Day 1...

Well, it's time to get back to reality... but before I do that, I'm going to spend a few more minutes longing over the beautiful week Madi and I just had in Maui with my mom, sister and SIL (for a few days)...

I was a little nervous about our flight. Mostly because it was 5 and a half hours and I had NO idea how Madi would do... Thankfully she was AMAZING, especially considering she had to sit on my lap the whole time...

Unfortunately, I'm not crazy enough to think that I can take pictures of the two of us on the plane while keeping track of everything else that I had brought with us, so our adventures in pictures don't start until we landed in the islands.

Can you say, "Aloha"?!?!

Mads was SO happy to be out of the plane... even if it meant she had to ride in her carseat!

I'm sure it helped that she was with some of her favorite people!!!

Aunt Decca "Caca" didn't waste anytime and they headed straight for the pool! Madi was THRILLED... she loves water and usually pushes whoever is holding her away because she's pretty sure she can float by herself?!?!?

She's crazy.

I know.

Don't worry, I bought her a lifejacket before we left.

Best $17.00 I've spent in a while!

We got all dressed up and headed to Lahaina for a Sunset Dinner Cruise!

It was the PERFECT night for it!!!

There was NO wind and we saw TONS of whales... in fact we watched them until it was just too dark to see them anymore!

So serious! Waiting for our "boat"!!!

Checking out what a smile actually looks like!!!

Watching the "Whales" with Nana... Madi loved them, but when the sun-set we told her that the whales had gone "Night night"... I think we all regreted that because for the next seven days we would here a frantic, "Whales, night night?" at least 10 times a day! It was always with a questioning tone, like she was checking to see if they were still okay...

It was pretty cute.

And yes, that's what she tells you about if you ask her about Hawaii!

Here's just a FEW whale pictures from the, um, 150, that we took. I was SO happy to have a zoom lense, which capture these amazing creatures much better than I expected. I had no idea what setting I should have been on as my camera doesn't have a "whale" icon... ;) So here was the amateur in me...

This was the baby whale popping up... he was being taught how to slap his fin and tail... SO cute!

As you can see it was a BEAUTIFUL night! We could not have asked for more perfect weather, or a more perfect location!

The BEST way to start off a week in Maui, if I may say so myself! =)

Although Madi and I were pretty exhausted after traveling all day! She's quite the trooper!

Here's to day 1... and many more beautiful ones to follow! =)

Child Labor

We charge $10.00 and hour for her services.

But watch out, because the prices will more than likely double as she gets quicker (and less sloppy)...

Occasionally, Madi decides she needs to clean the window of our sliding glass door. Her desire is usually sparked when she throws something in the garbage and remembers that there's a spray bottle and scrubbing pads under the sink in the kitchen.

It cracks me up that she gets so into it cause I remember very few times that I've actually cleaned the windows in front of her.

Okay, I'll admit, my windows deserve to be cleaned WAY more than I ever do it, but when I usually do it's when she's napping.

It's obvious though... she's definitely a pro at this! You can practically hear her "ch, ch, ch" spraying sound effect from this picture!

She's quite content just pretending and certainly never asks for help from Mommy, nor does she really spray the cleaner...

I must admit though: they're really isn't anything much cuter than a toddler in her pull up with a very serious look on her face working hard at copying her Mama...

**and for the record, I certainly don't use 409 OR a scotch bright pad to clean my windows**

Confident...

Madi is changing ever so fast these days. I mean, there's never really been a point when it hasn't seem like she is constantly growing in leaps and bounds, but these days it's just so much more little girl than we're used to.

This afternoon she was prancing around in her little sweat-suit with her hood on and her hands stuffed in her pockets (surprise, surprise, I know!) sitting in every little chair she could find.

This is the after-shadow of her leaning back with her hands in her pockets and her feet propped up on another chair.

I tried really hard to get a picture of it, but of course she pulls her hands out RIGHT away and acts like she was never acting "cool" in the first place!

She just seems to have this confidence about her and her world that radiates when she's around...

I don't think it's just the fact that she's packing a gun around, or the fact that she lets everyone know it's "Madi's gun"...

...Or the fact that sometimes it looks like she may have had a sip of something extra fermented...

Whatever it is...

I have NO idea where she gets it from!

**Picture taken courtesy of Madelyn**

=)

Tutus and Galoshes...

Madi has turned into quite the helper in her old age. She loves doing just about anything with us! This afternoon Matt decided he had a few minutes to give Winston a bath and Madelyn was insistent on offering her services as well!

As you can see, that pretty much meant that she wanted to prance around outside with her hands in her pockets!

We're both pretty sure she didn't take her hands out of her pockets once.

Even when she tripped head-first onto the ground...

She just laid there waiting - convinced that someone should help her up!

Winston got over it quickly...

I'm pretty sure he started a little whine right here, which was supposed to be interpreted, "She's flopping again! Don't give her any attention!"

Yes, I did help her up after I got a few tutu in the air shots!

=)

You would have too!

It didn't seem to phase her much... she kept marching around with dirt on her face and her hands in her pockets like nothing ever happened.

Matt thinks we need to start writing our own children's book series about a little girl that doesn't go anywhere without a tutu and galoshes...

Watch out Olivia books... here comes Madelyn!!!

=)

Happy Saturday!

The Frog...

Matt came home from work on Tuesday ECSTATIC because he had found a new pet for Madi...

a frog!

Apparently he was greeted by this creature when he got to work in the morning, which led him to capture him (it?) and save it for a pet.

After scrounging up a cage and creating a mini habitat, the frog (which has yet to be named, except by Seven who gave him the name Gabriel after his friend at school...) has found a new home in Madi's room.

She loves to stare at him and "ribbit". She tells us all kinds of things about him, which have yet to be interpreted... they have become pretty good friends!

We often find her doing this with the cage on the floor...

Great Grandpa and Grandma Olson came for a quick visit this weekend and Madi insisted on lugging her cage out to the family room to show Grandpa "ribbit"...

This look is my favorite...

How could you not take her seriously?

She told him everything she knew about frogs...

And then he told her everything he knew about frogs...

And thus, the conversation continued as she convinced this 78 year old man to lay down on his stomach to get a better look!

It's a hard life:

- being a toddler

- wearing pink football clothes

- talking about frogs

- running around barefoot all day

- being adored by everyone around you

But, she does it well!

Baby Olivia...

Last Sunday we welcomed our first baby NIECE! Olivia Marie was born on December 5th weighing in at 7 lbs and 18.5 inches long. We couldn't wait to get our hands on her so we headed straight to the hospital after early service church on Sunday! Unfortunately, I forgot the camera, but that's okay because Madi and I went to visit again on Monday...

and on...

well, we're trying not to wear out our welcome!

She is pretty much perfect though, just like we expected.

Madelyn loves her, although she doesn't understand why she doesn't get to hold her by herself yet...

"Mine" is currently Madi's favorite word, and for some reason she seems to think if she just tells us that Olivia is hers that she'll get her.

I SWEAR.

We DO NOT give her whatever she wants!

But in the meantime she'll just keep trying... she's a persistent child!

For now, we'll just keep visiting our favorite niece... she seems to like us already.

Okay, so maybe she sleeps peacefully for everyone!

Welcome to this world Olivia Marie! We love you SOOOO much, and we just might give you whatever you want... I mean...

Just Like Daddy...

Madelyn likes to try and play dress up... It's really funny to watch her stumble around while trying to pull some sort of clothing item over her head.

I know.

It sounds kind of mean, so sometimes we go ahead and just help her out.

She pretty much knew how cute she was once she got it on... and then we just kept laughing that she couldn't find her hands.

We're her parents. I'm sure she'll laugh at us for years to come too!

Lovin' This Deal, Lovin' This Company!

Well, to follow in succession of my favorite blog (This Beautiful Frugal Life) and other friends I am posting about my most FAVORITE recent deal (Yes, I realize "most favorite" is a double adjective). Shutterfly is offering up to 50 free photo cards for posting about how much I LOVE their stuff! When I first saw this, I thought it must be too good to be true. I had already been drooling over Shutterfly's Christmas cards this year wondering just how good of a deal I could get on them!

Many of you know that I absolutely LOVE Shutterfly, particularly their photobooks! I just ordered my third 8 x 8 photobook this year thanks to a sweet Groupon deal I purchased at the end of the summer. Their quality is AMAZING and I have never been disappointed with anything I've ordered from them. I have ordered photobooks from over three different companies and my favorite by far is definitely Shutterfly's books! In fact, my goal is to continue to make an 8 x 8 Shutterly book every season! I love doing it and my new obsession with the camera has lent to quite a few pictures in our iphoto library. My next project will definitely have to be a Shutterfly calendar though. I love their desk calendars and I think they would be another perfect gift idea! I think their stuff is so cute it almost makes me want to have another baby just so that I can order some birth announcements!

I highly recommend checking out their site and even getting signed up for their e-mail alerts. They send out great coupons, which you all know I'm a fan of! ;) I hope this encourages someone to order some beautiful Christmas cards and the next time you're at our house you'll have to check out our photobooks! ;) I just got our newest one (Fall 2010) in the mail last week!

Oh, and don't forget to send me a card! =)

Update...

It's been too long and I'm well aware of it. Here's an update for those who have been asking (and for those who haven't... =)! Thank you for your prayers, friends!

Caring Bridge

I love these two Duck fans like CRAZY!!!

"CHEESE!!!"

"Touchdown!!!"

(We're working on "National Title"... )

Our Little Frog...

Unfortunately Madi has been a little under the weather this week. =( She came down with Croup on Monday night. Her fever was pretty much gone by Tuesday night, but she is still hacking up lots of yuckiness. We spent the week at home, which felt great! The doctor encouraged us to get out in the cold crisp air as much as possible, so we snuggled up in the frog costume on Wednesday and headed to the park to take some pictures!

I LOVE fall leaves.

... and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE pictures with fall leaves!

At the end of our trip, I let the little frog dive right into her "pond". She pretty much loved it! After she had walked through the puddle a few times she reached down to her soaking "feet" (?) and said, "uh, oh"! =)

She was really into the big girl swing, although that pretty much meant that she just hung there. I didn't really trust her to hold on if she swung at all.

She was definitely ready for her nap by the end of our playdate! =) She didn't want to leave though. She preferred resting her head on the chain. =)

***These pictures pretty much have to replace any "Halloween" pictures because we didn't do much!***