Addie Turns 1!

Our baby girl is growing up! We don't usually go "all out" for our dogs' birthdays, but, since this is Addie's first, we decided to get her and Peyton some treats. I stopped by a local pet store and purchased a dog cake kit. You combine the mix with water, microwave, and you have a small cake. I did add too much water to the icing mix, so the icing was runny. Just FYI, no matter how thick and globby it looks, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!! Since the girls aren't used to such fine treats, they halved Addie's birthday cake. Oh, and I picked up these cute cookies at the same pet store.

Daddy and the birthday girl!

That's kind of tasty!

And we washed our yummy cake down with a little milk. You can't have cake without it!

Happy Birthday Addie-Lou!

It's been a loooonnnnggg time since January! Why does life have to be so hectic?! I keep hoping life is going to slow down! Well, here's a quick recap of happenings since January....

Easter - Bryleigh's 1st

CU Planning Session - We went to Orange Beach again, and had a great time! We didn't take too many pictures, but we did go deep sea fishing. This trip was the 1st for both Patrick and I. I finally caught a few fish, then put down the rod to watch the dolphins and take some pictures. It was really rough, but neither of us got sick! It definitely was a long day, but a lot of fun!

After the April tornadoes that tore through the state, the group Alabama put together a benefit concert with a large number of singers. The Commodores, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Dierks Bentley, Sara Evans, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, and so many more sang all night long! It was a very long night, but SO worth it! I just wish they would've had it on Saturday night. The next day was a little rough at work!

David Nail sang without his band...just him and his guitar....AWESOME!

Kellie Pickler

Dale Earnhardt!!!!

I don't have any pictures of this event, but on 7/12/11 (the day after our anniversary), our nephew Benjamin Lane Cook was born. I didn't bother taking the camera when I went to see him. I was too busy holding him! He was so good, and just wanted to snuggle!

Next up, Bryleigh's 1st birthday. We drove over to Atlanta for the festivities, then stayed and had a late anniversary dinner at Horseradish in Buckhead, went to the World of Coke the next morning, and ate at the Varsity. Horseradish was amazing, but we were a little overdressed! Evidently dressing up in Buckhead is a Hawaiian shirt and shorts! Coke was great, as usual, and the Varsity was really good! Not quite what I remember, but still a good hotdog. Really, how can you dress up a hotdog?

Next up, some summer pics of the girls, and Addie's 1st birthday!!!

Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of year! There just never seems to be enough time to pack everything in between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day! This year was our second year to get a real tree. I LOVE it! I just wish that I had had enough time to get the bow tied to go on top. Here's a picture of our tree and presents and our Christmas card picture.

We started Christmas on Christmas Eve at my parent's house. Clint, Adrian, and Jackson came over to open presents and eat supper. We got Jackson a John Deere pillow and mulch ripper. That boy LOVES some John Deere!

Christmas Eve night, we drove over to Culllman to have Christmas with Patrick's family and then go to Midnight Mass. Addie didn't make it long! After we opened presents, Jerry read "Twas the Night Before Christmas." It was amazing that even though it seemed like it had been awhile since I heard it, I could still recite it word for word! By the way, Kelly and Andrew got me photoshop and a book on how to take great pictures with my Canon camera. I am super excited to learn how to use photoshop and tricks and techniques for great pictures!

After going to bed at 3:00 am...yes, am...we headed to Albertville to have Christmas morning breakfast with my mom's family. Phillip's family was missing because they were moving Katy back to Alabama! We missed them a lot! But, it was the first white Christmas that I could remember in a LONG time! It was beautiful! But, we were not prepared. All I had was a fleece jacket! I need to learn to pay better attention to the weather forecast!

It was so good to have Luke home at Christmas time! Maybe we will all be there together next year.

Peyton and Addie had a great time playing in the snow! They loved it just as much as their Momma!