Gymnastics

I signed Maddie up for a tumbling class a few weeks ago and was able to snap a few pictures of my little gymnist. I don't know why but they make me smile. I love them. Maybe it's because she looks so big or maybe because she looks like she's having so much fun. But I think it's mostly because she looks semi-coordinated which has not been one of her strengths thus far. Maybe we'll have a little athlete after all :). Here she is powering up.

She gets more daring every time we go. I love watching her practice her skills. The only draw back to her becoming more confident is that she recently learned how to climb out of her crib. I thought my life was over, but she still likes to sleep. She just appears out of no where sometimes which is a little freaky.

Other news: We watched my sister in law Mary open her mission call last night via Skype. She's going to Geneva, Switzerland, French Speaking! We're so excited for her and know she'll be an amazing missionary. It's so beautiful there. Maybe it'll give us an excuse to go there someday!

Finally, an update on the pregnancy. We still don't know what we're having. I've tried to look on our ultrasound machine at work, but really don't know what I'm doing. For some reason I'm not in a huge hurry this time. Either one has it's positives. I'm almost 18 weeks. I love feeling the little thing swimming around and nudging me. I haven't taken one belly shot. I'm in that awkward "looking fatter but not pregnant stage." I need to start giving this more attention bc I'm afraid I'm gonna wake up one day and be totally shocked to have two kids!

OMG

It cannot be Thanksgiving next week. Where have I been all month? How sad is it that I'm just now posting about Halloween? I have to say this pregnancy has taken it's toll on me. Right after Halloween I came down with a stomach bug, and that combined with my already nauseous self left me pretty much in bed for a week. And I honestly can't tell you what I've done since! It's so not like me to be so lazy! Anyways, I couldn't go without posting a couple pictures from our party. It was so much fun to have family and friends there. I love this holiday for some strange reason. We had chili and cornbread, played pictionary and bite the bag, and had a donut eating contest which my lovely zombie date won, of course. So proud. We even had a little dance party to my delight.

We dressed up as 80's Prom Zombies. I really wanted to be something scary this year, and I definitely got more than I bargained for. Ewww. Next year I'll go for something more photogenic.

Shrek and Fiona won best costume. Kami was convinced they were the real thing and loved sitting on her lap and talking about the movie. So cute :).

And last but not least, my cute little witch trick-or-treating with her hamburger and hot dog cousins. How cute are they? Maddie didn't really get the whole concept. She was too enthralled with the candy already in her bucket to keep asking for more.

Hope you had a Happy Halloween a month ago! And Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year if you don't hear from me.

Introducing...

Baby #2!!!

Due April 25, 2011

We couldn't be more thrilled. I'm excited to be done with the first trimester, but still waiting to get past the all day/ all night sick stage. I'd have to say it's been worse this time around. But I know it's all worth it in the end!

Fall Favorites

Here's a few pictures of Maddie from the past month that I love. I really can't believe how much she's grown up. Tonight she actually let me cuddle and rock her before bed, and I was in heaven. She let me tickle her back and play with her hair, and all the sudden I looked down and realized I no longer held an infant, but a big girl who filled up my arms, had opinions of her own, and liked to watch Tinkerbell. After about 5 minutes, she pointed to her pillow. For some reason, I just lost it! There's nothing I enjoy more than watching my little one learn and grow (and sleep all night long in her own bed), but tonight I missed my baby. Maybe she'll still cuddle with me when she's a teenager.

Anyways, September here was hot. Hotter than it was all summer. But all the public pools were closed, so we spent lots of time in our kiddie pool. (Yeah, me too).

October has been filled with getting ready for Halloween. I've been totally obsessed. I love this holiday for some weird reason. The other day we went to a really cute pumpkin patch.

I tried to get some cute shots of Maddie, but of course she refused to let go of her baby. (She has 8 baby dolls: New Baby, Tiny Baby, Soft Baby, Water Baby, Naked Baby, etc...and they all sleep with her in her crib).
We made a trip down to OC to visit the grandparents and got Disneyland passes while we were there. It's a way different experience with a toddler, but all worth it to see this face:

Maddie loves her cousin Johnny. And this may be my favorite picture of all time. When I asked her what she loved about DLand, the first thing she said was "Goofy!" We never saw Goofy, and honestly I didn't even know she knew who that was, but I think playing in his "garden" with her buddy was her favorite part!

Happy Birthday JD!!!

Two girls couldn't love a man more. Have a happy day today. You deserve it!

Sew Proud

Like my play on words? I kinda make myself sick lately with how lame I'm becoming. I think I need some excitement in my life. Not to say that I don't have a million things to catch up the blog with, cuz we've been out and about, but I've just felt blah the last few days.

Anyways, after going to Swiss Days in Midway, UT last weekend (which I'll hopefully post some pics if I can find the motivation), I got the urge to be creative again. So, I found some Halloween fabric I bought last year but never used and made Maddie a witch costume! Don't get me wrong, I'm a total ghetto seamstress. I don't know how to use a pattern, so I just do things by trial and error. Which is why I'm so proud of myself when it miraculously comes together, fits, and is cute! Or maybe it's just that my little one can make anything look cute. She seems to like what she sees :).

Posh Tot

A couple months ago Maddison found this book hiding high in her closet, waiting for the day when she refrained from ripping pages out and graduated from board books. You would've thought I was keeping from her the most important information she'd ever need in her whole life by the way she reacted when I reluctantly let her thumb through the pages. Needless to say, it became a quick favorite, an every day read.

Little did I know the impact it would have on a girl's need to accessorize, or how broad it would expand the vocabulary of an 18 month old to include "fucshia," "plume," and "merci." No outfit is complete without her sunglasses, especially when at the pool. Tantrums arise when I try to help her drink bottled water. She prefers to sip on it all by herself.

I think I just have to accept that my baby just isn't much of a baby anymore. She's singing her ABC's, doing someraults, speaking in sentences, pretending, humming along to my music in the back seat, climbing, jumping (well, trying to), telling me what she wants for lunch, and pretty much just making me smile all day. I love my spunky little girl!

Powell

It's been a week since we've returned from our trip, but I haven't been in the mood to blog for a while! I started work last week, and that seems to zap my energy and make me long to be back on the lake. (Although I really do like my new job.) We had way too much fun on our exclusive family-only trip. (I mean, check out Sarah's face-and I can guarantee that's nothing more than water in her red cup :). Our kids were in heaven. It's definitely in their blood. All three of them even wakeboarded for the first time! I'll let the pictures do the talking...

It's always sad to leave Lake Powell "behind." But because JD surprised us and drove all the way to make it for the second half of the trip, we got to make a little getaway out of it. Eric and Sam took Maddie back with them on their flight, and JD and I stayed at the Trump in Vegas. We had a blast!