Maddie's Outdoor Adventure

We decided it was time to get out of the heat and enjoy some cool mountain air. We drove up to Mt. Charleston and took Maddie on her first hike in the mountains! At first she was having a blast and talking up a storm... and then the real storm hit us! We saw some dark clouds rolling in but we weren't expecting to get drenched! It rained so hard water was streaming off our eyelashes. Maddie was really a good sport. By the time we got back to the car her little lips were blue, but she seemed to enjoy the trip overall.

Here's us at the beginning...

Here's a clip of her chattering happily...


Untitled from mlandm and Vimeo.

Maddie the Explorer

Mike posing under the beautiful cliffs

Maddie learning about pine needles

Daddy giving Maddie a break from the carrier

Ridin' high!

Sorry this video is sideways, but it shows how hard it was raining/hailing!

<

Untitled from mlandm and Vimeo.

And the after picture! Notice Maddie's hat is wet and floppy!

Rain, rain, come and stay...

...come again every day! This desert oven is finally getting a few raindrops! Two days ago it rained in the morning and Maddie and I went on a walk under the heavy gray sky. The air was muggy but 85 degrees felt sooooooooo good. Last night I watched a thunderstorm roll across the sky, and then right as the sun was going down it broke through the clouds and created a perfect rainbow! I have always loved rainstorms but here they are prized occurences. It's refreshing to have a break from the incessant sun.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall...

Maddie made a friend the other day! Check out her conversation with the other Maddie. Don't mind the drool.



Untitled from mlandm and Vimeo.

Daddy's shoes

Maddie and Daddy are so cute together. He is really good at getting her to smile and giggle. He's always been naturally good at being silly but has an especially good time performing for his little girl! Fittingly, Maddie's shirt says 'Daddy's Little Princess'.


Daddy is so creative with his entertaining and soothing techniques. Maddie loves the change in scenery--most of the time. Sometimes she needs Mommy to save her. :)

Baby Circus

Well, Maddie liked this toy at Jeanie's so much, we decided to buy one of our own. She spent a full 20 minutes in it this morning before getting sensory overload. She has already marked her territory with drool. :) Don't mind my cheesy mommy narrative.



Baby Circus from mlandm and Vimeo.

For about the past two weeks Maddie has been showing signs of teething. She is more irritable and therefore harder to keep entertained. I hope the little sweetie feels better soon...and I can't wait to see the product of such an ordeal! There better be teeth soon or I am at a loss as to what's wrong. And we could use a night of no wake-ups, since she was sleeping through the night for two months previous to this development. It helps to remind myself that I'd rather be Maddie's mommy than do anything else in the world!

TOYS for Baby

Here are some new pictures, as requested! :) We haven't been up to much except entertaining Maddie with our friend's toys and pool. Thank goodness for the Johnson's!

Maddie's hair is getting longer and I have been giving her a mohawk. Mike thinks it looks boyish so I used a stick-on bow. POLL: Could Maddie pass for a boy in a blue outfit with her hair spiked???

4 months old

Today is Maddie's 4 month birthday!!! It is so crazy how fast time goes, especially when you have a baby to measure it by. With the 4 month mark also came more shots. She didn't cry during the first one, but when two more bombarded her she got the pouty-ouchy face and broke into tears. We haven't known her weight for awhile but knew she was getting heavy...holding her is like weight lifting! She weighed in at 14 lb 9 oz and is 24 3/4" long (she is still in the 75 percentile).

Maddie has had quite a few changes lately. Before she loved to grab her toes and now she loves to eat them too! She actually grabs anything within reach, including food at the dinner table. A few weeks ago Mike was watching her while I was at a Relief Society activity and she rolled from front to back! Somehow Mike forgot to tell me until a week later. Then yesterday she rolled back to front (of course while I was on the computer and missed it). She was blowing bubbles and got really quiet and I turned to look at her and she was face-planted on the blanket. Given a few more weeks of practice and she will be a rollin' machine! To top it off, she has had symptoms of teething the last couple of days: irritability, batting at her face and ears, muching on her hands, not sleeping well... the doctor said it could still take awhile before we see them erupt but she's on her way to a toothy grin! Her right eye is still leaky from her clogged tear duct (since birth) and occasionally she will greet the world bung-eyed. I may be biased, but with her big blue eyes, expressive eyebrows, and abundant grins, I think she is the cutest baby ever!

4th of July!

We had such a great holiday week! It was fun to be with family in Utah (where Mike said "It's so green!" I never thought that would come out of his mouth with him being from Atlanta, but compared to Vegas, anything is green). The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. . . actually, I love any reason to be festive. . . but Independence Day does stir some deep feelings. I love the American Flag and all it stands for--and the red, white, and blue is so beautiful! I love singing patriotic hymns at church and hearing songs on the radio. We are so blessed to live in this country and have freedom to live, work, and worship as we please.
The Jensen fam went to dinner on the 3rd at Lon's Cookin' Shack (if you haven't tried it, you MUST) down by the Provo Library. We were amazed at the amount of spot-saving already going on! There were tents, counches, blankets, and even yarn webbing lining the streets for the parade the next morning. Dad got pretty excited and set out to stake us a claim. We ended up on Center and 3rd East, which turned out perfect because the property on that corner had Colonial Flags set up in a stirring display. I was impressed with the parade--there were real floats, big balloons, and good bands! The dumb sirens woke Maddie up from her nap, but she enjoyed watching the remainder of the parade on Dad's lap.
Later in the day Aunt Dana made Maddie a festive bow that took up most of her head. Gotta love it! We stopped in at Mike's family's BBQ before heading up to the Stadium to watch the fireworks with my family. I think we had the perfect spot on the lawn of the church NW of the Stadium. We got to lay out on the cool grass, hear the music floating out of the stands, and watch the fireworks almost directly above us. Best of all, Maddie SLEPT through the whole thing!!!

SURPRISE!!!

The Jensen side of the family also gathered in Utah this week. Mike, Emily, Maddie and I stayed at Noelle & Zak's apartment since they are working in Cali for the summer. We met up with my parents and Cole, but not long after the doorbell rang... and Noelle came too! We didn't think we would see her until September so it was a great surprise. Even better, the next day (after Dana & Landon joined us) Noelle announced her bun in the oven! Yay, a cousin for little Maddie! We are so happy for them.














Maddie loved all the adoring attention. She did really well with the busy pace (in fact, now that we're home she seems to be suffering from boring-mommy-syndrome). Auntie Em still reigns as baby hog and had a hard time saying goodbye after almost two full weeks. This picture of them shows Maddie's cute habit of sucking on her lower lip. The other shows how strong she is getting on her little legs!

Twins' baby blessing

Our twin nephews, Alex & Danny Nelson, were blessed last Sunday. It was neat to be there for the family gathering, especially because Maddie finally met Grandpa Andrews, Grandma Patti, and Great Grandma Johnson. We love the Nelson Ranch!



This shot shows not only 4 generations but also two sets of twiners!!!