Hello Again!

I have been seriously bad about this blogging thing lately!  I could make a excuses but why waste your time!  It has been almost 2 months since I have posted anything so here goes the recap of those two months!

August-

August ended up getting very busy for us because I was getting ready to go back to work after 5 months and Maddy was getting ready to start school.  She has been ready to go to school since she was about a year old.  My  mom would bring her to my school for Baby Talk and she was always very comfortable visiting and being in a school.  We spent most of the month getting together uniforms for school and me attending workshops to get ready for new curriculum at school.  It was a busy busy time!

August 24th was Maddy's first day of school!  Luckily my schedule at school worked out so that I could be there to see her get on the bus and get off at school.  Brett also was able to get away from work to be there too.  She was not nervous at all about going with someone she didn't really know.  I think it helped a little bit because Gavin rode the same bus with the same driver and aide last year but I don't think she would have been nervous even if it had been a total stranger!

This was also the first day that grandma had to get both babies (Mason and Lyla) in the stroller and take them out to the bus too.  They were so cute in their double stroller together! 

 September-
September came and went so quickly!  Maddy has been loving school.  She has learned how to write the letter M to start her name.  She is learning things so quickly that I wouldn't be surprised if she is doing multiplication by the end of the school year!  She really is learning much quicker than I thought she ever would.  She really seems like she grows up just little bit everyday!  She loves loves loves her baby brother and she is a great helper when we are getting ready in the morning.  Most days she will get up on her step stool by the crib and read Mason a book.  He loves her too and is always calmed by her being there.  She is a great big sister and they love each other very much!  I am crossing my fingers that this continues.  Maddy is learning songs at school and she comes home singing them all the time.  My favorite is the way she sings the "Days of the Week"!  The first day she sang it for me I HAD to video tape it.  Her favorite song is the turtle song.

Mason has grown and changed so much the past two months also!  He is now 16 lbs. 12 oz. and 27 in long.  His growth is right on track!  I was worried that maybe he had gained to much because he is a GOOD eater.  He is loving eating food and likes almost everything we feed to him.  He has days when he just doesn't want something but then will eat it the next day.  He is starting to form opinions!  He has also perfected the army crawl!  He drags himself all over the house just using his arms.  He is going to have some big strong arms if he keeps this up much longer.  He gets up on his knees sometimes so it is just a matter of time before he starts to crawl.  He is also starting to help Mommy and Daddy out by holding his own bottle!

 Hopefully this time it won't take me 2 MONTHS to put up another post!  See you soon!

It's Been a While...

I am not sure what I have been doing for the past two weeks but I sure haven't been blogging!  It has been an exciting two weeks though :)  Maddy has done so many fun things.  The week of Maddy's dentist appointment we went to the zoo with Kim and Scarlett.  It was Scarlett's first time so it was fun to watch her see the animals for the first time.  I think Maddy's favorite part this time was feeding the birds.  Last year she was scared when the birds made noise so we never really got to do this.  She had a blast though!  I have a video of her feeding the birds but it is sideways!  So, you get a picture instead.

Odie and Grandma Pat took Maddy to the Porter County fair and she got to ride on the ferris wheel!  She came back from the fair and could barely talk fast enough to tell me about everything that she did.  Later that week Brett and I took Maddy to Deep River Waterpark.  We decided to take her and do something with just her.  She has been so good about having a little brother that I thought she deserved some quality time with Mommy and Daddy.  She was so brave and even went down a big slide all by herself!  I can't believe how fast she is growing up!

On Wednesday, August 3rd, Mason has his 4 month well child visit.  He weighed in at 15 lbs 2.5 oz and he is 26in long.  He is so much bigger than Maddy was at that age.  The doctor said he was doing great for 4 months old and gave us the go ahead to food.  We already started him on cereal before bed when he was about 3 months old so we decided to start him on some veggies.  I decided to give him carrots first.  He seemed to like the idea of eating food but didn't like the carrots very much.  Next, we tried green beans and he wasn't thrilled with those either.  We tired bananas for dinner last night and he loved them!  He would have eaten the whole thing if I would have let him.  So, we will be eating bananas for the next day or two and then it will be on to something new.  Wednesday was also the annual trip that Terri and I take to the teacher store in Mishawaka.  We also got Maddy a few more pieces of uniforms for school.  She is so excited about going to school!

On the way home from the teacher store we always stop at the park in New Carlisle.  It is a really great park and we had to stop and take a picture of Mason on the swings just like we did with Maddy on her first trip to the store!

 Mason August 2011

Madelyn 2008

Funny Maddy moment of the week:  I asked her what she wanted for breakfast and she asked me "What's on the menu?"  I was kind of shocked and had to immediately call Brett and tell him about it!

The Big Girl Goes to the Dentist

Madelyn, the first M of M&M, went to the dentist for the very first time today.  I just can't get over how much that girl still amazes me after 3 years!  She just walks into the place like she owns it!  I know she has gone with me to the dentist two times before but that was 6 months and a year ago!!!  We went into the office and she casually said hi to the receptionist and headed straight for the train to play.  While I filled out paperwork she played with the train and said hi to a man that was waiting to be called back.  Finally, the hygienist came to the door and Maddy already knew it was her turn to go and she was through the door and halfway down the hall before I could pick up all of Mason's stuff!  Granted I was balancing holding him, feeding him a bottle, and carrying the diaper bag and car seat so it took me a minute to get it all.  Mason and I get to the room and she is already in the chair ready to go!  The hygienist shows her how to work the sucky-straw thing and she just takes it and knows what to do.  She didn't act scared at all with all of the noises and the poking.  She was so brave and in a way that so many adults are not!  The only part she didn't like was the fluoride and NO ONE likes that part!  I am so proud to have such a brave a grown up little girl. I am so looking forward to her starting school.  I have a feeling she is going to be the kind of student that I hate to have!

He will be moving pretty soon!

Mason rolled from his back to his belly for the first time on Tuesday morning!  He has been trying so hard since he saw Lyla do it and he was not going to let his cousin be too far ahead of him.  He was so funny to watch while he was trying because he would get to his side and yell and strain trying to make it over.  Then, he would take a rest and then do it all again.  Sometimes I think he is growing too fast but then I think about all of the fun things that are to come!

 

 
On Saturday, Maddy and I went to the Riverside Market and we bought her a kite.  It is a really nice kite and we were very anxious to get out and use it.  So, Monday night we took her to the beach to fly it.  She had such a good time watching her kite go.

 I finally got the rest of my vacation pictures put on the computer so I want to share one more pic of Maddy.

She was such a natural and acted like she rides a horse everyday!

 

Home Sweet Home

We're back!  We have been home from vacation for about 2 days now and we are exhausted still.  The nice thing is that I did all of our laundry at the house before we left so we came home with clean clothes but, I still haven't put those away!  We have been busy dealing with a grumpy baby!  About Monday of last week Mason started to get very irritable and was not wanting to take naps.  He just didn't seem himself and he has been drooling everywhere and chewing on his hands so we came to the conclusion he was teething.  On, Wednesday he was the grumpiest he has ever been and he felt warm to me.  Of course I didn't think to take a thermometer on vacation so we just decided to give him tylenol and it really seemed to help.  Since then, we have been trying to keep him happy and medicated to keep the fever away.  It has been a tough few days at home and finally after giving him tylenol and ibuprofen he is seeming a bit more content.  I just want my happy baby back!  We shall see if he cuts any teeth anytime soon.  It is always exciting for your baby to grow and do new things but then you realize how quickly time has flown and it isn't as exciting anymore!

Rain, rain, go away!

Today was a rainy day in South Haven!  We made the best of it though by playing around the house this morning.  Maddy had a great time coloring and playing with her "picnic" toys, watching cartoons, and building a fort while the adults played a game of Monopoly.  

The skies cleared up by the afternoon and we spent some time in the shops in town.  I could have spent a TON of money buying things to decorate our house.  I LOVE the cottage look and there was plenty to pick from!  I couldn't just pick one or two things so I got none!  I did leave with a really great idea for a blank wall in my living room :)  We also had our very first wine tasting today!  Brett and I have never done a tasting before even Maddy got to participate.  She had sparkling grape juice of course.  She kept blowing in her glass trying to pop the bubbles!  It was so cute!  Yesterday we drove up to Holland, MI and spent the morning exploring up there.  We should have done more research before we left because EVERYTHING downtown is closed on Sunday.  We had a great time though going to see their lighthouse and we had a great lunch at a bbq place we found along the way.

Lastnight, we had some of the best pizza I have every had at The Vineyard.  I think we are pretty spoiled by the great pizza we have at home so I am pretty picky about my pizza and I thought this was SOOOO GOOD!  After pizza we had the best icecream I have ever had from Kilwin's.  Great food night and I am sure that I will have gained at least 5 pounds when we get home!

Maddy and her Superman Icecream!

Vacation

We are on vacation!  Brett, Maddy, and I have been on a few weekend trips in the past 5 years but this is the first vacation we have been on since our honeymoon!  Mark and Terri (Brett's parents) rented a beach house in South Haven, MI for the whole family.  Today was our first full day and we are really trying to have a good time.  It is taking us some time to get situated, get a routine, and get organized.  This morning we went to an amazing farmer's market!  They had so many different fruits and vegetables and vendors selling other things too!  After the market we spent some time at the beach.  Mason went in the water for the first time today.  Although we have probably been to the beach a dozen time already this summer we had not put him in the water yet.  He LOVED it.  He sat with me at the edge of the water with the waves splashing on his legs.

Today was a great day and we have a whole week left!

 

Sunset on Sunday night.

 

Mason looking like Bill Murray in his hat.

 

Me and my babies at my favorite place...THE BEACH!