28 April 2013

{Our Week} - 4/22/13 - 4/28/13







Madden really enjoys singing lately.  We often hear him blurting out pieces of songs, his favorite being Baa Baa Black Sheep.  But occasionally Row, Row, Row Your Boat will make it into the mix.  Oh, also, this kid has perfected this scrunchy face.  Not even sure what it means, but its hilarious! :)







Mariah had her 3 year checkup on Friday.  We started off the morning with breakfast - Mickey Mouse pancakes (love her face in this picture)!

Stats from her appointment:
Weight: 34 pounds (70th percentile)
Height: 38 inches (70th percentile)

It's crazy to think how much she's grown up since her last appointment.  She got her blood pressure taken like it was no big deal, and then proceeded to identify pictures for the nurse, answered tons of questions (correctly, I might add) and even did an eye exam covering one eye at a time!  Mommy was impressed! :)




Mike is really putting his Big Green Egg to use now that the weather is coming around.  He's quite the grill/smoker/oven master!  He did a 12 hour smoked brisket this weekend.  It was amazingly good.  I am 100% in support of him making the meals on occasion :)

I spent a lot of my "free time" (aka after the kids are in bed and cleaning is done) working on my etsy shop.  It's fun to add new items!  I am trying to increase my inventory to attract even more people :)  If you need invitations, cards or anything designed I am always happy to help!


Oh Mariah.  Always something to make us laugh :)

This week she's been on a kick of wanting to be a cleaning lady.  We laughed about it at first, but she's serious.  Today when we got home from church she asked:

"Mom, can I have some towels, soap and a stool?"

"Why do you need that stuff?"

"Mom, I'm a cleaning lady.  I need to clean the windows."

I wasn't going to say no to that!  After washing the windows she moved on to the toy room and cleaning a few toys as well.  I am fully in support of this new career of hers (for now at least!).

Proof of her cleaning the windows :)


Bounce House!

With the beautiful weather we had this weekend we did a LOT of playing outside.  We even broke out the bounce house!  The kids had so much fun testing it out - I think it's going to be a popular thing to play in this summer :)









Mariah put on her flip flops, followed by her winter hat and gloves.

I mean, I guess I understand.  This winter/spring has been confusing with temperatures all over the place so maybe she's just covering all the bases JUST IN CASE.  :)







21 April 2013

{Our Week} - 4/15/13 - 4/21/13





Madden continues to amaze us with his growing vocabulary.  This week he conquered words like "cereal" and "outside".  He also enjoys yelling "HI!" to people as we walk through the store.  It's very cute!









Mariah - well this week was completely dedicated to her!  Mariah had a blast celebrating her birthday with so many of her friends and family members at Monkey Joe's (see activity section below!).  Seeing the smiles and laughter on her face is so amazing - totally makes it worth all the tough things you go through while raising a child.  I know I already say this, but WOW how time flies - I mean wasn't it just yesterday that we were trying to her her to sit up?  We are so blessed with a beautiful girl who is going to do big things in life!








Mike is working diligently on training Moby.  We've had some difficulty in the potty training department, but I am pleased to say that things are improving!   Mike has already been able to train Moby to "sit" and "stay", so he is obviously a smart dog.  Some...day.... right.... right?!







Oh ya, it was my birthday this week, too!!  The big 2-8!  Yikes.  Edging closer and closer to {thirty}.  My family made a nice dinner for me and spoiled me with presents I didn't expect in the least!  So thankful!












Mariah: Mom, let me tell you what time it is (looks at her wrist)
Me: OK, what time is it?
Mariah: It's..... 6 pounds!

(close enough - i mean, it is a unit of measurement!)


Mariah was playing a card matching game where you match two pieces (i.e. an "umbrella" with "rain") - i held up a piece that had a picture of a men's dress shirt...
Me: Mariah, what does dad wear to work every day with his dress shirt?
Mariah:  Hmmm... his head?
Me: (laughing) Ya I guess that's true, but try again.
Mariah: Um, his eyes?

(the correct match was "a tie")


Birthday Party at Monkey Joe's!

Mariah has been looking forward to this party for MONTHS!  She was so excited it was finally here!  This 3 year old partied hard and enjoyed every moment!  Check out the fun we had :)

What's a party without treats?!

Ice cream cone cupcakes

Pure joy!  Oh to be three...

Ready to blow out those candles!

Madden likes to eat.  This is no secret.

What?  There's something on my face?

Having a blast!
 
Best buds!  Baileigh and Mariah :)

Having SO much fun with her friends! 

Even took a ride on a giraffe! 

And caught tons of tickets in the wind machine (thanks to some assistance from her buddy Carver!)


Awww :)
Happy Birthday Mariah!  We loved celebrating with you! :)




Is this adorable or WHAT?!
Max didn't want Mariah to get trampled by bigger kids at Monkey Joe's so he kept her close by.

SO CUTE :)




19 April 2013

Mariah is {3}!


In the wee hours of the morning (4:38 AM, precisely) my baby girl will be THREE!  How is this possible?  WOW, how time can go by so quickly.



Not to say this hasn’t been a BUSY 3 years, however ;)  I mean, we have added 3 new family members (yes, I’ve included Moby).

Mariah is independent as can be.

She’s smart, determined, and an absolute comedian.



And boy, does she have energy.  This girl can go and go and go – come 10 pm you can still hear her reading books to herself from her room.

She’s a lover and a caring soul.

She’s an entertainer and a mischief maker.



She’s sweet as can be and a complete daddy’s girl.

Happy 3rd Birthday Mariah!



We love you little girl!




Interview with Mariah - 3 years old:
  1. What is your favorite color?  blue
  2. What is your favorite toy? school bus
  3. What is your favorite stuffed animal? giraffe
  4. What is your favorite thing to sleep with? Elmo
  5. What is your favorite fruit? apple
  6. What is your favorite cereal? Cheerios
  7. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? peas
  8. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? cookie
  9. What is your favorite dessert? chocolate bar
  10. What is your favorite drink? orange juice
  11. What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner? pizza
  12. What is your favorite animal? monkey joe
  13. What is your favorite book? Goodnight Piggy
  14. What is your favorite song? E-I-E-I-O
  15. What is your favorite game? Bike Race
  16. What is your favorite TV show? Max and Ruby
  17. What is your favorite movie? Butterfly at IMAX
  18. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Car
  19. Who is your best friend?  Kelly & Jenny
  20. What do you want to be when you grow up?  A strawberry  :)

14 April 2013

{Our Week} - 4/8/13 - 4/14/13






Madden is saying new words constantly, but my favorite one from this week is "Riah".  He loves his big sister.  Since Madden is usually the first person up in the morning, he loves to go into Mariah's room and wake her up for the day :)

He also completes the phrase when we say "Ready, Set..." "GO!"










Mariah is growing up so fast.

I love how we can have perfectly normal conversations or even run errands together.

She's definitely becoming independent and loves to help with everything!












Mike broke out his carpentry skills this weekend and built a couple raised garden beds for our garden-to-be.  Since we almost always eat at home, we thought it would be so rewarding to grow our own herbs and maybe a few veggies, too!  We are definitely planning to start out small and manageable, but we're excited to see how it goes!












I worked on a lot of little projects this weekend.  DIY projects include a "say grace" sign for our dining room (made from an old shelf from a bookcase) and a running bib and medal holder (made from floating shelves we were no longer using).  I love simple projects!












Moby is his normal, crazy self.  He already weighs 14 pounds!  I am nervous about how big this boy is going to be!  YIKES.



Mariah's hilarious comments were at an all time high this week.  Seriously, I just laugh reading through these!

"DAD!  Why are you vacuuming like that?  It's too loud!" {In reference to Mike mowing the lawn}

"It's an ARMADILLA!" {While reading a book of 100 animals - we will have to do a youtube video of her reading it sometime.  This girl LITERALLY knows 90+ of the 100 animals.  This includes meercat, macaw, terrapin, kookaburra... ya, crazy!}

"Time for Moby to go to his cave!"  {She thinks when we reference the puppy's "cage" that we are saying "cave"}

After I picked her up from day care one of the days this week: 
Mariah - "Hey Mom, my school is called paint balls, right?"
Me - "What?  Oh, you meant St. Paul's?"
Mariah - "YA, ya, St. Pauls, that's right."

At Church this morning (we've been showing her how to do the sign of the cross, say amen, fold her hands, etc).  Mariah had her hands folded and looked frustrated and I asked what was wrong and she said "My pinkies are out of order!"


Playing Outside

We spent a lot of time outdoors this weekend!  We had some gorgeous weather today and the kids loved playing in the backyard.  I can't wait for these days to be here for good :)




Lots of cargo in the back seat! :)