Madison : 18 months

Merry Christmas everyone! I haven't posted in awhile because I've been too busy shopping, baking, making gingerbread houses and getting ready for Christmas. I love this time of year, but there are too many things I want to do in too short amount of time. I think we need two months to get ready for and anticipate Christmas (I suggest they just add in a month after Thanksgiving!)Anyway-I haven't uploaded Christmas pictures yet...so those will proabably go up AFTER Christmas, but what can you do? So instead I thought I do a little post about Madison turning 18 months old on the 10th! This is a big deal because now she can go to nursery-which today was her second time and she still cried when we left but was happy to have a candy cane when we went to pick her up. She's growing up so fast and learning so much here are some things about her.
Weight: 19lbs (yes, she still can't sit in a front facing car seat!)
Height: 28 3/4 inches
She loves to talk and sing. Her favorite song by far is Old McDonald (which she requests by saying "moo-moo" while bobbing her head) but she also loves Wheels on the Bus (called "Bump") and If you're happy and you know it...(clap,clap,Horray!) Its so cute, I wish she would sing for the video camera but once it's out she stops!
She's learning her colors and loves to color with markers and crayons. I quiz her about what color she's using and is right about 80% of the time.
She has such a personality and a sence of Humor and is always making me laugh! I think this shows best in the portraits we just took of her! Enjoy!

Fun in the Fall!

I decided I needed a Fall Themed post for Thanksgiving so I'm putting up some pics from our last trip to Flagstaff, even though it was before Halloween. We drove up the Peaks to a place calledLockett Meadow-it's my favorite place to go in Flagstaff for a couple of reasons.
1. In the Fall the Aspens turn beautiful colors!
2. Mahlon and I went hiking here on our 2nd date so it has sentimental value.
3. It's only a few minutes drive from my parent's home where I grew up so I have a lot of memories of Church activites and family outings from there.
4. It's beautiful all year round.

It had been warm all week but turned cold the weekend we went up so we were FREEZING up there (it's colder on the Mountain) so we didn't stay long : (, but it was worth seeing!

Happy Halloween! Part II

We had a great Halloween- it felt like we celebrated for a week (because we kind of did). Our ward had a Trunk or Treat on the Friday before, so we went to that. Madison's costume was such a hit- she won best overall child's costume in the costume contest and won a Free Car wash, which came in handy b/c while Mahlon was transporting my crock-pot of chili to the church it fell over in the car spilling chili all over the carpet, and under the seat (yuck!) so we were very glad for the car wash.


Then, on Wednesday we went to Gilbert to go to the Ward party there with Mahlon's mom. It was the biggest ward Halloween party I've ever seen-it was more like a mini carnival. They had games, a DJ, 3 enormous jumping castles, train ride, pony rides, a rock climbing wall, video games, Free Kettle Corn, Cotton Candy, and Bahama Bucks shaved ice-it was amazing and a lot of fun! Madison loved looking at the ponies, but once she got on it to ride she kind of freaked out and had to get off early-but she had a great time!



Thursday we carved Pumpkins. Mine is on the left, Mahlon's on the right.



Then FINALLY it was Halloween. We got Madison dressed up for the third time (at least we got more than one use out of her costume!) and wend to the Apartment complex Halloween party (to enter our pumpkins in the pumkin carving contest) where once again, Madison won the Costume contest for "Best TV/Movie Character" and won us $25 at AMC Theaters (Go Madison!) Our Pumpkins didn't win, however, but that's ok, Madison had us covered! I then took Madison trick-or-treating with her cousins around the neighborhood. She was such a trooper and only threw one fit when I picked her up to catch up. She wanted to eat the candy as soon as one piece was in her bucket-but she eventually got the idea. She started say Bye to every house we left, even blowing kisses for a few. She made out quite well, Mahlon and I are enjoying her candy-but we share b/c she's discovered she likes lolly-pops and asks for one every day (several times actually, but she's only allowed one) Anyway, by the end of the night we were Halloweened out and pooped but we had a lot of fun!

Happy Halloween!

Wow! I can't belive I've taken so long to update my blog. However, it's not all my own slacking that's caused the delay Here are some of my excuses:
1. Boring life, nothing to post about
2. Busy life, too much to post about
3. I've taken up reading (not something I used to do a whole lot of!) since Madison and I go to the Library for story time once a week. I've found I really enjoy it and don't get much of anything else done when I'm reading a book. In the past two months I'vre read five novels, and started a sixth, that's more than I've read in the past three or four years!
4. Our internet has been "finiky" lately. This really is the main reason for the past few weeks of no posting. It's been in and out for almost three weeks, sometimes we have internet, but most the time we don't-it's been rather frustrating and trying to get it fixed has been a nightmare! It's working now, but who knows if it will be in 5 min!

Well I'll post some pictures for now and try to get up to date soon! Hope all is well with all of you and sorry I haven't been keeping up with your blogs, I'll try to be better!
These are pictures of Madison finger painting with pudding. I've started doing small little themed activities with Madison, as smoething fun to do while teaching her and this was a great activity about colors. She loved it, and the pudding mixed with food coloring made it so she could eat the paint without me freaking out! Since this, whenever she wants to color she points her little finger and moves it in circles, like she's finger painting-it's so cute!

New Calling

So I have to share this with all my scrapbooking firends. I just got my new calling in our new ward and I think it's pretty much the greatest calling ever- I am the official: Relief Society Birthday Card Specialist (I didn't make that up, that's what they call it!) Basically my calling is to make cards for all the sister's birthdays! Its simple, dosen't require me to find a substitute and best of all: I get an excuse to scrapbook while serving in the Church! I'm so excited!

Labor Day Weekend

So I finally uploaded pictures from our trip to Flagstaff over the Labor Day weekend. We decided to escape the heat and head up North (along with everyone else in the state!) So we battled the traffic but it was worth it when we felt the cool breeze and smelled that fresh "just after the rain mountain air!" We had a great time visiting with family and spending some time together as a family. Saturday we packed a lunch and went up on the Peaks for a picnic and a little hike. Madison was loving it! She liked hiking but insisted on doing it on her own and after every few steps would stop and clap for herself, and of course we would all have to clap too. For obvious reasons, we didn't make it very far, but it was still fun! We're wanting to head up again soon to see the leaves change so hopefully that will happen. It is this time of year (late summer and fall) that I miss living in the mountians, but its nice to go back and visit once in awhile!

Grandma Busby

My dear Grandma- Florence Vilate Echols Busby- passed away late Monday night. She was 89 years old. My aunt asked everyone to send memories of her to be compiled and given to my Grandpa and here is what I came up with. I decided it was the best thing I could post in her memory.

The last time I saw my Grandma: June 2008


There isn't one defining memory that I have of Grandma Busby, but rather a combination of multiple memories and thoughts that come to mind when I think of Grandma Busby. I remember going to her house as a child, playing in the backyard in the haystacks and watching the cows eat. We used to clean an old cow tank and leave the hose running in it all night long so that by morning it would be filled up with enough water for us to go swimming in it. No matter how late we would arive at Grandma's (and it always seemed to be at night) she would bring out lots of food and feed us all. I loved sitting on the benches at her counter/table and we would always request her homemade soup. No one could make soup like Grandma, and everytime it was delicious, but never quite exactly the same. In the mornings she would have us help her pick oranges and tangerines to sweeze for juice and the little juice cups she had somehow made the juice taste even better! She always let us eat anything we wanted and there were a few things that I always loved to eat when visiting Grandma: Rootbeer floats, homemade popcorn balls, frozen chocolate chip cookies and Grandma's Chocolate cake (with the pecans on top!). Going to Grandma Busby's was the highlight of our roadtrips. It was a child's dream! Running outside all day with lots of animals to see and old buildings to explore. Even now, when I go back there I'm flooded with memories as nothing ever seems to change in that house, it looks just like it did when I was a child, and suddenly, I feel like a child again! And I believe that was the best part about Grandma Busby, she let us be children and in her lighthearted way, she was a child with us!

Grandma was who I would brag to my friends about saying, "my grandma is 70 and she can do the splits!" I remember my cousins from my other side meeting her for the first time at my sisters wedding, she was singing primary songs and boucing around, dancing, they could hardly believe the energy coming out of that little old lady! Her fun, and energetic lifestyle is what I remember best about Grandma.

Her energy and enthusiasm for life was contangious! Whenever I sing the song "Scatter Sunshine" (Hymn #230) I think of her, not only because I remember her singing it to us once, but also becuase her life reflected the words for she truly "Cheer[ed] and bless[ed] and brighten[ed] every passing day." She showed love to everyone becuase she had a testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ, and patterned her life after His teachings. I remember she gave me a Book of Mormon for my eighth birthday and wrote her testimony of the truthfulness of that wonderful book and of our Savior Jesus Christ in the cover. When she prayed, you could hear the sencerity in her voice. I remember we used to giggle durring prayer becuase she would pray for us all, naming me and my six sisters individually, which took a long time,but I always felt so loved. I knew she knew that Heavenly Father was listeneing, and it helped me to know that too. I remember she would always hold Grandpa's hand durring prayer and give him a kiss after. Now that I'm married, I have a great respect for the example of eternal marriage that she and Grandpa set for me and how special that relationship is. Her testimony of the gosple was evident in the way she lived her life, in her love for the hymns, the primary songs and for the scriptures and I am so greatful for her example.

I love my Grandma Busby so dearly and am greatful for the years that I was blessed to know her and I look forward to seeing her againg. I will miss her, but I know that where she is, she is bouncing around, siging and rejoicing "Scattering Sunshine, all along [her] way".

Together Forever.

As you know I've been reading Breaking Dawn, the last of the Stephanie Myers vampire saga. Well I finished it yesterday and then yesterday afternoon Mahlon and I went to the Temple. On the way I was worried that while I was in the temple I would be distracted by my thoughts about the book while in the temple, especially since we were talking about it on the way.Anywhoo - those of you who have read the books know that the mortal, Bella, is in love with an immortal vampire, Edward, and wants to become a vampire herself so that they may be together forever. When we got to the temple they asked us to dosealings, which seems to happen a lot whenever Mahlon and I try to do a session together, but we're always happy to help. I love doing sealings, I imagine it's the best thing you can do for someone else, to give them the opportunity to be with their loved ones forever. So while thinking on that, it made me think of the Breaking Dawn book but not in the distracting way that I thought it would. It suddenlyoccurred to me that in Fiction one must sacrifice everything including their life, to be with the one that they love forever, while I knew, without a doubt that I had that great blessing, of being with my husband and daughter,parents, and all my family forever without sacrificing anything. As silly as it sounds, my testimony of theimportance of temple marriage and of sealing families was increased as I compared my life to the fictional story of Bellas. I am so grateful that my "together forever" is not just a fictional wish but is a true principle of which I know of a certainty.

Update

No time to blog---reading Breaking Dawn---will resume normal life shortly. : )

Busy Week

Well we've been pretty busy around here lately-that's why I haven't posted in awhile.

First, I'm posting some pictures of Madison. I wanted to have Mahlon take her 1 year potrait for awhile now but he was so busy he never got around to it, so I thought I would give it a try. I didn't schedual it at a good time (right before lunch and nap-time) so Madison was really grumpy (and so was I)and I'm not a very good photographer so I didn't get much-these are the best of them.





Also, last week we had family visiting and moving-in. My sister Selina and her family were here visiting all last week. We kept ourselves busy during the day swiming, watching movies and Making bows! Her daughter Ashleigh liked Madison's bows so much I bought some clips and we made some bows for Asheligh to take home and Madison got some new ones. Here are some of the ones we made and Asheligh modeling them for me! It was fun to have some company.





Next, my sister Sheila and her family moved back from Utah into our same Apartment complex! I'm so excited to have her so close! We've been swimming and haning out almost everyday since- we even had them over for dinner last night. I'm enjoying having family close again!

Pictures

So about a month ago we went to Flagstaff and my post afterwards gave some details about what we did but at the time I didn't have any pictures. My sister just e-mail some to me so I thought I'd post them.


Madison standing by herself for the first time!


My Grand parents came to visit while we were there.


Madison with her cousin Nicole. Nicole tells all her friends everything about "baby Madison" It's so cute!


We all went on a picnic up on the mountain. Here we are with my dad, my sister's kids' and my uncle George who my parents just took over caring for. He is my dad's older brother who was born with down syndrome and sivere mental retardation. My grandparents have been taking care of him for 55 years until now when my parents took over becuase my grandparents are getting too old. Now that's love!


This was acutally a little pond near by that we walked to after the picnic. Madison loved the water and wanted to get in, even though it was freezing cold!



Picnic Lunch!


Playing in the water!

My Better Half

I Liked this tag so I thought I'd do it!

1. What is his name? Mahlon
2. Who eats more? I think we eat about the same (sometimes I think I eat more!) Unless its chocolate-he can eat WAY more than me!
3. Who said, "I love you" first? I can't remember...Yikes!
4. Who is taller? Mahlon, He's 5'8'' I'm 5'0''
5. Who is smarter? We have differnt smarts- He's smarter when it comes to building and creating things, I'm more book smart
6. Who is more sensitive? Me! I cry at everything! But he is very sensitive too-he's not a man afraid of feelings.
7. Who does the laundry? I do- When we were first married I had him do it and he shrunk my favorite shirt, so now I do the laundry.
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does
9. Who pays the bills? I do-He dosen't know anything about our $$$ situation. I wonder sometimes what would happen if I died.
10. Who cooks more? I do-He cooked for me while we were dating but now I do the cooking, and I think it's better this way! : )
11. Who is more stubborn? I am-he's always more willing to work things out. But we're both pretty passive.
12. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? He is, I usually take awhile to cool off.
13. Who has more siblings? I do-He has 3 I have 6
14. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Neither of us are the control type, so it's pretty equal.
15. What do you like to do together? Hiking, art, playing games, watching movies.
16. Who eats more sweets? HE DOES! He's a chocoholic and has an out of control sweet tooth!
17. Guilty Pleasures? skateboarding, video games, photography
18. His best features and qualities? He's so humble and has a quite respect for spiritual things. He is incredibly forgiving and understanding. He's responsible and ambitious and a great provider and friend.

Farewell Tucson

As a spin-off of Kara's post I'd like to leave my own farewell message. We've been packing all day and will be hitting the road tomorrow for our new home in Glendale. There are lots of things to be excited about and lots of things to be sad about to. Here's my list of things I'm excited about, what what I'm not.

What I'm looking forward to:
1. Moving into a newer, nicer and bigger apartment (with NEW appliances!) and not paying anymore than we do now!

2. Having a mall within walking distance from our house (a place to get out and escape the heat) as well as costco, target, and pretty much anything you can think of within a few minutes away.

3. Being closer to family

4. Having my husband working instead of going to school!

5. Getting away from Tucson driving.

6. Living closer to the Temple


What I'm not looking forward to:

1. Having to make new friends and leaving behind all my greatest girl friends. When will I do scrap booking, if not once a month at scrap night? and when will I get another GNO????

2. The phoenix heat (its MUCH worse than Tucson-it never cools down!) and the monsoons are not as great up there either.

3. Phoenix traffic-Most the time I love phoenix driving, its WAY better than Tucson because there is a freeway to everything-however nothing is more frustrating than having 6 lanes of traffic at a complete stand-still all becouse some grandma 10 miles ahead is going to slow!

4. Having to work out alone, instead of going to my class that I LOVED!

5. Having to find a new doctor for Madison (and me)

Tucson has been a great home for us and will always be special to us for the people we met here, the memories we've made and the events that took place. This is where Mahlon and I first lived, where Madison was born and where we became a family. We both received our educations here- and we will always look back on the time we spent here with fondness. I will miss everyone and I hope we'll continue to stay in touch over the years! Goodbye Tucson, Hello Glendale!

Walking Pics

Well I got the pictures of Madison's first steps. Hope you enjoy them! (I'm a little embarassed b/c I had just gotten home from working out, so I look a little rough!)

New Home!

Well, we've been apartment shopping all weekend but we finally found a place to call home! I'm very excited (and a little nrevous) to move to a new place but we think it will be a great thing for our family. We'll be up in Glendale in the Northwest Valley at Union Hills and 79th Ave. (For those of you who don't know the area that is up at the NW corner of the 101 loop. Anyway, there is lots of shopping and entertainment close by and we're excited about the neighborhood and the apartment. If you're ever up in that part ofthe valley, PLEASE call! We'd love to have visitors! I'm going to come to Scrap-night THursday to say goodbye to my Tucson girls, and we'll be moving Friday (Which also happens to be my birthday!) so we've got a lot of packing to do in the next few days, so if you love to fill boxes, you're welcome to come over! I'll miss you all here in Tucson, and I'll definately come to any "family reunions" in the future. I'll keep up the blog so we'll stay in touch! But be patient, I'll be pretty busy packing and unpacking for the next few weeks!

Vacation update

So as promised, I'm giving an update on all the things we've been doing the bast month. I don't have pictures of everything, I'll try to post some later, but I have to have some people e-mail me pictures they took when I didn't have a camera.

So, Mahlon started working up in Flagstaff just after Madison's Birthday. Madison and I stayed here for a few weeks, then met up with him at the first of the two family reunions we went to in June. Madison loved being outside, playing in the dirt, but she especially enjoyed the swing.


That next week we spent time in Flagstaff with my sister and her kids having picnics, shopping and just hanging out. It was while we were on our picnic that Madison stood up all by herself for the first time. My sister has pictures, hopefully I'll get those up another time. However, after this she refused to stand alone again. However, yesterday just moments after I stated that Madison was almost 13 months old and still not walking she took her first steps! We were at my sister-in-laws house so we didn't have our new video camera (or any camera) to capture it, I was SO MAD! But luckily My brother-in-law shot a few pictures (that I'll have him e-mail to me)and we got a short video on my phone. We're going to have to do a "re-do" for the camera here at home.

Another weekend was spent in Gilbert with Mahlon's family. Madison loved the pool! We also spent the 4th of July in Gilbert, but sadly, I didn't get any pictures (I know, I'm sorry) We saw some really lame fireworks (Literally) ask me about it, if you want to get the whole story, But had a great time visiting family.


After almost a month of traveling and living out of a suitcase we finally came home Monday and Tuesday Mahlon was offered a teaching job in Peoria School District, up in Glendale so we're now preparing to move by the end of the month. It's been such a busy time, and it's just going to get even crazier for the next little while so be patient, there may be long gaps in between posts, but I'll try my best.

Also, yesterday we took these while Madison played in the rain, I was surprised she liked it so much, she was soaked! It was so cute.



I've been so busy looking for apartments online, this is how Madison has been entertaining herself. She was pretty upset when Daddy told her "no" for making such a mess!


Then, this morning she climbed into her bumbo chair, I gave her some books and she was content sitting there reading her books, what a cutie!

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with everyone else's life for the past little while, but I promise to get back on top of things as soon as things settle down! I hope everyone is doing well!