Pumpkin Carving

I thought Addison would be really interested in carving pumpkins. I stripped her down, layed out some plastic on the counters and the floor, and had prepared myself for a mess like no other! However, she surprised me! I couldn't believe how NOT interested she was in the whole process. I am guessing she gets her lack of enthusiam in regards to pumpkin carving from me - because I detest it! (Yes, detest!) But I was a good sport and carved one anyway - I can't remember the last time I did it - and remarkably, it wasn't as bad as I remembered.

This was about as interested as she got and it only lasted about 30 seconds.

The finished product.

My pumpkin.

Lane's pumpkin. This one didn't last long - it was moldy and rotten within 2 days...

Seriously, not interested!

Beach Time with Grammy

No trip to see us in Florida would be complete with out a trip to the beach. On Sunday of my mom and Lane's trip, we got up early. After taking Charlie to work - he was heading to Atlanta for the week - we drove down to Mexico Beach for a morning in the sun. When we left the house, we were kind of worried because it was pretty chilly. However, by the time we got to the beach, the temperture out was perfect - there was even a light breeze to keep the bugs away and to prevent it from getting miserable hot.

It is always fun for me to watch the look on people's faces when they see the white powder beaches here for the first time. And Lane was no exception. He kept saying "it looks like powdered sugar" and it does. Lane was also amazed that in October you could still get into the water. I kept telling him that the water is cold now, but I don't think he believed me. But I guess compared to the Pacific Ocean - a body of water you can't get into ANYTIME of the year - the Gulf of Mexico was feeling good to him.

We had a good time at the beach. I especially had a nice time because I got to sit and enjoy - and Grammy chased the little one for a couple hours. (I miss just sitting and enjoying the sound of the waves.)

Saturday October 24, evening

While my mom was here, Charlie and I thought it would be a great time to take advantage of having a babysitter and have a date night. Grammy was more than happy to do the job. So Charlie and I headed out to Pier Park in Panama City Beach for dinner and a movie. Panera Bread was a real treat since we have to drive quite a distance to have it. And I highly recommend seeing the movie "Couples Retreat." It is a great date movie. All in all, it was a great night for us to get away and we truly enjoyed going out to a meal and having a conversation that wasn't interupted every five seconds by an impatient toddler!

While we were gone, Lane and my mom went on an "alligator hunt." They weren't successful, but Addison did help them find a park to play at instead!

"Come on, Grammy! The park is this way."

Actually, they had spotted a bald eagle that they were trying to get close to so Lane could take a picture.

She doesn't ride in the wagon, she pulls it!

World's strongest baby! (Wouldn't that be nice - Grammy is actually holding her up!)

How can my baby be such a big girl all ready?

There are just no words for this one. She is such a silly kid!

Saturday October 24, morning

"I want this one, daddy!"

Posing for a quick picture.

"I will take this one too!"


She really liked climbing on, around - pretty much all over the pumpkins.

Checking out the small pumpkins.

Also, our new profile picture is from that day at the pumpkin patch.

Our original plan was to take my mom and Lane to the beach on the Saturday of their visit. But after looking at the weather report, we decided to change our plans due to rain. Well, it didn't end up raining, but we went with our alternate plan anyway.

Last year, we didn't carve pumpkins, let a lone buy any. So we thought this year we would get some pumpkins, but we wanted to take Addison to a pumpkin patch. We thought it was something she would really like and would wear her out as well. Of course, we weren't there nearly long enough for her as she threw a fit when it was time to go, but we got some great pictures and she did enjoy it. We will definitely do it again next year - we may even take her to the pumpkin patch in Cottondale, FL where there is a petting zoo as well. (Probably would have just gone there in the first place, but we didn't find out about that one until after the fact.)

Thanks to all my PC facebook buddies who hooked us up with the pumpkin patch we went to. Until you guys told me, I hadn't been able to find one on the internet.

Friday Oct. 23rd

Last Friday my mom, and Lane - a friend's son, flew down to Florida to spend a long weekend with us. The took the red eye and arrived early on Friday morning. Lane had never been on an airplane before so he was really excitted and not interested in taking a nap...

That being said, Addison and I drove to Chuck's squadron to get Lane and my mom out on the flight line to get up close and personal with the F22. A very wide-eyed Lane had lots and lots of questions for Charlie. I think it is safe to say that Lane was impressed.

After that, Addison and I took them home and we all took a nice, LONG nap.

At 3, we took Addison to a Halloween party at one of the squadron's here. The ACS squadron hosts this party every year in thier building. There are crafts, games, snacks, face painting, haunted houses. They go all out! They also decorate all the offices and kids are invited to dress up, come in and trick or treat. Since we feel like she is too little to take her out to trick or treat, this was her moment - and the main reason Grammy came for the visit. And not only was Addison ADORABLE, but she was pretty fearless too. (She had no issues walking into haunted rooms to get candy - she even did better than some of the bigger kids who were scared!)

And I think you will all agree, she was totally adorable in her hula costume! I really struggled deciding what we were going to dress her up as - I thought about a black cat, a ballerina, or a hula girl. All would have been cute - because let's face it - Addison would be cute in ANYTHING she put on - but I think we made the best choice. Not only was she above and beyond cute, there were NO other hula girls at the party so she was totally unique.

Vote for Addison

I have enterted Addison in a cute kid contest. Go vote for her! Here is the link...

http://gapc-vote.com/?p=1874815

Technical Difficulities

I have so much to get you all caught up on. We had company over the weekend and did some very fun things. However, I am having some difficulties posting pictures to each blog. I am finding myself becoming very frustrated as I am not sure if it is the website or our STUPID computer. (More than likely the computer because it is a HUNK of junk!) So rather than continue to get mad, I am going to walk away. Please check back in a couple of days. You won't want to miss all the cute pictures I have to post!

Jacksonville

We put the dogs in a kennel on Friday and headed to Jacksonville for the weekend. We went with the idea that we were going to head to Carmax and sell them my car - more about that later - and we met up with some good friends.

We left really early Saturday morning. We thought it was only a four hour trip, but it ended up being about 5 1/2 hours. Addison did great - she just sat in the back seat and watched Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse the whole way. When we got to Carmax, they did not offer us at all what the car was worth according to Kelly Blue Book. So we said thank you very much and decided to not sell them the car. It was very disapointing because we have always had such good luck with them. Anyway, not all hope is lost. We are going to try and sell it on our own. It will be a lot more work, but we will - hopefully - be able to get a lot more for it. So if anyone needs a Honda CRV, I have one I will sell to you.

After we went to Carmax, we drove over to the hotel and met up with The Shaver's. Chad was the best man in our wedding and Chuck's best friend from the Academy. We have not seen them since the Christmas before Addie was born so they not only got to meet our little one, but we got to meet Little Emma who was born in July. What a cutie! I forget how small they are... Anyway, we went to dinner with them and had a great time just visiting with them. That alone made the whole trip worth it.

The original plan also included a trip to the zoo, but after a very LOOOOONG night with Addie, we decided to do it another time. She was up almost every half hour to hour all night that night. We were all exhausted and decided we didn't have the energy or desire to hit the zoo. I am sure she would have loved it but we will go try it again in the future.

That was really the highlight of last week. Addison and I had our usual playdate with Kelly and Emily, but that was really it. I was able to get a lot done around the house last week, but the social calendar was a little less full than normal.

This week, we have a midly busy week. It is a Mops week so we will do that on Thursday. Kelly and Emily are out of town so we won't be doing that this week, but Addie's Grammy is coming on Friday. We have a base kids' Halloween party we are taking her to on Friday afternoon so we will be busy getting her costume ready for that - and it is a GOOOOOD one. Chuck and I are also going to have a date night on Saturday night - you know, you have to take advantage of that free babysitter when you have it. But other than that, we will just be around cleaning the house, getting it ready for Addison's company.

The weather has cooled off, and it is hopefully going to stay that way. (In fact, right now I am sitting out on our screened in patio typing this update while Addie plays in the back yard.) We had a great week two weeks ago, than it got miserable again. It was so cool in fact over the weekend, we were in jeans and sweatshirts - HEAVEN! Keep your fingers crossed for us that the end of the hot weather has blessed us...

Streakin!

My child has discovered how to take off her diaper. She loves to take it off and streak around the living room and laugh hysterically! She is a pretty fast little bugger too because she is really hard to track down to get a diaper on her. Luckily, we have had no "accidents." I am wondering if this is my clue to start playing with the whole potty training thing. Any ideas?

Week of October 5th

Well since I have all ready written about Monday, I will start with Tuesday...

Chuck and I did a little expirement this week. We are thinking about becoming a one car family for a while. We thought it might be nice to not only be green, but save some green too! But before we just go out and trade my car in, we thought we would give it try. We are in a unique situation living on base and could very easily be a one car family for a while, so why not CASH in on that? It went really well - at least for me because the only day I didn't have the car this week was Tuesday. So, it is looking like we will be going down to one car. I know that it won't be easy - especially when Chuck has to be at work really early in the morning. And I know that there will be times when we will have wished we didn't do it. But I also know that it will be temporary and our bank account will certainly thank us.

Addison and I had a very busy week - as per usual.

On Tuesday, we met our friends Chris and Cally at the play ground across from our house. It was fun, but it was also extremly HOT, so we didn't stay out long. But we were out long enough that Addie came home and slept for four hours. It was marvelous as I got to nap for a little while too!

Wednesday was our usual play date with Emily and Kelly. This week we went up to their house. Addison and Emily are only four months apart, so they have a lot of fun together and Kelly and I get some time for some grown up talk - which is always nice. After our play date, we met up with Lisa Richter for lunch. Her husband was the D.O. - second in command - in the 95th FS when we were here the first time. We loved Ammo and Lisa - they have always been two of our most favorite people that we have met during our Air Force career. We have been trying to meet up with her since we have been back but between her schedule and mine, we hadn't been able to do that. It was great to see her, share some laughs, and she got to meet Ms. Addie. Of course, Addison performed well for her. Ms. Lisa even taught Addison the "Pretty Face." The two of them seemed to hit it off great! And yes, Lisa. She has been doing the "pretty face" since we left you on Wednesday...

Thursday was a MOPS day this week, so we were off doing that. Addison again did great being left in child care while I was our talking "mom" things with other mommies. Sometimes I am pretty sure she doesn't even know that I am gone. In some ways, I think it is nice that she is so independent - but in other ways, I would like to feel like she misses me, even just a little, while I am gone.

Chuck left for an air show in South Carolina on Friday morning. Originally, Addison and I were thinking about driving up and meeting him, but it was a really long trip for me to make alone with her. And it would have really only been for a day, so we decided it wasn't worth it. Chuck was able to meet up with the Shaver's and got to see their newest family member, Emma. I am pretty jealous I wasn't there for that, but it is sounding like we are going to meet them in Jacksonville next weekend, so I guess I can't be too upset. So anyway, Addison and I have been hanging around the house all weekend, working on getting it clean, getting the laundry done, putting up the Halloween decorations, grocery shopping, etc. etc. etc. He is home tonight and luckily, Chuck is off tomorrow for Columbus day so we will get at least one day with him before he goes back to work for the week.

At this point, this week is looking much slower than the last few. Presently, Addison only has one social engagement on her calendar - her weekly playdate with Emily. I am hoping that the weather will cool off and we can hit the beach one day this week, but it has been miserably hot here again and I can't/won't take her when it is this hot - for both of our sakes.

It is hard to believe that we have almost reached the mid-way point of October all ready. This year is certainly flying by. It is even harder to believe that the holidays are RAPIDLY approaching. I know many of you don't want to go there yet, but it is true. They will be here before we know it. Be here and than gone. Presently, we have no plans to go anywhere for the Holidays. We will be here, in hopefully great weather. Our door is open to anyone who is looking for a nice, warm spot to get away to. (And I am not just talking for the holidays either. Our door is always open.)

I am currently sitting out on our screened in back porch with the screen door popped open watching Addison play in her big sand box - aka - our back yard. It is really pretty hot again today, so I am pretty sure as I finish up this post, so will her time outside. We are both flushed and sweating - story of our lives anymore. (Whoever thinks that is really October, raise your hand? It certainly isn't here.) I think all of the Schuck's are really looking forward to the weather cooling off and us being able to spend some serious time outside - our little one loves it and I have felt guilty most of the summer keeping her in. Just a hunch, but I think I am really going to miss the seasons while we live here. I all ready miss fall...

DUH!

Also, it just occured to me that today marks two years. Two years ago today, we found out we were going to be parents! It was a great day! Happy birthday, Granny.

Vet

The dogs had to go to the vet today and I couldn't find anyone to sit for me so I wouldn't have to take Addison. It was a nightmare. Lily was pulling and yanking on the leash, barking at anyone and anything in the vet's office, pacing, panting - all in all, acting like an ass. Addison on the other hand, decided that she was not interested in sitting in her stroller and was trying to get out. When she couldn't because she was strapped in, she screamed, and screamed and carried on and on. When they finally called us back to the exam room, the tech didn't even help me manuever back, didn't even offer! To make matters worse, I had to hold Lily down when they were clipping her nails. FYI!!! Not my JOB! I take them to the vet so I don't have to hold them down to do it. I take them to the vet so I don't have to be involved in that process at all. Thank GOD that Luci acted like a mature, well behaved dog because if she hadn't - the Schuck family might have become dog-free today.

I didn't realize what a great vet we had in VA until today. Salty Paws was awesome! They would help me with Addison - even let me leave her with them while I manuvered dogs. I could just hand over the leash to them and they would take the dogs back to the back and clip thier nails and never had to be involved. (And we won't even talk about how wonderful they were with us and Coco when we were dealing with that nightmare.) I really missed those ladies at Salty Paws today and needless to say, we will be looking for a new vet here in Florida. So any of my Panama City peeps - we are up for suggestions!!!

Much Needed ME Time

For the first month or so we were here, on Saturdays Charlie would take Addison so I could escape for some alone time. With so many things going on, that kind of fell by the way side. But I am getting out this morning for some very much needed me time.

I am going shopping! I figure it is a great time of year to get some clothes for next summer for our little munchkin since all the summer clothes are on clearance right now. I know for sure I am going to head out to Pier Park - which is great shopping that wasn't here when we lived here five years ago. And thank heavens for Pier Park - with out it, the shopping here would be almost non-existant. The have an Old Navy so I will most definitely be going there, but other than that, I will just have to play it by ear. Regardless, I am very excitted to have some time to just be with me, myself and I.

However, both our schools are on tv today, so I have to be back to the house at 2:30 or so. Air Force plays Navy and the kick off is at 2:30. Followed by Oregon State at ASU. (Addie is all set - she has her new Beaver shirt on that Grammy and Papa bought her last week while they were down in Corvallis at the OSU-UA game.) Hopefully both teams play great to make this a HAPPY day at the Schuck house!

We were supposed to be heading to a squadron murder-mystery party tonight, but were unable to find a sitter. Sad! But on the other hand, if we were going to the party, we wouldn't be able to watch the Beavs - and since they are very seldomly on here, I feel like i HAVE to take advantage of that. In any case, I hope the American Hornet crowd has a great time.

Caught up

Well, I think I officially have this blog of ours caught up with all of our summer fun activities. From here on out the things that will be posted will be "current events" that are happening with the Schuck's. Sorry for so many posts over the past few days... I swear I am going to be better about this whole blogging thing!

Random Pics from TX Relative's Visit #3

Alex, Melissa, and Derrick playing shuffle board in Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood.

Melissa flexing her muscles.

Amazing PNW sunset - in honor of our TX relatives.

Loving on Cousin Brianna

Super fast!

Random Pics from TX Relative's Visit #2

All the kids on the way up to Mt. Hood - Alex, Derrick, Melissa, Lauren and Brianna

Enjoying the great PNW weather and view with a bbq at Tim and Cindy's. (Tim, Rob, Grandma Mary, and Cheryl)

Walking around at Uncle Tim and Aunt Cindy's with Grammy and Papa.

Swimming machine! Or show off for the relatives!

Rocking out with Cousin Alex.

Bye bye

Addison said "bye bye" tonight. We were getting ready to go up to Chuck's work to show a friend of mine's brother the jet. As we were getting ready to leave I said to Addison "Let's go bye bye to see Daddy!" Her response was "bye yi." Good enough for me. Than she said it again as she walked to the car. It was sooooooo cute. So now instead of saying "bye bye" we say "bye yi" now. I have a feeling fully formed words are right around the corner and than Lord help us...

Princess Party

In early September, Addison was invited to a princess birthday party. All attendees were asked to dress like a princess. So, with the help of Grammy, I got busy and made her a dress. Note: All the material in her dress is material from her mommy and daddy's wedding - the bridesmaid's dresses were made out of this material. I also put together a make-shift crown, and while she left it on for her picture, it was taken off fairly quickly. Regardless of how long she kept her outfit assembled - I think we will all agree that she looks pretty darn cute!

Random Pics from TX Relative's Visit #1

Saying hello to Rachel.

She was quite the entertainer for the relatives.

Picking the beach crud out of her toes on the way home from Ecola.

House from the movie "The Goonies."



Addison pointing out the sealions to everyone in Astoria.

Family

This is not the whole family that attended Joyce's "memorial." This is about half of my dad's family. We are quite a large herd of people...

Family Get Together #3

Impormtu "memorial" to Joyce on the dock before we got on the boat.

Cousins Matt and Joe.

"Aunt" Mary saluting Joyce.

Addie and Grammy waiting for the boat.



Addie playing with Cousin Grace.

Family Get Together #2

Addie trying s'mores for the first time. Oh yum!

Uncle Gene, Aunt Frances, and Uncle Bill on the boat.

Cousins Matt, Beth and John on the boat.

The newest member of our brood - Allison Joyce Paul.



Dad and his sister, Frances. Love to Aunt Frannie!