Fun things to see!

To make up for a boring week, we jammed-packed our Saturday with fun activities! We had lunch at the Bellagio and saw the beautiful conservatory, and then Emily got us free tickets to the dolphin and lion habitat at the Mirage (she also took me to the AMAZING Cirque du Soleil Mystere show for free... we are going to miss her for more reason than one!!!) By the end of the day I was miserably pooped, but it was worth it to watch Maddie's reaction to all the fun things to see!

This is the largest chocolate fountain in the world--two tons of chocolate circulate continuously!

Maddie loves balloons and trains, and Daddy loves bridges. They both loved the summer exhibit.

One of the trains had a camera and we captured Maddie on train cam!

We saw the dolphins do spins from down below...

... and jumps from up above.

I think our favorite was the baby dophin pool. There was SHADE and the dolphins threw the balls with their noses. Maddie and Emily both got to throw one back in!

Maddie loves lions. She makes a mean growl.

We also saw white and black striped tigers and 4 little baby tigers. They were so cute! Maddie knows a lot of these exciting things by name from books, but it was fun to show her in real life!

B-o-r-e-d

I have a confession... we are bored!!! People usually blog about all the activities they are doing, but I am going to blog about what we're not doing (just for something to do). :) I don't know why we can't keep busy this week... there is an utter lack of meetings, appointments, visits, or places to go in general... and there is only so much cleaning and organizing you can do before you go stir-crazy! Maddie isn't too keen on me sitting around and reading or working on the computer... she does much better when we're busy. Have I mentioned I am excited for cooler weather around here?

Okay, enough with the complaining... yesterday I decided it was time for a field trip. Maddie loves a chance just to put her shoes on, say bye-bye, and get in the car! We went to Babies R Us to test drive some double stollers. My friend Jeanie loves her sit-and-stand stoller where the toddler can stand in the back, and I have also been looking at Graco doubles. Honestly, I am leaning toward the Graco to avoid the trouble of keeping Maddie contained, but I would love to hear from any of you with multiple kidlets!




Boredness aside, it has been a week of triumph for Maddie! Monday morning I got the sweaty palms and racing heart... and knew it was time to take away the beloved binki for naps and bedtime. I'm not gonna lie, we both cried when she discovered it didn't work anymore. Her little heart was broken, and it broke my heart to purposely do that to her!!! There was a lot of crying the first few days, but it is getting better. She understood they were 'broken' and helped us throw them in the garbage. She just went down for a nap with only a few peeps! That's my girl!

To pass some time this morning we did a little photo shoot of Maddie's new shoes and bow. I know, I am probably creating a monster but she loves to cheese for the camera.


This melted my heart... she watches me pray in the mornings and is apparently catching on! It's amazing what little ones pick up from you. Makes me think I should always be careful!

Our Mountain Woman

It is time to get my mug off the front page! We went on a little day trip to Mt. Charleston with our friends Blake & Hannah and their cute kids. Maddie loved every minute of it! She found every bottle cap in our picnic area and hiked around like a little explorer.

Climbing the rock wall with Laney.

Walking around with Gavin, who she thought was hilarious! He could really get her laughing.

Mmmm... marshamallow... can you just imagine what sticky goodness and dirt look like together?
By the end, Maddie was pretty much rolling in the dirt. Can you see her dirt black eye? It was in her diaper, her hair, between her toes... but's it's all about the fun, right?

Who me?

I don't talk much about myself on the blog... I'm more of a behind the scenes kind of girl. But I figured I should put an official belly picture on since I am 20 weeks prego and half way there! (That may sound exciting, but in reality it freaks me out... can someone please explain how I am supposed to nurse an infant with Maddie running wild???)



I have also been tagged twice and thought I would throw them in for fun.

1st Tag: Memory Tag

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. I can't wait to see what people remember.

2nd Tag: "4 Things"

4 Random Things I Like About My Husband...
-Never a dull moment, unless he falls asleep (like during every movie)! Mike is always full of fun. -He is such a hard worker. Even beyond that, he seems to enjoy working hard and never complains. Wish I could say that!
-He helps with the dishes a lot. Why are dishes never ending?
-He is such a GREAT daddy! And he loves little girls, which is nice becasue we'll soon have TWO!

4 Jobs I've Had...
-Everybody's Business (office and gift store) clerk
-BYU Bookstore "gift girl"
-Gardener at the Atlanta Temple
-Supervisor at the Tahitian Noni gardens

4 Movies I've Watched More Than Once...
Hmmm... I'm not a huge movie watcher. Usually once is enough for me. Maybe Princess Bride or the Little Mermaid?

4 Places I've Lived...
-Louisville, CO
-Twin Falls, ID
-Provo, UT
-Las Vegas

4 Places I've Been...
-Tijuana, Mexico
-Astoria, Canada
-New York City
-San Francisco

4 People Who Email Me Regularly...
-Dana (sister)
-Jeanie (friend)
-Dad
-Mike's mom

4 Favorite Foods...
-Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream
-any fruit!
-My mom's Sunday chicken and mashed potatoes
-Cafe Rio pork salad

4 Places I'd Like to Visit...
-Hawaii
-Caribbean
-Paris (a girl can dream, right?)
-Church history sites

4 Things I Am Looking Forward to This Coming Year...
-The birth of our second little girl, hopefully right before Thanksgiving dinner so I don't have to cook or do any dishes! Yay for my mom coming to help!
-Fall weather... I am already tired of this oppresive heat! We love walking in the mornings.
-My sister moving back to Utah (they're selling alarms in Memphis) so I can see my little niece! They moved when she was 3 months old and now she is a little chubber who can do so many new things! We miss them. :(
-Getting Maddie into a big girl bed. Truth be told, I am NOT looking forward to this but it must happen eventually. When is the best time??? I am thinking the baby can use the Pack & Play for awhile...

4 People I Tag...
Since the first tag seems to run rampant, I will spare you all on this one!

Where in the world is Suriname?

Maddie is so energetic and silly! Here are some things she's done lately...

Daddy wants to teach Maddie to identify all of the countries in the world so we got a map and hung it in the hallway. So far she occasionally gets Mexico and Russia correct... mostly she wants to play with the thumb tacks! If this sounds familiar, you may have seen the YouTube Video or Oprah show of not-quite-two-year-old Lily showcasing her ability to point to almost any country in the world! Mike thinks Maddie can do just as well. We shall see... :)

We played Twister for FHE last week. Maddie tried to sabatoge our moves.

If you know her very well, you know Maddie doesn't sit still long enough to watch television--there are usually better things to do! That's why I was shocked when she sat through 5 whole minutes of Elmo's world on Sesame Street, hugging Elmo the whole time. Apparently only her extreme love for Elmo warrants TV time.

(Don't mind the shirtless look...)

We finally measured Maddie on her growth chart. She stacks up at 2'7".

Maddie loves to put things on her head!

Maddie caused quite a ruckus at church today! We were in the hall during Sunday School to vent some energy and Maddie touched the plastic cover of the fire alarm (which she has done many times previously with no problems) and set of an alarm! Mike found a detailed description:

"Safety Technology International’s pull station cover, the Stopper II, mounts directly to an existing pull station. When the cover is lifted, a self-contained alarm sounds which is designed to prevent false alarms in schools, daycare centers, hospitals, [or LDS Churches!!]. If service to the pull station is required, the covers 9 volt internal alarm may be deactivated. The audio alarm has a choice of a 105 dB signal or a quieter 95 dB. The cover does not restrict legitimate fire alarms from being activated. "

Unfortunately, the kind person who tried to de-activate the small alarm set off the alarm to the entire church!!! We scared the nursery kids witless, emptied the sacrament meeting going on at the same time, and gave everyone reason to run around wild for a few mintues. What a proud parent moment.

Family and Fireworks!

We had a great trip to Utah for the 4th of July!!! If I can't be at Bear Lake for the holiday, the second best place is Provo for all the festivities. We also loved spending time with Mike's family!

Rebecca saved us a fabulous spot for the parade. Maddie loved all the noise and action. She also loved running around and exploring other people's spots!

Of course the big balloons were a hit.

Dad provided a pretty good view.

The longest-haired member of the Lehi Silver Band. :) Maybe this is mean, but Mike took the picture!

We spent the afternoon at a park with all the cousins. I thought this was a funny picture of the twins (Mike and Rach) entertaining their babies.

Maddie gave Daddy a good Oreo kiss!

The boys all played football.

Cousin Korinne helped Maddie ride a scooter. The older kids are so good with the little ones.

Emily saved the family spot for the fireworks right outside the Stadium of Fire! It was perfect.

I was worried that Maddie wouldn't like the noise, but she was enthralled by the fireworks!

The next day we had an Andrews family music night (they are all talented!). Maddie practiced on Daddy's trumpet.

Later we went bowling with the Dodson's for Maddie's first time! The kids taught her how to put her shirt over the air vent. She had a great time, but she didn't seem to catch on to the idea that you are supposed to knock the pins down... she said "uh-oh" every time! :)

Move over, spotlight hog!

Maddie has an official announcement... she's going to be a:

From here on out, Maddie will have to share "The Maddie Show"! (We need a new name... any suggestions? :)) Her little sister will be entering the world sometime around Thanksgiving. That makes her 19 weeks along, about 6 inches long, and kicking up a little storm! Many of you already know the story, but if Mike had his way nobody would know we were expecting until the baby was here! I had to wait to tell my family until I was 11 weeks along (they came to see me, and we all know mom's and sisters can tell immediately). The ward didn't find out until I was visibly showing--embarassing! Next time I'll tell before I get questions like "Are those maternity clothes or is that just the fashion?" And the blog world didn't hear until now because Mike wouldn't tell his family until we saw them in person this weekend! They got a very visual announcement. :)

Our ultrasound was last Wednesday and we got some fun shots. My favorite is this one with her feet up over her head.

Here's one with her ankles crossed...

And here's one of her waving at us! It's always kinda creepy to see the face with dark sockets... but we were so glad to see her and find out that everything is looking good! For a long time Mike thought it was a boy, but as the ultrasound got closer he started saying "I don't know... I really like little girls..." We are thrilled to have a growing family and a little sister for Maddie.