Winter Fun

On Christmas day, Maddie got to really play in the snow for the first time. She really had fun. The snow was about up to her knees so she had a little trouble getting around.

While my parents were here, they took her out again and thought it would be fun to go sledding down the hill in a laundry basket.

Christmas 2009

We had a great Christmas this year. We woke up to a White Christmas - about 6" of snow! Maddie was so excited about Christmas this year. She loved opening presents. We got her a lot of little presents, rather than one big one. She got some new Legos, some Little People toys, a new Dora the Explorer movie, and a stuffed puppy from us and Santa. After opening presents, we all got bundled up and worked on digging out the driveway - not so much for getting down, but getting back up. It was so windy, though, that everything we would shovel would just get filled back in. We finally shoveled enough to go over to Bryan's parents' house. The roads were still pretty bad, but we were careful and made it just fine. We ate our traditional Christmas ham dinner and opened more presents.

A White Christmas?

Perhaps. Even though it's 50 degrees and raining right now. The rain is supposed to turn to ice and then to snow sometime tomorrow afternoon/evening. They are forcasting 6-9 inches of snow by the end of the day on Friday.

Tidbits

The following are various stories of what Madison has said or done lately that is just so cute that I have to write it down somewhere.

Maddie was going through her toybox in her closet and found a small blanket that came with a little baby doll that she had gotten for Christmas last year. I asked her what happened to the baby. She said, "he's gone. He ran away."

Lately when I've been getting her dressed for bed in her jammies, she says that she wants to dress like a dragon. I have no idea where this idea came from.

When says she needs to use the potty, we go into the bathroom. But instead of sitting on the potty, she wants to take a bath. When it's time for bath, she doesn't want to get into the tub, but sit on the potty. Go figure.

Memories

For the past several weeks, as we walk into church from the parking lot, Maddie keeps saying, "bubbles, bubbles." For the life of me, I couldn't understand what she was talking about. There weren't any bubbles to be seen anywhere. Then finally it dawned on me. Last summer we attended the church picnic. And in the little prayer garden near the entrance, she had spent a mojority of the time playing with bubbles. So now whenever we walk by, she's showing us where she remembers playing bubbles.

Christmas Program

Last night there was a Christmas program at Maddie's daycare. They divided it up so each age group sang in their own room. Maddie's part lasted all of 15 minutes (which was more than enough time for 2-year olds). They "sang" 3 songs. Afterwards, they had crafts, snacks, and a visit from Santa Clause.

Happy Birthday to WHO?

Madison has really gotten into singing songs lately. Her favorite right now is "Happy Birthday". She wants to sing "Happy Birthday" to everyone and every THING. She starts with herself, first. Then she wants to sing happy birthday to Michael & Sonya Lee (from "Little People"). Then it's her toys, the house, and practically anything she sees. I have been reminding her of the greatest happy birthday of all..."Happy Birthday to JESUS!!"

Here's an Update

1. Maddie started a new daycare this week. I don't like it quite as much as the Primrose School, but it will save us about $100 each month.

2. I put our Christmas tree up on Saturday. Maddie helped. I haven't downsized the videos yet to post.

3. I'm sick. I came down with a sore throat yesterday & went to the doctor this morning. I don't have strep, so he gave me an antibiotic. I didn't have a fever when I went in (in fact is was 97.2). But when I got home, my body temperature rose and spiked out at 101.4! I took some Advil, and it helped bring my fever down. The antibiotics also started to kick in and I'm starting to feel a little better. I still don't have much energy. Hopefully I will be well enough to go to work tomorrow. I don't have many sick days left. Luckily, I've been the only one to get the bug and I hope it stays that way.

Hit The Road

Well, in just a few more hours, Maddie & I will hit the road to begin our trip to Michigan for Sonia's baby shower. I can't wait, but it's going to be a LONG drive, especially since Madison was just diagnosed with having a double ear infection. She's on antibiotic now and is already starting to feel a little better. I plan on stopping a lot. Thanks to McDonalds.com, I can map out all the ones w/ playgrounds within 5 miles of our route. We'll be stopping at Aunt Marlene's house in Bloomington, IL for the night.

Thanks For Voting

Thanks to all who voted for Madison's Halloween costume. Unfortunately, we didn't get enough votes to win any money. But there's no denying that she was a cutie.

The weather was gorgeous this weekend. Although it didn't get quite as warm as they said it would (they were forcasting near 80), it was still well above normal. Maddie had fun playing in the leaves. I shot a really cute video, but it's way too big to post on blogger. These pictures will have to do. We also saw 3 deer while we were outside.

Halloween 2009

Fall Festivities

Saturday morning, we had a MOPS outing at Faulkner's Pumpkin Farm. The day started out pretty cool, but warmed up really quick. The farm was alright. It wasn't quite what I had expected, but Maddie seemed to enjoy it. It was realy muddy, especially on the playground. We took a hayride and picked out a pumpkin to carve this weekend.

"Milking" the Cow

"I'm not too sure about this hayride thing"

"Corn mazes are kind of fun"

"Hi Mom!"

"This scarecrow is kind of scary"

"Look how tall I am this year"

Pretty Pumpkins

"I want this one!"


Saturday night, there was a "Haunted Trail" at my in-laws development. Several homeowners decorated "stations" along the trail and handed out candy. Maddie got a little scared, but was fine as long as Daddy was holding her. At the end of the trail, there was a bonfire and they were grilling hamburgers & hot dogs. This was also the first chance Maddie had to try on her halloween costume. She makes a very beautiful bumble bee.

Images Of Fall

The following picutres were taken just outside my office.

"Love You"

I just put Maddie to bed. I told her the usual, "night, night...sweet dreams...Mommy loves you...yes, I...love...you." I was about to walk out the door when I hear a faint, "love you!" My heart just melted.

This is what October is SUPPPOSED to feel like

65 & sunny! What a gorgeous day! Such a change from last week (and even yesterday). Too bad it won't last. Temps are supposed to go back down to the upper 50s. At least it's better than the 40s we had last week. The sun helps, too. I almost forgot that the sky is actually blue, not gray.

Update

Not too much has been going on. Bryan's been working long & hard. He's been waking up at 4:00 am everyday except Tuesday & Sunday (his days off). Sometimes he can sleep in until 6:00 on Saturdays. He works about 10 hours a day, but the overtime pay is nice. I just hope he doesn't overwork himself.

Madison is doing GREAT! We're getting ready to put her back in daycare next week. It will be good for her to be around other kids. She's really smart. She knows her alphabet, all her numbers & colors. One her my favorite words of hers is "ephetant" (that's elephant in case you were wondering). We had a scary moment last night. I was bringing in the groceries from the car. Madison had walked into our bathroom and accidently locked herself in. I franticly tried using a wire hanger & various screwdrivers to get it open. I finally got it. I think I was more scared than Maddie.

Work is going well. I've been keeping fairly busy. I've been doing a lot of little projects that are in their early design stages. This morning, I woke up and noticed that the room seemed a bit brighter than usual. I looked over at the alarm clock which was flashing "4:30 am". I looked at my cell phone next to the bed. It was actually 7:22! The power had gone out in the middle of the night so my alarm didn't go off. I was only about a half our late for work, which I can easily make up.

Here's a picture of Maddie & her LEGO tower that Daddy helped her build.

Color + Couture

Friday night, I was invited by some of my co-workers to go to the International Interior Designers Assosiation 2009 Color + Couture Fashion Show. This event teams up area Architecture/Interior Design firms with local manufaturer's reps to create outfits out of everyday design products such as wallpaper, carpet, drapery/upholstry fabric, etc. It was a lot of fun. Most of the outfits were pretty wacky, but some actually looked quite wearable. Note: These pictures are from last year's event. I forgot my camera.

Happy Birthday, Mom (a.k.a. Michi-Grammy)!

Birthday wishes from all of us in Missouri! We love you and miss you much!

Checkup

Yesterday, Maddie had her 24-month checkup. She's about 26-1/2 pounds and a hair under 34 inches tall.

Here are a couple more pictures from her party:

Happy Birthday, Madison!

I can't believe that my baby is TWO YEARS OLD today! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was holding that 4 lb, 8 oz babe in my arms for the very first time. Now look at her: