I'm thankful day 3...

Today I am so very overwhelmed by the love that I have for the most beautiful girl I know, Madison.  She is my precious miracle and I can't imagine life without her.  How grateful I am to be her mom.  She brings so much life into our home.  She has an infectious laugh.  She has a strong personality and is so sure of herself.  She has a precious, tender side that she has really shown to me lately.  I had a rough day the other day and she came to me a stroked my hair and asked "Ok, mama?"  How could I not be ok with such a wonderful little girl?  I am so very, very blessed!  She loves her little brother and likes to make him smile and laugh.  She is a social butterfly and asks to play with her friends every day.  She has a great imagination and it is fun to watch it develop and see the things she does.  I am so grateful for my little princess!!!  I love you Madi!!!

National Adoption Month...

This month is National Adoption Awareness month.  Adoption is something that is VERY close to my heart.  So, when I saw a FB post from The R House I had to join in.  Not sure if you noticed, but to the right I have added a section to help our friends find their baby.  Matt and Eve are my first.  They are our neighbors and a couple that we have bonded with since moving into our ward because they have had some of the same experiences.  If you are adopting or their is someone you know that is and they would like their blog linked, I am totally happy to do that.  I think the stats are that 80% of birth parents find their adoptive couples via the internet.  Leave a comment and I will happily promote your blog/webpage.

One of the things that I love about adoption is the bond that is created among those effected by it.  Each individual adoption is so unique and so different and yet when you meet others that have adopted or placed a child there is an instant love and connection with them like you know them.  I love to hear and read other people's stories and have thought a lot lately about writing our adoption story.  Maybe that will be my goal for the month. :D 

Volume Two...

I've reached my limit and I have to pay to add more pictures.  Since I am too cheap to pay, head to my new blog at http://dmmehawkins.blogspot.com to get the latest on our little family.  Be patient while I get it all up to date!

The ALMOST impossible...

Madi has REALLY struggled lately with having her picture taken.  She is so involved with all that is going on that she just can't focus on looking at the camera AND smiling.  I know it is totally normal for her age but it still can be so frustrating.  So, when Madi actually wanted her picture taken the other day, I jumped at the chance!

 

This is one of my favorites.  I love her grin!  I wish I had a better background but we were actually on our way out the door so I just took a few in my yard real quick. 

I really like this one too! 

Happy fall y'all...

It seems like by the end of winter I can barely wait to bust out the shorts and by the end of summer I am breaking out the sweaters before there is even time for it to cool down.  It is funny that I get so excited to change up the kids wardrobes.  I was excited when we had a few cool days a week ago.  It was fun to get the kids a little more bundled up and add some layers.  Madi looked so cute in her pink skinnies and her cream sweater!

Madi LOVES her puppy.  She wants to take him for walks and bring him in the car with us everywhere we go.  She is such an animal lover! 

My pretty little lady all ready for fall!



Bliss...

 A couple weeks ago Chantel and I took the kids to Antelope Island.  I was excited to see her reactions, especially to the buffalo that walked across the road in front of us.  She kept calling any on her side of the car "Madi's bufwos" and the ones on the other side were "Gwye's bufwos".  She pointed out every one!  The kids loved running around the farm and seeing the horses and chickens.  They played for a minute in the kitchen and liked 'riding the horse'.

This is Madi's "one more" picture.  She was in HEAVEN!  This little girl is such a snuggly one and thinks Guire needs to hold her hand and hug, at least that's what she tells me. :D

A few more...

When Derrick came home I asked him to tell me a few things he wanted to remember about Madi at this age.  Here goes...
Anytime she says thank you she immediately follows with you're welcome. 
She walks around saying "aaw abowd da choo choo twain, aaw abowd, aaw abowd."  (all aboard the choo choo train, all aboard, all aboard)
Any type of ice cream, whether in a bowl, cone or shake, is refered to as an "ice cream cone", at least in her world.
She is starting to learn quite a few songs.  She loves to sing and asks for specific cds of hers. 
She asks every night to have "pammy night" (family night).
She calls Easton either "eesie, honey or beebee"  (Easty, honey and baby)
She LOVES lipstick/gloss and chap stick and is frequently digging in the diaper bag to find some.  She calls it "parcoes" (sparkles). 
She loves talking on the phone.
Madi ADORES her grandma and grandpa and as soon as we turn down their street she starts repeating grandma and grandpa's house.
When she farts, she announces to everyone, with a grin, "I tooterd, cuse me".

She hasn't yet learned the dreaded three letter word (WHY) but she does ask about 192 times a day "wha doin?"  When we answer, she asks it again. :D

I am sure I am missing some of those little things we love so much about her and since this is my journal I will probably be doing these posts more often so I can remember all this as she grows up.

Go win this...

The House Wives of Riverton are giving away these super cute bats.  Head over there and win them.  NOTE: you don't have to be local to win! :D

My little lady...

I have been meaning to do an update on Madi for a long time.  It seems like she went from baby to toddler to little girl over night.  She keeps me going and surprises me everyday.  Like yesterday, I went in to tell her quiet time was over (she refuses to nap) and she was completely naked, jumping on her bed.  Hopefully no one was looking in her window because her blinds were wide open! 

She has entered the PINK faze.  That is all she wants, her pink bowl, her pink spoon, her pink cup, her pink blanket, etc.  She does however compromise on her jammies because Tinkerbell is purple stuff.  She wants to wear Tinkerbell every night.  Good thing she has four pairs. 

She is doing pretty good at potty training most days (when I am not a slacker) with the #1 stuff but just can't seem to do #2 in the toilet.  We are bribing her though.  We told her that when she does it in the toilet we will get her Tinkerbell panties.  She reminds me of that promise every time she poops, not in the toilet...

She says some of the funniest things.  Anytime  I change a diaper, pull ups or undies she says "oooh! pooopies!"  and then follows with "Nope, jes wet" or "steeky, weeky" (stinky, winky) depending on the result.  She also says "wow, neyee" (wow, nelly), "oh, dawnet" (oh, darn it) and on occasion "goodness, gosh".  It is amazing the things they pick up on and say from what they hear others saying.  Some of it she comes up with herself.

Madi is a little monkey.  She climbs ANYTHING!!!!  The other day I found her on the counter looking on top of the fridge for a treat.  She uses her arms and pulls herself up into Easton's crib.  She is fearless on the playground.  I will be surprised if the kid doesn't break am arm or a leg by her next birthday.

Madi LOVES Easton and is usually very sweet with him.  Easton can't seem to take his eyes off of her when she's in the room.  She is funny, when she goes to hug him she lays right on top of him and squeezes him.  Poor little Easton just grunts and flails his arms and legs.  It makes me laugh every time. 

She loves to help us in the kitchen, play with her dolls, color, do crafts, be outside and watch movies.  She has several favorites.  Among them are Elf, Santa Clause, Monsters Inc, Nemo, Signing Time and any movie with an animal in it.  She still loves Tinkerbell and Disney Princesses.  She is a social butterfly and asks to play with her friends every day.

She has a great memory and talks about the same thing over and over.  When we went to the zoo in mid August the elephant went to the bathroom while we were there and she just stopped talking about it last week. 

She is totally smitten by her little friend Guire.  Last week we went to Antelope Island with them and they were sitting on a barrel for a picture.  It was on its side and made to be like a horse.  Guire put his arms around her waist and leaned on her back.  I took a few pics and then said all done.  Guire sat up and Madi said "one more!" with the biggest grin I have ever seen.  We had Guire hug her again and I took another.  Guire said "All done" and Madi said "one more".  Guess she figured since it worked last time she may as well try again. :D  She tells me on a daily basis that she wants to hold his hand.  Let me just clarify that I have not egged ANY of this on (since I am sure that's what my family is thinking :D) but I do think it is hilarious.  Guire isn't into the hand holding.  He tries to pull away so Madi will hold his hand with both of hers.  When she tries to hug him, he runs.  Madi corners him and does it anyway.  Poor Guire!

I am grateful for the time I have to be with Madi and that I am able to be a stay at home mom.  I love that kid so very much!  She melts my heart!

The Greatest Show on Earth!!!

Derrick got tickets from his work for the circus.  I was super excited because I had never been to the circus before and our seats were on the 16th row.   Madi was in awe the entire time.  I thought she might be a little scared with the lights out but she was just awe struck by all of it.  She got a "princess wand" and thought it was great!

Her favorite part was the zebras.  Even a week and a half later she still will tell you without hesitation that they were her fave.  She has never seen zebras in real life before since our zoo closed that exhibit when they began construction on the Rocky Shore exhibit.  She kept saying she wanted to ride one.  :D 

The pictures aren't great because it was dark and I had my point and shoot camera but that's ok.  You still get the idea.  These two guys have two massive logs and four girls on swings and a guy on top.  They spun them around.  They said they eat something like 7,000 calories a day each!   

My favorite parts were the tigers and the elephants.  I love to watch the elephants.  It is amazing what they train them to do.  Someday I would love to ride an elephant.  Maybe when we are retired and traveling the world... 

Aren't they so cute? 

I loved the circus!  Easton slept through the majority and Madi just sat, amazed at all there was going on.  We will definitely be going back someday.  Thanks babe for getting us the tickets! 

Solids...

I feel like such a bad mom for not getting pics of Easton eating his first solids, but I didn't, so his first biter biscuit with have to do.  He thought it was great until it slipped out of his fingers which caused him to cry big alligator tears until we helped him grasp it again at which point the routine repeated itself.  He loves solid foods but not the Gerber kind.  I have been giving him real fruits and veggies and I think it must be the texture and the better flavor of the real stuff because he cries now if I give him Gerber.  :D

He has been sitting by himself for a month now and really likes to play on his tummy or be in his jumpy jump.  He LOVES to clap.  He thinks it is hysterical.  I love his laugh.  Madi would squeal until she was one or so.  It is fun that he actually has a laugh and he seems to do it a good amount of the day.  He adores Madi.  He watches her every move and gets so excited when she pays attention to him.  (She is usually really sweet with him , however, doesn't like to get too close because he "spit up" on her.  It's really just drool.:D)  He still sleeps great and is an absolute joy to be around.  Such a sweet boy!!

When did I get old???

Okay, so 30 really isn't that old, but I'm pretty sure last week I couldn't even imagine being  in my 20's and now I am in my 30's!  CRAZY!!!  I didn't have any break downs or hide under the covers or cry because I was old.  Thanks to the world's most amazing man, I had the best birthday EVER!  See all those post-it notes on the fridge.  For the 30 days before my birthday I got a note along with a gift the coincided.  Each note started "I love you because..." and then finished with something he loved about me.  I got totally spoiled.  Among some of the things I got... popsicles (Pace's, the best kind), toothpaste, Mt. Dew, a small camera (for the diaper bag), several books, Rio, 17 Miracles, Excedrin, a few games, a marble Christus statue, Sugar Baby's, Lagoon ticket, craft things and a bunch more I can't think of.  It was so fun to wake up each morning and see what he had given me that day.

The best present he gave me though was him.  He surprised me and when he left for work Monday morning, he really ran to the store to get stuff to make my cake and my breakfast.  He returned home with sausage and stuff for french toast, complete with strawberries and whipped cream on top.  Then Madi and Derrick made me a pumpkin struessel cheesecake bar for my cake.  It was AMAZING and I am pretty sure he will be making it next year too! :D  He spent the day shopping with me and then we came home for some yummy enchiladas and my cake.  It was a perfect day. 

A birthday weekend...

Derrick's parents take us to lunch for our birthday's every year.  I love how special they make us feel and the little things they do to show us how much they love us.  Since it opened, I have gone to the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday.  I love that place!  It is always so yummy.  We met them there on Saturday (the 10th) for lunch.  I enjoy spending time with them and watching them with our kids.  They are such wonderful grandparents and I am glad they are so close to us.  Here is Madi and Grandma.

After lunch we walked around Fashion Place and stopped at the Wood Connection to pick up a few crafts.  Then it was off the the state fair.  Each year we get tickets from Derrick's work and it seems like it is always on my birthday weekend.  It's fun to go and see all the people and new things.  I especially love the photography exhibit.  Easton enjoyed being out in the sun (and rain) and watching everything that was going on.  He is always so happy.     

Madi LOVED the animals.  We let her go on a pony ride which thrilled her.  She was completely smitten with the bunnies and wanted to bring one home with us.  Since then she has told us several times that she wants a bunny.  So, if you know of anyone close to us that has a rabbit hutch they aren't using and wants to get rid of, we are looking for one. :D  

People would stop to play with Easton while we were looking at things.  He has the most captivating blue eyes.  We don't go anywhere without someone saying how beautiful they are.  I have to agree.

One of the things on our list to do at the fair was the Little Hands exhibit.  Madi really liked it last year and we knew this year would be more fun since she was older.  Here she is milking a cow.  She talked about this for days too.  She liked the cow and the sheep and talked about getting an egg from the chickens.  So fun! 

While we were looking at the bunnies it started to rain, not a lite rain, a down pour.  Got to love what the rain does to my hair... :P  

We bought Madi 10 tickets.  She rode a train and a hot air balloon ride and wanted to use the rest in the bounce house.  She went in that four different times!  The last time the guy said since there wasn't a line he would let her stay as long as she wanted.  She had a blast and it took some real convincing (or maybe bribery) to get her out. 

Our little guy was happy all day, wet or dry, he enjoyed being outside and seeing all there is to see at the fair.  I can't get enough of his grins and laughs.  He is such a good baby and so easy for me.  I love this kid! 

Easton's first time...

We have been taking advantage of the gorgeous weather outside and have been to the park a few times in the last couple weeks.  On Sept. 8th, we decided to let Easton get out and play too.  I put him in the swing and he LOVED it!  He didn't stop laughing the whole time.  It was adorable!

Labor Day...

On Labor Day we went to Union Station to check out the trains.  Madi LOVES them and will walk around saying "choo choo, all aboard" so Derrick wanted to go see the trains with us.  There were more open then when we went before.  Madi was able to climb up inside a lot of them and touch things.  They were a little intimidating to her once she saw what was inside.

That didn't stop her though.  She wanted to climb into every one of them.  You can't really tell from the pictures but she was loving it!

"all aboard!" 

Easton and I hung out and took pictures.  I went in a couple of the trains but thought I would let Derrick see them since I can go back easier then he can.

Madi picked a flower that was growing by one of the old trains.  It looked like it had caught on fire or something.  It was rusted and black inside and totally gutted.

Derrick liked this one a lot.  It is the train car used to bring the Olympic Torch into Salt Lake for the 2002 games.  

We walked through the museum which was actually pretty busy.  Madi liked to climb on things and see the model trains.  This is on a caboose.

The horses were still up from the parade of horses.  Madi thought they were cool and wanted to ride them.

I love when we have a three day weekend with Derrick.  It is always fun to take the kids places with him and see and learn new things.  We had a great day and were excited for the weekend since we had lots planned already!

Wowzers!!!

Madi is such a good sharer.  She has shared her fruit snacks, goldfish and suckers, among other things, with her little brother.  Easton's favorite was by far the sucker! :D  

Lagoon...

Derrick's work had their company party at Lagoon on Aug. 27th this year.  We haven't gone in the past because Madi was so young.  This year we decided to leave Easton with Grandma and Grandpa and take Madi.  She LOVED it!  She wanted to go on all the rides over and over again.  We had planned to go to Lagoon-a-beach but never made it.

We went on the Odessea.  That was the ride we waited longest in line for.  Madi did not love being sprayed but did like the ride.  We went on this ride twice so she could ride with both of us.

 Then we hit the kiddie rides.  She LOVES the whale ride and kept asking to go back to it.  She wasn't too sure about this ride but I think it is cause the boys face paint freaked her out.

We had a nice lunch and they did a raffle.  Derrick won the coveted prize... the Rockstar BMX bike.  He had five different offers to trade him things but we hung onto it in the end.  Then we changed Madi out of her swim suit since we ruled out Lagoon-a-beach.  We strolled through Pioneer Village and I got the sweetest picture of our Madi.  I love it! 

We rode the train and Madi went on several more rides before calling it a night.  We had a lot of fun and can't wait until next year when we can go back!

I need help...

I need advice and suggestions.  Madi is mean.  If she isn't getting 100% of undivided attention or if she doesn't get her way she will hit, step on, lay on or anything else she can think of to make Easton cry.  She does it to her friends too.  I have tried time outs, buckling her in a chair and facing it to the wall, talking to her, sending her to her room, nose in the corner, taking away privileges and nothing works.  Any suggestions on things to try?  I am getting so frustrated with her being so mean.  She gets tons of attention from both Derrick and I, individual and with Easton.  I don't know what else to do.

Ever have a day like that???

Yesterday was one of those days.  You know, the kind that you just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over your head.  I am not sure why but I woke up and felt like I was in a rut.  My floor was half mopped and I had no motivation to finish it or clean anything else for that matter.  Easton is teething and is whiny.  Every time I started to clean, Madi followed me around making a bigger mess.  When I asked her to do something or help or NOT do something she would yell "ROCK ON" and go about her business, ignoring my request.  By noon I was sitting in our rocking chair with my two babies, bawling, while I read them I'll Love You Forever.  I decided I had to get up and do something to get out of whatever funk I was in.  Nothing helps me relax and stay sane better Derrick and crafting.  Since Derrick wasn't an option I went straight to the craft room.

Derrick has been spoiling me daily as my birthday nears.  Since I am turning the big 30 he is counting down to the day with an I love you because... and a gift to match for each of the 30 days before my birthday.  One of those sweet notes read "I love you because... you have many talents and you add 'a little something' to our house to make it a home."  With it came the August ornament collection from the Wood Connection.  I had a brilliant idea to make some ants out of seed beads and went to work finishing my craft.

Here is my sunflower...

and my crow...

and my watermelon...

and my favorite... my picnic basket.

I spent the most time on this one.  I wanted it to LOOK like a basket.  I braided raffia around wire for the handles and tried to make my ants just right.  The seed beads didn't work.  They kept falling apart.  I think the surface was too smooth and they were too small.  In the end I had to get creative and I made them out of a black hot glue stick I had in the closet.  They aren't perfect but I love them! 

It was the perfect thing to help me cheer up a little.  Got the floor mopped, cushions, pillows, slip covers and swing liner washed, dried and put back on. Madi's room cleaned, dusted and vacuumed. Bedding washed in our room, dishwasher loaded and a few other things I had been needing to take care of.  I love crafts and love that my sweet hubby supports my habit!