6 Months and Counting

Madelyn had her half brithday on Nov 30th and her 6 month check up shortly after that. She has the chubbiest belly but has dropped down into the 20th percentile for her weight and height. She is a petite little girl! Maybe she will be like her cousin Emma! She is doing really well and is meeting many milestones. A few days ago she started saying "Mamamama" and now has said some "bababa"s. Daddy is coaching her on the dadadadas! She is not even close to crawling yet and seems quite content to just lay on the floor and play with whatever toys are near her. She has gotten quite good at sitting but cannot be left alone because she will eventually topple over. She is eating solids every day and loves squash. So far, she really doesn't like fruit and makes a horrible face when I attempt to feed it to her. Maybe she doesn't like the sweet taste. I guess she didn't get my sweet tooth (a good thing!).

---Parent Dedication---
At the beginning of December, Ben and I participated in a parent dedication/ child presentation at church with Madelyn. It was a really special time and both sets of grandparents were able to witness it. We dedicated Madelyn to the God in front of our church congregation and committed to raising her in a Christ centered home and to know the Lord. This is a committment we do not take lightly. After the service we had a lunch at Luke's parent's house with both of our families. A very memorable day!

---Ohio and Aunt Reba's Wedding---
We just got back from our trip to Ohio for my little sister's wedding. Madelyn did great on the plane ride and never cried (not a surprise). She continued to be a trooper as we totally messed up her schedule and missed some naps while we were there. We are so blessed to have such an accomodating baby! Rebecca was the most beautiful bride. I am so proud of you Reba! My older sister and her husband as well as my parents came out for the wedding and it was so fun to be with my family again. We got to spend special time together several days before the big event. The wedding went smoothly and was a very elegant affair! I was shocked into the freezing cold weather during our 45 minute photo shoot outside in our bridesmaid dresses. I have never been so cold! The pictures will be worth it though since Rebecca had a great photographer. During the reception, Rebecca's new husband sang to us all the song he wrote to her for his proposal. It was amazing. Madelyn enjoyed the dancing from the back of the room becuase the music was pretty loud for her. She just looked at me with an amused smile as I danced crazily infront of her. Ben was the best husband and dad during the entire trip as many of the duties of caring for Madelyn fell upon him while I was busy attending to Rebecca and other bridesmaid activities. Rebecca and Robert will be spending Christmas out in California so we are looking forward to spending more time with the newlyweds.

Pictures of Ohio Trip

Maddie's First Tractor Ride!

The picture above is a video so click on the play button.

Here is Maddie's first tractor ride with Papa! Samuel you will get to ride the tractor soon! We were able to go visit Ben's dad on his farm the day before Thanksgiving. It was really neat for me to finally get to see it! Maddie had some fun too :)

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving with our family. We were able to spend time with both sets of our parents which is always a blessing we do not take for granted. In a way, it was a bittersweet time gathering together because it made us miss all our siblings who are scattered all over! We love you guys and wish we were with you but we trust in God's timing for us to see you all again.

We sure enjoyed our dinner Nano made- it is always a treat having a huge meal at Nano and Papa's house! Maddie ate so much her stomach was HUGE! Well, no turkey for her this year but next year she will get to try some. Maddie's Great Campa (Ben's grandpa) was able to come with Ben's Aunt and Uncle to enjoy some of our dessert. Madelyn was great being held by everyone as you can see in the pictures above. I would say the only downside to the day was my botched Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake.. the caramel must have gotten overcooked because it tasted like poison! Luckily we tested it in the kitchen before it was served so I didn't have to experience the embarrassment of someone actually attempting to eat it. I think that will be the last time I attempt a recipe from Wolfgang Puck!

I Love Daddy

I love my Daddy! I love to touch his beard and pinch his skin with my little hands. Daddy says it feels like "Indian burns" Daddy loves toys and he already gave me my big Christmas present... A CAR! I guess he couldn't wait! I like to sit in my car because it keeps me from falling over. Aunt Ammy, look I brought little Ryder along for a ride! :)

Adventures of Maddie and Luke Part 3

I couldn't resist posting the pictures of the babies in their costumes. Luke was a pea pod! The last picture was taken on one of my walks with them. We got a converter wheel for our bike buggie so I can use it like a stroller and now I am able to get out of the house when I have both babies. Maddie likes to hold onto Luke's leg :)

Shout out to the Grandparents

Madelyn is surely blessed with such wonderful, loving grandparents so I thought we would post some pictures of them. We love you Grammy, Grandad, Nano and Papa!

Yellow Duck Costume and Pumpkin Patch

For Cousin Samuel

We can't see a piece of farm equipment without thinking of little Sam and how excited he would be! This one is for you Samuel!

Mmmmm Rice Cereal!

Maddie has taken to solids like a hummingbird to a sugar water in a bird feeder! Well, she has only been given some rice cereal at this point so we shall see what she does when she gets something she doesn't like.

Her first meal was a success and she swallowed quite a bit of it (to my surprise)! She really likes it when I pretend to eat something and then say, "Mmmmmm Yummyyyyyyyy!" She just laughs and laughs at that! She still looks so tiny in her chair and is so cute how she holds onto the tray. She is already trying to grab the spoon away from us!

Mammoth Get-Away

We went to Mammoth Lakes last weekend for a fun little vacation. We had a great time getting away for a while and enjoying God's beautiful creation. It snowed the first night we were there and we awoke the next day to find everything white and clean. That day Ben went fishing at Rock Creek lake while Maddie and I sat in a chair in the snow keeping one another warm and watching Ben. It was Maddie's first experience in the snow and I can't say she really enjoyed her drool freezing on her little chin but she was a trooper! Later, we went to Twin Lakes where Ben fished with better success (he was happy like a little boy!) and of course Maddie and I sat on some rocks to cheer him on.

We thought we had lost our camera at Twin Lakes and looked all over for it in our car, condo, bags etc. and even drove around looking for it on the road (Ben thought he left it on the back of the truck!). Therefore, we don't have any pictures of the rest of the trip except those that we took with a disposable camera that are great for the memories but not so great aesthetically! Thankfully, the camera showed up in our bag when we got home.. whoops! We were so grateful to have our pictures and memories back.

The snow melted enough for us to go into Red's Meadow the next day and we took Maddie all over in the front pack to see Devil's Post Pile and Rainbow falls. She did so well and looked around quietly, took little naps here and there. She is such a great baby!

All in all it was a great trip! Ben's family used to go to Mammoth for their family vacations so he really enjoyed sharing that special place with his own little family today.