Madeline is like an ant

On Saturday the weather was awesome.  We spent most of the day outside.  Madeline rode her four wheeler and her bikes.  If you notice below Madeline has the strength of an ant.   Just look at her pulling her dad around.   I had to get a picture.  These two crack me up.  

We got our hair cut!

Like I said in a previous post, I finally convinced Madeline to cut her hair.  She loves it now but right after the lady finished she asked Madeline if she liked it and Madeline said no.    I think this shorter cut fits her personality.  I really like it.

Also while I remember I wanted to post some of the funny things Madeline has said or done recently.

We were looking at pictures the other day.   When we got to this picture she sighs and says " Oh those were the good old days.  Ya know when my panties didn't bother me."   She cracks me up.  I agree those were the good old days.

This is the picture she drew of her family in primary the other day.   I had to look twice because I was wondering who the other girl was.  Madeline explained that her family wasn't big enough so she added my sister Sarah.    I really like that I am the biggest.  

Influenza

This has been a rough last week.   Among other things, we have had one sick little girl.   We have had influenza A lurking at our house.   Apparently it is one of the worst kinds of influenza to have.   Poor Madeline has felt just awful for a week.   The worst thing for her is when her nose is plugged.   She can't stand it when that happens.   We have had lots of cuddle time and lots of movies.   When she is sick is about the only time I get cuddle time.   But I think we are finally on the mend!  Watch out local people  because apparently this stuff can get really nasty.  You can only treat it within the first 48 hours.  So wash your hands.  

On a lighter note . . .   we were at my parents house last night for a birthday party and my mom's cousin showed up.   He is a magician and comedian, so our night was very entertaining.  He was showing Madeline a magic trick with this little foam ball.  Making it disappear, or turn into two or three balls.  Madeline loved it.  So when he was done he gave her a ball.  All evening she was squeezing it and couldn't understand why it wasn't working.  Eventually she whispers in Kendall's ear  "Dad don't tell anyone... but I don't think this ball is magic anymore".     So today all I have heard is "Mama, this ball isn't magic. "  then again " Mama this ball isn't magic".   She just doesn't understand what happened.    I just told her that it must have broken or something. 

Notice the nose strip.  It has been a permanent fixture on that little nose.

  The broken magic ball.  

25 things about Kendall

1- He loves his family more than anything.

2-He has a great sense of humor and the best laugh ever.   His laugh is contagious.  

3- He loves his wife and thinks she is the most beautiful girl.  ;-)  

4- He loves talk radio.  He likes to download podcasts on his ipod and learn about new things.   He loves learning.  

5-He builds awesome houses.  

6-He loves his job.

7-He often has to explain that he is 29 years old and not some teenage kid.  Contractors that talk to him on the phone and then meet him in person are often surprised that Kendall is the guy they were talking to.  He just looks so young.  

8-He is honest and hardworking.

9-He loves to be with Madeline and me.  

10- He never lets work interfere with our home life.  He always makes sure that he has family time.  

11-He is the most supportive husband a girl could ever ask for. 

12-He likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches toasted.  

13- He hates bananas.

14-He loves and cares for his extended family.  

15- He has some of the corniest jokes ever.  Just ask about the stick joke.  

16- He loves motorcycles.  His favorite trip all year is the annual Moreland 2nd Ward Father and Sons activity.  He can't wait until he has a son to take.   He has gone with his dad since he was a kid.  

17- He is very easy going.  

18- He will always say he is sorry first.  

19-He makes friends easily and people enjoy being around him.

20- He can make some awesome brisket and ribs in the smoker.  He loves outdoor cooking.  

21-He will do any job required of him.  Even if it is the worst job ever.  He isn't the kind of guy that thinks he is too good to do a nasty job.  He just gets in and gets it done.  

22- He is so patient, when Madeline is being naughty he can patiently talk to her and calm her down.  He is also patient and forgiving to me. 

23-He loves the gospel and has a very strong testimony.  He has faith through all of our trials.  

24- I love it when he helps clean house.  He is awesome help.  He always helps with the dishes and asks if I need him to do anything.  

25-Whenever he sees a need, he does what he can to help.  

We love you Kendall and we think you are the best husband and father two girls could ever ask for!  

  

25 random things about Madeline

1- She is four years old.

2- She calls me "mama", which I love.

3-She is all girl. She loves pink, painted fingernails, barbies, and playing dress up. She also has a little bit of spunk.

4-She hates panties. HATES them. They are never positioned right. I never can make her happy. Side note- Did you know that Hanes has wedgie free panties? They have been my saving grace.

5-She has some of Kendall's sarcasm and thinks she is a comedian, which we are finding out she uses at primary because the kids think it is funny. Mom isn't as amused.

6-She hates having her hair combed. I have finally convinced her to cut it. Hurray!!

7-She loves barbies. I have no idea where she gets that from because I hated them.

8-One of my favorite things she does is when she comes up to me and gives me a hug and says "I love you Mama." It just makes my heart melt.

9-She is pretty sneaky about getting help cleaning up. As soon as somebody starts to help her clean her stuff up she kicks it around with her toe and cleans in the slowest way. She knows how to work the system.

10- She loves strawberry milk and a kid show. She quit taking naps at a year and a half, so strawberry milk and a kid show were our nap.

11-She learns fast. She is already starting to read. It is driving her nuts that she can't read the American Girl books.

12- She loves her aunts. Aunt Anna and Aunt Sarah can do no wrong. They are awesome about taking Madeline with them every where they go.

13- She is getting very good at gymnastics. This has been an exciting year because we are starting to see some of the fun tricks.

14-She can't say her r's. It is dang cute.

15-She is quick to forgive.

16- She loves primary. Her sunbeam teacher was awesome.

17-She really wants to be a big sister and she will be an awesome big sister. She always tells me "Mama, when we get a baby I will get to hold him standing up because he will be our baby." We make her sit down with babies so she is convinced that when the baby is ours she will get to stand up.

18-She doesn't look at or answer most adults at the moment. So if you ask her a question don't expect a return answer.

19-Madeline loves to cook in her little kitchen and will ask us if we want "chicken roast beef" .

20- She pronounces or "your". I love it.

21-She uses the love and logic method on her parents. She turns it around on us and starts giving us the choices, for example..." You can give me a candy bar or a cookie. "

22-She loves going on dates with her dad. He is the best guy ever!

23-She loves skiing.

24-She loves motorcycle rides and will hopefully love her own four wheeler someday. ( You see Kendall doesn't have a son yet so Madeline will have to fit the bill for a while.)

25-Madeline is about the sweetest girl we could ever ask for. We love her spunk and tenderness. She is always willing to share her love when ever asked.

Love you Mad!

25 things about ME! (Katy...just in case you didn't know.)

Here are my 25 random things:

1- My best friend is my husband. I love spending time with him.  I feel lucky to have been so blessed.  

2-I can't walk in high heels.

3- I love adoption.

4- I LOVE being married. I think my husband is hot. 

5-I LOVE being a mom. Madeline is my little bud. 

6-I always want to make people happy. I am a people pleaser. 

7-I have a tender heart and don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

8-I like having a clean house but in no way consider myself a clean freak. I have a few cluttered spots. And I am okay with that.

9-I am not a shopper. I love online shopping though. 

10- I always have to have my toes painted. 

11-I love old movies and my favorite actresses are Doris Day and Audrey Hepburn.

12-I hate infertility but am gaining a testimony of faith through this trial.  

13-When sales men come to the door they always ask for my mom.

14-I would love summer to be all year long.  

15-I want a large family. But I am thinking that if Heavenly Father saw fit to bless me with two kids that would be perfect at this point.  But I will take as many as I can get. 

16-I lost a baby at the beginning of my second trimester and that has been the hardest thing I have ever experienced. I still miss that baby. 

17-I treasure life more now because of #16. Life is fragile. 

18-My biggest fear is never having more children. 

19-I have realized that service really is the best way to feel better about your self.

20-I am always prepared. If you need a snack, drink, tylenol, gum, etc. I usually have it. I am weird that way.

21-I cannot skip a meal. . That is why I always have a snack. (number 20)

22-I love the gospel.  It is the important thing in my life and I don't know what I would do without it.

23-I love staying home with Madeline. I have realized that even working at home isn't cool. You feel guilty when you are working that you are not playing with your kids and when you are playing with your kids your mind is on all the work you need to do. The best thing I ever did was let work go and concentrate on raising my daughter. Work is Kendall's job. He does an awesome job of it too! I will have my time to do all that jazz in 14 years unless more babies show up ( my fingers are crossed for more babies). 

24-I want my family to be extremely close when all the kids grow up. I don't want anyone to hate anyone. Family is all you have. 

25-I am shy when you first get to know me but I open up more when I get to know you and am more  comfortable.  So don't think I am stuck up. ;-)

25 Things about Kendall

1-

Here's a story for you.

The other day I was reading this story from the amazing r house blog.   Needless to say I was in tears.  This story was so moving and it was interesting to me how similar some of the feelings of a birth mother and a woman experiencing infertility are the same.   Both feel despair, heartache, and both are sending up fervent prayers for a certain answer on a pregnancy test.  Although one is hoping for a positive and one a negative we are both sending up some pretty serious prayers.  The second part of the story is another tear jerker.   I think birth moms are just awesome.   

Also there are some more birth mom stories on the birth mom button to the right of my blog.  

Enjoy!

Our California Vacation

Every February or March for the last 3 years we have gotten the Disney bug. We started this when Madeline was two. We had so much fun that we have returned every year. We love California's warm weather and Disney is just about the best place on earth. By the time you get to February here you have had just about enough of the cold weather.

Our hotel was AWESOME. It was like a small apartment with a kitchen and everything. I made some dinners and had them frozen so we could eat our dinners and breakfasts at the hotel and we could eat lunch where ever we were at. We saved so much money this way. Totally recommend it.

Madeline loved meeting the princesses.

Madeline and I at the 3 D movie "A Bug's Life". This is my favorite 3 D movie ever. Make sure your kids aren't afraid of bugs though. It will totally freak them out.

Playhouse Disney!

The Dumbo ride. You aren't allowed to turn around and take pictures. Oops.

Universal Studios

On Wednesday we went to Universal Studios.  I still like Disney better but I think when Madeline gets older Universal will be fun.   We really enjoyed the studio tour where they show you where they film the movies.  SO cool.  

Madeline loved the characters this year.  She mauled them.  

She even knocked Curious George over.   Yep pushed him right over and than ran away.  Didn't even help him up.  

Apollo 13

This was cool.  This is the set for War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise.  It looks just like it did back then.  

You can't forget the The Grinch.. this is Whoville.   This set was so small.  I don't know if they downsized after the movie or if this is what they really worked with.  

Jaws

The Back to the Future car.  

Sea World

We went to Sea World on Thursday and had a blast.  We went to the Shamu show and watched the killer whales.  Picture Below.   We sat on the top row of the soak zone which is 16 rows up and we got wet.  It was amazing how far they can splash.  Madeline really enjoyed watching the Shamu show and touching the manta rays.  

After Sea World we went to Laguna Beach and found this fun little fifties diner and had a hamburger.  We were the only ones there for a little while.   It was right on the beach so after dinner we walked around the beach.  

It was getting dark so we didn't get as many pictures as we would have liked.  

It was so beautiful.  How fun would it be to live so close to the beach?  If  we could avoid the rotten traffic I might be tempted to live there.  

Day 4 Sea World