This is for you Sara

Two Months

Madeline had her two month check-up. She is growing like a weed! We had a bet going before the appointment on how much we all thought she would weigh. Jimmy guessed it exactly right! How does he do that??? Too bad we never decided what the winner would get. I think I will decide right now. The winner gets to clean the house for a month! He's so lucky! Hee hee. Madeline weighs 11 pounds 9 ounces and is 23 3/4 inches long! Everything looks perfect and she is super healthy.





She had to get 5 shots! Poor girl! She handled it like a trooper and only screamed for a few minutes. That's a heartbreaker, they should have counselors on hand for the mothers.



She is smiling a ton, talking a lot, sleeping through the night, grabbing onto things more and more, making eye contact, following things around the room with her eyes, still pooping like crazy, and making mommy and daddy super happy.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm 29 today. 29 big years. wow. I still feel 17 maybe 18 so that's a good thing right? I no longer consider 30 to be old because I am in no way shape or form old. No way!

Anyway, today we are grilling shishkabobs and having cake. Yum! I am super excited.

My dear sweet hubby and daughter got me some awesome presents. A rocking chair....which I absolutely love! Ahh, I love it. It has been so nice to have in Madeline's room. And a book, The Host. I'm excited to read it! Thank you sweetie and my other sweetie.

SHARK!!

We decided to take Natalie to Destin on Saturday. It was the perfect day to go to the beach. It was Madeline's first time seeing the ocean. Do you think she'll remember it?? We had to go super early so that we could spend some time outside before it got too hot for the lil' one. We ended up getting there around 8 in the morning and the weather was perfect. Not too hot and not cold at all. The water was a little chilly but warmed up before 10 in the morning. We even got close parking and a spot on a nearly empty beach! Fabulous!

We spent the morning playing in the water and sitting on the sand. Madeline spent her morning napping under an umbrella. Jimmy did take her into the water and she didn't really know what to think of it. She cried a little bit but overall seemed to enjoy it. We have video of it so I will have to put that on here later.

The water was full of jellyfish! Jimmy and Natalie both got a few stings. Owie! They were everywhere. We also saw two SHARKS! TWO! They were so close to the shore it was crazy! I didn't venture much into the water after the second sighting. Didn't really feel like being shark bait for the day.

After the beach we headed out to eat at Osaka Japanese Steak House. We called it my "birthday lunch." (Thanks Mom & Nat!) The place was packed (as you can see in the picture) I think we were about the only ones in the restaurant. It was yummy. Then it was off to the outlets. I told myself that I wasn't going to buy anything but came away with two shirts from the Gap...I couldn't resist. They are so cute.

We were all pooped by the time we got home. Ahhh, nothing like a day at the beach.

The Grandy's

It feels like all of our friends are leaving! Caleb, Nikki, Paysen, and Porter headed back to Arizona on Friday. We are super sad to see them go. I know Nikki was ready and they are excited to get back into school and stuff but we will miss them terribly.

Thank you Nikki for teaching me how to do so many fun projects. You seriously are the most creative person I have ever known. We loved getting to know you, thank you for being such wonderful friends. We will miss you! Make sure you keep in touch!

Chinook Family Day

Jimmy's Chinook family day was on Thursday. Me, Madeline, and Natalie were able to go. It was so fun. They took us out and let us watch a Chinook fly in and pick up a load and fly around for a bit. My favorite part was when they were taking off. They went in a spiral up into the air. Awesome! I am still amazed that my hubby flies one of those. He's amazing! We also went out to the flight line and got to climb up in one of the Chinooks. I just think it's so amazing.

I am so happy they do family day. I feel like it gives us a chance to get a little taste of what Jimmy does on a daily basis. I also love meeting the people that he is with all the time. Oh yeah, and they fed us pizza...that was good too.

Aunt Natalie

Auntie Natalie came all the way from Idaho/Utah to visit us for a few weeks. We are so happy she is here. She will most likely be our last visitor in Alabama. Crazy! So if you want to prove me wrong go ahead and come and stay with us, I dare you!

Stretched Uvula

Jimmy woke up with a stretched uvula the other day. For those of you who don't know what a uvula is, (I didn't either) it's that little dangly thing in the back of your throat. Jimmy's was so long it was gagging him throughout the day. It was really gross but we all got a kick out of it. He could lean his head forward and make it rest on his tongue. eeeew! We had so much fun with it that we took pictures to share.

Wonderful Friends

I have always felt like I have the most wonderful friends. No matter where I am, somehow I am always surrounded by the most wonderful people in the world. When my mother-in-law was here we were talking about friends that we will have for life no matter how far apart we are. I am so lucky to have several of those.

This afternoon I got a wonderful surprise. A little Korean woman on my doorstep holding these beautiful flowers. They came from some of my college roommates as a speedy recovery gift. I'm not sure what they told the little Korean lady but she was just about ready to move in with us to help me with whatever I needed. Aren't they beautiful?! Thank you Kim, Melissa, Melinda, Lori, Wendy, Audrey, and Nicole. You are so thoughtful and I feel so blessed to have you as my friends. I love you gals!

Little Accident

Yesterday we had our first traumatic experience with our child. Boo got really excited and accidentally scratched Madeline right under her eye. I felt awful that it happened but felt even worse when there was blood. Poor Madeline. It looks fine now. I was worried sick about it when it happened. Good thing moms are only a phone call away. I had no idea what to do except cry about it.

I was so mad at Boo. Now I feel bad for being mad (don't worry he just got sent outside no harm was done to the puppy). I know he doesn't mean to be mean or to scratch or do anything wrong. I feel so bad because I feel like it's partly my fault. Before Madeline came the pups were getting a lot of attention, even a three mile walk every morning and now they're lucky if they get a walk. I think Boo feels like he needs some attention. I experimented once with the walk. It was me, Madeline in the stroller, and the two pups on leashes going nuts. It was a challenge but one I may have to get used to so that my pups feel a little more loved. Maybe then we can avoid little accidents like this.

Paranoia

Madeline is finally starting to fit into some of her cute little clothes. I am so excited. My favorite thing to do is slap a dress on her, put a ribbon in her hair and then take a million pictures.

Okay, tell me that I'm not nuts...or maybe I am. Madeline is taking a nap right now and I have to check on her every so often. I am paranoid that she is somehow going to stop breathing so I will literally go in her room and stare at her chest until I see it rising up and down or I will put my hand on her to make sure she is breathing or I will wait until she moves or makes a sound. Is this normal? Tell me with the second child the anxiety isn't so bad!

Like Father, Like Daughter

Jimmy and Madeline are so much alike when it comes to sleep. They love it and can't seem to get enough of it. The funniest thing to me is how hard it is to wake both of them up! It makes me smile.

Baby Love

Madeline is constantly changing and doing cute things. I find myself wanting to take pictures of her all the time. I just want to remember what she was like when she was so little and I want to capture every minute of it. She is so sweet. My favorite thing in the whole world is when she snuggles with me. She curls up in a little baby ball and lays on my chest and makes her cute little cooing sounds, ahhh melt my heart. I love that baby so much. Sometimes, okay a lot of times I like to sneak into her room and just watch her sleep. She's so peaceful and beautiful. That might be creepy if she were older but she's not so it's sweet. ha ha

I can't help but feel so thankful for the blessings in my life. Sometimes I get in these thoughtful moods and I reflect on where my life has gone and been and where it is now and when I think of the now I just feel so thankful. Heavenly Father has blessed me so much. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful, patient, loving husband. We both feel so blessed to have Madeline as a part of our family. She has brought such a special spirit into our home. I just feel like life is perfect right now. I really couldn't ask for anything more.

Korea Bound

Jimmy being in the Army has been such a wonderful experience and we have met so many wonderful friends. We have absolutely loved the time we have spent in Alabama. One of the realities of military life is that you are always on the move (at least every few years). While it's a wonderful experience it is so hard to see good friends go. We have already experienced this with some of our other close friends and now the Webbs have gone and left us. We will definitely miss them but we are so excited for them. They are headed for Korea! We can't wait to hear about all of their adventures! We love you guys!

Sleepy Head

At 7 weeks, Madeline has started sleeping through the night. I didn't sleep much the first night because I was so worried that she wasn't waking up to eat or get her diaper changed. The little stinker just wanted to sleep and sleep and sleep. I thought at first it might be a fluke, but she has also slept through the night the past two nights. Yahoo! It still might be a fluke but I am going to enjoy it while it lasts!

Poop and Other Stuff

I was changing Madeline's diaper the other day, like I do everyday. This day was a little different. I lifted her little bum to wipe it and she sprayed me with poop. It was disgusting. I could feel poop on my face and when I looked down my shirt was speckled in bright orange baby poop. Poop everywhere. Of course there are pictures! It's kind of hard to see, but trust me it was splattered everywhere .

As if that wasn't enough poop....I probably shouldn't share this story, but I just think it will make us laugh when we look back and read it so....here it is.

We went to take Becky to the airport in Dothan and while we were waiting Madeline pooped her diaper. I went out to the car to grab the diaper bag only to discover, (to my horror) that there weren't any diapers or wipes in the bad. There was desitin and a load of other stuff. (Bad Bad Mommy!) I went back in to the airport and told Jimmy and Becky about it and we started telling funny diaper stories. Well, it got to the point that we decided we should leave so that Madeline could have a clean bum. We left the airport, got in our car and it wouldn't start. Ha ha. The lights were left on and the battery was dead. Surprise! Madeline was screaming at the top of her lungs and nothing would comfort her. It took forever to get the car jump started and my poor child was sitting in a diaper full of poop. So, I did what any responsible mother would do in such a situation...I took her into the bathroom and took the diaper off and wiped her down with a paper towel and let her go commando and prayed that she wouldn't pee or poop until we got a diaper on her. We then proceeded to line the car seat with paper towels....just in case. We had to go into Dothan to get a few things so Jimmy ran into Walmart (with lightning speed I might add) and bought some diapers and wipes and we got one on her as quickly as possible without any accidents. All of the excitement must have worn Madeline out because she slept through the night last night and nothing could wake her up. (Yahoo for rest!)

Jimmy passed yet another check ride with flying colors. He now will start night training and then be done with his Chinook course. If everything goes as scheduled he should be done at the end of the month and then he will go to Sere school which is 3 or 4 weeks long (not really sure at this point) and then another 3 week course and we're done here. We should get new orders sometime in the next month or two. How exciting!

Boo and Ashes are feeling a bit neglected. All of the visitors have been good for them. Now that I am feeling back to myself we can get back to our daily walks. Hopefully that will help them feel a little better about life in general. They're such good pups.

Anyway, here are a ton more pictures of Madeline.....(these are 6 week old pics)

Just in the last week or two she has started to smile when you talk to her. I love it when she smiles!

The surprised look.

Another smile.

Sleeping Beauty

She wore this outfit for about an hour before the big blow out caused us to change it. (Three outfits that day (little stinker)

So sad. I love her crying faces. She's just so stinkin' cute.

The squishy sleepy face.

Little water baby.

Modeling the new pj's.

She really does love her daddy. She loves to hear his voice and look at his face. I guess it's like mother like daughter.