A Heart Full of Love

Kitchen Helper

2011-08-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

Madison really likes to help out in the kitchen. One day last week I was making biscuits and gravy and she really wanted to help. She did such a good job a stirring the gravy, while I browned the sausage.

She even helped me make and cut out the biscuits, she even had her own little biscuit.

Brunch was very good that day!

Hair cut

2011-08-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

Madie decided she wanted short hair. So she found scissors and started cutting.

Luckily I was able to save some of her hair. She just has a cute pixie look.

Play Time

2011-08-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

I love it when the kids are playing nicely together...

and who knew Tinkerbell and friends would play so well with Ben 10 Aliens.

School

2011-07-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

For the last 2 weeks I have been working with Madie on learning to read and write. She is doing well and I have already seen progress.

This is her writing her own name on the first day...

this is after two weeks.

She is definatly improving.

Easter

2011-04-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Looking good in their Easter outfits I made for them.

All their goodies.

Collin's Basket

Madison's Basket

Hair Cut Day

2011-02-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

Ever since I cut my hair Madison has been beging me to "cut her hair like mommys", and for the last couple of weeks Wayne has been complaining that Collin no longer looks like a boy.

So I finally broke down and after almost 2 years Madison got her second hair cut, and Collin got his first a week after his second birthday.

Before

After

All the hair she lost.

Before

After

All the hair he lost.

Madison is 4

2011-01-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

My little girl is growing up. Yesterday she turned 4.

We had a fun little party at home for her. She got some great gifts.

She loves pink, so she had to have pink frosting, pink candles, and pink ice cream.

Happy Birthday baby girl. I love you.

Snow Day

2011-01-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

While visiting Papa and Gma Julie, we went further up the mountain where there was lots of fresh snow.

The two things Madie had to do were make a snow angel and build a snow man.

Even uncle Brad helped.

We had a snow ball war. Wayne, Madison, Collin and myself against Brad, Jamie, Geneva and Bennett.

We stoped for lunch, and Geneva and Bennett were done with the snow...

but, Madie and Collin wanted to sled somemore. They had so much fun going down the hill.

Halloween

2011-01-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

Madie loves Tinkerbell, and I found this beautiful dress on clerance. We decided to have fun and get the whole family involved.

While Madie's dress is store bought, I made the rest of the costumes.

Happy Birthday

2010-10-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

My sister Rhonda and her family came in from Texas for her sister-in-laws wedding. My parents had been in Texas visiting and then drove back with her and the girls. Her husband than flew out for the weekend to be at the wedding.

Rhonda got here the day before her birthday and a few days before Kristana's birthday so we had a big party celebrating both of them.

Yesterday they came to see our new home, and since we are so close to the beach they wanted to go. Kaylah had not been since she was 5 and she is now 9. Rhonda's friend Debra also came with her 3 girls.

Playing soccer with Kristana.

We all had so much fun. Collin was happier in someones arms, but he did venture in the sand some. Madison was happy wandering the sand looking for treasures. She did venture near the water some, but after getting knocked over she stayed away the best she could.

It was so good to get to see them and they are always missed. I had not seen them since Collin was 2 weeks old, and I hope I don't have to wait another 20 months to see them again.

We love you, come back soon!

I'm Back

2010-09-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

So it has been a long summer. We moved from Tustin to Laguna Niguel in June. Just as we began to settle in Wayne lost his job. So the past 6 weeks have been stressful. He has quite a few leads, has had a couple of interviews, and has another one scheduled this week. We also have a couple of good leads that we are waiting on, and one interview that we are still waiting to hear back from.
I have really gotten used to having him around all day, and I really enjoy getting to sleep in some mornings while I make him get up and take care of the kids. As much as I love having him here to help it will be great when he gets back to work, as nither of us has left this house much because we can't spend money, and even just driving wastes money we need.
There are a few new posts so enjoy.

Haircut

2010-09-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

After 3 1/2 years I finally decided to cut my hair.

Before...

After!

random

2010-09-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

I have been going through some pictures over the last few months and have found some really cute/fun ones, and decided to share.

One of Madie's many diva poses.

(I have no idea how she learned to suck in her cheeks and purse her lips for a photo)

Wanting mom to take pictures.

Feeding Collin the jar of baby food she found.

Posing on her toilet. We found this great place on the way to visit Papa and Grandma Julie. It is a farm/dairy/petting zoo/restraunt/store. They had mini toilets. Madie was so excited when she saw them. It was the only toilet she would go on during the trip, and we stoped 3 times before this. She had to pose with the toilet, and she even posed herself.

Pillow fight!

Sneeking marshmellows

Dringing straight from the faucet.

Fan Fest

2010-07-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Wayne's work gave us free tickets to the All Star Fan Fest. It was basically a fair for all things baseball.

All ready to go!

2002 Angels World Series Trophy.

Madie and Collin both got batting practice in.

Madie tried her hand at pitching (she did quite well)...

and Collin discovered this was the most effective method.

Glove worn by Philadelphia Athletics southpaw Rube Waddell in a historic 20-inning showdown on July 4, 1905, when he defeated Boston's Cy Young 4-2.

Replica of the sand "castle" built for the 2010 All Star game commercial.

Finally!

2010-05-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

After three weeks and only a handful of accidents, I am finally confident I will not jinx anything by posting, but Madison is potty trained. She got really good at telling us when she had to go while we were camping. When we got back I put her in underwear, and it took. She is still wearing pull-up at night, but most mornings she wakes up dry, so I am expecting to use the package we have then try her out in underwear 24/7. It is nice to be back to having only one child in diapers.

Cricut giveaway

2010-05-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

For all you crafters out there here is a great chance to expand your collection. Everyday Cricut is giving one winner a chance to win a Cricut Expression machine. Just go to http://www.cricutholiday.com/

Camping

2010-04-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

For our 6th anniversary we decided to go on a family camping trip.

We were litterally stuffed in the car.

We got to camp in the snow.

We played in the snow.

Wayne sat in the snow.

Collin experienced snow for the first time.

Madie ate snow.

Wayne kicked snow.

Collin poked his finger in the snow.

We hiked in the snow.

Collin introduced his face to the ground.

Wayne introduced his leg to a rock.

The boys built a fire.

Madie sang on the stump.

Collin played with dead animals.

Madie and mommie enjoyed nature.

We learned to keep the forest clean.

We learned to use binoculars.

Wayne chopped firewood with his new ax.

Madie and Collin posed for pictures.

We went for a hike.

We climbed rocks.

We relaxed on a tree.

Madie protected Collin from the water.

Madie taught Collin to use the big rocks as a slide.

Madie took our picture.

After five days and four nights in the woods without indoor plumbing or electricity we are still one happy family.

Crazy Boy

2010-04-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is how I found Collin a few minuets ago. Before getting him down I had to grab the camera!

Angels

2010-04-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

Last night we were getting ready to go to the game, and I asked Madison what letter was on her shirt. Without missing a beat she said "Angel". At 3 years old she already knows to root for the Angels. She and Collin even watch the games on the TV. She is truly an Angels fan.

Payback

2010-03-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

About a week ago Madison had been playing in her room while Wayne and I were in the front room. Things got quiet, and stayed that way for a while, so I decided to go and check on her. I walked into her room, and she was not there.

I went to check if maybe she had gone in my room, but the door was shut so she couldn't get in. At this point I started calling out her name. I looked in the bathroom, but it to was empty. I then went back to her room to look again, but it was still empty. I remembered that she loves to hide in the closet, but it too was empty.

It was late, and I knew she should not have been able to get out the front door, without Wayne or I noticing, so I started getting worried. Where was she?

It then hit me I had thrown a blanket over the rocking chair in there room, a common occurance as it is a leather chair and I hate the cold leather. Sure enough she was under the blanket, asleep.

For those of you who do not get the "Payback" part of this story-
When I was a little girl (6?) I decided to play hide and go seek, but I did not tell anyone else I was hiding so they could find me. I hid by laying down on the couch and covering myself with the pillows. The couch was just the perfect size for me, and with the pillows you could not see me. It was just a dark green couch. Well I fell asleep waiting to be found. My parents (having no idea I was playing) started to wonder where I went. They called the neighbors, and the entire neighborhood was looking for me. My family must have walked by me over 100 times never, seeing me. My mom was just about to call the police when she saw a small patch of white on the dark couch.
Mom I am sorry for scaring you. It is not a fun thing to go through, but it sure is a funny story now.

Sibling Love

2010-03-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Madison and Collin have started getting into the sibling rivelry, but mostly it is just love.

Ocassionally they fight over who gets mommies attention, but most of the time they play so well together.

Having Fun

2010-02-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

Collin found a fun new toy,

the laundry hamper.

This horse was mine when I was little. It has been up at my parents, and we just brought it home a couple of weeks ago.

Where is Madie?

We had our stove replaced recently, and to get it done they had to move our cabinet. The night before we emptied the cabinet and Madie discovered it was a great place to play and hide.

Chalk Day

2010-02-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

We finally got out the chalk Madison got for Easter. They both loved coloring, but Collin also loved eating it.

Collin Turns One

2010-01-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

It has been one year since my little boy was born. This year has gone by so fast I am left wondering where it went.
He got a truck from Grandma.

Big boy cups and bowls, and $10 from Nana and Grandad.

A tool bench from mom and dad.

He really wanted his cake.

Happy Birthday Madie!!!

2010-01-16T20:51:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that my baby girl is 3! She is no longer a baby, she is truly a little girl.

For her birthday we had cake and presents, with just the family.

She got two Barbies, and clothes for them, in a convenient carrying case.

The Saturday after we had a party with all her friends.

She got many wonderful gifts, and she loved them all.

She even had a princess birthday cake.

Eating

2010-01-07T13:54:00.001-08:00

Madie left her cup of yogert out where Collin could reach. He loved it.

Disneyland

2009-12-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have been working on getting this post done for about a week, but with getting ready for Christmas, it has been a slow process. So I am finally done with all my Christmas projects, and I can now get this done too.

I had 2 comp passes left from when I was working at Disneyland and they were about to expire, so Wayne took a day of work and we went and played. It was great because I got to see many of my old friends. Mary was excited to see me and stopped for a picture while she and Burt were on their way to Tea.
Madison LOVES Tinkerbell and her movies. She is always asking me to watch "Tinkerbell Treasure", but we do not own the movie so we have to wait for when it is on the Disney Channel. So we knew we just had to visit Tink and her friends. That day Silvermist visiting along with Tinkerbell.

Madison was soooooo happy to see Tink, she just ran up to her and gave her a big hug. She was awe struck.

Having to say goodbye. After we left the location Madison asked me where Terrance was. When I told her that he was not there Madison got so sad, her heart broke and you could see she was devastated. She then saw a Terrance doll and was happy. She also saw a plane flying high in the sky leaving a trail behind it and said that it was Terrance, which made her even happier.

Wayne, Collin and I got to go on the Nemo ride for the first time. Madison had been on it once before with her babysitter Brooke, but that was before her first birthday. Both of the kids loved it. Collin was trying to climb out the window.

We got ice cream a California Adventure...

which Collin loved... and could not get enough...

Madison had to go on the "round and around, go really tall" ride, so Wayne went with her while I put Collin to sleep.

We then ran into Woody, who remembered me, so he stopped just to say hi to us, and get a pic with Madison who was not sure about big he was.

Pictures with my good friend Mrs. Clause...

and Santa Clause.

It was a wonderful day. It was so great for Madison, because she is at the age that she understands and appreciates what is going on. I loved watching her have so much fun.

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to get our tree. We were looking at 6-7 ft Douglas Furs, since they were in our price range, but could not find one that we liked. The guy that was working the lot said that the Nobel Furs were fuller and had a richer smell, but we told him they were too much. He then said if we found one we liked he would give it to us for the same price as a Douglas. We were very happy to get a beautiful tree and save $7. The tree was huge. It had to be bigger than just 7 ft since it touched our ceiling once put up.

We also had to move all of our furniture (this was after moving the bookshelf over about 1 ft, and before moving the T.V. ).

Collin wanted in on the fun, he watched mom go up and down the stepladder so he figured it was his turn.

Madison had fun helping put up the ornaments, especially the Disney ones.

To get the angel on top we had to trim off about a foot of the tree, but it looks good. We also need the gate to keep tiny hands off the tree, but even the barricade dose not stop Madison, just Collin.

Its Official

2009-11-17T23:45:00.000-08:00

Collin is walking. On Oct. 25 he took 2 steps, last Thursday he took 3. Tonight he did 8, from one side of our couch to the other. He has gotten so good in this last week, he is also getting more daring. He will just take off from one thing to another using 3 or 4 steps constantly. He is still a bit wobbly, but he is good. This Saturday he will be 10 months, and I am positive he will be even better by then.

2009-11-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

Car seats are wonderful for putting your children to sleep...

in fact they work so great they don't even have to be in the car to work.

We just got Madison a new car seat, so we can get Collin out of the carrier, and she loved sitting in it. We asked her about 5 times if she wanted to get out. At one point she got out, but wanted right back in.

Vacation

2009-11-10T17:23:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night we went up to Mariposa to spend the weekend with Wayne's dad. He has a newly built log cabin in the woods. It was so great to be able to get away for five days and enjoy nature.
Madison and Collin both enjoyed going out and picking apples off the tree and eating them fresh.

Once Collin had his apple the wanted to lay down to eat it. The problem was he was on his dad's shoulders. I got them in the house and he laid right down and started munching, Madison then had to join him.

Madison really enjoyed the swing.

While Madison was on the swing Collin and daddy were cuddling on the porch, trying to stay warm.

We were able to go up to Yosemite and enjoy an afternoon "hiking" on the trails. They weren't really hikes it was more of a walk through the woods, it was the best we could do with young kids.

With Half Dome behind us.

Over looking the valley.

The last night we were there Madison fell asleep in front of the fire...

then ended the nights sleep with Collin.

Helping Papa feed the chickens.

This was the second time she fed the chickens. The first she got dried corn on the cob from the garden and threw it into them. A few days later she found a play corn on the cob and threw it to imaginary chickens saying" chickens, corn, eat". It was adorable.

Halloween

2009-11-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

We had lots of fun for Halloween. This was Madie's first year going trick-or-treating. The last two years we had our ward trunk-or-treat on Halloween night, so that is what we did. This year the party was on Thursday so we got to go out twice.

Madison had lots of fun going door to door. At the beginning she was not sure what was going on, but after about 20 minutes she caught on and started running from house to house. Everyone loved her and thought she was so adorable. They were even amazed that at 2 she was not afraid of any of the decorations, kids her age and older would not go near them and Madison would walk right up to them as if they were completely normal. The only thing she was unsure of were the flashing lights, but she soon grue accustom to them.

She loved to "twee-tweet" as she said, and at one house she was kind enough to point out the driveway was broken, and then tell the owner "fix-it".

Ready to go.

Collin even joined in on the fun. We let him have the box until he got it open, at that point Wayne and I ate the candy.

Ready to go home

This was Thursday night at church running around with her friend Becca.

Ready for Halloween

2009-10-24T16:27:00.001-07:00

Earlier this year Madison fell in love with Cinderella, or Lella as she says, so I knew that she needed to be Cinderella for Halloween. Since Madison was so easy I decided Collin should play along. In a couple of years he will make his own decisions, but for now he just has to play along. I even had fun making them, I need to sew more often.

Here comes the Bride

2009-10-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my best friend Jen got married.

They had a Hawaiian themed wedding. Instead of bouquets we had leis.

Nine years ago Jen and I got jobs together at Disneyland, and these are all our friends from work that came to the wedding.

Madison made many new friends, she had so much fun running around.

Barby was Jen's maid of honor, and five years ago she was one of my brides maids, and

Jen was my maid of honor

At 9 pm this was the best we could do.

Crazy Girl

2009-10-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Last night Madison was being very cuddly and wanted to lay down with daddy and go to sleep. He was reading so he did not mind, but mom wanted to sleep. I laid down with them and Madison said "night night light". For most two year olds you would expect they are asking for a night light, but not Madison. She wanted me to turn off the lights, because that is what we do when she goes night night. She is the only two year old I know that asks for all the lights to be turned off so she can go to bed.

Lots of little things

2009-09-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

I have been really bad about posting the last couple of weeks. I have had quite a few times weher I took pictures wanting to post on the blog, and then never got around to posting. So I am taking the time now to get caught up on those posts.

This first set are from the 9th. I went in to check on the kids and they were playing so well together. Collin is finally big enough that he can easily play with his sister, and she it normally very good to him. I love those times when I see them playing together and being good.

On Friday the 4th Madison finally got her first haircut. She was watching The Little Mermaid and I started combing out her hair when I thought I should trim it up to even it all out. I only cut just over an inch off, but it looks like more. It took the weight off the top of her hair so it is curling up more again, instead of hanging strait.

This is how her hair looks now, not much different.

This is how much hair I cut off, defiantly not much.

This last set of pictures are from the 3rd. Madison was playing with one of her dolls and started to put a dress on her, she did a very good job but needed some help to get it all the way.

Once the doll was dressed she got one of Collin's diapers and tried to put it on as well.

Further adventures of potty training

2009-09-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

Today I asked Madison if she needed to use the potty, since she was not wearing a diaper. She said yes and ran and got on the toilet. A couple seconds later she says "it stuck, I broken. Fix it." It was just so cute, lately everything around our house is braking so Madison is always telling us "it broken, fix it", and I guess she needed fixing as well.

Playing in the Rain, to beat the heat

2009-09-02T10:22:00.001-07:00

Madison was in the bathroom, and turned on the shower, I hear her say "raining" as she runs into my bedroom. She tells me "bathtub". I go into the bathroom to turn off the shower and this is what I see.

Since she went through all that trouble I have to let her play for a few minutes to cool off.

Dangers of Cleaning

2009-08-20T23:58:00.001-07:00

This past week I have been spending a lot of time reorganizing and cleaning up our house. Well Today I paid the price for that ambition.

If you can guess where this bruise is located from this picture you get a brownie point.

How bout this pic, can you tell yet?

Yes that is the bottom my foot. While cleaning I stepped down off the step ladder and unto a plastic clip. It hurt really bad. Then we went to Target and it was still hurting, so I looked at my foot. To my surprise there was a bruise. Walking is going to be fun the next couple of days while the bruise heals.

Look what I can do!

2009-08-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

Collin is growing so fast. This last week he has started to crawl up onto things, that are low to the ground. He has also discovered how to pull himself up. Just this afternoon I found him standing at the rocking chair.

Chompers

2009-08-12T22:52:00.001-07:00

Sunday night Collin cut two teeth. It was nice that he got two teeth at once so we only had to go through the pain once. He did very well, one day last week he had a slight fever, and he was waking up once or twice a night wanting to nurse, but that was it. He was not grumpy or grouchy, and he did not do a lot of complaining. It was the two bottom teeth, so we will be doing this again for the tops, here's to hoping for more multiples.

Beauty Queen

2009-08-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

Madison is a true beauty queen she loves playing dress-up, and loves to wear make-up. If she sees me putting it on she wants me to put it on her. She is constantly going into my bathroom and getting into my make-up. Her favorite is lipstick. She is always finding where I put it. She has become an expert at putting it on.

She is so good at putting on lipstick it is unbelievable. This is after putting on tube lipstick, then adding a gloss. I did not help her, or wipe any off her face she is just that good. She doesn't even need a mirror to get it this good every time.

Random Things

2009-08-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Madison came into our room some time this morning. Normally I will wake up when she comes in, but on a few occasions she has climed into our bed without my knowledge. This time Collin was already in our bed so I was at the edge. There was no room for Madison, so she just used the pillow on the floor.

This is what Madison did while getting ready for church a couple of weeks ago. They both looked so cute.

2009-07-25T16:30:00.001-07:00

Collin is finally getting the hang of sitting up. He dose not stay up for long, but he can hold himself up for about a minute before falling over.

He even got a new toy to help him sit up.

He is also getting up on his hands and knees, still not "crawling", but it shouldn't be long now.

My Angels

2009-07-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

For Wayne's birthday I went and got pictures taken of the kids. Madie was great when we started, but as soon a Collin was added in she was done. She wanted to explore and run around playing with all the props.

6 Months

2009-07-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

My little guy is now 6 months old. The time is flying so fast. These last few days I have noticed he gas gained weight, he is a little heavier when I pick him up, and he is just so long, it is unbelievable. He is eating solid food now and just loves it. He is so impatient wanting to eat. He has also started to push up on his hands and knees, but is still only doing his army crawl to get everywhere. He is such a happy baby, and loves his sister. She is the one who will always get him laughing.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great day, family came over, we had a bbq, we went swimming, and watched a great firework show from our apartment.

Madison had so much fun looking in the mirror, I guess she was pleased with how she looked.

Waiting for the show to start. It was at the high school, which is across the street, so the show was directly overhead.

Fathers Day

2009-07-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Yes I know it was two weeks ago, but I thought I should be a good wife and post these pictures. Also I just downloaded them on my computer, so this is the first chance I have had to post.

Collin had no problem using a pen to sign the card from him and Madison.

When Madison saw the presents she kept saying "birthday, birthday" and "where's cake". She knows the three go together.

This was his gift from the kids, I got him a book on Joseph Smith and the First Vision.

2009-07-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

I was feeding Collin his lunch after church, and he decided mid bite that he'd had enough, and wanted to sleep. Within 30 seconds of giving him a bite he was asleep, it was one of the funniest things I had ever seen.

5 Months

2009-06-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

Yes it is that time again. Collin is now 5 months old. Even the second time around I am amazed at how fast time goes by. I didn't realize until just a few days ago that we were over half way done with June, in my mind it was still May.

Collin is growing fast, and it seems that everyday he discovers something new.

He loves his foot, mainly the right one but he will go for the left on occasion. I have found him sleeping in his crib with both hands wrapped around his foot/leg with his toes in his mouth. He also loves his thumb and will start sucking on it every once in a while.

We started feeding him rice cereal this past week. He loves it and just gulps it down, you can not get it to him fast enough.

He is also starting to learn how to sit unsupported. He still has a ways to go, but is on his way.

He has mastered the army crawl, and can get anywhere he wants.

He loves grabbing hair, he dose not care if it is mommy's or Madison's, if it is within his reach he will grab a handful. He has even pulled out a large chunk of his sister's hair. Because of this Madie dose not go near him as much as she used to, and will fight for mommy's lap more often.

Collin is also getting more vocal. He loves to laugh, and dose it so easily. He is also getting better command of his sounds. The other day, without coaching, he said "ma". I expect very soon he will be calling for mom, and not just crying.
Tri-pod sitting (unsupported)

His first taste of food.
Loving his spoon from the very first moment.

Dodger Game

2009-06-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

Yes you read that correctly we went to the Dodger game last night. Wayne's office has season tickets, and the costumer who was going to use them got sick and could not go, so we were able to get the tickets. The seats were great they were about 200 ft away from home plate. We had bats and balls flying in our direction quite a few times. Across the isle from us was a family with two boys and a girl around Madison's age. They had lots of fun playing together on the stairs. And were nice enough to share their foam finger with Madie. After the game I was getting the kids into their pj's and Wayne went to use the bathroom, on his way back to the car he saw Orlando Cabrera, who used to play for the Angels, and is now with the Athletics and got to say hi. He also saw Jason Giambi. He had stopped and was signing autographs, since Wayne had nothing he came back to the car. In the car we had a baseball and a pen, so Wayne went back and got him to sign the ball.

Dancing Queen

2009-06-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

Madie loves to dance, and sing. She loves music, and it will always steal her attention. The other day Wayne turned on a program from the 50's that had jazz music from the 20's- 40's. Madie was in the front room within a minute mesmerised. Then came the dancers. When Madie saw dancing she had to do it to. She found one of my shirts in the front room, and put it on. She needed her "dress" just like the girls on tv. She then went up to Wayne held out her hand and said "Dance". It was so cute. They had a great time dancing around.

Good Night Moon

2009-06-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Madie was not wanting to go to bed tonight, and she was playing around in her room, eventhough it was dark, then it got quiet, and she crashed.

Disneyland

2009-06-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

We were not ready for the vacation fun to end, so we decided to take a trip to Disneyland. Actually I had two passes that were about to expire so we went while we could.

It was lots of fun. Collin went for the first time, and Madison was old enough to really enjoy it.

We went on Jungle Cruise, which Madie loved all the animals, she even started calling the hippos, oincs (pigs). We then went on Pirates. In December when we went last Madie loved the drops, this time she was not to sure. When it got dark she started nuzzling into Wayne, and stayed that way whenever it was dark. She did like the ride when there was light and lots to look at. We then went down and got on the Winnie the Pooh ride, which Madie loved. We then got pictures with Pooh and Tigger. I was not sure how she would react, but she loved them so much, she did not want to go.

I just love this picture

This one is a little out of focus, but it is a good one so I included it.

We walked around a bit got pictures with Mickey, who Madie was not to sure of.

Madie then ran around Toontown with Wayne while I fed Collin.

You can see me in the background sitting at the fountain.

We also got a family picture in front of the castle.

We then went over to California Adventure. We went on the new Toy Story Mania. It was so much fun, but I would have liked it better if I was not holding a sleeping 4 month old. Collin fell asleep while we were waiting in line, and stayed asleep the entire time. When I got on the ride he just rolled over onto the padded bar and slept. I thought he would have woken up but not, and once the ride started and I realized how jerky it was I knew he was going to wake up, but no he slept the entire time.

We then went on the Ferris Wheel, and Madie liked going up and seeing all the trees, but when it was time to go down, she sat back in her chair and would not look out.

By this time Collin was very hungry, and not wanting to be in the stroller, so we went over to the challenge trail so Wayne could run around with Madison and I could feed Collin. Madison loved this and had lots of fun.

By this time it was 9:00 pm and we were ready to go home. It was a great trip, and we have one more coming up in December. Then we have to pay like the rest of the world, poo!

Growing Baby

2009-06-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Last week Collin had his four month check-up all is well with him and he weighs 15.8 lbs (51 percentile), and 26 3/4 inches (92 percentile).
Yesterday he reached a new milestone, I caught him crawling on his hands and knees, with belly off the ground, it was only for a quick scooch, but he did it 3 times that I saw. He is getting very good at going where he wants to, and very soon he will always be up on his hands and knees.

Sea World Day 2

2009-06-04T09:07:00.001-07:00

We went back to Sea World on Saturday. Being the weekend there was a lot more people there. We were glad to have done the major things the day before. Even with larger crowds it was still very manageable, and we got to do everything we wanted.

Since Sea World is owned by Anhueser Busch they have Clydesdale horses there. They have a presentation where you get to see them braid the tail and mane to see how they "dress" them. You can then take a picture. However they will not take a pic with your camera, if you want a group pic you have to buy theirs.

The second day Madison was much more interested in seeing the animals, and would get very excited. All day long, bear, bear, bear. It would go on for what ever animal we were looking at.

As we exited the exhibit that held animals from colder regions Madie saw a plush walrus. She instantly picked it up and started walking around with it. I thought we would have to buy it for her, but she gave it up without a fight.

Watching the beluga whales.

They were working with trainers so we got to see them spinning.

They have a show with sea lions where they spoof popular tv shows. Here they are competing in Survivor. They also did American Idol, and the sea lions actually sang, CSI, and Iron Chef.

The show was very funny.

These are from the manatee rescue.

I would have to say Pets Rule was Madies favorite. It had dogs, cats and oinks, as Madie calls them.

Madie was ready to go home as she fell asleep just a few minutes after we finished all we wanted to see. After viewing the penguins she once again grabbed a plush, this time she put up a fight not wanting to let it go. Before we bought it we went back to the walruses and asked if she wanted that. "No", she said as she pushed it away. So we went back and got her the penguin. I went in alone since the stroller is huge, and the shop was small, and not letting her see what I got put in the stroller. We also got Collin an orca. When we got to the car she woke up as we put her in, so I gave her the penguin. She was so happy to have it she grabbed on and wouldn't let go. She even had to take it with her into the restaurant for dinner.

San Diego Part 2

2009-06-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

We were able to get a really good deal on a hotel for our stay, and since we were staying with two young kids they gave us a corner room (it had 50 more square feet than a standard room). The only down side was that it had two double beds, if we wanted a king bed it would have been an extra $50.

Madie really enjoyed the view from our 17th floor room.

Wayne was a little uneasy about how high we were.

Madison had so much fun exploring the room, and getting into everything.

Collin really enjoyed just hanging out.

With two double beds the sleeping arrangements were quite interesting. We took the pack-n-play, so that would be Collin's bed. We then figured Madison would take one bed and Wayne and I would share the other. Madison had other plans for us. That first night Madison wanted to sleep with her dad. That really surprised us, we figured she would want mommy. After she fell asleep Wayne switched beds, then Madie woke up and I joined her. After she fell asleep I went back.
The second night whent about the same until Collin woke up wanting to eat. That left Madie laying the wrong way across her oun bed, me with Collin in the other, and Wayne on the couch.

The firts night Madie discovered a hidden path behind the tv. Since we had a corner room we had two extra windows, one of which was tucked away behind a wall. This made a nice little space for Madie to play.
Entry to the hideout.

Madie's playroom

Sea World

2009-05-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

We went down to San Diego for 2 days. We were given free 2 day Sea World passes, so we went down to enjoy the weekend. We got there Thursday night, went to Sea World on Friday and Saturday, then came home that evening.

We had so much fun, and Madie just loved all the animals.

Wayne and Madison watching the dolphins swim around their tank.

With my flamingos.

Waiting for Believe, the Shamu show.

This is Corky, he is about 43 and is the largest whale currently there, and the star of the show.

It is amazing how high they can jump.

Madison got so into the show. At the end they get the audience involved doing the Shamu Slam (you put your arms up in the air with your hands forming a tail throw them up and down as if you were slapping the water with a tail). This is the signal for the whales to start splashing the audience. Madison tried her best to do this with everyone, but could not quite get it. We were sitting in the splash zone, but barley got wet.

Waiting to go on a ride.

They have an underwater shark tunnel. You get to walk right through the shark tank watching them swim right above your head.

Looking at a shark jaw.

Watching the Dolphin show.

At the end of the show all four dolphins did a jump and flip together, I was not ready to take a picture, but quickly got my camera up and snapped this picture.

The Adventures of a Potty Training Two Year Old

2009-05-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am on my computer when Madison comes into my room.
"Potty" she says as she proceeds to my bathroom.
The door is shut, " uh-oh" she says as she trys to open the door, "oh, I got it".
She then gets on the toilet and realizes the light if off. "Light" she says pointing. I turn it on, "thank you", she says.
She then farts a couple of times, dose nothing else, "all done" gets down , "light off", walks out of the bathroom, shuts the door, walks out of my room.

Crawling

2009-05-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

At four months Collin is already crawling. Well sort of. He is using his legs to push himself forward, but he is mobile. I was able to catch him doing it the other day and got these pictures.

Boo-Boo

2009-05-27T11:56:00.001-07:00

Madison and Collin were playing in their room, and I went in to check on them. When I got to where I could fully see Collin, this is what I saw:

Madison LOVES band-aids and is always getting into them and putting them all over her. Now she is sharing the fun with Collin.

Impossiable Pie

2009-05-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

This was a fun pie recipe my family found years ago, but lost and have never been able to find it. I ran into in online by accident while looking for a different recipe. I wanted to share it with them, and any of you out there wanting to try. It is the easiest pie you will ever make. You put all the ingredients in the blender, mix, put in pie pan, cook. It is really that simple. While it is cooking it seperates into layers. Its crazy, but true.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup biscuit mix (bisquick)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Confectioners' sugar (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
Combine the sugar, buttermilk, biscuit mix, melted butter, vanilla, and eggs in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into prepared pie plate and bake until browned and still a little jiggly (the pie will set as it cools), 30 to 40 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing into wedges. If desired, sift confectioners' sugar or cocoa (or a combo) over the wedges before serving.
I hope you all enjoy!

Four Months

2009-05-21T21:55:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe how fast time is going by. My little guy is already four months old. He is sleeping through the night, can roll over, is working on his first tooth, and also trying to sit on his own. Although the last one is more like leaning all the way over on his legs, but he dose not tip over so it is a start.

Artist in Training

2009-05-21T21:51:00.001-07:00

For Christmas Madie got bath paints. A couple of days ago she decided it was time to use them to redecorate the bath tub.

At least she kept it in the bathroom, and they are washable so there was no permanent damage on the walls, the floor, the cabinets, and a few articles of clothing.

Fun in the Sun

2009-05-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we set up Madie's pool and let her play. Wayne and I were relaxing with her putting our feet in the pool. Madie told Wayne to get in, so he stood with his feet in the pool. This was not good enough as she proceeded to tell him to sit. So he went and put his suit on and played for a few minutes.

She started to spit the water in his face.

Mr. Rollie Pollie

2009-05-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

For the last week Collin has been desperately trying to roll over his right shoulder, and last night he finally gave up and with little effort rolled over his left shoulder. Where that came from I do not know as he has always favored his right side, showing little interest in his left even if you tried to make him. Hopefully now that he has rolling one way down he will quickly pick up rolling the other way, so he will be an ambiroller, and not get stuck only rolling one direction.
In addition to this great milestone he also achieved sleeping for 10 1/2 hours. Mommy was very excited to realize that she got 8 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. He has been sleeping a lot today so I believe he is growing, so I am hoping he will keep sleeping at night and that this is not just a fluke.

Cleaning

2009-05-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

Madison was helping me clean up her room this morning. I was putting away shaped blocks into their sorter, there were 4 blocks missing. When Madison saw what I was doing she said "oh" and ran off. A moment later she came back with 2 of the blocks. I then asked her where the red square and green triangle were. This time she ran to the crib, laid down on the floor, reached underneath and pulled out the triangle block. However she could not find the square and we are still looking for it.

Sew Much Fun

2009-05-15T18:00:00.001-07:00

Now that Collin is sleeping in his crib I am once again working on finishing all of the bed set. I had the quilt and dust ruffle done, I recently finished the bumper pad, and I have just finished making two sheets. I had one blue one that I got at Target for $7 that matched, and I made green and brown ones that match. Next I will start on the diaper stacker. After that I will have to fix and finish the wall hangings. I hope to be all finished by the end of next week. The end of the month by the latest.

Hide and Go Seek

2009-05-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

Madison is very much like her mother, and occasionaly has trouble falling asleep. Tonight was such a night. I needed to change Collin's diaper so I went into their room, expecting Madison to be asleep. Suprisingly her bed was empty. I start searching her floor, but I don't see her. Her closet doors are open, so I figure she is in there, but no Madison.The door to her room was closed so I knew she was in there somewhere. I am looking all around, but I can not find her. Finally I look a little higher, and there she is in the crib with the blanket over her.

Happy Mothers Day!!!

2009-05-10T19:07:00.001-07:00

I want to wish all you mothers a Happy Mothers Day.

I have been having a good day it started with brakefast in bed, then a candle lit bath before church. Wayne and the kids also got me a statue of an angel holding a baby. On the statue it says:

"A baby brings a little bit of heaven down to earth".

My two little angels.

Madison was being a stinker not wanting her picture taken.

2009-05-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

Madison found one of my hair clips and wanted to wear it. I put in her hair and she said

"cute is, my hair?"

Freedom

2009-05-04T22:57:00.001-07:00

Last night was Collin's first night in his crib. He has slept 8 straight hours the past two nights. Madison officially has to share her room now. So far it has been fine, lets hope it stays that way. Last night Collin was in bed before her, and she did not wake him when she went down. When he woke up at 6 wanting to eat he did not wake her. I hope it continues to be this easy, but I know it will most likely change.

New Bed

2009-04-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

This last week I have been rearanging Madison's room so we could put up the crib. On Saturday we got everything finished and set up the crib. The room looks very good, but he his not using the crib yet. He is not quite sleeping through the night and I do not want have to walk that far, also the bumper is not finished, I still have to add velcro so it will stay up. I also have a couple more pieces to make so his bed set will be finished, but I am very happy with how it looks. I was surprised at how well I did.

I found the mobile at Target and the colors were perfect for what I needed. To make it even better it was on clearance and only cost $6.

He loves anything that hangs over his head, and he fell asleep talking to his mobile.

Five Years

2009-04-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Today is our fifth anniversary. Time has gone by so fast I can't believe it has already been five years. At the same time it feels that we have always been together and I can't believe it has olny been five years.
For anyone out there reading this that was not part of our lives during the last few years here is our story.

Wayne and I met when his family moved into the Walnut Park Ward, where I went to church as a child. I was 9 and Wayne was 11. Wayne was an older bratty boy who kiked my chair because I wore floral dresses, and I couldn't stand him. A couple years later his family moved and I never saw him again.

My parents decided to sell there house and move to Victorville in 2004. That May my sister and I got an apartment together in Anaheim so we could be close to work. We then started attending the Newport Singles Ward. We made many friends there and one of them invited us to a game night at her house. There were many people there so we were all introducing ourselves, when I mentioned we had moved there from Chino two brothers mentioned they had lived there. We talked and realized we knew each other from 12 years earlier. At the end of the night as we were leaving Wayne invited Charlotte and I to go to a Halloween party at his house. At this point I knew he liked me, and I was definatley interested.

Two weeks later we went on our first date. Six weeks later we were engadged. Four months later we were married.

From the first date I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, and was so glad he felt the same.

These last five years have held many great memories, including the birth of our daughter in 07 and then our son in January. We have been so blessed and I can not wait to see what is in store for the next five.

Our first dance, "I Do" by Mark Wills

Wayne decided to be funny and smash the cake in my face, I was going to be nice, but had to change my tactics. He was only able to get a little bit of frosting on my nose, but I was better than him and covered him.

The Grooms Men, and Bridal Party

Swimming

2009-04-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

We had some record breaking heat this week, and the pool at our complex has been closed by the county, and we don't know when it will be opened. With all this we decided to get Madie a pool. She had so much fun playing in it. Unfortunately I need to exchange it be the top ring has a hole.

I had to get this suit when I saw the back, it was just so cute. It also came with a cover up that matches, all for $13 regularly 32, I love Kohls.

Little Miss

2009-04-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

I did Madison's hair really cute the other day, so I decided to take some pictures of her. She was very happy to be in front of the camera, acting like a regular model. Here are some of my favorite pics.

Three Months

2009-04-21T21:46:00.001-07:00

Happy three months Collin.

Get Off the Phone

2009-04-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

I have seen some weird things since California outlawed the use of cell phones while driving. When the law first became active cell phone use dropped, like expected, but people are now getting careless and finding new ways to use their cell while driving. Two weeks ago I saw a lady driving, on the freeway, with her left hand on the steering wheel, her right hand holding her phone to her ear, and the passenger leaning over and using her right hand to help steer. Then this last week, on the freeway again, I saw a man driving in the fast lane, going 40 mph, with his blinkers on talking on his phone. A few seconds later he passed me going full speed, blinkers off and cell down. If people think these precautions will keep them from getting a ticket, they are truly stupid. I would like to also applaud the countless number of cars I have seen pull off the road to talk on their phones, we need more people like you in this world. If you are in too much of a hurry make sure you have a hands free device with you, you normally get one for free when you buy a phone, think people.

2009-04-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago Collin Slept through the night, YAH!!!
But Madison did not, BOO!!!
Last night he slept for 6 1/2 hours, YAH!!!
Once again Madison did not, BOO!!!
Hopefully by the end of next week, Collin will be 3 months and they will both be sleeping through the night, with no night terrors.

2009-04-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

So this post is mostly for my mom. She made these for my kids when they were born. After having Collin's for almost 7 weeks I finally decided to put it up. I also had to move Madison's because it was over her door, and I thought it would be best to have them both together over the closet.

This was the first name sign my mom made. After making this one she decided to make one for each of her other grandchildren.

2009-04-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

For Easter Madison got a set of toy horses. There are two full size horses (mommy and daddy) and one foul. A few minutes ago I opened the box and took the horses out so Madie could play with them, when to my surprise I found that the horses are made anatomically correct. We will always know which horse is mommy and which one is daddy.

Easter

2009-04-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

We went up to my parents house for Easter. It was great to spend the weekend with family. It was a small group: my parents, my sis Charlotte and her family, and us.

The kids got bathing suits, and a few toys, Madie only got one piece of candy, a white chocolate bunny.

Cabin in the Woods

2009-04-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Wayne's dad is building a log cabin in Maraposa, which is just outside of Yosemite. It is almost finished, but he needed some extra help to get it done before the deadline, so we went up there to help out. Well Wayne helped while I took care of the kids, and did what I could while they took their naps. Brad also came up from Vegas to help.

Wayne got to use a tractor for the very first time, and after hitting a tree he got pretty good at working it. Papa also took Madison for a ride in the bucket, which she did not like.

Brad brought his dog up with him, and at first Madison would run away as fast as possible. As the days went on she warmed up to Merlot petting him, and even letting him lick her hand. By the end of the trip she loved the dog, and he would follow her everywhere.
While they were in the truck I thought it was cute how Merlot was sitting with her so I ran to get my camera. When I left he moved and was blocking the gate so Madison could not get out. When I got back he immediately moved back to his original position, which was where he is in the picture, only laying down.

Large Beds

2009-04-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

When you have children it is very important to have a king size bed. After last night I am very thankful for mine. For about 30 min last night we had all four of us in the bed, and we fit comfortably. It would have been better if Madie did not have to be snuggled up with me while I was trying to feed Collin.

Two Months

2009-03-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Collin is now two months old. It has gone by so fast. He is a joy to have around.

I love how everyday you discover something about him that you did not know the day before.

How his personality shows itself more each day. While Madison has always been stubborn, he is more picky. He knows what he likes and wants it that way, and it up to you to discover what it is. If he is awake when you put him to bed the light has to be on or he will fuss. If he is already asleep when you put him to bed, the light has to be off or he will wake up and fuss.

When he is awake his eyes are wide open as he looks, watches, and discovers this new world he has come to.

When his sister looks at him, his face brightens and he smiles because he already loves her and knows that she loves him.

I love that sometimes when I pick him up his arms wrap around my neck as though he is giving me a big hug.

I love how his bottom lip will stick out when he is upset, but he dose not always cry after.

I love that he has my chin shake, and you never know when it will start to shake.

I love that from the moment I found out I was pregnant I started to love him, and everyday I love him more.

I am glad that I was able to do what neither of my sisters have been able to do, and have a boy.

I anxiously await being able to watch him grow into a toddler, child, young man, and a man; but I will always hate that he is growing up.

I wish he has all the happiness in the world, because he deserves it.

I am glad he had a father and mother who love him enough to have been sealed in the temple.

I am glad he will be raised in the fullness of the gospel.

I am glad he is a Child of God.

The Tyra Boys

2009-03-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Wayne, Tom &

Collin

Three generations of Tyra Boys

While You Were Sleeing

2009-03-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last night, while the rest of my family was asleep, I discovered something. When Wayne starts snoring Collin does too, and when I nudge Wayne to get him to stop, Collin does too. It was amazing.

Sleepless Nights

2009-03-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

Last night the kids decided to gang up on me and not let me sleep.
Madison went to bed at 6:00 pm (three hours before her bed time).
Collin went to bed at 1:00 am (two hours after his bed time).
Madison woke up around 2:30 am. Just after 3:00 I had had enough of her jumping around in my bed and went to the front room with her so she could watch movies and I could sleep. I had gotten everything set up and started Cinderella, which catches her undivided attention, laid down on the couch and started to fall asleep when Collin wakes up wanting to eat. It is now after 4:00 am when I get to lay down again and go to sleep again. Madison however has other plans she dose not want to watch her movie, she just wants to bug Mommy. Once Cinderella is over I put on Cinderella III, Madison dose watch this movie and when it is over she wants to watch Cinderella II. Can you guess what her favorite movie is? This finishes up around 6:30 so I put the TV on Disney channel and let her watch cartoons. When Wayne leaves for work around 7:20 Madison gets very irrational and wants to get outside. She is wining and throwing a fit so I shut her in her room so she can take a nap at 7:30 am. At this point Collin wants to eat again so I feed him then I decide I still need more sleep and for the last time I go to bed not to wake again until 10:30. Lets hope tonight is better.

Old Pictures

2009-03-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

My last day of work was last April. I had many great pictures of that day, but my computer went wonky and erased the memory card. Wayne's brothers bishop works in data recovery so he said he would take a look at it. Just a couple of weeks ago I finally got my pictures.

With Jen Witham, we have been friends since 7th grade. We auditioned together and both got jobs as Character Hosts in 2000.

Also on that card were also all our Easter pictures. Normally that would not be a big issue, but this last year Easter fell on my birthday. Since my birthday is in March this is a very rare occurrence, an I am glad to get my pictures back.

With the Easter Bunny

Daddy's Little Angel

2009-03-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Wayne is a big Angles fan, so while I was at Babies 'R' Us I found a cute Angles outfit for Collin. The outfit will fit him in a couple of months but I had to get a picture of him in the hat to send it to Wayne while he was at work. He was so proud of this picture he had to show it to everyone in his office.
(yes my boy is on a paisly boppy)

Birth Announcement

2009-02-27T18:38:00.001-08:00

Baby Shower

2009-02-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

On Saturday February 28th I am having a baby shower in Santa Ana at 1:00PM. If someone would like to attend leave a comment with your name and e-mail address (I will keep them private) and I will send you the info.

Bruiser

2009-02-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

Wayne's co- workers have started calling Madison Bruiser. It has always been appropriate since she is very tough and lets all the other kids know it. Now it is even more appropriate since she has gotten her first black eye. Last Sunday we were up at my parents when her cousin ran into her, and she fell over. Normally this would not be a problem and she would just get back up as if nothing happened, but she fell onto a rocking chair. This caused her to cut the skin at the corner of her eye. She is fine now and there dose not seem to be any damage to her eye, but she has received her first black eye, and with how she is it will probably not be her last.

the next day it was slightly purple.

Wednesday it was definatley black and blue.

Beautiful Madie

2009-02-10T15:54:00.000-08:00

I love having a professional photographer in the family. My dad got this picture of Madie on the day Collin was born, and it is fabulous. This is one that needs to go on the wall.

2009-01-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to get these pictures up for a few days now, but it is very difficult since Collin dose not like to be set down even if he is asleep. Today he was much better and would lay down by himself, if he had a pacifier.

This family picture was taken when he was about one hour old.

Madison loves her brother. She is constantly coming up saying "hug, hug, hug". The only problem is that she dose not understand that he is too small to play, so she gets a little too rough with him.

It's a Boy!!!

2009-01-23T14:44:00.001-08:00

Collin Wayne was born Wednesday January 21, 2009 at 1:08pm.

The end is near

2009-01-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Last week I went in for my weekly doctors appointment, my doctor was not available that day so I saw the mid wife that she works with. She was checking on the postition of the baby, and could not tell if he was head down so she sent me in for a fourth ultrasound. Turns out Collin is in the correct position, so no worries, but they are estimating he is about 9.8 pounds, AHHHHHHHHHH. So I now have an appointment next week to be induced. They will not induce me until I am 39 weeks so I wait while this baby gets bigger every day. On the plus side at my appointment this week I was already 2 cm dilated, without feeling any contractions. I am hoping to gain 3 or 4 more cm before I go to be induced so that it will be a quick labor once again. I am praying that he stops gaining weight and that he stays under 10 lbs. 9.15 maybe, 10 no way. I have already started losing my baby weight. While Collin gets bigger, I get smaller. Over the last two weeks I have lost 5 lbs. How, I don't know, I am less active, and eating about the same. It is truly a mystery.

Happy Birthday

2009-01-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

Madison had her second birthday on Monday. We started the celebration a little early, on Sunday she got her new big girl bed. She has adjusted very well to her new found Independence. That first night it took 45 minutes to get her to sleep, the second night it was about 30, and last night about 15. We have found that putting the gate in front of her door helps a lot, she can get out of bed, but not roam the house.
Madison was excited to get into her new bed.

Madison fell asleep that first night with every blanket she could find.

I also made her a new blanket and matching pillow case for her new bed. The blanket will definitely be big enough for a few years.

The pillow case is make from the same soft fluffy material that is on the back of the blanket.

We didn't do anything fancy this year, just the three of us for dinner, cake, and root beer floats(a first for Madison).
She was very eager to get to her cake.

2009-01-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

I got up at 7:30 Christmas morning to make breakfast while Wayne and Madison stayed in bed asleep. About 8:30 I went to wake them up to eat. I had used my beautiful Christmas dishes I got the year before, so we could have a nice Christmas breakfast (which was always the big Christmas meal growing up).

It looks like we had a lot of presents under the tree, but in reality only about 10 made it under. The tree was so low to the ground no more presents would fit under.
The beautiful rocking horse was Wayne's when he was a child. His grandpa made it for him and his brother. Wayne and his brother then had a bet going that who ever became a father first got the rocking horse, and obviously we won. Wayne then spent many hours sanding and fixing the horse so that it would be able to be used again.
Madison absolutely loves it, I have issues with how big it is. It is so huge and we have no space.

When Madison walked in she went right up to the chair threw off the two DVDs that were placed on it and sat down, she definitely likes her new chair.

Madison had a great time opening her presents, this year she knew exactly what to do.

At times it was just as much fun to play with the unopend present as it was to play with an opend one.

Counting

2008-12-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago Madison way playing a counting game online that teaches numbers up to twenty. She was doing very well repeating all the numbers while playing. That night while taking her bath she started counting on her own. It sounded a bit like this: two, three, four, three, four, five, four, three, three, three, three, three, SEVEN!! That was after only half an hour, imagine what she could do with a little more time. Even now as I am writing this Madison is on my lap counting, two, nine, ten, two, nine, ten, two, nine, ten. She is so smart.