Our Paso Family

God has blessed us beyond words with our friends here in Paso...we truly have started to call them a second family since only one couple has family in town. We celebrate holidays together, have kids at the same time (as you can see), eat more meals than we should together and serve as a team in Young Life. It's amazing how all the guys enjoy one another and all the girls do the same. We truly love this group!!

Faces...

Naturally we think our daughter is the cutest and funniest thing ever. We had to show you some of her many faces that we see daily...

Easter...

Addie got to celebrate her first Easter! We wanted to get her an Easter basket (even though she doesn't know what a basket is) so we filled it with random items...some for her and some for us. :) We took a few pictures of her with the basket and it was great. She was in a smiling mood and then she wrapped her arm around the handle. It totally looked like she was telling the world, "this is mine!" We got a good laugh.





After church we headed over to our good friends house for lunch. We have all had new additions since last Easter so we took some family shots. The Jelsos and Cranks were all smiles, but Addie didn't want her picture taken.





Afterwards, we put the girls on the couch for their first picture together. Now, the picture quality is horrible but the story behind the image is priceless. Josie was very sweet with Addie but once Josie touched her, our little Addie literally growled at her. All the adults immediately started laughing since we couldn't believe that a 6 week old would do that. Looks like she's going to have a little bit of an attitude...good thing she's cute!

Trip to Santa Barbara

It's been a busy season of life for the Blakes, so we took our first get-away trip. We were looking at various places to stay and ended up in Santa Barbara for a few days. It was an amazing trip! We stayed right on State Street and enjoyed the great weather while walking all day as a family.

We started the trip off with a stop at a monastery in Santa Barbara. Chris just got back from a Staff Retreat there and commented on how beautiful it was. I wanted to see it for myself and he was right...it over looks all of Santa Barbara. It was a great way for us to start off the trip since we could just sit and be together in a quiet place with no distractions. Plus, Addie got her first trip to a monastery...not many babies can say that.



The Baby Bjorn became our favorite Addie carrier. She slept in it throughout the day which allowed us to enjoy walking to and from the beach. We even tried her facing out for the first time and she loved it. Chris loved having her so close and everyone kept commenting on how cute they were. I am lucky...

Grammy's Magic Touch

I had my first wedding of the season on the 15th of this month so Chris was Dad for the day. Having perfect timing, his folks came in for a night's stay to see Addison since they hadn't seen her since she was born. I admit that I was a little nervous leaving Addison since the bottle was still a little iffy and I guess it's a mom's nature to be concerned about her child. Well...I had no need to think twice. Chris as usual is amazing with Addie, but his mom was great too! Addie loves her Grammy!!!! She took every bottle from her like a champ and even took the pacifier from her too! Mind you, my child will NEVER take it from me. I think that Grammy just has the magical touch. Needless to say, Addie might have wrapped her Grammy around her little fingers during that trip. :)

Similarities?

While in TN, my brother Todd and I got some good laughs as we looked at family photos hung in the hallways. Between horrible hair cuts and outfits, I found this one of me as a baby. I never thought about it before, but after seeing this, I realized that Addie had many similarities as her mom! When we first thought about getting pregnant we always wondered if she would have some of our features (be it a good thing or a bad one). I must say, that our Addie does look like her Daddy is some ways, but there is some of her mom in her too....poor thing! :)

Trip to Tennessee

On March 10th of this year, we lost our beloved Papa. He was an amazing man whom we loved...he married Chris and I and was a huge influence in all of our lives. In order to be with the family, Addie and I took her first plane trip back East. She was amazing on the flights and and slept like a champ...I admit that I was a little nervous about the whole thing. As you can see from this picture, Addie loved the plane rides.


While we were there, my Granny and Big Buddy from Memphis came in to visit and be with everyone too. We realized that we had four generations in the same place - Granny, my mom, me, and Addie.





Papa never got to meet Addie but he knew she was born and called her Addison Gracie...that touched my heart. Addie did get to meet Grandmother (her great-grandmother) so we had to take some pictures. Our little one is so blessed to have an amazing family that surrounds her.

LOVE

My two favorites...

Jean Dress + Boots

There's something so funny about seeing a little baby with big cheeks in a dress! Our Addie was cracking us up with her outfit. It was her first time wearing a dress and she looked so cute...naturally we are little biased. Her Uncle Todd and Aunt Tara provided her first boots and I think they could be one of our favorites.

One Month Old!!!

The time has truly flown by! We cannot believe that our little girl is already one month old. We went to the doctor for her 4 week check up and holy smokes...she has grown! She was born 8 pounds 10 ounces and was 20 inches long. Well, when they checked her at her appointment, she was 11 pounds and almost 22 inches long!!!! All we could do was laugh...especially because every person at the doctor's office commented on her huge belly and cheeks. It was awesome.



We took some pictures of Addie in the outfit that she came home in from the hospital...it's quickly getting small.

Our smiling girl...

So yes, most babies don't smile for a few months other than those gas smiles, but our Addison does!!!! I promise we are not crazy! She will see our faces and get this smile that makes us melt...we love it! Here are just a few that I captured of her while she laid in her bed for the first time.