Silly Maddie!

Maddie understands when she is being silly lately. She thought it was pretty funny to put this on our heads.

I was eating some chocolate hearts the other day and Maddie wanted to play with the celophane bag. I figured it wouldn't hurt--she loves anything crackly. Well, I looked down a few minutes later and this is what I found. Chocolate was dripping down her chin! When I took it away (we steer clear from sugar as much as we can) she cried and cried! She is a child after my own heart. :)

Blueberries cheered her up. Those are good too.

Maddie's favorite place to play!!!

Okay, I have a confession to make... as cute and sweet as she seems on this blog, she is not always happy! (I'm sure you mom's never thought so in the first place.) In the last week Maddie has started a new habit--screeching! When she does it because she is happy I don't mind, but more often it is because she is not getting something she wants. I realize she is just trying to communicate and I try to meet her needs, but screeching is not good! I have just been tapping her mouth and saying "no screaming", but I had to do it about 20 times yesterday! Hopefully she will catch on soon, but in the meatime it's a little embarassing at the grocery store! Any ideas?

Dad makes me dizzy!

Here are a few clips of Madison on her favorite toy from Christmas (thanks Grandma Jensen). We love to zoom around the house at break-neck speed. "Scrumpy Pants" (a.k.a. Madison. BTW - I've got about 40 other nick-names for her) sure gets a kick out of it. Or, maybe she just holds on for dear life and hopes to make it to the end of her $0.25 ride in one piece. The other day I swear she asked me if she was tall enough for a roller coaster . . .

"Lauren Cam"

"Maddie Cam"

All Gone!

Peek-a-boo!

Am I funny or what?

NAME THAT CITY IN 6 PICS OR LESS. . .

Is this what a nuclear winter might resemble?

I was in need of some fog lamps for the ole' Integra on this drive.

I like the perspective in this one; how the lights draw you to the vanishing point.

Lauren said this was a pretty gate.


This was taken out the front windshield heading north toward home.


Check out the surface tension on those beads of water!

These were a few snapshots I took this foggy Sunday afternoon just a few blocks from our house. Did you know that Las Vegas is the driest city in the U.S. with only 4.5" of rainfall per year? By way of comparison Mobile, Alabama gets 15x that a year or 66.9". This happens to be more rain than Lauren is tall. After looking back at these images they seem to have somewhat of a dreary tone. I guess that's how it feels after 362 days of sun. Never fear, Maddie's bright sunshiny smile will return to the blog shortly.

I'm an aunt!!!

Emrie Jade Murray was born yesterday to my sister Noelle and her husband Zak!!! She weighed 5 lbs 14 oz--teeny tiny! Especially compared to Maddie, who was born a whopping 8 lbs 4 oz! We are so thrilled to have a new member of the family and a cousin for Maddie (on my side--she has 21 on Mike's). Emrie was born 3 days before her due date, and even though it was probably the longest night and day of Noelle's life, she did a great job and the labor went pretty quickly and smoothly. We can't wait to go up and meet her in person next weekend. Doesn't she look like a little angel? To see more pics check out Seven Spuds or Zak & Noelle's blog.

Right NOW

Last Sunday we had ward conference and the stake president said something that really stayed with me and caused me to think. He encouraged us to enjoy our stage of life and not wish for something in the past or future. He gave the example of empty-nesters watching all the kids at church and wishing they had theirs back, while the parents with the crazy kids just wish they could sit through a meeting and listen. While there are pros and cons to both, he suggested that we just enjoy what we do have and treasure every moment! I think that is a good reminder for most of us. I have been thinking of things that are unique to this moment in my life that I can be thankful for...

My girlhood dreams are come true... I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, and I live in a house (granted not my own but a house nonetheless).

I can go on walks outside in January! The sun does my body good, even though I miss the snow.

I have a constant companion who adores me and never gets tired of my company (Maddie).

I have time to read and cook, two of my favorite things!

I am my own boss and can do what I want (though some of it is work).

Even though I am far away from family & friends, I am making great friends here and I have a blog to keep in touch with everyone!

What is great about your life right now?

Just another manic Monday

I suppose I should post something today because it has been almost a week! Noelle informed me that she is dying to see something new, so here goes. Keep in mind, the real purpose of the Maddie Show is to keep doting grandmas, grandpas, aunts, & uncles up to date on the happenings of our little lady!

Can you resist that look? I just want to squeeze her and smooch those cheeks! Maybe I'll go wake her up from her nap so I can. Ha ha ha, yeah right.

Our recent enrichment craft was so fun! The wood blocks and letters were provided for us--I just spray painted them and Saturday night we had a girls' night to decorate and embellish them. I'm glad Jeanie came with me--maybe she'll post a pic on her blog too!

Here's a close up of the paper. I love it! The ladies that came up with these have also done BOO for Halloween and Noel, Joy, and Believe for Christmas. They are so easy and cute!
I put the first coat of almond paint on the desser this weekend. I still need to figure out how to do the dark glaze antiquing. The gal in our ward that gave me the dresser just found a matching mirror too! (She has been cleaning out her garage.) I haven't decided if I'll use it... what do you think?

I am still laughing about this. I didn't know she was capable of being so sneaky! I was finishing my book (Sense & Sensibility, so good!) while laying on the floor of Maddie's room where she had been playing. She ventured into the bathroom next door and I didn't think anything of it because she loves to go hang over the bathtub and play with her bath toys. She has never paid attention to the TP before... guess I will have to keep a better eye on her when she makes a beeline for the bathroom! :)

I am so proud of little Maddie! This morning was the first time she walked behind her bike without me steering! She also stood unsupported a few times today for longer than she ever has. She is getting close to walking on her own! I'm sure you'll hear about it when she does!

Weekend catch-up!

We always have lots of pictures from the weekends, even if we don't do much except hang out together. The likely explanation for that is the camera is practically glued to Mike's finger! He loves to find artistic shots in everyday life, as well as record every waking minute of Maddie's existence. :)

A bath 'do

One of Maddie's favorite things to do...

Doing leg lifts! And one, and two, and three...

Yet another clapping video... it's just so cute! The funniest part is that she claps whenever she see's or hears even a video of us singing.

Mike & Maddie played at the church while I decorated a bulletin board for our ward. Here are some shots of their adventures.

A chair ride up and down the long hallways...

This was the scene when we left the church. So pretty! A horsey ride

This is what I did this weekend. I started sanding and priming an old dresser to go in our bedroom. It will be 'almond' with dark glaze antiquing when I'm done.

Where do you stand?

Mike's sister put this little quiz on our family website and it was just what I had been looking for. We have been talking politics around the house (crazy I know!), mostly just piecing together what we each hear on NPR, the news, and CNN.com throughout our days. For the first time I am really curious about the whole election and I have been wanting to figure out where I stand personally, so this really helped! If you have a minute take it and let me know what you think. There are only 20 questions, and you can click on each question for more details before you decide.

I am ashamed we aren't registered to vote in Nevada yet because the caucuses are here next weekend. We support Romney because we think this country needs someone with family and moral values who will support life and liberty, deal with illegal immigration, and pull our country out of economic instability! I saw the funniest slogan on a blog: I'm sMITTen! Romney for President!

10 months and counting!

It is completely unreal to me that Maddie is already 10 months old. That means she is only 2 months from her first birthday... holy smokes. I almost wish I could stop her from changing right now becuse she is just so sweet and charming (she doesn't know how to be naughty yet). Then again, I think every stage is more fun and exciting than the one before, so I know we'll continue to enjoy the journey.

Yesterday I sang "When you're happy and you know it clap you're hands" and was surprised that she started clapping! We practiced some more and performed for Daddy when he got home. It is so amazing to watch a child develop--sometimes things just click suddenly and they get it, and other things take practice and development (like crawling or walking). Maddie amazes me every day!

This is pretty much her favorite thing to do. As soon as she has a good grip she just goes!!! It won't be long...

Delicious & Nutritious

Last weekend I broke out my new Christmas presents and made wheat bread. I ground my own wheat flour and used half wheat half white for the first trial. I was surprised at how well it turned out, and it wasn't even that hard! We have been eating it like candy... in fact, Mike ate half a loaf in one sitting!
Over the weekend we watched Ratatouille (very cute, by the way) and it made me want to cook something nice for Sunday dinner. We ended up with broiled salmon steaks seasoned with lemon and dill, whole grain rice mix (care of Pasta Roni :), and berry spinach salad (my rendition of a delicious salad from a restaurant called Zupas, including greens, blueberries, raspberries, almonds, and a sweet cinnamon dressing). Surprisingly I happened to have all the ingredients I needed without planning ahead--I love it when that happens! It was pretty tasty, if I may say so myself... a good example of how nutritious food can also be delicious!

Maddie loves to play Peekabo lately. Sometimes it really gets her laughing, which is just SO cute!!! Where's Maddie?
This video cracks me up.