Addicted...

My goal was for Madi to not watch TV until she was two, but Taylor (the girl I watch) falls asleep best to a movie so after lunch we put on a Disney movie. Now, Madi is addicted!!! :D

Left to right: Madi, Darby and Taylor (Darby is Taylor's sister. She's out for Christmas break.)She's so cute!!!

On Christmas she watched basketball with her dad and I noticed that she was glued to the TV so I started talking to her and trying to get her attention. After three or four minutes Derrick blocked the TV and she cried! She really doesn't get to watch it very much but I am shocked at how fast she gets mesmorized by it!

An update on our week...

Since I still wasn't getting better, I went to the doctor Monday. They did some blood tests and sent me on my way with a perscription for an eye infection. Thursday they called and said my white cells were high which indicates a bacterial infection so they called in an antibiotic and they told me I have epstien bar virus. Since it is a virus the only thing to do is get plenty of rest and drink fluids. At least I know why I'm not getting better. Hopefully it will go quickly.

Madi tried rice cereal this week. She is not a fan. She is getting so close to rolling from her back to her tummy. She is still droolin' away but no teeth. I love the drool picture of her because it is exactly how she is! She is getting chunky EVERYWHERE! I love it! She is such a sweetheart!

Derrick has been busy workin' and do stuff with Elder's Quorum. He enjoys his calling and the guys he works with. He is such a great husband and a wonderful dad. Madi adores him.

A sneak peek...

My family has a Christmas party every year and Santa comes and brings a present for each kid. Since we have been sick, we stayed home. We did let Madi open her present though. As you can see, Christmas is going to be much more exciting for Derrick and I than Madi. Next year will be so much funner!!! :D

Our chatter box...

Madi has started talking so much! It is fun to hear all the sounds that she makes. I love it!!!

Solids...

Madi had her first taste of rice cereal and she did NOT like it. The next day we added a little banana to it and she did better but was still not to excited. We have decided we are going to wait another month or two and try again.

Our Christmas Card...

Because there are so many we love and it just isn't possible for us to send this to everyone, we are including it on our blog. Daddy

Enjoys fantasy sports

Really loves being a daddy

Ready for spring

Is willing to serve

Counselor in the elders quorum

Kind to all

Mommy

Enjoys being a mom

Loves her hubby and little girl

Is glad the Primary Program is done for the year

Second counselor in the Primary

Stay at home mom

Always sick (at least it seems that way :D)

Miracle

Adorable

Daddy's girl

Incredibly beautiful

Spoiled (and rightfully so :D)

Our precious gift

Needs her diaper changed so gotta go...

Merry Christmas!!! We love you all!!!

Derrick, Melissa and Madi

Congrats!!!

Congratulations to my little brother Joshua! His football team made it to the state finals! That is HUGE in Texas. Good luck at state Jay! You can check out his picture at http://wyliesports.com/. He is #64! Go bulldogs!!!

Ward Christmas Party...

We had our ward Christmas party last Friday. We only stayed for dinner since Madi was sick, but the food was SOOO good! They had chicken cordon bleu, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, green beans and chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for the kids. Everyone brought desserts and we had a great time! We had so many comments on how cute Madi's hat is. We love it too! Mommy and Madi
Daddy and Madi Daddy, Madi and Mommy

Little Miss Sunshine...

I saw these glasses in the dollar bin at Target and had to get them. They are a little too big right now but hopefully by the summer they will be perfect. She loves them and I think she looks ADORABLE! Madi had her four month checkup yesterday and other than having a herendous cold/cough, they said she is perfect!

Weight: 13 lbs 4.5 oz ~ 50th percentile

Length: 22 1/4" ~ 25th percentile

Her doctor said it is likely that she will have a cold all winter but this one is really bad. She gave it too me and I have felt awful for three days! I've had body aches, chills, and a really bad sore throat. I would LOVE to go a whole month and have Derrick, Madi and I all be healthy. I can wish can't I. :)

Still no teeth but she continues to drool a ton! She is more and more chatty every day. We are going to start her on rice cereal this week. We will see how that goes.

Madi's Ornament

One of our traditions is to get a new ornament each year. This year that went to Madi.Daddy helped her put it on the treeHe had to "help" her let go :)
We will replace her picture with one from Christmas morning

Two in a row...

Madi has slept until about 7:00 two nights in a row!!! I hope this continues. It has been SOO nice!!! She is four months now and is as fun as ever! Her personality shows more each day. Since she is teething she is a drool machine! Her dad said she's like a "cute St. Bernard". I had to laugh because it's so true!!! Pictures to come soon.

Christmas Pictures...

We tried the other day to take Madi's Christmas pictures. We did them off and on throughout the day trying to get the perfect picture. I took 145 pictures and although there are several that I think are so cute, we only got about 5 that she is looking at the camera and smiling. Here are some that I like...

She was mesmorized by the tree. She stared at it for along time. Then she started kicking it and she heard the bells jingle and would get so excited. Then, she tried to eat it. :)

I gave her one of her presents to see what she would do. As I expected, she tried to eat that too.

This is one of my FAVORITE! I think she is so cute! As soon as I get our Christmas card ready I will post it so you can see the winning picture!

Milestones...

Madi is making new discoveries every day. Her personality shows more and more and I love this time. She is becoming more independant which a great but a little sad for her mom who just wants to cuddle with her all day. :) She LOVES her toys and playing with them. She has learned to pick them up and they go straight to the mouth. It is so cute to watch her. Last night we were Christmas shopping at Toys 'R' Us and we were walking slowly down the baby aisle of toys and one side was pink and the other blue. She looked at the pink and giggled as we walked by toy after toy. I was so shocked that at her age she would do that. It was so fun to hear her as she looked at each toy. She is such a chatter box. If you coo or gurgle at her, she will do it back. It makes me beam each time she does. The most recent thing and one that I LOVE so much is that she has started giving kisses. This little girl just melts my heart and I am so grateful and honored to be her mom!

So thankful...

Since this is a week is all about giving thanks I want to share with all the MANY things that I am thankful for.

First, I am thankful for my Savior who is there for me when I need Him. In times when I have struggled or felt alone He was just a prayer away. He has given me great amounts of love, comfort and peace over the last several years and I am so thankful that I know Him and have the gospel in my life.

Second, I am thankful for the most wonderful husband a girl could ever dream of. He has been there for me and stuck with me in the many trials we have had over the last eight years. He is a wonderful example to me of offering service to his family and loved ones. He has been so supportive and willing to do anything to be able to let me be home with our beautiful daughter. I am so blessed to have him as my eternal companion.

Third, I am grateful for my precious daughter, Madi. The only thing I wanted to do my whole life was grow up, get married, have babies and stay home with my kids. Heavenly Father must have known that for me to truly appreciate motherhood I was gonna have to wait a few years. :) I feel like I am living a dream. Madi is such a sweet baby and I will forever be thankful to her birthmom, Mindy, for choosing us to be her parents.

Fourth, I am grateful for our home. We have a warm place to live and food on the table. We have such a great ward and are blessed to be here.

Fifth, I am grateful for my parents and Derrick's parents. They have taught us so much and sacrificed for many years on our behalf. I am so glad that we are able to be close to mom and dad Hawkins and wish my mom was closer (or that we were rich and could fly to Texas whenever we wanted :D).

Sixth, I am grateful for brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends and all the other loved ones that have taught me and influenced my life in so many ways.

My list could go on forever but I will stop at these. I hope that as the week continues that everyone can take a minute to think of all they have been blessed with and thank our Heavenly Father for the many blessings we all have. I hope you have a happy, safe holiday!

My Little Lady...

I have been really bad at keeping up on this since we were sick! Here is a weeks worth of pictures. I know there are a lot but when your girl is this cute how do you pick which ones to leave out??? :) (This is actually only a small portion)This toy has been a life saver lately. Madi is starting to get teeth and has been really good until she gets tired and then there is no consoling her. The only thing other than medicine that has been able to make her stop crying is her little friend. So, when nothing else works, Mr. Octopus gets her to sleep. :)
Getting ready for the big snow storm.... These were taken Saturday. Derrick and I were asked to be on an adoptive parent pannel for the adoption classes and were, of course, thrilled to tell our story. Right on the front row was a guy that I had dated a few times when I lived in WA. How weird is that???When we went to Yellowstone in June we wanted to get something for our baby. We looked around and decided on these jammies. They will probably be the most expensive pajamas Madi ever owns! They were $24.00 but over pricing stuff is what tourism is all about, right? Anyhow, we put them on her and she looks so cute! I took TONS of pictures of her in them. This was last night. I started watching my friends little girl yesterday, Taylor, and Madi did great! She was happy all day until about 4 and then was fussy until almost 6. I finally got her asleep and thought she looked so cute that I couldn't pass up on a picture. :)
This morning Madi found a new fun toy. The poodle jiggles and rattles when you pull it down. She thought it was great!

Such a sweet little girl!

Miss Madi...

It feels like it has been forever since I took pictures of Madi. Since we have both been sick I haven't taken any so I thought I would today. She is not a fan of taking pictures. When the camera is up she starts to fuss, I put it down and she grins as big as she can! She's still so cute though! Typical Madi... She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her tongue. She plays with it, sticks it out, rolls it and twists it every way you can imagine. She has done it since the day she was born. :)

She is starting to want to sit and see everything. Last week she started sitting in her high chair. I need to take a picture of that. She looks SO cute! She is growing up so fast.

It is hard to take a picture of her while she is on her tummy. I put her on her tummy and before I can snap a shot she has rolled over. Silly Madi... She has such beautiful blue eyes! Madi is such an angel. Even though she has been sick she is still mostly happy and cheerful. She has really started to jabber a lot more and it is so fun to hear her. She goes to bed GREAT! We can put her in her crib and she will go right to sleep. If she isn't tired, she talks for a little bit and then falls asleep. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby! We love her so much and she makes every day more perfect.