tricks!

Addie loves to show off her skills. Her favorites are clapping, waving, blowing kisses, giving "five."

Look who's ONE!

Our little Addie is now a big One year old! I can't believe we've had her a whole year already! We threw a big party to celebrate this big day. Lots of friends came over and showered Addie with love and gifts. She also enjoyed her very own pink cake, especially the frosting (see pictures). We are so proud of our little lady and were so happy to have our friends celebrate with us.

Can you find Addie?

Yay, time for cake!

Dinnertime & she's still the birthday princess...this is her new "smile" for the camera

Christmas!

Addie had her first Christmas and it was wonderful! It was just the 3 of us and we got an unexpected snow storm that day, so we were warm & cozy indoors. Addie enjoyed opening her gifts (though i think we enjoyed watching her even more!). She wasn't big into the wrapping paper, but once she saw the toy, she got a cute little smile on her face and would poke at it with her index finger. We read a boardbook about Jesus' birth and the reason we celebrate Christmas...Addie loves turning the pages for us. Though we missed our families back in CA & MN, nothing beats a quiet Christmas at home!

Merry Christmas from the Mercer's!


Yummy Christmas Eve feast!



waking up to new toys...yay!

my best friend, "cowie"

Addie has a best friend named "cowie." It's a security blanket w/ a cow's head & arms on top (actually it might be a giraffe, but i think it looks like a yellow cow). We got it when Addie was about 7 months old and started giving it to her whenever she slept, hoping she'd become attached and it'd help her sleep when not at home. Well it worked...too well! She doesn't sleep easily without it. We had to get another "cowie: after it was left at daycare once and we had to drive back & get it. She likes to suck on the arms, which can get pretty gross, so we are washing them pretty much every day. So far Addie has made transitions very easy for us. She gave up her pacifier and thumb sucking on her own at about 6-7 months, but it's looking like "cowie" will be around for awhile :) The only way to get her to let it go is to replace it with a bottle when she wakes up!

First Haircut!

First Thanksgiving & first haircut all in one.

Not a professional doo, but a trim by mom on the kitchen table none the less. We had a dilemma...keep the shaggy, pre-mullet going, or risk making her look even more boyish. We took the risk and here she is:

Before:

During:

After:


oh and today we found two more bottom teeth, for a grand total of eight! She used those new teeth to chew up some yummy turkey, which put both her & I to sleep for a long nap!

Happy Thanksgiving!

movin & shakin

Addie finally crawled today! We thought she was just gonna skip it. She has been pulling herself up and walking around the furniture for at least a week now. To get around, though, she would sit up, then go flat on her belly, then roll over & sit back up again.
Check out some footage:

Halloween Chicken

Addie was a cute little chick for her first Halloween. She got to go to a 1st grade party with daycare, so she was a bit worn out for the evening. We went to my (Kassie's) work and got her picture taken and visited my co-workers. She was a hit and got tons of oohs & awws. From there we went over to some friends to go trick or treating, but Addie was so worn out she fell asleep on the way and she awoke and was overly tired when we got there, so she had a bit of a meltdown and cried for awhile before finally giving in and falling asleep again. Oh well, she wouldn't have gotten the candy anyway :)