The Dean Family

Katie Ru is Two!!!!

2011-05-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Our little Katherine has brought an immeasurable amount of joy into our lives!!!! I can't believe she is already two years old!

- Favorite Toys- Ee-Ee (her monkey), Oink Oink the pig, her piggy bank, make up and dress up clothes, and whatever your sister is playing with at that moment.
- You LOVE to play in your sand box! You love to color and can actually draw a smiley face! You love to dance and sing. You love playdough!
- Favorite cartoons and movies- Barney, Pete's Dragon, Ramona and Beezuz, Annie, Backyardigans
- Favorite Food- Kashi Cereal bars, Broccoli, all fruits especially berries and bananas, Chocolate or nutella, yogurt popsicles (or any popsicle!) pasta, any meats, you could eat a plate full of ketchup with your chicken, eggs, pancakes, salad, green beans, rice and cous cous
-Favorite books- You love to read and be read to. Actually, instead of reading you want to talk about everything on every page and name objects. Right now you are into the "How to Build a Snowman" book, Usborne Baby Sister, backyardigans, goodnight moon, and your books about animals. You pick out the same ones off of your shelf every time we read. Why am I surprised?
- You love to play hide and seek with Madeleine and Daddy. You girls will hide from him every day when you hear him pull up from work. When you hide y'all say "Who Who" to give him a clue where you are.
-You take your diaper off ALL THE TIME!!! It's getting ridiculous! You took it off at the gymnasium the other day and at night you take your Pj's and diaper off and then manage to put your pants back on without a diaper! We have had to wake you up to put it back on in the night. Looks like potty training is in our near future!
-You are obsessed with ants and are on a mission to eradicate the entire ant population. You smash every one you see and will yell and scream AAAUUUNT when you spot one!! We love to listen to you yell this!
-You can count to nearly 20 and know your shapes. You are speaking very well now and in full sentences. You still talk in a sweet little baby voice and I never want to correct how you say some of your baby words b/c I think it's so cute!!! I could keep you like this forever!
-You are very affectionate and loving. You hug and kiss your teachers every day when you leave school and say bye to all of your friends. When I pick you up you run squealing at the top of your lungs saying MOMMY right into my arms!!!!!! It's my favorite part of the day.
-You are a touch feisty and have quite a bit of character! All the nursery workers and baby sitters LOVE you and it's fun for me to hear them talk about the little things you will do.
-You are very expressive with your face.
-I love having two girls!! There is nothing better to me than hearing y'all play and laugh together. You and Madeleine are best friends and you adore one another. As soon as you wake up you want to know where Madeleine is. Usually she comes in your room and climbs in your crib. Most of the time it's easier having the two of you together then it is to have one of you gone.

Easter 2011

2011-05-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

Christchurch Easter egg hunt

2011-05-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Good Dog, Bad Dog

2011-04-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

I was thinking recently about all of the cozy traditions our family has started building without even realizing they are becoming traditions. Thankfully we are not lacking for any thanks to my sweet husband! One thing I have always appreciated about Daniel is that he loves quality time and values the importance of building a strong relationship with our two girls. Good Dog, Bad Dog is a game that Daniel's father always played with them and now he plays with our girls. Every one takes turns being the dog making sweet doggie sounds, then when you pet the dog he starts barking and attacks (tickles) the person who is petting the dog. It's a simple game but the girls LOVE it! I guess life really is about the little things.

Today

2011-04-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today I finally got my camera out again and decided to do a blog marathon for all of my friends and family out there that haven't seen us in a while. We've been quite busy with school, family, sickness, our house on the market, and the daily drama of having two wild and crazy little girls!!!

Catching up part 2

2011-04-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

We made a quick run down to the beach after a long week! The girls had sooo much fun! It made us all so ready to get back down there this summer when the water gets warm!

Almost all of spring break the girls were sick so we only got out once to go to the park with some friends.

Night Night Katie

2011-04-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

Every night Madeleine loves to put Katie to bed before she and Daniel head to her own room to read stories. Recently Katie asked Daniel to snuggle her in her bed and he couldn't resist getting in there with her. She wants him to get in every night now and cleans out a big spot to make room for him to get in. Hopefully the crib wont cave in before we put her in a big girl bed!

Valentines Day

2011-04-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

Catching Up

2011-04-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

Madeleine and Emily in their matching PJ's

First night in the same room...... and one of the last. For now atleast. :)

Dressing up

Interview with Madeleine

2011-01-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from Amanda Jone's blog, Baby Bangs, and I couldn't wait to hear what Madeleine said. At first she kept getting irritated because I was asking her so many questions but then she said she would tell me if I gave her a piece of candy. Hehe!

1.What is something Mommy/ Daddy always says to you?
Mom- Say please and thank you
Dad- He says the same thing as mommy

2. What makes Mommy/ Daddy happy?
Mom- Doing a great job at school.
Dad- Doing a great job at school.

3. What makes Mommy/ Daddy sad?
Mom- NOT doing a great job at school
Dad- not doing a great job

4. How does Mommy/Daddy make you laugh?
Mom- can't remember
Dad- Make silly faces

5. What was Mommy like as a child?
Mom- little
Dad- he plays

6. How old is Mommy/Daddy?
Mom-5
Dad- A really big 0

7. How tall is Mommy/ Daddy?
Mom- Tall as me
Dad- Really Tall!

8. What is Mommy's/ Daddy's favorite thing to do?
Mom- Do chores
Dad- play with me and snuggle me

9. What does Mommy/ Daddy do when you're not around?
Mom- Takes care of Katherine and runs errands
Dad- Go to work

10. What is Mommy/Daddy really good at?
Mom- Doing arts and crafts
Dad- building fires

11. What is Mommy/Daddy not very good at?
Mom- not putting movies on
Dad- reading different books that he doesn't know but that I(Mad) know

12. What does Mommy/Daddy do for her job?
Mom- Take care of Katherine and I(Mad) take care of Daddy
Dad- makes money to buy children toys that do not have any toys and to buy me candy when I do a great job.

13. What is Mommy's/Daddy's favorite food?
Mom- Lasagna
Dad- Chinese food!

14. What makes you proud of Mommy/Daddy?
Mom- doing a great job
Dad-

15. If Mommy/Daddy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Mom-"you will be Ramona and I will be Beezuz"
Dad- Ramona's Daddy

16. What do you and Mommy/Daddy do together?
Mom-read books and make play dough
Dad- Snuggle and read

17. How are you and Mommy/Daddy the same?
Mom- we both have jewelry boxes in our room
Dad- we wear the same blue jeans

18. How are you and Mommy/Daddy different?
Mom- I just dont know Momma!
Dad- He's balding his hair

19. How do you know Mommy/Daddy loves you?
Mom- Because you are real good at doing stuff
Dad- Because I love him so much!

20. Where is Mommy's/Daddy's favorite place to go?
Mom- grocery store
Dad- to chinese places

Merry Christmas 2010!!!

2010-12-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

For the sake of getting these on the blog they are in random order. Sorry about that
I'll journal about it later :) Maybe.....

Tree Trimming

2010-12-12T18:18:00.001-08:00

I always insist on decorating our tree on the first Sunday of Advent. For me you can't move into Advent without a Christmas tree and it's the perfect thing to do as a family activity for the night. We had pizza for dinner on the coffee table :) so that part was pretty informal. Then the girls wanted to move in front of the fireplace. I don't like eating dinner in the den but when we order pizza we always eat there. We are now on the third Sunday of Advent and I've yet to make a good meal on Sunday. Every weekend has been jam packed and I'm kind of sad now that I'm thinking about it. Anyway, we have had some cozy moments. Madeleine is really taking in every aspect of Christmas this year and we are really enjoying that! I have had so much fun thinking about what she would like for Christmas. I love to see her excitement! The coziest thing that the girls like doing is laying under the tree and looking up at the lights. Madeleine loves for us to make up stories and talk about the special ornaments.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T16:54:00.000-08:00

This year the Weimer's were gracious enough to host our family for Thanksgiving. We are so blessed to have extended family that we enjoy being around so much!

Everyone brought their favorite side dish. I made dressing because I can't live through a Thanksgiving without my grandmother's dressing. Daniel's favorite thing is Autumn pudding (Sweet potato casserole) so I made double everything so we could have plenty of leftovers. I'm already getting tired of it though :)

We missed everyone who could not be with us this year, but we still had a great time!!! My family went to Florida and Jeanne is in China with the rest of the Dean's so there are a lot of people out there missing these girls!!! Get ready for all of the pictures because this is for the grandparents!!!

I decided on Wednesday to do a little family project called the Thanksgiving Tree. Earlier Wednesday the girls and I picked out sticks for our tree. After dinner that night we colored leaves and talked about things we were thankful for. Katherine enjoyed coloring and Madeleine liked getting to use the hole puncher and hanging the leaves on our tree.

Katherine new trick is to buckle herself into everything. She insist on doing it millions of times!!! She can buckle herself in but can't undo it yet. This can be very annoying when she wants to do this while we are trying to eat.

Cousin Avery

Cousin Caroline

Katherine did NOT want to sit on this bench with Madeleine.

Katherine pouting, She's got a good one!!!

Madeleine and me

My first Thanksgiving turkey!

Park

2010-09-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

I got excited when the weather got a little cooler so we headed to the park for a picnic and let the girls get out and play. The only problem was that it was noon and not so cool anymore :( I guess you could say that it was short and sweet because we still had a good time.

Beach

2010-09-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

We made our way back down to the beach before it was time to get back into the swing of things at school. Daniel got to come down with us for the weekend and then Jeanne and I stayed with the girls the rest of the week. I tell you what, I really appreciate having a man around to carry all the gear and babies everywhere. I probably spent a total of 15 minutes on the beach in the 7 days I was there. Katherine was a nightmare on the beach this time. She wanted to go straight in the ocean.... not just the edge. She wanted to go all the way!!! I couldn't distract her for anything! Madeleine was really into the pool so we stayed there most of the time. She actually got brave enough to start swimming without a float. By the end of the week she was swimming under water, jumping off the edge, and swimming across the pool! The girls slept great all week and actually slept late every morning! It was so dark in the rooms and they were so exhausted from swimming that I actually got plenty of rest too! Yay!!! During the day Kat would take long naps and I would stay in the room with her. There's an awesome balcony at the condo so it was almost as good as being on the beach for me.

These were the only pictures I took the whole time because it was just too much trying to take pics and keep up with the kids all week.

Madeleine loves the bathtub at the beach condo!!!! She took huge bubble baths almost every night. We had to wait until Katie was out because we couldn't see her in all of the bubbles.

Cozy Night

2010-09-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

Decisions

2010-08-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

I can't decide if Katherine is more likely to be a tattoo artist or a graffiti artist?

Donuts

2010-08-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

make us HAPPY!

First Mani/Pedi

2010-08-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Swim Lessons

2010-08-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the summer I signed up Madeleine for swim lessons. She took with 3 other girls from her class. It did not go well to say the least but I'm glad we did it. Madeleine is a great swimmer and she is cautious but not afraid of the water. Every day of lessons she surprised me. One good, another terrible, and by the last day we didn't even go. We prayed and prayed for Jesus to help her be brave and one night after a great day of swimming lessons she wanted to ask Jesus to put her story in the bible about how He helped her to be brave and swim in the water. :) So sweet.

Falcon Cousins

2010-08-11T12:40:00.001-07:00

Dean Cousins

2010-08-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

O What a Beautiful Morning!!

2010-06-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

This morning Daniel gave Katherine a bottle to try to keep her in the bed longer because we were both exhausted. He had the stomach bug the day before and I was up with Madeleine in the the middle of the night and couldn't sleep. Anyway, he left her door open (we have a baby lock on it otherwise) and when Madeleine woke up she went in there because Katherine was awake and playing in her crib. I was half asleep but still aware the kids were awake. Typically, Madeleine will play in her room or read books so I thought that's what she was doing and I tried to take advantage of it and get a little more sleep. Well, when Daniel got up and went in there he started yelling for me to get up. I knew then that she had been in to something. Ahhhhhh!!!!! She has done this once before and suffered the consequences. I should have thrown the baby powder away the first time this happened!

This is the disaster we woke up to this morning...baby powder and petroleum jelly = one angry mom! The picture does not do this justice. It really was everywhere!! All things were coated in a fine layer of powder. I could hardly breathe when I walked in the room!

Katie all cleaned up. She actually looks like she's into whatever cartoon is on television. HA! (She really doesn't watch cartoons yet, but she's acting like it!)

Better

2010-06-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

We are finally all better and germ free!!! I feel like we've paid our dues and hopefully we'll have some healthy, fun days ahead!!! Daniel and Katherine got by without any known symptoms and Madeleine, Jeanne, David and myself all got the bug.
School is out for the next couple of of weeks so I have lots of plans to fill up our days. Madeleine is looking forward to swim lessons next week and play dates with friends, BUT MOST OF ALL we are excited about Matt, April, Josh, Caleb and Luke coming home next week and staying for the next 6 weeks!!!! It seems like forever and yet not so long ago that they went Hong Kong last August.

The Plague

2010-05-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

Something has hit us hard and we had to make our first trip to the ER at 5:30 a.m. this morning. I mentioned this week that I took both of the girls in for sinus infections and now in addition to that Kate has hand foot & mouth and Maddy has a serious stomach bug. I am waiting for the stomach bug to hit the rest of the family sometime in the next 24 to 48 hours. Maybe we will be spared and I wait in hope that we will get a little more sleep tonight. Anyway, Mad was the only one in the ER. She started vomiting at about 10:30 last night and from 3-6 this morning she vomited every 15-20 minutes. At 5:30 I finally called the doctor on call to see if we could get a prescription nausea med but he sent us to the ER instead. I was sooooo nervous about her getting an iv but she did fantastic!!!! I guess she was so sick she didn't care. We went to Jackson and the nurses and doctors were wonderful! I was so relieved and so glad we went! We didn't have to wait at all when we got there but we still didn't get home until 10:30. She still has been puny and vomiting. He gave us some disolvable zofran so hopefully that will kick in and she can get a good nights rest.

Saying prayers tonight for a better day!!!

Update and a Recital

2010-05-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy today. This morning I took both girls to the pediatrician because they have been battling a nasty cold for a while now. They both have sinus infections and I got an antibiotic--but it's amoxcicillan and it never works so we'll see. I should have asked for something else. I am convinced it's a plot to make you come back in and pay another co-pay!! Just kidding, but sometimes I feel that way especially after all of Katie's ear drama!!! However, I am excited that I got some eye drops because mad, kat, and myself are prone to eye goop when we are sick and I hate having to go in to get eye drops for ME! Also, he agreed that Katherine needs a reflux med so we are trying Zantac and I'm anxious to no longer smell like baby vomit. (Sorry if this is becoming a rather graphic post.) Anyway, after the doc I drove around and Kate took her morning nap in the car. I felt like I needed to use my free breakfast coupon at Chick-fil-a so I pulled through the drive-thru and enjoyed a number 2 meal to myself! We headed to Cloverdale Park for Lawson's Pirate themed birthday party. It was adorable!! It was early enough in the morning to enjoy being outside and the park was nice and shady. After we loaded up on lots of sugar we headed home and I attempted to feed the kids something decent for lunch. I tired to get Mad to nap before her recital and failed.....as usual. Thankfully Kate slept all afternoon and I managed to get ready in time for the ballet recital tonight! It was adorable, we stayed out way too late, and now I'm suffering from insomnia and blogging about ballet at 2 a.m.

MeMe put Madeleine's hair in a bun for her recital. It looked so beautiful but I don't know how I am ever going to get out all of the hair spray we had to use to keep it up like that!

The three of us before we left. We had to leave Katie at home because she's sick and goes to bed early. Plus she's wild and there's no way we could keep her tamed during a recital without having to miss out on part of it.

My beautiful Ballerina

The girls love making some noise with those tap shoes! Especially Madeleine, that girl loves a good time!!!

Back stage they had a chair with each girl's name on it and Mad was actually very obedient and patient. I was so pleased! At first I was a little concerned with how organized they could keep things with this age group but they all did great!

Most of her class.....

I forgot the program and I have no clue what songs they danced to.... probably because I didn't recognize any of them. Anyway, they did a ballet, tap, and jazz routine. It took forever but every minute of it was precious. They combined our Trinity MMO with ECDC witch made for and extremely long recital (12 songs total!). Hopefully next year they can break it up. We got there at 5:30, it started at 6:00 and we didn't leave until 8:00!!! Then we went to La Zona Rosa for dinner because that's Mad's favorite restaurant (besides Chick-fil-a of course).

Each girl did a solo and Madeleine stayed out there for hers FOREVER! It was hilarious because she had no clue what she was doing!!

Madeleine and Emory with their flowers, suckers, and medals after the recital. Mad and Em are in different groups because of their age. Emory is moving on to Kindergarten next year. Sad :( This will be their only year to dance together!

Mad with Daddy and Mommy after the recital.

Katie's 1 Year

2010-05-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

I am a little behind on posting for Katherine's 1 year post because her appointment was a little late! Last week we went in to see Dr. Glover and she did wonderful! I was a little worried she would scream the whole time since she doesn't really like other people holding her but she didn't. She just gave him the most stern, questioning look and laid there stiff as a board. It was so funny!

So here's her stat's:

Weight: 20 lbs 14 oz (45%)
Height: 29 /34 inches (75%)
Head Circumference: 18 1/4 (80%)

A little about Katherine:

- You are wearing size 12 to 18 months clothes and a size 3 diaper. I am about ready to buy a size 4 because you are leaking out of them at night.

- You have 2 bottom teeth and just got 2 top teeth in.

- Your favorite foods are strawberries, grapes, noodles, green beans, broccoli, chicken, eggs, cheese, and cheese toast. You are a great eater but it took me a while to get you started. You still gag a lot and have even started putting your fingers down your throat and making yourself throw up!!! The doctor told me to ignore you when you do that but I can't stand it!!! I think you may be having some reflux issues because you throw up a lot whether you make yourself or not. We'll find out soon.

- You still like to drink milk from a bottle and you drink one before each nap and bed time. You can also drink from a sippy sup and a straw.

- You definitely have a sweet tooth!!! I try to keep it away from you as much as possible but you nearly attack your sister for her snacks and juice cup. You absolutely know when someone has something you want and it's hard to make you stop. You are a determined and feisty little little thing when you don't get your way!!!

- You HATE getting your diaper changed and being in your car seat. I have to distract you with a toy or a snack to get you to cooperate in the car. My latest trick when I change your diaper is to sing a ridiculous and obnoxious version of Old McDonald. It's holding your attention for now but I give that another week and I'll have to figure out something else!

- You can say Ma Ma, Da Da, Ma Ma for Madeleine (It sounds different than Ma Ma) Uh oh, Big Ball ( You say this constantly!) Dogie (Barks) You bark for most animals you see and thinks it's hilarious) Ba Ba for bottle, Bye Bye, Hey, and Baby. I think that's all but, you seem to say a lot of other things like thank you and make noises that I think are words sometimes but I am not sure yet. You like to mimic silly laughs and noises as well.

- If I talk sternly to you, you cry easily and it hurts your feelings!!! Oh, I feel bad because it's usually just a No mam!

- You will charm the socks off someone when we are in public. You like to grin, play peek-a-boo, blow kisses and wave. You are hesitant to go to anyone but will flirt all day long if I'm holding you.

- You are totally a daddy's girl when he's around and you cry when he leaves for work!!!

- You love your sister and follow her around all day long. Most of the time she doesn't care unless you take something she is playing with or eating. You think she is sooo funny and she can always make you laugh.

- You are not walking yet but you can stand without support and push things around.

- Your favorite thing to play with is baby dolls. You LOVE them and will hold, rock, and kiss them. You say awww when I ask you to love your baby. It is so sweet and one of my favorite things you do right now.

- You try to tickle me by saying ticka ticka and wiggling your fingers.

- You can point and gesture when there is something you want.

- You know where your nose is. You mimic what to do with a hair brush, telephone, remote and sunglasses. You "pretend" to read books by pointing, babbling, and making noises while turning the pages.

- You are still taking 2 naps most of the time and we are having a hard time getting them straightened out. You prefer the morning nap around 9:30 or 10:00 and will sleep about 2 hours. Then you don't want to take the afternoon nap until really late...... like 4 or 5!!! So in an effort to adjust things, I am waking you from the morning one after 30 minutes and then putting you down around 1:30 or 2:00. It's not going quite as smoothly as I hoped. You're not sleeping long enough in the afternoon. My goal is to eventually achieve one long afternoon nap around 1:30/2.

- We go to bed really early around here. Typically 6:30 and sometimes 6:00 when napping goes badly. You sleep until 6:30 a.m. usually and sometimes later. I am a big believer in getting enough sleep so hopefully you won't give me much more trouble :)

- As an infant you were so quiet and easy going. Now, you are definitely coming into your own and showing out for us a bit. I can't believe how spunky you have become!!! You are sweet, loving, sensitive, and affectionate; but also determined, loud, feisty and wild!!! I guess you are learning to hold your own around here with a sissy like Madeleine.

Mother's Day

2010-05-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

Megan, me, Hadley, Lauren, and Kimberly

For Mother's Day our reunion group, minus Jenny and Haden :(, enjoyed what we call a "staycation" at the Renaissance Hotel and Spa in Montgomery. It's so hard for us to get away right now with so many new babies so we treated ourselves to a night out in Montgomery. We met at the hotel for appetizers and wine in our room then headed out to Lek's for dinner, my recent favorite restaurant in Montgomery!!!! After dinner we hung around the outdoor bar at the hotel and listened to a little live music. On Saturday we all got pedicure's at the spa and layed around the pool all day! Daniel picked me up from the pool and then we headed down to the beach for the week. What a great Mother's Day weekend!

Last Days

2010-05-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

By Thursday we had had quite enough of the sun and the beach so we headed to Destin Commons to do something different with the kids. The Commons has a great little playground, splash pad, and train. Madeleine loved it and Kate actually took a nap in the stroller while Jeanne and I did a little bit of shopping. I found some great deals and stocked up on a few matching outfits for the girls for next summer. We ate lunch at Zoe's. (I never realized they had a kids menu so we'll be going there a lot more!) Then we got ice cream and finished up at Books-a-Million.
We headed back for naps then did a little late afternoon trip to the pool and beach walk or adventure, as Madeleine would say. I think it was our best evening yet!!! Then we ordered Borago for dinner.
On Friday the girls headed back home with Jeanne and Daniel and I actually got to have a day at the beach for ourselves. It was soooo luxurious it actually felt weird at moments. We went on a long bike ride through Watercolor and the ate lunch at Bud and Alley's. We then spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach and enjoyed a late dinner at a restaurant called Fire. We have never eaten there before but we decided to try it out since we couldn't get a reservation at my usual fav's. It was excellent and I will definitely be going back again!
We are so grateful that we had such a beautiful week at the beach and are sorry that the oil spill is ruining so many!!!! We pray that it will get resolved very soon!

Madeleine on the playground at Destin Commons

Madeleine wanted to get water on her bottom so she could slide faster down the slide on the playground. I guess you can tell we have been making "water slides" at home in the back yard.

Kate is testing out the splash pad.

Madeleine loves going on the train. Any time we see one she has to get on!!! Mall, Zoo, where ever! This time the "conductor" let her drive and pull the horn.

2010-05-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

MeMe got here around lunch on Tuesday and we met her for lunch at crab trap and then did a little shopping at the outlets. The kids were tired so we went back for naps and then hit the beach late in the evening. We ordered PF Changs for dinner and ate out on the balcony.
On Wednesday we spent most of the day between the pool and the beach. Then we went to seaside again for another picnic. Madeleine loves running down the hill in the grassy area. She wanted to go there to find some other children. It's hard for her when she's not in school because she loves having playmates!!!

Crab Trap is the perfect place to take kids to eat down here because they bring the food in a sand bucket and they have the most wonderful fried shrimp. Madeleine's favorite!!!

Out on the beach at crab trap.

We got the girls some cookies so they would be occupied while we did a little shopping at the outlets. :) It looks like I am going to have to start buying the girls the exact same thing everywhere we go. One always wants what the other one has! Does this really start this early????

Mad in her new bathing suit and hat from Gymboree. She was twirling the skirt on it. I can never get her to stop for a minute and pose for a picture!

Kate loved the water!!!! She would run (on her knee's) toward it!

Mommy and Kate sharing ice cream. As soon as I let her taste it, it was all over!!!

Day 2

2010-05-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

This morning we ate breakfast and went on a morning bike ride. Kate fell asleep on the bike so we came home and put her down for a little nap. Mad loved the bike ride today and is getting over being scared. After nap we got ready to go down to the pool and beach for little while. Dan and I wore the kids out down there and then we came up for a late lunch. I discovered a few cozy things at the store that I'm excited about 1.)Nitrate-free hot dogs 2.) Jalapeno kettle cooked chips 3.) Pomegranate-Raspberry Michelob Ultra. Both kids took looong naps and Daniel and I got to have some time down on the beach without the kids. I actually read a book, that is not a parenting book, that I have been trying to finish for 2 years now. Late this afternoon the kids came back down on beach. I am shocked at how much Katherine loves it!! She tried to eat the sand, crawled like a wild woman in the sand, rolled and dug in the sand, and would have dove head first in the ocean if we let her. At times Mad was more particular about the beach, mainly the wind and the sand were irritating her. It was extremely windy out there today!! Overall she had a great time and has made a friend with another little boy.
Tonight we went to Seaside and had a picnic. We were a little late getting there but the kids had good naps so we did ok. My kids have been ravenously hungry with all of the water and the sun. Daniel and I got sushi again, except at Crush this time. This is the third time I have had it in 4 days and I think I'm ready to move on. I had been craving it like crazy!!!
We had a great day and looking forward to Meme getting here tomorrow!

Beach Vacay Day 1!!!

2010-05-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Daniel's fabulous business partners we're spending the week at Blue Mountain Beach in their beautiful condo. I absolutely LOVE this place!!! I just don't think you can get a better beach experience than being on 30A. We arrived yesterday evening around 6 and Daniel took Madeleine straight down to the water because she was so excited to finally be here. Katherine was exhausted so I fed her and put her to bed. After Mad had dinner shew she reluctantly went to bed and Daniel and I went out for sushi at Basmati's. It was fantastic!!!! (Don't worry DeDe was babysitting) This morning we took a 5 mile bike ride to Seaside to check out the art festival and ended up staying around for lunch. The bike ride was interesting and quite long for the kids. Mad is going through a little phase where she is scared of everything. Once we were there her mood quickly changed and she had a blast. Running around the grass and dancing to Blue Grass music, story time at ?, lunch at pickles for Mad, and frozen yogurt. Daniel, Dave and I ate Shrimp Burrito's at Bud and Alley's Taco Shack. It's my fav burrito ever! The girls were too tired to ride all the way back so Dave rode his bike back to get the car and pick us up. It took forever!!!! In the meantime, Daniel was holding Katherine and she literally puked right on top of Madeleine's head. Like, she really puked!!!!!!!! Madeleine totally melted in to a fit and Katherine seemed just fine. I tried my best to wipe it out and Dave finally got there. We loaded up, made it home and now Katherine is taking a long nap. I ran to the store and the guys and Mad are at the pool. I am looking forward to a wonderful week! Sorry, no pictures yet. I wasn't expecting to be gone for more than half the day on our adventure to Seaside.

Katherine's Birthday Party

2010-05-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Katherine's birthday this weekend with a couple of friends and family. I decided I wanted to try to make things as low key as possible. However, it never feels that way when you still end up with 5 kids and 5 babies. Our families are so blessed to be busting at the seams with children these days and family gatherings are only going to continue to get louder and louder!!! :)
We had hamburgers and hotdogs and celebrated with a little Spring-themed dessert table. I am going to have to recreate this party theme again because I had sooo many cute ideas that never came to pass with this one. That's probably better since Katherine isn't old enough to remember anyway.
Katherine was in a wonderful mood. I think she was sensing that it was all about her. I know every one says this but time has seriously FLOWN BY!!!! I never knew I could love two children as much I love Madeleine and Katherine. They are both so unique and special! I love watching them grow up and being their Mommy.

Thank you to everyone who came and made this a special day for our family!

All of the "Big kids"
Lawson, Madeleine, Emory, Mary Townsend, and Ross

Madeleine and her best girl friends, Emory and Mary T.

Mackin and Katherine.

Emory and Katherine. It seems that I have a lot of pictures of Katherine in this particular situation. Every time I try to get a picture of her with an older child they squeeze her to death and she ends up trying to wiggle out of their arms. The second child is definitely more resilient!

Megan and Mary's baby, Drew.

Cousin Caroline

Cousin Avery napping on her daddy.

Such a stinker!!!

I made Paula Deen's Strawberry Cake and turned them into cupcakes for the party. They were great but some of the kids weren't too into fancy cupcakes. Uh oh, I guess I wasn't thinking about them. I just liked that they were pink and tasted like Nancy Patterson's strawberry cake.
My wonderful friend Hadley painted these flower pots for the ice cream dessert and party favor. She is sooo talented and I am proud of her for starting her own little "stay at home mom" business.

Our attempt at getting a photo

Singing Happy Birthday. Katherine totally picked up on the fact that we were signing to her and gave everyone a charming little smile while we sang. Katherine was super excited about the candle!

These girls helped blow out the candles.

Katherine is loving life and loving birthday cake!!!!!

MeMe, DeDe, and Katherine ( Sorry DeDe, you had one eye shut in every picture :)ha!)

Jeanne's sister Carolyn and her husband Curt were in town from Florida this weekend and we are so glad they got to join us for Katherine's party.

Todd was feeding Mackin some ice cream and then put him on the floor. Mackin's new trick is to flatten out on the floor and lay there crying until someone picks him up. It totally cracks me up!!! I think it's hilarious when he does it but, poor Jenny may have her hands full! We love you Mackin :)

Kiddies enjoying their desserts

Today's Monday

2010-04-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

Today started off REALLY rough. Katherine is not feeling well for a number of reasons of which I am a little unsure. Ears? Teeth? Bad cold? Allergies maybe? Why are we still having colds? Isn't it close enough to summer for that to be over with? Anyway, I went to Lowe's at 7 am (it's my new time to run an errand by myself before Dan leaves for work, if it's somewhere that's already open like Publix) to get some pots for Katerine's birthday. Of course they didn't have the size I needed so I got some plants to fill an empty pot I had. Then I come home and smash my new plant on the ground while trying to plant it. It is now all flopped over and broken. My pot looks nothing like I imagined and I'm irritated. I make sure the girls are occupied and I actually take a shower and fix my hair. Katherine is being fussy and now I have to get Mad ready for school. No one wants to cooperate with me and I'm feeling a little edgy. Mad is upset that Kat is crying and she can't hear the television. I try to get Katherine to sit in her hair and eat some grapes while I make M's lunch. This last's a few minutes and now she's screaming bloody murder. I call Daniel to come home and take mad to school. Huge inconvenience for him. he has a busy day and won't get home until late tonight. Mad's off to school and then I discover that Katherine has the worst diaper rash EVER. She's also pulling on her ears, has a nasty cold, and I know a tooth has to break through her gum any day now. She took 2 long naps today I loaded her up with Tylenol and Motrin and she was finally in a good mood late this afternoon. Usually I dread this time of day if Daniel is not home. But we redeemed the day, played outside, ate dinner together, bathed, snuggled, and made it to bed with out any drama. Then I did nothing but spend the next two hours making a post because, after all, it is Monday and I said I would. And my house is still a wreck. But I'm telling myself that I'll be ok......

The girls love some vegetable soup!

It is inevitable that the messier Katherine's meal is the more likely she is to pull her and and smear food ALL in it. Luckily after dinner I put them straight in the bath. All other meals I avoid her eating things that get too messy :)

The girls played outside for a long time before dinner. It was actually cool and felt sooo nice! I am glad I have not seen many mosquitoes yet but, I'm sure it wont be long before we're not able to step out the door without being bitten! Madeleine has learned to swing by herself which is REALLY nice!!!! She still likes for me to push her when I'm out there with her. I think it's because I am pushing Katherine. Both of the girls love to be outside it's such a nice change of scenery for Katherine especially. I can tell she is getting really bored inside sometimes.

Unrelated to today.....
Every morning when Madeleine wakes up she likes to get in her chair and watch a cartoon. Right now her favorite is Max and Ruby. And, every morning Katherine likes to sit at Madeleine's feet or try to climb in her chair with her. Madeleine, depending on her mood, likes her being there with her. This particular day she was trying to help Katie into the chair with her. Madeleine also likes to feed Kate snacks while she sits at her feet like a little puppy.

Katherine's Easter Dress

2010-04-26T18:27:00.001-07:00

Monday's

2010-04-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well I have decided that I am going to try to keep this blogging thing going by committing to spending some time every Monday to make a post about our week. Sadly, I am off to a rough start because I can't download my pictures since I left my camera bag in Jenny's stroller last night.
I can't tell you exactly what it is that makes my life so crazy busy. Maybe it's that I have a 3 year (which is more like X5 kids) and an 11-month cruiser that is learning to voice her opinions loudly! I just know that while I have had no shower, mountains of laundry, sticky wood floors, and toys flung in every corner of the house I am going to regret not having some memories recorded of our sweet and sometimes crazy life!

***Since I didn't have my camera I did a late Easter post below***

2010-04-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

This year we celebrated Easter by going to our Church for the regular service. The girls wore dresses that Jeanne and I made for them(mainly Jeanne). I did put together a lot of the lace for Mad's dress and I embroidered Kat's just in time for Easter. It was quite a project and I will not be embroidering on that kind of fabric again--even though it turned out beautifully. After church we went home for a quick rest and then enjoyed a late lunch with Daniel's family and the Weimer's.

Madeleine in her dress. We all know it's not easy getting ready for church!
I'll have to download pictures of Katherine later and post them. I didn't realize that they were not on here.

Jenny hosted the Christchurch Easter egg hunt at her house this year. We had plenty of candy by the end of this week with all the parties! I had to stash most of what didn't get eaten to help spread out the ridiculousness!

Madeleine and Katherine both make this expression that I like to call the "scrunchy face".

Mackin Roth, Liam Baker, and Katherine

Madeleine getting ready to devour her basket

Mackin and Katherine

Katherine enjoying some Easter egg cookies!!! They were absolutely delicious! MeMe can't deny a child of a sweet treat :)

Madeleine's class eater egg hunt at Graham Martin's house.
Kate's enjoying the snacks :)

Christmas 2009

2010-01-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

Pre-Christmas Festivities
Riding the train and the carousel at Eastdale Mall.

We went to see the Zoo lights but it was freezing cold and not quite the experience I was hoping for. I guess that is how it is with kids sometimes. :) Madeleine did enjoy the train ride and the lights and then we called it a night.

I am a HUGE fan of The Pioneer Woman! You'll notice her on my blogroll. I have been dying to try out her cinnamon rolls and felt like Christmas was the perfect time. It makes 7 pans and you can freeze them. They turned out beautifully and were sooo delicious!!!

Making Christmas cookies with Madeleine.

On Christmas Eve we went to the Christmas Pageant at our church and Madeleine was one of the animals. She wore a chicken costume that we had from Halloween. She did great though the entire play and patiently sat up in front of the stage the entire play! After church we went home and did the whole cookies for Santa and bedtime stories. The anticipation of Christmas morning so much fun! We got everything ready after the girls were in bed and ate Chinese food for dinner. Super cozy!

Cookies for Santa

Story time with Daddy on Christmas Eve

Story time with Mommy

Christmas morning was soooo much fun this year!! Madeleine was so excited when she woke up and the look on her face was priceless! As much I have been looking forward to these day's with my little girl I cannot believe how old she is. She has grown up all of the sudden and I'm doing my best to hang on to every moment!

This little house came highly recommended and Katherine loves it!!! She laughs so hard when Madeleine pops her head through the little window or door! It melts my heart!

Madeleine's favorite princess is Snow White and the most requested item for Christmas was anything with a princess on it. I would say we have plenty of it now!! Santa even brought her a castle to play in. I was shocked at how big it was when we put it together on Christmas Eve. I thought it was going to be more like a tent but now it's permanent fixture in my foyer. HA! At least she loves it and spends lots of time in there!

Madeleine and Katherine got a couple of sweet new Middleton babies from MeMe and DeDe for Christmas. I LOVE some baby dolls!

Madeleine had been flying around the house on her tricycle for a couple of months so I thought a bike was in order for Christmas. When I asked her what she wanted Santa to bring her is was, of course, a princess bike! She is really good at it now. At first, the back breaks were confusing and she has a little trouble getting up hill. I wish we had more places to ride our bike so we ended up taking it to MeMe's house for now.

After we had Christmas morning at our house we headed over to MeMe and DeDe's for brunch, hung around a bit, went home and napped, then headed back over for Christmas dinner and more presents! I was finished with my camera by then and didn't get anymore pics, but we had WONDERFUL Chrismas!!! I was so pleased at how much Madeleine understood this year about Jesus's birth and why we celebrated Christmas. She amazes me with the questions she asks and her ability to understand things. I was a little worried about the overload of presents but she was so sweet and grateful. She also enjoyed handing out gifts to everyone else. Days like that make you feel like you have done your job well :) And I am hoping for many more of them! Whew!

Madeleine is 3 years old!!!

2009-12-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

Madeleine had a very special birthday this year! I can't believe she is 3 years old already! We were able to actually celebrate her birthday and have her party on the same day this year. It was Sunday so we started the day off with a good breakfast, went to church, and ate lunch at Jason's Deli with Mimi and DeDe. After lunch we thought it would be a good idea to let her go ahead and open her presents from us. Then she actually took a nap and woke up just in time for her party!

We started out the day with a birthday blueberry muffin. To say that she was excited that it was her birthday is an understatement! She has been waiting for this day ALL YEAR!

Opening presents after lunch. She wanted all of her present to be under the Christmas tree.

She got a Cinderella CD player and microphone! This girl loves to sing and this was the perfect gift for her!

I was really surprised at the quality of the mic, it was pretty good and VERY LOUD! Madeleine has a loud voice anyway, but then to amplify it!!!! Oh my! (So funny.... Today, I took M to school and her teacher told me to keep her well until Friday because they need her for the Christmas program because she's one of the loud ones. HA!)

That night we had a small birthday party at Mimi's house with a few close friends and family. I wanted something a little less stressful than having 30 kids packed in a house in the middle of December. I felt a little bad for not doing a big party, but in the end I think this was the perfect Birthday and I think she felt the same way! We did a Madeline themed party since that is her favorite book and movie at this time. I decorated in blue, yellow, and red (those are her colors) and I got an Eiffel Tower for the centerpiece that M loved! We had hot dogs for the kids for dinner and Chili in bread bowls for the grownups :)

I tried to get some cute pictures before anyone got there but Madeleine was too interested in this party toy.

We tried to plan a special little surprise for Madeleine by having Mrs. Clavel, Madeline and the 12 little girls teacher, show up to bring Madeleine a gift all the way from Paris, France from Madeline. She also read her the story and took a picture with her. Madeleine was a little shy but absolutely loved it and is still talking about Mrs. Clavel coming to her party!

I was worried about the kids not having anything to do because the weather was horrible but I should have known they could entertain themselves. Who needs a jumpy thing when there's a party at Mimi's house? !

Madeleine's Cake

She just likes to eat the icing. I guess at least it's not the whole entire cake!

Madeleine and Mary Townsend were being really quiet in the back of the house. When we went searching for them we found them crouched down in this corner stuffing themselves with chocolate and playing with nail polish!!!! HA!
These two always crack me up with they are together because they act like they are 13 years old! What are we going to do with the when they actually are!!

I still have pictures from her classroom party and she has her 3 year old check up at the end of the month. So there will be more details to come :)

***Recent posts below****

Katherine 7 months

2009-12-12T17:42:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe Katherine is really 7 months old!!! I think I could stay right here forever and be perfectly happy!! She really is the sweetest, easiest baby I could have ever asked for! So many people said it, but you really do love the second child just as much as your first. And each of them is truly special in their own way. Madeleine and Katherine look so much alike but they are two totally different babies so far.

At 7 months Katherine is sitting up very well and playing with toys. She can move around pretty good and get what she wants if it's close by but, I definitely wouldn't say she is crawling anywhere yet.

She LOVES to put everything in her mouth! I had to go buy her a bunch of teething toys because Madeleine never had any and did not like anything in her mouth! She still does not have teeth. The doctor thought it could still be a couple of months. I thought one might pop through any day. So we shall see:)

Katherine is much smaller than Madeleine was. I can't find her exact stat sheet but I do remember her weight being 15 lbs 8 oz and 20th percentile. Her length was in the 65th percentile so she may be taller like Madeleine.

Katherine may never know her real name!!! It could be Katherine, Katie, Kate, Katherine Ruth, Katie Ruth, Kat, Baby Kat, Katie Ru Ru, Ru Ru, or Ru bear. Daniel, Madeleine, Mimi and I all use some form of Ru and David uses Kat a lot. When I talk about Katherine on the blog most of the time I call her Katherine or Katie Ruth. I also do that when I am talking to other people.

Katherine is squealing quite a bit and is getting much louder than she used to be, but still not nearly as loud as Madeleine ever was!

Katherine's favorite toy is the jump-a-roo and she goes absolutely crazy in it. Madeleine loves to swing her around though and it makes me nervous! She also loves her exersaucer.

Katherine loves her paci and if she loses it at night she will put her thumb in her mouth. I think it's so sweet but I try to encourage the paci since I know that is better for her.

Katherine takes 2 to 3 naps per day. She goes to bed between 6 and 7 p.m. and wakes up anywhere from 5:30-7 a.m. (But usually earlier)

She really doesn't care for eating from a spoon and I have been kind of lazy about feeding her. It's been hard to fit it into our schedule and since she doesn't like it I put it off. Oh well, she's fine and I'm not ready for her to grow up anyway! So far, she has tried rice cereal, banana's, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, and carrots. Her pediatrician said to try to introduce a sippy cup and finger foods!!!! What?!?!?!? So I tried some puff and a teething biscuit which she loves. He thought she would do better with finger foods. He was right..... but I am still not ready to move any further than that right now :)

Enjoy the pictures!!!!

New Post Below

Thanksgiving Class Party

2009-12-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

Madeleine had a little Thanksgiving feast at her school and Daniel and I got to join her. Her class sang two cute little songs and Madeleine yelled out Happy Thanksgiving at the end. It was hilarious!

Madeleine and her friend Sam claim to be "Boyfriend and Girlfriend" He brings her pink flowers from his yard :) Sadly for Madeleine this was Sam's last day since his family is moving. Fortunately for Daniel and I we are not ready for boyfriends!!!

Madeleine and her BF Katheryn Ruth. (Yes! It is the same name as our our little Katherine Ruth)

Madeleine sweet table.

She can't wait to break into that snack!

I hardly have any pictures from our actual Thanksgiving since I was busy stuffing my face all day :( Maybe next year.

Found one!

2009-11-23T05:32:00.000-08:00

I finally found one of the only pics of Katherine. This is a picture of Liam, Mackin, and Katherine at Harvest Fest.
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Madeleine at Harvest Fest

Playing Catch-up

2009-11-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

My long time best friend Shannon and her little girl Hannah Grace came to visit us a couple of weeks ago. Shannon is really my only friend that I have stayed this close to since middle school! Shannon lives in Birmingham now and we hardly ever get to see each other! We decided that we were going to swap going back and forth between Montgomery and Birmingham one day a month. I am so glad we are doing this so that the girls can somewhat grow up together kind of like Shannon and I did! And we can have some girl time together!

Madeleine was taking a nap when I finally took pictures.

We also went to visit Daniel's long time best friend Charles, his wife Courtney, and Anders (19 mths). Daniel and Charles have been best friends for the last 18 years! They live in Athens, Ga where Charles is the youth director at Athens Church. They are the best host! We went to downtown Athens and walked around the campus, ate an amazing lunch a Taco restaurant, grilled out, watched movies, talked, laughed, and I mean REALLY LAUGHED!!!! Which is impossible not to do if you know Charles.
The girls did absolutely wonderful and were the best little travelers this weekend! I am sorry to say that this is the ONLY picture that I have. I think Courtney may have one good one.

The girls took their first bath together and Madeleine LOVED it. She likes to do anything as long as Katherine is with her. (side note) I have finally put Katherine in the nursery at church and now I don't have any problems leaving Madeleine. I think she started crying when we would leave her because Katherine got to leave with us. I think it's so sweet how she wants Katie to be with her all the time!! She wants Katie to do everything she is doing and to follow her from room to room around the house to "watch" her (Mad.) play.

Megan and Braxton found out what the twins were and invited the family over for pizza to find out. We were so excited we could hardly wait but, it was worth it! The Deans and the Weimer's each had a card with the gender written in it. Madeleine and Katherine are so excited to have some more girls in the family!!!! I can't believe the girls have out numbered the boys! We miss you Matt, April, Josh, Caleb, and Luke!

The Dean's opening baby card #1. It's a Girl!

The Weimer's opening baby card #2 It's a Girl!

Painting for the nursery that says "For these children we have prayed"

Our family loves having a fire burning in the fireplace!!!!! We have been waiting for the first cold night to hit this winter. Madeleine was in the mood for some pics so I snapped some :)

**** Two new posts below!!!****

Mackin's Christening

2009-11-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

We are sooo blessed to be the Godparents of sweet little Mackin Roth!! We have developed such a wonderful friendship with Jenny and Todd who are also the Godparents of Katherine. Mackin and Katherine are only a month apart. Emory is 5 and Lawson is 3. All of our children are the best of friends!!! Their friendship is one of many reasons Montgomery is home to us and we are so grateful for them!

Mackin and Me

Katherine and Me

Madeleine, Lawson, Peyton, and Emory

Halloween

2009-11-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

I am a little late on my Halloween post but it's here! This year we went to the annual Christchurch Harvest Fest and then we had a hayride/ trick-or-treat/ get together starting at the Dean's house. We had pizza and appetizers to start out and finished the night off with a ton of candy. Golson and Lauren provided a trailer and Braxton cautiously made his way through the extremely crowded neighborhood!!! We have done this 2 years in a row now and I have to say it's one of my new favorite holiday traditions! Katherine was asleep and I missed getting her picture so I am going to have to put her back in her costume and snap one! It's too cute to miss it!

Dinner before the Hayride.

Hayride

Best buddies, Emory and Madeleine.

Josephine (little red riding hood)

James and Lawson

All of the kiddies before the trick or treat hayride.

Check out the UPS man (K.B.) and the package (James)! Isn't that hilarious!

Me and one of my best friends Traci. She has been to Montgomery 5 times since my pregnancy with Katherine. She came twice when I was pregnant, 2 entire weeks during the summer, and came to spend Halloween with us this fall. This gal has cleaned my house top to bottom, taken care of 2 a year old (no small task), a newborn, ran errands all over Montgomery, cooked, been to M's preschool and the pediatricians office! I hope you still want to have kids! To say that she knows the ins and outs of this family in an understatement! Thank you Traci! We have thoroughly enjoyed you being a part of our family! We love you! (I know you are going to kill me for posting this :) HAHA

Madeleine before Harvest Fest at Christchurch. Then I forgot my camera and that was the end of pictures for the night :( She was the cutest Madeline ever and Katherine was the cutest lady bug!

A Must Read

2009-10-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

I am more of a blog reader than a blog writer for sure!!!!! I have been thinking a lot about this post recently. I am sure that I am not the only person that needed to read this! I do not know how to post a link to her blog on here so I am going to put her in my blog roll if you want to read more.

That's when we quit.

Everything.

We: my husband, myself, and our sweet baby girl.

Quit: we quit staying up late; going to bed at different times; watching television; watching dumb movies; bringing in two incomes; trying to publish a book; prioritizing bosses, friends, extended family, and strangers over each other; competing with one other; using the same old murderous words in every argument. We quit not talking to each other; not knowing what the other one was looking at on the Internet; not reading aloud in the evenings; not playing games with one another; not holding each other and saying, “thank you”.

And life. slowed. down.

And got wonderfully quiet.

And very, very small.

(Ooo, savor that quiet pause with me…)

The details of our marital crisis are “another post for another time”. What is important here, is that through the reordering process, God built a kind of spiritual “front porch” around our home – you know, like the lemonade-and-creaky-swing front porches that went extinct with the Waltons – on which we sit in the evenings, just rocking back and forth, appreciating the fruits of our labor, the glories of creation, and the beautiful humans who live right here, in this little house with us.

As I said, we live a quiet little life nowadays. We spend most of our time and attention on God himself and our family, believing that Scripture advises this type of investment. Itʼs only five years later that we’ve finally gotten more deeply involved in two local ministries: one that saves babies, the other that saves marriages. But we do it together, praying, and working side by side.

I can’t begin to know all of the construction that God did in order to build our “front porch”, but I do know that He had to tear down ugly addictions that had locked me into the go-go-busy-boots lifestyle most folks complain about these days.

The demolition project looked something like this: in order to respect my husband, I had to throw off independence, competition, and whimsy. In order to stay home with our daughters, I had to surrender my love of accomplishment, compensation, and approval. In order to love God truly, I had to sacrifice my aspirations of “making it big for God” as a
Christian speaker or author, because all He wants is for us to love mercy, do justly, and walk humbly by His side.

At times, the sacrifices hurt: I turned down a book offer, speaking opportunities, teaching positions, friendships, and a favorite TV series.

But the building process made it all worthwhile. Because now, I have the freedom to appreciate my husband and live next to him with open arms, saying “sure!” (not “it depends”) when he asks for my help. Nothing – nothing – competes with him for my devotion.

Now, I have the blessing to enjoy and train our children with an open schedule. Nothing- nothing – competes with them for my heart.

Now, I have the privilege of practicing silence, hospitality, generosity, and grace. Nothing competes with these virtues for my attention.

Now, I have the relief of living in quiet communion with God and learning over and over again that nothing – nothing – competes with His jealous affection for me. Quiet, little me.

Day in and day out, God ravaged my heart and soul – only to rebuild me through His Word so that I could write to you today, utterly convinced that my humble walk with God and my Christian love for our home is worth all of my attention for the rest of my life.

If my sphere of influence only extends beyond the walls of our home by way of my well-respected husband, our well-loved children, and our cared-for neighbors, I will have lived a fruitful life. Because here’s the mystery that I am counting on: by walking away from a busy, accomplishment-oriented society into a quiet world of deep relationships, service, and home-life, I will establish a far-reaching legacy that extends throughout many generations. In my estimation, a happy and contented life is one that is poured out in the secret places of prayer, service, and home.

Sometimes it’s just time to quit.

“…study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

More about Laura -
Five years ago, I would have focused my byline on my education,
teaching experiences, and public honors. I’m happy to provide those
details when they’re necessary. But, these days, I’d rather have you
know that I am happily Ryan’s wife, Vivienne’s and Lia’s mommy, and a
child of God: I’m blessed to have a life that can focus on these joys.
I love finding the Truth in unsuspecting songs, books, poems, and
people. I adore teaching our children well and watching them fall in
love with Jesus. Currently, my husband and I serve together on the
Board of Directors of our local life-affirming pregnancy resource
clinic. Ryan and I are also the Facilitator Couple for Marriage Savers
Ministries at our local church and are in the process of training
approximately 6 couples to be Marriage Mentors. We have had the
privilege of working with several couples who have been near divorce;
some of whom are wholly restored to the glory of God! We will continue
to develop a solid Marriage Ministry by preparing engaged couples,
enriching married couples, restoring broken marriages, and developing
a step-family support group. Most recently, our family worked together
to plan and teach our church’s first Family Retreat, equipping
families to develop a “Family Vision”, practice “Family Worship” and
build honoring “Family Relationships”. We are currently focusing on
developing a love for the Lord and the Church within our own home. We
are home-educating our children and have engaged a thorough research
process of curriculum and theory, and have been teaching our daughters
about God – as we wake, as we walk through our day, and as we lie
down. Most of all, we treasure our Creator, who leads us through
moments big and small and hides us in the shadow of His wing.

Laura may or may not be a speaker at the upcoming Relevant Conference {ahem} ;)

You can find Laura at her blog, 10 Million Miles.

PLEASE VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

I am soooooo excited I cannot contain myself!!! I am one of five finalist in the Granville room make-over event!!!!!! I don't mean to annoy anyone, but who wouldn't want to win all new furniture!!!!!!!!!!!! This is awesome! Please go vote at www.granvillefurniture.com/makeover RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!

Clifford Farm Day

2009-10-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tim and Gina for a fabulous day out at their family's farm! They organized a fabulous day of fishing, great food, fires, hayrides and tons of fellowship with good friends. We look forward to it every year! It was the perfect way to spend the first cold weekend of the fall! Finally!

Daniel and Katherine on the Hayride

Madeleine on the hayride. We saw several deer. Madeleine claimed to have spotted many more :)

Trying to get everyone settled to go! Sorry..... these pictures are in reverse :) Maybe I'll atleast have the right post above each picture this time.

Our attempt at a family photo

Madeleine and her buddy Jackson..... King of the farm!

Sweet Katherine

Gina, Coleman, Lindsey, and Katherine. They are just a week apart!

Madeleine caught her first fish! Say Cheese!

Baby Kat hanging out on the couch.

2009-10-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

I messed up all my posts above/below the photos:) Sorry!

Tiny Tot

2009-10-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Katherine really is little! She had her 4 month check up today. (she is actually 5 1/2 mths) They have her appointments messed up but she will get back on track by 9 mths. Anyway, she was 13 lbs 10 oz and 25 1/4 inches. That means her weight was in the 5th percentile!!!!!And her height in the 45 %. I wasn't that surprised because I was having some breastfeeding issues and finally got her to take a bottle. She is even taking a little bit of rice cereal for the last month now and she was still tiny. Dr. Glover thought that it was possible that at one point she may have even lost weight since her percentiles had dropped drastically since the last time. (I'll have to go back and see exactly how much) Anyway, I think she is waaayyy happier and has even slept through the night the past 2 nights....7pm-7am. Things have been so up and down and I have had so much guilt. Finally after today I really feel like I'm doing the right thing. I am still nursing and pumping as much as I can. I even took an herbal supplement that I think actually helped, but it was giving me terrible headaches so I had to stop. Overall, Katherine and I are much happier and doing great.

Katherine loves to stand like this. A lot of times it is hard to get her to relax enough to sit in your lap. She is soooo stiff and rarely relaxes unless she is in a deep sleep. Madeleine was the same way when she was a baby!

I tried to get a cute pic of them in their matching PJ's but, Madeleine was not up for it.

Katherine has started turning sideways in her swing. I guess I need buckle her in :)

Katherine's Christening

2009-09-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

First I apologize that these pictures are in no specific order and that there are not very many good ones. Hopefully Diane got some good shots for me and when I get those I can do another post. I was so busy during the lunch I didn't have time to take many pictures and Katherine napped through a good portion of it. Enjoy the pics. I'll write a post later when I grow another arm ;)

Back In Business

2009-09-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Madeleine's first day of mother's morning out. She wanted to wear her new Madeline dress, her new FAVORITE person!! She is in love with the Madeline movie and books. We are moving right along in the big girl world.... no more paci's, sippy cups, or diapers!!!! Woo Hoo!

Problems

2009-09-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

I cannot get blogger to upload any of my photos!!!! I'm trying to post about Katherine's Christening!!

I don't know yet...

2009-07-21T06:18:00.001-07:00

I still have not gotten any results back from the lab. Madeleine has not gone to the bathroom since last Thursday so I may have a new problem on my hands. Anyway, I have been putting her back in pull-ups through this whole ordeal and now I am going to have to go back to encouraging the potty. After a week she had even stopped needing pull-ups at night and at nap time! Now, we are back to using the M&M jar. I hate having to use candy but that's what works for her. I think she has figured out how much more convenient it is to use the pull up. I really only have a problem when she is playing and doesn't want to stop what she's doing.
As soon as I take the time to download some pictures I'll do a new post for Katherine. She is soooooo smiley now and I love it!

Update

2009-07-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

The doctor think Madeleine may have giardia, c-diff, or some kind of parasite. Sooooo, I am trying to collect a sample and then maybe I'll know something else soon.
Katherine did great at her appointment. I will post her stats and and pics soon!

Still!!!!!!!!

2009-07-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is....... We STILL have diarrhea over here!!!!!!!! I don't know what's going on! We are going to the doctor tomorrow for Katherine's 2 mth check up (which she is almost 10 wks) so, I made Madeleine an appointment too. She keeps saying that her back hurts. Which I can't figure out if it's because she had a nightmare about Monkey's biting her or if it actually hurts. When I ask her directly about where the monkey bit her she says on her face above her eye. The nightmare incident is a whole other story but, we are totally traumatized about it and it's causing wayyyyyyyy to much drama! My house is FULL of drama these days. Including myself :) I'll update about the appointment's tomorrow!

Today

2009-07-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

So far I have scorched a pot of boiling water on the stove b/c I forgot about it. I put a casserole in the oven with a plastic lid on it and it melted into the casserole and all over the bottom of my stove. I tried to take both kids on a walk and we got too far away from home and madeleine melts down. I have to carry her AND push the stroller for about a mile. Madeleine has not had a nap today. Daniel won't be home until really late and won't be here most of tomorrow. And best of all.............. madeleine has had diarrhea for two whole days and it's doesn't look like we are getting better!!!!!!!!! It's been on her comforter, the sheets, the floor, both toilets, all over both bathtubs, ALL over herself, and yes, we have even managed to get it all over the walls. I will spare you the details if you are wondering how that happened. I have done more laundry than you can EVER imagine and I am totally out of clorox. Needless to say..... I really want our diapers back!!!!
I
f you are wondering why in the world I would take both kids on a walk then let me explain. Madeleine seems to care less that she is sick. I would really be better off if she felt puny and just sat around watching cartoons and napping. Instead, she is bouncing off the walls and we are quarantined!!! She still has a raging appetite and wants to eat everything that she is not supposed to (like dairy). Can anyone explain this???????

Be glad there are not any pictures with this post!!!!

Ballet

2009-06-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

Madeleine started her first day of ballet class on Wednesday and she loved it!!! I am too anxious to get her in these adorable little outfits and go to recitals! She loves the tap shoes..... as you can imagine. She points her toes and taps them all over the house. Normally she wouldn't start ballet and tap yet but her teacher had an opening and let her in.
What I really need to find is a music class. The child LOVES to sing. She knows all the words to countless numbers of songs. Seriously!! There's probably somewhere around 75 songs!! I have to find all of the cd and dvd's. If you have children you need to check out Cedarmont Kids at Lifeway.
Ok, so this is supposed to be about Ballet, but I have to mention that we have been in big girl panties all week and we're doing great!!!! Thank you M&M's :)

I had to get a rear shot in those little tights!!

Father's Day

2009-06-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

You must be able to tell that I am trying to catch up on some postings and not getting ANYTHING else done around the house! We had a great Father's day on Sunday! After church we headed to Red's School House for fried chicken and some good southern cooking. That afternoon Daniel took Madeleine to her first movie at the Rave. I was really nervous about it but, Daniel has been dying to take her to the movies. She sat through the entire movie and even wore her 3D glasses the whole time! I was so proud! Now I can't wait to take her myself! Matt, April, and the boys came over for dinner and we went swimming and officially wore the kids out for the night. It was the perfect Sunday afternoon and the best way to celebrate Father's Day!

Daniel's first picture with his girls

Daddy and Madeleine before the movie

Madeleine practicing holding her breath

Katherine lounging in the swing with Daddy

Matching outfits

2009-06-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

I have been dying to put them in matching outfits every since I found out I was having another girl!!! These are the outfits Jeanne and I made for them. We sported them at a birthday party Saturday afternoon. Neither one of them were in the mood for a picture but it had to be documented :)

6 Weeks

2009-06-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

I really only have time to post pictures since I only have one hand :)

The Miracle Blanket

2009-06-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

To tell the truth the blanket kind of scared me at first! It's like putting them in a straight jacket!!! Madeleine never liked being swaddled, but Katherine loves it and nearly sleeps through the night. Last night she slept from 11:00 to 5:30 and then 5:30 to 9:00 when I woke her up! She's pretty fussy without it and even prefers to be swaddled during the day. The child loves to be held and it's hard to get anything done. Any suggestions???? Also, how can I get her to take a bottle or paci? I need some relief over here!

4 Weeks!!!!!!

2009-06-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that Katherine is already 4 WEEKS OLD! I think time moves faster with every child. We are doing great and I am still surprised at how well we are adjusting to having 2 children. I am not saying it's not hard, I guess I was just preparing myself for it to be much, much, more difficult. Madeleine loves her and doesn't seem to be too jealous yet. Every morning she asks to see Katherine. She also enjoys bringing her things she thinks she needs, opening her gifts, and helping me get things like diapers for her. Sometimes she is a little more help than I need and I have to keep a close eye on her! She will definitely try to pick her up or, like today, when she threw a big, hard book into Katherine's crib and it hit her head :)
Katherine has already been many places with us. She's been to the pediatrician 3 times already, shopping, birthday parties, church, chick-fil-a, restaurants, play dates for Madeleine, the lake, a boat ride, and to Auburn!! There's no time to be still, with 2 children life just keeps rolling.
Katherine is a huge fan of nursing, swaddling, swinging, and being held. I carried her in the snugli for the first time today and she knocked right out. She does doesn't really like for me to put her down much at certain times of day. Her routine seems to keep changing but she wakes up around 8 and is pretty alert and content. After too long she wants to be held, nursed and carried around the house till she falls into a deeper sleep. She follows this pattern most of the day. Late in the afternoon she sleeps harder and then from 8-10:00 she is a little fussy and I pretty much nurse her the entire 2 hours before she finally goes to sleep. She sleeps really well at night and sometimes goes a full 5 hour stretch!!! However, she must have not felt well the one and only night so far that she was awake until 2:45 am!! Hopefully I will not be doing that again for a while!!!!! It is not good for my psyche :)

There are new post below......... I am trying to catch up!

Meet Barbara

2009-06-03T13:21:00.001-07:00

This is Barbara....... Madeleine's pool doll. You can tell by her hair that she has spent many-a-days in the sun and chlorine. Actually she is Megan's old doll and she was made to get a sun tan back in the day. Jeanne tried to throw her away and even bought Madeleine a new pool baby that will actually swim. Madeleine found Barbara in the trash can and flipped out. So Barbara is back. And we don't know why Madeleine calls her Barbara...... but that's her name. Interesting.

I think I may start posting some stories about Mad's babies so I can remember the occasion for which she got each doll, their names, and the stories behind them. I love that she loves her babies :) Look out for more postings she's got a ton of babies!!!

Memorial Day

2009-06-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

Madeleine and Daddy spent Memorial Day weekend at lake Martin with the Dean family. Katherine and I drove there on friday and Saturday. It would have been too much for the two of us since she was only 2 weeks old. It was cold and rainy all weekend but that didn't keep everyone out of the water!!! Adam, Ross and Mary Townsend pulled Madeleine and Daniel on her first tube ride. I was scared to death!!! She LOVED it!

Pediatrician Visit and First Bath

2009-05-20T13:19:00.001-07:00

Katherine seems to have a very laid back personality so far. She hardly ever cries and when she does it's just a little squeak. She really didn't even cry when we gave her her first bath!!! Of course, I begin to worry like a good mother does :) And I took her to the pediatrician thinking there was something wrong with her because she really never cries and she started having a goopy eye!! Already, I know! Well, as it turns out, she's just a lot more mellow than her older sister and she has a bacterial infection in her eye :) While at the pediatrician I found out that she is already back above her birth weight (this was at 1 week, she is now 2 weeks as I am posting this)! I was really excited to know that she's already back up since she was so tiny!!! Maybe we can fit into newborn size diapers instead of the preemie ones now!

Katherine's Arrival!!!

2009-05-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

We feel so blessed to now have 2 beautiful healthy little girls!!! Katherine was a little smaller than her sister weighing in at 6lbs 7oz. We had her at 12:36 p.m. on May 6th! I had an amazingly easy labor and delivery, much different than the first time!!! Katherine is a great nurser and sleeper. Again, much unlike my fist child. Madeleine is doing wonderful adjusting to having a little sister. My biggest hurdle is having enough energy with little sleep to take on 2 children, mainly a two year old!!! Life is definitely different, but we are setting in just fine! Katherine is the perfect fit for our new family of four. I will try to be better about updating. I know everyone is anxious to know how we are doing. As if it wasn't already hard enough for me to keep up a blog, it's even harder now!!!!

Bahamas

2009-03-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

Daniel and I went on our last get-a-way to the Bahamas before Katherine gets here. Our cruise left out of Miami on a Monday so we flew down Sunday and spent the day and night in South Beach. We had my favorite meal there at Sushi Samba. Obviously I can't eat real sushi right now but there are some rolls that I can have. This has been one of my main cravings recently. The people watching was fascinating there as well as on the cruise :) The ship was really nice and clean and I loved having a balcony. The buffet food was not great but the breakfast, french fries, and ice cream were wonderful! Their specialty restaurants were good as well. I ate an entire omlet and waffle every morning! I feel like all I do is eat to try to keep the nausea away. I definitely eat the most throughout the morning and then by dinner time I can't eat as much. Anyway, about the cruise. Daniel and I each read 2 books, relaxed by the pool, went to a couple of the cheesy shows :) and really just enjoyed spending time with one another. Our ports were in Freeport, Nassau, and Grand Stirrup Cay (which was cancelled the last day). When we were in Nassau we went to the Atlantis which was really pretty. I hope to take our family there one day. I know Madeleine would absolutely love it and I bet Katherine would also.
We were so glad to get back home to see Madeleine!!!! It was so hard being away from her but, much needed at the same time. As soon as we got back we transitioned her into her big girl girl room and she is doing GREAT!!! Which will bring me to my next post soon :)

Loading the ship at our port in Miami

Disney World

2009-03-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, I should have made this post in January! And I have tons to catch up on since then.... my pregnancy, our cruise, Madeleine's transition to her big girl bed! Hopefully I mean it when I say, more to come soon :)
The Dean's took Matt, April, the boys, Daniel, Madeleine and I to Disney World for Christmas this year. The weather was wonderful in the 70's the whole time! Madeleine is so ready for summer, especially since we got to go swimming while we were there. We went to the Magic Kingdom for 2 days, Animal Kingdom 1 day, and Epcot another. Our favorite was The Magic Kingdom for sure. We could have spent the entire week in one park! There was way more to do than we could make our way through. The lines were ok and Madeleine was amazingly patient!!! Probably because we always had ice cream and popcorn. Her favorite ride was Dumbo. Daniel maybe spent a total of 3 hours waiting in line to ride this over and over! Another favorite was the Nemo show at Animal Kingdom. It really was incredible! I am so glad we got to see it since that is Madeleine's favorite movie right now. I was surprised that I could ride and do pretty much everything Madeleine could. I was concerned they wouldn't let me on anything pregnant. However, I did do a lot of sitting out and snacking :)

Madeleine still talks about our trip and loves to look at the pictures from it. She is familiar with all the characters now. She went nuts when she saw Pluto at the character breakfast. The funniest thing was when she finally got to see minnie mouse she froze. She wouldn't look up at her or budge until Me Me picked her up. It was like she was star struck!!! She did not act like that with the other ones. I have tons of pictures but I hate having to go through them and then it takes forever to download them. That may be one of the main reasons I find it so difficult to blog. It takes too darn long!

We can't wait to take both of the girls back again one day. I bet it won't be too long. Daniel can't resist Madeleine's charm. :) And she was so well behaved from the car ride, to the long lines, ect..... It couldn't have gone any better. Except for poor David, he had to have an appendectomy while we were there :) Guess he won't have to worry about it happening again!

Pregnancy update

2008-12-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

My pregnancy has not been much fun to talk about the last 19 weeks but for the sake of remembering I should write more. To start on a positive note I have been feeling the baby move since somewhere around 16/17 weeks. I can really feel it a lot this week and it's been really sweet for me! I feel like I have just popped out there this month and have finally bought some maternity clothes. All of my clothes from my pregnancy with Madeleine are for a totally different season so I am basically starting over. I must say that Montgomery has really slim pickings for maternity shopping.
Madeleine talks a lot about the baby in mommy's tummy. She will hug and kiss it. She usually claims it's a baby sister. We find out Monday the 22nd what we are having and we cannot wait!!!!!! Daniel thinks it's a boy and I am starting to think it's a girl. Mainly b/c I hardly have to shave my legs!! Is that a weird symptom or what?! I was the same way with Madeleine. However, I have had 2 dreams this week that I am having a boy.
I still feel nauseous a lot. I usually only throw up once a day and sometimes not at all. The worst thing is trying to get around in the car. To keep the nausea away I feel like I have to snack all day long. I dislike more foods than I like. But I do crave Asian type foods, caesar salad, pasta, fruit, Quizno's subs, and ketchup. My McDonalds craze has seemed to fade a bit. Which I consider to be a great thing! When I was really sick that was one of the only things I could keep down. This week it seems that my snacking schedule has been raisin bran, banana, granola bar, tuna salad, cheese, and crackers for lunch, chex mix, ice cream or cereal and dinner. Well, with all that I'm hungry :)

Happy Birthday Madeleine!!

2008-12-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my little girl is already two!!! There are so many things I want to remember about this year it's hard to collect all of my thoughts. Especially since I have major pregnancy brain going on! Madeleine amazes me with her language and social skills. She makes complete sentences and knows how to use I, me, you, ours, theirs, his, and her for example. She never forgets when I tell her we are going to do something or go somewhere. If I tell her we are going to play with play doh after nap time she will remind me. When we are in the car she recognizes directions to familiar places like Me Me's, Megans, Chick-fil-a, Publix, Wal-mart, School, and the park. If I turn opposite of the direction she wants to go she will say no this way and turn around. She LOVES music and knows the words to many songs. Her favorite being Jesus loves me, Jesus loves the little children, Twinkle Twinkle, Row your Boat, and Happy Birthday. It seems that Madeleine's precious heart is already so tendered towards the Lord. Her favorite books and songs are usually about Jesus and I hear her talk about him all throughout the day. Just last week she was playing with her Nativity and she says, "Jesus eats Chinese food" I have not stopped laughing about that one :) At every meal she sings God our Father with her hands clasped together and will remind us when we forget. She knows that Christmas is Jesus's birthday. She listens intently when Daniel or I pray for her at night and she loves to name all of the people in her life that Jesus loves. Ok I know this is getting long and I haven't even talked about her party yet! I will record more later after Mad's 2 yr check up!
Her party turned out to be a success despite being sick all week. I felt so unprepared but we pulled together at the last minute. We had a cupcake theme party and all the children decorated cupcakes. Jeanne made adorable monogramed apron's as party favors! At first I thought my idea about letting the children decorate their own cake was going to be a bust and make a total mess. However everyone was extremely cooperative and so consumed with their cake that there was not much chaos! Madeleine seemed to be totally aware that the party was all about her. When she woke that morning and saw everything decorated she said, ooohhh I love it! She sang the entire happy birthday song to herself as loud as she could and blew out her own candles. I don't know if I posted a good pic but, I did make her birthday outfit and Jeanne put the applique on it for me. Anyway, I'm proud and I thought it turned out pretty darn cute :)
The picture in Madeleine's new big girl room (a post and pics to come soon) is of her and her new Baby and baby doll cradle that Me Me and De De got her. Daniel and I got her a Kidkraft play kitchen and play food and dishes to go with it. She also got a new table and chair set but it's not here yet. OK, enough time for pics.....

Harvest Fest

2008-10-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

I finally made it back to church this Sunday for the first time since I've been pregnant I think. I wasn't feeling so great through church and was feeling pretty bummed about how I felt. After church Daniel surprised me with my birthday present a little early. I FINALLY got a new camera! A Nikon D40! He gave it to me so we could use it for our annual Christchurch Harvest Fest. We got it charged just in time, but I still have lots of practice. It's a pretty complicated camera!
Anyway, Harvest Fest is one of my favorite things we have at our church and I was really looking forward to it this year since Madeleine is old enough to enjoy it. Luckily, I was feeling much better than I did at church that morning! I already missed out on her and Daniel's trip to the Pumpkin Patch. We had a band, lots of games, hay rides, BBQ, and trunk or treat. Madeleine actually kept her entire costume on the whole night. I thought she would at least get rid or the hat! She has not stopped talking about hay rides, pumpkins, animals and of coarse candy. Madeleine is officially addicted to candy now. I am in for a lifetime of tantrums in the check out lines.

Little Things

2008-10-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Madeleine has been cracking me up when I listen to her play with her toys these days. For example, I saw her making the mommy and daddy kiss in her doll house. She is really good at manipulating them. She used to get really frustrated when she couldn't make them sit down in a chair or on the potty. When she would get mad at them she would bite them!! She does this a lot to her toys but, luckily not other people!!! Atleast besides me :) Madeleine also loves to make her babies and animals do things that she does like eating and changing their diapers. She always wants to take toys away with her in the car or when we go places. She just amazes me with how grown up she is now!!!!
As for my pregnancy we are still plugging along. Last Friday I broke down and called my doctor. I couldn't stand being sick any more and I was ready to see if I had any other options. I was starting to worry that I was dehydrated or that the baby was missing out on necessary nutrition. Fortunately they were very proactive and referred me to a obstetrical home nurse. They have my medication set up through an iv at home!!! Today they came and gave me a bag of fluids and I'm feeling pretty good. I even ate a piece of pizza for lunch! Praise the Lord! Maybe things will continue to improve. I'm feeling very hopeful at this point :)

Lizards

2008-10-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Daniel and Madeleine found a baby lizard in her room the other day. Even worse, I found a dead one under Daniels pillow!!!! Where are they coming from!!!!!????? I guess there could be grosser pests in my house but still, get OUT! Madeleine doesn't mind the Lizard. She looks for him every day! She has always been fascinated by every animal, bug, and critter. I don't know where she gets it from. Not me!

Sticker Love

2008-10-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

I have not thought about getting stickers for Madeleine until recently when they were in the $1 bin at Target. I bet they are always there. Anyway, she loves stickers and they occupy her forever!!! One day I put one on her hand before dropping her off at school and she still had it on when I picked her up! Hopefully I can start using them for rewards, I need something besides food!

We're Pregnant!

2008-10-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

We're so excited that Madeleine is going to have a little sister or brother on the way! A long way at this point, but it looks like the due date is May 14th. Honestly, I knew I was pregnant before I even took a test because I could feel it! And with early pregnancy tests these days you can find out way too soon. I feel like I have been pregnant forever already! I woke really early one morning and couldn't resist taking the test. I told Daniel that he could sleep in and Madeleine and I went to the grocery store to make a special breakfast. I changed Madeleine into a "I'm the Big Sister" t-shirt in the parking lot at the store and we picked up what we needed. When we got home Daniel was up already and helped us unload. He never noticed the shirt, just like a guy :) So I pointed out to him that she had a new shirt on. He was soooo surprised and we had a wonderful breakfast! That night we had dinner at Me Me and De De's . Me Me bought steak and a live lobster for dinner to celebrate. But really the lobster was for Madeleine. :) She loved it! And, I must say it was the finest lobster I have ever had in my life!!!!!

Even though we are very excited I must say I HATE the first trimester (and hopefully not more than that.) I have been very sick since about 6 weeks. I am able to take the nausea medication Zofran and I have actually found it to be somewhat helpful so far. Luckily, I was able to get Madeleine in for an extra day at MMO, so she is now going on MWF through November!! My wonderful friend Mary is helping on Tuesday and Jeanne is the rest: house cleaner/dinner/errand running/babysitting super grandmother/mother-in- law for all the other things that have needed filling in. And all I can say for Daniel is just that he is PATIENT! Very patient, loving, and wonderful! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends, family, and support. Hopefully we will move on from this phase sooner than later. For now, my patience will continue to be tested and refined. Please pray for a healthy pregnancy and that we will move on quickly :)

You may notice that Madeleine is eating hot buffalo wing pretzels. She LOVES them. They are Daniel's favorite snack and she always asks for a bite so we let her have one thinking she would not like them and leave us alone. It totally back fired. She wants them every time we pull out a bag. And yes, it was 6:30 in the morning on the way to the grocery store. They were in the car and she spotted them. Not having breakfast yet I gave in :)

And please remember, I cannot take good pictures, nor will she stay still long enough for me to get a decent shot. I will have a new camera before we have this Baby!

Playset

2008-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Finally I'm posting about the beautiful playset Daniel built for Madeleine this past August!!! It took many, many, many hours to put together and a lot of brains :)! Madeleine is loving her new swing set and is actually pretty good at letting Daniel push her in the big girl swing. I won't do it because I'm still scared she's going to let go and I'll push her out. She loves the play house which has a little mail box and a door bell. She also loves climbing up and down the slide as well as sending other objects flying down! I'm sure there will be many pics in the future of her playing on her new playset. Especially now that it's cooling down. Finally!!!

First Day!

2008-09-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today was Madeleines's first day of mother's morning out at Trinity Preschool. We are so happy she is there and I think it will be a perfect place for her to start! I feel like Madeleine really needs the interaction with other kids as much as I need a couple of hours to actually get something done! Right now her day mostly consists of play, snacks, outdoors, lunch, and coloring. Really this year will be more about sharing toys and social skills. Her teachers are Mrs. Noelle and Mrs. Roberta and she will have 9 other children in her classroom. Mrs. Roberta also works for Christchurch so Madeleine is already familiar with her. Hopefully it will help lessen the separation anxiety. Madeleine cried as I suspected but she quickly recovered and enjoyed the rest of her day. When I picked her up her teacher said she had a great day and commented that she wanted everyone else's lunch too. As you can see, I packed a ton of food for her and it came home nearly empty!!! I also fed her a huge breakfast. She is just like her mommy :)
While Madeleine was in school I acutally got to dig through the racks at TJ Maxx and Target, get treats and a leash for Lucy at Pet Smart, and have a lunch date with Daniel at Street Cafe. It was the perfect first day for the both of us!

Museum

2008-09-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

Jenny and I took Madeleine, Emory and Lawson to MMFA and the park yesterday to get the kids out of the house. Jenny, Lawson, and Emory are Madeleine's favorite new playmates. She calls Jenny, Miss Enny. It sounds so cute! Almost every day Madeleine says "Go Lawson's house?"
Madeleine stills seems a little young for the museum but there were still several things she could enjoy. Blocks, puzzles, books, cars ect... Mostly she enjoyed being with her friends.

The Park

2008-08-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and we were ready to get out of the house!! Madeleine and I have got in the habit of going somewhere almost every day now. Our most famous request is " The Store" which usually means Publix because she gets to ride in the car and gets a free cookie. Today we met Mary, Ross Townsie, Gina, and Jackson at the playground. We then went to Chappy's for lunch. I am so proud of Madeleine today because she actually stayed in her chair the entire meal and ate almost all of her chicken and french fries. Chappy's has been a huge hit with her!!! I am so glad we're moving into a phase of being able to take her out to eat again. At least as of today :)

She always makes this face!

Little Piggies

2008-08-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Mary, Ross, and Mary Townsend came over to play this week and Townsie had her hair in pigtails!!!! Oh so cute!! Anyway, Mary tried to put Madeleine's hair up. It was fun but, I don't think her hair is ready for this style yet :) It's bone straight and not long enough yet. Maybe one day Madeleine!

Monkey on our back!

2008-08-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

Recently I have had an issue with Madeleine wanting to run off in public so I bought this monkey backpack that has a leash. I didn't think she would like it, but it was only $8.00. Well, it turns out that it's worth far more than I invested because she will not take it off!! We have worn it everywhere and we throw tantrums when I try to take it off!

Update #2

2008-07-17T11:49:00.002-07:00

Oh, I am so bad at this!!! Anyway, Sorry I have not posted any pics this week. We are just getting settled back in. Daniel and I have been working on painting the hallway, master, and the bathrooms. Along with me being out of town last weekend and now this weekend too! We are going to Atlanta for Traci and Martin's party. Hopefully we'll make it back with some cute pictures and plenty to share about!
As for Madeleine, we are working on getting rid of the bottle. Surprisingly she is doing well. I am only putting water in it and it seems that all she wants now is to hold it. I don't care as long as her teeth are not rotting from the milk. My only concern now is how do I make sure she get's enough milk. She's not drinking it from her sippy. Any suggestions?

Update

2008-07-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

Lunch with Daddy and Madeleine's hair cut!

2008-07-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

Today we met Daniel for lunch at Chappy's. Taking Madeleine out to eat is a rarity since her behavior is not predictable right now. She did excellent today! She enjoyed the fish tank, coloring, and drinking out of a big girl cup with a straw! Kids eat free so this a fine discovery for us! Madeleine had the chicken fingers, chips, our french fries, animal cookies, and pickles. mmm mmm! We'll be back soon!

We got to sit next to the fish tank! Madeleine loved it!

Madeleine's first official hair cut! She went with me to see Donna (my hair stylist) on Thursday afternoon. Donna is now cutting three generations of our families hair! Jeanne has been going to Donna for 30 years and Megan has been since she was Madeleine's age. I forgot my camera but the scene was way too chaotic to take pictures anyway. Donna managed to do a fabulous job despite Madeleine's displeasure.

Mom's Birthday

2008-07-11T11:35:00.001-07:00

Mom, Lacey, Kason and Bailey came over for dinner to celebrate Mom's birthday. The kids had a great time playing with one another. Even Bailey had fun!! She loved chewing on Madeleine's toys :)

Madeleine, Daniel, and Kason playing horsey and "The Cave". The cave is one of Madeleine's favorite games that she and Daniel play. They just put a blanket over them and whisper. Madeleine had recently started attacking in the cave!! Mostly with kisses :) My favorite!

My Neice Bailey

The 4th of July

2008-07-07T12:00:00.001-07:00

We had a relaxing weekend and it was nice to not be out of town for once! We spent most of our time in the pool and the yard. Madeleine's latest favorite activity is to go on walks. And I don't mean pushing her in the stroller. SHE goes on walks! We take long strolls through the neighborhood (and into peoples yards) every day now looking for any animals or bugs we can find. She's really into cats these days. But we are NOT getting one. Sorry Madeleine :)
Madeleine also likes cars, trains, dinosaurs, and basically "boy" toys! I was not too worried about it since this is really because we have almost all boy cousins and those are the toys we have to play with. Daniel insisted that is was time for some girl things! So we got her a new doll house and she loves it!! I don't know what we would do without it. It has already bought us plenty of play time!

2008-07-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

Madeleine definitely has developed her sweet tooth! We now ask for treats, cake, and cookies! It has become a day long battle to keep the sugar monster at bay!

2008-07-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

Madeleine's new doll house! Thank you daddy!

2008-07-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

Madeleine loved being sprayed with the water hose so we finally got a sprinkler for her!!! She yells, it's raining, when she runs through it!

What do you do?

2008-06-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

It was hard for me to decide what to do on this one. Discipline, because she knows not to do this. Or take a picture? I thought you may appreciate the picture :)

18 Months

2008-06-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Madeleine turned 18 months on the 13th of June and today we had her check up with Dr. Glover. She was in the 85-90% (33 in) in height and a whopping 80% (26lbs) in weight! We were suprised to she her jump from the 50% to the 80% in the last 3 months since we've been in but, everything checked out great! Madeleine was hesistant from the moment we walked in the front door of the doctors office. She know's exactly why we are there. When she saw Dr. Glover she pointed at him and said boo boo!!! Then persistently screamed no no, door, and bye bye!!! I felt soooo bad for her and all I could do was hold her. You would think by her reaction she would never recover but she perked up as soon as we left.

She now has 12 teeth, 4 molars in the back and 8 in front. She's fascinated with brushing her teeth and insists on doing it herself! I think she just likes the toothpaste :) The doctor asked if she spoke atleast 10 words and I laughed!! She talks so much I've stopped counting at 100! She is going to be a chatter box. As most of you know it is NEVER quiet at my house! We also talked about potty training and moving to a toddler bed. Madeleine now proudly announces when she goes potty and can successfully remove her diaper! Even though she's showing some signs of readiness I dont think I am. We'll talk about it closer to age 2! Unless I can't keep that diaper on her :) As for a toddler bed, I think she still likes her crib and surprisingly has not climbed out of it yet! I also don't want an 18 month old strolling through the house at night! Scary!