Wagon Monster

We have created a Wagon Monster. Madeline is facing the addiction to the red wagon. She wants to ride in it all day long. Today she has gone room to room with me changing the sheets on the bed and picking up the house. Nick even had to take her in the wagon to the mailbox. She loves that wagon! Here is a picture from a wagon walk with Grandma Linda and Great Grandma Erma.

Christmas 2008

What a busy past few days we have had in Altus. Great Grandma Erma and Grandma Linda arrived on Monday from Ohio. Then Grandma Jenna and Grandpa Ross arrived on Christmas Eve. What a wonderful house filled with laughter, game playing, puzzle putting together, Madeline holding, and sneezing we have had! Yes, Nick and Madeline had a cold when everyone arrived and then decided to give it to the rest of us as a Christmas Present. The only person who hasn't gotten it yet...is Grandma Jenna. Good thing I had lots of medicine in the cabinet and boxes and boxes of Kleenex.

Here are all the Grandparents and Madeline before we left for the Christmas Eve service. It was a super cute children's service with a great nativity and singing!

After the service we headed home to eat some chili and wait for it to get dark.

Then we went to the Altus park to ride the train and see the Christmas lights. Nick even took us all around town to look at all the lights. After the lights we headed home to watch Elf!

Next came Christmas morning breakfast. We had a yummy breakfast casserole and cinnamon rolls. Then we had to get our lunch started. Nick cooked our ham the Good Eats way. It was WONDERFUL!! Thank you Alton Brown. Then by the time we had breakfast cleaned up and lunch started our sick princess needed a nap.

We all sat around and chatted and waited for her to wake up so we could open our presents. Then came all the present opening. Nick was so gracious and let us do it my way and have everyone open one present at a time. :)

It was so much fun and we received so many wonderful gifts and Madeline's toy box is filled to overflowing! Nick surprised me with a final gift that turned out to be my dream serger. Hopefully when this cold goes away I can get to serging! Madline loved all the noise the paper made and opening and closing the boxes. She really liked the bows and loved to untie them! After we cleaned up the fun mess we had a yummy lunch and then we played with Madeline's new toys.

So far her favorite is Nick's old wagon that Linda brought. She loves to ride around in the wagon. She holds on and laughs the entire way around the house.

Don't even think about taking her out of the wagon without seeing a few tears. Nick got an electric smoker for Christmas from Linda so he smoked a bunch of ribs and a huge brisket. They were super yummy!

One of my favorite parts was that EVERYONE helped take down all the Christmas decorations and Nick and my Dad put them all in the attic. Then we rearranged the furniture in my living and dining room to get ready for my new dining room table. (a future blog) We were lazy most of the time and enjoyed just being together and watching our little Madeline start to scoot and look like she is getting even closer to crawling! Hopefully our colds won't last too long and we will be ready to go play with all our new things! It was a great holiday and wonderful to have both sides of our family together. Hopefully they all had a great time and will come back again!

Thank you Uncle Eric and Aunt Sally

Today Madeline got a HUGE box in the mail. We had no idea what it was or who it was from so we had to open it! It was the Leap Frog Learn & Groove. Madeline is so in love with it. She just stares at it while she is having her bottle and the minute she is finished eating she is squirming trying to get to the game! Thank you Sally & Eric!

She is so serious!

Now she is having some fun!

Ignore the drool. :)

My Little Clapper

Here are some pictures from our little musical genius. Yes, she loves to clap and clap and clap. She is also wearing her new outfit that Nick picked out. She is finally feeling great again and no more runny nose! We still have a little bit of a cough but a huge improvement from even Friday! Yea!!!

The above picture shows how she truly feels about being sick.

I have to agree that it STINKS!

Nurse Julie

Well, what a fun Saturday. I spent today with my two sickies. Nick is now sick with the tummy flu (I'm hoping it is just the 24 hour kind I had last weekend) and Madeline is still coughing. We have another dr.'s appointment for Monday morning if she is not better. But in the middle of her sickness she has learned to clap her hands. She is just clapping and clapping now. I will hopefully catch some video tomorrow and a few pictures. No, I still haven't figured out how to use the new video camera and get the videos on the blog but Nick has promised that when he makes his miracle recover he will teach me. He then went on to say something about not giving me a fish but teaching me to fish. :) I hope that our home will be germ free by the time company starts arriving!

Sick Little One

Well...we just returned for another trip to the Doctor. Madeline still has a runny nose, yucky cough, and just sounds horrible. The doctor gave us a stronger perscription, listened to her breathe, and checked out her ears. He said that if she is not better by Friday to come on back before the weekend. The good news is that it isn't in her lungs. So let's just pray all this mucus will just dry up! On the up side Madeline is really trying to learn to crawl. She is rocking back and forth and scooting backwards. So hopefully by Christmas we will have a crawler for the Grandparents! I think that will be a fun present. I will just stick a bow on her head and send her around the room. Now I must go do some housework!

Christmas Party

Friday night was our squadron Christmas Party. It was so much fun! The food fabulous. Nick and I both won super nice door prizes and the dirty Santa game was the best. (Thanks Natalie)

Madeline and I before we left for the party.

Nick and Madeline at the party. (Poor thing with a runny nose)

Our Fabulously, Fun, Festive table of Friends!

Our Saturday morning started off with Madeline coughing and coughing. We eventually headed to the ER and they gave her some medicine and sent us on home. Then Nick and I spent Saturday working outside and then we went to the local college Christmas program. Our friend Laura Brown was playing her French Horn. Madeline loved the show and just wiggled and wiggled in time to the music. Her favorite part was all the clapping. She would smile and smile. Then came Sunday. I woke up with the 24 hour stomach bug. I don't know what I would have done if Nick hadn't been home. But as I am typing this I am enjoying a yummy meal of dry toast and 7 up! I sure hope nobody else gets all these germs we have!

Tummy Time

Miss Madeline is really starting to like her tummy time! Maybe she will crawl one of these days! Great Grandma Erma did you notice the outfit? I put one of your crochet hearts on a top.

I think it looks pretty cute! I'm sad Madeline has outgrown the matching jeans.

Mail Call!

Today Little Sick Madeline received a huge package in the mail. She was super excited to see what might be inside. It is so hard to open she even tried to gum it open. (no teeth yet) Finally with a little help from Mom she opened the package to find a beautiful new dress from Grandpa and Grandma Searl. It fits so perfect. Madeline already has the most perfect hair bow to match and socks! I am a little bit nervous because she is way to happy with new clothes. I think we might have a problem on our hands. :)

As a side note, Madeline seems to be feeling great and she loves her antibiotics! She sucks that medicine tube dry! What a trooper.

8 Months Old!

I found this picture on the Internet. No this is not Madeline but this is what she looked like..but smiling!

Yes our little princess is 8 months old! I can't believe how time flies. Well...Madeline has been sick with a cold for almost 2 weeks now. I decided it was time to see the doctor. We left at 8:30 this morning to start our adventure. After getting weighed ( 20 pounds 9 ounces-88th percentile) and measured (28.25 inches tall 88th percentile) we saw the doctor. After he listened and listened to Madeline's chest and lungs he said he was a wee bit concerned because she was breathing rather quickly. (50 times a minute instead of the usual 30 times a minute) So he sent us off to radiology for chest x-rays. I don't know if you guys know how they do 8 month old chest x-rays, but they put them in a clear tube with their arms above their heads. It is quite funny and very mean looking. I found this picture on the Internet. No this is not Madeline but this is what she looked like..but smiling!

But of course our super Madeline didn't cry. (The x-ray lady said she was the first baby she had ever x-rayed that didn't cry!) We got dressed and headed back to see the doctor. He came out and told us one x-ray was blurry so we headed back to radiology. This time Madeline let out one big cry and then was fine. I love this girl! Then we went back and waited, and waited, and waited for the doctor. Finally, he said no pneumonia but a bacterial infection. So Madeline is now on her first medicine, an antibiotic. I didn't take 8 month pictures of my princess yet. I am waiting for a no runny nose day. We finally got home from the doctors office at 12:00pm! Madeline had missed her morning nap and was ready for lunch. So she had lunch and took a short nap and now we are playing on the floor. I sure hope she takes a nice long afternoon nap!

Thanksgiving Surprise

As a super fun surprise for Thanksgiving Nick and I flew Space A to Seattle , Washington. We rented a car and drove to Portland, Oregon to Nick's brother's house. We arrived at midnight Oregon time and 2:00 am Altus time! It had been a 14 hour trip!!! We arrived and surprised Eric, Linda (Nick's mom), and hugged Sister-in-law Sally who had been in on the whole thing! We have had a great Thanksgiving filled with Wii, food, great friends, and lots of family. Below are some of our pictures. We hope everyone had a fabulous holiday. Miss you Mom and Dad..and Maddie says Gobble, Gobble!


Nick, Maddie, and I sitting on the plane waiting to go on our adventure.

Madeline with her ear plugs ...she didn't even try to take them out! What a good girl!



Madeline sleeping with Aunt Sally after her Thanksgiving playing!

Madeline and her new friend Addison. They played and played and played!

Nick and Sally playing Rock Band!!!

Sally and Eric during the song!

Our Princess

Even with a runny nose and cough she is still our happy baby! We are busy playing around the house with Madeline's favorite new toy. She loves her Noah's ark from Nicole. She keeps putting all her toys in it and then takes them all out...then puts them all in again....and then takes them all out again!

Game Night

The other night we had a few friends over (The Shaubs and The Browns) for some chili and game playing. I made chili from a spice packet that I bought at Scott Farms here is Altus. If you come visit I will take you to the cute little shop that is filled with all sorts of dips, spices, and dinner kits that are made in Altus. Nick and I just found the place last week after I won a $10.00 gift certificate at Wives Club. The chili was pretty yummy but the talking with friends was even better! Yea for good friends!!!!

Nick and Isabella Shaub cheesing it up during game time.

Jason, Laura and Natalie during Cranium. (Which the boys barely won)

Ben and Jason relaxing in their victory!

Natalie and Isabella smiling through the painful loss!

I am counting on a rematch very soon. I am tired of hearing Nick's gloating!!!!!!

I've been tagged!

This is a blog tag game that is making the rounds. Here are the rules of the game:

• Link to the person who tagged you. I've been tagged by Maria. (Who is one of my favorite 1st grade parents of all times with the cutest little boys!)
• Post the rules on your blog.
• Write 6 random things about yourself.
• Tag 6-ish people at the end of your post.
• Let each person know he/she has been tagged.
• Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I think this is pretty hard.... here goes nothing...

1. I am currently trying to teach myself how to sew. Sometimes it comes out great and other times it is a great addition to the dumpster in the alley.

2. I LOVE ebay. I did my entire wedding from ebay (wedding dress..new with tags, linens, center pieces, decorations, .....EVERYTHING) and then resold everything and made money off my wedding.

3. I played on a girls flag football team in college called...At least we are cute our freshman year (we lost every game but...at least we are cute) Then sophomore year we were Ugly, Junior year Uglier, and Senior year Ugliest. Yes, we did get better each year and even competed in the Nike flag football tournament in Dallas. The team even continued for a few years after we graduated they were called..more ugly.....

4. Every night is a theme night for dinner....
Monday = Seafood
Tuesday=Italian Day
Wednesday = Indian Day
Thursday = Japanese/Chinese Day
Friday = Mexican Fiesta Day
Saturday = All American Day
Sunday = Take your wife out to dinner day

5. I love to watch The Hills (sad isn't it!!) and I love my DVR!!!!

6. I love routine and follow the fly lady cleaning plan everyday, almost. :)

I guess those are 6 random things about good ole' me...now to tag...

Natalie
Mandy
Laura
Kelly
Bobbie
Katie

What A Big Girl!

Today while I was getting ready for Bible Study Madeline played in her swing.

I just couldn't believe how big she looked! I had to take a picture.

This first picture she was about a week old.

This picture is from June.

This picture is from Today!! My how she has changed!!!

Christmas Time!

I know many of you have said that I am crazy for already having my Christmas decorations up...but I LOVE Christmas!!! This is the first year in quite a few that Nick and I will be home for Christmas and we are even having both our families come and visit during the holiday. It should be super fun! So I thought I would help everyone get in the Christmas spirit by posting some of our holiday pictures and of course use my favorite model to show things off. She is really starting to love rolling over and being on her tummy. She is such a little chatter. She just talks and talks and talks. She wakes up talking, she falls asleep talking, she tries to eat and a talk, take a bath and talk (getting a few bubbles in the mouth), and of course play and talk. She is a real joy!

Madeline loves the decorations!

This is my new village set! It lights up and everything!

Here is our fireplace. I still need to find a cute stocking for Madeline.

Our tree has a million,billion lights on it! I love nighttime!! I have all our gifts wrapped and under the tree except a few that are still coming by UPS! (Thank you fly lady and your holiday planning schedule!) http://www.flylady.net/pages/holidaycruising1.asp

This is our new piece of furniture we got last weekend. Merry Christmas to me!

I put wreaths on all the front windows. I have always loved that and I got wreaths super cheap after Christmas last year and super great suction cups at the dollar store!

Madeline said that she loves the wreaths and has been a super good girl this year!

Here is our nativity set in our dining room.

Now, everybody go decorate!!!