's just too much work to wait for her to look AND smile at the camera! We were actually this close to the monkeys in this picture. No zoom! This exhibit is one of three in the world and there is not another in the United States. You could walk into the cage of these spider monkeys and watch them run about in the trees. There were so many of them chasing each other up and down the trees, across the branches, and all around. It was so cool!

Daddy and Adds. This was the otter exhibit. She loved them! She stared and stared and then cracked up when they swam in the water. We even got a stuffed otter toy as her souvenir :)
Mommy and Addison. Typical shot-kid not looking at the camera.
This monkey exhibit was so cool. This one just stared at Addie and she was trying to touch it.
Roger and Addison. Remember, we don't actually *try* to get our child to look at the camera. It's no use!
Dad and Kristen

My new animal love, giraffes! They are stunning!
At first she looked a bit freaked out when we put her on the carousel. At the end, we couldn't get her off! She screamed and laughed during the entire ride!
She loved the goats! I think she forgot that her grandma has a whole farm of these at home! I love how she somehow wound up in the "Goats Only" section.
Some quick love for this goat before we go
I think Roger was trying to communicate with this animal or something..

Behind bars!
She was intrigued by this raccoon. I don't think she quite realized it was fake. LOL
Addison and Aunt Kristen
This is what happens when toddlers enter the world stroller-free
It's all about gran-dude!


We got back (last weekend) from our trip to Arizona. We drove out, with boat and Addie in tow, on a Sunday morning and stayed until Saturday. It was awesome to visit with my Dad, Lisa, and Zeus! But added bonus, my sister Kristen was there :) We got to hang out at the house, boat a couple of days, visit the Phoenix zoo, and check out a Cabela's store amoung lots of lounging by the pool while we were there. It was so nice to just *relax*.

We all went in the pool the day we arrived. Much to my surprise Addison really liked it. She's going through a 'I-hate-the-bath-so-I-must-scream-bloody-murder-everytime-you-put-me-in' phase, she I was pleasently surprised when she splashed in the water. She even dumped buckets over her head- we won't get into the reaction we here when that happens in the real tub. I either need to bring baby shampoo in the pool, or invest in a floating turtle that fits in the tub. Oh yes- bath time is that bad.

Onto other topics, we also hit up Lake Pleasant a couple of days with the boat and two jet skiis. It was so much fun! We really enjoy going to other lakes and checking them out. Roger and I had some good times whomping on the jet skiis. Addison had fun in the water or riding on the boat. The first day on the way in to the launh area, Addison passed out in Lisa's arms- like almost catatonic. Nothing woke that girl up!

We also went to the Phoenix Zoo. Talk about a cool zoo! The exhibits were amazing. Addison really enjoyed looking at all of the animals. I knew she would- my girl is an animal lover through and through. She was in awe at most of the exibhits.


After a week of visiting we headed home. It was such a relaxing and fun-filled trip!

Addison and Aunt Kristen

We are in Arizona on vacation this week. This is a cute pic of Adds and her Aunt Kristen on Kristen's new Macbook web cam. I soo want one of these now!!! 

In case you haven't heard about our water table,

It's awesome!! What a fun way to play outside with Adds and also cool down in this heat! She will play forever at this table. She plays with the boats, fill the bucket to make the water wheel spin, dumps water overboard, etc. It's a blast! I was so glad I picked this up whe it was on sale at Toys R Us recently.

A few pictures of us at Raquel's baby shower :)

Poor Poppy. Seriously...

I just know one day this poor guy is going to come out wearing tutus and necklaces when Addison gets older! He is such a good sport though :)

No Pictures Please!

Birthday Party Fun!

We went to our friend Rosie's daughter Megan's birthday party last weekend. Surprisingly, even though she had skipped a nap completely, Addison has a great time. I thought for sure she was going to be a crabby addie. She had a blast running around playing with kids and chasing bubbles. She loved these bubbles so much that I went out and bought the same bubble machine! The park was so beautiful, the party was a blast, and we had a great time!!

Addison's first pig tails!

And boy did she hate getting her hair done. My goodness! We'll save those for special occassions. LOL!

Family Ties

Hanging on to Mommy or Daddy is a typical warm -up activity for Adds.
Aunt Cindy and Addison. She loved the musical card and kept opening and closing, opening and closing, rinse, lather, repeat.
Mommy and Addison enjoying some of Grandma's yummy cake!
Uncle Ken and Addison
Taking a quick break to ride the bouncing zebra.

Addison and her great-grandma

Roger, his mom, his grandma, and Addie.

We recently had a BBQ at our house to Celebrate Roger and his mom's birthdays. We also wrapped up some Mother's day celebrating as well. It was the most perfect weather for an outdoor BBQ and the company wasn't shabby either :) Thank you to our family for driving all the way out to our house and not complaining about it one bit! It was fun to have you here. Addison had a blast once she got used to so many people in the house. After that she was running around and playing ball with anyone who would participate.

Addison gives lots of kisses now!

First we try some nose-nuzzles
Then we give kisses!


If you ask her to give you a kiss, she will gladly oblige. She gives a loud muuhhha with her kiss too! It's the sweetest thing! It's even funny to watch her purse her lips up will mimicking Roger or me while doing it :)

Ahh yes, Addison's new thing..

And she just does it more if you tell her no.... LOL!

I'm 18 Months Old!!

I'm close this month, only a few days off of her actual monthly birthday. We spent her 1 and 1/2 year birthday together in the afternoon. We had our pediatrician visit, then hit up the mall, and followed up with a visit to Grandma's. We can always count on fun times and animals at Grandma's house!

Addison is just amazing. She is such a happy, fun little girl. She lights up our lives. You can truly see the change in her personality recently. She understands words so much more. She is also beginning to understand the ability to communicate affection. You can ask her for a hug and a kiss and she will gleefully oblige. If she falls, a hug and a kiss make her feel better. And at night, she makes her rounds before bed dishing out love to anyone around.

She is running all over and you can tell she is pleased that the weather is nice. She would be outside all of the time if it was up to her. She walks around talking to the trees, birds, dogs, toys, and anything else she sees. It melts me to see her love for nature and animals. When playing outside she loves to throw a ball back and forth. She cracks up laughing and runs to retrieve the ball. Of course, she walks most of the way back to you before throwing it towards you a foot or so away. She also enjoys just walking around picking up leaves and rocks. She collects them and brings them over to share her new found treasures with Mommy and Daddy.

My life is amazing. I adore this little girl. The last 18 months have flown by, but yet so full at the same time.

Addie & Daddy

Addie & Mommy

18 Month Stats!

We went to the pediatrician on Addison's 18 month appointment on Friday.

Here are her stats:

Weight: 24 lbs 8 oz (50 %ile)
Height: 31" (25 %ile)

Overall we had an excellent visit. No shots for us at all, whohoo! Afterwards Addie and I enjoyed a stroll around the mall to pick up a gift for our family gathering this weekend.

She's a Popular girl...

Such a gabber already! She is either pretend talking or texting on mommy's cell phone all of the time now!

The One Mother's Day Picture We Took!

You'll have to excuse the look for first thing in the morning!

My Mother's Day Gift

Made especially by Miss Addison Elaine. I knew something was up the day she came home with purple paint under her fingernails ;) I proudly show my gift atop my desk at work.

The Raccoon in our backyard....

We've seen this big guy a couple of times in our yard. On Mother's Day, it was the first time we discovered him way up in the oak trees in our backyard. Addie was squealing with delight and not quite understanding that he wasn't going to come down and play with her.

I'm 17 Months Old!!!!

Little Addison is 17 months old! And again, each month passes faster than the one before. Ms. A is not just walking, but running all over the place! She's getting pretty quick too! She loves being outside running around or looking up in the trees and birds and squirrels. Each day when I pick her up I'm greeted with her arms locked around my legs, she doesn't even wait for me to pick her up! Then we walk out to the car while she points at everything and babbles away. While in the car she peers out the window looking for "Mooo". Moo is now the term for any animal she sees out the window. It all started with the cows next to my mom's and has morphed into any large animal. She squeals with delight and makes any attempt possible to get a better view out the window. It's hysterical! We love our animal lover :) We've been taking lots of evening walks lately. Addison kicks back in her stroller and gazes along while we walk. She has even drifted off a few times in it.

Her eating and sleeping habits are still the same. She scarfs down an impressive amount of food for a girl of her size and sleeps like a dream. I still am so happy I sleep trained her when I did. It was so worth it. I loved the days when we co-slept, but moving her into her crib and teaching her to sleep was the best thing I ever did. I can tell exactly when she is tired, and if we follow our nightly routine, she is out like a light all night long.

Sleeping all night doesn't keep her from being crabby in the morning though. If we wake her up before she rises on her own, forget it-we are in for a challenge for the entire morning. She hates getting dressed and being rushed around. She would much prefer to cuddle with us and watch TV or play with her toys. Most weekends I even leave her in PJs until after her nap if I can.

A visit to Aunt Cindy & Uncle Ken's house

We visited Aunt Cindy and Uncle Ken last weekend. The weather was gorgeous! We were outside most of the time enjoying the company and scenery. Aunt Cindy took the pics since my camera was dead, maybe that is why there aren't any of her??? Addison has some interesting facial expressions. She was really trying to take everything in.

Thank you guys for a great time!! We miss you!!!

This is a face only her mother could love..

*disaster* Poor Addie-bug seems to get allergies. This means eye gunk and boogers all around. Add that to the normal dirt she gets into and *viola* you get this! Seriously though, I'm going to take her into the doctor this week. She's been rubbing her eyes and sneezing like crazy.

Toddler + Coupons =

Gut-busting Laughs!!

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Addison's Song

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I've sang this simple little song to my girl since since was a newborn. I certainly can't carry a tune, but Addison will dance and smile when she hears me sing it. It works wonders in the car too :)

Her dance skills in this video crack me up!

My First Popsicle

I found these sugar-free popsicles at the market and though; Why not? It took a few seconds of getting over the cold factor, but then she dove right in! I knew she loved it based on the blue slobber everywhere!!!

Addie, you're not supposed to be coloring on that...

It's a coaster!

Scrub a dub dub,

Addie-bug in the tub!

This little one *has* to get a bath now every single day. She is a messy one at Tutor Time! Now that they play outside in the nice weather, she is all about the sand!

Addison and her Uncle AJ

My youngest brother is 10 and Addison just adores him. This is a cute picture of them one d

ay when they were over visting :)

*sigh* A purse lover already!

Not the best pictures here. I was trying to not crack up laughing. Addison was walking around with the Ladybug basket from her Godmother Jen as a purse. She was picking it up, holding it in the crease of her arm and walking around blabbibg away.