Cuppa Joe...

Last week I noticed that Madi kept talking about chocolate milk everytime we drove by Cuppa Joe. I thought it was cute and that she had quite the memory because she has only had a treat there once and it was a LONG time ago...

Or so I thought...

When I went to pick Madi up from her cousins' house after work last Monday, I overheard her Aunt Haley say, "Madi, do you want to come back tomorrow and we can go to Cuppa Joe and get the car washed?"

Yup, the secret was out...

She's a professional coffee drinker in the making... only she's starting of with chocolate milk.

Her Auntie Eehee surprised her with another treat on Wednesday morning when she came to pick up the boys.

That little cup was empty in about 2 minutes flat. ;)

I suppose that's what Aunties are for though!

Emmitt Matthew

I haven't blogged much about being pregnant. Not on purpose... I'm not really sure why. For one thing this pregnancy is going by REALLY fast and probably also because there really aren't any cute pictures to go along with it, but I finally decided on some worth sharing.

Today I'm 30 weeks pregnant!!! Seriously. Craziness! It's weird to think that in a very short 6 weeks (or is it 37 weeks?) I'll be considered full term. I'm not really counting on a baby for another 12 weeks (Madi was fashionably late... and forced into this world), but I guess there's always the big what if's...

Anyway, we had a free 3D/4D ultrasound from Diagnostic Imaging a couple weeks ago and this is what we came away with.

***Disclaimer***

I realize that ultrasound pics look a little alien-ish, but I was happy to see that it looks like our little boy still has a little bit of chub on him. =)

He pretty much had his hands in front of his face the WHOLE time! We got a few peeks with them moved, but not many!

I loved the little thighs in this picture...

Chicken legs?!?!

He's pretty doomed...

This one is probably my favorite face shot. We definitely voted that he has Madi's nose. Madi agrees and every time she's sees these pictures she laughs and says, "Madi's nose. Haha. Madi's nose."

She cracks herself up...

As for the name, it's pretty official. We've always loved the name Emmitt (or Emmett - the spelling is still TBD), but for some reason it still took a while to solidify. So, unless something else comes along that makes us change our minds, Emmitt Matthew it is!

We can't wait to meet you little guy!

Blood Runs Thick...

It's so fun to watch Madi grow up, although a little sad too... We've often been told that Madi looks just like her cousin Seven, although a lot of that is their similar personalities! I think it's also their mannerisms and facial expressions. I recently came across this picture of Seven when he was little. I think this was taken right around when Michael was born so he would be about 22 months, or so. Very close to Madi's age now, that's for sure!

I wish I was talented enough to make these two pictures show up next to each other, but evidently I'm not...

Opinions?!?!

We've always joked that the blood runs thick on the Lambert side of the family because they always look the same. I can't wait to meet our new little guy and see what he looks like! I'm sort of hoping for a mini-Matt, but Lambert babies are pretty cute too! ;)

Disclaimer: I do, however, think Madelyn looks a LOT like her dad! They have very similar expressions and there is something about her eyes that make them look just like his (the eyebrow shape?!?), BUT... she's definitely my daughter too...

Backeyball...

One of my favorite things to do is listen to Matt and Madi playing together while I'm busy doing something around the house. In the evenings basketball playoffs often make their way onto our television screen. Weird, right?!? =) The topic of conversation lately has been which "color" we're rooting for. Of course, since the Blazers were knocked out we don't have a huge passion for any team left, but Matt generally still has a preference in who he would like to see win each series. A typical conversation might go as follows:

Matt: "Daddy's rooting for the blue team, Madi."

Mads: "Madi white one."

Matt: "No, not the white one!"

Mads: "Haha. Madi blue one too."

The other night I was making dinner and Matt said, "Jules, come take our picture." (As if I don't take enough! ;)

I didn't complain though...

I'm not sure which team won, nor do I really care...

I'm not sure it really matters when you get to watch "backeyball" together! =)

Davie Dear...

Today Dave would be turning 32, but God had other plans. He's been celebrating in heaven for almost ten years now. Although, to him it probably feels like it's been about 10 minutes. He spent a wonderful 22 years here on Earth, and he certainly made the most of it!

I was organizing another closet of ours yesterday (surprise, I know... please look forward to an "organizing" post soon ;) and stumbled across a couple pictures I just had to share!

Please be forewarned these were taken with cheap 35 mm cameras over ten years ago, and well, you get what you get! =)

This is what I remember about Dave...

He loved people!

He loved having a good time! (Riding bikes, hanging out, making people laugh, snowboarding, you name it. Life was all about enjoying the good times!)

He loved picking on people. Especially his adopted little sisters... To this day I can't think about Madi having "chipmunk cheeks" without hearing Dave make fun of mine. I wish so badly he had a chance to meet her! I'm sure she's just as easy to pick on as we were!

He loved Jesus! I can still picture him worshiping the Lord with his bass.

He wasn't afraid to die. He knew where he was going and for some strange reason, especially looking back on his life, I truly think he knew he was only going to be around for a little while.

He always had a peace about him. Whether he was laying on the couch, sprawled out on the floor, or ignoring his pain in a hospital bed... he always had a peaceful presence.

I miss him so much and I know I'm not the only one. It's bittersweet because I can only imagine what he experiences everyday (if there are even "days" in heaven) and yet selfishly we wish he could be here with us. I love to think about what he would be like now and how he would respond to situations or people. We were so lucky to have such a wonderful brother and friend! Thanks for sharing him Newell family!

And now, for a flashback to the 90's...

Oh yeah, there's some air!!! ;)

They spent hours doing this, literally...

And obviously it didn't really pay off! ;)

Don't worry Jordan, we'll blame the slow 35 mm camera for not catching you in the air! Praise the Lord for SLR cameras! =)

Classic!

Hours and hours were spent hanging around drinking Dr. Pepper (and Mt. Dew)... and yes, those are wine glasses they're using!

Another crappy pic, but such great memories! We had gone for a bike ride down to the cemetery (I think) and brought along a picnic. (I'm sure I probably packed it for the boys.) I have NO idea what reflection I was taking this picture in though... if only my memory was as stellar as some!

And this, was Easter Sunday... all of the boys fell fast asleep after stuffing themselves full! You can see John up in the top left corner (also partying in heaven now), Josh, Dave, Dad, and Jordan! Gotta love the old brown couch too!

Finally, (another picture I found while scrounging last night), this was the evening Dave went into the hospital, never to step foot outside again. He fought hard and long, but I'll give it to him: Heaven is a much better place! Three months and two days later he went home to be with his Lord and Savior.

Thank you, Lord, for sharing your son Dave with us. We have many wonderful memories of time spent together! You created a loving, kind, courageous man of God (although, not perfect ;)!

We miss you Dave! Thanks for living in our hearts and memories forever!

Just like WiWi

As you've probably caught on, we've been outside a LOT lately! I'm trying really hard to make sure I water my garden a lot, especially when it hasn't rained. Madelyn and Winston love it! I'm not sure who loves it more...

They love to take turns drinking from the hose. Madi says, "Bink, bink, ease" and then offers for Winston to drink too. "Wiwi, bink. Wiwi bink."

It's intense...

I actually think she has this look down pat...

Right?!?!

Her shirt is off due to just finishing lunch. If you look closely, you can see remnants of tomato soup on her face.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of how easy it is to do things outside! Just take clothes off, pull the hose out and everyone should be happy!

Now come on, Summer... you're taking forever to get here!!!

And in her zealousness to drink like the dog, she may have ended up a little wetter than intended...

In which case, she decided to take it all off...

It was nap-time anyway...

Thank You, Sunshine!!!

It's been a wonderful, low-key week. Madi and I have enjoyed each others' company... particularly in the sun! We are so blessed to have such a beautiful backyard. It's been a process and it certainly didn't look anything like this 5 years ago (although that didn't stop Mo and I from attempting to lay in the sun... even with the potential of snakes ;). Matt finally got the last part of our fence hung a couple weekends ago and it feels SOOOO nice to have a completely private backyard.

Some of my favorite things about it: It's big and open. There is generally always a sunny spot and most of the time a shady spot. Our grass is GREEN and healthy (although not currently up to Matt's standard). I have a perfect little garden spot. We have a sliding glass door that WORKS (and is really nice) that comes straight out to the backyard from the house. My kitchen window (above the sink) looks right out into our yard (quite possibly the nicest part)! We have a cozy little patio table with chairs that we can eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner at. Madelyn has a sandbox, with clean fresh sand (No "Ucky worms" in Madi's words...), that she LOVES to play in! She also has LOTS of fun bubble toys that she absolutely LOVES thanks to friends and family! It's completely fenced, which means no children or dogs can get out and no neighbors can see in!

**Disclaimer**

If you choose to peak over the fence, you may or may not find a large pregnant woman walking around in her swimsuit. Don't say you haven't been warned!

I know that the sun is just teasing us and it will soon be gone for too long, but we did our part in soaking it up while it's been here!

(And for the record, this blanket was not used to cover up with, but as an attempt for me to lay on my stomach... =)

I have a feeling this might be our little haven for the summer!

A few things I can't wait for: Even warmer weather so we can break out the kiddie pool and sprinklers! Popsicles!!! =)

We love you sunshine! Please come back soon!!!

P.S. These sunglasses did NOT come off today! She loves them. =)

The Ducks...

These pictures are a few weeks old... okay, about four weeks old, but I have been wanting to share them and haven't gotten to it. Madi and I went to a check-up at the doctor for "baby brudder" and it was such a beautiful day that we decided to stop and feed the ducks! Ironically, I had ran to the store in the morning before work and picked up a loaf of bread, so we shared our usually uneaten heals with them. ;)

"Gucks, Mama"

These two ducks became our friends right away! (Apparently the others were too dumb!) They came right up to us and did NOT seem to be scared!

For the most part, Madi loved it.

Until this happened...

In which case, this followed:

I pretty much had to convince her that she could still take steps and then eventually I hauled her off to the car. Meanwhile, she continued to tell me about the mud on her shoes.

Thanks for the visit "gucks"...

You're welcome for the bread! =)