Maddie's Blog

A Random Assortment of Fun

2012-01-21T07:30:00.008-06:00

I was syncing my phone to my computer and found a bunch of old photos that I had not posted on the blog. Some are from all the way back in November, but I wanted to post them because they were so cute.

One day I said it was bath time. Maddie went to hide. Somehow I managed to find her.

This cracks me up. I know I am going to get in trouble for posting this video, but it just makes me giggle. I found my poor baby like this one night (again - why I always go in to check on her before I go to bed). The funniest part is the video (below). My sweet princess snores like a grown man. This summer at the beach, I was sleeping in the middle of Maddie and Nick. They were snoring in tandem and I could not catch a moment of silence! I ending up just laughing. It was too funny. PS: please note the one shoe on.

Uncle (B)Ryan came to visit for Daddy's birthday. Maddie and I decided to take a personal day and hang out with funny Uncle (B)Ryan. We started with Barbie's in bed.
Then went to the zoo on a beautiful Fall day. It was a little cold for snow cones, but Uncle (B)Ryan really wanted one. The two of them enjoyed the HUGE snow cone.

Here is the photo of Maddie and Alec that I could not find for my Thanksgiving post. Look at the baby! Head all the way on the ground! What terrible adults letting this happen ... but how funny is this picture! Alec is almost vertical!

Too cute.

What is Maddie's favorite color you ask?

Mommy's rain boots.

This picture was taken at Nana's house over Christmas. We took Alec for a walk and Maddie and Amy stopped for a little rest.
In the airport on the way to Dallas, Maddie found a little girl to play with. The other little girl had a dolly with her. Maddie came over and just started grabbing dollies from her backpack (we had quite a few on hand). It was really cute.
Maddie and Suze enjoyed a little snuggle and some cartoons.
When we got home from Texas, Maddie decided she wanted to bring a "home lunch." The only lunch box we had was Daddy's Star Wars one. Maddie LOVED it and kept showing it off to everyone.

A very full doll house.

Lots of new sparkly shoes! (that was what she wanted for Christmas - Zsa Zsa said that most 3 year olds don't ask for shoes ... I think she is right ... oh well!)

Maddie made a gingerbread house at school.

So ... Once again, having a teacher mom is no fun. I was copying some paper books for my students and thought - maybe I will copy one for Maddie and see how she does. WELL! She did great! She read the whole book! Now, when you watch this video, you may thing "yeah yeah - predictable book ... of course she can read it." I think I would have thought the same thing until I taught first grade. I have had kids in the past who have not been able to read this level book. Also, she is doing two main things for emerging readers: 1 to 1 correspondence (pointing to the word she is reading) and using picture clues (this is a major reading strategy). I am really proud of her!

Maddie asked me to take this photo.

I came in one night to check on Maddie and found Flat Lamb set up next to her on his own bed.

I then found Maddie like this.

Maddie and I were so excited to go see Beauty in the Beast at the theaters. Maddie insisted on wearing her dress and bringing her Belle doll.

Exciting stuff! It was in 3D! Maddie now plays pretend at home and we go to watch movies at the "feaser" (theater).

Maddie got an umbrella from Yiayia with her name on it. It threatened to rain one day so Maddie insisted on bring it.
I came downstairs one day and found Maddie and Daddy playing football/baseball. Maddie was, however, in a princess dress and heals.

Daddy then wore this:

Dancing together. I don't think anyone saw this coming for Nick. Once again, Summer, this is for you!

Maddie loves books! This book was from Uncle Andrew, Aunt Summer and Caroline. It is a princess story book with Maddie's name in the stories too! She loves it! Every time I read her name in the story, she looks so excited and surprised. Love it!

It was the 100th day of school on Friday! Maddie had a lot of fun activities all day long. When I asked her about it she said it was the 100th day of school ... and now it's time to go to Kindergarten! She is 100 days closer to Kindergarten ... but not there yet!

A Great Christmas

2012-01-07T08:03:00.021-06:00

This was the first year that Maddie understood about Santa coming to our house. It was a lot of fun waiting for him. Since Maddie and I were going to be in Houston on the 25th, Santa came early to our house (very nice of him to change his schedule!). On the night of the 23rd, while Maddie was in the bath, Santa came!!!

Magnus was very excited about his gifts!
Maddie came downstairs - I just LOVE her face! It is too sweet! (if you are just reading this in the email version, to see videos, you have to go to the actual blog)

Maddie got started right away - it was like Christmas Olympics!

Maddie paused for a little bit to help Little Man open his stocking. So much fun! We all went off to bed - it was a wonderful first Santa Christmas.

Maddie and I hopped on a flight the next morning (Christmas Eve) to go to Houston to meet Alec, Amy, 'Neesh, and Nana! Nana had a tree all ready for Maddie to decorate in pink and purple. Maddie just loved her tree.
Maddie and Alec had on matching shirts ... by accident! They both just love Santa!Maddie had so much fun playing with Alec. Alec loved watching Maddie run around and around and around! I think he is looking forward to the day when he can chase her.

Christmas morning came and Santa had left a present for Maddie and Nana ...

Matching Tinkerbell pajamas!!!! Too cute!

Alec got lots of gifts but was not sure what to make of it all. He will know next year!

'Neesh and his sweeties. One is all girl and one is all boy! It is really funny.

Nana made the most beautiful wedding veils for Maddie. One pink and one purple. They were fabulous!

We all took turns wearing them.

Amy tried on Alec's new hat and scarf ... silly Aunty Amy.

We all got dressed and headed to Yiayia and Papou's house for Christmas Lunch. We had a great time playing all together. Papou and Alec hung out and were very silly.

Maddie showed off her picture taking skills.
The rest of time we just hung out and enjoyed having both babies around to play with. Alec started on solid foods so that was a lot of fun. Boy does he love to eat (just like his cousin ... and aunties!). He gobbled up everything and looked so cute doing it!

Maddie loved playing with him and talking to him. She just loved Alec.

And Alec loved her!

Alec had a special new noise to share with us all ... often. It made us all just laugh and laugh! (again - this is a video - to see it you must go to the blog)

Maddie did a lot of cooking. She got a cute new apron from NZ that she wore a lot.

Maddie and Nana made cookies and Maddie painted them. They were beautiful.

The weather was nice and warm so we went and ran around on the tennis court with Alec.

Alec mostly tried to eat his mother's hand.

Where did that hand go?

What a handsome man!

Maddie thought he looked pretty ... good thing his daddy wasn't there!

On the 27th, we went back to Yiayia and Papou's for Papou's birthday! Maddie LOVES birthday. We had a great time celebrating and Maddie got a ride in Yiayia's taxi.

Katie sent Maddie a special gift from Hawaii ... beautiful!

One beautiful day, we decided to go to the Houston Zoo - along with most of Houston! We had a wonderful time wandering around. We saw that giraffe feeding was at 2PM. We wanted to go watch. We headed over and learned that YOU get to feed the giraffes! It was AWESOME! I don't know who was more excited ... probably me ... but Maddie was excited too! We got a few pieces of lettuce and were able to feed the giraffes. Did you know their tongues are blue?

The next day, Amy and Alec headed home. Nana wanted to take Maddie on the carousel while I got my nails done (what a treat for both of us!). Maddie loved it!

The next day (New Year's Eve), we flew to Dallas to meet up with Daddy. Maddie could not wait to meet baby Caroline! We all got dressed up and headed over to Summer and Andrew's house to meet the newest cousin. She was just beautiful and so sweet!

A little rocking and she fell right back to sleep.

Uncle Nick got a turn holding her (had to pry her from my arms!) and I think it was love at first sight.

Maddie opened a few gifts and then was ready for a fancy night on the town with Summer, Andrew, Caroline, and Zsa Zsa. Daddy and I went out for a delicious dinner ... I am seriously still thinking about it! Mmmmmm ....
The next day, we went over to Uncle Jorge's house to play with all the girls. Nick's high school buddies have all had girls! They loved playing with Nick. Here he is picking them way up high!

Last time we saw Ava she was just a baby! Now she is walking around and as cute as can be! Where does the time go?!

They all had fun playing in the leaves.

We then tried to line all the girls up for a picture (Annabel was inside sleeping, though). Trying to get them all together and still and smiling was a little difficult.

Finally we had the daddy's step in. I newer version of their prom pictures.

Then we got all the mommies in. Look at all those girls!

We headed back to PopPop and Suze's house for a New Year's dinner. Maddie and Summer played with Maddie's new hair-do Cinderella doll from Jorge and Carrie. I am not sure who had more fun! Baby Caroline also joined in a little from her bassinet. Next year she will be ready to play dollies!

Maddie and Caroline had on matching outfits - skinny jeans and a "Perfect Princess" shirt. Too cute!

We headed home and Maddie got right to work in her playroom. She unpacked all her new babies and introduced them to everyone.

They had a little school time, too.

Maddie was happy, as always, to get home to her dress up clothes.

Thank you to everyone for a wonderful Christmas. We had a great time seeing everyone and spending time with family. Maddie especially loved spending time with her cousins!

PS: Maddie keeps asking when the next Santa visit is going to happen ... keeps asking and asking! We need an year long advent calendar I think! :)

Proud Mommy

2011-12-23T11:20:00.003-06:00

When we got Maddie's report card in October, I did not put it up on the blog. I did not want to seem too nutty (nutty, yes. Too nutty - no). We got her Mid Year Report though, and Tom said that it would be a nice thing to post so I will! :)

The end of year goals for a child entering Kindergarten (Maddie still has 1 1/2 years before going to Kindergarten) are:
- Count out loud to 30
- Count a group of 20 objects
- Identify all 26 letters

Maddie:
- Can count out loud to 39 (she can count higher if you give her 40 and 50 etc - she understands the pattern in counting)
- Can count a group of 35 out of 35 objects
- Identifies:
--- 24 of 26 capital letters (missing F and V)
--- 22 of 26 lower case letters (missing b (probably said d), f, q,v)
- Knows 18 out of 31 letter and digraph (th, ch, etc) sounds

I am going to start her reading some simply pattern and picture-clue books soon. She is learning so much and writing so well. She writes her name, Mommy, Daddy and Nana independently. She also likes writing grocery lists when I write mine. If we tell her how to spell a word, she can write it pretty well.

We are really impressed with her progress and very proud of her. Keep up the good work Maddie!

Just Some Stories

2011-12-21T06:25:00.002-06:00

I wanted to write down some of the first Santa stories so that we don't forget. There are no pictures - just some things I want to remember.

We were not sure how much we were going to play up Santa's visit. We figured we would just let it go where it went. At school they started talking about Santa on December 8th ... WHY?! Maddie said that Santa was going to bring her presents because she was good. I agreed. On December 9th, 10th, 11th and so on, I was asked if Santa was coming. We bought an advent calendar.

On the car ride home from school one day, Maddie was telling me about something she wanted (something small - shoes, a book, a dress - something like that). I said that maybe Santa would bring it for her. She then informed me that no, Santa was bringing her a princess doll. I told her that Santa could bring her both. Well ... this was just too much for her. She started screaming "BOTH" over and over at the top of her lungs. Can you believe it ... Santa could have gotten away with just one gift this year! Silly Mommy!

We were just sitting around one night talking about the stockings and Santa's visit and I told her that Santa is going to come down the chimney and bring the presents. About 5 minutes later she was standing there with a worried look on her face. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she did not want Santa to break our house. I did not get it at first but then I realized she was still thinking about him coming down the chimney. We reassured her that Santa would just simply slide in and out without breaking the house.

I am excited to see how she reacts to all the presents under the tree. Because Nick is working Christmas this year, Maddie and I are heading home to Houston on the 24th. We are going to do presents on the night of the 23rd. Santa is going to come while she is in the bath. Nick said that there is no way she is going to go to sleep that night. Probably not ... but oh well!

Christmas Begins

2011-12-19T06:36:00.006-06:00

Maddie has been so excited to get the Christmas tree out. We finally got it out one Sunday and had such a great time decorating. Maddie helped Daddy put it all together ...

Then she decorated it with just a little help for the higher parts.

(I love the face - she looks just like Nick!)

Working very hard ...

Sweet smileWe went to the mall for some last minute shopping and forgot that Santa was there. Maddie saw him and was really excited to sit on his lap. We were in play clothes so we had to do an emergency trip to Gymboree for a headband and red shirt. We waited and waited (Daddy was very good to wait as long as we did). Maddie hopped up into Santa's lap - no problem. They then started just chit chatting. He asked her what she wanted and she told him a princess doll. We then stepped back and they literally sat there for about 3 minutes just talking about who knows what. Nick has a video (will try and upload it soon) of them talking. It was really cute. So - here is our first Santa picture. Beautiful!

Wild Lights at the Zoo

2011-12-18T11:41:00.001-06:00

Maddie, Debbie, Sam and I all went to the St. Louis Zoo for Wild Lights at the Zoo. It was wonderful! We walked through the zoo and they had some amazing light displays. They also had funnel cake .... got one of those. They also had deep fried Oreos ... got 6 of those! They were truly incredible!

We loved this tree ... it was so beautiful!

Isn't she just the cutest?!

Maddie climbed a giant beetle at the butterfly house.

On our way to the penguin house - it was open!

Beautiful!

Maddie and Aunt Debbie watched the penguins - they tried to splash them!

We had a wonderful time at the zoo! It was the perfect weather and a fabulous time. See you next year Wild Lights!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T16:46:00.000-06:00

We had quite a crowd at Thanksgiving this year! The most exciting part for Maddie was the fact that Alec was coming to her house. She insisted on busting out all her old "baby toys" and all the things she used to play with. Alec arrived home to find Nana and Maddie dressed in their princess best.
We were so excited to see Alec use his big strong legs to jump in Maddie's old bouncer. He loved it! Maddie loved helping him bounce and cheering him on.

Maddie told him all about her toys and showed him how it all worked.

Princess Sarah (what Katie made people call her for about 6 months when she was in preschool) and Princess Maddie played a lot of dress up. Here are their royal highnesses all dressed up.

We went to Forest Park (on a beautiful day!) for some family pics.

Amy, Manish and my kumra (that is a New Zealand sweet potato), Alec.

We couldn't get Alec to smile, so Amy and Manish adjusted to his style. I LOVE this photo!Beautiful new mommy.

Nana and her bubbas

Nana and her boy
My mom told Maddie to go stand behind us. She ran up to us and put her arms around our neck. It was so sweet. She then was totally done taking photos and took off running. I had to bribe her with fruit snacks (I have learned to always keep a pack on hand).

Two mommies and two sweet babies. We tried to get one where everyone was smiling and looking at one camera. Did not happen - but I like this shot anyway!

Then it was time for Maddie to hold Alec all by herself. Well ... she was really excited!

Starting to tip ...

tipping ...

tipping ....

toppled!
(Amy actually has a fabulous photo where Alec's legs are almost all the way up in the air and head on ground - it is really funny).

We then took a little trip to the zoo to see all the animals. It was a wonderful day!

That night, Maddie and Alec talked and talked about all sorts of things. I love this photo - just hanging out.

Before Auntie Katie left, we got a picture with her sweeties.

Nana and her bubbas all dressed up in their red PJs and snuggled down. Sweet photo!

Couple Photos

2011-11-16T09:24:00.001-06:00

Maddie has started dressing herself for school. The outfits are always interesting - and always girlie.

Halloween

2011-10-31T08:48:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween!!!

We had the Halloween party at Maddie's school earlier in the month and she was Sleeping Beauty. She saw, however, that one of her friends was Tinkerbell and she decided she wanted to be Tinkerbell for the real Halloween night. Luckily we had a Tinkerbell costume passed down to us from Megan so we were good to go.
The only thing we were missing was wings. We went looking and could not find any that were reasonably priced so we went old school ... Mommy made them! A couple wire hangers, a little tulle and some thread and tah-dah! Wings!

Maddie got a face full of make up, including eye shadow. She was SUPER excited to show it off!

She also had enough hair for a bun like Tinker bell. She looked so beautiful.

After a little trick-or-treating, it was time to enjoy the candy! Maddie's favorite part, though, was handing out candy to the visitors. She just loved it!
PS: Sorry this post was SO late!

Visiting Grandma

2011-10-29T18:45:00.008-05:00

As a little pre-Halloween fun, we went to visit Great Grandma Hamilton in Cuba. They had a lot of fun stuff for all the kids and Maddie had a great time.
Maddie found the moonwalk and was a little nervous at first. After a couple minutes, she was a pro (and was eventually dragged out of the thing!)

Then we found a pony ride. Maddie loved riding in the wagon with the sweet pony pulling them along.

Maddie showed the pony her pony necklace.

We then did a little pumpkin painting. She was quite serious about it ...

... but eventually I got her to crack a smile.

Finally, Maddie got a butterfly painted on her face.
Beautiful.
We said bye bye to Grandma. We had a wonderful time!

First School Photos

2011-10-22T08:41:00.003-05:00

So, when the school photos order form paper came home in Maddie's Friday Folder, I actually started crying. I know - crazy. She is just getting so big so fast.

I went to pick up her school photos on Tuesday. They are beautiful. Nick wants to know how she knows how to pose since these were her first posed photos. I just told him to see the last 3 years of the blog.

Here are the three different photos. Yes, people ... we will be getting you your own copies soon. I am just going to buy the CD and make prints from that.

Uncle (B)Ryan's Visit

2011-10-17T06:14:00.008-05:00

We were so lucky to have Uncle Ryan (Maddie calls him Uncle Bryan ... so we are going with it) in the neighborhood. He was in Illinois for a wedding and decided to swing by The Lou for a quick Sunday visit. It was a beautiful October day (it was actually about 85!) so we decided we needed to go walk and play in the park. Maddie just loved having Uncle Bryan with her.
Who couldn't love this!?
Maddie had a friend to run and run with her (her favorite thing to do it run!).
Played a little airplane ... he does work for Boeing after all.

Maddie would sometimes fall down and pretend to be asleep. It was really funny.
What a beauty!
Asleep again
Then Maddie and Uncle Bryan found a stick to play with.
These are my artistic shots of beautiful Uncle Bryan ...

On our way back to the car. Maddie loved being on Ryan's shoulders ... it made her the tallest of all!
While we watched a little football and baseball, Maddie and Uncle Bryan did a little coloring ...
Uncle Bryan even let Maddie do his hair. She had to do it like a new born baby, though, because there is not a lot to work with these days. A pretty little headband for our handsome boy. :)
Thanks for a great visit Uncle Bryan! We will see you back here in November!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-16T18:57:00.014-05:00

We made our annual trip to Ekert's Farm to pick pumpkins and apples. Here is a little walk down memory lane -

October 2009

October 2010

October 2011

Maddie is taking one more and more of her father's personality. She is often less than enthused to take photos. She did like the little pumpkins, though.

She is as tall as a goat!

Maddie and I went in to feed the parakeets. It was a lot of fun. One landed on my hand and she pet it a couple times and then was done in there.

Again - just not into taking photos. Will do her pretend smile to appease her mother, though, which is nice, really. Totally in love!

OK, now ... this is just too much. They are making the same face not knowing that the other is making the same face. What am I going to do with my twins?
I LOVE this photo. She is just being such a booger!
Yeah ... you like that Momma? Yeah ... no more pictures!
After much begging, I got a nice photo of the two of them.
We made it out to the apples.

Maddie did not like it when they had any stem or leaves on them.

Action shot ... look at that face!
Mmmmm ... delicious!

Maddie needed up higher ... Daddy was there to help!
Mmmm ... good apple!
Hand in hand ... best buds.
Found some pumpkins.

Maddie ran to find some more ... and fell down just a little bit.
Then was up and running again!
Searching for the perfect pumpkin to take to school.

Found it!

Now ... if I can just ... pick ... it ... up ......... hmph
After a day in the patches, we found some ponies to ride. First time on a horse!

As girlie as she is, Maddie loves tractors. They are her most favorite toy anywhere.

I wanted one more pic before we left. Maddie was being a little silly and refused so Daddy threatened to tickle her ... which just made it funny.

We had a great time at Ekert's. It is my favorite Fall activity! Apple cobbler for dinner!

Catching Up

2011-10-16T08:56:00.012-05:00

Let's catch up ...

Maddie's bear needed a little work done. Luckily we have an in house surgeon. The patient is recovering nicely.
Daddy had to work on Saturday, but Maddie and I had some fun visitors. We had such a nice time just talking and playing with Grandma and Grandpa B! Maddie wanted to dance and Grandpa had a fun time showing her how to twirl!

Maddie showed off her picture taking skills.

Maddie and I wanted to go see the hot air balloon lighting in Forest Park. Turned out, however, so did everyone else in the city. We drove around the park for an hour ... really ... and HOUR! In the end, we joined Daddy at the top of the hospital and looked at them from there. It was actually really nice. We could see just how many people were there ... it would have been nuts.
School picture day arrived! When we got the form to fill out, I cried. Maddie's first school pictures. We got a new outfit and Maddie looked just beautiful.

I don't even know why I took this photo. I also don't know what the is about. Just cute.

Maddie also made a self portrait with yarn hair. I love this.

We arrived home one day to find a gift from ZsaZsa. It was a three layer girlie kit. Maddie opened the second layer and said "what's this? Pink and purple ...?" Well ... they were press on nails. We waited until the weekend and then ... tah dah!

Putting some lipstick on with fancy nails is not easy.
Maddie set up this shot and I was told to take it.

We went to the zoo on a beautiful Fall day and saw a lot of fun things. These photos were taken by Maddie. This is a lioness in a tree.Leopard
Us at the puffins ... with a silly face ... I don't know what that is about but she would not smile.
Monkeys ... look at the one behind her just relaxing with his legs up. Really funny!

I love the StL zoo. It is just amazing. Look how close we can get to everything!

Now that Maddie is in school, she has homework projects to do. This week's project was to write a book using speech bubbles. Maddie made up this story all by herself (seriously ... I tried to make a few suggestions and they were shot down). She did the illustrations and then dictated the words to me. I put it together in a little video so you could see the book and also see her reading it. Enjoy Princess Birthday, by Madeleine Hamilton.

A Couple Videos

2011-09-22T06:52:00.003-05:00

I forgot to post a couple videos of our adventures. Some mornings Maddie wakes up ready to go. MOST mornings, however, this is what I get instead. Sometimes cute ... sometimes a little ornery. Here is a little video of our morning fun.

Maddie and I found these ducks earlier this summer and I just forgot to post it. The white duck was not originally with the group. When he realized the others were getting fed, he made a B line for us. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry his plump body quacking the whole way. He was so loud and funny. We call him the "piggie duck" because he ate all the food we threw. He was such a pig!

A LIttle Maddie News

2011-09-17T18:19:00.004-05:00

Here is a our sweetie passed out one morning in our bed. Just too cute.
She and her dollies set up shop waiting for me to get ready.
Nothing better than snow cones on a hot St. Louis summer day. It was like 105 ... seriously.

We went to another Cards game. Maddie is becoming a pro at it. She already had her list of food items ready. She was eyeing the cotton candy guy from two sections over. When he arrived I had the exact amount of cash (THANK GOODNESS!!). The cotton candy was as big as she was.
Waiting for the train home.
We went to a different Trader Joe's for the first time and wow ... they have kid sized shopping carts. Maddie wanted EVERYTHING in her cart. I would ask if it should go in my cart or hers and I just eventually stopped asking. She had so much fun ... and it is now our supermarket!
Just a pretty picture one morning on our way to school.
The first unit at school was the "All About Me" unit. I posted her homework on the last post but here is her self portrait. I love it so much. Too beautiful.
Maddie helped Daddy pick out some new shirts. She went with pink and purple. He put the pink back but got the purple.

I have always wanted to go paddle boating in Forest Park but have just never done it (it has only been 6 years!). One beautiful afternoon, we decided to go. It was so much fun! Maddie was so upset she could not reach the peddles. They were too far away for her and too close for Daddy. They were just right for Mommy ... great. My legs were so sore!

Daddy and I went out for the first date night in ... well a while. It was wonderful! We found a new place with a table outside and rushed over to grab it. I was mapping it out on my phone on the drive over. We found street parking. I asked Nick if he was sure he wanted to park next to a sewer opening. I then stood up and felt something fall out of my lap. "Was that my iPhone? Did it go in the sewer (I joked)." Oh ... well, it was and it did. Luckily we were in Clayton and they don't lock their man hole covers. Nick pulled it up and we saw my phone sitting at the bottom - there was no water. It was just sitting there. 6 feet away. I could not just leave it. Nick didn't think he could fit ... so I took off my cute shirt (had a camisole under, of course), decided to keep my heals on (did not want to go down there barefoot ... yuck!) and climbed down a 6 food hole to get my phone. It was a great start to a wonderful date night. We laughed about it all night ... and probably for the rest of our lives!

Update

2011-08-25T20:22:00.019-05:00

A lot has been going on in the Hamilton world lately, and I have not updated in a while. I am going to do a big long update to catch everyone up on the adventures of our Peanut.

Everyone remembers the game from when we were kids called "Operation," right? It was a very simple game - don't touch the edges as you pull the bone out, right? Well, Maddie's daddy plays the real life version of that game every day at work. Because of this, Maddie has a much more sophisticated version of Operation at home. Nick's brought home a laparoscopic surgery kit one day and well ... Maddie LOVED it! Here are some pix and video of Dr. Maddie

She got a triangle!

A few weekends ago, I heard about a place called Crown Candy downtown. It sounded AMAZING so I dragged my poor family down there. After waiting about 20 min for a table, we finally sat down and ordered. Daddy got a delicious vanilla malt to start. Maddie wanted a little ... and got a malt mustache.

There are some less than beautiful photos of me eating my ENORMOUS (and delicious) BBBBBBBBBBLT but I shall not post them ... they are pretty shameful, really. After enjoying our lunch and a hot fudge sundae with salted pecans (mmmmmmm) we relaxed and rubbed our bellies. It was REALLY good ... but really bad for our hearts and waist lines.

Princess Maddie and the Sausage Prince of France in their castle. Maddie is really fast on her bike, now, so we decided it was time for a helmet. We bought Maddie a Dora helmet and a princess basket. We got ourselves ready to go and went for a bike ride in the park!

Ready to go!

Pause for a water break ... from my princess water bottle.

Maddie and I headed home to Houston. While we were there, the Puigs watched Maddie for a couple days while I got some work done. Link and Oscar were there one day and Maddie and Lincoln had A LOT of fun on the slip and slide.

Yes, she is wearing princess pearls.

A little snack ...

Maddie and Lincoln dressed up as princesses (I guess Link was more a prince in princess gear)They had a little lunch.
Link and Maddie had such a good time playing together.
Look how Lincoln is looking at Maddie! Watching out Charlie (that is Maddie's "boyfriend").
Uh ... the dressed up for a tea party. Yes. That is a dress. On both of them. I am in love with this photo. This is one that will be shown when they are 16. I just LOVE IT!

Maddie and I took Aunty Katie to the butterfly garden in Houston. We had a lot of fun!

Ken put on a Barbie dress for a wedding. Hmmm ...Uncle (B)Ryan came over for a little fun fest.
He and Maddie played with Strawberry Shortcake dollies.
and then watched a little Sleeping Beauty.
We went to visit Yiayia and Papou and Alexandra and Cristina joined us for a little play date. Yiayia's taxi service was open and she took both girls for a walk!

Maddie really missed all of her dress up clothes while we were in Houston. We were LITERALLY home 15 minutes and I looked over and saw this. Didn't skip a beat!

Maddie is getting good at her letters and her spelling ... this says Katie.
OK ... so we have a little more to work on, I guess.
Amy and Neesh got Maddie a subscription to Highlights for her last birthday.
Maddie loves reading her magazine at the coffee table.
A little tea party for mommy and Maddie.

Maddie and I made another trip down to Houston and Maddie could not wait to see Alexander! He is ALL she talks about! She loved him before she even met him. Once she actually did ...
well ... she is just crazy about him! Maddie followed Amy and Alec around all weekend. Maddie just loves her Uncle Andy.
Here are some photos I found on my phone. I did NOT take them. Someone got her hands on my phone and took a few of her own pix from our trip to Houston. Again, photos are either taken by or designed by Maddie. Enjoy.

Mommy turned 31. There. I said it. It is out there now. Yes. 31. Maddie and I did some shopping at the teacher store and then went to Five Guys because Mommy does not do dishes on her birthday ... and I love Five Guys! It was a nice birthday ... two gals at Five Guys.
It happened. Our baby is no longer a baby. She is now a big preschool going girl.
Here are a million and one photos from her first day at her big girl school!

Princess Backpack packed ...

First Day of School Over the Years
August 2009August 2010
August 2011
In the car ready to go!

Here she is in front of her beautiful new school!My new classroom with Ms. Dezzie and Ms. Jessica

Waiting ....Finally we went in! We found Maddie's cubbie (bottom middle) and got ready for our day.

I had asked Nick to come up to school to be there for Maddie when she was crying hysterically when I had to leave. We had a whole system worked out. What happened, you ask? She just walked away from me. No goodbye, no hug, no kiss, no nothing. I called her back for a hug and kiss (which I was sure was a big mistake and was going to cause her to cry) ... and nope ... hug - kiss - walk away. Seriously? Seriously. It really was great and I was very proud of her. She had a great day (and has had a great couple weeks so far). We love her class and adore her teachers. Maddie is making friends and learning a lot. She can spell her name and can write her M's.

Random Dance Sequence. Markettes (my high school dance team) ... here we come!

Maddie had her first homework assignment - All About Me poster. Maddie told me what to write for each picture. She wrote PINK, MOMMY and DADDY on paper and the letter M all over the poster. Click on the image to see a bigger version so you can read all about Maddie!
Relaxing after a long day at school.

Updates

2011-08-23T06:31:00.002-05:00

Hello all!

I know I have not uploaded anything new in a while. The main reason I have not is because ... well ... we ran out of room! That is right! I used up all of the space for a basic blog. Since, however, this is obviously not a basic blog, I had to break down and pay the whole $5 for an extra 20GB of space! Can you believe that? 20GB is the lowest amount you can buy! I wonder how much space I have already used up!

Anyway, there will be more updates of our silly and sweet Maddie. She is growing up so fast! She has started preschool and can spell her name. She is very close to writing it, too. Where did out baby go!?!

So, look out for a post or two over the next few days. I know Maddie's fans have been wanting updates. :)

Maddie's Photos

2011-07-03T07:45:00.005-05:00

Maddie has started taking pictures with my old digital camera. Here are some photos that she took herself (or set up herself) of her world.

Baby Alexander!

2011-06-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

Maddie was so excited to hear about the arrival of her new baby cousin, Alexander. Amy and Manish welcomed their new baby boy ... a little later than planned (like his cousin) ... on June 20 (another 20th birthday!) at 5:44PM. He weighed 8lbs 14.5 oz (WOW!) and was 22 inches long (WOW!). Everyone is doing well and we can't wait to meet him.

s

South Padre

2011-06-17T14:33:00.028-05:00

Maddie, Daddy and I headed down to South Padre Island for a week vacation with PopPop and Suze. We were very excited to get out of the rain in Saint Louis! Maddie did a great job on the flight down - she is really becoming a pro at this!

PopPop picked us up at the airport for a quick drive to the beach house ... but a little traffic doubled our car trip. It was actually a good thing because it meant that Maddie got a little nap in ...

and so did post-call daddy.We finally made it, though ... and it was worth the wait! Ahhhh ... vacation ...
We all put on our swimming suits and got right in the pool. Maddie LOVED it! She got herself a water gun and went to town shooting everyone!

Later that afternoon, we went down to the waves with Andrew and Summer. Maddie loved the sun ... but got a wave in the face and was not exactly pleased with the ocean after that.

We all got cleaned up for dinner. Maddie wore a dress that belonged to her mommy many many years ago.
Maddie was so excited that her Aunt Summer and Uncle Andrew were there. She just went back and forth between them.
After dinner we took a few family photos.

The next morning, the beach sun woke us and we enjoyed a slow morning. Maddie sat in her chair ...
read a little with PopPop ...
and found a present under PopPop and Suze's sheets ... a Rapunzel doll! She was so excited!
They had a little trouble opening it though ...
Finally, Maddie and Rapunzel and the pink baby relaxed in Maddie's tiger chair.
Before going out for the day, Maddie had to get her toes done.
She put on her Ariel suit and pink cowgirl hat and was ready to swim!
Water guns again ...

A little Daddy time ...

and then a bunch of beach bum behavior.

Later that day, Maddie's salon and spa opened up. Suze got her hair done by Miss Maddie and all her hair barrettes.
Mrs. A came over later for dinner. She and Maddie pealed and ate a few shrimp together.

I could basically say ... repeat ... right here. Wake up. Put on swim suit. Get in pool. Play.

Maddie loved the big float ... she called it a boat.

She could sit in it with all her toys.
Aunt Summer was drinking virgin pina coladas all weekend. Maddie developed quite the taste for them ... so she enjoyed one or two each day. Here she is with Keri enjoying a pool side beverage.
Daddy and Maddie played a little backyard golf.

(look at that form!)

The next day, Daddy was a little pink from the sun so we thought we would take a day off. We took Maddie to the Dolphin Research and Sea Life Center where they have touch tanks with sea life in them. Maddie had a great time!
Here she is at the touch tanks picking up hermit crabs, star fish, and sea snails.

We wandered around a little after the Sea Life Center and found some new friends. Maddie was not sure about Mommy's new friend. It took a lot of convincing that he was not real.

So I sat in his lap and pet his beard ...

put my finger in his mouth ...and eventually she came over and touched his leg.
Still not sure ...
Maybe I like him now ...
Happy as can be with her pirate friend.
"Daddy ... you sit in pirate's lap now." Really funny!
We then found a pirate without a face (that was how Maddie described him). Daddy showed her why he does not have a face ...

We tried to get her up there, but nope ...

so pirate mommy got up there
And we finally got a pirate Maddie!

We found another pirate for mommy ... Maddie was not sure she liked this guy.
We came home that afternoon and didn't skip a beat. Right back into the water we went! Maddie put on her floaty suit to practice swimming.

Later that night, we got ready for dinner. Maddie and Suze did each other's hair. Too silly!

The next morning, PopPop bought Maddie a new floaty suit (the other one was from last year and she was a little heavy for it). We put it on and did a little swimming. She was actually pretty good at it!

After a long swim, time to relax with a CapriSun and Suze.Pina Coladas poolside again.
Then we grabbed the old bread and headed down to the beach to feed the birds. Please note the cute little cheeks hanging out. I just LOVE it!
More cheeks ... they are just too cute ... I can't help but photograph them!

(my camera started to fog up as the sun warmed it up)

A bird came and took the bread out of her hand ... she thought that was hilarious.
We got cleaned up again and I took a few photos of Miss Maddie in her pretty dress.

Later that night I insisted on a family photo on the beach. Everyone was nice and clean and I made them get on the sand. While we waited for Daddy, I gave my little one a million kisses.
Family photo. What a beautiful background!
PopPop and Suze got a great shot with Maddie, too.
A few last shots of Maddie on the beach ...

It was a WONDERFUL vacation. We had a wonderful time and were all so relaxed after a week of sand, sun, and surf.

Hodge Podge

2011-06-10T17:48:00.004-05:00

Here are a bunch of little photos of our Maddie. Here she is in the bath tub before her hair cut. Look how long and how blond the ends were!

Maddie loves playing with all her toys in the bath.

We went out for dinner one night when our AC stopped working and Maddie worked out how to eat with chop sticks. Pretty impressive!
AC not working. Hot in the house. Maddie is fine. Fan on her. Sleeping across our bed. Too cute to move.
Maddie and I got all ready to go for a swim one day - first swim of the season. We tried and tried and just could not figure it out. We got all dressed up for nothing ... but I did get some cute shots!

We went to the Cardinals game again. It was a HOT day, but it was an AWESOME game! Albert hit another game winning home run. Pretty amazing! Maddie was really excited because we took the train this time. We went right by her school.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-30T20:19:00.000-05:00

We had a lot of fun this Memorial Day weekend. We did not do anything big, but it was so much fun! Sometimes those weekends are the best kind!

Daddy came home post-call again on Saturday morning. We gave him kisses as he went up to bed and Maddie and I went off to the Butterfly House (rain in the forecast). Maddie was super excited and said she was not going to be scared of the butterflies today.
We got inside and she was not scared! She did a great job. There were some beautiful butterflies - a lot more than usual, it seemed.
Maddie wanted to take some pictures, so here are her photos:

I wanted to take a picture of my beautiful butterfly and she was having none of that. Watch as my child turns into her father ...
That would be a refusal face ...
starting to crack ...

almost cracked ...
got it! ...
realized what happened and is covering the beautiful smile ...
giving up ...

"I'll get you next time Mommy. Next time ..."
I finally got a beautiful shot (I think I had to bribe her with something)

The next day was a beautiful day. Maddie, Daddy, and I (and much of St. Louis) went to the zoo. Maddie just LOVES all the animals. Today she really wanted to see lions, zebras, giraffes, and elephants.

We went into the reptile house and Maddie loved all the snakes. Yuck!

The next morning was Memorial Day! Maddie and I had the day off ... poor Daddy went to work at 4:45AM. :( It was a special day because it was Man Man's 10th birthday! Maddie and I woke up and made him his birthday cake (canned cat food ... a real treat for my diet boy).

I then realized that Miss Maddie's hair was getting VERY long. Since we are heading to the beach soon, I thought she could do with a little hair cut. Here is the before (which, yes, I know is beautiful but it takes forever to dry and I am just thinking of the beach, people!):

Here is the after ... about 2.5 inches off:

Later that day, Maddie wanted to make her own zoo. She sorted the animals by category and really did an amazing job. I did not help her at all! She put lions, tigers, cats, dogs and foxes in her princess house, giraffes in another area, water animals in another (hungry hungry hippos, fish, penguins, alligators, etc), monkeys in another, cows in another, bunnies in another, and then the elephant, kiwi and koala in another. I was actually really impressed with the thought process and how she sorted everything. It is fun to learn about her little brain.

Pop Pop and Suze Visit

2011-05-21T19:42:00.000-05:00

Pop Pop and Suze came in town for a little visit. Travis graduated high school this weekend and they came to celebrate with everyone!

On Saturday morning, Maddie received a present from Houston. In it was a full out Rapunzel costume (complete with wig, people!) was in there waiting for her. She freaked out!

We wanted to go to the Science Center and let Daddy sleep, but I was not sure we were going to get her out of the outfit. We finally did and I went to get Maddie's shoes and found this in them ... this is how she came home from school! She was wearing it like that for hours! She did mention something about sand in her shoes, but wow. That is a lot Miss Maddie! Half the sand box, I would say!

While Daddy slept, we went to the Science Center so it would be nice and quiet (although I am not sure he would have heard anything, poor guy!).
Maddie and Pop Pop and Suze stood right over I-64/40 and watched the cars go by.

We built and then knocked down the arch (that was a lot of fun!).
Later that afternoon, we went back home to get ready for Travis' graduation party. Maddie put on her new party dress and we headed out. Maddie got lots of love from everyone ... and LOVED it! She was so happy to see Sam. She just loves Sam (everyone does, really!).

Maddie also LOVES Malory (Travis' girlfriend). Maddie sat with the big kids most of the time.
Sam and her Daddy.
Congrats TJ!
That night, we all came home for a little rest and dinner. Maddie snuggled up to her great grandma Hamilton.

Best Mother's Day Ever!

2011-05-08T18:48:00.012-05:00

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family. Today was the best Mother's day I could have imagined! I woke up and Nick whipped up some peanut butter pancakes ... they were delicious! He also looked very handsome reading from the Joy of Cooking. What a beautiful sight to behold! :)

The weather was PERFECT - high 70's and sunny. Nick scored tickets to the Cardinals game so we packed up and I headed to the game with my Peanut and Cracker Jack.

Maddie had her traditional piggy-back ride to the stadium. So sweet.

I love it!

We had wonderful seats and watched the Cardinals beat the Mariners! Go Cards!

Could I look any happier? My baby, the game and some cotton candy! Just right!Maddie and I discovered that each time we looked away, something amazing happened ... so we took a bunch of silly photos of the two of us. Enjoy ...

After the game, they announced that kids could run the bases. Maddie was VERY excited about that. We went down to wait to get on the field and took some photos right at the edge.

Then we discovered that we were in the wrong place. We found the line ... and it was LOOOOOOOOOOOONG! We tried leaving the stadium thinking that because Maddie was tired and only 3, she would not care/know any better. As we walked out the door, Maddie looked at me with a sad confused face. I asked her what was wrong and she said "My run. My run grass." So ... we turned around and waited for quite a while. Maddie had fun playing with the bat we got when we walked in.
Once the line started moving, we got in pretty fast. Here we are walking down to the field.

Here is a little video of our adventures running the bases. We got out there and were told only one parent could run the bases. I thought it would probably be more exciting for Nick to be on the field than me, so you will see us switch spots.

You can't tell, but this is actually them rounding second base ...
And third ...
Here they come!

Home run!
Great view, huh?

A family photo after running the bases. Maddie does not like Nick's phone because she it has the reverse side camera and she does not like seeing herself on his phone. Kind of funny. As I am sure you have guessed, Maddie passed out after the long day. She was out cold.

It was the best Mother's Day ever. Thanks Nick and Maddie!

A Bunch of Silly

2011-05-07T18:25:00.001-05:00

Here are a few photos of Maddie that don't really go with a story ... just the silliness that is our life with Miss Maddie.

Maddie does not always want to go to bed when ... or apparently WHERE we want her to. I have always gone in and given her a kiss before I go to bed. It lets me check on her before I go to bed. It is just something I have done since she was very small. Now it is kind of something I NEED to do.

Daddy is getting in touch with his princess side a lot these days. Another photo taken for Aunt Summer.

We went for Maddie's 3 year check up and everything looks good. She is in the 95% for height and 90% for weight. That has basically been the trend the whole time. Here she is showing Ariel the paintings in the doctor's office.
Dressing up ... just 'cause.
Once again, I went in to check on her and found our little book worm mid sentence. :)
I found some gloves in an old silver purse. They were perfect. Maddie said that she was going to Cinderella's doll house ... it is big, not small.
Maddie also has career goals outside of that of being a princess. She also wants to be a princess doctor. I was very sick, or so I was told. Luckily, the doctor took detailed notes on her princess etch-a-sketch and I think I am going to make it.
Maddie said she was going on an airplane ride. When I finished vacuuming the upstairs, I turned around and saw this. The baby bed is the airplane and well ... Maddie must be going on a long trip because she pretty much packed everything we own.
Well ... I just don't know what to say.

More Birthday!

2011-04-27T18:19:00.000-05:00

Maddie is truly my child! She has made her birthday last longer than any birthday I have ever had! Pop Pop and Suze were not able to make it to Saint Louis because of the storms. They did, however, make it here later that week ... so let the birthday fun continue!

Maddie had a new present to open!

Now, this may look like the set of Barbie's she got at her party ... but they are different! This is a set that has sparkles on the dresses and one different princess.

So ... for the record, Maddie now has:

Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Tiona (Princess and the Frog), Repunzel, Snow White, Jasmine, and Ariel.

We will not run out of Barbie princesses any time soon. It is actually great because we can have some upstairs and some downstairs. Each night she brings a new princess to bed with her.

We met up with Pop Pop and Suze a couple nights for dinner. Maddie was so glad they were able to come up and see her!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-23T18:23:00.000-05:00

Maddie got all dressed up in her beautiful Easter from her ProYiayia. She looked so sweet.

On our way out to Warrenton for Easter lunch we could see some of the destruction that the tornadoes had done. It was very sad and very scary just how close they were to us. Here are few photos I took while we were driving (Nick was driving - not me!).

When we got there, Maddie opened up a silly Cinderella game that Zsa Zsa found! We tried to get the mice in her coach ... but Daddy was the only one with the discipline to really work until he figured it out. Maddie and Zsa Zsa just started throwing them in.

I wanted a nice family photos. Maddie told me I had to wear a princess dress and Daddy needed to wear a princess dress too. I wore my dress and daddy wore slacks.

Daddy had taken enough photos for the weekend, I guess. Maddie looks nice, though.
Maddie got ready to find eggs!
First a little love from Megan!

... And Donna!
... and now both of them! So much love!
The Easter Bunny came and left A LOT of eggs for Megan and Maddie to find.
Then we opened them and well ....

... yeah ... you knew this was coming! Sugar craze set in pretty fast.

We headed home after a wonderful Easter. Maddie was all smiles ...

... and out cold in 5 minutes max.

Maddie's Princess Party

2011-04-23T05:52:00.001-05:00

Well, the birthday week finally ended with a princess party on Saturday. We had some terrible weather on Friday night - terrible tornadoes ripped through Saint Louis. Because of the bad weather, a few people were not able to make it to our house. Here are the photos, though, so everyone can enjoy!

Each year Maddie's birthday cake has been a big part of the party for me. The first year was a beautiful giraffe made by Nana. Year two was the totally overdone garden 2. This year, I decided it would be only 1 cake. It was a Barbie princess cake. In truth, I think Maddie was WAY less impressed than I was excited.

We each got to make our own crowns. Everyone got very into the process. It was so fun to see how everyone's personalities came out in their crowns.

I thought I had everyone beat with my beautiful crown ... and then Grandpa Steve got started on his. It was an incredible camo crown. It was pretty amazing. We all decided that he won the crown competition.

Maddie got so much love from everyone .

And then the gift opening began!

Maddie got some new rooms for her doll house ... that house has more furniture than our real house!

Maddie also got "Tangled." It is SUCH a cute movie!

Maddie then opened a gift that was made just for little princesses like her ...

A 7 Barbie Princess set! Ken now looks like he is on the Barbie Bachelor reality series.

Then it was time for cake. Maddie got a little shy having so many people sing for her. (the first part of this video is Maddie with a balloon I found at Schnuck's. It was like it was made for a princess party!)

Maddie kept sneaking back for another little taste of the cake ... it was yummy and pretty!

We all took a picture with our regal crowns on. This is a classic family photo, I think!
After everyone headed home, Maddie and Zsa Zsa started setting up Maddie's new furniture. I think it was as much fun for Zsa Zsa as it was for Maddie!
That night, Maddie decided Mag needed a crown too. He looked very handsome.

Maddie Turns 3!

2011-04-20T06:13:00.000-05:00

Somehow, our little one is 3 years old. It is amazing how much has happened in just 3 years and how much she has grown. She is a talking machine and is the funniest person Nick and I know. She is such a joy and we are such lucky parents.

For Maddie's birthday, Nick and I bought her a doll house. When I ask her what she did at school, she often tells me she played with the "peoples." We thought it would be fun for her to have her own doll house. I ordered one online ... and it turned out to be a small mansion. Nick put it together the night before her birthday and we hid it behind a blanket.
We woke up on the morning of her birthday and Maddie was super excited! We put on a birthday outfit and posed for a few thousand cute shots.

How old will you be Maddie?!

Mommy may have gone a little overboard on letting people know it was Maddie's birthday ...
They had a nice birthday party at school. I asked what treat Maddie wanted to bring for her party and she said "Cheetoes and fruit snacks," so we did. They sang happy birthday and partied the day away!
When we got home from school, Maddie and I had lots of birthday fun.
I gave Maddie a lipstick to play with and she disappeared for a few minutes. When I found her (she was hiding in her princess house), I found this. Thank you Aunty Katie and Aunt Summer.
When we got home, we found a box full of beautiful cookies from Nana and Teddy. They were delicious!
Maddie knew something was hiding under the blanket in the living room, but she was such a good girl and waited until Daddy got home. She just LOVED the doll house!

I asked Maddie what she wanted for dinner and she gave me the most unexpected answer ever. She asked for chicken and scrambled eggs. We have never had that as a meal, but there you go.

After dinner, we celebrated together with an ice cream cup cake (see video as well). Maddie even sang to herself.

She was very happy with her blue cotton candy flavored ice cream.

After dinner, Magnus wanted to join in on the birthday fun.

We played with the doll house and tried posing for a photo. Maddie was too hopped up on sugar, though, to sit still.

Maddie introduced Barbie to her doll house family. Barbie too the daddy for a ride in her pink Corvette and then moved into the attic. She moves fast, that Barbie! Maddie thought it was very funny. Look at that face!

It was a wonderful 3rd birthday. Maddie, we love you so much!

Princess Tea

2011-04-16T18:18:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I saw an add for a Beauty and the Beast Tea at the Magic House (Saint Louis' Children's Museum). It was the weekend before Maddie's birthday and I thought it could not be a better way to begin her birthday week. Yes ... birthday W-E-E-K. She does not get much from me, but this she will learn. Extend your birthday as long as possible.

So ... we began the birthday week with a Princess Tea. Maddie got dressed up in her Belle dress, grabbed a crown and her doll and we were ready.

We loaded up the car and we were on our way!
I think Daddy started to get a little nervous at this point.
We found our seat assignment (yes ... just like a wedding). Note Nick's excitement.
Maddie and Mommy were having a wonderful time. We had on our matching yellow and were ready for princess stuff!
We started decorating Maddie's crown.
She was a little OCD about how many jewels needed to be placed in each section.
It was a beautiful crown for a beautiful princess.

Daddy ... smile. No more faces.
Good. Just like that. My twins. Princess #1 and Princess #2
... and back to the faces.The play started. It was cute. Belle had a beautiful voice.

We enjoyed cake, cookies, brownies, tea and apple juice. It was all very cute.

They were serious. No sippie cups or plastic here. This was the real thing.

The play was over and the actors came around to sign autographs for the kids. It was really cute and Maddie was so excited. I have never seen her like this before.

This is my favorite shot. She is looking for Belle and has just spotted her. She just kept getting closer and Maddie kept getting more and more excited.

Why is this taking so long ...

Finally, Belle made it over and Maddie was so happy. She showed Belle her dress and said it was the same. Belle was impressed.
Then the prince came over. Maddie was excited to see him too.
It was a perfect start to the princess birthday weekend. We all had a wonderful time ... even Daddy. He loves seeing Maddie happy no matter what it is. Note - there was one daddy in a tux. I am thinking next year, Nick needs to step it up a bit! :)

New York Fun

2011-04-09T08:15:00.004-05:00

Maddie and I were heading up to New York for a baby shower weekend. It is all Maddie talked about for days and days. One day she told me she was getting ready to go on the airplane to New York. This is what I found. I told her she did not have enough accessories for New York. :)
We left on a very late flight to New York. Maddie was the best she has ever been! She pulled her own bag, walked perfectly and was very well behaved. She was seriously the most perfect thing EVER! Thank you Maddie!
She asked for a muffin and well ...
After all the eating, Maddie helped air traffic control bring the planes in.
On the flight, Maddie set up shop. Finished her muffin and read a few magazines. She even let me sit and read my magazine. First time EVER.
Neesh picked us up and took us home. It was nice seeing the city at night.
Maddie did not see much of it. She fell asleep on the way home and then stayed asleep the rest of the night. She was worn out.

The next morning, Maddie decided that Manish needed some babies to sleep with. He is less than pleased with this photo, but it must go up. The joy of being an uncle!
Amy and Maddie played and played. They got down the Russian doll ...
ate some toast and cereal ...

Then Amy got a box of old dress shoes out. Well ... Maddie was in heaven!

Too funny ...
Then Maddie and Katie watched a little Toy Story and cuddled. Ahh ... aunties!
That day we went shopping, had lunch and just a bunch of girlie time stuff. It was great! Amy and Neesh watched Maddie Friday night so mommy could go out on the town! Thank you!

The next morning, Nana and Teddy came over. Nana had made Maddie a bunch of princess dresses and bows. Maddie was pumped!

Maddie and Teddy then had some much needed time together.
They drew ...
and played with stickers.
Finally, it was time for us to get ready for the big event. We all got dressed up and went to celebrate the boy to be!
Maddie was such a great helper! She was in charge of the almonds (which she LOVED to eat).
She was very meticulous about it ...

Amy did exactly what a mother to be is supposed to do at her shower ... relax!
Amy and Maddie then checked out the decorations ... they approved.

Awwww ...
All the girls awaiting a boy ... what are we going to do with him?! I think he may wear a few princess outfits if his cousin has anything to do with it!

There was a wonderful playroom. Maddie would hang out at the party for a bit and then head back to the playroom. She loved going with Katie because she is ... well ... pretty silly.

Teddy drove her fast ... as is expected.
Then she gave Amy and Neesh some love.
Then some for Nana.
After the shower, silly Katie squished Maddie.
After the party, Maddie was worn out.

I let her sleep for a little bit longer but needed to wake her by 5:30. She was less than pleased with me. She found comfort with her Nana, though. They snugglebuggled up and she was fine.
Maddie then helped the parents-to-be open their gifts. Maddie is very good at this.

Maddie found the best gift box ... yes, people ... that would be a Tiffany's box. Who knew they sold baby shower gifts! :)
After a long day, Maddie, her auntie and her cousin snuggled a little bit.
The next morning, Amy needed a little rest. Maddie helped.
Maddie then relaxed with a toddler game app on Nana's iPad. Pretty high tech little one.

We left Amy to nap and went to the playground right next to their place. It had some of the best slides I have ever seen! Maddie was really brave and even went down the tallest one! She loved it!
Mommy and Maddie and the big city.

Maddie could not have been happier to see her daddy. I think he was pretty happy too. Lots of love and cuddles happened right away.
What a wonderful trip! We can't wait for our next trip up ... to meet Maddie's cousin!