Week in Review … or, The Longest Post Ever

Well, where to begin …. Nana went home on Thursday and we were very sad. But we were also very happy that she was able to stay with us two weeks. With me being sick then pulling a muscle in my back (then having a reaction to the medication….!!) we really needed the extra help.

Madilyn is out of school next week so I decided we need more Nana time! We’re flying up to her house for the week. Jeff is working here in town so we will miss him over the holiday.

BUT this Sunday he planned something special for the two of us. It’s our sixth wedding anniversary. Amazing.

Back to the pictures … here we are decorating pumpkin cookies Thursday night. So fun!

Enjoying the fruits of our labor …

After the cookie fun, Daddy took Madilyn to a school play where he works. She wore a fun knit hat.

The day before was his school’s annual “Teach-In,” where local professionals come and speak to students about what they do. Jeff organizes it each year. This year he asked yours truly to speak. Not only that, but his brother Gordy and sister-in-law Alison came to speak too! We had a fun morning. Here’s a shot of the principal welcoming us. Who’s that stylish, beautiful woman in the corner? Oh wait … that’s me!

That night Nana gave Madilyn an early Christmas gift. A pretty, soft bear that Madilyn was certain was a monkey instead. Some things we just let ride ….

Then, rewinding back to the Friday night before, here’s a picture of the fabulous women who put on a baby shower for Tracy. This was the day I had gone to the doctor about my back hurting. He prescribed a muscle relaxer that I took when I got home from the baby shower. I had a reaction to it and had muscle spasms in my back and side for 8 hours straight. Not sure I’ve ever been more uncomfortable for such an extended period of time outside of labor. Thankfully I started feeling much better the next day and have been doing well since!

Lastly, here are some photos I took of Miss Madilyn this morning. I cannot believe how fast my little girl is growing up right in front of my eyes. She’s so big! And she’s such a little person it’s unbelievable. I love talking with her, and I especially love to hear her talking when she’s playing. It’s adorable. She’s been throwing quite a few fits lately … just testing the boundaries I’m sure. It’s all part of it.

Yeah, she knows it.

My beauty.

That’s it for now. Adios … see you next week!

These Boots Were Made for Walkin’

Our friend Anna told us about these adorable boots … we just had to have them. So cute!

Remembering My Dad on Veteran’s Day

I’m remembering my Dad on this Veteran’s day. I’m so proud of my father who served his country. I’m thankful for grateful to the women and men – including my grandfather and my husband – who bravely sacrificed to ensure our freedom, ideals and way of life.

I’m Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

Nana and I got Madilyn a pink Christmas tree yesterday. Daddy put it together and she decorated it tonight when Mimi came over for a visit. Madilyn was very diligent about her task and did a stellar job. It looks so pretty in her purple, pink and green bedroom!

Daddy and Madilyn working on the tree

She is so proud of her tree!

what a great picture Daddy took. Sweet hands checking out her new ornaments.

A Bib & Bread

A guest minister preached about sharing our “bread” today and had the real thing as visual aid – a basket full of mini loaves of bread. While he preached Madilyn got into the diaper bag and pulled out her bib and put it on. All that talk about food made her hungry! She was ready for some bread! When the minister began throwing small loaves of bread out into the audience, the man behind us gave his to Madilyn and she went to town on it (by that time she had taken the bib off though). Girl don’t play around when it comes to food! We got a big kick out of her pulling out her bib.

with her beautiful Nana …

Madilyn’s First Theater Experience

Nana and I took Madilyn to her first theater-going experience: “If You Give a Cat a Cupcake” based on the book by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond. Her Nana had given her the book and the stuffed animal a couple of days ago and she also wore a new kitty cat outfit to the play. It was a cute play, and Madilyn sat on the edge of her seat absolutely spellbound for a solid 30-40 minutes. Then she was ready to go home.

We kept her occupied until the play finished (it was an hour long total). We went with our friends’ playgroup from the Fawn store in Sanford. We had center seats on the very back row but they were good seats since it’s a small theater. I was proud of Madilyn for sitting through the whole play! She sat on my lap during the parts when the lights were low, but overall she was a very respectful theater goer.

On the way home we stopped by Publix for a few groceries and Nana got Madilyn a sugar cookie with sprinkles on it from the bakery (sprinkles play a major part of the story on said cupcake). So now she knows how sprinkles taste. When she came home she told her Daddy that she had been to a “kitty cat show” where a cat ate a “cupcake with sprinkles.” It was a very accurate review.

Nana’s Coming to Town!

Nana’s coming to town! We are excited about picking her up from the airport tonight. She’ll be here a week and a half and we have lots of fun things planned.

Madilyn’s been battling a cold this week so we hope she gets better soon so she can enjoy her Nana being here. She wasn’t able to go to school this week and Mommy’s feeling a little crazy!

Madilyn helped Mommy decorate Halloween cupcakes Saturday.

Jeff drinking from Madilyn’s sippy cup … Sometimes you gotta use whatever’s not dirty.

Happy Halloween!

The family met at John and Pam’s for a big family photo, followed by dinner and Trick-or-Treating! This was Madilyn’s first year and she loved it – thanks to her big cousins who showed her the ropes. See the pictures below or look at them on our Picasa page.

Sweet Baby Dane

Beautiful Baby Kate

Ready to Trick-or-Treat

First house!

Brock riding with Madilyn

Trick-or-Treat!

Baby Danosaur

watching out for the “scaries”

Pam and Baby Danosaur

an owl Jeff spotted on Halloween night!

Jaycie helping the little ones

a fun ending to a fun night

Jeff’s impromptu costume as an Apopkan

And thanks to Leta & family who gave us the adorable costume. She loved wearing it!

Trunk-er-Treat 2009

We enjoyed the Mt. Dora Arts & Crafts Festival this morning with Madilyn’s Aunt Pam, Mimi and cousin Dawn who’s visiting from Maryland. It was so hot and we got a little sun, but the shopping was good.

Madilyn was so excited about Trunk-er-Treat tonight that she couldn’t sleep this afternoon. She couldn’t wait to be Minnie Mouse. So the time finally came for her to put on her costume and she said she felt like a beautiful princess. Her favorite part of the costume was the “big ears.”

She got the hang of trick-or-treating very quickly and was so excited about all the candy she acquired in her new Halloween bag. She loved the music and did a lot of dancing. She also downed an entire corndog. Girl can eat.

We had fun with family and friends. I love all the creativity that goes into this event every year. Jeff took some great pictures as usual, and you can see them here. Here are a few of Madilyn and us. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Carving

We attempted our first pumpkin carving with Madilyn this year. “Yucky” were her sentiments. I don’t blame her. Daddy did an expert job at carving the face of the gourd, affectionately known as “Elvis,” as Jeff named him. Here’s a recap in photos.

You gotta have the right shirt on for pumpkin carving …

preparing to carve ...

not so sure about seeing the innards …

harder than it looks…

not impressed with the seeds

all clean!

cool!

almost finished…just needs….eyebrows!

Elvis

Our house smells of pumpkin, but not the good-smelling kind. It was fun … now we’re all ready for Halloween!