The Latest Happenings, Part I

Sorry it’s taken me so long to post again! Life has just been crazy, and we’ve been enjoying every minute of it (at least most minutes of it). I am posting a bunch of pictures in a series since we have so many fun Halloween shots. This first post is of a week or more ago…just the normal day-to-day stuff.

Someone left these sunglasses at our house, and Maddie loves them! (Cheryl, are they yours?!)

Maddie is loving playing with Mackenzie more and more each day…so fun.

Dad posing with his girls

We were hanging out with the Penns and thought it would be fun to attempt a group “kid” shot. The Penns look great, but the Leonards aren’t quite as cooperative.

Maddie’s favorite place to play with Mackenzie is inside our toy storage ottoman. She could stay in there forever; Mackenzie, on the other hand, gets a little sick of it after a short time.

This one is classic…it shows Maddie’s goofy side. She just laid down on the kitchen floor, and then Mina laid down beside her. Then she insisted that Mark lay down beside them…pretty cute (Mark wasn’t as excited about it).

picking out pumpkins at Oak Glen last weekend

Maddie got two hats from a friend and loves playing with them…and forcing others to put them on as well.

I just love this one of Mackenzie. She’s been so happy and content ever since she started sitting up on her own.

Maddie with Pig Tails

Maddie’s hair is finally long enough for tiny pigtails. Thanks to all of the Wagner girls (Maddie and Mackenzie’s sitters while I work), the first thing out of Maddie’s mouth every morning now is “ponies, Mom.” It’s so fun to have hair to do things with now! Hope you get a kick out of the pictures and the video…they crack me up!

I just realized that all of the above pictures show a partially naked Maddie…really, I do put clothes on her.

A Vacation Update

It’s been busy so I haven’t had a chance to post anything in the last few days. We left my dad’s house and are now at my mom’s house in Fargo.

We have been having an awesome time everywhere we go, and Maddie especially is loving all of the time with cousins and other family. She definitely wears herself out every day!! We have a common exchange every morning that goes something like this:

Jill: “Guess what we get to do today?!!”
Maddie: “DADDY!!!!!”
Jill: “We’ll see Daddy soon but just not yet.”
Maddie: “DADDY!!!!”

All in all, we’re having a blast, but we sure miss DADDY/MARK!!!

Missing Mark/Dad

Hey, all.

Sorry for the long period of time between posts, but I figure you’re used to it by now. I would try to explain myself, but I just seem to keep taking forever to post things!!

Maddie, Mackenzie, and I are currently in MN with my Dad and Vicki and will be heading to Fargo to see my mom in a few days. We miss Mark terribly and aren’t sure if next year’s vacation will be quite as long without him. To get him through his extended time as a bachelor, I’m going to post some videos that I’ve been taking of the girls.

Sorry if it gets boring to some of you out there who check out our blog, but it’s all for you, Mark!! We love you and can’t wait to see you in a couple of weeks!!! I will post some videos later after Mackenzie is in bed (which could still be awhile yet).

Love, Jill, Maddie (your little bean), and Mackenzie (your littler bean)

More Videos

It’s hard to tell in this video if Mackenzie is smiling at the music and toys of the playmat or at her big sister Maddie. I’d like to think it’s Maddie who’s making her smile.

This is a little long, but if you make it to the end, you’ll hear Mackenzie make a few little cooing sounds.

Maddie Reading with Expression

I know I’ve posted a video of Maddie reading before, but now she’s starting to read with more expression, and it’s so darn cute! Her reading time doesn’t last long since she always stops when she sees me.

Thanks, Gpa and Gma Leonard!

Maddie was excited to open a package from Gpa and Gma Leonard yesterday. Here is a video of her enjoying her present…

Mark Leonard Imaging Blog glitch

Many of you have noticed that the Mark Leonard Imaging blog is out of commission. The problem is temporary and we’re working to fix it. Please keep checking. It’ll be back up soon.

Thanks for your patience!

Maddie’s One-Year Photos

I am so pumped because Mark just finished processing A LOT of pictures of Maddie that he took about a month ago!! They were taken around her first birthday, so we have official one-year photos.

If you’re interested in taking a look, go to Mark’s Gallery Site. The first set of pictures were taken when she was six months, so just keep looking, and you’ll be able to tell when her 1-year pictures start. (The beginning of her 1-year photo shoot is when she’s in the striped fleece sweatshirt).

Family members, try to pick your favorite two or three pictures because I plan on ordering a bunch at one time and sending them out to you! (It might be hard to narrow down your choices, though).

Thank you, Mark. That’s the best Christmas gift ever!

Pictures and Videos…Finally!

So I finally got around to putting up some pictures and videos! Thanks for your patience. The first video was taken sometime last week when Maddie should have been napping but was playing in her crib instead. The second one was taken a few days ago in the new house…she has loved throwing things out of boxes and suitcases, as you can see by the video…

Some pictures of our mess before moving



Julie clearing out Maddie’s room


Sarah and Aliyah taking a food break…I wish I would have gotten a picture of Aliyah in the Baby Bjorn. Sarah just moved stuff with her right beside her in the carrier!


The assembly line of hauling tubs…



One of the big trailers that we used, thanks to a friend


More of the movers…taking a little break before heading to the new house


A student of mine came with his dad to help us…I couldn’t resist taking this picture of him inside the other trailer.


Hanging out before heading to the new house

Once we got there, we had a bit of a problem. I had given the only key to someone who went to get pizza, which means that all of the movers were waiting outside for awhile until the house key arrived. Thanks for your patience, everyone. Once the door was opened, though, the rest of the move went lightning fast!






After getting everything in, we relaxed and enjoyed some pizza, soda, and beer.







When we woke up on Monday morning, there was ICE on our car! Since we didn’t have a scraper (who needs scrapers in CA??), we just had to be patient while our cars warmed up.


Maddie having a blast after cleaning out a suitcase