3.

Last week, Addison turned 3.

I need to let that just sink in for a minute.

3 years ago, I started blogging. Addison was born on a Tuesday, and by Friday night I had written my first post. I was scared, I was angry, and I needed to let it out. Now, I'm lucky if I remember to blog. There's no gut-wrenching emotional/medical turmoil, no big looming questions. I had a new friend ask about Addy's birthmark, quietly while Addy was busy doing something else. As I gave the Cliff Notes version of the path we've taken, I was struck by how long ago it all seems; a different lifetime already. For anyone who's wondering, she's awesome. She's better than awesome, she's AddyGirl.

I wish I had more pictures to share. I have to admit that I get caught up in the entertaining and socializing business of a party, and forget to capture it all. Plus, Addy was pretty overwhelmed with all the people in the house, so I was more preoccupied with gentle reassurances than I usually have to be with her.

So here are a (very) few from this weekend. She was frowning so hard, it was almost comical...

Jess and John came up for the party, and for a maternity photo shoot. I'm so excited to meet this new little nephew!

I know I promised a post about the chickens we are raising... I'll get to that. We're welcoming a new addition to our family this weekend (of the 4-legged variety), and I'll be heading to NJ with the kids for a bridal shower soon too.

And... I think Spring is here. Finally!

Vineyard and Easter

I have enough pictures from the last 2 weeks to more than fill this post, so I figured that's a good place to start.

We were scheduled to go to the Vineyard for an off-season trip (a personal favorite of mine), but that was the same weekend as the blizzard, so we had to postpone to last week. Mother Nature attempted to thwart us again by dumping almost 6 inches of snow on the island the night before, but we persevered. My favorite part about going off-season is that the island is practically deserted, occupied only by the hardy year-round people. It does make it much harder to find a place to eat (because almost nothing is open), and it wasn't exactly beach weather. But the thing I really go to the Vineyard for is quality time with my grandparents, and there was still plenty of that.

Then we needed to head back for Easter prep and execution.

Spring has sprung - the bulbs Chloe planted last fall are just starting to poke up!

 OK, this one *may* be a bit of staged Spring...

 Please note... there is still. snow.

 How the babe spent the egg hunt

We are so ready for Spring! We've got lots of exciting things to set up - this year, we will have a large vegetable garden, plus some berry bushes, so I'll be doing a lot of freezing and canning. We are also building a chicken coop to have a flock of hens to lay eggs for us. (Yes, right now we have a small flock of newborn baby chicks in our house - saving that for the next post!)

And most importantly, a big birthday in the next few days - Addy turns 3!!

Celebrating

We took our inaugural family-of-5 trip to NJ last weekend. It was, as these trips always are, way too short. Pete and I cut the trip even shorter by leaving a day early to avoid traveling in the snow (which ended up being all rain), but the girls stayed a full week.

My baby meets my bestie. He was thrilled, I promise.

We celebrated in impending arrival of the newest nephew:

 (this is her "say cheese" face)

 (this is her "punch laced with soda laced with sherbet" face)

 I'm still working on doing better at being a photographer when we have get togethers. I get caught up in the soaking-it-all-in, and forget that I should be snapping away. I am wary of being 'that girl' - the one in everyone's business, clicking away - my inner introvert shining through. That, and I am still so smitten with my son, I'm either cuddling him, or watching someone else cuddle him with stars in my eyes. (Maybe they're stars, or maybe they're just glassy from lack of sleep... who knows.) Luckily, my photography sessions are going well - I'll get back into my lifestyle grove by 2014 :)