Lots to talk about...

We certainly have had a busy and productive last few weeks.  As previously stated in a post at the beginning of the summer, one of my summer goals was to select a new front door and get it installed.  Well, after lots of problems and issues with Lowes, we finally got it installed.  We are very happy with the way it looks and are excited that it is finally done!

Before

During

After

Over Labor Day weekend my parents came up for a visit.  Mom and dad were very excited to see Adalyn and she was excited to see them.  Dad brought his power tools and helped us complete many projects around the house.  He and Derek worked very hard at cleaning and organizing our garage.  They hung many things on the walls to clear up some much needed floor space.  It looks great!  Thanks Dad for all of your hard work!  We are so glad you brought those power tools:)  While Mom and Dad were visiting we also had a picnic at the park and went to Miller Park Zoo.  The park was surpisingly not very busy and Adalyn really enjoyed having the equipment to herself.  She also enjoyed seeing all of the animals with Grandma and Grandpa and loved riding the carousel with her Dad. 

Playing golf in the monkey house

This weekend Derek's mom came up to visit to visit Addy and lend us a hand while Derek is on a business trip this week.  On Saturday I had to take a few certification tests, so that I can be a certified Reading Specialist.  My Master's degree qualifies me to be a Reading Specialist and these are the final two hoops I have to jump through. Derek, Adalyn and Grandma Freihaut went to our small town's parade on Saturday.  Derek's mom made fun of it for being so short....I guess it was no Dale Fall Festival parade!  Derek though it was just long enough for Addy's attention span!  Sunday we did a lot of work around the house, went grocery shopping and got Derek ready to leave for his trip.  We have dogsat for our favorite dog, Olive for the past few weekends.  Addy loves it when she visits and has even started saying her name. 

Adalyn continues to add new words to her vocabulary everyday.  She continues to love to give people (and occasionally dogs) hugs and kisses.  Each morning she greets her best friend Charli with a big hug.  Recently Addy has loved to color with crayons.  My mom sparked her interest by buying her a her a big coloring book and new crayons.  Although she doesn't stay on a single page very long, she sits at her table or desk and colors for extended periods of time. 

A fall weather preview

This week was a pretty low key week in the Freihaut household. Getting into the swing of things has been somewhat of a challenge for us. Adalyn is still getting use to the 45 minute drive with me to work and we have decided the Mondays jsut really aren't for us. Addy is very clingy each Monday and usually remains grouchy and tired for the remainder of the day. She is also cutting teeth with only adds to her discomfort and crankiness.

Adalyn continues to learn new words each day. She is saying please (pease) when she wants something and says "Oh my" when she sees something shocking or when my braking on the highway isn't the smoothest. She has also taken a liking to her puzzles and can put them together and name many of the animals. When putting together her name puzzle she calls each letter a "b" or a "y." Addy has also gotten big into blowing kisses. Anything she likes or gets excited about gets a kiss. This evening on our walk she found the moon in the sunlit sky and started yelling "moon, moon" and then proceeded to blow it a kiss.

This weekend we took advantage of the beautiful fall like weather by going to the nearby hot air balloon festival. They have scheduled time when they take-off from the airport and have a balloon "glow" each night at dusk. We have been attending this festival for several years, as it is my favorite festival. Last year we took Adalyn and the loud noises from the propane and the heat were enough to scare her. This year she loved the balloons and laughed, pointed, and clapped for them as they took off. One group of balloonists took an old balloon and inflated it with a huge fan and let people walk inside the balloon, which Adalyn really enjoyed. During the balloon glow, you are allowed to walk around the balloons and view them from up close. You don't realize how huge those things are until you're up close and personal.

Inside the balloon

Stealing some sips of mommy's lemon shake-up

So excited to spot a balloon

The crowd favorite

Goodbye Summer...Hello Second Graders!

This week marked the official end of summer vacation and the beginning of my sixth school year of teaching. It's hard to believe that I have been teaching that long! I was dreading the end of the summer because it has been such a blessing to be able to spend the summer with our precious little girl. We have had great fun playing, swimming, and laughing all summer and I hated for it all to come to an end. I feel very lucky to have had such quality time with Addy and loved watching her grow and learn before my very eyes. It is truly amazing to think about how much she has changed and grown in just a few short months.

The teachers started school on Monday and the students' first day was Wednesday. Adalyn had her first official day at Patty's on Monday. Addy settled right into the routine and hit the ground running. It was not as easy for me as I missed her greatly throughout the day and wondered what she was playing with or what kind of trouble she was getting herself into at Patty's.

Meeting my new second graders for the first time is always a little bit nerve-racking and exciting. It is always fun seeing their reactions to their brand new classroom. Each year I ask my new students to guess my age. This year many of the students' guesses were in the upper thirties and forties. Their guesses are always good for a few laughs. My students are all a lot of fun and so well behaved. I can tell that this year is going to be another great year.

This past weekend marked the beginning to our favorite time of year.....festival season. Derek and love to attend the various community festivals. Autumn is my favorite season because of the gorgeous weather, pumpkins, apples, and festivals. This weekend we got a good taste of the upcoming fall weather and we took full advantage of it by going to the state fair and the sweet corn festival. Adalyn loved the state fair. She enjoys people watching and the state fair is a prime location to "people watch." She also got to see many animals and had the chance to pet a horse, which she really enjoyed. We didn't know how many animal sounds she knew until we went to the fair. She knows and can make the sounds of a duck, horse, cow, pig, dog, and cat. At the fair M & M's was giving away free ice cream sandwiches. Since they were free I decided to let Addy have her shot at one. So, I unwrapped the entire thing and gave it to her in her stroller. In a few short minutes she managed to eat the whole thing with only an ice cream mustache and a bit of ice cream on her shirt and stoller (and hair) left as evidence.


On Sunday we headed to Derek's favorite festival....the sweet corn festival. I think it's his favorite because the main food is such a bargain (3 ears for $1.00)..yes he is a bit of a cheapskate! Addy ate her own ear of corn and had a great time. We also managed to get quite a bit of work done around the house and I accomplished some school work as well.



Checking out one of the gardens at the state fair.


"Seriously Mom, I can eat the WHOLE thing?"

Cheesin' with a ribbon chip in her mouth.

(Our friend Kim just got engaged last week. We are very excited about her upcoming wedding. We saw this "chapel on wheels" on display at the state fair and want her to consider this as her ceremony venue. I don't think she'll consider it:)


Overall we had a great first week back to school and the sitter and a very fun and productive weekend. Although I am sorry that summer had to go so quickly, I also look forward to my new class of second graders and all of the fun things that we will be able to do with Adalyn this fall. It's time to start thinking about a Halloween costume....stay tuned for further details:)

A Fast and Furious Few Weeks

It has been a few weeks since I posted and a lot of things have happened since the last entry. Last weekend we went home to Indiana to visit family and move Derek's mom to her new house. We were really busy prepping, cleaning, packing and moving at Derek's Mom's house, so Addy spent a lot of time at her Grandma and Grandpa Schum's house (neither party seemed to mind too much). Addy's grandparents took her to see the Clydesdales that were visiting for the Strassenfest and took her to see her Great Grandma. While at home, Adalyn and I were also able to go to my aunt Joyce and uncle Elmer's 40th wedding anniversary. I was so glad that were were able to join in the festivities and see many relatives from my mom's side of the family. After an extended weekend and help from family we managed to get Addy's Grandma Freihaut moved into her new home. Although it was sad to see her leave a house with many many years of memories, we are very excited that she has a found a new house to make new memories in that is closer to her family and church.


Hanging out with Aunt Ashley

During the week, Addy spent three days at her babysitter, Patty's house while I worked in my classroom. It was a perfect situation because Addy got reacquainted at Patty's and I spent some valuable time in my classroom. Adalyn loved all of the attention she received from the Nuding family. Winnie and Sophie loved swimming and playing with her and even managed to fix her hair and paint her toenails. Addy loves her green toenails and shows them off wherever we go.

On Friday, Adalyn and I drove to Indianapolis to meet Derek, who was already there on business. He got out of his meeting in the early afternoon, so we were able to spend some time at the zoo. We loved the zoo. Adalyn especially enjoyed the splash park and seeing the animals. It was a very cool day, so the animals were very active. A tiger came within 5 feet of us and Addy got to pet a shark. Friday evening Derek's mom joined us and we spent the night in Indy. Saturday was a very bust day for us. In the morning we went to the Children's Museum where Addy loved playing in the toddlers only room and looking at all the trains in the train display. We also visited our friends Brad and Molly and headed to Terre Haute to visit Derek's brother Cory and his family. Needless to say we got a lot accomplished over the weekend!

Checking out the polar bear with daddy

Enjoying the splash park

Adalyn continues to talk up a storm and seems to learn new words everyday. While in Indiana she learned to say Brian, which made her Uncle Brian very happy. She has recently taken a great interest in putting together puzzles and giving people hugs. She can name several different animals and say the sounds they make. Addy loves to watch Yo Gabba Gabba and tries to mimic all of the crazy dances moves the characters do on the show. She continues to amaze us everyday and we are very proud of our special little girl.

Sadly, this week marks the final week of summer vacation for us. I am very lucky to have this time with Addy each summer and I have loved every minute of it. It will be very difficult to get back in the swing of things next week as a new crop of second graders busts through the doors. Hopefully this week I can work in my classroom for just a few days and then spend my last few days of summer playing and spending time with my little girl.

Checking out the tractors at the county fair

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!