What's New with the Dillon Family...

Watch out world....We have a WALKER!!

2011-11-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

All these months Halen has been hanging out watching his big sister run around him...

He's been itching to get up and run along side her...

Nothing was going to hold him back!

He kept trying and trying and it finally paid off!

At 10.5 mths old Halen got it all figured out!

Check out some of his first steps!!

(Running is not going to be far behind! There are a lot of kids around here he's got to keep up with!)

Go! Halen! Go!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

We were all VERY excited about the coming of Halloween this year.... Miss Madi had checked out a Halloween costume catalog a couple months ahead of time and FELL IN TOTAL COMPLETE LOVE with one particular costume.... We had already had her costume *sort* of planned ( Liz scored some great costumes right after Halloween the year before for 90% off! Surely one of those would work... right?....)so, Madi looking at the catalog was really just supposed to be for fun. That is... until... she saw.....

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!!!

One look and that was that! She WOULD be Strawberry Shortcake, there was no doubt in her mind! When Brendan came home from work that evening she immediately brought him the picture she had found & told him "I'm GOING to be STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, Daddy!!!"

How can you possibly say no to this?.... looking at the price tag... Liz was pretty ready to say no.... but luckily we happened to find a good deal on one just Madi's size!!! It was meant to be after all!! ;0)

Madi's dream of being Strawberry came true....

She was completely head over heels IN LOVE with her costume! The day it arrived in the mail she tried it on, to make sure it would fit ok, and didn't want to take it off!! In fact she got quite upset with Mommy when she was told it was bedtime and she would have to put her pj's on! Then each day after, instead of waking up with a "Good Morning!" it was "Can I be Strawberry now?" (Which meant she wanted to put her costume on).

This went on for quite a few days... until....

She was wearing it one afternoon....

She decided she needed to go potty on the "big girl" potty...

Grandma took her in, sat her down to do her business...

Well...

She was heartbroken with what happened next...

(Plus I think she might hate me when she is 16 for telling everyone!!)

She decided she was done, stood up, picked up her potty seat & handed it to grandma... then for whatever reason immediately decided no, I think I'll try again & SAT DOWN...

Grandma couldn't get the potty seat back in place in time

(Since Madi moved so fast!)

So...

Madi fell in! :0(

While wearing her beloved costume!

The tears were enormous!

She didn't want to wear her dress again for awhile...

Because it was now "Yucky!"

But, Mommy washed it (Hand washed by the way, oh yay!)

So life as Madi knew it was ok once again!

It was perfectly perfect for her to wear in time for a Halloween party with our play group friends

And Halen was super duper happy (Ok so maybe he didn't realize so much) to be the cutest DINOSAUR ever!!!

Or as Madi called him a

DIAMONDSAUR!!

We brought a treat to share with our playgroup.... however I should have thought this over a bit more before deciding on what our treat would be... yes it was YUMMY... but boy, oh, boy was it MESSY!!

(Chocolate covered graham crackers w/ oooey-gooey marshmallow creme in the middle!)

We ended up covering ALL of Madi w/paper towels before she dove into one!

(Because her Mommy is CRAZY like that!)

Here's our little diamondsaur in action! Trying to catch Daddy's camera!

On Halloween night we decided since the kiddos looked so extra special adorable we would let them trick or treat at a few houses (We usually just go to a couple neighbors that we know & of course Grandpa's house, just down the street! Once the kids are older and get more into it I'm sure we'll hit the whole neighborhood, but for now the few we end up at is more than enough!)

This year, Brendan had a special surprise for our little Strawberry Shortcake...

He decided to dress up as one of her best friends...

Blueberry Muffin!

Madi was in Strawberry Heaven! :0)

The kiddos (And Brendan!) Had a blast trick or treating! The neighborhood kids got a kick out of Blueberry Muffin ( I overheard some of the pre-teens saying "Oh how cool, he dressed up for his little girl!" as they walked past us...awwww... ) I'm not sure how we can top this years costumes next year! We'll have to start planning now!!

The Zoo! The Zoo!!

2011-10-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

This October (Yep! I said October! Oregon + October usually = Brr!! But luckily the sun held out long enough to make for a beautiful day!) We had a chance to take a trip to the Zoo! One of Madi (& her Mommy's) favorite places to visit! We got a great deal for tickets (Yay Groupon!) so we were able to invite Aunt Dawn & the girls ( Payton & Isabella) to come along with us!

Here's Madi & her "Girls" ready to go check out some animals!

Isabella & Payton in the Eagle nest... doing their best eagle impression

Halen had a great time too!

We took a small break from the animal exhibits to play a little

Madi wasn't too sure about sitting on the mouse statue... she was much happier with the bench

The Giraffe's Mom! The Giraffe's!!

I think I see a ZEEEEEEBRA!! (Madi's fave!)

To the train we go! All Aboard!!

Halen was pretty excited to get to hang out in the Choo Choo Train!!

Time for some lunch! (And a little bit of lemonade too!)

Another of Madi's favorites...the Elephants!!

We had a great time checking out all the animals. We were really glad to be able to go before the weather turned yucky! Now at least once a week Madi asks if we can go back yet... she's getting a little impatient! Can't wait for summer to be here so we can do it all again!

Check out our NINE month old!!

2011-10-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

Halen is now 9 months old! He's growing and changing & learning new things EVERY day! It's amazing!

(I try and try to think of a different word to describe my growing kiddos... and yet...

the only thing that seems to fit the best is AMAZING!! lol)

On October 4th 2011 we took him in for his 9mth well child check-up, he is now

27 inches tall (12.33%... yes, I made my kids short apparently!) 19 lbs 3.5 oz (28.92%) and his head is 96.32% ( So, I make them short, with GIANT heads....I'm sorry Halen!! Hee-Hee)

(On a side note... Madi came along with us to Halen's appointment, I told her she was coming along to help Halen not be scared, ect. She was to be the "Big Girl Helper".... she was cool with this role. It wasn't until I got there and was told " Halen doesn't need any shots this time around, unless you want to have him get the flu shot.?" I thought about it and decided, yes, we'll do that. Then I thought, Hey.. why not have Madi get hers too while we are at it?... Seems easy enough to me... and the Dr agreed... Madi on the other hand, was not impressed! As the nurse came in with her shot she began to yell/scream "It's NOT MY TURN!" ... I officially felt like the worst mother in the world! I had told her many times as we were going in that it was Halen's turn at the Dr and that she was just going along for the ride... then I pulled this on her... Bad Mommy!! So, Halen had his flu shot, cried about 60 seconds. Madi got her flu shot next, ended up wailing for roughly 45 mins! I stopped on our way home and got her a yummy strawberry smoothie ( totally Mommy guilt gift! I felt so bad I would have gotten her just about anything she wanted! Luckily, all she wanted was a smoothie!) which ended up helping to make it all better for her. By the time we got to her Auntie Jen's house (Where she was going to hang out & play for a little bit) she was good to go. She was even overheard telling the other kids while she was there, that " Halen cried when he got the 'Pokey' because he is a baby, but I didn't cry at all, because I am a BIG girl!".... hahah...Madi you silly girl!)

He is just handsome as can be! Halen is crawling everywhere, he loves to chase his big sister, Madi, around the house. They have SO much fun playing together! Madi really loves being a big sister. She takes such good care of him! She gets his toys out for him, tells us when she thinks he needs something, gives him his blanket & binky when he is sad and will even share her own things with him! The cutest thing though has got to be.... she insists on giving him a kiss before each nap he takes and before he goes to bed at night! It's too super adorable! And, of course, Halen just thinks the world of Madi! Whenever he sees her he is nothing but big smiles. She can make him laugh like no one else! It's awesome to see them love each other SO much!!

Mr Halen can CRAWL!!

2011-09-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, there's nothing this kid can't do!
(Well, except for maybe... walk, talk & eat food that requires much chewing... but you get the idea... oh and taxes... he doesn't really know how to do taxes yet either...but give him time & he'll conquer it all!!..but for now...back to his latest accomplishment...... )

HALEN CAN CRAWL!!!

Yes folks, that's right... he can now go from the living room to the kitchen to the dining room and back in about 5 seconds! He is totally AMAZING!

Check out his "pre-crawl" moves here:

Then just a couple days later (9/15/2011).... Here he is his making his full on crawling debut!!

Halen is already pulling himself up on any piece of furniture he can get his hands on... which means... I think he'll be WALKING in no time!

GO HALEN GO!

Our First Family Camping Trip!

2011-08-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

This August we were super excited to take Halen on his very FIRST camping trip!

Madi couldn't wait to get out there and show Halen how it's done!

Here she is about 5 minutes after arrival :

It's amazing to me how fast she can go from a little No-I-don't-want-to-get-dirty-Princess to this dust ball! But she loves it, so I do my best to not follow her around with a wipe trying to clean her up every five minutes!

The kids were VERY excited that this year we got to camp along with Grandpa & Allison, Aunt Ashley, Uncle Jon & Aunt Dawn AND the girls, Payton & Isabella!! It was great to have all our families there to hang out & relax with. We spent a lot of time chatting by the fire, roasted some marshmallows, did some stargazing, took walks down by the river, and even had the chance to raft down the river a few times as well! The only down side we had was the fact that Halen was not too impressed with the great outdoors! I think Madi would camp all year round if we let her ( She just LOVES it!!), Halen on the other hand... was NOT a happy camper!! During the day he would do ok. He would act pretty much like his usual happy self but once night time came it was like he was a completely different baby!! He had the hardest time falling asleep and was just cranky as can be! This made it a bit tough on us... we ended up deciding to head on home a night early. We were ALL very happy to be back in our normal beds & back to our regular routines. (Madi's first stop after getting home... the BATHTUB!! Wow!! was she a dirty bird!) We are hoping that by next year Halen will be a better sleeper & be up for another outdoor adventure!!

Brendan chillin' at the campsite

Madi & Mommy

Halen & Daddy our first morning there

( Halen sure looks like a happy guy doesn't he?)

Mr Blue Eyes

Grandpa working hard at the grill, making breakfast for us all, YUM!

Day 2.... Madi ran thru the parking lot a little too fast & tripped... landing on her cheek, poor girl!

(Some "Hot Chocolate Milk" from Grandpa helped make it feel better in no time though! Not to mention, right after it happened, her buddy Avalee, who we were visiting w/at their camp at the time, shared some yummy fishy crackers to help make it better too! What a good friend!)

Madi & Daddy goofing around

HALEN!

Daddy & Halen

Going for a walk

Relaxing in his stroller, ready to take a walk

Payton!

As soon as Madi saw Isabella at the campsite she HAD to have her sit WITH her... they are such good buddies!

Morning time at the campsite again! Halen & Mommy!

We gave him his own toys to play with ... but he thought Mommy's water bottle was tons more fun!! It was pretty hot outside so I think he liked that the bottle was super cold!

The whole group hanging out by the river, going for a nice cool swim! (I think it was about 93 that day! Way too hot for me!!!)

Overall we had a FABULOUS vacation & can't wait for our next adventure!

Halen is SIX months old!!

2011-07-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

I find myself yet again wondering how time flies by so quickly, it seems like just yesterday we were on our way to the hospital to welcome Halen into the world....but here we are...he's 6 months old already! Amazing!

We took him in for his 6mth check up on 7/5/2011 ... he is now...
26in (34.17%) & 16 lb 6 oz (29.49%)!!
He is still our happy little guy! From the second he wakes up in the morning he is smiling! He has also now added 'talking' to the list as well.... well... maybe more like happy screeching sounds...and boy oh boy is he LOUD! I guess since he's found his voice he is just trying to make sure everyone hears him loud and clear! He has two teeth now as well! (Bottom front) They started to poke through right around the time he turned 4mths old, one right after the other... looks like all that drooling paid off for him!
(He's still drooling like crazy so I'm sure we'll be seeing more teeth poke thru any day now!)
Halen is now working on sitting up on his own (He's SO close!! He can hold himself up for a while but is still working on catching himself when he starts to tip) Crawling shouldn't be too far away either! (He's kinda got an inchworm technique going right now... soon he'll be up off his belly crawling everywhere & getting into lots of trouble with his big sister I'm sure!)

Birthday Parties, Playdates, New tricks & More!...

2011-05-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

May has been a pretty busy month for the Dillon clan...

We started off the month celebrating Paige's 8th birthday
Here's the Birthday Girl showing off the handmade paper flower she made herself
(Madi is SO obsessed w/her cousin Paige!)

Then since the sun had decided to show up once again we made a few trips to the park to soak up some vitamin D and breathe in some fresh air!

Madi going for a ride w/ Daddy at the Riverfront park, she LOVES her pink car!

Madi was so excited it was nice enough out to go play on the SLIDE!

Getting some pointers from her buddy Avalee.

Happy little Halen hanging out while the girls play.

Madi also has had some recent encounters with her favorite neighborhood animals....

"Cow Kitty!"

Giving Tubby a pat on the back

Halen was a pretty busy guy and learned to ROLL OVER! He's also quite the ladies man these days....

Of course we had to post Halen's new accomplishment for all to see when they came to visit!

This is a typical day in the life of Halen... Madi & Isa fighting over who gets to play with him!

He has also found something new to play with.... his feet!
(This has made changing his diaper & getting him dressed a bit challenging! Combine the foot constantly in his mouth with the rolling over & it's like wrestling a bear!)

Next we helped Isabella celebrate her 4th birthday...

(How is it possible that she is 4 already!?)

Halen was pretty excited to get to try solids for the first time...ok maybe excited isn't the word for it... He wasn't too sure what to think of it at first...

Turns out, he really wasn't too impressed with it....

...at all...
(*update: He has improved his opinion on this solid food stuff... at first it was just weird to him...but w/ each meal he's become happier & happier to see that spoon coming towards him! He even *thinks* that he's ready to go ahead & just use the spoon himself! haha!)

Here our little rocker is with the super awesome blanket his Grandma Pat made him

Miss Madi-Annie was extremely proud of herself... she learned how to draw hearts! Here she is showing them off

Looking forward to a very busy, busy summer filled with more park playdates, visits from family , lots of sunshine & playing in the swimming pool! Not to mention lots of GROWING for Mr Halen

Halen is FOUR months old!

2011-05-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

May 5th, 2011 We took Halen in to see the doctor for his four month check up!
He is now 23.88 inches tall (13.9%) & is 14lbs 12.5oz! (48.5%)
And is healthy as can be!
I think when he woke up that morning he must have known he would be going to see the doctor... because he decided it would be the day he would start to
ROLL OVER!
Guess he wanted me to have a little extra something to brag to the Doctor about! He had to have some shots this time around & boy is he not a fan! He turned a couple new shades of red then purple for about 30 seconds.. while screaming.... then took a deep breath...looked at me and flashed the super cute "Halen Smile".... then took a long nap.... boy I love this kid!!

Halen & Madi's photo session!

2011-04-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

It's official.... we have completed Madi & Halen's FIRST ever Sibling Photo Shoot!
As usual, Brendan has done a fabulous job capturing the super cute-ness of our children.... take a look:

Madi's Favorite things...part 3....

2011-04-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Madi is back for another addition of her "Favorite Things"!
She has been a pretty busy little lady these days... lucky for us she has stopped by to share some of her current favorite things..... take a look! :

The neighborhood kitty that comes to visit.

Wearing the top of her cupcake container

Her Baby Doll (Named... what else?... Baby Doll... of course!)

Her barbie fairy wings!

Minnie Mouse!

Giving Baby Halen kisses

Dress up shoes & jewelry!

Daddy & Baby "Talen" (we're working on getting the 'T' into a 'H'..)

Her Princess Crown

Popcorn!

Her new Ladybug rain boots!

Playing with Halen on his playmat

That's all she has for us for today...
Check back often for another installment of "Madi's Favorite Things!"

Growing! Growing! Growing!!!

2011-04-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

I continue to be utterly amazed at how fast children grow... I think I blinked once and suddenly Madisen went from a newborn to this super cute, extremely smart little 2 yr old girl! The same is happening with Mr Halen... he is growing so fast... he just turned 3 mths old & is already outgrowing his 3mth size clothes (A feat that took Madi until she was 6mth or so to do!) He's very busy these days attempting to roll over (Seriously Kid?! Someone should have told you, you don't have to learn to do EVERYTHING before you are 6mths old! haha!) I believe he is also doing some teething already as well!! (Drooling, chewing on his hands, drooling, chewing on anything you put near his mouth, drooling... have I mentioned he's been drooling a lot?) So we are keeping an eye out for any little teeth that may be breaking their way through anytime soon. He continues to be a pretty mellow kid, he sleeps well at night (yay!) And loves playing on his playmat & napping in his swing (thank goodness for the invention of baby swings!)

Hanging out with Daddy

Halen is TWO months old!

2011-03-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

Halen had his two month well child check-up on March 15th, 2011

He is a whopping 12lbs! (which puts him in the 20% for his age) He is 22.5in tall (43%) .... he's growing like crazy!
He has been doing great... although... he had started getting a little sick the week before his doctor appointment.... Madi did as well... runny noses...coughing...the usual yucky cold stuff... well Halen was NOT sounding good at all by the time the day of his appointment arrived, so we were very happy that we already had this appointment scheduled. The Dr took one quick listen to his lungs & said he has Bronchiolitis..... he was wheezing & sounded HORRIBLE over the next few days... the Dr had given us an inhaler to use for breathing treatments, which Halen was NOT a fan of at all! Overall he was sick for nearly 2 wks... we had a few nights where we got very little sleep and thought we might end up in the ER with him at any moment... but luckily Halen took it all like a champ... even after having a terrible coughing fit he would look up at us and flash his big cheesy grin! Being so sick when you are only 2 months old is no fun! But our little Halen is ALWAYS such a happy guy!!

Finger Painting Fun!

2011-03-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

On Madi's birthday this year, her Grandpa gave her finger paint as a gift.... at the time we had a brand new baby in the house & finger painting seemed a bit more of a mess than I could handle.... so I put it away & forgot about it... luckily for Madi, her Daddy remembered it......

I'm supposed to do what?

My fingers are MESSY!

This is FUN!

Look at my picture Daddy!

I'm SO Messy!!

She had so much fun! She is looking forward to making more masterpieces soon!

Halen's First Official Photo Shoot!

2011-01-24T16:35:00.000-08:00

Brendan has been hard at work making Halen's newborn pictures completely awesome!! Check 'em out!.....

Check out our little TWO YEAR OLD!!

2011-01-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

That's right!

Jan 8th 2011 Madi turned TWO!!!
How did she celebrate the big occasion?
By having a TEA PARTY, of course!!

Here's the Birthday Girl all ready to party!

Check out all the sugary goodness!

Cake Pops!!
(This was my first time making these... overall I think they turned out pretty cute & super tasty!)

Madi, Avalee & Zavion enjoying some of the party goodies!

Madi trying a Cake Pop..

It eventually fell off the stick... making it easier to smash into her mouth... haha!

Yummy!!

Halen & Mommy hanging out at the party
(He's just 4 days old here!)

Tutu party favors!

Madi's "Girls" !

The kids got to decorate their own sugar cookies

Madi loved this activity... especially the part where she gets to lick the frosting off the cookies!

"Can I have more frosting Mommy?"

Grandma & Halen chillin' on the couch

Cake Time!
(Awesome Cupcake Cake Made by Grandma!)
Halen & Daddy

One of Madi's favorite parts... Present time!

Madi had a fabulous birthday party! She had so much fun having all her friends over to share her special day.
A BIG HUGE THANK YOU to my Mom, Peggy & Lynette for helping SO much with the party!! Having had our little Baby Halen only 4 days earlier I don't think the party would have happened without them!!!

Now it's time to start planning for next year!!!

HALEN HAS ARRIVED!

2011-01-04T22:30:00.000-08:00

Mr Halen Alan Dillon is here!!
January 4th @ 6:36 Am Halen made his way into this world!
He weighed 7lbs 8oz & was 18in long!

We were all set to be induced on the 4th @ 7:30am... however Halen decided he was gonna come on out on his own terms! haha!
I had spent the day before getting the house cleaned, dishes done, laundry washed & getting as much ready for Madi's 2nd birthday party (on the 8th!) as possible before going in the next morning to be induced... (all of this work *could* have prompted Halen to decide to come on out a little sooner than planned....lol... ) I went to bed that night & woke up at 12:30am feeling a little funny.... then within a matter of minutes started having contractions.... only 4 mins apart... luckily Brendan was still up & ready to go! I had thought that if Halen came on his own that labor *might* be a little bit easier than if I had to be induced....I thought maybe the contractions would start off 30 mins apart...then gradually get closer and closer.... apparently Halen had other plans... they were only 4 mins apart right from the start & with in less than an hour they were already 1-2 mins apart!! I texted my best friend Peggy to come over & stay with Madi (since she was sound asleep!) & though it only took her a short time to get to our house I seriously thought there was a chance we wouldn't make it to the hospital before the baby decided to come out! Boy Mom was right when she said 2nd babies come quicker!! I called my Mom & let her know it was "Time!" so she could meet us there. (We also made the round of calls to everyone on the way there)
We made it to the hospital in no time (thanks to Brendan's quick driving & *maybe* running through some stop signs/red lights along the way) They took us right up to Labor & delivery and immediately into our room (I guess when you are having back to back contractions they skip the whole "triage" room... where they check to make sure you are in labor before actually admitting you) By the time we got to our room I was already dilated to 7! This was only about an hour after labor started! Which was crazy fast!!! .... so... long-ish story short (I'll save you all from the gory details!haha!).... Halen arrived at 6:36am! (and no, Liz didn't have to push for 4 hours this time around!! Yay!!)
Brendan & I are SOOOO excited and happy to welcome him into our little family! He is absolutly PERFECT!!

Big sister Madi meeting Baby Halen for the first time!

She wasn't too sure about what was going on at first... but it didn't take long for her to be obsessed with her new Baby Brother! She loves to point out where the baby's Nose is... his toes... his fingers...ect... she loves having her very own "baby doll" in the house!! Luckily she hasn't tried to pick him up on her own yet, but she does love sitting next to him on the couch & sharing her toys with him (although I'm not so sure how long that will last! haha!) She has even been allowing Halen to use her beloved "Boo-gee!" aka: her blankie. She is such a good big sister!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from our family to yours!!

We had a great time this year with our family and friends. As is our family tradition we got together with Liz's immediate family on Christmas Eve. This year we hosted the gathering at our house, which was lots and lots of fun! Madi loved having everyone over to visit & play. We ate some yummy food & delicious dessert (cuz dessert is THE best part of all family gatherings, right?! haha...especially when you are 9mths pregnant!!) Then we all sat down together & opened presents (Madi's favorite part!)
It's amazing how small our house gets once 20 people start ripping open packages!! Lol

A glimpse of how full the living room was!

Here's Madi with one of her favorite gifts (from Grandma) Minnie Mouse!!
It was love at first sight! Once she had opened up Minnie she HAD to sit her right next to her & show Minnie each and every gift she opened up! It was the cutest thing!

We were very excited to have some of our extended family in town to join us for Christmas Eve. Liz's Aunt Joyce & Uncle Carl and her Cousins Alex, Craig & his awesome other half, Rachel!! It was SO great to see them all & be able to celebrate the holiday together! ( We wish we could see them more often!)

We thought we may have an extra person arrive for Christmas this year as well... however Baby Halen decided to hold off for a little bit longer & didn't quite make it to the party this time around!

We hope you all had a fabulous Christmas & a very Happy New Year!!

Halen's Baby Shower!!!

2010-12-16T21:54:00.001-08:00

December 5th, 2010 was a pretty exciting day for Liz.... it was finally time for a BABY SHOWER!

Liz's best friend Peggy was the fabulous host-ess with the most-ess once again!
Of course the theme for Halen's celebration was....
ROCK STAR!! (Makes sense right?!)

Here's Liz all set to go on in and Party!!

Some of the fabulous decorations made by Peggy

The Super Yummy Food!

The awesome Rock Star Cake made by Liz's Mom
(thanks Mom! It looked & tasted FABULOUS!)

A guitar all of the guests signed for Halen... it will go up on the wall in his room!

Here are some of the ladies decorating a bib or onesie for Halen

Here are some of the finished products! They turned out SO CUTE!!

Paige & Payton checking out the "Candy Bar"

Liz & Peggy

Madi & Mommy

Brendan made an appearance towards the end... So glad he got a chance to come check everything out!

Yay for Zebra Print! (Liz w/ her sis Jen & niece Paige)

It was so great to have our friends and family come together to help us welcome Halen into the world! It was such a fun day for us all!!
(next baby update? Should be his big arrival! Stay tuned!) :0)

Baby Belly!

2010-12-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

As the last few months have gone by, Liz's tummy has been growing and growing... Baby Halen has been pretty content in there! He's growing more and more each day and has been practicing his Kung Fu moves practically non-stop (which makes attempting to sleep pretty interesting...) We're pretty sure he's going to be a Kung Fu Master by the time he makes his official entrance into the world!

Here are some recent pictures of the growing belly....

As the weeks keep going by we are getting more and more excited to meet our little guy! Each day we talk to Madi about the new baby. She will point to Mommy's tummy & tell us that there is a baby in there.... We're not too sure if she's really getting what that means though. Just a few more weeks to go until she can meet him and find out what all this "baby talk" has been about!

One more trip to the park!

2010-11-14T20:41:00.000-08:00

We managed to make one more trip to the park before the yucky rain and cold air came back around and forced us back inside for the winter....
Madi LOVES the park... her ultimate all-time favorite thing to play on?

The Swing!

After quite a bit of swinging (and a slight temper tantrum when it was time to go) We took our long walk back to the car... along the way though we had to stop and check out the wildlife...

And of course stopped for a couple more Madi Photo-ops!

It turned out to be a fun day for us all! Madi can't wait for the sun to shine again soon so she can get back out there to the swings! Although, most likely the next park trip we make will include her little brother, Halen... Big Sis Madi is sure to have lots of fun teaching him the ropes!

Yay for Leaves!

2010-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! How is it November already? This year just keeps moving right along!
Luckily we had a few unusually dry days this fall that gave us some time to go out and enjoy the crisp fall air...
We have a tree in our front yard that has finally grown large enough to dump quite a few leaves on the ground in the fall... this of course is no fun if you have to rake them all up... however it's perfect for an impromptu Madi-Fall-Leaves-Photo-Shoot!

At first she was not a fan of the leaves...We had hopes that we could make a huge pile of them that she would LOVE to just run and jump into.... no... not my child.... somehow I have broken her... she doesn't like to get her hands dirty.... and she's a little OCD (sorry kiddo! Mommy's fault!) & likes things to be neat and orderly.... so she had pretty much NO interest....
but eventually she came around... and we found that she REALLY likes to hug trees! (Maybe because there were no leaves left on it?)

Check out some of her best shots....

Yep, That's our girl... the tree kisser....

Pumpkins, Playdates, More Pumpkins & Some Trick or Treating!

2010-10-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

This October we excitedly made our way to the Pumpkin Patch to show our "Toddler" (Wow!! She's not just a little baby anymore! Where has the time gone?!) all the fun & exciting activities the fall season brings...

So, we got Madi dressed in her official "Pumpkin Patch" outfit & headed on out... This year we were invited to join Liz's cousin, Ben & his family at the pumpkin patch in Dayton, Or (Heiser Farms)
We got there just as they were opening which meant parking was fabulous and there was hardly anyone else there! Madi (& her Daddy) are not big fans of crowded places so this worked out perfectly! Of course the first place we found ourselves checking out was the animal barn! Madi loooooooves animals!!

She and Bridget checking out the sheep

Madi had to stretch up on her tippy toes to be able to see the "Baby Chicks"
She also saw bunnies, piggies, goats, and her favorite of the day..."BABY COWS!"
Madi was in animal heaven! We must have spent an hour just walking from one end of the barn to the other checking out all the animals over and over again while Madi giggled!

Next, we stopped by the riding tractor area... There were lots of little ride on trucks and tractors the kids could choose from. Since there weren't very many people there still the kids were able to take their pick! Of course to Madi this meant she had to try them ALL out at least once! She wasn't able to peddle herself around but luckily for her, Mom & Dad were close by to give her a push!

The next stop on our list was the CHOO-CHOO TRAIN! Madi was SO excited to get close to the choo-choo... She was non-stop talking about it on the walk over and could hardly manage to control herself while waiting for Daddy to buy the train tickets.... then once it was time to get on the train..... she was Little Miss Quiet! She had such a serious face on the whole time around the track. But, once she was off the train once again she was oohing and ahhing about how exciting the Choo-Choo was. Silly Girl!

And next...was Brendan's favorite part...

PUNKIN' CHUNKIN'!
We sat and watched them fling pumpkins across the fields and into junkyard car targets for a while...It was fabulous.

Then it was time for us to take the hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out our very own pumpkin....

Madi & Liam were very concerned with all the dirt built up on some of the pumpkins... so they spent some time trying to clean it off...

Madi finally found the perfect pumpkin to take home!

Which she and Daddy turned into a .......

PRINCESS PUMPKIN!

A few days later the girls and I had the chance to join our playgroup at the Carousel for some Halloween dress-up fun!

Madi went as, Minnie Mouse (one of her favs!)

Isabella went as an OSU Cheerleader.
They were both SO cute!!

We took a ride on the Carousel.

Then went outside while it was not raining & spent a few minutes on the playground.

Although Madi was a little disappointed that the slide was all wet... :0(

And Finally, we ended the month with some good 'ol Trick or Treating!

Little Miss Minnie Mouse all set with her Mickey pumpkin bucket!

While we were out & about Madi caught a glimpse of a kitty! She got so excited!

Madi & Daddy trick or treating.

We made a stop by Grandpa's house on our way home.

Then ended the night (and the month) with a quick visit from some of Madi's favorite people!
(Izaac, Paige & Justin)

Off to the Fair we go!

2010-09-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

The end of summer got here before we knew it... and with it... brought the Oregon State Fair!
This year we were able to all go as a family...
Grandma & Auntie Ashley even came along too!
We were very excited to show Madisen all that the fair had to offer.. she has been recently obsessed with animals and has learned what sounds they make.. So of course the first stop on our "things to do at the fair" list was to check out the animal barns...
She checked out the Horses

And the Cows...

And the goats...

and then took a little walk to see Madi's very favorite "fair" animal of them all.....

The Miniature Horses!!
I think she would have stayed there all day if we had let her.... but alas... the curly fries were calling our (ok, MY!) name.... so off we went to have a bite to eat...

Yum! Curly Fries!

After a quick lunch we made a stop by the petting zoo ... at first Madi wasn't too sure about being THAT close to the animals... but within a minute or two she was talking to them & petting the animals like they were all her best friends! (Although she kept calling the goats, piggies and then the piggies, sheep...the horses though she got right everytime!)

Summer time fun!

2010-09-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

It seems as though the summer just flew right by this year!

We had lots and lots of fun in the sun!
Check out some of the highlights.....

We hung out at Izaac's (Madi's cousin) baseball game:

We had lots and lots of playdates at the park with our friends:
Celebrated a few birthday parties: Had a fantastic visit with Brendan's cousin Elizabeth: Played around in the sprinkler: Played with the sidewalk chalk daily: And of course lots & lots of dress-up!:

We were sad to see summer end... although with little Mr Halen on the way we are all looking forward to January!

(Ps: Liz's belly is growing like crazy! Mama & baby are doing great! That boy kicks like crazy! We think he is going to be a kung-fu expert by the time he makes his entrance into the world!)

Camping

2010-08-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

This August marked Madi's second ever camping trip!
We went last year and had to bare the 107 degree temps, yikes! I was worried that maybe that would be our luck again this time around... but luckily it was a perfect 70-75 degree week!
We tagged along (again) with my best friends' family...they are always gracious enough to adopt us as one of their own each year on their annual family camping trip. :0) Brendan had to work so it was just us girls that went this time around. I was a bit worried at first about being pregnant... camping... on my own with a toddler... but with Peggy & her family there I was far from alone!
When we first got there Madi wasn't too sure about all this DIRT around her.... she got some on her hands & would immediately come running to me saying "Messy! Messy!" And would freak out until I helped her wipe her hands off... yes... she's my prissy little girly-girl... who was rocking the pink tu-tu at the campground! haha :0)
Then about an hour later she could be found SITTING in the dirt & gravel pouring dirt all over herself....she continued doing this for the rest of the vacation... loving every minute of it! (yes, Mommy cringed a time or two... and held back the urge to follow her around all day with a wipe to clean her up every 5 mins!)
I was not so sure how Madi would do with napping while we were there... she's got a pretty good routine at home for this & generally doesn't do so great when that gets messed up... but I brought along the essentials...the port-a-crib... the Binky.. the Blankie... and the Ipod (for the lullabies) and after just a minute or so of complaining she would lay right down and fall asleep!! I was AMAZED! She slept her normal 3ish hours each time! I kept having to tip-toe to peak in the tent to make sure she was still breathing since I thought it was too crazy that she was napping so normally! And at night since it was SOOOOO freaking COLD I decided she needed to sleep on the air mattress with Mommy to keep her from getting chilly (and to help keep Mama warm! lol) Again I had concerns that she wouldn't fall asleep... and again she proved to me what a great little sleeper she can be! I was so proud of her!
Madi had SO much fun being outside & taking walks.. Playing with her pal, Avalee (and making some new friends too!)...playing in the dirt...looking at the leaves up in the trees (we had a great view of the tree tops from our tent, she would lay on the mattress, look up,point to the leaves & say "Frogs! Mama!"... ummm no Madi-Cakes... those are leaves, not frogs... not everything that is green is a frog kiddo!") ... and sitting by the fire chit-chatting into the night. It was such a blast! We can't wait to go again next year! (Hopefully Daddy will be able to join us next time around!)

Checking out the camp site with her pal Avalee

Making new a friend (reading a book w/Shae)

Playing with the sidewalk chalk w/Ally

Getting ready for her turn at hitting the Pinata!
(Check out that dirty bird!! This was the last day of camping...
so there was dirt EVERYWHERE! haha!)

She had never hit a Pinata before... we need to work on her form a bit before the next one... ;0)

It's a.....

2010-08-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well folks... the news from the ultrasound is in!

Sometime around January 2nd our little family will be welcoming a little

BOY!!

We couldn't be happier!

I think I may need some help getting used to the idea of shopping for baby things that aren't covered in PINK! But I'm sure we will have fun finding all the cool boy things there is out there!

More of my Favorite Things....

2010-05-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

So just the other day Madi stopped by to share some of the things she LOVES... but with her busy schedule (sleeping, eating, taking care of her baby doll, chasing Oliver...she's busy! busy!) she didn't have a chance to list everything that she wanted.... so here are a few more....

Bathtime!

The Best Babysitter Ever!

(ok, so it will be a couple years before she can do it on her own, but she takes great care of me!)

My Zebra Tu-tu!

Being matchy-matchy with Isa-boo!

These three!

Their Mommy too!

Making a pillow fort to watch a movie from!

My Panda Pillow!

My Blanky!!

Ok so that's close to covering it for now... I just have to get my Momma to take some more pictures of my favorite things & I'll be back to share them all with you again soon!

MADISEN HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!

2010-05-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Alright folks! Listen up! Our little lady has something to tell you!!

Are you ready?

No really, seriously..... are you ready??

Because she's about to let you in on a BIG secret......

Yep! That's right our little family is about to get a little bit bigger!! Our new addition is due Jan 7th! (yes, we apparently like to be consistent with these things... Madi was born Jan 8th! lol)
Stay tuned for more exciting pregnancy updates! I just know you all can't wait to hear about the upcoming morning sickness!! (no, it hasn't hit yet....just waiting since I know it's inevitable! Also, to answer the frequently asked question... I'm feeling great! Just a bit tired) We are SUPER EXCITED!!!

Oh How I LOVE Being a Girl....

2010-05-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

Miss Madi-Annie has stopped in to share some of her favorite things....

Spaghetti!

My Sunglasses!

My Daddy!

Playing dress-up!

My baby doll & stroller!

Skype!

Did I mention playing Dress-up?

Playing at the park with my pals!

Reading my books!

Using my Daddy as a pillow ( Hey! Oliver likes it too!)

Dinner time!

My best bud Avalee!

My Girls!

Checking out the pretty flowers w/my Grandma!

Eatin' popcorn with my Daddy!

My Momma! (& the carousel too!)

There are SO many other things (& people!!) that I love but I just couldn't put them all on here today... stay tuned for another addition of My Favs!!!......

A Trip to the Tulips

2010-04-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

One beautiful Sunday afternoon the family & I decided to jump in the car and drive... where to? We didn't know! Brendan had his camera ready & Madi was all smiles so what better time to head out and find some beauty to capture!
Off we went down the country roads.... followed a sign or two to check out a covered bridge... stopped to take some pics...then moved on down the road... through some really small towns to some bigger small towns but mostly the views we found were of awesome farm houses and lots and lots of farmland. We eventually found our way into Woodburn where the Annual Woodenshoe Tulip Festival was in full swing. We followed the signs to the tulip farm & waited in the long line of cars to get in. After about 5 mins of waiting (and no way out of line if we were to change our mind) I notice the tulip folks are taking the admission fee (just $10 per carload) as their customers were pulling into the parking lot.... I got to thinking... hmmm... I bet they only take cash for this... not like they are going to hold up the line full of cars to go run a debit card, right? So I ask Brendan if he has cash... nope... Well I know I don't have cash either... hmmm... can't get out of the line & by this point someone really has to go potty! So we're committed... I figure I'll just ask the guy taking money if they can use a debit card & if not I'll just head for the exit... maybe drop a certain someone off near the porta pottys while I'm at it... So our turn arrives to pull into the parking lot... there were TONS of people there taking the admission fee from the cars as they came through... So we come to the first man... he's holding the flyers to hand out... my window is rolled down, I was ready to ask him about it... well... I ever so slowly pass him & he just smiles....(didn't even give us a flyer either!).. So I see the next guy we will pass has a stack of money in his hand... I figure this must be the guy to ask.... again... I slowly drive up to him... I look at him smile & he just smiles back, I pause for a moment.. but he's not asking me for any money.... hmmm... ok... so I keep going.... find a place to park and head out to the tulip fields.... umm oops! Guys I think I forgot to pay you!! The first guy must have thought the 2nd guy would take our money & the 2nd guy must have thought the 1st guy took it already... or something... or maybe it was just our lucky day?! In any case, Mr Gonna-Pee-His-Pants was happy....
So after a quick stop at the porta potty we went in search of tulips! Along the way Brendan kept telling me we must have come too late because there are no tulips... I kept telling him no, they have to be here somewhere! I've seen pictures other people have come home with !! Keep looking!! A quick tram (ish) ride up to the fields and there they were.... tulips as far as you could see!!
Madi LOVED walking through the rows and rows of flowers, pausing every now and then to put her hand out as if to touch one... looking up at Mom & Dad to see if it was ok... She was very gentle to the petals & when one of them fell apart as she touched it she even picked up the fallen petals & tried to put it back together! Too cute! Of course we took advantage of such a great location & perfect model..... check out the amazing pictures Mr Photographer captured....

Sunshine and a new set of wheels!

2010-03-01T19:47:00.001-08:00

We have been waiting and waiting... and waiting for some SUN! Luckily the rain finally dried up, the clouds parted and our friend the Sun finally was able to peek through for a little while.... of course, we do live in Oregon so of course this was just a short tease of nice weather to play with quick before the normal spring rain started up again... We made sure to enjoy it while it lasted! Up until now Madi hadn't really had much to do with that crazy looking, pokey green stuff on the ground... also known as grass! Last summer we had many picnics in the park but Madi was always up on the blanket, safe from this foreign stuff. But now this year, she is all about walking and running on her own EVERYWHERE.... The first time I put her down in the middle of a grassy field she just stood there looking at me... wondering what she was supposed to do.. I started walking & she quickly followed... then about 2 seconds later she realized she didn't have to follow Mommy.. she could run & play in this stuff!! She could even fall on her knees & it didn't hurt! This stuff was great! Haha! Ever since then she has wanted to do nothing more than to get to run in the grass every time we go to the park . She's still a little too small to be able to play on most of the playground equipment so I'm sure once she can do that the grass will not be quite as fun.... but for now the empty grassy field is where it's at!

The sunny weather also got Brendan thinking about taking Madi for more walks out in the fresh air... what goes perfectly with a nice walk in the sunshine? A new wagon to ride in! Brendan always has the good ideas....
So off to Toys-r-us we went... straight to the back of the store to where the wagons are ( Brendan was good about keeping me on task & not allowing the other super cute toys that Madi has to have distract me! lol) And there it was.... the perfect riding device for our little Madi-cakes.....
Yep, it's her new set of wheels... yes 1 is kinda young for her first car... but I think it's a perfect fit for her. :0) And of course, she absolutely LOVES it!

Off to the Gilbert House we go....

2010-01-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

Now that Madisen is such a "big girl", we decided it was time to let her go check out AC Gilbert's Discovery Village (aka:the Gilbert house) The Gilbert house consists of 3 historic houses all together filled with fun and exciting interactive exhibits... they have a kids supermarket to go shopping in, a undersea cave of frozen shadows, an exhibit on China, a Brazilian Rainforest theater, and Madi's all-time favorite the BUBBLE room! There are TONS more but too many to list... :0)
This was the first trip we've taken where Madi could just explore everything on her own... although Mommy & Daddy were there to give her a lift from one exhibit to the next (and to play along with her) she loved being able to walk (sometimes run!) through all the new exciting exhibits. I'm thinking we may need to get a family membership since she loves it there SO much! Here are some pictures from our adventure:

Learning about China

Checking out the toddler room

Trying to figure out how the locks work

Maybe Dad can help

Peek-a-boo!

BUBBLES! Yay!

Daddy giving Madi a close-up of the bubbles

Madi & Mommy checking out the storybook room

Our Little Rock Star!

2010-01-08T22:46:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADI-CAKES!!
Wow!! Where did the last year go? They really weren't kidding when they told us to cherish every moment (even the endless screaming until 3am moments) we shared with Madi since it will all go by in a flash!
January 8th 2010 our little Madisen Ann turned ONE YEAR OLD!!
We celebrated, of course, by throwing her a HUGE Birthday Bash!

The theme? ROCK STAR!

Picture hot pink, black, white, & lots and lots of ZEBRA print! (Yes I had way too much fun planning and decorating for this!!) We invited tons of friends and family to come help us celebrate our little Madi...
We had animal print balloons and inflatable guitars & microphones everywhere to play with! Pizza and finger foods to munch on. And the Best CAKE EVER! (Made with love, by Grandma!)
Here are some pics from the big day:

Part of the group checking out the spectacular slide show of Madisen Brendan made.

Grandma making sure the birthday girl gets enough to eat!

Madi & Mommy opening up her birthday gifts.

Madisen loved having all her "kids" at our house all at once!

Even Auntie Ann got to join in on the fun! (Yay for Skype!)

Wow all this singing for ME??

YUM! This is SO GOOD!

MMMmmmmmm!!

The aftermath.... what to play with first?

We had SO much fun! The planning, the trips to the craft store with my party-planner partner Peggy (try saying that 3 times fast!), picking out the perfect outfit to go with Madi's super cute zebra tutu (from Grandma, of course!), blowing up a million balloons and party favors, hanging way too many decorations (I may have gone a bit overboard) and the hours ( well weeks!) Brendan spent perfecting the best slideshow of Madi ever! ... it was all worth it to see how happy Madi was on her special day!
I can't wait to start planning for next year!!! :0)

Christmas!

2009-12-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!
Ok, so Christmas was a month ago, yes... But it's never to late to let you all know what a great time Madisen had her VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS!

December was an exciting month for our little family...

It was so great to be able to show Madi what the holidays are about... All the lights on the trees, the endless baking with Grandma & Aunt Jen (along with all her Cousins and Mommy too, of course!) learning how to unwrap presents (also learning to leave the presents under the tree and not touch them until Christmas) lots and lots of shopping, and spending tons of time with our family! Madisen loved every minute of it! We started off the season with some hard-core Black Friday shopping! After spending Thanksgiving at my brothers house ( and eating WAY too much yummy food! Madi LOVED the sweet potatoes!) Madi & I ( along with Aunt Ashley) hurried off to sleep so we could get ourselves up at 4am to go grab some good deals! I thought Madi would sleep through the whole thing but she woke right up and was wide awake quietly taking all the craziness in..She did great! I hadn't done the black Friday shopping in years.. it was definitely worth it though, we were able to take home some great gifts and didn't have to push too many people out of our way to get them along the way! :0)
Next it was time to get the perfect Christmas tree... We usually go out & cut our own tree down, but this year we thought we'd check out our very local tree farm (it's just down the street from us) Since we had Madisen with us we thought it may be easier to get a tree a little closer to home. We bundled Madi-cakes up and set off to pick out our Tree... Madi loved checking them all out... it didn't take long for us to find THE one. Taking it home was a bit of an adventure...the guys at the tree farm were nice enough to "tie" the tree to the roof of our SUV. Looking back though, yes, we should have been more concerned when they looked puzzled at each other, then turned to us and asked if we were going very far? But alas, we were just happy to have a tree and excited to get it home to start decorating so, off we went... 2 turns and 1 stop light later though, the tree was hanging off the side of our car ready to fall off at any time... I thought maybe if we opened the sunroof I could grab it and hold it while we drove the rest of the way home..surprisingly (haha) though I couldn't reach it & we ended up pulling over. Brendan was able to get it back up on the roof & we (I attempted then B took over) held onto it through the sunroof all the way home. Next came the lights and the ornaments ( including a special "First Christmas" one for Miss Madi-cakes) and then many many "no's" and "Hands off the tree" followed as Madisen learned that we look at the pretty tree... we don't take off all the pretty shiny things and chew on them.... eventually she got the idea and left it alone (for the most part).
After we brought the tree home we headed off to the mall to introduce Madisen to Santa Claus for the first time... She was not too sure of this man in red, but Daddy sat with her for a picture and that made it ok.... that is until daddy attempted to let Madi sit on Santa's lap... she was not shy about making it known she wasn't up for this and made a lunge for mommy... maybe next year she'll be up for it. :0) She did have fun though, checking out the pretty ornaments on Santa's Christmas tree. :0)
We spent Christmas Eve , as per our tradition, at my moms house. We had lots of fun with the whole family eating the yummy goodies we had spent days and days making, talking and laughing lots then ended the evening by opening gifts. This was Madi's first time getting to rip open packages, She caught on immediately and enjoyed ripping all that paper!! She was totally into it until she opened one particular gift... once she saw what was inside she wanted it and it alone... "Mom can open the rest for me... I'm going to go play with my brand new Baby Doll!" That was the hit of the night for her!
The next morning we all got up to find that Santa had made a stop at our house (wonder how he made it in without a chimney?) Madi had by this point mastered the art of opening gifts and was not shy about tearing into her packages. She was even glad to help Mommy & Daddy with theirs. We were also lucky to have Aya be able to spend the holidays with us as well, making it feel like the whole family was back together again! That afternoon/evening we hosted our families Christmas dinner, I made the ham while Brendan took charge of making the yummiest Prime Rib! Madi loved being able to try all the traditional holiday goodies!
We ended the year looking back at all the changes that have come to "Our Little Family"... so many things have happened & we have had SO much to be thankful for and to celebrate. Brendan and I have been so lucky to have this beautiful little girl in our lives and to be able to share so much with her. Each day just gets better and better ( and I swear she keeps getting cuter and cuter!! ) We are looking forward to another great year with lots more "firsts" to share with our Madi-cakes! Happy 2010 everyone!

Are you ready for THIS???!!

2009-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Last month.... as Madi was beginning to pull herself up onto things and walk along the furniture... I said to Brendan... I think she'll be walking at 10 months....
It seems as though Madi had heard her mommy & wanted to go ahead and prove her right (for once)! :0)
On November 8th, 2009 ( the day Madi turned 10 mths old!) Our little Madi-Cakes took her first steps!!! Yay Madi!!
Brendan, Madi & I were all playing on the floor in the living room & Madi decided it was a great time to start walking from her activity desk over to Daddy ( and to Mommy) Brendan and I, of course, broke out into cheers for our little lady! We're SO proud of her! She started out just taking about 5 steps at a time ( before either getting to one of us or before just sitting down) But it didn't take her long to get her balance just right to be able to make it all the way across the room! Now she walks EVERYWHERE!! It's so cute to watch her go! She still is pretty wobbly and tends to walk like frankenstein at times but she is determined to GO! GO! GO!! I fear running will be accomplished before we know it!
We were able to get some of her first steps on video!

HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

This year on Halloween Brendan and I were among the very few and very lucky who were able to catch a glimpse of the elusive Pink Leopard.... luckily we were able to snap a picture or two of this magnificent animal...

We were happy to discover that this pink leopard was fairly tame and enjoyed having her picture taken! She even allowed us to take her to a few houses for some good ol' trick or treating. The only downside was when she discovered she wouldn't be allowed to eat the candy our neighbors were so nice to hand out to us. She was, however, allowed to examine the loot before it was taken out of sight, which seemed to please the Pink Leopard quite a bit! We had a fabulous evening & can't wait to see who we run into next year!

To the Pumpkin Patch we go!

2009-10-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

We took our first Family trip to the pumpkin patch this October. Since Madi had just turned 9 mths old we thought a round of awesome pictures was in order! And where else would we go for that in October? The pumpkin patch was the perfect setting :0)
When we set off that day I had this vision in my head that since Madi could stand up on her own holding onto our furniture then why couldn't she do that next to a pumpkin instead? Seemed pretty seamless to me... I did, however, take for granted that Madi had NEVER seen &/or felt a pumpkin before and that this new "thing" might take her a minute to figure out.... so...I set her down next to a pumpkin and put her hand on the top of it ... she looked at me like I was crazy! "What the heck is THIS mom?" & "Why am I touching it?" She immediately took her hand away from it and sat down... to focus on yet another "new" thing... Gravel! It's amazing how fast those little rocks can make it into her mouth! She definitely had me on my toes that afternoon! It ended up taking her a few moments but she eventually was ok with being near the pumpkins and of course her Daddy got some excellent pictures of her to remember the day with....

..

2009-10-03T23:47:00.000-07:00

It's finally fall around here... summer didn't seem to want to let go...it gave us one last week of 90ish degree weather before fall took over and brought the 60's & the good 'ol Oregon rain (the grass was grateful for this though!)

It's been kind of nice to be able to open up the windows and let the cool crisp autumn air in AND with the cooler weather here it means that I can finally pull out some of the warmer clothes Madi has that have been tucked away in her closet.... it's kind of like getting to go clothes shopping in her own room, lol.... of course Madi takes no notice of this.... but it makes her mommy happy... haha...

Last week Madi had her 9mth well-child doctor appointment. She now weighs 16lbs 8oz & is 26 1/4 in. I can hardly believe she is 9 mths old already!!!!
Madi spends her days crawling EVERYWHERE & pulling herself up on to the furniture (and on Mommy!) Because of this we decided it was time to move our coffee table away from the couch so it wouldn't be such a temptation for her to climb on (it's a bit of a head injury hazard!) this opened up the room a bit and gives Madi a LOT more crawling... rolling... playing space... She recently discovered the bamboo floor in the kitchen/dining room & tries to make a break for it every chance she can! She loves to sit in there and kick her feet on the wood floor (oh, not to mention try to pull the magnets off the refrigerator!!)

Madisen has definitely found her voice! ( Although Mommy wishes she would find her "indoor" voice sometime soon! ) All day long she says Da-Da, Da-Da, Bay-bee Bay-bee, Ba-ba Ba-ba....sometimes she even throws in a "yeah" or her "biju-biju" (no, not sure what that one means yet...). She at one point was saying Ma-Ma... all the time.... but once she figured out Da-Da, she stopped.... I keep trying to get her to go back to it...."Madi, I'll let you have your bottle if you say Ma-Ma"...or "Madi-cakes say Ma-Ma please change my pants!" .... but nothing seems to work... haha... ;0) She makes up for it with lots of hugs for mommy & the lovely open mouthed extra slobber kisses throughout the day.... so I guess I can't complain too much!

It's amazing it is October already! I'm so excited for Madi to wear her Halloween costume!! It's SOOOO cute!! Usually this time of year I would be pestering Brendan to get our Halloween decorations down from the attic so I can "spook-i-fy" our home... but with Madi giving me a daily workout I'm in no hurry.... maybe we'll sit this one out, let someone else handle scaring the neighbor kids this year...We'll go get 'em next year! ;0)

Forget about rolling over..... I'll CRAWL where I want to go!!

2009-09-13T22:47:00.000-07:00

Look out world Madi is on the move!! This last month or so Madi has mastered the art of CRAWLING!! Yes that's right folks, she's a crawler! :0)
She started off in Mid-August with a sort of army crawl.. she knew she wanted to get from point A to point B but wasn't entirely sure on how to get there... so she would use her arms to kind of wiggle her way there (along with a roll here and there) then as she practiced a little more it wasn't long before she figured out she could use her legs to help her.... then a day or so later she realized "hey if I lift my tummy up off the ground and use my knees I can get to just about ANYTHING before Mommy catches me!!" ...so now Madi is officially mobile and getting into EVERYTHING!!
As if this feat of hers wasn't enough.... she also within days of crawling decided she should go ahead and learn to pull herself up on things... her first example of this was when Mommy was cleaning her room ( yeah... can't get the 8mth old to do it herself yet! geesh!!)..Payton and Paige (her cousins) were playing on the floor next to Madi's crib.... we put Madi in her crib to "chill" while I cleaned a bit... well... Just sitting in the crib not playing with the other girls was NOT ok to Miss Madi-Annie... she started looking for ways to see "her girls"... first she figured out how to pull the crib bumper away from the side so she could peek through the bars... then she thought "that's not good enough" so she pulled herself up on her knees on the side of the crib to peer over the top.... this was cute so of course I grabbed my phone to take a picture... well about a minute after this she pulled herself up on her feet!! Paige, Payton & I all ran at the same time to grab her! You see... she hadn't EVER done this before... so her crib mattress was still sitting pretty high up & when she stood this put her waist up above the edge... a little loss of balance and she would have been over!.... so after our minor heart attack I of course....snapped a picture of this grand event to send to Daddy at work... then grabbed Madi to take her somewhere safer to play.

Peek-a-boo!

Oh crap!!

Since then she has been pulling herself up on to everything!.... This is in fact the reason her Daddy was able to justify FINALLY... us getting a new TV for the living room.... a 54' plasma... now fastened securely to our living room wall... no more TV in baby reach and no more entertainment center to possibly fall over on her should she try to climb it (all of the Cable box, Blueray player stuff is well hidden in a closet now) I must admit it's a nice change to our home... as reluctant as I was to get it in the first place.... it looks great & makes the room seem bigger... AND Madi does love watching her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on it in the mornings so it's not all bad :0) haha

The little crawler in action!

We also recently were able to take Madi on her first trip to the zoo! Grandpa happened to have the day off & was able to join the girls and I ( Madi, her cousins Payton & Isabella and her aunt Ashley) Madi had a blast sitting back "kickin it" in her stroller (leaned back with her feet up, no less! haha) She loves being out in the fresh air and watching all the people going by. It was a great day for us all!

Grandpa and the girls

By the way... I can totally hold my own bottle now too!! Who needs Mommy!!! I can do it myself!!! ;0)

It's been a busy couple of months for Miss Madi-Cakes! Why even just a day ago Mommy & Daddy found 2 more teeth starting to peek through! ( the 2 top front teeth) No wonder Madi has been more of a crabby-cakes these last few days!! Such a busy busy girl! :0) What will she surprise us with next? We better be on our toes!!!

2009-07-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures of our little Madi-cakes.... Brendan is becoming quite the awesome photographer....

Back to Blogging...

2009-07-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

So, turns out I'm pretty much a slacker at this blogging thing... haha...
it's been a month or so since I've updated everyone so here's a little bit of what's been happening in our little world...

On July 8th Madisen turned 6 months old!! (it was also her Daddy's birthday too!!) At her 6 mth Dr appt (that was sort of impromptu since apparently the cold & flu season lasted longer than expected & the Doctors office had a heck of a time getting her in for her well-child visit.... it ended up being a sick child visit , we found she has acid reflux, that they were able to combine her well-child check-up with) Madi is now 14 lbs 5.5 oz... she's growing growing growing! She is rolling over like crazy (seriously... Mommy can't turn her head for a second... Madi gets herself from one side of the room to the other in no time!) She is also sitting up all on her own. She loves to sit on the floor with her toys and play...occasionally stopping from time to time to watch the doggies play around her (she's kinda obsessed with them now!)
Madi-cakes is eating all sorts of solid food now... she loves Bananas and Mango & hates turkey ( ok not real turkey... but the baby food kind....yuck! I don't blame her!! I won't be buying that stuff again!!) She eats her rice cereal and her veggies like a champ!
This last week Madisen and I went camping up to Fishermens Bend (it's a campground just outside of Mill City, Or) Peggy & her family were up there too & Madi's aunt Jen & cousins (Izaac, Justin & Paige) came along with us... we had a lot of fun, although it turned out to be a terrible week to go camping.. We had a major heatwave... the temps were around 107 the whole time we were there! Yuck! I didn't think Madi would do so well in the heat but she surprised us all! She was such a trooper! She loves being outside & she loves having her cousins around her so she was in heaven! The kids helped her cool down a lot by dripping water from their squirt bottles on her from time to time (they were dumping cold water on their heads...luckily for Madi they weren't doing that to her! Just little drops on her head... she thought it was funny & it kept her cool at the same time so it was all good ;0) ) Peggy & Colin and I were able to take a couple of trips in the faft down the river which was great! It was a lot cooler on the water & we were able to stop along the way to jump in the icey cold water... it was so nice! I am looking forward to going again sometime... next time though hopefully Brendan can join us & it won't be so hot!!

Here are a few pics from Madi's 6 mth photo session... she has a great photographer.. her daddy ;0)

And She's Over!!

2009-06-26T22:40:00.000-07:00

This just in.... MADI CAN ROLL OVER NOW!!
Yay Madi-cakes!

Ok so last week I had just finished changing Madisen's diaper... she was laying on her back on the floor when my niece, Payton, came over to play with her... she sat down next to Madi.... well I don't know what it was about the skirt Paytee-poo had on, but... Madi wanted it! So she reached and stretched until boom! She was over on her tummy!! I was so excited!! I started clapping for her which in turn got Payton & her little sis, Isabella, clapping & cheering.... All the while Madi was on her tummy wondering how she got this way?!? Within a few seconds Madi managed to get herself flipped back over to her tummy and was just giggling & smiling with all this attention on her. :0) Of course we called Daddy at work right away to share the news!

Since then she hasn't really had much interest in rolling... she just did it every now and then when she thought there was something worthwhile to reach for.... that is until today!!

Today has been a different story altogether! She has been rolling over like crazy!! And now once she is there, instead of crying ( she's never been a big fan of tummy time) she kind of bobs back and forth like she's trying to figure out how to crawl! Who knows! Maybe she'll be doing that in no time!! :0)
In other news... her two front bottom teeth are now coming in strong! It officially hurts when she bites you!! haha! And she is working on some more already!
It's been such a busy couple of weeks for the little missy!! She also is getting to be pretty good at sitting up on her own! Last week she was very wobbly but this week she seems to be getting it down pretty quick!! We're so proud of her :0)
One more thing! Madi now has a nursery to call her own! For the past couple of weeks we have been arranging and decorating ( & painting!) Madi's new room! It's been so much fun! I hope to have pictures soon to show how it's coming along.

Madi now has her own crib that right from the first night in it she sleep great in! (of course this week hasn't been a good example of that... she's going through some separation anxiety issues already & doesn't understand why Mommy can't just sleep in the crib with her!) It's been a bit of an adjustment not having her in the same room with us at night... all the crazy things a new paranoid parent can think of has come to my mind... like what do I do if there's a fire? How will I get to her to get her out if she's all the way down the hall? What if someone breaks in?What if there's a tornado?( not that we actually get tornadoes around here...) Or will I hear her when she wakes up crying? (ok bad example... I've slept thru her cries & Brendan has had to kick me to get me to realize she's awake!!) So yeah... I'm hoping eventually my paranoia will wear off & I will be able to get some sleep again! (Wow it just seems like forever since I've had a full nights rest! Welcome to mommyhood right? ) :0)

Rice Cereal, Peas & Squash! Oh my!

2009-06-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

We finally decided it was time for Madi to give solid food another try! The last time she attempted it went.... so-so.... she wasn't quite sure what to do with the food once it was in her mouth.. so most of it ended up coming right back out... but a little over a month has gone by since then so we thought it was time to give it another shot!
Just a few days ago we made up some rice cereal for Madi and right from the first bite she was a pro! Instead of spitting the food back out, she ate it! Yay! We were so proud! It was pretty funny to watch her because she would sit in her highchair and wiggle, wiggle, wiggle until she saw the spoon close to her mouth, then she would stop, open her mouth & take a bite... then immediately went back to wiggling as she ate it! Too cute! So far she has tried...

rice cereal...

peas...

and now squash!

I think she likes the peas the best... but she eats them all with no problem. In fact now that she's gotten the hang of the spoon I have a hard time eating in front of her! Every bite I take she looks at me and opens her mouth like she's ready for her bite! (I guess it's good for my figure because I just can't get away with eating ice cream in front of her! It makes me feel bad!! haha!)
I think next we'll try green beans... I'm sure we'll have more messy-face pictures to add soon! :0)

OH!!One more thing!
It's official! Madi is getting teeth!!! We can see the little white tops of her two front bottom teeth coming in! She's been a little extra fussy lately & now we know why! Brendan spotted them just a couple days ago.... Can't wait to see them come in all the way! She's growing SO fast!!!

Madisen vs the Ear Infection!

2009-05-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

It's official! Madi has won her first battle with an ear infection!
Last week Madi had started waking up just about every hour or two in the night just screaming! (which is fairly unusual since she's been sleeping almost all the way through the night these days) She didn't want to eat anything... didn't stop after having her pants changed.. just kept crying & whimpering, even when I held her (which usually calms her down when she is cranky) We checked her temp & she was running a low-grade fever :0( ....During the daytime she was a little better but still extremely cranky and fussy & just not acting like her normal self. This all started the Saturday after she had her 4mth vaccines so we thought maybe it was a reaction to the shots...but unfortunately as the week went on she was getting worse & not better....I called the Dr & was told maybe it was just teething (which if this is how she acts every time she's teething I think I might go crazy by the time all her teeth are in!! lol) Another day later I got a call back from the Dr's office saying that it's got to be a reaction to her shots & that this can happen for up to 7 days after the shots are given! Yikes! But as the days went on Madi was just not getting any better... her Daddy noticed that her ears were looking pretty goopy lately & thought for sure she MUST have an ear infection. We called the Dr the next day & were able to get Madi in later that day.... once we got there Madi was SOOOOO cranky!!! She cried on the way there... cried as I was getting her checked in... cried when we sat in the waiting room... even cried on the way back to the patient room.... poor thing...the Dr did a complete check-up on Madi...wanting to make sure he covered all the bases since she is so young... she had to have lots of tests ( blood test, urine test, also had to have her ears flushed) after all of this he came to the conclusion that she MUST have an ear infection... he wasn't able to confirm it right away because he couldn't get a good look into her ears... poor thing had to have them scraped out & then flushed then scraped again! She was not happy!! Then after all that... he still couldn't see!!! So, he treated her for an ear infection anyhow, gave her a shot of antibiotics...she hated the shot but within just a few hours she was totally back to her normal self! Smiling... laughing... cooing.... We were SO glad to see her feeling better! The Dr wanted to see her the next day though so he could try to get a better look at her ears to confirm it & to make sure she was getting better & not any worse.... That night (after almost a full week of hardly any sleep!) Madi & I went to bed at 10pm & when I looked at the clock when she woke up it was after 5am!!! Yay!! She had slept more than an hour at a time!!!! YAY!! We went back to the Dr & he was able to confirm it was her left ear causing all the trouble..... she got one more shot of antibiotics & that was that!! I hope this won't become a habit for her!! It sure wasn't any fun!

Madi's 4 month check-up...

2009-05-21T20:14:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe our little Madi-cakes is already 4 months old!! The time is just flying right by!! On May 14th we went in for her check-up.... she now weighs 12lbs 10.5 oz and she has grown to 23.5 in! She's growing out of a lot of her cloths and finally fitting into some of the cute outfits I've been waiting for her to wear! Not to mention she is giving my arms a good workout everyday!! Boy are my muscles tired!!

Madi is really thinking hard about rolling over these days... she's pretty close but doesn't seem to have that extra "oomph!" to get her over all the way just yet.... We'll keep on watching though because we know it will happen any day now!

Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

I was very excited to have my very first Mother's Day this year!
( Although last year we found out we were pregnant the day before Mother's Day according to Brendan I wasn't allowed to tell anyone until we got the official word from the Doctor!... it was torture!!)
We started out the day by sleeping in a little (yay!!) Then Brendan and Madi were very excited to give me my very first ever Mother's day gift! Brendan, being the spectacular photographer that he is, took a couple pictures (one of Madi and another of Madi & I ) and had them made into 11x14 size & framed them, we ended up putting them up in our living room, they look GREAT!
Then we decided to go to the riverfront park and take a walk. It was a beautiful day out so a walk in the sunshine was perfect! We stopped at the mall beforehand and ate lunch (while Madi slept! yay! I got to eat lunch with both hands!!) Then once lunch was over we headed to the park. At the waterfront they have turned an old railroad bridge into a walking path across the Willamette River. I was a little nervous about walking across it at first ( the old railroad had been there forever & wasn't looking like it was in the best shape) but once we got up to the bridge we found it was actually really nice! We walked across it a few times then went to sit on a park bench.... Madi really gathers a lot of attention while we are out and about with her... she makes a lot of new friends, who seem to like to stop and ask all about her & then in turn tell us about their grandkids! lol, it's lots of fun :0) After a nice stroll around the park we decided to pack it up and head over to my moms house to wish her a Happy Mother's Day!
Here are some pics from our day... and yes...we totally matched that day!

I'm a big girl now! (well... almost!)

2009-04-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

So today we decided it was time for Madi to give some rice cereal a try! She's approaching 4mths old & we thought maybe she might be ready to test it out.
Well... she had just woken up from a long nap (FYI: anything over 30 mins is long for Madi! lol) and it was about that time for her to be really hungry... so Mommy got the cereal ready while Daddy set up the camera ( this was promising to be one of those kodak moments...)

The first bite she took was ok, she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do with it though...
So of course most of it came right back out...
I'm thinking out of the handful of bites she got, maybe a quarter of them actually stayed in her mouth! I think it's going to take some more tries for Madisen to get used to this new concept!

After a few bites into it Madi had had enough and let us know...
But over all it didn't go too badly... I think we'll wait a little while and try again... In the meantime though we got some cute pics for her scrapbook out of it! haha!

Sunshine!

2009-04-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

In the last couple of weeks we've had some beautiful weather (well.. we've had some yucky rain too! but that's beside the point!) It was so nice out that we were able to take Madisen on lots of walks... for the first time we decided not to have her sit in her carseat ( which fits on top of the stroller and keeps her facing backwards, towards us and facing up so she gets a great view of the sky)... instead Brendan thought she would have more fun if she could sit in the stroller like a big girl facing forward and sitting up... so she could see everything around her... well Daddy was right! Madi absolutely LOVES it! Her little head just keeps turning from side to side trying to take everything in... kids playing, cars going by, dogs barking, trees& the colors of all the flowers... she couldn't get enough of it! Well... that is until she fell asleep halfway through on a couple walks, I guess almost 4 mth olds can only take SO much in before having to rest!
Also, since it was so nice out I decided that Madisen and I would take a blanket out in the grass and sit in the sunshine (since she was born in Jan, this was really her first time being out in the warm sun!) But as you would expect any paranoid new mother to do... I smothered her in sunblock (I even covered her whole head with it! Since her little hair just doesn't cover enough!) but even after doing so I was worried that she was going to get a sunburn! So off to the shade we went! haha! I guess I'll just have to take baby steps... hopefully by the end of summer I'll be better! :)
This last weekend I decided it was time to have a mommies-only girls day... Madisen and I have pretty much been attached at the hip since she's was born so going somewhere without her was a bit difficult for me! But, while I went to play Bunco with the girls for a couple hours Madisen had a great time hanging out with her Dad. I was a little worried at first since Madisen has been a little moody lately but they both did great! They went for a couple walks and even ran into Grandpa along the way! (My dad lives just down the street from us) Brendan is such a good daddy :0)
This week it's been pretty rainy, but I'm looking forward to some more sunshine! Madisen was able to "help" me get some flowers planted ( which means she sat outside with me while I did all the work! geesh! babies!..lol) I am hoping we'll have the opportunity to plant more in the weeks to come!

Welcome!

2009-04-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Dillon family blog! I thought with so many family members living in so many places this would be a good way to keep in touch.
So.... What's new with us?
Well as you all most likely know... Brendan and I have a new beautiful addition to our little family...on Jan 8th 2009 at 3:15am we welcomed our little girl Madisen Ann to the world! She weighed 7lbs 3oz and was 19.5 in long.
Madi is now 3 1/2 mths old ( wow the time just flies right by!) I've been lucky enough to be able to stay home with her which has been great! She is getting the hang of the whole sleeping thing and almost manages to sleep through the night. ( She still wakes up once or twice to eat, but then tends to go right back to sleep) Lately I'm realizing more and more that she is a morning person, which is sad for me since I am such a night owl... but it's nice for her daddy to be able to see her awake and smiling at him before he goes to work. :0) Luckily she likes to take a long early morning nap so Mommy has time to catch up on her sleep! haha
Madi smiles all the time and loves sitting up and watching everything around her... in fact she doesn't like taking naps during the day because she's afraid she's going to miss something! She is a very strong girl, she just wants to get up and go! I think she would like to skip the whole crawling thing and go straight to running! She just amazes us everyday!

Our little Princess

Mommy & Madi

Daddy & Madisen

Our Little Family

I'll try to update this often to let you all know the new and exciting things going on in our life ( and some of the normal everyday, not-so-exciting things too) :0) So check back often!