Monday Maddie-isms

Maddie's imagination and creativity are exploding lately!

We made a tent yesterday and she decided to stack all of her book inside (I didn't help a bit!).

She has taken to lugging all the pillows into the guest room and making a "train track," "road," and sometimes a "big bed." She actually almost took a nap there the other day, but I found her before she fell asleep.

She loves playing games like Hide & Seek (which she sometimes calls Peekaboo) and Twister.


Our board has things like head, elbow, and belly-button. ;) Ella was a great spinner.


Maddie says something every day that wows me. My favorites lately:

"Are you cold my sweet little old buddy?" I overheard her saying this to a Pooh bear toy and had to write it down quick. She can be so compassionate.

"Bear underwear--it kind of rhymes!"

She also says things I don't want her to say (but crack me up regardless) :

"Ella--cool it!" (a saying I got from my mother; just had to pass it on I guess)

"You're driving me insane!" Oops--I guess she was really listening when I tried to get her to obey for the 56th time! :) You have to be careful what you say around this girl!

Fall Letters

For the letter "L" I sent Maddie on a hunt for leaves.



We've been waiting all year to do the letter X!

Too see what we've been reading lately, go here!

Oh Boy! Oh Joy!

My sisters, mom, and surrogate sister Ashley threw a baby shower for Dana this weekend. It was so much fun and the turn out was wonderful! Thanks to everyone who came for the support.

I took a bunch of pictures before the shower started, but once people started coming I got distracted and didn't get good ones of the guest(s) of honor! Sorry Dana and Daxton!

The theme was Pop Pop Fizz Fizz Oh What a Joy It Is!.... clear as mud, right? :) The idea was to have bubbly to celebrate the happy occasion... and anything else that pops! We had Jones soda (notice the awesome personalized label?!), Pop Rocks, popcorn, bubble gum, and balloons.

Noelle and Emily setting up... unfortunately my pretty momma wasn't able to be there. The night before the shower she went to a concert with a friend who came down with swine flu the next day. At great personal sacrifice Mom steered clear of the pregnant girl and kiddos to avoid getting anyone sick. We're really glad she hasn't had any symptoms herself yet!


The popcorn was a hit! We made white chocolate with blue sixlets (just melt almond bark, pour over, and stir!) and this delicious Cinnamon Bun Popcorn. (click for the recipe... you should really try it!)

Ashley did a great job on the games. This video shows Dana and the cute baby bump, as well as her skill at recognizing baby items! She's going to be a great momma!

{working on it}

Pumpkin Pickin'

We invited the Sherwoods to go with us to pick a pumpkin for FHE!

Goin for a ride on the animal train.

My little tractor driver.

Maddie wanted to do this huge slide by herself! She was a little freaked out on the way down but said she liked it!


Funny lighting cuz it was getting dark... this is the one!

My little pumpkin was getting tired!




Fun was had by all! I love Halloween festivities.

Bye-Bye Baby!

Ella is getting so big and smart! Ooooo she is so yummy.

Sweet Grandma Johnson

Mike's grandma Myrtle Tingey Andrews Johnson passed away on Tuesday, October 6th. She was almost 95 years old! She has truly left a legacy of laughter and love. She was well known for her sense of humor and optimism. She had some favorite stories she always told about Mike... Once when she visited his family when he was little, she took Mike on the slide. When he got to the bottom he exclaimed "Fun fun fun!" We still say that in our family because of her! She was tickled by the idea that Mike was a twin and married a twin from Twin. We are glad she was released from mortal travails and reunited with two husbands and other family members in heaven.

Her funeral services were Saturday morning. The Andrews brothers as pall bearers: Seth, John, and Mike (L to R) . Mike was also able to play his trumpet with his dad for postlude music. Maddie sang two of her favorite songs with the other grand and great-grandchildren: I Am a Child of God, and Families Can Be Together Forever.

Maddie let Grandpa Andrews carry her to the graveside.


The children and grandchildren were invited to put flowers on the casket.

Ron and Alison (pictured above) came out from Connecticut and stayed with us. It was so fun to spend so much time as a family.

Here is a true representation of our day... Ella with sleepy eyes and Maddie being a Rumplestiltskin (as Mike would say).

Just as a side note, this is where I was planning on being that day... the timing was unfortunate, but I am glad I could be with Mike's family. Thankfully we were able to find a replacement for me. My awesome team ran 20 minutes faster than they hoped--go Hot Tamales!

I love my Alma Mater

BYU in the fall is intoxicating. Especially being there with my favorite freshman roommates, Erin and Jo. During Tuesday devotional. On a gorgeous fall day. With the bell tower pealing and Heritage Halls across the street calling me down memory lane.

We like to get together for play dates every few weeks and this time we decided to see the Bean Life Science Museum. It was fun to visit as the kids ran around the exhibits and oohed and aahed over the stuffed animals.

Maddie looked forlorn here but it's only because she just bumped her head. They were jumping up and down on the benches.

Ella hung out and ate cheerios the whole time. I just had to show her cute tights. By the way her first tooth broke through two days ago! Yahoo!

These strange animals with straight black antlers are called oryx(s). You can see their brother Rex in my sister's stairwell, here.
I thought this display was gorgeous, made all of butterflies!

It's so fun to me that our kids get to be buddies. Sophia and Will, on the right, are already sworn to each other when they come of age. :)

We ended the trip with lunch at the Creamery on 9th and delicious ice cream. Maddie loved pointing out the "Y"s everywhere we went. Another great BYU memory for the archives!

General Conference

Ditto to what Maddie said about President Monson: "I love him!" Conference was amazing! I love the feelings of renewal, belonging, optimism, and strength that I feel from listening to the messages from our leaders. There were so many touching moments for me, but I especially loved Elder Holland, Uchdorf, and President Monson's talks. What were your favorites? I am always sad to see it end...

To keep Maddie occupied we used an idea from the primary packet we found online. We assigned snacks to certain topics, and when that topic was mentioned she could eat the corresponding snack. Mike thought of adding images to make it easier for her. It helped her listen and kept her happy!

She helped Elmo color her conference pictures.

I thought it was cute when both girls were watching entranced. I think I like this kind of church... kids can play, eat, and sleep in their own beds when needed, and I can be in my PJ's!

During the closing hymn Maddie announced that she was going to play the organ too.

Grow With Me

Many of you know I love plants. In an effort to express and challenge myself, I have started a home & garden blog and will be posting weekly about various garden ideas, projects, recipes, and crafts. If you would like to follow along, go here! I also welcome any related questions--c'mon, fuel my fire!

I also had to share some pictures from our family outing to pick raspberries. Mike's sister invited us and we had so much fun!

I think my girls are so adorable!!!

When she wasn't running up and down the rows, Maddie was eating out of our bucket. Big surprise that we didn't have enough when we got home to make raspberry freezer jam! O'well, they are just as yummy fresh and frozen for smoothies.