Family Snow Day!

We had been waiting for the holidays to pass us so we had time to make it up to the snow for the first time as a family of 4. Thanks to our friends and family who lent us snow gear, we were able to outfit the kiddos, and ourselves, with everything necessary to ensure we stayed toasty warm and had tons of fun. The day was absolutely gorgeous! Not a cloud in the sky, and the place we found was perfect. 3 hills and no more than 8 people there, so we had plenty of free space to roam. As you can see in the pictures, Connor wasted no time getting into action. He went down the very first time and didn't want any help... very brave! It's not like we have spent much time sledding, so his bravery caught us off guard, but we were so happy he enjoyed it so much without being scared. Maddie was absolutely adorable, all bundled up in her winter gear. The little snow princess enjoyed herself as well. We had a toddler toboggan that we strapped her into and pulled her around in. She always kind of had a look of slight confusion on her face, but we could tell she was enjoying her new adventure. We are so blessed to have wonderful children that not only make these memories so special, but they let us know that they appreciate them as well. Until next time, cheers!

Madeline's Birthday Bash

 This past Saturday, January 5th, we hosted Maddie's birthday party at our home. It was a Winter One-derland theme and we had such a fabulous time. She seemed to enjoy all the family and friends visiting and especially liked playing with the balloons. We had about 45 people there which made for a great celebration! We had lots of help to help pull it off... my mom came the night before to help prep, Grandma Jill and Aunt Lori made gorgeous cookies, my friend Ronda also made some yummy cookies, Mal got the balloons, Grandpa Dave helped pick up the pizzas from Costco, and Mandy helped me clean up... Seriously a team effort! We had personalized coloring books for the kids and craft activities where the kids could make snowflakes, snowmen, or snowflakes frames. They seemed to like that, but the crafts didn't keep the kids downstairs. We all ended up in the loft where the kids enjoyed playing with all the toys! Mimi helped me clean it up afterwards and we only suffered 1 piece of chalk smooshed into the carpet and few broken toys. Not bad at all for the amount of kids we had over! Maddie got to indulge in her first dessert... a strawberry cupcake with pink frosting. It was actually only a half cupcake, because Michael swiftly took half of it away while she was distracted in hopes of avoiding a sugar shock to her system! She seemed to like it (must've got her mama's sweet tooth!). Below are some pictures of the event- because we know Madeline won't remember it at all!

Our family of four!

The kids with their wonderful, amazing grandmas! 

Madeline and her Auntie Mal

The "Kid's Table"

Connor enjoying the coloring station... with personalized coloring books!

My sweet, sweet friends. I am so blessed to have these girls in my life!

Maddie apparently couldn't take her eyes off the cupcake for a quick picture!

Enjoying her cupcake! Yum!! 

Maddie with her Uncle Chad

The Harden Family with Grandma Jill! So nice of family to come up for our party!

Amy and Ricky and Great Grandma and Grandpa made the trip up!

The Loft in ACTION!

Delicious desserts... Grandma's Sugar Cookies, Pretzel "Icicles", and cupcakes

Slideshow on the computer and favors (hot cocoa with snowman marshmallow lollipops) 

Doesn't every one-year-old need a personalized wreath for their winter wonderland party?

Decorations! Thanks to the help of Grandma Jill and Mimi!

Goodies for the Hot Cocoa Bar... seemed like a hit!

Maddie's Monthly Pictures 

Madeline is 1!

Our sweet Madeline is one! How is that possible? It seems like it was just yesterday that I was standing in our bathroom, not quite sure if it was the “real thing.” Michael had gone to get Connor up and ready, just in case and was starting to prep him that this might be the day that we got to meet his little sister. The labor progressed so quickly that we barely made it to the hospital before she was born. It truly seems like just yesterday that I embraced her in my arms and we all became totally consumed by her perfection. I remember the moment that Connor met her so clearly… his eyes sparkled and his face just glowed with excitement and love for her. We came home with our precious gift the next day and easily settled into our new family of four. Maddie has always had a quiet and content personality, which made her first year just fly by. Michael and I were more confident and relaxed this time around, which I think allowed us to savor each moment a little more. 

It’s really amazing how much a child develops and changes in that first year of life. Madeline has such a sweet personality. She lights up when one of us come into the room. She especially loves her big brother and is quick to laugh at his songs and silly faces. She is a snuggle bug and has this sweet way of clinging to you that just melts your heart completely. She’s beginning to give kisses where she leans her head in towards your lips. Man, it’s the sweetest thing! She has also started waving which is just the cutest thing! We noticed that Maddie had a tooth break through on Christmas Eve and it’s slowly making its way up. She’s been taking a few steps here and there, but then on her actual birthday, she began walking much more independently. She’s a great little eater! She eats pretty much anything we eat. She still gnaws on veggies and seems to enjoy snacks and meat best (especially turkey dogs and turkey sausage!). We’ve introduced whole milk in a sippy cup this week during her time at daycare (because I’m done pumping at work!) and she seems to be taking to it just fine.  Although when I got home from work yesterday, I tried to offer her the sippy cup instead of nursing her and she spit out the milk all over both of us! Weaning might be a slow process with her. She’s sleeping well… she’s usually asleep by 7:30pm and wakes between 4am and 6am to nurse. If she wakes early, she’ll go back to sleep until 6:30am or 7am. Over the last couple weeks, she’s dropped down to one nap. She is super easy to put down for naps and bedtime… we just give her a binky and her pink blankie and she settles in and gets herself to sleep… no rocking, nursing, singing, etc. required! Maddie has mastered climbing the stairs and will dart to them anytime we forget to close the baby gates. She likes cruising around the kitchen and will often open every cupboard, looking inside and maybe removing one or two items before moving onto the next cabinet or drawer. She seems to enjoy music and will often bounce or move her hands around to the beat. Bath time is fun and she often smiles when I get the water running in anticipation of a bath. We still bathe her in the laundry room sink, and she seems to like it a lot. She play with bath toys, frequently tries to stand up during bath, and cries when I get her out. One of her favorite activities is peek-a-boo.  In fact, she’ll often initiate this game with one of us…Hiding behind the drapes, around a corner, or lifting a blanket to cover her face. It’s absolutely adorable! She babbles often and has recently developed an attention-seeking scream. It catches us off guard since she’s such a quiet baby, but she is good at letting us know what she want. Maddie also points frequently with a quiet grunt to communicate with us. We’ve been working on signing with her, and she has signed “more” and “all done” a few times. She often signs  “up.”

Michael took Maddie to her 12 month well baby check up with Dr. Jain a few days ago. She weighed in at 21 pounds, 3 ounces and is 2 feet, 4inches tall. Everything checked out perfectly!

Maddie Girl, you have brightened our lives beyond belief. I often hold you and try to take in all of your wonderfulness… your sweet smell, your soft skin, your snuggly touch, and your content personality. You are my dream come true for my daughter. I feel like you and your brother are direct gifts from God to your daddy and me. Every ounce of you is perfect. I’m so blessed to be your Mom! I look forward to this next year, making memories with you and watching you grow and develop!

Happy New Years!

Hard to believe it's 2013! Time just flies by when you are blessed like we are. 2012 was a year filled with joy, love, laughter, and discovery as we welcomed Madeline into our lives and became a family of four. Connor has grown and matured so much and is really an outstanding big brother. When discussing resolutions with Connor, he stated: "Well, I'd like to go out more, like to Chuck E. Cheese." He then came up with some other good resolutions, which turned into more of hopes and wishes, like hoping his preschool continues to go well and that his friends are all happy. He's such a sweetie. We talked about goals for 2013 and Connor's goals are to practice golf more and to learn how to write more words. ;-)

Here are some pictures of how we brought in the new year:

Making smores with Daddy. 

Doing sparklers out front. 

Watching the Old Sacramento firework show from the sunroof of our car. Mommy and Connor drove to Raley Field to watch them while Daddy stayed back with Madeline who was sound asleep. 

Celebrating Christmas

Impossible to get all three kiddos looking... but still beyond adorable! 

Poppy and Connor sharing the traditional chex mix! 

Celebrating with the Bollengier Family

Buddies!

Posing in front of Bonnie and Gary's wedding cake... perhaps a preview into the future???? 

Special Christmas dress from Mimi.

In addition to Christmas, we celebrated Bonnie and Gary tying the knot! 

Santa visited our house!!! Connor was beaming with excitement!

Maddie taking a stroll in the baby doll stroller. She's growing up too fast!

Auntie Mal with her loves. 

Connor chose presents to give to us this year and I got decked out in princess gear! He made me feel very special!

Mimi getting snuggles from the grandkids.

Connor's letter to Santa... among his requested items... Bisquick, orange juice, and pink shoes for Maddie. 

Saying goodbye to Louie, our Elf on Christmas Eve. We will miss you Louie! 

Christmas morning! Santa came and was very generous!

Maddie with her first car... she loved it! Thanks Grandma and Pops!

Grandma and Pops spent Christmas day with us and spoiled our kids beyond words! Thank you guys for spending the day with us!

Connor with his new hot wheels track! Very cool!

More Christmas Festivities

Watching Santa come by our house on the West Sacramento Fire Truck

Louie, our Elf on the Shelf left Connor a special message on the computer.

Connor had fun making his gingerbread house... he spent a lot of time and put in great detail! 

Making sugar cookies with Auntie Mal and Mommy... Connor was very generous with the icing and sprinkles!

Louie the Elf sometimes got into some mischief when we were sleeping!

Connor really looked forward to seeing what Louie was up to each morning and loved searching for him and reading his special notes and jokes. Louie helped make our December extra magical!