I came into this world on January 15, 2005.  Kicking and crying, with all eyes on me and it had been that way until July 18, 2007.  When you are the first granddaughter on your mother’s side of the family and the 2nd granddaughter on your dad’s side of the family it pretty much means that you get a lot of attention.  I was not only the twinkle in my dad’s eye; I had him wrapped as tight as a bright shiny ribbon that can be found around your most favorite Christmas present.  Mom was no different — she doted on me as any new mom would ---  rocking, singing, and kissing me all the time.  With my mom being a cosmetologist – that’s a lady that has gone to beauty school— I can probably brag that I’m the youngest little lady that ever had a manicure. 

Like I was saying my world was as picture perfect as my pretty pink manicured fingers and toes, until actually about three months before July 18th.  My mom and dad had been asking me for sometime if I would like to have a baby brother.  I always told them that I would, wondering if he would be as much fun as my dog Max.  As time rolled on even as little as I was I could tell that things were changing.  My mom looked like she had swallowed one of my beach balls or possibly a whole watermelon.  My mom and dad seemed excited, so I was excited too.  I knew it wasn’t going to be long before this new brother of mine arrived because my Red Mona was coming all the way from Farmington, New Mexico – I know that’s a long drive because I went there for Thanksgiving. 

To make a long story short, brother was born early in the morning on July 15th and I loved him, but they kept him behind a big glass.  The people in the funny blue clothes wouldn’t bring him out to me, so I cried.  Crying didn't even get them to bring him out to me.   Dad just held him up in front of the glass with a great big smile on his face.  Well-- this was the beginning of a big change in our family.  It’s hard when you are two and a half years old and you learn that you have to share not only your mom and dad, but also your Pink Mona and Red Mona, and my Papaw and Poppe with a baby brother!   About the same time that baby brother arrived home, so did my new friend, my lion. 

My lion really likes me, but sometimes he is mean to me and I have to make him sit in time-out.  Sometimes we just play and talk.  The other day he poured all the salt out on the kitchen table.  The first thing my mom did was asked me why I did that.  I just couldn’t believe it – I told her my lion did that.  She just said that my lion didn’t need to do things like that.  I was relieved because I thought we were both headed for time-out! 

My lion goes everywhere with me.  He went to my Aunt Charlotte’s house for Christmas and he goes to my daycare with me.  One day I told my mom I didn’t want my lion to go to daycare because he was being mean to me.  She told me she would take him to work with her, but when my dad came to pick me up I told on her because my lion stayed at daycare with me all day.  He was still being mean to me.  My dad told him to “to quite it,” so he did. 

Now I don’t really understand what is so important about a Super Bowl – it looked just like a football game to me.  On that Sunday I wanted my mother to play with me, but she said she would play with me after the Super Bowl game.  I went back to my room and my lion decided to lie on top of me.  I started kicking and screaming and crying, throwing a really good fit right there in the middle of my bedroom floor.  My mom came running to see if something had happened to me.  I told her my lion was holding me down in the floor and wouldn’t let me up.  Wow – when my mom says “Addison Howard” you get up out of the floor right now,” I know I should get up, but I told her I couldn’t and I just keep kicking and crying.  She yanked my lion off me and told me to stand up, so I did.  I sure didn’t want a spanking!  I don’t think she really believed me that day, but it’s the truth, my lion was really holding me down and would not let me get out of my room.  

Just the other day my mom was giving my baby brother a bath.  She was singing him a song and my lion didn’t like it.  My lion told me to go tell her to stop singing.  I told my mom that my lion didn’t like her and my baby brother and that he wanted her to stop singing.  That is when my mom told me we had to pray for lion to be nice and for him to like them. 

Lion still has to sit in time-out sometimes when he is not acting nice.  Like the day he spilled my chocolate milk on the table.  I told my mom he didn’t mean to do it, so he didn’t get in trouble by mom, but I made him sit in time-out.    My mom asked me if he was starting to like her and my brother and I told her that he was.  Mom says we still need to pray for him, so we do, and it is making him be nicer. 

I also have to tell you that I love corn.  It is my most favorite food to eat.  My mom took me and my brother to Chili’s to eat so I could have corn on the cob.  I was talking to my lion at the restaurant and the people at the next table where looking at us, so mom asked if I was talking to my lion.  I told her yes, all’ems; my lion, my dinosaur, and my kitty cat; we are all together.

Addison’s pretty pink manicured toes.