What's New with Maddie

Pictures of the Family with Emily!

2010-10-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

For anyone still checking the blog from time to time, here are some pics our good friend Sarah Budd took of our family before and after Emily's arrival.

10 week ultraound

2010-03-04T19:19:00.001-08:00

We went in today for an ultrasound to determine the baby's size and estimated due date. Turns out our dates are right on, and the baby is growing just as expected. He/She was moving all around and kicking for the cameras. It was so reassuring to see the movement and the heart rate--156. It is amazing how clearly already you can see the baby's features on the ultrasound even though he/she is only about an inch tall at this point. We won't find out the baby's sex until our next ultrasound in May. Right now we call him/her "Nice Baby" which is a nickname courtesy of Maddie. It all started when we told her she has to be gentle and be nice to the baby, and now that is what she calls the baby. She is very sweet and strokes my tummy and gives her little brother/sister kisses. She says she will help me change the baby and feed the baby when it gets here. Can I hold her to that? Sometimes she says the baby is a boy, sometimes a girl, and sometimes both. (No twins--we checked on the ultrasound today!!!) At any rate, she wants to know when the baby is going to come out. Also sometimes she asks cute questions like if the baby is wearing jammies or using a pacifier in my belly.

Stay tuned for more updates!!!!

Tubing

2010-03-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a while since we posted anything on the blog..... That is because 4 days after our last blog post we found out we were expecting another baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For the last month I have been super tired and have experienced a great deal of morning sickness. There has been no extra energy for taking pictures, let alone finding the time to upload them to our website.

Amidst the chaos, we did find a day during the week when Tony was off work to head to Mount Hood and take Maddie on her first tubing adventure. She was a natural!

My 7 Christmases

2010-01-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a re-cap of our busy Holiday Season. We enjoyed seeing everyone and celebrating! Maddie was a great age for Christmas this year. She understood opening the gifts and playing with her new toys. She was, of course, thoroughly spoiled by all!

We started off with an early celebration when Auntie "Auntnie" Dian and Katie were in town. Maddie scored some healthy food options and a new coat & backpack.

Little did Dian know that all that food would go great in the new kitchen from Grandma Connie! Maddie loves her new kitchen, and some day far into the future when she is a parent, she will understand Tony's love for her, and the 3 hours that it took to assemble the kitchen! She learned how to say "openthis" and she doesn't exactly like to wait.

This is on the 23rd at Mimi & Papa Ray's house. Maddie got a new baby doll and homemade pillow and blanket!

Here is the best of 6 different shots of Maddie and her second cousins on Tony's side. Ryan and Jen hosted a Fox family get-together on Christmas eve. It was a lot of fun and good food too!

This is my favorite picture of Maddie on Christmas Day. She is playing with her new train set from Justin and Sam, while simultaneously doing her hair with a new brush and accessory set. Christmas day was spent at home in jammies (as it should be). We were tired from a long drive home from Eugene on Christmas eve after church. It was just Tony, me, Maddie and Grammy. We started with stockings (Maddie's favorite item in her stocking was an Elmo toothbrush!). We then had breakfast and opened the rest of our gifts. Everyone but me took a noontime nap, and I went for a run. It was a gorgeous, sunny day (albeit crisp) and nobody was out on the roads in our neighborhood. This was my first run ever as an adult and kick-started my training for a 10K in April.

Maddie and Grammy

Papa Randy came over on the 27th with an awesome new dollhouse and a baby that can go in the bath with Maddie.

He also commissioned an artist friend of his to do a drawing of the three of us based on some photographs. It is a very neat piece of work!

On the 30th we went to Chuck and JoDee's for a celebration with the Willett/Killian family. It was fun a fun event, but we were sorry that Opa and Oma weren't able to make it. We tried a new tradition this year...a white elephant exchange. In a weird twist of gift stealing and swapping I ended up bringing home my own gift. Oh well, better luck next year!

In early January, Dian's daughter, Kelly drove up from California, so we met her in Roseburg and got to see Papa Ike, Grandma Linda, Aunt Shannon and Morgan as well. Unfortunately Tony wasn't able to take time off, so he joined the gift exchange with us virtually.

Papa Ike and Grandma Linda opening their monogrammed golf ball markers....a practical gift!

Pics of the week

2010-01-15T19:43:00.000-08:00

These are my two favorite pictures from this week....

Here is Maddie with all her babies in the cradle made by her great-grandpa John. In order from L to R: Maddie (laying down), Shannie (in honor of Aunt Shannon), Mona (the neighbor's daughter), Abby (Sesame Street), Dada, and Beth (because she goes in the bath). Autzen the dog is on the chair. She carries these babies around all day long, feeds them milk, puts their clothes on and off, and puts them in and out of bed. She also sleeps with all of them every night.

This is a self-selected outfit. She wanted the leg warmers on the outside of the pants. Also note she is using two toothbrushes at the same time. She also drinks from two cups (with straws) at the same time. It grosses Tony out that she drinks her milk and water together.

Maddie is talking. A lot!! It would be way too much to post all of her words, because she repeating a lot and also stringing several words together. I don't know if this is common or not, but she uses "the" and "with" in a lot of her phrases. For example: "All done with the bed" means nap time is over. She is also counting. She can count to five. She also knows all of her basic colors. If you ask her what color something is she will say "the red" or "the blue." Her most often used phrase is "no way" which she says very emphatically, but not in a defiant tone...yet. She is also learning how to make choices. If I say do you want something to drink or not?, she will answer "not." Also if you tell her to ask somebody for something, she will look at them and say "ask." Maddie also likes to know what everyone is doing. For example Daddy is at the work, Mommy and Maddie are going to Jazzercise (which she can say and it comes out sooo cute!!) She checks up with people via video chatting on the computer and talking on the phone. She "cooks" a lot in her kitchen and also likes to help me with making dinner. She likes to draw, but would prefer a ball point pen to crayons. Just wait til she discovers markers!! She watches Sesame Street, and can name all the characters, but she only watches for a couple of minutes before she gets distracted by something else. She reads tons of books every day and we still make weekly trips to the library. Her favorites are about buses and trains or Elmo. She is slacking on her potty training a little bit, although she will stop what she is doing, look right at me, and say "pees" or poop after she has already done it. She has such a little personality, she loves to talk to people out in public. First she'll play it shy and coy, and then when they are paying attention to her she will turn on the charm with her big old smile! People comment all the time on how cute her pigtails are and how well behaved she is. I think it helps a lot that she communicates so well verbally, but if for some reason you are distracted from her or not quite understanding, she can get very upset. But the good news is that she is calmed down easily and reasoned with amazingly well considering she is not yet even 2.

Thanks for letting me indulge in my stream of consciousness brag session. I want to make sure her accomplishments are documented.

December in Review

2010-01-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

As some of you have kindly noted, it has been a while since we have updated our family blog. Here are some highlights for the month of December. It doesn't include Christmas which will be its own post. Please feel free to leave comments to let us know you like reading our blog!

December brought two HUGE events in Maddie's development.

1) Maddie peed on the toilet for the first time ever on 12/6/09!!!!!! She has been pretty successful with peeing about once a day, but she has not gone #2 yet. She loves her rewards: using the toilet paper, and getting a smartie candy treat. We are asking her daily if she wants to use the potty, but not forcing the issue yet.

2) She began sleeping in a big girl bed on 12/14/09. She fell out twice, but otherwise she has done great and she goes down without a fight. No more crib tent. She sleeps with all 6 of her baby dolls and she gets up in the morning, comes down the hallway to our room and snuggles with us for a few seconds before she is rearing to start the day!

The first week of December was the Civil War. Maddie stayed at Mimi and Papa Ray's while we enjoyed the Ducks' sweet victory!

Maddie loves taking a bath at Mimi's house.

We enjoyed some shopping on our way down to Eugene and got a nice family pic at woodburn outlet mall
Maddie was not too happy about sitting on Santa's lap

We also waited over 20 minutes to sit on Clifford's lap and she didn't like that either.

Our friends Becca and Jack came from Bend to visit us. We decorated gingerbread men. Maddie's first holiday cookie ever!
She got good at the decorating...and the eating!! She has a little sweet tooth!

JSam came to visit us. That is how Maddie refers to them now...as one entity.

Tony and I got to go out to a holiday party...and we didn't get home until midnight!

Maddie had her first candy cane ever at the tree lot. She loved it and it made a mess of her gloves and her face!
Family pic at the L'Arche tree lot. Unfortunately we never found a time to help sell trees. Maybe next year if nap time has changed.

Maddie loved helping decorate the tree. She learned to say "tree" and "lights" and she would jump out of bed every morning and want the lights on. Our first ornament to go on the tree is always Peanut's star.

Tony took a couple of vacation days right before Christmas. One of the days we spent at the Children's museum. It was great for him to get to see Maddie in her element. I graciously allowed him to help her with the face painting exhibit!

On the 23rd we packed up and went to Eugene. We had a gift certificate for a free night at the downtown Hilton. We had a ridiculously HUGE room with an adjoining conference room. Again Mimi and Papa Ray watched Maddie and we enjoyed a night on the town.

Then our busy Christmas season began......stay tuned for more!!!

New York

2009-12-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

Maddie and I flew to New York City the day after Thanksgiving to visit Justin ("Uncle Gay") & Sam and meet Sam's family. We stayed at their place in the city with Grammy who was already there for the week. It was a great visit. While we did not really visit any of the main touristy sites, we had a great time and got out and about every day to see something new. Maddie's favorite part of the trip was going on a choo-choo Subway train. She rode on my back in the backpack and loved it! Also Justin and Sam's apartment complex (really it is a town unto itself) has a playground that she loved. We really enjoyed meeting Theresa ("Tess") and Bob (Sam's parents) and her brother Ian. They had us to their house in New Jersey for a wonderfully yummy dinner and a relaxing visit. Maddie is a fabulous traveller and she adjusted to the time change both ways without any trouble. She also did very well on the airplane (we got to sit in first class on the way over!) despite delays and mean passengers.

At the Cloisters Park ( a potential wedding site for J&S)
At Stuyvensant Town playground

Bob & Theresa's house

Walking the High Line promenade in West Manhattan. Only a small sheet of plexiglass between Maddie and the city streets!

Thank you so much to J & S for your hospitality and for a great visit!!!

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-12-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving we were visited by Auntie Dian, Katie, and Grammy. We celebrated by making turkey cookies.

Mmmmmmmmmmm!

Maddie has been into drawing and art projects lately. She loves her new desk! On Thanksgiving we made a felt turkey by tracing Maddie's hand.

Maddie helped Daddy stuff the turkey.

What a great Thanksgiving. Just Tony, Me and Maddie at our house. We had all the fixings and it was a wonderful, low-key family day!

Peanut was with us in spirit. We made sure to say our blessings and acknowledge how thankful we are for our family.

All done! It took WAY longer to prepare the meal than to actually eat it!

Ladybug

2009-11-22T12:56:00.001-08:00

Somehow Halloween got lost in the mix with our trip to Hawaii and all that has been going on. But, Maddie did get dressed up as a lady bug. She also got to trick or treat a few select houses, and as you can see, she enjoyed her first lollipop! Our friend Sarah Budd took these wonderful pictures of Maddie (and many more!). Sarah is building a photography business, so please check out her gallery of pictures and feel free to order any that you like: http://www.sarahgracephoto.com/Portraits/Kids. The password is "mpf".

Maui

2009-11-16T14:41:00.001-08:00

We had an awesome and much needed vacation to Maui! It perfectly coincided with Tony's break from school and with my birthday. Maddie was great to travel with and she loves the outdoors and the water so it was the right destination. We saw lots of fish and turtles! We did a lot of snorkeling, relaxing, swimming, and playing the sand.

Maddie on "Baby Beach"--a super calm beach
Maddie and Tony at the Ocean Center Aquarium

Maddie watching the shark and rays.

Me and Maddie feeding the Koi fish at the resort. We stayed at the Westin Kaanapali Resort Villas. We had a one bedroom condo with a full kitchen and washer/dryer. It was very nice.

Our family picture at sunset on my 31st birthday.

Tony and Maddie on Kaanapali Beach.

Maddie got a special Hawaiian barette. It broke her second time wearing it.

Maddie in the pool.

Maddie and I under the largest Banyon tree in the word. In LaHaina.

We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity for such an amazing family vacation. We are already planning for our next trip.....

On the Go

2009-10-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

My newest favorite picture of Maddie. Such wisdom behind those eyes. And I adore her little pigtails!!

We continue to be on the go....literally and figuratively. We have added a weekly trip to the indoor play gym in Clackamas. Maddie's favorite toy is a roller coaster ride!

Fall brings more baking and yummy veggies. Here was my attempt at a meat filled eggplant recipe that I saw on Rachael Ray.

We made a trek to The Dalles. It was a sunny day (albeit a little chilly) and we actually got the O'Parents to talk a walk around the property!
Maddie and Grammy on the thinking bench.

O'Pa is passing his train wisdom to Maddie. Choo Choo!

And of course we carved the pumpkins we so carefully picked.

Dada pumpkin, Maddie pumpkin, Mama pumpkin

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we took our first family trip to the Pumpkin Patch!! We chose a place a little out of the way, in hopes that it would be less crowded, and it was perfect! They had plenty of activities, but it wasn't crazy busy, and the weather was cool and dry.

It was called Twisted Creek Ranch in Estacada.

We fed the fish in the pond.

We found a caterpillar! (Maddie is signing "eat" to say that the caterpillar is hungry, which is one of her favorite books--The Very Hungry Caterpillar.)

This is her first taste of Elephant Ear!

Petting bunny rabbits. We also fed chicken (bok boks), horses, goats.

Maddie picked her pumpkin!

They had a maze made out of sunflower plants. It was a treasure hunt to solve a word puzzle. It was cool!

We also jumped in a bouncy house, rode in a wagon, walked through the gift shop, petted a dog and climbed over hay bales. It was a pretty darn near perfect family day!!

Maddie's First Hair Cut

2009-10-08T12:05:00.001-07:00

Maddie's hair has been growing so fast and her bangs were getting into her eyes, so we decided it was time for her first hair cut. We were all excited, we waited until a day when both Tony and I were home. We borrowed some scissors and got the video camera out..... All that hype and her first hair cut lasted about half of one second. We got one good snip across the front before she decided that she HATES the scissors and will not tolerate any more cutting. Of course we saved the locks in an envelope for her baby book. The bad news is that her bangs are super crooked and she won't let us fix them. Oh well, at least they aren't in her eyes any more.

See...She loves her new hair cut!

Happy 18 Months!

2009-09-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

On 9/12/09 Maddie turned 18 months old, and is therefore officially closer to being 2 years old rather than one. We went in for her 18 month check up and here are the latest stats:

Height: 2 feet 9.25 inches (90%)
Weight: 27 lbs, 1 oz (84%)
Head Circumference: 19.25 inches (96%)

So basically Maddie is still topping out the charts in terms of growth. The doctor was also very complimentary of Maddie's development, especially verbal and creative. She got a completely clean bill of health! Next appt is at 2 years of age.

I thought she looked like such a big girl in the gown. She was drawing with crayons on the exam table paper. Also she didn't really even cry when she got her shots!

Photo Update of September

2009-09-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since we have updated the blog...sorry for that. We have been busy updating our latest happenings on Facebook. If you are looking for more updates, pictures, and video we would encourage you to join Facebook and "befriend" us. We have pictures and updates on there on a near daily basis. However, here are LOTS of photos from last week. I was on vacation, we had a wedding to go to, Justin and his fiance Sam were here from New York, and we went to the coast. Add all that with the fact that the three of us fought illnesses of all sorts for a week (or more), we were quite busy. Enjoy!
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We spent last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at the coast. Wednesday was an awful day for weather...colder and rainy...so we were a little more low key than we had planned. We decided to visit a dairy farm....

Mommy and Maddie posing.

This is at the Tillamook factory...

Maddie enjoying the petting zoo....

Megan, um, not so much....

We wanted to go on a hike, but the weather thwarted that. This is the Octopus tree near Cape Meares.

Taking a little break on our little hike...

This is an out-of-commission lighthouse that was kind of cool...

Tuesday was a beautiful day at the beach...too bad it was our shortest day there.

Maddie and I after a dip in the ocean....

Grammy was not afraid of the water either....

As you all know, Maddie LOVES the water. Hello Hawaii in less than 2 months!

Three generations....

Eating wild blackberries at Ecola State Park...

Sightseeing at Ecola State Park....Maddie already wanted to go swimming at this point...

Aunt Sam and Uncle Justin...

Too bad Maddie is not looking at the camera in this pic...

Did I mention it was a beautiful day?

We don't really have any pictures from Thursday, even though it was an even better day. This was partially due to the fact that I woke up really, really sick on Thursday. I was aching all over and puking all day. Yuk! I hear that everyone played in the sand and water some more and relaxed by reading and playing games. I slept all day and missed out on most the festivities.

On Labor Day weekend Megan's cousin James got married at his parents' property in Springdale (outside Troutdale). It was a large wedding! Maddie stayed home with our neighbors and she did a great job with them. The day after the wedding there was a lunch out there and we got to take Maddie to that.

This is Maddie with her cousin Emma playing an old pick-up.

And here she is with Ethan, Emma's little brother...

We were excited to see O'Pa and O'Ma at the wedding....

Almost as excited as seeing them out on the dance floor!!!

James and his Megan - They are way too cute of a couple!

Of course, it is football season and we have had our ups and downs so far. Maddie did not go to the first home game as she stayed with Papa Randy, Robyn, and Jackson and she did great. We are debating taking her to next week's home game. We want to show her off, but also worry about keeping her entertained for 4+ hours.

I have saved the worst for last..... Maddie had a rough start to the month with a couple separate headers that caused some boo-boos on her head. The first was when she tried to get out of the stroller herself and fell head first onto the asphalt! Ouch! The second was when she faked Megan out and went head first off the play bridge on the playground at the park. Please do not turn us into child services....we promise we were trying to prevent these from happening! But, the pictures speak for themselves....

She is all better now, though. Thankfully she is a quick healer!

Updates

2009-09-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

I know this is Maddie's website, but let me indulge in a quick personal brag. Last weekend I participated in the Portland to Coast race, which is a 127 mile relay walk. I was very nervous going into it, not knowing what to expect, and not really knowing anybody on my team. Of course I ended up having a fabulous time. And, our team did really well. It took us just over 28 hours to complete the race. I did a 5.75 mile leg and a 4.09 mile leg, averaging just over 11 minutes per mile. Maddie stayed back in Portland, spending one day with my dad and Robyn, and the other day with Tony. It was super tough to be away from her for so long, but it was good to do something for myself, and I have a huge sense of strength and accomplishment. Thanks to all who supported me!

Our team name was "Big Daddy and the Streetwalkers" We had 11 women and one man on our team. My nickname was "Mama Fox."
Here is my team (minus the person who is walking)

This is the start of my first leg. It rained on my leg, and off an on throughout the night. We got about an hour sleep in the van. By the time we got to the coast we were exhausted, but adrenaline works wonders!

Ok, now back to Maddie. I would say the main update is the explosion of her verbal skills. She is now repeating everything you say. She can even put two words together like "bye bye dada" or "go ducks!" Her new words are: walk, Elmo, oval, but (button), Maddie, burp, scuze (excuse me), wuv u (love you), Tyou (thank you), wat (water), and o'pa. She also now signs poop and diaper change. Notice the fascination with bodily functions already!! She knows where her "pee pee" is and has asked to sit on the toilet, so we bought her a potty chair.

She is so proud to sit on her Elmo potty!

Enjoying the last days of summer!

Doesn't Daddy look pretty in Maddie's bikini?

Daddy will have extra time for lounging around in his swim attire this week as he is on VACATION from both WORK and SCHOOL!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have some family activities planned as Justin and Sam are coming to town, but we will also take some much needed down time.

Got Milk?

2009-09-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Maddie drinks from Daddy's milk glass....

She starts out all nice, letting Daddy helpThen a little milk dribbles down her chin...no problem yet....

Then she grabs the glass, wants to do it herself, and.....

They are both covered in milk! More laundry for Mommy to wash!

Pics

2009-08-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo montage of our last two weeks.

Maddie's new tent bed! This is our solution to her having learned to climb out of her crib!!

Hiking Mt. Talbert

Swimming on the Columbia River

It was an impromptu swimming trip so we didn't have a towel. Daddy gave up his undershirt for the cause.

We didn't have a swimsuit either. Maddie didn't care though! She loved throwing rocks into the river.

Our third wedding anniversary! We celebrated with a picnic in a local park and Daddy took a long lunch break.

It was an upscale picnic...with linens and everything!

Clackamas aquatic park.

Maddie had no fear of the water slide. She looked like such a big girl doing it all by herself!

(FYI...It was a steep learning curve to learn to hold our new camera the right way when shooting video....so you will have to turn your head to the side to enjoy.)

Happy 17 month birthday!!

2009-08-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, we can't believe Maddie is 17 months already. It has been a while since we gave some updates on what she is up to. She was sick again last week. Uggh. At least it was just a cold, but she was so kind and shared it with both of us. She has also had some major changes to her daily schedule. For almost a month she was down to just one nap a day, without changing her bedtime of around 7PM and waking up at 6 AM sharp. Then she started getting really cranky in the afternoons, throwing lots of temper tantrums, and so finally we started giving her a second nap again. Now she takes two naps, but she pushed her bed time back until around 8 or 8:30 PM and she sleeps in until 7:30 or 8 AM! This has been great so she can spend more time with Tony in the evenings, and we can get a little more shut eye. However, it limits the amount of activities we can do during the day since she is still needing two naps. Oh the trade offs!

As far as development, Maddie is communicating a whole lot more. She is so fun to talk to. She babbles constantly and makes her needs known through speaking and sign language. She says "what's that?" and points to everything so we can label it for her. She has a book of Baby's First 100 words that she reads several times a day and has quite a long attention span. We name all the body parts, the foods, the animals etc. New words include: shoes, water, and ouch. Her newest sign is "owie". She is fixated on Tony's injured leg and asks me many times a day about Dada's owie. She is also really fun to talk on the phone with now as she will actually talk.

Physically she is growing a lot and I can't wait to get her official measurements at her 18 month check up which is scheduled in September. She is also really working on her jumping and climbing skills. She knows how to throw her arms up in the air for "touch down" and she will flex when you ask to see her muscles. She is wearing a size 6 shoe and 24 month clothing!!! She has 4 of her molars but none of her eye teeth yet. Her hair is super light due to the time in the sun, and it is very curly in back. Her eyes have changed to a beautiful hazel/brown/green. She loves to giggle and she is not shy about asking to see your belly and give it a kiss.

Maddie is very curious and precocious. She knows what she wants, and she is always watching to learn new things, even some things that we don't necessarily want to teach her yet! She gets her little hands into anything we leave out, and she has learned to grab things off of the counter. She is obsessed with shoes and she carries them around and demands that I wear a certain pair. She likes to say "uh oh" even when things aren't an accident (like throwing food off of her high chair tray). She is also very interested in how the straps on her carseat, high chair etc work. She wants to sit (unstrapped) and play with the straps for long periods of time. This is not so much fun for me because she has to be supervised closely if she is not strapped in. For instance, we went to the park last week and she sat in the swing, unstrapped, and played with the straps for over a half an hour, and screamed bloody murder if I suggested we try a different activity.

Maddie has also developed her social skills. She says hi and bye and waves enthusiastically to everyone she sees in public. She begs for attention from people who aren't looking at her, and then when people do look at her she gets coy and pretends to be shy. She is not shy at all, and she loves playing with other kids on the playground. Sometimes she watches for a while before she joins in, but she loves other kids.

Basically, Maddie is tons of fun to be around, she is super social, and she makes everyone around her smile!

Here are a couple of new pics! Enjoy!!

Tony, Tony, Tony has done it again

2009-08-03T17:47:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Tony!!!

We had a wonderful BBQ with over 30 people here on Saturday to celebrate Tony! The weather was gorgeous and we grilled up burgers and dogs for everyone. The kids played and the adults chatted. It was an awesome, relaxing day!

After he blew out the candles, he turned them around to say "23" instead of "32".

U of O tie for casual Fridays.

So, as awesome as Saturday was, Sunday was that terrible. Tony was working on his honey-do list and he went up to look at our broken attic fan. He was looking up and following the wires and not necessarily looking where he was walking. He slipped and stepped in a spot that was not reinforced. His entire right leg went through the insulation and plaster, and through the ceiling in the hallway. Maddie and I heard the crash and saw all the debris fall (along with his shoe) into the house. I went running up to the attic and he was bleeding all down his leg. Luckily he was able to hobble down the stairs. He was in a lot of pain and had a large gash on his knee, so I rushed him to the emergency room. After 3 sets of xrays to rule out a possible fracture, we are happy to report that he has no broken bones. He did, however, need 4 stitches to close up the leg wound. It was super scary, but we are lucky that it was not worse.

This was after they cleaned everything up. It doesn't look so bad in this pic, but the wound is deep!

After we got home, Tony is elevating his leg. The doctor told him to stay off of it as much as possible, but he decided to go to work today anyway!

While we were gone, my mom and our neighbors cleaned up the pile of stuff that came through the ceiling. (I wish we had a picture!) Then they taped over the hole with a Corona beer box. Umm, a little White Trash, but it'll do until we can get it fixed. I told Tony that if he wanted to get out of doing his chores, he could have found a better way than this! I guess you lose a little coordination when you reach the ripe old age of 32!

Maybe next year's birthday weekend won't be quite so eventful! Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes, cards, calls, texts, emails, gifts, FB messages and to everyone who came and celebrated with us!

Lovin' Summer

2009-07-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

July Updates

2009-07-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

Guest post from Tony....

We have been extremely busy around here these past couple of weeks. After a whirlwind couple of weeks spent in Roseburg and Sunriver (the girls) we decided to stick a little closer to home for the most part. However, we have been busy between work, homework (I am now past the half-way point), Jazzercise, library time, berry picking, play dates, and trips to The Dalles. Here is a snapshot of the first two weeks of July.

Megan and Maddie took Grammy to The Dalles on the 4th of July to visit O'Ma and O'Pa while I stayed home to finish a paper for my MBA program. They all had a blast and made sure to come back with lots of cherries from the orchard.

This is Maddie exchanging 'knuckles' with O'Pa!

Maddie wants to make sure everyone wears sunscreen this summer.

"See, O'Ma, this is how you put the sunscreen on."

Maddie has not liked learning the word "no"!!!

Each July we go to Lost Lake as a family. We started this tradition two years ago as a way to remember Peanut, our first baby. Peanut was due on July 3, so the 4th of July holiday is always bittersweet for us. We try not to go to Lost Lake on the 4th of July weekend to avoid heavy crowds. We went this past Saturday and the weather was gorgeous. We had a great time, except for the spectacular header Maddie took off of one of the boardwalks. She tripped over the edge, fell about 18 inches, landed on her head, did a cartwheel and then a flip. She cried for all of about 2 seconds while Megan and I sprinted toward her. Megan made sure to check on Maddie's mental faculties by asking her to make all of her animal sounds (she is up to cow, monkey, snake, and dog) and she passed with flying colors. There is a picture of her wound at the end.

Here is a picture from 2007....my, how some things change!

Here is the family last year....Maddie was so small!

Here we are this year. What a cute family, eh?

Anyone know how to get a 16-month old to pose?

This is a picture at Peanut's spot. This is Maddie kissing Peanut.

This is Maddie throwing rocks in the lake. If you look closely you can see the rock next to the flower in the middle of her swim top.

"Whoa! Did you see how far that went?!"

Maddie is sooooooo a water baby!

Here is Maddie's wound from "The Fall".

On Sunday, Aunt Kris flew into town on her way up to Seattle for work. She came over to our house for breakfast and then we went up to Washington to have dinner with Grandpa Randy, Robyn, and Jackson later in the day. It was so nice to see her and have her fit it into her schedule. We can't wait to see Kris and Nick again later this summer!

Kris, Maddie, and Megan chilling on the couch.

We have lots of busy weekends coming up! This weekend we are hosting "the girls" for a summer BBQ. It remains to be seen if I will be joining the party or not...but there is BBQ pork, so there is a good chance. My mom is also coming up on Saturday to visit Maddie and we are excited to have Mimi come and visit.

The weekend after that Megan is taking advantage of last year's anniversary present and having a spa day. She will be pampered all day while Grammy and I watch Maddie. The weekend after that we are having a BBQ at our house for someone's 32nd birthday. Some old geezer I guess.

Other than that we continually stay busy and look forward to seeing our friends and family. Much love to all!

Tony, Megan, and Madelyn

Sunriver

2009-07-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

I love Sunriver! This year was Maddie and my 2nd annual Moms' trip (4 moms and all our kids). The weather was perfect--cool in the evening and hot during the day. We swam, rode bikes, walked and played outside. We were having so much fun that we even stayed a day longer than planned. Maddie and I both came home with suntans. Hers is a little farmer tan since her swimsuit has arms.

What a group! The kids did great together this year, hardly any squabbling, and the moms got time to read and relax among the chaos.

This is Alex. He didn't want to sit for the group photo. Alex was the lone boy this year. He used to be the baby until Maddie showed up. Last year he was kind of rough with Maddie and I had to watch them closely. This year he was super gentle and watched after her really sweetly.

My mom came over to join us for the weekend. She loved being "grandma" to all the kids!

My dad was randomly in Sunriver for a tennis tournament the same weekend, so we got to have a belated Father's day breakfast at the lodge with him, Robyn and Jackson. We didn't go for the brunch buffet, but sometime I want to splurge and do the it. There was a cool make-it-yourself juice bar with tons of fresh fruits and veggies!

Maddie got to ride sitting up (without a car seat) for the first time in a bike trailer. She loved it! She said "wee" when I went fast and "uh oh" when I went over bumps. Then she fell asleep!

Maddie did really well with the travel and with being away from home with so many other people. She did wake up during the nights but I think it was partly because I was sleeping in the same room with her, and partly because she is still working on cutting her molars. The bottom ones are almost poked all the way through (you can see all four of the prongs) but the top ones still have a ways to go. There was also an "incident" at the pool.....ask me about it someday after some time has passed............

Strawberry Pickin'

2009-07-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

We went strawberry picking last week with our friends Cynthia and Drake. The kids started off by entertaining themselves in the wagon while we picked. This is a funny picture because they swapped drink cups. Maddie hasn't really had juice before she she thought it was a great trade....Drake was stuck with water which I don't think he thought was a fair deal. But he did like trying out the straw! At first I had to help Maddie pick the berry and eat it....
Then she figured it out all by herself. (Of course she found it much easier to pick berries out of my bucket rather than off the plants!)

Messy faces!

Maddie helping push the wagon

The "fruits" of our labors!

Fun day!! Next up is raspberry picking.........

Father's Day

2009-06-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

We went to Roseburg for the annual golf tournament that Tony plays in with his dad. We won't talk about how the golf turned out, but it was a fun trip and good to see that side of the family again. Tony and I enjoyed two date nights in Roseburg--drinks with high school friends, and the country club golf tournament dinner. It was a steak dinner and I decided that I wanted my money's worth, so I ate almost an entire steak. More red meat than I have eaten in the last 10 years. Moo!

This is Father's Day morning. Tony told me he wanted to "re-do" these pictures after he got dressed, but that never happened. Oops.

For Father's Day Maddie and I made him an impression of her handprints in clay. Again, I was pushed to my limits of artistic abilities. It was quite an ordeal. We had to go for the initial trip to make the impressions. The woman was very late meeting us there, and then of course Maddie didn't hold still very well and one of her handprints is a little smeared. Then it turns out that they misquoted the price. They told us it would cost one third of what it actually does, so we bartered to meet somewhere in the middle. Then they called to say the impression was done and we could come paint it. When we showed up it turned out that it wasn't done yet and we had to come back again. Next time I got smart and took Maddie's high chair. She sat and ate snacks while I painted as fast as I possibly could. I chose a color palate I knew Tony would like, and I came up with the phrase.... "Little Hands, Big Dreams!" There is one spot where the paint isn't coated evenly, but otherwise I think it turned out great!

Grandpa Ike and Divot opening a card with magnet photos inside! Divot taught Maddie to bark this weekend. She says "oof oof" and it is so darn cute!

Tony headed to Roseburg a couple days before Maddie and I did so he could enjoy some practice rounds of golf. We enjoyed our girl time. Here we are at the Rhodedendron Garden. I was all excited to go because I have fond childhood memories of running around the garden. However, it seemed kind of run down, the Rhodies were no longer in bloom, and there was duck poop everywhere! So, we left and headed to the park. I actually remembered to grab some bread for us to feed the ducks. This was the first time that Maddie understood how to throw it to the ducks. She would break off a little piece, throw it, and then jump back so the ducks didn't get too close to her. She did that for a while and then she ate the rest of the bread.

I feel like the quality of pictures we have been able to get of Maddie is dwindling lately. She is so active and so fast. She really hates posing anymore, so unless there is another adult to hold her, she is hard to capture on film.

Teething is still going strong. Maddie cut her upper, right molar over the weekend.

Home Improvements

2009-06-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a happy news update to our painting contractor nightmare story....

Our house is finished and it looks awesome!!! We are so grateful for our friends Michael (who did all the painting by himself in three days!) and his wife Melissa (who was at home with the kids for three long days with no husband to help with dinner or bedtime.)

We are very happy with the paint job and the color that we chose. This was one of those times that even though we were very frustrated in the middle of it, we just had to remember it was a small piece of life and we overall are very fortunate.

BTW, in case you are wondering, the scary contractor still has not come to pick up his stuff. Apparently he was all bark and no bite.

Another project that was finally finished! I wanted to get letters up on Maddie's wall before she was born, but it never happened. For those of you who know me, I get heart palpitations when I have to do artsy crafty projects. So, thanks to my dad who bought the letters, and HUGE thanks to Robyn who did all the crafty work on the letters. Actually, she made me learn how to tie a bow with the ribbon. Somewhere on there is the one that I successfully tied...so I can tell Maddie I helped.

Work Party

2009-06-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Now that the house is freshly painted, we are excited to have people over. Last Sunday we hosted a BBQ for Tony's staff from the bank, and a few other friends and family.

Tony's former service manager, his wife, and little Noah (9 months)

One of the tellers and her husband

Maddie's first popsicle (made from 100% fruit and vegetable juice) and her first juice

(Maddie finally has enough hair to rock the barrettes. They were a gift from one of Tony's employees. I love it because people don't ask me if she is a boy when she has clips in her hair.)

She loved the sweet taste of the juice but HATED how cold it was. But she kept going back for more.

Maddie's first kiss (to a non-family member). Right now she is a cradle robber, but a 5 month age difference won't matter in a few years, right?

It was a super fun BBQ and good for Tony's staff to get to know each other outside of work. And, I might just offer to host again if Carla brings the ceviche again. Yum!

Life's a Zoo

2009-06-09T12:28:00.001-07:00

We have had a nightmare contractor experience. We hired somebody to paint our house. He turned out to be CRAZY, worked as few hours a day as possible, drank on the job, and also was doing a crappy job when he was here. He lied to us about his license and a few other things, so when we found out and confronted him, he started making up really weird lies. He said that he had an audiotape of me calling him the "N" word and some other term that is derogatory against Hispanic people. Well of course that isn't true...and it doesn't even make sense as he is a white guy! We ended up firing him. Then we lived in fear for a few days that he was going to retaliate either against us or against our house, but so far he has not shown up again. Not even to pick up the stuff that he left here. Unfortunately we had already paid him some money that we will now not get back, but at this point we are willing to cut our losses to just be done with it.

Here is a picture that we took to show how he couldn't even paint a straight line. Also you can see the new color we have chosen for the house. It is called "Thatch Brown." We are actually quite happy with the color. And, in the end things are going to work out just fine, as they always do. Our awesome friend, Michael, is going to paint our house for a very reasonable price, and we feel good about it since he and his family are saving to adopt a child (or children) from Ethiopia.

I am so thankful Maddie has no idea what is going on. Here she is just playing in the yard as we are surveying the house and taking pictures to document everything.

This morning we went to the zoo to take advantage of $2 Tuesday. We met our friends Becca and Jack. We had a great time. We started out seeing the animals of the Pacific northwest, then went to the sea animals, and ended with a live bird show with eagles and hawks flying right over us! Unfortunately Maddie got tired then and let it be known that she was ready to go. NOW! But it was good timing as the zoo gets crazy busy on $2 Tuesday. That is why we go right when the open and leave before it gets too crowded.

Two owlets in the big nest!

Becca with her hands full!

self portrait!

In front of the duck pond.

riding the camel

If I may indulge in a little brag session...Maddie's verbal comprehension skills are taking off!

Today I was trying to entertain Maddie while we were getting ready for the zoo. I was going through all the animals and the noises they make. Right after I did cow, she went into the living room, grabbed her stuffed cow, and brought it to me to make it moo. Smart girl! She also can differentiate between three choices now. I held up three stuffed animals and asked her which one was baby. She picked up the baby and began rocking it. Oh yeah, she has also learned how to hiss like a snake. So cute! AND, she knows where her eyes, ears, head/hair, nose, mouth and belly button are. If you ask her where her belly button is she will lift up her shirt and point!!

One other fun thing you might enjoy. Click here for a link to my friend Sarah's blog. She has a posting dedicated to the BBQ that we hosted for their family last weekend. She captured some great moments!

Sickie

2009-06-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately Maddie has been sick for the past two weeks!!

It started off exactly two weeks ago today with a cough and runny nose. At that point she still had energy and it just seemed like a mild cold. Then on Monday of the three day weekend, she developed a fever before bed. When she woke in the morning on Tuesday it had jumped to 102 degrees. I called the nurse and they advised me as long as she wasn't dehydrated to wait it out at home. So all day Tuesday she had a fever and I held her all day long and she took like 6 naps on my chest. Poor thing was burning up and had no energy. That night the fever got up to 104 at one point and they still weren't concerned when I called back again. The next morning the fever was still there and she also was super fussy and seemed uncomfortable like she was in pain. So I made an appt for 10:40 that morning. Wouldn't you know it by about 9:30 her fever broke and when we saw the doctor she was fine. No fever, no ear infection, no nothing. She screamed the whole time the doctor was examining her though and I was feeling like taking her in was a mistake. Then on Thursday her first molar made a tiny bump above the gum line on her lower left side. On Friday the fever came back (but only at 100.8) for another 24 hours. I called the doctor again on Saturday morning and they still weren't concerned.

The fever is now gone, the cough and runny nose are still lingering, and the bottom right molar is also making an appearance. So my best guess is that she is teething and also caught a little virus at the same time. Nothing serious, but enough to make her very uncomfortable and fussy. So we have been giving her lots of extra TLC, especially in the middle of the night when she has been waking up, and a fair amount of Tylenol and Motrin for the pain. I hope we are on the mend. I want to see her feeling 100% soon.

In the mean time, with the exception of the days she had the high fever, we have been getting in a lot of fun play time. Here are some pictures:

I had to pull out the front pack the other day when Maddie was really fussy and I walked her around til she fell asleep. Later she carried her baby in it.

Look at the matching dress and purse made by Mimi!

What's inside the purse?

Maddie's cell phone.

"Hello. Who is it?"

Another fun thing that she has been doing is instead of getting out of bed right away when she wakes up from a nap, she is grabbing all her stuffed animals and playing with them in her crib. It is really cute. I turn on her music CD and we sing and she plays for a good 20 minutes. It gives me time to get ready in the morning!

As if we don't have enough going on right now, we are getting our house and patio awning painted. We are so looking forward to getting rid of the ugly dark trim! We have also been busy in the yard, so we are ready for backyard BBQs this summer!

water baby

2009-05-26T21:29:00.001-07:00

We hope everyone had a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!!! We had an awesome 3-day weekend. On Saturday we enjoyed our first round of par 3 golf as a family. Maddie walked the holes with Grammy, stopping to hit balls with her clubs, and play in the sand traps. On Sunday we enjoyed a fabulous day at the Oregon Coast (Lincoln City), and on Monday we hosted a backyard BBQ for some of our friends. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed it to the fullest!

Here are some photos from our beach trip. Maddie started out by playing with her toys in the sand and watching the kites, until she realized there was water. She beelined for the waves and had no fear about getting wet. She and I jumped waves while Tony took pictures (the water was too cold for him) . After each wave I walked her back toward shore to see if she had enough, and she kept pulling me back to the water. It was an awesome moment for us as parents to see her sheer joy and innocence as she played in the waves for the first time.

Maddie played hard and took a good nap in her stroller while we relaxed on a blanket. Tony wanted to rest his eyes while Maddie napped, so to be safe, he tied the tether strap from the stroller to his ankle...I laughed at him, thinking it was such a boy/McGuyver move. Then we left the beach and found place called Regatta Park with the coolest play structure ever!! For those of you who have kids you have to check it out. It was huge wooden play structure with many slides, a tightrope, a xylophone, bouncy bridges, monkey bars, swings. We played there for another hour and a half before we had to eat dinner and head for home. What a fun day!

Maddie crawled a lot in the sand. She found it easier than walking.

I had to hold her back!

She got soaked and she loved it! It was only about 64 degrees but she didn't care. She would have liked to play in the water for longer, but we eventually felt like she needed to dry off and warm up.

"Can we go again....pretty please?"

BBQ

2009-05-19T22:50:00.001-07:00

Maddie had her first taste of BBQ this weekend. In fact we had 3 BBQs! She preferred turkey burger with ketchup! (Ignore the fact that she looks like a boy in these pictures. She was wearing her "My Mom's a Fox" shirt.)

One of our BBQ parties was at Grandpa Randy & Robyn's house. After lunch Grandpa and Maddie enjoyed running through the sprinklers.

"All Duh" (Maddie's version of "all done")

Central Oregon & Mother's Day

2009-05-14T11:01:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Central Oregon. We stayed in a friend's timeshare at Eagle Crest resort. It was a very relaxing trip and we got to spend a lot of good family time together. The first few days we were there it was cold and rainy, but luckily we found an indoor play gym for Maddie. She practiced riding a bike, pushing babies in a stroller, climbing up and down the slide. It was fun and it wore her out!

The next few pictures are from our hike at Smith Rock State Park.

We encountered 3 differnet snakes along the path!!!!!

The following pictures are from two different days, both at the Newberry Volcano park just past Sunriver. There was a nice hike along the river, and we also walked around the perimeter of the cindercone.

We love our new B.O.B stroller! Wish we would have bought it when Maddie was born!

We had to make a lot of stops on all of our hikes for Maddie to get out and walk. She is a little nature girl!

This picture is at the top of the forest fire lookout.

This is the edge of the cindercone.

This picture is at the playground at Eagle Crest on Mother's Day. My mom was able to come join us for Mother's day. We had a nice Mother's Day brunch and then took a hike along the river, and then played at the park before we headed home. As part of my mother's day gift, I was treated to a massage and pedicure at the resort spa on Friday.

Maddie liked all the wildlife. We saw geese, swans, deer, wild rabbits, snakes, chipmunks....

And finally the weather warmed up on our last few days and we got some great views of the mountains.

And yes, I was a nice wife and let Tony golf 3 different courses while we were there. In fact, our good friends John and Shawna came up and the boys golfed while the girls hung out, and then we had a great BBQ afterward....and 4 bottles of wine!!

While it wasn't sunny Palm Springs, it was a much needed vacation and break from our hectic schedules.

Third Time is Tulip Time

2009-05-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you who were wondering about whether or not we made it to the Tulip Festival....we finally did!! Maddie and I went last Friday afternoon. It was a tad bit windy, and a few little rain drops fell, but it wasn't crowded at all and we still got to see and do everything. Next year, however, I have already informed Tony that he is coming too. It was a little difficult trying to take in the beauty, and trying to get pictures while Maddie was eating dirt and pulling petals off the tulips. Also it was interesting navigating the restrooms....I mean outhouses....with a curious toddler.

Gosh we live in a beautiful place!!
"Mom, I don't want to pose for you!"

The prettiest tulip in the festival!

Flowers almost as tall as Maddie.

So I let her touch a little bit...

Some nice tourists offered to take a picture of us together.

Maddie thought the tulips were okay, but it was tough for her to walk over the little dirt hills, and she was much more interested in playing in the dirt and crushed hazelnut shells they had for ground cover. Maddie humored me and walked all the way out to the end of the tulip fields with me, and I humored her and we rode the tram back to the kiddie area. She got to climb hay bales and go down some slides, and do a rubber duck race by pumping a water well. Then as we were walking out, we walked through the garden area where you can picnic (or have a wedding) and hidden in the garden was a child's play house with a picnic table and all kinds of kitchen toys in it. I could hardly drag Maddie away. She loves to play pretend.

Two more cute Maddie updates: Her new phrase is "oh wow" which she says all the time and sometimes it actually sounds like she is commenting on the conversation. Also she has learned what "jump"means. She squats down and then extends her knees, but she doesn't' actually get any air yet. I have to get it on video. It is so darn cute!!

Stay tuned for updates from our Central Oregon vacation.

Roseburg

2009-05-01T13:13:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Tony played in a golf tournament with his Dad in Roseburg. He took Thursday and Friday off work so he could play practice rounds, so we got a nice long weekend. We stayed with Grandma Linda and Grandpa Ike (thanks for giving up your room!) It was Maddie's first time to the Country Club, so we took her out and introduced her around. She even took her own clubs so she could play!

Tony played in a "scramble" tournament on a team with Grandpa Ike and Uncle Mike. They ended up placing 4th which is excellent!! The weather was dry, sunny sometimes and cool other times. We had a great weekend visiting with Grandma Linda, Grandpa Ike, Auntie Shannon, Mike & Linda, and of course...Divot and Max (dogs!!) Maddie chased the dogs all around the house and yard, and climbed up and down Divot's doggy stairs that lead up to the couch. Now she wants to get up on the couch all the time, but she doesn't understand that if she stands up or rolls over that she will fall off.

Checking out the course
Golf is tiring!!

How do you hold this club anyway?

Grandpa Ike and Uncle Mike

Tony and Maddie driving the cart.

This is at Stuart Park. We had fun playing for a little while. Then a family showed up with two kids..the dad was knocking back beers and the mom was smoking on the swing set....all at 10:30 in the morning. We left.

Doesn't Maddie look tiny next to the train??? It is at the park, and it is accessible to climb in and touch all the parts. Pretty cool.

Two Tries, No Tulips Yet

2009-04-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is my current favorite picture of Maddie!

Maddie and I have tried to go to the Tulip Festival twice now. Both times we have not ended up at the festival (once due to plan changes by our friends that we were going with, and once due to friggin huge lines of cars waiting to get in). But, both times we ended up doing something fun instead with our friends The Andersens.

The first time we went to the Andersen's house and played in their backyard. It was a gorgeous day and Maddie absolutely adores Emma and Jake. Also they have lots of fun things to do in their yard....

Maddie's first trampoline!!

Check it out--she's getting air!

The fountain is not supposed to be a toy, but Maddie didn't know that....She started out just playing in the water with her hands, but then....

She used her newly acquired climbing skills to get to the next level...

She made it all the way to the top and had a blast!

Swingin'

The second failed attempt at the Tulip Festival led us instead to the Oregon Garden in Silverton. The place was practically empty and we got to wander around in near solitude. We took a tram ride that Maddie did not really enjoy. The tram was supposed to come every 30 minutes. One was leaving as we were almost done with our picnic, but instead of rushing to catch it, we waited around for the next one.....but then we accidentally missed it and had to run and catch it in between stops. Then Maddie did not want to sit still on the tram and I had to hold her down tight. (Any wonder why I am scared to taker her on an airplane right now?) But she did enjoy the children's garden. It had cute topiary shaped like animals, a tunnel to run through, plants growing out of bathtubs and toilets, etc...

There was also a tree house....

and a sand box!

It was over 80 degrees so we decided to cool off in the fountain before we left. The water mixed nicely with the sunscreen and sand.....

We are so looking forward to summer!!!!!!

Fun in the Sun!

2009-04-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

As I am sure most of you did, we decided to take full advantage of the sunny weather this weekend. On Friday night we decided on taking a family hike on the Angel's Rest trail just past Corbett in the Gorge. We got up Saturday morning and took off after Maddie's morning nap. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time taking turns packing Maddie in the pack.

Megan showing good form with the pack. Notice the slight forward tilt.

Checking out the view of the Columbia on our way to the top.

Volunteers were working on this section of the trail when we got there. The rocks were freshly crushed just for us. We knew we were getting close.

A great view from the top. It was a little cool and breezy up there, otherwise we would have spent a little longer up there.

This is to our right from the picture just before this one. Notice the people hanging out at the edge. We had to do a little rock climbing up about a 10-foot wall to get up on top here. Maddie was pefectly safe the entire time!e

Maddie decided she needed a little extra protection from the sun.

I started the trip off with Maddie and then Megan took a turn and carried her to the top. Here we are preparing for our return trip down the trail. Maddie is fully equipped with grapes in hand, while I have the snot rag and sweatshirt utility belt working.

This is about halfway down the mountain. Still going strong. Maddie was getting a little tired of the pack, so we sang lots and LOTS of songs on the way down to keep her entertained.

They must have worked as Maddie finally gave in to her tiredness and fell asleep in the pack.

Hiking is such hard work!

On Sunday we took advantage of the sun again, but in different ways. Maddie decided to take a 3-hour morning nap, so I did homework while Megan went to Jazzercise and ran a couple of errands. When Megan got back I went to the golf course to play 18 holes. Unfortunately everyone in SE Portland was out playing golf today too, so I decided to call it quits after 9 holes and 3 hours of golf!!

We had marinated some chicken and ribs, so I BBQ'd while Megan made the rest of dinner. Maddie decided she wanted mud pie for dinner and played in one of our pots that decided not to sprout tulips this year. She is using her Easter present from Grammy Pat here and getting her newly bought (yesterday!!) shirt dirty.

I am not getting that dirty.

Or am I?!

I am not sure who the man yelling in this video is....

Happy Easter!

2009-04-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

Maddie got SPOILED for Easter. I am not sure why this surprises me, but it does. The
"Easter Bunny" filled my old basket with 4 plastic eggs that were super glued together, filled with rice and beans so they would shake and make noise. That's it. No candy, no toys, no clothes. 99 cents spent.

Her grandparents and Aunties, on the other hand, made the Easter Bunny look bad! She got tons of outfits, books, gardening tools & seeds to plant, stuffed animals, and toys! Oh my!

It started the week before Easter with a basket from Grandpa Randy and Robyn. Maddie went straight for the Mum Mums and the pretty dress. We filled the bubble gun the next day, but it is not baby proof. We ended up with bubble solution on the carpet. oops.

We went to Eugene for Easter weekend. It was Katie's 10th birthday! Also, we got to celebrate Maddie's birthday with some family members who didn't make it to her party in Portland.

Happy Birthday Katie!

Grandma sandwich

We got to meet cousin Emma for the first time. What a cutie!!

Maddie has a lot of little cousins on that side of the family, and they were more than willing to show her how to use her new toys. Auntie Dian got her a wheel barrow with garden/sand toys, and Auntie Shannon got her a golf bag with clubs and balls and everything!

Easter morning Maddie went on a hunt for her eggs.

She was good at finding them and putting them into her basket. (Also look here at Maddie's hair...she is starting to get ringlets in the back!)

The ears didn't last long. GET THEM OFF!

Egg shakers!!

The grass is kind of fun too!

Grandma Jan hosted us for the weekend and we had a lot of fun hanging out and playing cards (and eating!!) Tony and I had the opportunity for a date night in Eugene, but we were too tired to even take advantage. How sad. On Sunday we went to church at Grace. We dressed up all in our pretty outfits but somehow we don't have any pictures of that. Maybe somebody will send us one!

Today is Uncle J's birthday...Happy Birthday!! We chatted with him via web camera on SKYPE. So, for any of you you have the capability and would like to chat, let us know.

Hope everyone had a very Happy Easter!!

more sun fun

2009-04-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Of course Maddie and I went to the park on Tuesday when it was GLORIOUS outside! There is a new park about a 15 minute walk, so I get a little exercise and Maddie gets to play. She wore her first skirt of the season...which led to her first skinned knee ever! Poor thing, I guess that is to be expected. She loved playing with the other kids that showed up. One boy (older) taught her how to walk up the slide the wrong way. She was determined to master it even though it was very steep. She also worked on her running. She kept running toward the street, and she thought it was a great game that I would chase her and bring her back to the playground. She also chased animals.

This picture is of her doing her own version of "dog" in sign language. The sign for dog is patting your leg like you are calling a dog. Maddie pats her chest. She also pats her chest when she sees any furry animal...not too much distinction between dogs and cats right now.

Look closely...she is chasing a squirrel on the fence post!

We were at the park a long time and I was sure she was going to collapse in the stroller and fall asleep on the way home. Nope. Nor did she ever take an afternoon nap that day....or the next day. Please, please, I am not ready for her to drop the afternoon nap yet. I need it to re-group after the day's activities and start dinner for Daddy!

Allergy Update

2009-04-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

The doctor called tonight with Maddie's blood test results. The good news is that all her allergy tests came back normal. So she will someday enjoy seafood like Tony and I do!!

The bad news is that her other blood test came back slightly abnormal. This indicates she may have had a virus that caused the rash. Therefore she has to get her blood taken again in a month to make sure everything is back to normal. MY POOR BABY! I don't think I can bear to hold her down again for more blood work. It really broke my heart.

Sunny Days

2009-04-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

No better way to spend a sunny weekend than outside doing fun things...

Here we are at the finish line of the Race 4 the Roses Half Marathon!!! Yes, I successfully completed 13.1 miles in 3.5 hours and it felt great!

Tony and Maddie mowed the lawn.

And we had BBQ for dinner!!

The grilling experience is not complete unless it includes the BBQ, meat, tools, apron, and of course the frosty beverage!!

Couldn't resist another spaghetti shot! Notice the sauce goes from chin to forehead!

Hope you all had a good weekend too!

One Fish, Two Fish

2009-03-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

I had to take Maddie to the doctor yesterday. She started getting a rash on her stomach on Sunday and when we woke up Monday it was all over her body including her neck and face. The doctor diagnosed it as an allergic reaction of some sort. The only thing we could think of is that she ate some pasta noodles out of a seafood dish. Shellfish is a likely culprit for allergies. So, in addition to prescribing Benadryl for the rash, the doctor ordered blood tests to test for allergies. So, poor Maddie had to get blood drawn out of her arm. She had to be poked in both arms before they got enough blood for the test, and both of us were crying at the end of the ordeal. It was awful holding her down while they poked her. Plus I think she remembered being at the doctor just two weeks ago for her check up when they gave her vaccine shots, because she had never been afraid of the doctor before but on this visit she was very upset. Part of the reason why we were very concerned and wanted to get her rash checked out is that we hosted a playdate for 7 babies and their parents on Sunday. We are really glad it was nothing contagious! So, we will update the blog when we know more about Maddie's potential allergies....

Maddie's new found love of pasta...we will stick to plain red sauce though!

I have no idea where the time goes in between posts. It just seems like there is not enough time in the day to get everything done and updating the blog gets put on the back burner. Most nights after Tony gets home from work and we put Maddie down and have dinner, we collapse from exhaustion.

We have had some fun times though. We got a date night two weekends ago and Maddie stayed with Grandpa Randy, Robyn and Jackson while we saw a movie...in a theater!! We also had dinner with our friends Nick and Pallavi who we haven't seen since football season. They have a nice new house in Happy Valley with a "man room" that Tony was envious of!

We are loving our new furniture and big screen HD TV. We had a little difference of opinion on how big and how fancy of a TV was needed, but in the end we compromised.

Tony got another A in his last class!! Then he had "spring break" from school last week, and I kept him busy with a honey-do list. So, the taxes are now done, and the office is getting organized. He has been working insane hours, and Maddie, Grammy and I took a trip to The Dalles while he was working last Saturday. Then we had our play date Sunday which was super fun!!! It has been a lot of fun to watch our friends' kids grow along side Maddie, and support each other as parents.

I had to go to the dentist yesterday after the rash ordeal in the morning. Going with Maddie turned out to be a bad idea, and she didn't cooperate so I had to reschedule my cleaning. However, the x-rays revealed that I have a large abscess in one of my teeth and I need a root canal. So overall yesterday was not a good day. I am also "training" (loosely) for a half marathon walk with some friends next Sunday. Wish me luck! My other project that I am working on is organizing the THOUSANDS of pictures we took of Maddie's first year. I am putting some into frames, and scrapbooks, and the remainder into albums. I also need to finalize her baby book. It is weighing heavily on me and I want to get it done!

Maddie is growing and changing daily. She is in a tough stage where her determination and will to do something often outweigh her coordination. This results in her falling a lot, and/or throwing temper tantrums and flinging herself to the ground. She often has bumps and bruises on her forehead now. She is also constantly testing the boundaries--getting into the toilet, the toilet paper, Daddy's nightstand, the remote control, the garbage etc. She has a very sharp mind, and knows exactly what she wants. She watches everything...there is no fooling her anymore. If we leave one door open or one thing out, she beelines for it and is so proud of herself when she gets it. She is also trying to climb now, so it will just be a matter of time before she can get into uncharted territories. I am hoping that soon her awareness of falling and balance will catch up to her!

These pictures are from our playdate. Unfortunately we didn't get one with all the babies together. Check out our entertainment center in the background.

Go Green

2009-03-17T16:58:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Today was Maddie's one year check up at the doctor. It was funny because the nurse commented how cute it was that we were all wearing green....then you could see it dawn on her why. She had forgotten about St. Paddy's day, but we were nice and did not pinch her.

One year ago today was a horrible day....at age 5 days Maddie was re-admitted to the hospital and we stood by while they did awful invasive tests to diagnose her bladder/kidney infection. So it was a little bittersweet to have to go to the doctor today. But, of course one year later Maddie is healthy and thriving!!!!

It was so awesome that Tony was able to join us for Maddie's appt.

Here are Maddie's latest stats from the doctor:

Height: 30.75 inches (92nd%)

Weight: 22 lbs 4.5 oz (70th%)

Head Circumference: 19.02 inches (99th%)

Oh, and by the way she knows karate now!

Kisses

2009-03-15T12:26:00.001-07:00

Ok, so here's the scoop....Now that I am one year old, I am very busy with all the things I like to do, and I don't really have time to write my blog anymore. Therefore, I am handing over writing duties to Mommy and Daddy. I hope they can live up to my expectations. Enjoy! Signing off now....
Love,
Maddie

I caught this series of photos yesterday after Maddie woke up from her nap....She is in the stage where she loves to give kisses.

She gives open-mouth kisses!

It doesn't get any sweeter than that!

Maddie loves her Daddy. She cried on Saturday morning when he left for work.

O.N.E. Y.E.A.R. O.L.D!!!!!

2009-03-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy Birthday to me....I am one year old!!!!!

We celebrated my first birthday with a lunch party last Saturday at Old Wive's Tale Restaurant. We had our own private room and lot of people showed up to help me celebrate!! We had so much fun...there were lots of kids to play with, party hats, balloons, presents, and cake!!

Today was my actual birthday. I wore my birthday dress and tiara! Daddy got off work early and Mommy and I picked him up and we went to Blue Lake Park. We had never been there before, but it was so much fun. Now that I can walk and climb, I really enjoy playing on the play structures! And yes, I do have a big bump on my forehead. I got it yesterday when I tripped and bumped into the bed.

After the park we went out to McMenamin's for dinner. I got to sit in the high chair, eat yummy food, and drink real cow's milk out of a cup! I even chose today to dazzle Mommy and Daddy with a new sign....banana!

I am not a baby anymore....now I am a full fledged toddler! Thank you to everyone who has helped support Mommy and Daddy through the last year, and who helped celebrate my big one year old birthday with me. Time for Mommy to finish my baby book....we are on to a new chapter!

Just Playin'

2009-03-05T13:25:00.001-08:00

Can you guess who was on bedtime duty this evening?? Daddy just wanted the world to see that I do in fact have enough hair to make a mohawk.

I am in a little bit of a "hoarding" stage. I like to fill my hands with toys, especially doggie, baby, and lovey blanket and then carry them all over the house. I love my baby especially; she sleeps in my crib with me and I have named her "Baybeeee" which I say in a very deep voice.

Now that I am officially a walker, I am much more adventurous in playing with my toys. I can even go down my slide all by myself. On Tuesday I got up from the ground into a standing position without holding onto any furniture!!

I also like to put things in and out of buckets, bins, drawers, etc. I am working really hard on lining up my shapes to fit through the correct shape hole on the lid.

Here is a list of words I can say: mama, dada, no-no, yeah, yay, all done, baby, dog, uh oh

Here is a list of words I can sign: dog, all done, more, milk

Here are games I will initiate: peek-a-boo, patty cake, so big, high 5, blow kisses, kiss on the mouth

Today at lunch I fed myself sweet potatos with a spoon! My next big tasks will be switching to whole milk and using a cup instead of a bottle. I think I might have another tooth coming too, because I feel the urge to bite a lot. I bite whatever is handiest.....my toys, mommy's leg, whatever.

I am also getting really excited for my big ONE YEAR OLD birthday!!!!!! I may have even already opened a few presents. Shh. Don't tell!

Let the sun shine!

2009-02-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

Mommy and I have a ritual in the morning. She opens the shade in my bedroom and sings "Let the Sun Shine." It is very exciting for me to see the day outside. Now I point and ask her to open the curtain in every room!

We were incredibly fortunate to have a lot of sunny weather last week, and we took advantage to the fullest. Here we are with our friends Cynthia & Drake at Happy Valley Park. We had never been there before, but we loved it! It was very kid friendly!

Drake is about a month younger than me. I love playing with him, but I am not always nice. Sometimes I steal his toys and pull his hair.

This pictures is taken on our hike at Tryon Creek State Park with our friends The Budd Family. We were so impressed because Ellen, 5 years old, and Isaiah, almost 4 years old, did the whole hike (around 2.5 miles!!)

On my own two feet

2009-02-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

For those of you who said that I would walk between my 11 month and one year birthdays.....you were right!!! Check me out!!!!

Peek-a-boo & Patty cake

2009-02-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

Where's Maddie?

Here I am!

Yay!!!!

Happy 11 Months, Happy Valentine's Day, Happy President's Day

2009-02-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

It was a very busy week for us!

Last weekend Daddy had to work on Saturday, so Mommy and I headed over to Chelle's house for a get together and I got to hang out with Christa and Nicole. I had a lot of fun with them.

On Thursday (which also happened to be my 11 month birthday!!!!!) Mommy and I drove down to Keizer to hang out with Michael, Melissa, Emma, and Jacob. Here I am with Emma enjoying a snack. I had a lot of fun chasing them around their house!

HAPPY 11 MONTH BIRTHDAY TO ME!! Look, I got my first pair of hard sole shoes. I am ready to run....well, maybe I need to learn how to walk first!

On Friday night Grammy came up and stayed the night. On Saturday morning M&D took off (without me!!!) to the Bonneville Hot Springs. But, before they took off, they managed to snap some shots

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a hike at Hamilton Mountain in the gorge. It was kind of an eerie hike in the fog, under the canopy of trees. But there were amazing views of two different waterfalls along the way.

If you look closely you can see that a log is stuck in this waterfall and is just being pounded by the water.

Here are M&D at their wine-tasting event. They clean up nicely for an old married couple in their 30's!

On Sunday Grammy and I met back up with M&D in The Dalles to visit the O'Parents, and to celebrate Erica and Jessica's 30th birthdays.

I love Charlie the cat!!

Neither Ethan nor I quite know how to kiss with a closed mouth! We sure did have fun playing together though.

We hope everyone else had a fun filled Valentine's Day too! Congratulations to Aunt Dian and Chuck...they are getting married!!!

The good news is that Monday is President's Day and Daddy does not have to work. It really is a great weekend! Let's see how much of his honey-do list he can get done in one day. Now that he has new job, he is working very LONG days and we are all tired in the evening when he gets home. But, he is enjoying his new job and likes his new staff. Also we are proud because he got an A in his Business Law class. Go Daddy!!!

Chocolate Fest

2009-02-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

The Fox family is finally feeling better!! I was kind enough to pass my cold to both Mommy and Daddy. Poor Daddy was sick on his first day of work at his new job. Sorry Daddy! But, we were not took sick to go to the Chocolate Fest last weekend!

Mommy and Daddy took me to the Chocolate Fest.......and they didn't let me try even one bite! Nope, they enjoyed the brownies, chocolates, truffles, frozen yogurt, hot chocolate, and chocolate sauce all to themselves. We went with our friends, The Budd Family, and their Mommy and Daddy let them taste. Not fair!

We did get to play though. The Fest was held at the Forestry Center which had lots of cool exhibits for us to inspect. Here we are crawling through a log. Mommy was surprised that there was a snake in the middle of the log. At least it was behind glass!

My favorite was the xylophone. You can really pound on it and it makes lots of noise.

I am at the stage where I want to do things myself! I like to go places where I can get down on the ground and roam. I took 6 steps last week but I have not even taken one step since then. Watch out world, soon I will be walking!!

sick days

2009-01-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I just wanted to apologize for not posting any cute pictures of myself recently. I have been under the weather. I have a runny nose, a cough, and the sneezes. M&D keep following after me with a cloth trying to wipe my face and it makes me mad! We have had to cancel all my play dates this week so I have been stuck inside all day long. Hopefully I will be feeling better by tomorrow because we are supposed to go to a sign language workshop.

Hey, speaking of language, I learned how to say "dog" both by speaking and by signing! Go figure since we don't even have a dog. I also know the word "wave" and I will wave my hands when somebody says it, even if they don't cue me first!!

We have some big news to share with our friends and family.....No, I'm not getting a new sibling......Daddy got a new job!!!!! This is very exciting news! Daddy is the new branch manager for the largest Wells Fargo branch in Oregon!! He will have lots of responsibility and people to oversee. Mommy and I are so proud of him, and we are glad that he won't be traveling anymore. Maybe we can even have lunch with him some days! Unfortunately he will have to work some Saturdays though. This is a big change for our family and we are very excited about what the future holds for us.

We are also excited for Justin and Sam, who announced their engagement last week! We can't wait to meet Sam when she and Justin come to Portland in February. Congratulations!!

Well, M&D promise to take more pictures of me once I am feeling better and my face is not so red and drippy. Hope everyone is doing well!

Love,

Maddie

Weekend Fun

2009-01-20T15:14:00.001-08:00

We had a lot of fun last weekend ....

On Friday night we went to The Budd's house. They were learning about Ancient Africa in their home school studies and invited us to a traditional African feast. The food included a chicken dish with figs, and a rice dish with papaya juice. Everything was very yummy. The kids had made shakers with different types of beans and grains, so after dinner we made music with the shakers. I loved going to The Budd's because there are three kids to play with. I love to play chase and check out all their cool toys.

What a yummy feast!

Shake it Mommy! (Man I hope she doesn't embarrass me when I get older....)

On Saturday Mommy and Daddy took on a big job.....they babysat for two of my friends at the same time!!! Aoife's parents and Saffron's parents each got to go on dates while the girls all played at my house. It was lots of fun to watch M&D take care of all three of us! It gave them insight into what having ten month old triplets would be like. But, we all survived and now M&D have IOU's for two date nights! During the day our friends Shannon, Mark and Kyleah (19 months old) stopped by. So at one time there were 4 adults and 4 girls all hanging out at our house! Then when the parents got back from their dates, they all stayed at our house to visit for a while and have dinner. It was a slightly tiring, but very fun day. I love social activities. I am bummed that M&D didn't have the presence of mind to capture the day on camera. I mean it's not like they had their hands full or anything :)

On Sunday we hosted a playdate at our house for Nate, Ange, and Ruby (8 months old). They are old friends, and Ange and Mommy were pregnant at the same time. It was great to see them again!!

See the toy in Ruby's hands (it is actually the water dispenser to her bottle warmer). She brought it with her and I decided I had to play with it so we had a little tug-of-war!

On Monday even though it was a legal holiday and the banks and post offices were closed, Daddy still had to work. So he did not get to join me and Mommy for our outing to Vancouver to visit Grandpa Randy, Robyn and Jackson. We had a yummy lunch, and I even learned how to blow kisses! I also discovered that their house has stairs. I was great at crawling up, but then I would let go and fall backward after a couple of stairs. Luckily there was always somebody right there to catch me!

This next picture is what M&D call "Maddie one-shoe". I have learned how to kick off my shoes, (and sometimes even my socks). M&D get a little tired of constantly putting them back on, so often I go around the house as "Maddie one-shoe." It is kind of slippery when I don't have both shoes on though. For some reason I love to throw my toys on the ground and then step on them, which makes me trip and fall. Someday I will learn!

Maddie one-shoe

Oh yea, my other two favorite things right now are 1) playing in piles of clothes and 2) pulling everything out of Mommy's purse!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!!

Happy 10 months!!!

2009-01-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

Happy 10 Month Birthday to Maddie!!!

These pictures are all from 1/12/09--My 10 month birthday. The pictures of me with my brown vest are from earlier in the day. The pictures of me and Daddy dressed up are from the evening when we got to go to Auntie Tanya's house for a late Christmas celebration.

Blueberries!

2009-01-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

M&D introduced me to blueberries last night. I think I liked them!!!

They are kind of messy though!

I like that I can feed myself the blueberries. I just need to work on that whole hand-eye coordination thing. And, in my defense, it doesn't help that M&D smooshed the blueberries up so I wouldn't eat them whole.

More Christmas

2009-01-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

We were very busy once the snow melted and we could go out and visit family and friends again!

On the 28th we celebrated Christmas with Grandpa Randy, Robyn and Jackson. We had a great day of visiting and we were spoiled with gifts! M&D got a wii! I am pretty sure they stay up playing games after I go to bed. I got shoes, clothes, books, bath toys, a growth chart and an engraved ornament.

I love my bath toys!! It is a ship with a captain, stacking cups, and a fishing game!

On the 30th we watched the Ducks clean up at the Sun Bowl against Oklahoma State!! We were going to go to a party to watch the game, but I got my first cold (runny nose, watering eyes, and sneezing, but no fever) so we kept our germs home.

On the 31st we followed our normal routine. I went to bed at 7:30 and M&D went to bed at 9:30. None of us stayed up til midnight. Maybe next year! We did hear fireworks though.

On New Year's Day we visited O'Pa and O'Ma in The Dalles. It was a bit of a scary drive to get there, but I was in a fabulous mood and I charmed the socks off the O'Parents. I pulled out all my moves, the smile, the wave, peek-a-boo. They had a coffee table full of things that I got to pull of and throw on the ground. It was fun!

Me and O'Pa

O'ma feeding me a bottle.

On the 3rd we finally made it to Eugene!!! We celebrated with Grandma Jan's side of the family. It was neat because all the kids and grandkids were able to be there. It is only granddaughters so far. Here is a picture of all of us together with Taylor and Devon too!

Anybody who saw me during the holidays probably saw me wave. I love to wave hi and bye. It started out with a full arm wave, but now I am getting better and just moving my hand. I also absolutely love books! I love to hear the stories, turn the pages, and even chew on the corners. I am learning about words and reading from the "Your Baby Can Read" series from Grandpa Ike and Grandma Linda. There are books, dvds, and flash cards and we play with them every day. I am also learning sign language so I can communicate and tell M&D what I need. My newest trick is dancing. Whenever I hear music I start shaking my booty. See me in the video?

All in all I am a very happy baby. I sleep, eat, and play most of the time. I am trying new foods like edamame (soy beans) and tofu. I like to feed myself and make big messes. I crawl around and explore everything. I can pull myself to standing, and even stand alone for a few seconds. I also love to smile and laugh. I laugh when adults are silly and I laugh really hard when I am tickled. I got 3 new teeth in the last couple of weeks bringing me up to a grand total of 6 teeth (two on top and four on bottom). M&D brush my teeth every night and give me fluoride too. I graduated out of my baby car seat and now I have a deluxe new car seat that has more room and is more comfortable. I will be 10 months in a couple of days and M&D are wondering where the time has gone. They are already beginning to think about my first birthday party!

M&D have been shopping for some new furniture. For some reason they want an entertainment center to hide away all the dvds and television cords so that I cannot get to them. They are also looking at getting a bed for the office so we can get the mattress out of the dining room, and some shelving units to store my books and toys. If anybody has any ideas of places to look, let them know!

Happy 2009!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

I sure hope everyone had as good of a Christmas as we did here! We have actually had two Christmases so far.

On Christmas morning I got everyone up at the crack of dawn (6:30) to open stockings. I was really excited for my first Christmas. I knew it was my first Christmas because my socks told me so:

I really wanted to get into the presents, but M&D stuck my darn fence (what they call a "play yard") between me and the presents. How cruel!

Our tradition is to start off with stockings first. I did pretty good at getting my gifts out of them. Grammy Pat got me this really nice book. See:

I had a little harder time with the well-wrapped presents, but M&D helped me out...

One of my favorite gifts was this cell phone that Uncle Justin got me. I have been carrying and/or pushing it around all over the house....

Santa must have been talking with Mommy because my stocking had my favorite treats: Baby Mum Mums. Mmm mmm good...

Once I opened my goodies in my stocking I wanted to help everyone else out. Here I am helping Grammy Pat with her stocking...

After breakfast, a nap, and a wardrobe change it was time for presents. Yeah!!! I got some cool new blocks to play with. M&D like playing with them as well...

Hmmm...what can I make with this?...

I got lots of cute clothes from different family members and friends; an inflatable penguin wobbly thingamajig; a numbered pop-up toy with little levers; a walker; and lots of neat other stuff.

Today Grandpa Ike, Grandma Linda, Aunt Shannon, Aunt Dian, and cousins Katie and Morgan came to visit us at our house and have an early dinner (Aunt Dian's friend Mandy was here with her boyfriend Ryan too).

I thought that maybe I got a puppy for Christmas, but it was just Grandma and Grandpa's dog Divot:

Cousin Katie got me this super cute ladybug/sunflower hat:

And now I have my very own Oregon blanky!!!

I really liked seeing everyone. Actually, that is not true. I cried a lot. I went down with my morning nap with no one here and then I woke up to a house full of people I haven't seen for a while. It was a little overwhelming. After a while I started to warm up to them and I am really glad they came. I know M&D had a great time and were happy everyone could make the trip!

Here I am with Morgan (L) and Katie (R)...

We can't wait to see some of them again next weekend at Grandma Jan's house!!!

We hope everyone is having a safe and fun holiday season. Happy New Year!!!

More fun in the snow!

2008-12-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

Grammy Pat really wanted to get outside as well. So, we managed to take a nice leisurely walk around our neighborhood to get some fresh air and get the blood pumping. Mommy carried me in our wrap and I was bundled up nice and warm!

Getting ready for our walk:

After our walk we decided to play in the snow in the backyard since we had not touched it yet (except for Daddy this morning who had to get up on the ladder and the roof so he could clean off the satellite dish). I REALLY like the snow and like to roll around and crawl in it!

See, I REALLY like the snow:

Hi!

This is so much fun!

Wait a second. My glove came off. This stuff is cold!

Yeah, I am not so sure about this. I liked it better when my gloves were on!

We are kind of bummed about all this snow though. We were planning on going down to Eugene on Christmas Eve for dinner with Grandma Jan and Grandpa Ray and then to church, but we figure that we would rather be safe than sorry. So, we decided that we are just going to stick around home rather than chance the trip down there. Our neighbors across the street are in the same boat and won't be having their parents over. So, we planned an impromptu Christmas Eve dinner at their place. It should be fun, but we will miss Eugene!!! Daddy can't remember ever missing Christmas Eve service at church in Eugene.

We hope everyone is safe and warm! Be safe this week if you are out there driving around!

Cars!

2008-12-23T16:03:00.002-08:00

It is pretty easy to see who has and has not ventured out into the snow.....just take a look at the cars. It is pretty amusing to check out the different shapes the snow makes as it covers the cars.

Here is Grammy Pat's car out in front of our house this morning:

Here is Daddy's car (Mommy's is safe and dry in the garage):

And thank goodness we have the Tahoe!

Daddy uncovered it from the snow and ice this morning and he and Mommy went grocery shopping. They took John and Lisa from across the street with them as they have been unable to get out of their house for a few days.

At least we don't have this car:

Makeshift Fun

2008-12-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

We have been trapped at home since Saturday with this crazy weather. You'd think the world was coming to an end with the endless sensationalism that the local news channels are covering the storm with. In case you have not heard yet, we are in the middle of "Arctic Blast 2008" (duh nuh!).

We went to the mall on Saturday since we do not live too far away and we spent a few warm, dry hours inside. That night the snow really began to fall and then we were blessed with freezing rain. We woke up Sunday morning to a layer of ice over the near foot of snow! Daddy measured it and it was a little over half-an-inch of snow:

Being stuck inside can make you a little crazy. After a while you might even start eating the wrong part of a banana (though it sure felt good on my two new teeth...I cut my top two teeth this weekend):

Or it might make you want to do a snow angel in the middle of the night:

What we really felt like doing was getting outside. So, Daddy made a makeshift sled for me and he and Mommy took turns towing me around the neighborhood. The walking was hard for them since it was so slick, but the ice made it easy for me to move around. I had a lot of fun being outside for a little while and enjoying the snow:

Of course, we also captured a little video as well:

M&D also took off to try to do some makeshift sledding of their own using some plastic boards we had left over from our bathroom remodel. You could not fault their effort, but the results were underwhelming. Unfortunately there is no photographic record of their efforts.

We spent a couple of hours across the street visiting John, Lisa and Grace. The girls played cards while John and Daddy spent time playing football on the Wii.

After that, Mommy and Grammy spent a long time making holiday cookies. Daddy didn't spend so much time, though he meticulously decorated two cookies. He did take pride in his job of being "Official Sampler" of the cookies however.

After the cookie making was done, Grammy and Mommy took turns beating up on Daddy at a board game called Tripoley. Apparently tension mounted and there were some words of frustration expressed. Daddy does not like losing. I am sure you are surprised.

So, that was our makeshift weekend. Who knows what Monday will bring (except another 6 inches of snow apparently from the looks of it outside). We hope this snow goes away so we can make it to all of our holiday events!

Love to all,

The Foxes

It's Tradition!

2008-12-20T17:39:00.001-08:00

Most men scare me and make me cry.....why did Mommy and Daddy make me sit on a strange man's lap??

Alternative Entertainment

2008-12-19T13:40:00.001-08:00

We've been cooped up indoors most of this week so I have had to find new and different ways of passing the time.......

I call this game "unrecycling"

I call this game "shoe tasting"

Hopefully Daddy gets new slippers for Christmas like he asked because these ones are mine!!

Hope everyone is finding fun and warm ways to pass their time.

Love,
Maddie

Snow Angel

2008-12-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

Happy 9 Months and it's snowing!!

2008-12-14T11:59:00.000-08:00

Happy 9 Month Birthday to Me!!

We celebrated my 9 month birthday by going to the doctor. Here are my official stats:

height: 2 feet 5 inches (92nd %)

weight: 19 lbs 14 oz (70th%)

head circumference: 18.25 inches (97th%)

So, I'm very tall for my age, I am growing into my weight, and I have a big head to accommodate my huge brain!!! I still am not tolerating oats very well, so the doctor suggested waiting another month to try again. She also gave us some special creme for when I get the eczema rash on my face. Other than those minor things I am perfectly healthy. The doctor was impressed when I initiated a game of high five with her and tried to pull on her stethoscope.

M & D have been talking for weeks about volunteering to sell trees for L'Arche Nehalem (a non-profit agency that provides home for adults with developmental disabilities--like Great Uncle Dean). I was all excited, but at the last minute since it was so cold, they left me home with Grammy while they volunteered. But, the good news is I did get to help pick out our tree!

We took the tree home, put lights on it and decorated it. The first ornament to go on was one that Grammy got for M & D that had my name and birth information engraved on it. The second to go up was Peanut's star ornament. After that it was a free-for-all! M & D decorated while Grammy "supervised" from the couch.

When we were done decorating we decided to watch the video we had taken. There was some old footage on the tape from Chicago and Lost Lake. I loved looking at myself on screen....I kept laughing and waving at the TV. Maybe movie stardom is in my future??

Then this morning we woke up and it began to snow. This was my first snow fall ever!! I got to play around in it and I loved it! I didn't even cry one bit.

Hope everyone is enjoying a great weekend!!

Love,

Maddie

Busy December

2008-12-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

We have not been blogging as much as we used to. M & D don't have as much time now that they are addicted to Facebook!

Well, we have sure been up to a lot since Thanksgiving. Mommy thinks the most important thing that has happened since then is that I learned how to say Mama on Sunday, November 30th! Daddy thinks that the best thing that has happened is the Ducks beat the Beavs in the highest scoring Civil War ever!

Last week Daddy had to go to Seattle for work, but luckily Grammy and Uncle J came to visit. It was Grammy's follow up doctor's appointment for her knee. The doctor said everything looks great and Grammy can drive again. Yay! Here is a picture of me and Uncle J playing the drums. He loves music...always going to shows, and he was super fun to play drums with!

I keep Mommy and Daddy very busy. My favorite thing to do is pull up to standing and get into anything that I am not supposed to. I really want to walk. I can stand alone for a couple of seconds before I fall. M & D say I will be walking before the end of the year and they are scared! I can't be left alone for a second. But everything just looks so interesting to me. I want to grab everything with my hands and put it all in my mouth. The house is getting increasingly baby proofed...M & D learn by trial and error. I am still sleeping very well at night, and I have become attached to a small blanket that my Auntie Theresa and Uncle Ken gave me when I was born. It is my lovey! My newest trick is waving hi and bye. I do it so energetically that sometimes I fall over! I am also teething which makes me sort of cranky because all this work and no more teeth have popped up yet. I am eating all kinds of foods including meat now, and I even tried edamame for the first time and I love it! My favorite snack is a Baby Mum Mum which is a rice cracker. Look at this video of me enjoying one!

The best thing to do to get rid of some of my energy is to take me outside. Here we are at a local park. It was my first time being able to get down on the ground at the park rather than being held or being in my stroller. We had so much fun!!

This week you may have heard that Daddy had oral surgery so Mommy has been holding down the fort and taking care of both of us. (Thank you cousin Cat for the ice cream!!) It was also Grandpa Randy's 61st birthday and I got to go to a grown up party. Click this link to check me out in my pretty red dress!

Tomorrow is my 9 month birthday and it is 14 days until my first Christmas......

Update on Daddy

2008-12-09T18:34:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have written. We have been very busy and we will post some new pics soon.

Last weekend we went to Grandpa Randy's birthday party at his house and we had a really good time. I was a very good girl and even went to sleep at their house in my playpen they have for me WITHOUT crying. I wore my pretty new Christmas dress that Grandma Linda got for me and I looked pretty good if I do say so myself.

I wanted to let you know about how Daddy is doing. I don't think many of you know that he has been having some pain with his teeth. His dentist told him this summer to get his wisdom teeth taken out, but like Daddy does some times, he procrastinated and did not get them done. This last Sunday they started hurting REALLY bad....so bad that Mommy and I rushed him to urgent care on Sunday so he could get some pain medication.

Daddy was supposed to travel to Seattle on Monday for work and then be in class four days this week doing his job. However, his VERY nice boss Cindy worked out a way for a colleague to cover for Daddy if he could get in to see a doctor. Daddy was able to see a doctor today, so Cindy sent Daddy's REALLY nice colleague Al to Seattle and Portland for the week. Al didn't even hesitate, packed his bags, and is spending a week in the great NW so Daddy could get his teeth taken out.

The surgery was this morning and it went really well. We were only there for about 90 minutes and the surgery itself only took about 30-40 minutes. Daddy was a little loopy afterwards and asked the nurse who walked him outside to the car if she wanted to see him do a cartwheel. Thankfully she said no.

He doesn't have much swelling or pain so far, but of course that could be due to the Vicodin he has been taking. He has really been enjoying the milkshakes Mommy and I got him and he had a nice dinner of a protein shake and vanilla pudding. So far so good.

Hopefully he will be back up and feeling better soon. I am having my own teeth problems so Mommy is having to take care of two sore mouths this week.

We love you all and hope to talk to you soon. Happy holidays!

Love,

Maddie

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

My Holiday Weekend by Madelyn Fox

First I had a pre-thanksgiving play date with my friend Aoife on Wednesday.

Then we went to Grammy Pat's for Thanksgiving Dinner.I got to try my first turkey. Yummy!

The tryptophan kicked in fast!

This is my new preferred sleeping position--on my tummy with my butt up in the air.

Friday was a work day--see I am using Daddy's Blackberry.

But, we did manage to find time for some Black Friday shopping. See, here I am all ready to fight the crowds!

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Holiday!!

The Power of Sleep

2008-11-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

My big developmental milestone this week is that I learned how to go to sleep all by myself!!!

Let me give you a little background....In July after we found out my test results were normal, I began sleeping through the night (about 7-8 hours) and going to sleep on my own in my crib. That lasted about a month before I started teething. At this point I began demanding to be rocked to sleep, and I woke several times each night for my pacifier and also to eat once or twice during the night. At my 6 month check up, the doctor said I was old enough and big enough to be sleeping around 10-12 hours without eating. But, I still didn't want to. I liked being rocked and cuddled to sleep and attended to each time I stirred in the night. This led to severe sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and sometimes even crankiness for everyone in the Fox household.

Well, this week M&D got tough on me. They read all the books in the library about sleep and picked a theory they liked best. The book is called: The Sleepeasy Solution: The Exhausted Parent's Guide to Sleep-from birth to age 5. The basic premise is:
1. Establishing a bedtime routine
2. Maintaining a consistent bedtime
3. Getting rid of unhealthy sleep aids (bye bye pacifier for sleep!!)
4. Going to bed awake
5. Allowing me to put myself to sleep for bed and naps, checking on me at specific intervals for reassurance
6. Keeping me in my crib for at least 11 hours
7. Weaning the nighttime feedings

Mommy tried this with me starting on Monday night. It took me 20 minutes to fall asleep--some of the longest 20 minutes of Mommy's life! But, I am a quick learner. Each night after that it has only taken me 2-5 minutes to fall asleep and I am not waking up in the middle of the night!! I have slept for 11-12 hours for three nights in a row!!!!!!!

M&D are so proud of me, and we all feel so much more rested and relaxed. Before Monday I was only getting around 8 hours of sleep at night, broken up by 5-6 wakings. M&D were only getting around 6 total hours of sleep at night since they go to bed later than I do.

This could not have happened at a better time. I have had to be a good girl this week because Mommy's time and energy have been spread between taking care of me and taking care of Grammy in the hospital. Grammy had her total knee replacement surgery on Monday. Everything went well on Monday, but then on Tuesday and Wednesday she had severe pain and some breathing complications. Now she is feeling better, but it was a rough two days! We are so proud of Grammy and her strength. We know she will have a speedy recovery and be playing on the ground with me in no time!

Thank you to all the friends and family who have called, visited, written, sent flowers, helped babysit, and generally given us huge support. We appreciate it!

Mini Impromptu Fox Family Reunion

2008-11-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the last Duck's game of the year and so I got to stay with Grandma Jan, Grandpa Ray, and Auntie Shannon while M & D were at the game. It was their first time babysitting me and everything went great! I was having so much fun playing with them that I didn't even want to nap. Thank you guys for taking such great care of me....maybe we can do it again sometime!!

Apparently I am a sight to see, because when the word leaked out that I would be at Grandma Jan's house, lots of people decided to stop by for a visit...I got to see:

Grandma Jan and Grandpa Ray

Grandpa Ike and Grandma Linda
Auntie Shannon

Auntie Dian and Chuck (XL)

Too bad there are not very many people in this world who adore me!!

Me, Grandpa Ike, and Grandma Linda

Me and Grandma Jan. Look at my pretty new Christmas dress from Grandma Linda and Grandpa Ike!!

I had to show off my crawling...of course! Too bad Cricket was so fast...I really wanted to pet her. I promised to be gentle....

Me & Grandma Jan

Unfortunately both my Aunties got away before getting their pictures taken with me. I thought Auntie Shannon looked great with her new haircut!

Happy 8 Months!!

2008-11-13T11:06:00.001-08:00

Check me out with all my new moves now that I am 8 months old!

It's official...I can crawl now as of 11/8/08! The tongue helps me crawl better!

I can also pull myself to a standing position. And yes, everything still goes in my mouth!

Daddy is teaching me to put my arms up and say "yay" for a touchdown.

This is me getting into everything!!!!! I pull everything off the shelf and

Mommy & Daddy pick it back up. It's a fun game!
I wonder if that is why they bought me this fence??

M & D are having a debate over my first word. When we were in Palm Springs out for Mommy's birthday dinner, Daddy took a piece of silverware from me that I had grabbed. I looked at him and said "fdjaiofewjiowjfeioa" which roughly translated to "That was mine!" Then I said something that Daddy swears was "Daddy." Mommy says it may have sounded like Daddy, but was really just babble. Plus she doesn't think I would say "Daddy" for my first word on HER birthday. So, no words have gone down in the baby book yet.

No words in this video clip, but you can get the gist of what I am saying....YUMMY!!!

Palm Springs pics

2008-11-12T18:35:00.001-08:00

Poster Child for Palm Springs!!!!

Our time with Great Grandma Connie and Great Aunt Kris!!

They surprised us at the Ontario airport!

This was my first time getting to meet Gram!

They spoiled me and Mommy with presents! We had so much fun and were sad

when they had to leave.

This was an awesome scrap book/baby book that Aunt Kris made for us. It made Mommy cry!

Our Hike Through the Indian Canyons

Palm Canyon Oasis

My view from the backpack. Boy, hiking is hard work!

Daddy is confused at where to go! (Not really, he was just posing to make fun of M&D last trip to the Indian Canyons where they got off trail and hiked/climed through the cactii! Ouch!

Even Grammy got to hike. It was so beautiful!

Look at the Palm Trees! Thank goodness for the shade--it was nearly 90 degrees.

Mommy's birthday Dinner at Patrice's Restaurant. How appropriate!

Tennis Anyone?
Daddy has a swing like McEnroe...and a temper too!Grammy showing off her trophy-winning forehand!Mommy's killer backhand!

My first pull up ever was onto that bench!

It was tough competition between M&D. I was glad to be on the sidelines!

Election Night!!

The t-shirt says it all!

We also have pictures of our 20 mile bike ride adventure. They are on Grammy's camera, so as soon as we get them we will post some.

Sacramento Pics (including Halloween)

2008-11-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures to go along with the stories on the previous posting...... Enjoy!!

Here is Mommy and her friend Elsa who picked us up from the aiport. Happy Birthday Elsa!

The next morning I got to meet my cousin Kelly for the first time!! We had breakfast with her and her boyfriend, Coleman. He had never held a baby before but I let him practice on me.

What is this thing on my head?

Here is me sleeping through the "Trunk or Treat"

Mmm. Candy!

I am barely taller than the pumpkin...but I am cuter!!

Quack Quack! Check out my tail!

Lola (More Megan's dog) got dressed up too!

I absolutely love Lola!! We have some of the same developmental issues---getting into everything, having to be supervised, whining, waking our parents up early (especially after the time change!!) We played very well together....except for when Lola ate my binky!

Check out the video of us playing.....

Update from Palm Springs

2008-11-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hi there! Maddie checking in here with an update from Palm Springs. No pictures....yet.

We have been having a great time on our vacation. Here are some of the highlights:

Thursday, October 30:

Daddy arrives in Sacramento from Oakland where he was working, while Mommy and I flew in from Portland. We had to rearrange our schedule at the very last minute when we found out our friend Chrystee, who we planned to stay with (along with Brent, Trent and Drew) got the chicken pox! Mommy's GREAT(!!!!!!!!) friend Megan (more Megan) allowed us to stay at her house for 3 nights! She gave up her bed for the 3 of us. She is a saint!

Friday, October 31:

Daddy and Brent played golf during the day while I took the Megan's shopping. Mommy, Daddy and I went to dinner with Megan and her boyfriend Phill and I got to wear my duck costume for Halloween (the pictures are really cute). After dinner we went to a "Trunk and Treat" at Brent and Chrystee's school, but I slept through it. Daddy stayed the night at Brent's house and they went out and played poker. Daddy won over $300 playing....so I guess I will get new diapers!

Saturday, November 1:

Daddy and Brent went to the UO-Cal football game and sat through a torential downpour for 4 hours...and Daddy had NO rain gear. He was miserable and that was before the Ducks lost. He made it home later and we hung out at Megan's before going to bed. Mommy, Megan and I went shopping...again.

Sunday, November 2:

We flew to Ontario and we had a surprise when we got on the plane. Grammy Pat was on the same plan as they had a layover from Portland and we used the same plane. It was a nice surprise!! We then flew into Ontario and met up with Great Gram Connie and Aunt Kris who surprised us at the airport. We then went to a HUGE outlet mall and did even MORE shopping. Mommy may have gotten a little spoiled for her birthday. Afterwards we drove the rest of the way to Palm Springs, had dinner, played cards, and then went to bed.

Monday, November 3:

We hung out around the condo most of the day with Great Gram and Aunt Kris. We played some more cards, had a nice breakfast, caught up, etc. Daddy BBQ'd chicken that night and we had a really nice dinner before Great Gram and Aunt Kris had to take off. After they left we just played some cards and went to bed early. Our dinner and HUGE desserts had filled us up for too much more activity.

Tuesday, November 4:

We played tennis in the morning. Grammy Pat even made it out on the court and she did great despite her bad knee. I really liked watching M&D play tennis. I even showed off a new talent....I pulled myself up onto my feet using the bench Grammy was sitting on. M&D are a little freaked out right now! I managed to do the same thing a little later in the day and actually sidestepped about 3 steps to where daddy was sitting! After tennis we went to M&D's favorite restaurant down here - Thai Smile - and they ate while I slept. After lunch we went back to downtown and walked around a little. Mommy and Grammy bought a couple nice pendants and Mommy finally found a handbag she liked and Daddy got it for one of her birthday presents.

After all our activities we went home and spent the rest of the night having dinner and watching election results. We were all excited (well, I slept through it) when Barack Obama was announced President-Elect. No matter your affiliation, we hope this is the start of something better for all of us. M&D were particularly happy about what this means for me as I grow up.

Wednesday, November 5:

We went on a 20 mile bike ride through the Indian Canyons. It was really beautiful scenery and it was a great day. I rode in a little buggy behind daddy's bike and I slept through about half of the ride. The ride was on an old road that wove between big rock walls and then wound up near a vineyard. Grammy made 95% of the trip with us before her knee gave her trouble. She has been quite the trooper!

After the bike ride we went home and M&D got ready for a night out on their own. Grammy and I stayed home and I went to bed right away. Daddy took Mommy out for a birthday dinner and they ate at a nice restaurant with outdoor seating. They enjoyed their adult time and conversation, though if you asked them I bet they would say that they missed me. After dinner they went to the casino to play some poker, but unfortunately they were not able to reproduce the same results Daddy had in Sacramento.

Thursday, November 6:

We woke up this morning and went hiking in the Indian Canyons. Grammy did as much as she could....and then some. M&D took turns packing me and we went a little further than Grammy did on some of the hikes. They were really pretty and our views alternated between rocky hills and surrounding oasises (oasii??). We had a really good time despite the heat.

Tonight for Mommy's 30th birthday, we are all going to dinner at a restaurant called Patrice's....go figure. We figure they need to name it Tres Patrice since there will be 3 Patrice's at dinner tonight. Daddy is going to feel a little left out I think.

Sadly we head home tomorrow. We have had a great time and like most vacations it has gone too fast. M&D have a Ducks' game Saturday and I will be hanging out with Grammy while that is going on. Then Sunday reallity will set in for all of us.

We will post pics and video as soon as possible. We have to edit a bunch of them and sift through hundreds of pictures to pick out the best ones.

Our love to you all!

It's not going to be long...

2008-10-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

Check out this video of my "pre-crawling". I get up into a push-up position (or for those of you who know yoga--downward dog position). I can move my hands and my legs, but just not in a coordinated way. For now, I still lurch and roll to get what I want, but it's not going to be long.....Hang on to your hats Mommy and Daddy!!!

My next post will be fun in the California sun!!!! Love to all and congratulations to Scott and Miriam who welcomed a new cousin...Emma Kathleen!

Evidence

2008-10-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

Here is proof that we are still alive and kickin' even though we have been slacking on our blogging. Our most recent family photo...

Here I am being a big girl sitting alone in a high chair for the very first time!! You can't see it very well, but I am sitting in a high-chair cover called a "Floppy Seat." It can also cover a grocery cart seat and it helps keep the germs away! I love my new found freedom...no more having to lay in the car seat carrier.

Gap should pay me for the free advertising. I am cuter than any of their baby models!

My first set of blocks!

Mommy, Daddy and I babysat Jackson on Saturday night. He is my bud! Whenever I cry he comes running to see what is the problem. He has this trick for getting me to stop cyring....he pounds his fist on the top of his head and makes funny faces. It is called "the hammer!"