Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Madelyn & Ansley woke up at normal time (7:30) on Christmas morning to discover a plethora of toys awaiting them in our living room. Madelyn headed straight for her Leapfrog TAG system & Ansley just stood there for a few minutes, not sure what was going on. Madelyn really wasn't interested in checking out the other toys Santa had left b/c she was so excited...she had been wanting the TAG pen ever since she played with it at Target a couple of months ago. Ansley's favorite toy is her Radio Flyer rocking horse. She loves to rock & hopefully won't roll off the thing! I had bought donuts & a cheese danish for breakfast so that we wouldn't have to take any time away from watching the girls enjoy Christmas morning. We had a lot of fun celebrating with family as well. On Christmas Eve, we went to the Day's house for their annual Christmas party. Christmas afternoon, my dad, Brian, Lea Ann, & Travis came over for dinner. This afternoon, we ate dinner & exchanged gifts with my mom & Jeff at Brian & Lea Ann's house. I can't believe another Christmas has come & gone!

Marie

Madelyn loves cats! She pretends that she is one all the time by crawling (pretty fast I might add) & meowing. What started this cat fixation was the movie "Aristocats". Although she doesn't request to watch it very often, she has fallen in love with Marie (the white kitten in the movie). Last year, Paw Paw gave Madelyn a big fluffy white & black cat as a souveniner from one of his trips. This was the original Marie in our house. I gave Madelyn an authentic Marie from the Disney Store the night before we went to Disney World. Madelyn then changed her black & white cat's name to Big Mama, so that her new cat could have the name Marie. Well, tonight at WalMart, Madelyn's eye's bestowed a Fur Real Friends white cat. Madelyn thought this was a real cat b/c its eyes & body move & it meows. When it was time to put the cat back on the shelf, Madelyn threw a fit...I'm talking about a falling to the floor, screaming, not getting up or letting go of the box, very loud tantrum! Madelyn has had her share of tantrums in her day but this tops the cake! While Jon escorted Madelyn out of the store (not an easy task), I bought the cat so that Santa could give it to her for Christmas. Madelyn was still really upset that she didn't get the cat when Ansley & I returned to the car. As we were getting ready to leave the parking lot we saw Maw Maw & Paw Paw coming out of the store. Jon asked Paw Paw to give the cat to Madelyn as a surprise b/c he couldn't stand her being broken hearted! Madelyn is on cloud 9 tonight playing with her new Marie (now we have 2 Marie's & 1 Big Mama). I suggested that she called her new cat Duchess, after the Mama cat in "Aristocats", but she didn't like that idea. She takes her cats everywhere we go & sleeps with them every night. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed that Jon gave her the cat tonight b/c that was going to be her jaw dropping, best Christmas gift on Christmas morning, but I've since changed my mind after watching her take care of her new cat!

Science Center Christmas Program

Today was filled with Christmas spirit! I took Madelyn to the Science Center's Christmas program this morning. We watched "The Light Before Christmas" at the IMAX theater & then went into the party room for more Christmas activities. Madelyn got to decorate cookies, paint, sample an astronaut's Christmas dinner, break ice with a mallet, & tons of other stuff. Radio Disney was there playing kids Christmas music & playing games. It was really cute! Madelyn had a great time & I enjoyed spending the morning with her, just the two of us! This afternoon we went to the Hickman's Christmas party. We had a nice time. It was good to see friends & the girls enjoyed playing with Alex (& his toys). After the party, we went to WalMart for some Christmas shopping.

Road Trip

I am calling this blog road trip, not vacation b/c it was not the least bit relaxing!! Jon had interviews in Birmingham on Monday, Gainesville on Thursday, & Charleston on Friday. We decided to keep Jon company on his travels & do some fun things for the kids. On Monday, I took the kids to the McWane Science Center in Birmingham. The kids had fun in the play area & liked the piano you play with your feet (like in the movie "Big"). After a few hours there, we drove to Mount Brook where we ate lunch & killed time at the mall. I wasn't too impressed. The stores were great it’s just that they didn't have a play area for the kids & I didn't like the layout. I love Oxmoor Mall b/c of the boat, I wish every mall had something like that for the kids! We picked up Jon from his interview & drove to Tallahassee where we stayed for the night. We woke up early to drive to Orlando. We checked into our hotel & then went to Downtown Disney to play & eat dinner. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe, well kind of. Madelyn got so scared of the realistic sounding & looking elephants next to our table that I had to take her & her dinner outside while Jon & Ansley finished eating at the table! The highlight of our trip was Wednesday: Disney World! We had 1 day to cover Magic Kingdom. We watched a show at Cinderella's castle, which Madelyn loved & rode all the rides we wanted to. The longest wait was 30 minutes. We only waited 5 minutes for Pirates of the Caribbean! I strongly recommend going during the off season. Waiting in 30 minute lines was hard enough for a 3 & a 1 year old, let alone 2 hours. The weather was beautiful. It was 80 degrees & sunny with a cool breeze. Disney World was so much fun. I can't wait to go back when we have more time & money!!! We left Disney World around 7:00 to drive 2 hours to Gainesville. While Jon was interviewing on Thursday, the girls & I hung out in the hotel room. We were tired from our long day at Disney. It was nice to watch tv & lay around on a rainy day. After Jon finished interviewing, we drove to Charleston, SC. I took the girls to the SC Aquarium on Friday. They had a 2 story salt water fish tank with a huge sea turtle, sharks, eels, & other humongous fish. Madelyn was scared of the shark & didn't want to look at it very long. We ate lunch at a local pizza place called Andolini's. Then we picked up Jon at MUSC to take him to a transitional year interview across town. I found what I thought was a park on our GPS which ended up being a trailer park!!! Needless to say, we didn't play there & ended up going to CSU campus to play on their soccer field & walk around campus since it was across from the hospital where Jon was interviewing. It was a beautiful, bright sunshiny day. It was refreshing to be outside knowing that we were coming home to winter weather. Then we picked up Jon to drive 9 hours home. We are all so happy to be home & to sleep in our own beds. The road trip was a fun experience but I wouldn't volunteer to go on another one for quite some time!

Our Salvation Army Angel

Today we went to WalMart to purchase gifts for our Angel, Thoa. Madelyn picked her out amongst all the Angels. We bought her some clothes, a few toys, & candy...I wish we could have bought more! I can't tell you how great it felt to help this little girl. I thought this would be a good life lesson for Madelyn... I want to teach my children to give back to their community & to help others. Madelyn was a great helper at WalMart. She got side tracked a few times looking at other toys & told me to stop looking at clothes! I kept reminding her that we had to get Christmas presents for Thoa & she would give me a few more minutes to look around. We dropped our gifts off at Oxmoor Mall after we left WalMart. Madelyn got to put the big bag of gifts into the box.

Rootles & Mum Mum

Jon calls Madelyn "Rootles", & Ansley "Mum Mum". If you're interested to know how those nicknames came about read on...
Rootles comes from Tootles, which comes from Tootles on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Jon used to always say, "Oh Tootles!", as Mickey says on the cartoon. Mum Mum comes from a baby snack that Ansley used to munch on called Baby Mum Mum's. If your wondering what Jon calls me, I'll tell you...Mama-toulie. Yep, that's right. Originally I was Mama T 2 (mom of 2 kids), then that blasted movie Ratatoulie was released, so he incorporated the rat's name with mine. Sometimes you'll hear Jon call Madelyn "T Rootles" & call Ansley "Little You." So, I may have to update our blog in a few months after all 3 of our nicknames have evolved yet again. I've come to realize that no nickname is sacred & can be changed without notice. We have all come to love Jon's terms of endearmont...no matter where they originated!

Pictures with Santa

I took the girls to see Santa this morning at St. Mathew's mall. We got there at 10:00, so there was no line to wait in. Madelyn told Santa that she wanted a Sabre Tooth Tiger, a baby Sabre Tooth Tiger, & Alien mushy thing (Martian Matter Alien Maker Playset). She also told him that Ansley wants a baby doll. Santa said Sabre Tooth Tigers are scary & asked her if she'd like a baby doll! I was beginning to wonder if this was the same Santa from A Christmas Story, when he told Ralphie, "you'll shoot your eye out!" When I sat Ansley on Santa's lap she cried after a few seconds as you can see in the picture. All Santa could say about Ansley was that she's wiggly! Madelyn told Jon on the phone that Santa didn't give Ansley her baby doll. I think Madelyn thought Santa was supposed to hand out toys right then & there (makes sense to me). I had to explain to her that he will come to our house on Christmas Eve & we'll leave him cookies. When we walked past Santa for the 2nd time, Madelyn said she didn't want to sit on Santa's lap again.

Decorating our Christmas Tree

While I was Christmas shopping today, Jon & the girls decorated our Christmas Tree. I am going to put up the rest of the decorations tomorrow if its the last thing I do! I guess its been a busy week for us. The bottom third of our Christmas tree is bare b/c baby Ansley likes to take off the ornaments. Jon said that he & the girls had a good time. I kind wish I was there but I needed to take advantage of Jon being home so I could shop for the girls by myself. We are so excited for Christmas around here. We're watching Christmas movies, reading Christmas stories, & listening to Christmas music...Its the most wonderful time of the year!

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving this year was fun, busy, & filling! We began our day by driving to my Dad's house in Breckenridge Co. My Aunt Mary Jo & my Dad's girlfriend June made most of the fixins & my Dad roasted the turkey. Jon & I knew we had a 2nd dinner to go to but we just couldn't resist all the food & desserts! We arrived at Barbara & Ordie's house a little early b/c we had got the time mixed up. That ended up being a lucky mistake b/c Jon & I were actually hungry for the 2nd go round. Barbara makes the best sweet potato casserole & Derby Pie. We have enough left over turkey to feed us for next 2 weeks. It was nice spending Thanksgiving with both our families this year!

Madelyn & Travis eating before the adults

The kid table at the Day's house

Ode to Ansley Bear

Ansley looked so darn cute today in her new red sweater outfit. Every time I looked at her, I just wanted to hug her b/c she looked so cuddly today! I bought her this outfit at Gymboree in the Edinburgh outlet mall. She had the same outfit, only in peach, when she was an infant. We absolutely loved it so I couldn't resist getting the red one. I guess I just got to thinking about how much she has grown & changed over the past few months. I mean she'll be 15 months old in December...time is flying by. As I was looking through "old" photos on our computer a few minutes ago, I felt so happy remembering all the fun experiences we've had as a family. But at the same time, I felt kind of sad b/c those days are now just a memory. I'm so grateful for digital cameras & camcorders...I know I am going to cry my eyes out when I watch our home videos in 20 years! Ansley is such a special girl (wow, I said girl, not baby). She loves to play peek-a-boo, jump in place, follow big sister around, play with baby dolls (well examine their facial features), play with instruments & dance, & really loves to wrestle with Daddy on our bed! She can answer our questions now with a head nod yes or no. She loves to talk on her toy phone. One of the cutest things she been doing lately is roaring like a lion cub. Madelyn crawls around the house acting like a big lion & so Ansley imitates Madelyn's roar. Another thing that pulls my heart strings is when Madelyn & Ansley play together, which they are starting to do more often now that Ansley is getting older. She can also throw a mean temper tantrum...she will throw things or drop to the ground when she's upset. With that said, Ansley is super sweet. She gives kisses & hugs & cuddles with me when she's sleepy. I cherish the time I spend with her. I love how her hair curls at the ends. I love how she waddles around the house checking things out. I love how she always has her sippy cup at hand, while trying to sneak sips of Madelyn's drink in the other. I love her chubby cheeks & her beautiful smile. Ansley has been the perfect addition to our family. I am so excited to see her personality blossom more & more throughout the years to come.

Indianapolis Children's Museum

The girls & I drove up to Indianapolis on Thursday to meet Jon. Since IU gave him a free night stay at the Omni Hotel for his interview, we thought the girls would have fun doing something out of the ordinary. On Friday morning, we met up with Aunt Brandi, Harper, Emory, & Logan at the Indianapolis Children's Museum. Madelyn was so excited to see her cousins! Unfortanely she wasn't feeling that great. She had a fever the night before & it crept back that morning. None the less, Madelyn still had a fun time! The museum has a great kid zone area but Madelyn's favorite exhibit was the dinosaurs! It featured real dinosaur skeletons, a pretend fossil dig, dinosaur figurines to play with on a activity table, scientists cleaning real dinosaur bones (Harper's favorite part :), & loud dinosaur "roars" echoing through the room. Ansley really enjoyed the kid zone area b/c she got to splash around at the water table, play at the sand table, & crawl around in a baby maze!! I can't wait to take the girl's back!

Gingerbread House

While we were at Target last week, Madelyn noticed a gingerbread house kit. She has been asking about gingerbread houses after seeing one on Baby Einstein Santa. My plan was to make it after Thanksgiving, but Madelyn was very persistent...she asked me several times each day! After 3 days of asking me non stop, I gave in to her plea. The kit made it nice & easy to build. It came with the gingerbread cookies, icing, candy, & a tray. Madelyn really enjoyed decorating the house & sampling the icing & candy. I have to admit...I enjoyed it too! I hope to make one of these each Christmas with the girls!!

Paw Paw's Photo Shoot

On Sunday morning, we went to Paw Paw & Maw Maw Day's house for a photo shoot. Its a nice set up over there...not only does Ordie have a professional grade camera, but he has lights & a back drop as well. While Ordie snaps the pictures, Barbara tries to get the girls to smile & look into the camera. Jon & I are usually on stand by, making sure the girls don't run off the "set" or touch the hot lights. Its so nice to have a photographer in the family...I think the pictures turned out great!

incredible DAVE'S

Jon, Madelyn, Ansley, & I went to Incredible Dave's this evening. They have inflatables, games, a climbing maze, Euro bungee, bumper cars, bowling, & video game rooms. There's also a restaurant, bar, & a band. Its basically like Las Vegas for kids! The electronic games reminded me of slot machines with the bright lights & sounds. There was only 1 inflatable Ansley could go on. Jon took her into the climbing maze as well. Madelyn had fun but got hurt a couple of times. It was to crowded for a 3 & 1 year old tonight. If we go back, it will be during the week when hardly anyone is there. You know those games where you try to grab a toy with the electronic claw, using a joystick? Well, we snatched up 4 rubber duckies! Its always nice when you can leave with a souvenier! We decided to leave after Madelyn got hurt for the 2nd time (her only nap was on the way to Salsarita's). We were there for about an hour & a half.


On a side note, Madelyn was so cute during bed time tonight. Jon & I were watching a movie & Madelyn kept coming out of her room saying she was scared. I asked her what she was scared of, & she said lions. I brought her toy lions out of her room so that she would go to sleep. She decided she wanted to bring all of her cat toys out of her room so she wouldn't be scared any more. She did go to sleep after all the scary cat toys were out of her room. Whatever works!

A Great Afternoon

We had a fun afternoon today! The weather was beautiful... sunny & warm. After the girls woke up from their naps we played outside. Madelyn drew pictures with sidewalk chalk (while Ansley tried to eat it), we kicked the ball around, played with rocket balloons, & went for a bike ride. Madelyn is getting pretty good at riding her new bike. She is getting more comfortable with it & learned how to use the breaks today. Sometimes she needs a little push to get her going but she's getting better about going over bumps in the sidewalk by herself. Ansley inherited the tricycle. We purchased a seatbelt for it so she doesn't fall off. As you can see in the photo, I can navigate the trike with the push handle bar. I am so happy that we could take advantage of this beautiful day...especially since it may snow this weekend! We met Maw Maw Day at Mimi's Cafe for a delicious dinner. Then Jon, Madelyn, Ansley, & I went to the bookstore, where the girls got a Christmas book & some instruments with a gift card that we had. After bath, we had an off key & off beat family sing-a-long with the new instrumunts!

Making Cookies

Madelyn & I made cookies the other day. It is one of our favorite things to do together. Every time we go to the grocery, she wants to get chocolate chips. She asks to make them all the time. She doesn't care to much about the cookie itself, but loves sampling the cookie dough! I love making cookies with her too. I measure the ingredients & she pours them in the bowl. After I put the 1st batch in the oven, Madelyn retires her apron & runs off to do something else, leaving all the cleanup for me!!

Gymnastics

Madelyn takes a gymnastics class at All About Kids. She took gymnastics at My Gym for a little under 2 years but grew out of it. She got to the point where she felt like she owned the place & stopped taking direction from the teachers. AAK's gym is pretty big. Its equipped with 3 jumbo trampolines (all connected to a foam pit to jump into), slides, balance beams, bars to swing on, etc. Madelyn wears her gymnastics leotard to class that we bought from Target. Today they worked on cart wheels. Coach Denise said Madelyn is doing "awesome" in class...I'm so proud! Ansley & I observe the class from upstairs...you can see the whole gym. There is a play area upstairs but Ansley is more interested in trying to go down the stairs & crawling on the bleachers. Its kind of like when you give your kid a fancy gift & they play with the box instead! After class, we went to Sam's. Madelyn picked out a Thomas the Train book to take home & Ansley test drove a Radio Flyer rocking horse that I may put on her Christmas wish list. Ansley must have had a big morning b/c she fell asleep on the ride home!

Jon Saves the Day!

Last night, Madelyn was laying in our bed while I was in the other room. I heard her say, "Mommy, I'm all wet." The poor thing got sick all over herself. I also was sick. We both had the same nasty stomach bug. Jon put the sheets in the washing machine while Madelyn & I moved to the couch. Madelyn was so pitiful. She got sick several times throughout the night. This was the first time she's ever thrown up before. She took it so well, she never complained and was so sweet through it all. Jon had to wake up at 5:00 AM to go to work. I was worried how today would go with both Madelyn & I being sick, & Baby Ansley ready to play as usual. Ansley woke up at 7:00. I got her out of bed, changed her diaper, fed her breakfast, then laid on the couch wondering how I was going to get through this day feeling the way I did. Then I heard a car door shut. I thought Jon coming home was to good to be true. But lo & behold it was Jon...I was so relieved! Jon saved the day! I went straight to bed & slept until 10:00. Madelyn & I feel so much better & baby Ansley had a great day with Daddy. The irony of the story is now Jon is feeling sick. He is scheduled to leave today to drive 4 hours to Columbus, OH. I just hope that he feels okay for his interview tomorrow. Thanks Jon, we love you so much!!

Let's Go Krogering

Madelyn, Ansley, & I went to Kroger this Sunday morning. I usually don't go on Sunday's b/c its so packed but we got there before the crowd. Last night, Madelyn brought her toy grocery cart upstairs to play with. I left it upstairs so when she woke up this morning, she played with it some more. Madelyn wanted to take it with us to Kroger. She loved putting food in her very own cart! She ended up with the bread, hot dog buns, & marshmallows (Jon & Madelyn are going to roast marshmallows on the grill, but that's another story). Madelyn befriended the florist by telling her about the cookie her & Ansley were going to get, & that she was 3 years old. The florist must have enjoyed the conversation b/c she inflated 2 balloons especially for Madelyn & Ansley Bear. I normally don't take a camera to Kroger (I know you're shocked), but since I've started this blog, I'll be taking it with us more places.

Rocket Balloons

Paw Paw Day gave Madelyn rocket balloons last year. We played with them for the first time just a couple of weeks ago. They are Madelyn's new obsession. You blow up the long balloon with this air pump. Then you let go of the balloon & watch it twirl around the air. When the air is released from the balloon it makes a funny sound that the kids like. About 5 out of 10 balloons pop as they hit the grass. Some land on our roof, & others disappear. I'm sure Jon & our neighbors will come across them when cutting the grass or raking leaves... hopefully not when cleaning out the gutters! Anyways, we have a lot of fun playing with rocket balloons. It will be a sad day when they've all popped. Ansley was scared of them at first b/c of the loud noise but she is warming up to them now & laughs right along with Madelyn. Ansley likes to use the rocket balloons in a different way. She will pull all the balloons out of the bag and put them in her mouth! Sorry baby Ansley, that's a safety violation (as we say when something isn't safe)!

Henry's Ark

I took the girls to Henry's Ark yesterday. We had the best time! We brought carrots & raisins to feed the animals. The donkeys, alpacas, & an emu were walking around the path we were on. Its a little intimidating to be surrounded by strange animals with your children b/c you don't know what they're capable of. A lady who worked there assured me that none of the animals bite. After you give the animasl a carrot, you've got a friend for life! We walked through once, had a picnic lunch (with an emu), then walked through a 2nd time. This was the first time Ansley had eaten raisins so she wasn't keen on sharing them with the animals. Both Madelyn & Ansley loved feeding & petting the animals...It was a great day to be outdoors!

Madelyn's 1st Haircut

Madelyn got her 1st haircut today! She was so well behaved which is funny b/c she doesn't like me to brush her hair. Madelyn's hair grew out beautifully but it was getting in her face and too long to wear down anymore. Ansley sat patiently in her stroller, taking it all in. Tracy curled Madelyn's hair with the straight iron. She looks so cute with her bangs! By the way, The 2nd to last picture is Madelyn's fake smile, which she does when taking pictures!