Wedding News!

Madison, Mark and I have each been asked to be a part of Sarah and Dave's wedding! We feel so honored. Sarah asked me to be her Matron of Honor. She asked Madison to be her Flower Girl. And they asked Mark to be an usher. We can't wait!!

Sarah sent out these cute invitations a week ago with a very precious message.

What we've been into lately...

My first (currently) favorite toy...my jumpy blow-up fort!
It makes my hair stand up
My second favorite toy...my basketball hoop
What I did while Mommy was making dinner yesterday...(hey, at least it kept her busy!)
I like to poke out Tyson's eyes...every hour of every day...

Oh my gosh, it is SOOO hot here in southeast TX. I've lived in Florida and all over, and I can honestly say that this is the worst humidity in the USA. Hands down. It is suffocating!

We just got back from our wonderful playgroup, put Madison down for a much needed nap, and I wanted to update our blog. First, I checked my email...is it just me, or is anyone else inundated with Facebook friends requests? Seriously...this is about as much as I can keep up with, let alone a Facebook page? I just don't know...

Anyhow, aside from avoiding the steamy unbearable heat, we are doing well. Madison is everywhere. I mean, the only time I have to sit down is when she's taking a nap...IF then! She is walking everywhere. We laugh because she's so funny to watch...very unstable on her feet, still. She looks like a drunken sailor. It's hilarious. Gives us great entertainment during the evening! She is so busy and plays with every single one of her toys. When we move to our next house in a couple years, we will definitely have a separate playroom! So chasing her around is a little difficult while pregnant, that's for sure. I've been in lots of pain lately and have been warned by the doctor that I need to take it easy, or I'll end up in bed soon. (Actually, he said I need to be "a little paranoid, and a lot careful") And how does one "take it easy" with a one year old? Hmmm. Well, I will try my best because I definitely don't want to end up in bed for 90 days, as I did when pregnant with Madison. Besides that, we got new drapes in our dining room and breakfast room, plus roman shades in other rooms around the house. Ha, what big news. Looking forward to a neighborhood party this weekend...will be fun! Hot, but fun!

Madison's First Steps

Madison took her first true succession of steps this afternoon!!! It was so exciting to see!! She's taken several single steps in the past week, but this was her first time taking several in a row. We took video of her earlier today. By this evening, she was walking all around the kitchen, den and dining room. She just laughs and laughs...walking cracks her up for some reason! We're so proud of her! :)

My Sister and Dave are Engaged!!!

David and Sarah
Sarah's new engagement ring

Last week my sister, Sarah, and Dave got engaged!!!! We are SO excited for them!!! Wedding will probably be August '09. Mark, Madison and I are flying out there over Labor Day so I can go wedding dress shopping with her and attend their engagement party. I just wish I lived closer so that I could be there to experience this and help her plan in person!

Our trip to Illinois

Madison really prefered the larger animals to the smaller ones at the farm. She liked staring at the cows/bulls, but didn't really prefer the small kittens. Interesting, huh?
My grandfather, Danae, my Mom and Madison
Aunt Becky, my mom, Uncle Tom, me, Madison, Pappy and cousin Tara

Madison likes to climb in/on anything possible...here she is in our refrigerator...
Madison and Grammy out for a walk in our neighborhood
Amanda, Justin (my cousin), Danae and a very happy Madison...
Madison and cousin Ben
Madison and Uncle Charlie

Madison had tons of fun in Illinois. The trip was filled with lots of "firsts"... She got to meet many new relatives - great aunts, great uncles, second cousins, and her great grandfather! She also got to see many farm animals up close and sit in a real big tractor. I think I enjoyed watching her face more than she enjoyed the experiences! Overall, she did really well on the trip and we had a great time. However, we are definitely happy to be home now!

Madison has taken her first "steps" a few times now...although it's more like she steps and then dives into one of her toys. So, we'll see... Have I mentioned that she is 25 lbs now and 32" tall? I know, I can't believe it, either. She is at the 98 percentile for her age. The doctor estimates that she'll be between 5'8" - 5'10" when she grows up! Hard to believe, considering she didn't even show up on the doctor's charts for the first few months of her life.

I went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up on our current baby-in-the-making. The baby is doing just fine and heartbeat is strong. It will be 14 weeks old tomorrow! We will find out the gender on Aug. 26th. We are overjoyed with so much excitement.

1 Year Old Portraits

Today, my mom (who flew in Sunday to visit) and I took Madison to get her 1 year old pictures taken. Here are a few of the shots.

It was a really rough weekend recovering from my procedure, but I am feeling a lot better now. We leave tomorrow to fly to Illinois and we'll be gone for a week. I'll post another update soon!

Thank you

We have several thank you's we want to extend...we are so grateful for such wonderful friends and family.

Micheala and Brent, thank you so much for Madison's new piggy bank - it is so modern and looks great in her room!

Mary, Jon and Vera, thank you so much for Madison's new plush tea set from PBK - with her very own name embroidered on it!!

Tana, Mark and Hayden, thank you for Madison's new car - she just loves it so much!

Grandma/Grandpa and Pappy, thank you for the money you gifted into Madison's college fund.

Dixon/Elaine and Mom/Dad, thank you for all the many wonderful gifts and money for Madison's college.

Y'all went above and beyond - we certainly didn't expect any of it!!! We love you.

Finally, thank you for your prayers for me on Thursday. I appreciate it!

And, thank you for your prayers for my family. My great grandfather, "Pop", died on Tuesday. Only one more week, and I would have been able to introduce Madison to Pop, her great great grandfather and get that treasured picture. I was pretty sad. He was 92 and had a lived a really wonderful, full life. We know he's joined my great grandmother and grandmother in heaven. I can only imagine what they're up to!

Happy July 4th!

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Baby and Mommy just fine!

Just wanted to update you and let you know that the surgery yesterday went really well. The baby is doing just fine and happily bouncing around everywhere. I was under total anesthesia, but woke up pretty quickly after the procedure. A little bit of pain today and yesterday, so just taking it easy. But, all is well! I can't hold Madison for a week. Thankfully, today is a holiday so Mark can watch her this weekend. Then, my mom comes to visit on Sunday, so she can take over then.

Oops...

OK, true story:
Last Wednesday evening, I was telling Mark how all the moms at our Mommy/Tot swim lesson wear one pieces, but I was not going to be a typical MOM and so I was happy wearing my bikini. Karma struck me the next day. While bending down and walking Madison from the shallow end of the baby pool to the deeper end, my bikini top suddenly snapped off. It didn't just snap off gradually, where I could catch it by closing in my elbows. It snapped so quickly, that it swung up and wrapped around my neck like a scarf. Well, my initial reaction was to cover myself up. In the process of doing so, I let go of Madison. Decision - do I expose myself and rescue my drowning child, or do I cover up myself? Obviously, I rescued Madison, all the while appearing like I was at a topless beach in Europe. So then I got her situated with one of my arms, while wrapping my other arm around my chest. I yelled out, can someone help me? Well, that drew even more attention. I look down, and my arm is covering up only part of myself. Nice. Our college age swim instructor was so embarrassed. I was mortified and actually got tears in my eyes. Another mom grabbed Madison for me, while two moms came to my rescue, unwrapping my bikini top from around my neck and pulling it over my chest and around my back. They told me it was completely broken. So, I had them tie the back in a knot. The bikini was not too small for me, it was just a cheap one from Target. Serves me right, I guess. Oh, did I mention that not only were we a spectacle for all the nearby moms and dads watching their older kids in their lessons, but also there was about 5 other college age guys about 6 feet away from me in the big pool? Glad I could entertain. So what did I do? I stayed and finished out the class like a big girl. Then, I went to the mall and bought a one piece suit. HA.