Park Shin-dig

The Andrews Clan got together at Kiwanis park last Saturday for some fun in the sun. Mike organized a game of kickball and fun was had by all!

Maddie followed her cousins around as they played 'kitty'.

These shots are hilarious! I'm glad nobody took a shot of me in action... :) (Mike above)

Sarah
John
Nick

Ryan almost made a home run! Uncle Mike had no mercy.

Mike's favorite thing to do with is family is rile everyone up. Somehow he talked Sarah, Rebecca, and Anita into playing "Chippy chippy chippy chip", a game intended to make you feel very dumb while laughing hard. I got a blackmail clip! :) Sorry the lighting is bad.

Sucker head

We visited family in Utah this weekend and it was a refreshing change of pace. I loved the break from cooking but I do have to say that we didn't eat very well... Dana cooked us some yummy meals but otherwise we ate out a lot and Maddie probably got sick of bananas! On the way home last night we decided to give her a sucker. She kept grabbing them in the gas station and we thought it was a good reward for being such a trooper in the car. We should have seen this coming... it got stuck in her hair!!! What a mess.

Our little monkey!

Dana and Landon took us on a tour of their new house ( actually the neighbor's house but same floor plan) in Saratoga Springs. We are so excited for them! It's a beautiful area and a huge lot. Maddie loved wandering through the walls!
Our little Bob the Builder

We also had a great day at the park with all the Andrews cousins... another post to come soon!

Our night out!

We gave in last weekend and went to the Strip for some entertainment (we usually avoid it as much as possible). It turned out to be a fun night! We took lots of pictures, so be prepared!


Our first stop was Bellagio, our favorite attraction. We heard it was awesome right now, and we were not disappointed!!! On a sidenote, my sister Emily WILL be working in the Bellagio floral department this summer! I don't think she'll work in the conservatory, but who knows.

This is a good shot of how amazing it was! There were 12 huge watering cans, blown glass poppies, tulip parasols hanging from the ceiling, and critters made out of flowers.

Maddie loved the butterfly house. Look at her incredulous face!

Of course Maddie would have loved to get in and run through the tulips.

She loves to 'help' push the stroller. The basket is just her height.

We stopped out front to watch the fountain show, but Maddie could have cared less. She just wanted to run around and dance to the music. She attracted quite an audience!

Our next stop was the gigantic piano at FAO Shwartz. I got a better video clip but it was too long to upload! Maddie loved it.

We ended the night with some cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Yummy!

UH-OH

We had quite the day yesterday. It began with Maddie trying to squeeze between our dresser and standing mirror, which resulted in a face-plant and fat bloody lip! Ouch!

The next noteworthy event took place while we were playing outside in the driveway. I was getting more confident that Maddie knew the boundaries she could play in, until all the sudden she was running into the road. PANIC! The main problem was that my calls of 'no-no' went completely unheeded, and when I scooped her up and tried to explain the problem, she just seemed to smile triumphantly.

The crowning moment of the day is captured below:
You might wonder why I have this precarious plant stand and clay pot with a one-year-old around in the first place. Well, I guess I just thought I could teach Maddie that some things are off limits. Unfortunately, she has developed sort of an obsession with it. Maybe it's because she knows she will get a reaction! It is common for her to sneak over to it, grab on, give it a little shake, and look at my with a sly grin, all while I am telling her 'no-no, Maddie, it could fall and hurt you...' Usually the experience ends with me releasing her vice grip and leading her away, hoping she'll catch on sometime! Well, I was in another room yesterday and heard CRASH and then crying. Maybe the best teacher is consequence... or maybe it was a lesson for me--secure the plant stand from curious, mischievous, rascally little Maddie! :)

I realize that she is learning about her exciting environment and testing her boundaries, but how do I teach her that some things are dangerous? Sometimes she understands 'no' and obeys quite well... but apparently not when it really counts!!! {sigh} I guess I have a thing or two to learn, too.

Rock a bye baby...

As usual, Maddie is that star of the show. I would attempt to post about something else, but let's face it... nothing else is as interesting! She is always learning something new. I have been trying to teach her to fold her arms for prayers, and yesterday I just asked her to and she did it! She has also caught on to the idea of rocking her baby doll and does the motions while I sing the song, repeating 'ra ra'.

Mmmm, I'll have what she's having!

Well, maybe we need some more practice on proper holding techniques...

Another new discovery is this little pillow. She will carry it around the house and plop down on it.

Maddie loves it when I play with her feet. {SQUISH!}

I also wanted to mention the awesome books I have been reading! If you know me very well, you know I always have my nose in a book. But recently I adopted the best reading tool EVER-- goodreads! I know I was kinda slow on the uptake, but better late than never. If you still haven't heard of it, it's a website where you can post books you have read and reviews, look up and mark books you want to read, and share ideas with your friends. My 'to-read' shelf is filling faster than my 'have read' shelf because there are so many great ideas out there, I don't have time to mark what I've already read! I will get to it sometime... but for now, I am loving my world of possibilities! Thanks Brooke, and others, for the encouragement to get going.

3 MONTHS?!

It's over, and that's what matters! Mike felt pretty good about the test, although he said the afternoon portion was a bit more difficult. Morning was breadth, afternoon was depth. We'll let ya know (in a few months) when he passes with flying colors!

The big bad PE

Doomsday. The day Mike has been studying for every night for a month... or longer. Tomorrow he takes the Professional Engineering test, and if he passes he will have authority to stamp plans as the official engineer of record. It's open book... or library!! Check out his stack.
Good luck babe! We'll be rootin' for you.

We love visitors!!!

Dana and Landon came down for Conference weekend to soak up some rays and Maddie time. They loved the 80 degree weather, especially knowing it was snowing in Utah!

Soooooooo silly...
Maddie playing pat-a-cake in a new little outfit (thanks Jill!)

Maddie really loved Auntie Dana... and I think the feeling was mutual.
We played outside between sessions. The park up the street was perfect for some bocce ball!

Thanks for coming guys! Wish we lived next door...

Giggles!

Not sure why this was so funny... :)

A day in the life...

I normally attempt to stick to one subject when I post, but I will admit this one is going to be random. Honestly, we have been pretty bored the last few days--maybe it's still the let down from visitors leaving and me wondering what I did before when I had a whole day to myself.

Maddie is learning and growing so fast right now! She decided to carry her ball all over the house this morning. It was pretty cute. Below, she's doing one of her favorite things... climbing the stairs! Actually, her very favorite thing to do is play outside. I am really wishing we had a (finished) backyard so I could let her roam a little more freely. We try to play at the park every day and she is fearless on the steps and slides. She is also fearless of dogs--in fact she loves them. She ran right up to a huge dog and wanted to pet it. She is a very independent and curious little monkey...

I'm so happy I finally caught Maddie talking on video! The beginning is her silly chatter, but at the end she says hi to ya'll!

Trying to put her own shoe on.

Yesterday she played with my necklace all day. I got out some of her bows to see if I could put them on clips and she enjoyed 'helping' me. We've got a girly girl on our hands!

Don't make me wear it, Mom!

After about a 3 month break, Maddie is teething again. Watch out! She is not afraid to express her discomfort. In fact, after seeing these tantrums, I am afraid to see what they'll be like when she's two. And her clogged tear duct finally cleared up after a year of tear-stained cheeks.

Bored as we are, we have fun together. I am really looking forward to a new face in the house... next month my little sister Em is going to come live with us for the summer! I absolutely cannot wait! She is studying floral design at BYU-I and is going to do her internship here in Vegas. She is waiting to hear for sure, but she may have an opportunity at the BELLAGIO!!!!!!!!! Can I just tell you how jealous, I mean excited, I am for her!??!?!? Mike offered to work from home so I can tag along too... do you think they'd mind? It will be great to have her around and to glimpse the local floral industry through her experiences. It's fun to have a passion in common. If you want to see her latest work, check out our family blog. She's got some talent!