Nutcrackers and Sugar Cookies

It was formerly a Tompkins family yearly tradition to go to The Nutcracker ballet -- until after seeing the show approximately 235 years in a row, we all got a bit bored and the tradition died. This year my mom decided to resurrect said tradition because of Addi's obsession with the Nutcracker DVD she got her. It is the 1970's version with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Addi will watch it from beginning to end without even blinking -- I kid you not. She got to dress up in a beautiful Christmas dress that my parent's got her and she had a fabulous time. She told us all about the funny rats that were falling all over the stage (they were actually dying, but she doesn't need to know that) and apparently there was a dragon that came to the edge of the stage and winked at her (Noni had front row seats)! The show was a hit and now Addi and her Noni have their own holiday tradition.


Here is Addi, yes in her ballet pj's, post Nutcracker excitment.


This year we went to Auntie Karen and Uncle Steve's (or as Addi calls him Uncle Pete) house and had a holiday celebration. Karen made homemade sugar cookies and she and Addi spent the better part of an hour decorating like pros. Addison took her role very seriously and didn't even eat a cookie until they were all beautifully iced.


The finished product - my personal favorite is Christine's bikini-clad Santa.


Addi didn't have time for pictures.

Birthday Extravaganza!

Addi turned 3 this year and I still can't believe it! We were totally gung-ho for a kids party this year, but our grand plans went down the toilet once we discovered we had procrastinated a bit too long. We also thought that because this is Addi's last year as an only child we would spend a fun-filled Mommy and Daddy day where we would do anything Addi desires and then have family over later for the cake and gift opening. On our special family day we took Addi to the aquarium downtown and went out to lunch. She basically squealed the entire time! She had so much fun looking at all the fish and declaring whether each one was a Nemo fish or a Dory fish -- and yes, each and every one fit into either category. At the end of our visit we got to touch some rays in a big pool -- Addi was a bit concerned and ended up being content just watching us touch them.

For her family party, Addison got to pick out her own cake and, surprise, surprise, she picked a Nemo cake.

Licking the icing directly off the cake is a birthday girl right.


She is meticulous about unwrapping presents -- each peice of paper must be removed before she even acknowledges the existence of a present.


Addi got an art set as a gift from her Papa and was absolutely thrilled with the watercolors. She will sit for 30 minutes just concentrating on her painting.


We opened presents a few days later with Nana and Zia.

Tree Time

Last weekend we got our Ickler family Christmas tree! We promised Addi that she could pick it out, so when I accidentally told the tree guy which one we wanted I had to back track a bit and verify the final decision with Addi. She was obsessed with the ornaments and carefully examined each one while declaring, "Oh, how cute!" We then let Addi take full command of hanging all candy canes on the tree. As a result we have some really concentrated areas of candy canage, but the tree has some major character, and we love it!



Addison and her candy cane forest -- note how all canes are easily accessible to her little grabby hands, and towards the back so she can remove them unnoticed.


Tada, all done!


During some rigorous snow shoveling Addi and Daddy made some snow seats to rest in.


Post snow removal lounge time.

Belly bulge

Here is a belly pic for week 22! So far everything is going very well. I already feel as though my tummy is enormous and I make this known by obnoxiously grunting and groaning every time I walk up the stairs or have to roll over in bed. It is quite pathetic how easy it is for me to become completely exhausted, but that is just the main side effect of the weekly progesterone injections. II, or Dos as we have been calling her, is a major squirmer and she gives me lots of energetic kicks every night while I lounge a bit. Brian hasn't felt her kick yet, but I have felt her kick at his hand as it lies on my tummy. We went on a long walk a couple of weeks ago and I think I pulled a groin muscle or something, because it hurts to walk too much, roll over in bed, or lift my leg in a certain way. Super loose ligaments that are easily pulled are another nice side effect of the injections, but as long as they give me a full term monkey I can handle anything they throw at me. The nausea has abated quite a bit and I only feel mildly sick all day long. All in all everything is going very well and I feel quite well compared to just a couple of weeks ago!

Winter Montage

The other night Addi and Brian took a nice driveway-shoveling break for a sled ride around the neighborhood. It was literally 4 degrees outside, but they had fun nonetheless. The street was still coated in hard packed snow, so the ride was smooth and exciting.


This is quite possibly the squinkiest picture of Addi to date. It was taken post sled ride and her cheeks and nose are super rosy. She is also sporting a Dora band aid after having had a face-to-furniture encounter earlier in the day -- there was no blood involved and the bonk actually occurred above her hairline, but she insisted on the band aid anyway.


Brian decided to increase our xmas light coverage this year, which required some roof access. I was a bit nervous, but he did the job flawlessly and now our house is super cute and festive!


Next year we will add some more lights to the roof, but this does the job for now.

Poppy's Birthday

Last weekend we celebrated Poppy's birthday at our house with a low key gathering. We played some games (our favorite uber-nerd game Settlers of Catan), watched the Broncos and lucky Poppy got to watch The Little Mermaid with Addi as they lounged on the couch.


Addi knew that Poppy was the special birthday boy and used her cute girl powers to persuade him to let her help blow out the candles.


Addi jumped the gun a bit and blew out all but one of the candles before we were done singing Happy Birthday!


After her b-day faux pas, Addi was polite enough to allow Poppy to blow out his one remaining candle.

It's the Snuggie

If you're looking for a Christmas gift idea for us, look no further than the "Snuggie." It's the blanket with sleeves!

Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqHSIiAXdSU

(Seriously, are people so stupid that they can't put on a sweater? Who the hell would wear a fleece blanket that makes them look like a monk?)

It's a GIRL!!!

Our 20 week ultrasound was excellent yesterday. We were really nervous, because with Addi's 20 week ultrasound they saw that she had echogenic bowel and the complications spiraled out of control from there. II, however, is perfectly healthy and was very cooperative during the ultrasound -- we have another fabulous little girl on the way! We are really excited and can't wait to meet her. . . in another 19 weeks at the earliest. If only Addi knew of the girl fights, hair pulling, clothes stealing, and screaming that is to come. Those of us who grew up in 2 daughter households know all about it -- just ask the Fererro girls about the fight that ended with a shattered toilet.

This is a gorgeous bouquet that Linda and Theresa dropped off for us onced they found out the great news!

Here is a scary ultrasound picture. The baby is looking at us with seemingly empty ocular cavities and a little skeleton head. I am sure though, as her mother, that she is really way cuter in person : )

Here is the proud big sister to be. She doesn't really understand. We keep saying, "Addi, did you know that you are going to have a sister?" and she simply replies, "No, a girl." The concept will stick sooner or later, I'm sure.

Kara's PSA: Cheerios = The Enemy

I just wanted to post a warning for all of my friends who are thinking about getting knocked up. If you have constant gastrointestinal issues like I do, then stay far far away from the Cheerios. I wanted a relatively low-cal snack last night, because according to the doc's scale, I gained 4 lbs last week. I am convinced that their scale needs some re-calibrating, or the nurse was doing it wrong -- and anyone who says differently isn't allowed to speak to me until I shat this kid out. Anyway, back to the Cheerios, heartburn, reflux central. I was regurging that crap all night, and FYI, Cheerio burps make nausea exponentially worse. So for all of you preggos out there -- Stay Away from the Cheerios, trust me!

Hedge your bets

Alright, here is the 19 week belly pic. We are now taking bets on the baby's sex, seeing as how we will be finding out at our 20 week ultrasound this coming Friday. We have had varied predictions, and I still have no intuitive opinions on the subject. We honestly will be happy whether the baby is a boy or girl -- I know that is the pc response, but it is true : ) Tune in Friday for the results and the new ultrasound picture!

Playdate

Addi had her BFF Maggie over for a playdate yesterday. They had so much fun and were really cute . . . most of the time. Now that the girls are well into the toddler stage they are really pushing the limits. One minute they were loving eachother and giving kisses, the next they were pushing and shoving and trying to initimidate each other. You have never seen two more bossy little ones. Even though they had a few tumultuous moments, in the end they were both very upset when Maggie had to go home. Maggie screamed and cried and Addi pouted before finally saying, "Maggie went bye bye, she crying like a baby." All in all pretty entertaining for me and the munchkins!


The girls had fun pushing each other around in the wagon.


Addi was having more fun than she let on in this pic.


Here are the little monsters in action -- quite cute actually : )

Halloween

Alright, we have been neglecting the blog lately, so here is our belated Halloween post. Addi dressed up as a zookeeper this year. She loved her hat and was amazed that her prop monkey would hang on to her like that! She kept saying, "that monkey love me so much." On our way out trick-or-treating we ran into Addi's neighborhood BFF Maggie from across the street, so we decided to trick-or-treat with her and daddy Tim. The girls had a blast running and squealing on their way up various driveways, and they were polite little pros with their "thank you's" upon receiving their treats.


Addi is the only little dorky kid on the planet who thought that getting a pencil instead of candy for a Halloween treat was the greatest thing in the world. She carried her pencil around the entire night : )


The dads return after a grueling night of trick-or-treating.

History in the Making

Now that the election is over, what are we going to blog about? I guess we can get excited about inauguration day on January 20.

In a way, the party/rally that each candidate planned for last night really sums up the quality, character and politics of each individual. On the one hand, McCain, with 3,000 of his best friends, held a party at the glitzy Biltmore resort in Arizona. At the complete opposite end of the spectrum was 100,000+ of Obama's supporters and believers, jam packed into a Chicago city park. I'm not sure what's more inspirational - our belief in Obama, or Obama's belief in us.

Kara and I watched the election coverage at our house with family and friends. In 2000 and 2004, we stayed up until the early morning hours waiting and watching, and were glad to go to bed at a decent hour, this time around. Afterward, we talked about this election with a reverence that only once-in-a-lifetime moments receive.

When we're 80, we'll fondly remember the election of 2008 for so many reasons. It was the election when so many of America's black youths had someone other than rappers and NBA stars to aspire to be. It was the election that showed when we disapprove of our elected officials, 63 million votes can run them out of town. It was the election that electrified a generation, and brought out the youth vote like never before. It was the election that gave us hope that Addison and her unborn sibling have a bright future in a bright America.

Oh, and we've been waiting 8 long years to say:
Bye bye Bush. Bye bye Cheney. We hope to never see you, or your politics again.

Obama 2012!

It's Election Day!

Denver Obama Rally

This weekend we had the opportunity to show our support for Obama at his rally downtown. We figured that this could be our only chance to see Obama speak in person, and since I have been feeling a bit better we decided to make a day of it. Addi had the best time. She loves to people watch, so between just looking around in her backpack and eating snacks all day I would say she had a pretty good time! Since we took the lightrail from The Ranch to Denver, Addi also got to go on her first ever train ride!

It was crazy to be at Civic Center Park with 100,000 other people. We actually got pretty close considering the crowd extended all the way back to the steps of the capitol building.

Chilly, but enthused! At one point Addi joined the crowd in an Obama chant, only she couldn't say it as fast as everyone else, so she was a bit off -- it was really cute.

Our friends Chris and Kim came with us (so did Linda and Theresa, but they aren't pictured). My Mom and Ash were there too, but they were volunteering, so we didn't see them until after the rally. It was great to celebrate the day with friends and family.

U.S. Government 101

While the McCain campaign drones on about how scary it will be if the Obama/Pelosi/Reid trifecta is running the country, let's remind ourselves that the system of checks and balances includes that elusive, third arm called the judicial branch. Let's play out both scenarios:

Scenario A: Obama wins and the Dems will control both the White House (executive) and Congress (legislative). During his term, 2 or 3 liberal-leaning Supreme Court (judicial) justices will retire, meaning that even if they are replaced with equal liberal-leaning judges, there will still be a 5-4 majority of conservatives on the bench.

Scenario B: McCain wins and the GOP will control the White House, while the Dems will retain Congress. But, most important to note, McCain will appoint conservatives to the court, changing the composition from 5-4 to 7-2 or even 8-1.

So let us ask you what you think has the potential to be a more effective government.

Will it be a Democratically controlled Congress and White House that has the ability to actually pass legislation instead of just stagnating (see past 2 years for reference), all while being checked by the Supreme Court?

Or, will it be a Republican controlled White House, unable to agree on anything that Congress does, vetoing just for the sake of vetoing, and letting the Supreme Court morph into a completely one-sided monster?

Vote early! Vote Obama!

Palin + Cheney = Paleney

For weeks now, I haven't been able to put my finger on why Sarah Palin is so slimy. Then, while talking with KUSA in Colorado, she revealed the answer -- she is Dick Cheney in disguise! Only Dick Cheney would say, in response to a question from Brandon, a 3rd grader, about what the job of the Vice President is, "...[T]hey’re in charge of the U.S. Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom."

Not that an ordinary citizen should have to quote the Constitution to one of our political "leaders" but here goes: "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided."

Translation, the Vice President holds a ceremonial role in the Senate, but no power except as tiebreaker. And after this election season, I don't think we'll be seeing a lot of tiebreakers, not with a Dem majority in the Senate.

Troops to Teachers

John McCain spewed some stuff tonight about the so-called "Troops to Teachers" program where "people after having served in the military can go right to teachers without having to take these examinations...or have certifications...required in some states." Sounds like an awesome plan to improve math and science. Here is an average school day for our 1st graders under McCain/Palin:

6:00 am - Run laps in full combat gear
7:00 am - Disarming IEDs
8:00 am - Crowd control
9:00 am - Humvee driver ed
10:00 am - Shooting practice (Sniper school if you are in the gifted and talented program)
11:00 am - How to spit shine your boots
12:00 pm - Lunch (MREs of course)
1:00 pm - Language (not spanish though)
2:00 pm - "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" instead of "Show and Tell"
3:00 pm - Nap time.

Hey Katy - you should have gone to Iraq instead of wasting all that time on a Master's Degree.

The Belly Begins

Well, since the belly has begun, I figured it was time to document. I am now 14 weeks along, and everything has been going well so far. I am still suffering from the annoying and constant nausea. Last week I had a couple of days where I couldn't even get out of bed, but Sunday and today I actually feel pretty good! I am hoping that the nausea will start to fade a bit now -- please please please!!! I have been feeling the baby kick for at least a week now, which is the best part of pregnancy in my book. If I poke the belly with a finger the little one treats it like a punching bag -- I'm already finding ways to annoy #2 : ) I am refusing to keep track of my weight. The only thing that makes the nausea subside is eating, and I don't feel well enough to exercise yet, so I know I am going to tank up. I have made peace with this reality and I know that is what post-baby jogging is for. Therefore the doc can track my weight and I will live in my own little world of sweet ignorance : )


Brian is tracking his baby belly as well. I tease him and say that he needs to keep up with me throughout the pregnancy, but we all know that won't happen : )


This is just an adorable pic of Addi Lane.

The Corn Maze

Last weekend we took Addi to the Corn Maze by the Botanical Gardens at Chatfield. She went last year, but cried pretty much the whole time. This year she was thrilled with the whole event! What is more fun to a 2 year old than running around like a crazed wild animal and not getting scolded for it? There were all of these cutouts where little ones could pose -- Addison caught on to the idea quickly and insisted that I take her picture at every single one of them.


Her neck really is almost that skinny : )



I felt like vomiting through most of the maze, so we just let Daddy look at the map and lead us to the end. Of course we let Addi lead the way so that she felt she held the most important role -- she relished it. She was an excellent leader and walked the whole way without asking to be carried!

My Candidacy for President

I guess somebody wants to see an Ickler-Obama ticket on the ballot this November.

A Weekend Digging in the Dirt

This weekend we completely rid ourselves of the ugly homemade patio the previous owners had left us. After removing the bricks and concrete, Brian added some soil, did some grading, and added a sprinkler line. This week we will have sod installed and voila, it's like the ugly patio never existed!

I sat my urpy self on the patio and kept Bri company, and we gave Addi her own little shovel and told her to dig away. Needless to say, she had the best time ever! She literally dug for hours, and now has a full-blown obsession with worms.


The funniest part of the afternoon was when Addi spotted a helicopter flying overhead and tried to flag it down with a little orange sprinkler flag. God, toddlers are cute.


The next day Addi went to digging again and insisted on wearing her gardening gloves. She picked them out herself at Home Depot.


If they decide to go pro, this may be the image on the front of their brochure : )