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!

We're still alive!

It's been brought to my attention that I haven't updated my blog in a very long time-and I haven't. So, just so you're all not worried, we have been "living" in Flagstaff for a few weeks while Mahlon has been working. Since I'm not on my computer I haven't loaded any new pictures so I haven't posted, but when we get home (Probably on Sunday) give me a few days and I'll post lots of great pictures of what we've been up to lately. So don't be worried, we're all ok-we just are really busy. I hope everyone else is doing well. I haven't checked anyone's blog in a few weeks so I'm WAY out of the loop! Check back soon!

Skinny Mini!

So today Madison went to visit the pediatrician for her 12 month check up. I like taking her to the doc. becuase it gives me a chance to ask a few questions and it makes me feel better about things I'd been worrying about. But I hate her having to get shots! Today she had to get 3! And this time they did it in her arms, There isn't even any fat in her arms, poor girl. We both cried.
Anyway, the real "exciting" news is that I got her official measurements and it turns out the bathroom scale wasn't as acuate as I thought.
Here are her stats, and what the doctor said about them.

Height: 27.5 inches <3 percentile.
Weight: 16.5 lbs <3 percentile, under weight

I knew she was small, but I didn't know she was THIS small! She was BARELY in the normal range for weight to height (7th percentile). He asked me again (he asked last time too) how tall me and Mahlon are and although he didn't seem too concerned, he said I should try to "fatten her up" He wrote her a "perscription" for pediasure and said try to get her to drink on once a day-for extra calories! I was so excited to not have to buy formula anymore and this stuff is almost more expensive! He also said to add butter, cheese, sour cream, anything really with fat and calories to her food to give her a little extra!
I'm not to worried about it, because I come from a very long line of very small people, I don't even know if It'll make a difference. He wants to see her again in a month to check her weight. We'll see then, I guess, so untill then- bring on the calories (for Madison anyway!)

Happy Birthday to my Baby!

Well, Madison's official birthday isn't until Tuesday, but we decided to celebrate this Saturday so we threw a pink/strawberry party. Madison LOVES strawberries so I made her a Strawberry yogurt cake with fresh straberry filling and whipped cream frosting. We had some of her favorites to eat: little puffs, strawberries, animal cookies, and strawberry yogut drops (ok, Madison didn't like these, but I had to get them to try because they were pink and so cute! ) and chips (yes, Madison likes nacho cheese doritos!) For the grown ups we had veggies and Pink lemonade punch!
I asked my mother-in-law to pick up a few helium baloons on her way over. She came with four of those shiny helium baloons and a helium tank that filled about 20 regular baloons! We had pink baloons all over the place! There was also pink streamers, pink plates and napkins and pink cupcakes!

This is Madison saying "uh-oh". Everytime I would rip the paper trying to get her started she would get a very concerned face and say "uh-oh" it was so funny!

Madison made out with a ton of stuff, mostly books,which is cool. She probably got like 20 books, no joke! She also got a cabage patch baby, a metal toy kitchen pot set (it is so cute, it even has a mini ladel and pasta spoon and pot holder) a pull along phone, a walker/car, a "baby" grand piano, bubbles, refrigerator magnet letters, and new shoes. She's in baby heaven! She is very spoiled (I mean, loved)!


I have to tell you about her cake. So I made it with straberries because she loves them. When she saw it she got so excited and would point and make her "excited face". After we sang happy birthday I gave her a straberry off the top but she wouldn't eat it with the whipped cream on it. She only poked at her cake and even spit it out with Mahlong tried to feed it to her! She didn't want ice cream either, but after I got the whipped cream off all her strawberries she happily ate them! She's so funny-she didn't want the sweet sugary stuff, only the strawberries! She would have been happier if I had put a pile of strawberries on her try with a candle in it!


Anyway, I can't belive my baby is already one! It went by so fast, I'm starting to get all emotional about her growing up and everytime she does something cute and "grown up" I want to laugh and cry at the same time. She's my pride and joy- she can make me the most frustrated, but is the only one who can make me feel better afterwards. She always brings a smile to my face and no matter how old she gets will always be my baby girl! I love you, Madison. Happy First Birthday, Baby!

Playlist

I was inspired by Erin's post to create a play list. It's a pretty random assortment of songs, and some are a little dated, but it's some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it!

It works!

Here is the video I tried to upload the other night. I hope it works on your end!