Happy 2nd Birthday, Maddie!

I can’t believe it’s been almost two weeks since Maddie turned two! We had fun celebrating with her. She definitely understands the fun of birthdays…presents, people singing to her, and best of all CAKE!! When people ask about her birthday and what she got, all she says is cake. Here are some pictures of Maddie’s special day…

getting warmed up for the cake by licking the frosting off the beaters

This was the first time we all sang “Happy Birthday” to her. She was thrilled, and I think her two cousins got a kick out of her reaction, too.

SO excited!

We lit the candles over and over so all of them could take turns blowing them out.

Pure joy!!

carefully opening her first gift…

very excited about getting her own “puter.”

At another time, Eva came over to celebrate with Maddie…they enjoyed opening a present together.

Maddie was pretty excited about a train set from Mom and Dad.

Happy Birthday, Madelyn! We love you so very much.

Thanksgiving Fun

Our Thanksgiving was different than any other for a variety of reasons. First, we spent it in Phoenix; second, we spent it with my brother Brad (who is usually in Alaska or Montana or somewhere else far away); third, we spent it with my cousin’s family (many of whom we’ve never met before)! It was a fun celebration with a lot of people. The kids had a blast as well as the adults.

Thanks, Jane, for hosting an amazing Thanksgiving dinner. My personal favorite was the yummy cream cheese, pesto, and sun dried tomato dip!!!

The kids loved playing in the rocks outside Jane’s house.

My brother brad and brother-in-law Paul in the background hanging out before lunch

Danae, Paul, and Aunt Lorna contemplating how to get the beautiful turkey onto the platter without making a major mess

The men hanging out and talking before lunch (notice Mackenzie smiling big in the background?!)

Mackenzie took a liking to Lorna’s friend Carol. She was all smiles.

One of the tables of people eating…

the second table of people eating (there were lots of people!)

Mackenzie having fun playing on the bed in the hotel where we stayed in Phoenix

later at our house…Maddie and Isaac enjoying some hot cocoa

Maddie serenading Aunt Ruth at the piano

Mackenzie playing with the Little People and the barn…with her Uncle Paul

Maddie and Isaac reading books in Maddie’s chair

Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya . . .

Yes, “ya ya ya ya” is Mackenzie’s official first word(s), and now it has caught on with Maddie. She is suddenly reverting back to her younger, baby days. Mackenzie is just starting to show some interest in crawling/scooting, and surprisingly enough, so is Maddie. We’re loving how Maddie and Mackenzie play with each other more each day. Here are some videos and pictures to give you an idea of what it’s been like at our house lately…

The Latest Happenings, Part III

So here is the third and final part of my series. The following pictures were taken on Saturday. First we enjoyed carving pumpkins with the Penns. Then they had to get back to Redlands, so Mark, the girls, and I went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. It was such a fun day!

inspecting my hard work of cleaning out the inside of the pumpkin

The three M&M’s…and Maddie!

Mina is not amused in either of these pictures…she’s a fireman/woman, by the way.

The Latest Happenings, Part II

Friday was a fun-filled day. We went to The Village (Redlands Christian Home) for the costume parade. The senior citizens loved seeing the kids all dressed up, and the kids loved getting candy. It was a win-win situation. Here are some pictures I got from that event…

Maddie was a princess, and Mackenzie was a goldfish. Some referred to her as the “beached whale” since the costume didn’t allow for her to move around much.

She started out happy…

It was nearly impossible to catch Maddie sitting still. This might be the only shot I have of her where she isn’t “on the go.”

Aliyah, the bee, had to check out Mackenzie, the goldfish.

I’m not sure what Maddie is saying in this picture, but it is definitely something very important!

Can you tell this is near the end of the morning…when everyone is ready to be out of their costumes?!! No more posing for pictures!!!

This is probably my favorite one of Mackenzie. I can’t help but laugh when I see those big fish eyes staring at me.

Later that night we went to a church in town that hosts a Halloween night…”Halloween Happening.” Marilyn, a friend from church, came along and helped me with the girls. (Mark was busy all day shooting a wedding in Redlands.)

All Sorts of Fun Things

Here are some pictures from the last few days. Nothing majorly exciting going on…just the usual kid stuff.

Maddie had fun hanging out with Dad on Saturday.

He was busy studying, and Maddie was busy reading right next to him.

Maddie got a couple of hats from Marilyn…a friend from church who watches her and Mackenzie sometimes. She just loves playing with her new hat…and she loves putting it on “Kenzie,” too.

Our jazz combo is back together again! We first played together for my graduate recital and have had a couple of gigs here and there. We have our first official paid gig coming up in early November, so we’ve started rehearsing. Last night we rehearsed in the garage…so much fun!

And here is Maddie drinking her very first hot chocolate…she loved it of course!

Here is a video of Maddie reading to Mark as he was studying on Saturday…

A Couple of Videos

Here are a couple of videos that I got of the girls…kinda fun.

Ponies, Parties, and Friends

I feel like I have so many things to post…so here come a lot of pictures! We went to a birthday party this past weekend of one of Maddie’s friends who just turned 2. Maddie had a blast and even got to go on THREE pony rides! Notice the series of pictures…first she’s seriously anxious and uneasy, but by the end, she’s a real pro.

Holding on pretty tightly to Dad…

Dad’s still close by…

All by herself!

And here’s the birthday girl with her cool cupcake cake!

I had to post both of these pix…don’t you love how one girl is closing her eyes in each picture?! Mom Leonard, notice the cute “couch” they’re sitting on? I got it at a garage sale this weekend, and Maddie LOVES it! It reminds her of being at Gma and Gpa Leonard’s house.

We went to Oak Glen with a group of moms and their kids from church this afternoon. Maddie had a blast! Here are some pictures from our afternoon.

Our beautiful cousins

Maddie running with Cousin S.

Maddie and Mackenzie were spoiled by the cool older girls at Oak Glen.

Isn’t this such a sweet picture?!

And later today after getting home from Oak Glen, Sarah and Aliyah came to hang out with Mackenzie. Aliyah and Mackenzie had lots of fun while Maddie took a nap.

Aliyah tried so hard to get close to Mackenzie, but this is the closest that the Exersaucer would allow! She’s so sweet…always wanting to give kisses. We love you, Aliyah!

Time to Update Again!

My mom and niece got a great deal on airfare and planned a one-week trip to California! We’ve been trying to pack in as much as possible for my niece, who hasn’t been out here since she was maybe 5 years old. Below are some pictures of our time with them as well as the latest interactions between Madelyn and Mackenzie.

Maddie is so proud of herself, holding little cousin K.

One of Maddie’s favorite things to do these days is feed Mackenzie.

so happy!

Maddie loves to watch herself on videos on the computer…she could sit and look at our blog all day if I would let her!

We picked up Gma B. and Cousin C. from L.A. and Maddie crawled into bed with them in the middle of the night.

No, Mark is not a giant…we just forgot to bring the bottom pole of our beach umbrella.

Maddie loved walking along the shoreline with Gma B. and C.

Maddie was exhausted after a day at the beach! She cried so hard when Mark picked up her “bed” when it was time to leave.

Gma B. reading a story

More of Maddie feeding Mackenzie

Here’s a short clip of Maddie giving her baby some medicine…

And here’s a video clip of Maddie’s goofy side…

Recent Happenings

We have nothing majorly exciting going on, but I have some fun pictures to share. The first one needs a little explaining. It’s my birthday gift from Mark. He told me that he would take as long as it took to make an arrangement of picture sizes on our wall so we could finally get some family pictures up! We spent an hour or two working on our arrangement, and here’s our result. I can’t wait to post the final arrangement with the frames and the pictures!!

Mackenzie was so cuddly and actually fell asleep while we were working on our “tagboard pix arrangement.”

Maddie all cozy with Cheryl after swimming at Eva’s birthday party

This is probably one of my all-time favorites…so sweet seeing the two girls at the piano. It reminds me of my friend Kendra and me (even though we didn’t know each other at quite that young of an age).

showing so much concentration…even the tongue is sticking out

We got the sling that I had borrowed from a friend, and it came with a little hat. Even though it was about 78 degrees in the house, we had to put it on Mackenzie for a picture.

Maddie had a blast at a “playdate” organized from a friend from church. Thanks for opening your home and yard, Patty! We had a great time.

This isn’t the greatest quality picture, but I just love the shot of the two girls.

I LOVE this one! Aliyah is fascinated with babies and just loves hugging, kissing, and putting her fingers in Mackenzie’s mouth. We love you, Aliyah!!!

Maddie kept saying “dress dress” this morning, so I gave in…nice choice for playing in the dirt, huh?!