To my Dad....

How lucky am I to still have my Dad......

For starters ask anyone......I look just like him.

So many people I know have had to bury their Dad, don't talk to their Dad or just don't know their Dad. I don't fall into any of these categories. Without my Dad I wouldn't be the person I am today.

He has a work ethic like I have never seen. He always made sure we went to church. Most of all he made sure we understood the importance of Family. I do remember times that he couldn't always be with us.....he was working. When it matters most he is always there.

He was there when I graduated kindergarten, elementary school, high school, and college.


He was there for paddle boat rides, canoe rides, roller coaster rides (I can't tell you how many coaster rides we went on).

He paced the floor in the hospital waiting to see Kaitlynn's face (his first grandchild/granddaughter). I remember the camera just clicking away but I also remember watching him hold her for the first time. He was such a proud Grandpa.


He bought Jackson his first baseball glove, spent all day putting a train table together and even when he shouldn't, the first one to go outside and play with the kids.


He talked and laughed with us as we waited ALL day....literally....for Madelynn to show her beautiful face. Although, Madelynn was not in our plan, but God's, he was just as excited to see her with his camera at the ready.



He sat in silence as the doctor's told us about Madelynn's open heart surgery the next morning. I know he and I talked that night but I don't remember much of what we talked about. I just remember he was there. I know he left that night, I don't remember when, except he was back early the next morning to see Madelynn one last time before surgery.



I can count on one hand the amount of Father's Day's we haven't been together. This weekend will be one of those few times. He is headed to a car show in Michigan and I will be headed to DC for Phil's niece's graduation. I have to admit I wish I were going to the car show with him. I have been there many times even took Phil once. When the weather is nice it is a GREAT day!!!

So to my DAD.....I remember the day that you walked me down the aisle. Right before we took the first step you reached over and kissed me on the cheek and told me that you loved me. It is a memory I will never forget. Thank you for all of the wonderful memories. I am sorry we won't be together today. I will be thinking of you today and hoping you have a GREAT day!

Happy Father's Day!! We love you!!

But Not Tonight.........

Life these days have been really crazy......I am hoping in the next few weeks things settle down. But not tonight................

I am Phil's personal hairstylist. However if you have ever met Phil you would know what an oxymoron that really is. Basically every few weeks I "mow" his head. I promised to get the mower out after dinner tonight.

Katie went upstairs to get the bag with all the tools (cutters, comb, scissors, etc). While waiting for Phil to go to the bathroom, I jump on the computer. Little did I know that the kids unzipped the bag and each was investigating a different tool.

Yes!! You are exactly correct............you know exactly where this is headed........so drum roll please.... the answer is Maddie got a hold of the scissors and took three inches off the side of her head.

Lucky for me she has really blonde hair from being out in the sun, she cut the side of her hair that shows the damage least but it will take a year to grow out and then I will have to cut her hair short again to get it all evened out. I should have known. I did it as a child, Katie did it twice and now Maddie did it.

So the moral to the story is each child will be locked in their room the next time I cut hair OK!.... so maybe just watching from the next room.

TTFN~

What Might Happen.............

Life has been CRAZY, Busy these last three to four weeks but they are finally settling down. Back in December Kaitlynn lost her first tooth. Since then Jack has lost two teeth and over Memorial Day Weekend Kaitlynn lost her second tooth.

Both Kaitlynn and Jackson were VERY excited to lose their first tooth. Jackson was so jealous that Kaitlynn lost her first tooth I think he was trying to loosen his teeth and it was a little scary for a while. When Jackson lost his second tooth it was really loose one night before bed. I warned him he might want to just wiggle it right out before bed because you just never know what might happen.

Well sure enough "what might happen" did happen. Not only did he lose his second tooth but he in fact ATE it. Yep! He swallowed it in his sleep. Mortified that morning, he was crying that he had eaten it. Praise God for small favors he did not want to see if he would poop it out. Instead, I quickly suggested he write a letter to the tooth fairy explaining what happened and see what she would say.

Due to our Chaotic May, Jackson finally this evening wrote a letter to the tooth fairy apologizing for swallowing it and asked if he could still get money. He is just beside himself with worry at the response. Shown below is the letter Jackson wrote to the tooth fairy. I did not help him with it, in fact I didn't even know he was writing it until he was standing before me proud and tall showing me what he had done. He was very anxious to know what I thought and ask me at least three times what I thought the tooth fairy would say.

I simply told him that I believed the Tooth Fairy would love his letter, especially since he wrote it all by himself. It certainly made me smile.

In case you needed a translation: I am sorry but I swallowed my tooth will you still give me money please I love you Jackson Addler (not sure why the M is in front of Addler, I forgot to ask).

Then on top of everything else, I lost Kaitlynn's tooth. Luckily I saved her first one so I dug it out as a substitute and she never knew the difference. I had Phil dig out some of the One Dollar coins I was saving and each of them will find two one dollar coins in the morning.

TTFN~

Camp LuCK 2011

Things have been a little nuts and I am trying to catch up on my postings. Over the weekend we were able to go to Family Camp and get "unzipped". We arrived at Camp LuCK Friday evening and settled in for good ole Family time. By the time lunch time came Sunday afternoon we were absolutely exhausted but the best kind.

We are grateful for all of those who worked tirelessly to make our weekend unbelievable. Now that we are home, unpacked and all the laundry done we are already looking forward to next year. Thank you Jay "Bird" Thompson, Dr. Rene Herlong, The Jackson Family and everyone else who helped make our weekend of fun memorable.

See you all next year.................

TTFN~

I know I posted this on Facebook too but for family not on facebook I thought I would share.

A short little trip.......

The day started out very gloomy, gray and rainy. We showered, dressed and headed to Fall Church, VA not far from the days events. My excitement was building in a strange kind of way. I haven't seen my best friend of over 20 years in about seven months and I couldn't wait to see her. Oddly enough I believe her Father would have understood that.

However, the reason I was headed to Virginia was to help my friend and her family say farewell to her father. He was retired Navy and was to be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.

In the past I have only heard about what this event entails or seen it on TV but never witnessed it first hand. Experiencing it live is one of the most serene, breath-taking, reverent moments of my life. As we entered the cemetery we saw the rolling green hills, lined with the white headstones in amazing perfection.

As we waited for the events of the ceremony to get started, we watched the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown solider. Speechless as I was after that, watching my friend and her brother walk hand in hand behind the horse drawn carriage, I found tears just gentling rolling down my face.

This day I will remember the crisp, clean, white Navy uniforms, the impeccable perfection at the way they folded the American flag, the stunning amount of medals each solider displayed on his chest but most of all the words I heard are in blazed in my memory. "On behalf of the President of the United States and a Grateful Nation....." at that point the tears just fell in a slow steady stream.

I'm not going to lie I almost fell over when the 21 gun salute started. I knew it would happen but I wasn't paying attention to see they were getting ready. At the beginning of "Taps" I looked up at the sky and the gray clouds were gone and all you could see over the green rolling hills were blue sky and sunshine.

"Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Brett for the kiss of sunshine".

Probably the one thing I was most unprepared for was the letters my friend and her brother read out loud to their father before they closed the crypt in the columbarium. It was a final farewell that was sweet, honest and would have made him very proud.

Thank you Justine and James for including my family with yours. I will treasure the memory forever.

On a side note: You will see no pictures not even of my friend and I those few days because I of all people forgot my camera. I know my dad just let out a huge sigh. Of all the places to go and forget your camera this should not have been one of them.

TTFN~

Expected and Unexpected Visitors

Friday afternoon we patiently waited for Phil's brother Jason and his wife Franka and two of Jason's boys to arrive. I don't think I have seen Jason and Franka for almost two years. It was very nice to see them. The kids were thrilled when they realized they were here.

We didn't do anything spectacular but it was nice enough to grill out dinner, the girls got to escape to get pedicures and the kids played until they were literally exhausted. Today as Jason, Franka, Jared and Kaden headed to the beach we started preparing for the craziest week this year.

Kaitlynn, spent most of the day completing all the work she will miss being out of school a few days. Jackson after watching a movie or two completed his as well. We head to DC this week to bury my best friend's father at Arlington National Cemetery. I know her father would appreciate the fact that he has brought us together even if it was to wish him farewell. I am so excited just to see her.

We will head home so that we can see Jackson and the rest of the kindergarten's in their year end performance. I love kindergartner's and this musical performance ought to prove a little comical. Most of all it will be nice to just highlight Jackson. Sometimes I think he and Kaitlynn feel a little left out and night's like this help remind them they are important.

But oh the week is not over, Friday afternoon as soon as school gets out we are on the road again for a weekend to get completely "unzipped". We are headed to CAMP LUCK - Family Heart Camp for the weekend. No phones, TV, or other electronic devices just time to spend with Phil and the kids and other heart families. Sometimes it is nice to be around others who have walked our road and understand a new "normal".

Thinking the upcoming week could not get anymore exciting..........I was soooooo wrong. Over the last few weeks we have heard strange noises in the wall behind the dryer. We knew we had a momma bird make a nest on the outside of the dryer vent and where we live you can battle with other small critters. Phil however was convinced it was a bird.

After dinner he decided to move the dryer and investigate. He pulled the dryer vent off the dryer using Jack's flashlight to look down the vent. But there was nothing there.......Seconds later a FULL size robin flew out of the DRYER right over the top of Phil's head. A slew of expletives "flew" out of Phil's mouth to described his shock.....I yelled WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, is it!!!! There was this dramatic pause and Phil yells "BIRD!!!" Here she comes rounding the corner to the dining room and I hit the deck.

It was utter chaos the kids are jumping up and down yelling THERE'S A BIRD IN THE HOUSE!!!, Phil is trying to compose himself not to swear any more and you can tell his brain is burning "How in the H_LL do I get a bird out of the house. As the momma bird is making her rounds about the ceiling, the kids are really freaked out to see the bird up close and personal and I just kept ducking hoping not to get pooped on from above; the bird flew into the blinds.

We were able to trap the bird between the blinds and the window. As Phil kept her trapped and hoping not to cause injury I stuck my fingers through the blinds and opened the window, popped the screen and away the momma bird went to freedom. I would have never guessed the noises I have heard over the last two weeks was a bird in the dryer vent.

But I believe the best part of the story was listening to Maddie retell it to Phil as if he weren't here. Never a dull moment in the Addler household.

To Jason and Family: So glad you were able to stop by on your way to the beach.

To Justine: My friend I am so sorry your Father is gone but I am so glad he is no longer suffering and the thought of your mother meeting him as he entered heaven what a joyful reunion that must have been. Can't wait to see you.

To all the Camp Luck Campers: I hope that all of you take full advantage of Family Camp this coming weekend. To Jacob's Family: I can't imagine what it will be like entering the camp ground without him but I know he will remind us he is there in spirit all weekend.

To Phil, my bird rescuing hero: Thank you for always reminding me there is nothing in life that a little humor can't cure. Hopefully the kids didn't hear the potty words, LOL!!!!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

TTFN~

Easter Monday......

Today is a little bit sad....I am off of work Madelynn is out of school for her spring break but Kaitlynn and Jackson had to go back to school. I really wished they would have been out of school one more day. Yes I am one of those rare parents who is not wishing for school to start to get them out of my hair.

Please don't get me wrong my children make me just as crazy some days as the next mom but I LOVE to be with my children. Easter Sunday was actually more fun than Christmas. We rolled out of bed early and Phil made pancakes. We all dressed for church. This year we were able to celebrate Easter Sunday with Phil's parents and we went to church with his mom. We met Kaitlynn's God-parents at church too. It was really nice.

After church the kids gave me about thirty minutes of picture time before they ran through the back yard looking for Easter eggs. Jackson was so excited about looking for eggs he forgot his basket and tried to carry seven eggs. Kaitlynn collected the most with nine; while Madelynn wins the award for the most joy exhibited during the egg search.

Shortly after lunch Phil and Papaw dropped Kaitlynn and Jackson off at the movies with my parents, Grandma and Grandpa Bacho. It was a nice break from all the noise. However, I learned that Jackson can snore as loud as the Lions on the big screen while napping. Kaitlynn had been waiting to see Grandpa Bacho because she wanted to show him she could ride her bike without training wheels. She spent hours practicing with Papaw the day before.

Easter feast was in fact that fresh Ham from the farm, roasted chicken, stuffing, cheesy potatoes and just in case that wasn't enough pineapple upside down cake from scratch. All I can say is 'Holy Stuffed Batman'.

I was going to wait to share a few photos from Sunday but I changed my mind. Hope you had a Wonderful Easter Sunday!!

TTFN~