...walking in a winter wonderland.

Every year we take the kids on a trip to Candy Cane Lane. Candy Cane Lane is a street in Vacaville where nearly every house decorates for Christmas. The next street over also participates but it's not quite as elaborate as Candy Cane Lane. It was beautiful as usual, not quite as cold as years past.

Ty was cranky as we were taking him out of the car and putting him in his stroller but the moment we rounded the corner and he caught glimpse of the lights he was in heaven. We never heard another peep out of him as he stared at all the bright lights.

I'm happy to be able to do this with my kids because I have fond memories of going as a child and I'm glad the economy hasn't dampened the spirit. I was afraid it would be more toned down this year to save on energy costs but it was still as magical as ever.

Playing catch up...again!

Under pressure from my cousin Shelley to get my act together and update my blog, I have posted several things. I have more to post so hopefully I can get caught up again over the weekend. Be sure to scroll down as to not miss anything!

My son's favorite toy...

Even in his sleep he can not part with it!

A five generation Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving up at my Granpa's as always this year. I was so happy for my Granpa because not only did he have 27 of his family members there, but he had his son, my Uncle Kent, home for the first time in 13 years and we had 5 generations of Leslie's there! Absolutely incredible and my Granpa was beaming!

I'm so thankful for my family and I delight in every year that we get to go up there; I know one day it will sadly come to an end so I try to soak up every minute while I can. I love you Granpa!!

5 Generations: Granpa (1st gen), my mom (2nd gen), me (3rd gen), my niece Krystal and Ty (4th gen), my great-nephew Christopher (5th gen)!

Ty loves his Great Granpa.

Granpa and his two baby boys, Ty and Adam.

Halloween 2009

So backing up a little bit, I wanted to post Ty's first Halloween. We started Halloween with our schools annual Trunk or Treat. It's a stressful time for me because I am in charge of it and there was about 600 people there. We collected 800 pounds of candy to give out to the kids, yes we weighed it!

The following week was Halloween. The kids had a great time and it was beautiful outside. Ty was exhausted even before it started but he enjoyed his first piece of candy when we got home from trick or treating. Troy went as Kate Gosselin, we tried to get him to wear a bra and makeup but he refused.


Our Trunk or Treat...

Morgan was Pebbles and Brooke was a spanish princess.


This is what 800 pounds of candy looks like!


Yes, these are both SUV trunks!






Halloween...


Troy as Kate Gosselin








Ty's first lollipop!

Just taking a break...

All mothers have that cute picture of their kids passed out cold in some weird position. I've been waiting for Ty's moment to come. He loves his jumper, so much that he doesn't know how to stop jumping! He will be bawling his head off and still jumping. In this picture he literally was jumping one second and a second later was fast asleep. So cute!!!!





Cody was the worst at passing out cold in odd places...

I do believe it's magic...

I'm not sure what makes the pumpkin patch such a magical place but it once again worked it's magic this year. Maybe it's the brilliant colors or the beautiful mild weather or maybe it's the memories I have of going to the Nut Tree pumpkin patch every year as a kid to see the scarecrow competition. Whatever it is, I love it!
Only in Northern California can you drive through a vineyard in 70º weather to get to the pumpkin patch. It was peaceful and beautiful and there was a lot of fun things for the kids to do. They loved the 5 acre corn maze and Ty loved the straw!
I'm really sad that today is Halloween and come tomorrow it will all be over. I don't feel like I've had my decorations out or been able to enjoy all the pumpkins long enough! This is my absolute favorite time of year! Goodbye Halloween, I'll miss you, can't wait for next year.

I Fly SWA!

Congratulations to Ty on his first flight! My cousin Stephanie, Ty and I flew back to Missouri for 6 fabulous days of rest and relaxation. Ty did fabulously both there and back. Thankfully he is not mobile yet so my lap satisfied him just fine. I also think the high altitude cleared out one of his tear ducts because he has been clear since we got home!

I don't have MO pics on my computer yet so I will share that experience when I get them.

Taking a lesson from the pilot!

He earned his wings!

Paparazzi overload!

I had to post this. This is my cousin Shelley's daughter Elle. Fame has found it's latest victim.

Bad Hair Day!

After a nice sunny day out at the soccer field, we came home and took Ty's baseball cap off. This is what we saw...

It's Miley Mania!

On September 18, 2009 Brian and I surprised the girls by taking them to the Miley Cyrus concert. This was their first concert and they were so surprised. They thought we were going out to dinner and then back to the school for movie night. The hilarious part is we drove through the Caldacott tunnel and they still had no clue we weren't on our way home...HELLO???
Miley put on a great concert and we all really enjoyed it. The girls could not believe they were actually seeing Miley Cyrus in the flesh, what a fun experience for the girls.


*The girls are smiling in the video because when I pulled out my camera to film them I told them I just wanted to take their picture.

Where to begin...

Well, after a hard drive crash and almost losing 8,000 of my photos, I'm happy to say all is well. I've been without my computer for over a month and I have to say, it was a tense but wonderful experience. We need those moments when we think we've lost something so dear to realize what's important in life. It was a pivotal moment when I sincerely realized that I would give, live without or sell anything to get those pictures back. Why? Because my family is the most important thing and the memories we share are priceless.

I have so many postings to catch up on, I don't know where to begin. Definitely scroll down to make sure you haven't missed anything in the Addington family saga!

Gold Rush Days!

Over Labor Day weekend we made a trip to Old Sacramento for Gold Rush Days. It was really fun; the kids were able to visit an old school house, see a western shootout and drink homemade Sarsaparilla; all the while horses and wagons roamed up and down the streets. Eating at Joe's Crab Shack for lunch wasn't bad either!

As we were leaving that day, Cody saved Gail's life as we now say. Gail was holding her arm in front of the elevator doors to keep them open while we all got out. Well, the elevator had been malfunctioning all day so the doors slammed shut with her entire arm stuck inside. As we all looked on in horror Cody yells, "FINAL DESTINATION, OH CRAP!" He runs up, grabs a hold of her and yanks her out of the elevator. Thanks Cody, that could have turned out really bad!


Ty was mesmerized by this man's beard.



Drinking Sarsaparilla in old glass bottles.

The new rules we've adopted in our house. :o)

Cute school girls.



Funny!