Back to reality...

Well, we made it home from Florida. We left Ft. Walton at about 10 am on Thursday morning and pulled into our garage at about 1:15 am Friday morning. We had originally planned to stop about halfway, but since Addy was doing so well and we were looking forward to sleeping in our own beds, we decided to push through and drive straight through. Overall, I would deem the vacation a huge success. Here are some of the successes and highlights from our 7 days away from home:

• Both Derek and Adalyn managed to spend many days out in the sun with no sunburn. For those of you who know Derek and his complexion you may consider this a MIRACLE!


• Adalyn loved the sand and the water and spent a lot of time in the holes of water her daddy dug for her.


• Adalyn made many new friends on the beach as she would go up to random families and get their attention by saying "hi" and doing a little dance to impress them. She then usually preceded to attempt to play with their beach toys.


• Adalyn managed to eat several cobs of corn throughout the week. Apparently many restaurants on the Gulf offer corn on the cob as a side and Addy's loves her corn!


• We went on a Dolphin Cruise and actually managed to see many dolphins. Addy also got to sit in the captains chair and "steer" the boat.


• We conquered our camera's self-timer and took a few family photos on the beach. (See photo at the end of the post:)


• Many pictures were taken! (734 to be exact)


• We fought the battle of the sand all week, but only managed to bring a few buckets full with us.
  
• Addy got to make her first build-a-bear, which is actually a dog wearing a Destin t-shirt named "woof-woof"


• While in Florida, Adalyn learned several new words including--beach, pizza, and lawn mower.


• I got to spend valuable time pool-side sun bathing and reading something besides Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.


• It only rained a few drops throughout the week, which was a huge surprise.


• Many priceless family memories we made throughout the week.

We had a wonderful time and loved every minute we spent in Florida. However, now we must get back to reality and begin thinking about the upcoming school year. It's time to start making the mile long "to do" lists in preparation for a new crop of second graders. I have included several pictures from our vacation, but if you would like to see more of the full Freihaut Florida experience you can visit our shutterfly site (see bookmarks in sidebar).

Greetings from the Sunshine State!

Yes...we did make it to Ft. Walton Beach. The trip down actually went much smoother than I anticipated. Adalyn slept a great deal of the way here. When she wasn't sleeping she enjoyed watching Nemo or just enjoyed looking out the window at the lights of the various cities we passed through. We left from IL a little after 5:00 friday evening and pulled into the condo complex in Ft. Walton a little after 9:00 on Saturday morning..(not bad for several stops for gas and a Cracker Barrel breakfast). We have been having a wonderful time so far. Adalyn loves playing on the beach and also really enjoyed the dolphin cruise we took this morning. I have included a few (of the MANY) pics we have taken so far. I will blog all about our trip when we get home this weekend!

Catching Up!

It's been a while since our last post, so we have some catching up to do. We celebrated the 4th of July at home. My family came up to visit for several days. It was great getting to see them for an extended period of time. Addy loved all of the attention she received from her grandparents, aunt, and uncle. The weather during their stay was unseasonably cool, so we took advantage and did a number of outdoor activities. We had a nice picnic in the park and also went to visit the Peoria Zoo. We watched fireworks on Friday in a nearby town. Addy enjoyed watching the fireworks, but was also a bit scared and clung to her daddy as he covered her ears. We were so glad that we went to see fireworks on Friday, because the 4th (Saturday) was very dreary and rainy. A number of fireworks displays were cancelled. My family left on Sunday afternoon and our town had their fireworks display on Sunday night. We were able to watch it from our front yard. Addy enjoyed the show a little more, as they weren't as loud as the ones we saw on Friday.


On Tuesday we packed up the car and started our first leg of a five day road trip. On Wednesday, Derek had a business meeting in Houston in which he was flying out of and back into the Chicago O'Hare airport in the same day. After his quick trip to Houston, we planned to head to Kohler, WI for his consultant's meeting that lasted from Thursday until Saturday. Since Derek's plane from Houston got in very late and Chicago was half way to Kohler, we decided that we would stay at a hotel Tuesday and Wednesday evening and head to WI on Thursday. While Derek was in Houston, Adalyn and I spent the day in Schaumburg shopping at all of my favorite stores. We had a great day. Adalyn loved the indoor Looney Tunes playground and eating at the Rainforest Cafe. She really enjoyed watching all the action going on with the robotic animals and weather.

Thursday we headed to Kohler, WI. The town is home to the Kohler company that makes all types of faucets and plumbing fixtures. Needless, to say the public restrooms in town all have fancy faucets and toilets and our hotel shower was like nothing I have ever seen. During Derek's meeting, Adalyn and I got to explore Kohler and nearby Sheboygan while Derek attended his meeting. Kohler is also home to an award winning spa, which I passed on since Addy was with us. In the evening there were wonderful dinners planned with everyone from the firm that was at the meeting and their families. I was a bit nervous about these dinners, since I didn't know how Addy would act during these multiple course meals. I was pleasantly surprised. Addy did a wonderful job. On Thursday the dinner started at 8:00 and went until about 10:00. Addy lasted through the whole night...even dessert! She loved the tiramasu on Thursday, which neither her mom or dad particularly cared for. During our time in WI Adalyn and I got to visit the nearby children's museum, the Lake Michigan Shore, the gardens of Kohler, and a very fancy ice cream shop the the American Club, and various stores in the village. Derek had a very productive meeting and managed to get in a round of golf with this co-workers at a very nice golf course. Overall, it was a great trip. Addy and I got to explore a lot of neat places and we got to spend valuable evenings with Derek and many of the people at Pinnacle.

This week we have a lot of time to prepare for our next adventure...Florida. We have a ton of packing and preparation before we leave for Ft. Walton Beach! I can't believe the summer is flying by so quickly. I saw school supplies in Target last week and screamed!

***Having photo uploading dificulties..will try to upload again tomorrow!

An Anniversary and a New Cousin

Last week was a very exciting week for us as Derek's brother and sister-in-law became new parents. Their little boy, Cameron Patrick was born on Monday June 22nd. He was an early arrival and very small, but he is perfect. On Saturday we made the trip to Terre Haute to meet Adalyn's new cousin. He is precious! Addy paid some attention to him when we first got to their house, but was more interested in the dog! Addy is crazy about dogs. She spots them from a mile away, whether they are in the neighborhood or on tv, and says "woof woof" when she sees one. It was great to see Cory, Courtney and their new baby boy. They are all doing very well and are thrilled to have such a wonderful little boy in their lives!

Cameron and Uncle Derek

Meeting her new cousin

Cheesin' for the camera

This week was an interesting one for us. Derek was on a business trip to Bermuda, so Addy and I were on our own. Although we managed to get by, we were so happy when Derek came home on Thursday evening. Friday evening our friend Kim volunteered to watch Adalyn so Derek and I could celebrate our fifth anniversary. We went to a restaurant called Jonah's in Peoria. It was nice to get to go out on our own and not have to worry about flying food and silverware! Addy had a blast with Kim. She got to attend Relay for Life and loved seeing all of the people, dancing to the music and making laps around the track. It was a great night for everyone! It is so hard to believe that we ahve been married for five years! It seems like yesterday that we were sorting out our wedding plans. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.

Last week I got the camera I had been wanting as a gift for a combination of occasions (Mother's Day, Birthday, Graduation). I have always been very interested in photography and wanted a DSLR camera. We are slowly learning how to use it and I have ordered several large textbooks on the specifics of the camera. I guess this is like my substitute for taking a class. (Dorky..I know!) As a result, Derek and I will be playing with the camera quite a bit and will be posting many pictures. I have also established an online photo gallery that you can also check out. I will continue to blog on this site and add select photos. The gallery will be used to upload many more pictures. The site is www.freihautfamily.shutterfly.com

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Adalyn wants to wish her Daddy a very happy Father's Day. Unfortunately, Derek was traveling for work and had to catch a very early flight on his special day. Addy missed her daddy lots and sends her love and lots of hugs and kisses to him. He is a wonderful daddy and husband. We love him very much and are so thankful for all that he does for us. Happy Father's Day Daddy!

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This week was a challenging one as we worked to get into some type of regular summertime routine. Adalyn is still taking two naps, which is very surprising to me. She gets so tired and fussy in the morning that she almost always goes down for a short nap to get her to lunch. On Monday we went to our first Funshop. It is a class for toddlers that encourages lots of different types of experiences through play. There are many types of developmentally appropriate toys and activities that Adalyn can choose to participate in. Addy loved the rice pool and play-doh center. She didn't particularly enjoy circle time and ran out of the room after she finished snack to go play with more toys. The teachers there encourage the parents to allow the children to make their own choices about what they want to participate in. Let's just say that Addy has the making choices thing down:)

Playing in the rice & bean pool at Funshop

"All Aboard the Funshop train!"

This weekend we attended Adalyn's friend Evelyn's second birthday party. Evelyn's parents are good friends of ours and it has been a lot of fun watching Evelyn during her first years. Addy really enjoyed herself at the party and played pretty well with all of the other kids. She did however ask several people for bites of their cake and drinks from their cups throughout the afternoon. Looks like we have a little mooch on our hands!

On Sunday, Kim offered to watch Adalyn while I ran some errands. Since Derek left on his business trip, I took her up on the offer since its a lot easier to run errands on my own. Addy had a great time with Kim and Olive. She loves spending time there. It's a lot of fun to watch her interact with Olive (who is a dog). She loves to pet her and play with her. Addy's face lights up every time Olive comes within her sight. It's really cute to see!

The next few weeks are going to be very hectic as Derek finishes his bust travel schedule. I am glad that all of his travel is taking place during summer break and not during the school year. I definitely look forward to Derek's traveling slowing down, so we can relax and enjoy some of the beautiful days of summer together.

Chatterbox!

This past week we went to Indiana to visit family. Adalyn and I drove home on Sunday night by ourselves because Derek had a business trip in Orlando and was flying into Louisville on Wednesday. Adalyn and I left shortly after lunch on Sunday in hopes of her taking a long afternoon nap on the road. Needless to say, she only slept a total of 45 minutes, but did pretty well on the long drive.

During the week at home Adalyn starting saying several words. Over the course of a week she started saying hi, bye bye, woof woof (for dog), and "I did it." We have been waiting anxiously for Adalyn to say something other than momma and dada and it was exciting that she said these words in front of our families. She's turning in to a regular old chatterbox!

We kept very busy throughout the course of the week. Addy and I were able to spend most of the day Monday with my grandma. We took her shopping and ate lunch at her house. Addy enjoyed all of the stuffed teddy bears that grandma has in her house. We also took Adalyn for her first visit to Holiday World. We weren't sure how she would handle rides that she rode all by herself, but she did very well. She loved the bouncing fish ride (a.k.a. Salmon Run). Due to the short lines because of the rain, she was able to ride it several times in a row and really enjoyed herself. It was exciting to watch Adalyn ride on a ride that I rode many times as a little girl! She also loved Splashin Safari, even though the water was chilly. Addy enjoyed the various water spouts that shot out water. I think the backyard sprinkler will certainly be a hit this summer. We ended the day by choosing a duck from the duck pond, which resulted in a small green duckie as a prize, and walked through Kringle's Kafe, so I could show Adalyn where her mommy spent many of her summers!

The "classic" family picture spot at Holiday World


Chilly water!

Splish, Splash!!


Lounging in the sun

On Saturday we traveled to Mooresville for our friends Molly and Brad's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception set in the middle of a field on a lavendar farm. I was impressed by all of the personal touches the couple included in their wedding. It was really neat!

Adalyn stayed with her Grandma and Grandpa Schum and had a lot of fun playing with them.

Sunday was our last day in Indiana and was also Brian's graduation party. It all went very well. Adalyn had an opportunity to play with her second cousins. Addy mostly watched them play and run around, as she has not yet learned about how fun it is to play with others. I was so happy to see all of our relatives, since we live far away and don't see them often enough. It was greast catching up and talking with everyone, I only wish we would have had more time! One of the most notable events happened at the end of the party. We had a tubsfilled with ice and various beverages. All day Adalyn had been playing with the ice in the tub. Just before leaving she bent over the edge to reach a piece of ice (which was now more water), lost her footing, and received a frigid ice bath for her efforts. It scared her for only a second as she attempted to return to the tub for more fishing.

Now that we are home I have been focusing on getting Adalyn back into her normal routine. All the running and events at home got her out of it. We also joked that this week she will also be going through MAJOR detox from all of the sugar and attention that she got from her grandparents!

Adalyn and Addison playing under the table

Addison, Adalyn, and Owen--2nd cousins

Using the decorations as props

Hello Summer Break!

Ok..I know it has been quite a while from our last post. Lots of things have happened since our last post. June 3rd marked the last day of school for me. Addy went to Patty's on the last day and had her picture taken with her to commemorate the day. I have officially completed my first school year as a working mom and I can honestly say that I am relieved (and exhausted).While my break has just begun, my list of things I want to do and get accomplished around the house continues to grow. Here are just a few items on that list:

• head to Indiana for a week long visit (this week)
• take Addy to Funshop (a fun class for toddlers that meets once a week
• reorganize the home office
• clean and organize the garage
• paint the master bathroom
• pick out a new front door and get someone to install it
• decorate Derek's office at work
• plan our July vacation to FL

As the days pass this list will surely continue to grow. Hopefully many of these items will be accomplished, but only time will tell. Derek's travel schedule for work is crazy during the month of June. As he will be traveling to many tropical places, Addy and I have elected to confine our travels to the Midwest, but we expect to receive many "tropical" souvenirs:)

Addy and Charli on their last day at Patty's house

Addy and Patty

Over the past few weeks many exciting things have happened. My brother, Brian, graduated from high school over Memorial Day weekend. We headed to Indiana to attend his graduation ceremony. It was great to see him graduate and we are very proud of him. It was interesting going back to the same place that Derek and I graduated high school. It has been 10 years since we graduated and we don't live in the area, so it is always interesting to see how much people have changed (or in many cases..haven't changed at all).

This weekend we headed to Chicago to a White Sox game. It was Father/Daughter day and we particpated in a parade on the field before the game. We attended this same event last year and Addy slept through the entire thing. This year she fell asleep while standing in line to go onto the field, but we refused to have a repeat of last year and woke her up. She walked around the field and loved it. She was even featured on the Jumbotron. It was very exciting. Derek was excited about seeing several White Sox and Indians players up close. The temperature during the game dropped to 48 degrees and it was rainy, which we weren't quite prepared for. However, we did make it to the 7th inning and had a great time. Derek is already making plans to attend next year!









Adalyn continues to develop more and more of her own personality (and attitude) everyday. She now insists trying to put her shoes on all by herself and gets very frustrated when she isn't successful. She has also started to climb furniture and enjoys running, climbing, and jumping off of the couch. Addy has also started trying to jump, which is very cute. She still isn't saying many coherant words, but is babbling up a storm. Playing outside is her favorite activity and has recently taken a liking to swinging, drawing with sidewalk chalk and playing with her coupe. She continues to LOVE books and continuously brings them to us to read to her. We have also been giving her paper and crayons more often and she loves doodling.


Checking out the bouce house at Derek's company picnic

It is defintely going to be a fun and busy summer! As summer vacation continues, I promise to do a better job of updating the blog and will try to get back into the Sunday night posting groove!