New toys, new year, new words and more!

I have so much to update everyone about from the last couple of weeks, but I have to admit that I am finding it difficult to find the "umph" to get it all posted! Dylan and I had off work from Christmas Eve up until yesterday, so we had a long, wonderful break just spending time together as a family, and with our family and friends. Today was our first day back to work and we are all exhausted! We quickly got used to the afternoon naps and just bumming around as much as we wanted to! We didn't actually go on a vacation with our time off, but I think it was the best time we have taken off of work for yet!

So, anyway, I have just about finished uploading all the pics from the past couple of weeks and plan to get everything posted tomorrow. Stay tuned!

P.S. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and safe and happy New Year!

Sometimes I just can't help myself....

A lot of times, actually, when she is just too cute NOT to take a picture.

A little tea before school.

(Thank you SOOO much, Menen for this precious little tea set. She loves it!)

Her favorite place - the pantry. She whines at this door all the time! You can offer her one of everything in there, she'll refuse, and STILL whine to get in there.

Trying on someone's Christmas present. :)

I just LOVE this outfit, so had to get a picture!


It's important to accessorize.

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to share some of my favorite pre-Christmas pics we got of Madison the other morning. Notice I said, "the other morning"...? This is why no one has gotten a Christmas card from us yet. We were late getting them out this year, but they are in the mail so I hope you all get them before Christmas!! We hope you all have the best, happiest, fun and safe Christmas this year. We wish we could spend it with you all! And most of all, we hope you have a wonderful 2009 and pray that many blessings come your way!

Big weekend!

Last weekend was a fun-filled weekend. We started early Saturday morning - Dylan working on the Christmas lights, Madison playing outside and helping Daddy, while I worked in the house a bit. The Wiltshires came over that morning with a ladder, so then Jason joined Dylan in the yard and Madison, Yara, Roxanne and I had tons of fun inside. In just a couple of hours we had drawn/colored, played with baby dolls, had lunch, played outside some more with the guys, painted, and watched a movie! The girls had a blast! Madison wasn't too happy when I took her away from the painting to take a bath, but she quickly got over it and moved on to the next thing. Madison also got to give Yara her Christmas present - a t-shirt that I had also bought for her. How cute are these?!

On Sunday, after church, we went to lunch with the Wiltshires, and it was then that Dylan and I made the final decision that we are going to have to stop taking Madison to restaurants for awhile... The past few times we have gone out to eat, it has been, well, let's just say it hasn't been fun. She does not enjoy sitting in a high chair anymore, and even if that parts goes ok at first, after she eats, she is ready to move. We went to Olive Garden last Sunday and the fit started before we even got the salad and breadsticks. To her defense though, she was tired, and nap time was getting close, so the fit wasn't all that unexpected this time. It got to the point though that I was afraid no one could enjoy their lunch, so I got up and took her into the bathroom to try and get her settled down and the whole time she was saying, "Iwuh go...., iwuh go...". I had never heard her say that before, but it became clear that she was saying she wanted out of there!! So, this is why we will be eating as many meals at home for awhile - it obviously isn't any fun for her, which means it isn't fun for us either. (Side note: "Iwuh go" has become part of her vocabulary since then. When we go to put her in bed some nights, she says, "iwuh go" while pointing to our bedroom. In other words, she wants to go to our bed instead. It is NOT easy to put her in her crib when she is whining out those little words... :( )

Proud mama

At Madison's last well exam, I learned that when babies start becoming aware of dirty/wet diapers, talk about them, grab at them, etc., it is a good time to buy a potty chair. Since she isn't quite 17 months yet, we don't have any big potty training goals at this point, but I got a potty chair to put out and start slowly introducing Madison to it. We talk about it, ask her if she wants to potty in it and sometimes sit her on it, and have been doing this here and there the past few days. Two mornings ago, I sat Madison on the potty right after she woke up, just to see if anything would happen. Before I knew it, she had gone in the potty (the chair sings and plays music when she sits on it and congratulates her if/when she goes)! I was SHOCKED! I started celebrating and had Madison run and tell Dylan, etc. She probably thought I had lost my mind. :) THEN, last night, when I went to change her diaper before bed, she said, "I pee-pee". I asked her if she wanted to "pee-pee in the potty" and we went downstairs to the potty chair. I sat her on it and she immediately went! Again, I couldn't believe it and was even more excited this time because she had just told me she needed to go!!! We are so proud of Madison, but are still planning to take it slow and let her train at her own pace. There is really no rush - she is still young, but if she figures it out sooner than later, we won't complain! :)

Here are a few pictures of Madison being a big girl. This was an especially funny moment because as she was sitting there, she reached over and grabbed a book and started flipping through the pages. And if that isn't funny enough, after looking at a few pages, she licked her finger and then turned the next page! You know...like some people do when the pages are sticking and their finger is too dry to grab it??!! Not only was it hilarious that she did this like a little adult, she actually put her entire finger in her mouth instead of just licking the tip, which made it even funnier. What a character!!

SNOW!

As most of you probably know, we got snow a couple of days ago and we couldn't have been more thrilled!! I was super excited when I saw the huge puffy flakes coming down - it was real snow...not just the flurries we sometimes see (though that is even rare). As soon as we got home, I ran in the house and grabbed the camera so that we could get some with Madison and snow for the first time. As silly as it may sound, it was really a "magical moment" for us.

I have to say though that after seeing what my mom and sister got, our pictures are not very impressive at all. :) CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS??!!

Where do I begin?

I am really not sure where to even begin. The past month or so has been a whirlwind and it isn't because I was having too much fun. I mentioned going to Cleveland for trial on the last post, and I actually ended up having to stay longer than I had planned. I was there almost the entire week, that week, then went home for two days and flew right back up there to help finish up the trial. The trial ended the Monday before Thanksgiving and the jury deliberated through Wednesday that week. The worst part of the whole deal is that we ended up losing. By the time I got back home and settled in, it was time to head out of town for Thanksgiving! We decided to make a short trip to Beaumont this year instead of going to Austin or beyond, since we both had been travelling so much. It was a very laid back Thanksgiving, but it was great - I am so thankful for the time we had to just relax and spend time together.

Just when I thought things would be getting back to normal at work though, I was asked on the Sunday before we went back to work, to help out in a trial that started the next day. This case was being tried in Houston, but I had never laid eyes on the case before, so knew it was going to be interesting, to say the least. Though I only got three hours of sleep a couple nights in a row last week during the trial, everything went well. I was able to learn the case quickly and the trial was the shortest trial I had ever been a part of. I think it was the shortest trial the attorneys had ever experienced themselves too! Though the jury didn't find in our favor on all claims, the outcome was better than in the last case.

Next week should be a little calmer, though we do have some big deadlines to meet in a little over a week. Hopefully things will begin to slow down a bit as we approach the New Year!!

Enough of that talk though...let me update you on the fun stuff.

Just like old times

While we were in Beaumont for Thanksgiving, my mom babysat Madison so that we could get together with friends to celebrate Stewart's birthday at none other than the famous Star Bowling alley! :) Friday night is apparently league night at Crossroads, so Krissy arranged a little surprise party for Stewart at Star Bowling. It was really so much fun...and brought us back to the good 'ol days. It had been quite awhile since we had been able to spend some time with these guys, but I can honestly say that no matter how much time has passed, anytime we get together, it is as if we just saw eachother the day before and pick up right where we left off. You gotta love friends like that.

Some of the guys

Some of the girls

16 months

Our baby is getting so big!! Dylan and I have seen some big changes over the past couple of weeks even. Yesterday she had her 16 month well exam. We ended up going to a different doctor (though with the same provider) because of scheduling issues, but the appointment went so well and I was extremely impressed with the doctor, that I have scheduled her next appointment with the same doctor. The doctor asked lots of questions that others haven't asked before and interacted with Madison in ways that other doctors have not. So, to start off with the basics, Madison is 22 lbs, 30 inches???? Either Madison shrunk or someone measured her length wrong. She was supposedly 32 inches at 14 months. I'll have to check that and let you know... She is still in the 25% for weight and head circumference and if she is really 30 inches now, she is in the 25% for height too. I find that hard to believe though because she is as tall as or taller than a lot of the babies in her class that are older than her.

The doctor asked a lot of questions about Madison's development, including how many words she knows. Though Madison pretty much repeats EVERY word that comes out of mine and Dylan's mouth, the doctor really wanted to know how many words Madison uses on her own. My first quick guess was 10 words and her doctor was really impressed!! She said that Madison is really advanced for her age if she has a 10 word vocabulary at this age. I also told her that Madison is putting together some two word sentences, like the other day when she came running over to me with my shoe in her hand, saying, "Mommy, shoe" and tried to put it on my foot. She said that usually doesn't start happening until around age 2, so that is very advanced as well.

What I am most proud and excited about though is that when I got in the car after Madison's appt., I started making a list of all the words Madison uses on her own, on a regular basis, when identifying objects, asking for something, or just in response to things Dylan or I say. Not only was I curious how many she really knows at this point, I wanted to be able to list them here so that I can look back on this one day....

So, here goes:

1) Mommy

2) Daddy

3) Baby

4) Puppy

5) Duck

6) Book

7) Thank you (says this on her own many times after receiving something she wanted)

8) Bye-bye

9) Hi

10) Truck

11) Hat

12) No

13) Bobble (toy bottle)

14) Pappy ("Paci" - pacifier)

15) Ball

16) Outside

17) Shoe

18) Mine

19) Poo-poo (hey, it counts)

20) More

21) All done

22) Wow

23) Ow

24) Yara

25) Up

26) Off

27) Down

28) Apple

29) Nana (banana...but can count for you too, Sherry :) )

30) Cracker

31) Eyes

32) Nose

33) Hot

I feel like I am forgetting one or two, but you get the picture! It amazes me everyday how much she is learning and how much she seems to really understand and express to us.

Though she doesn't really say the other body parts, she can identify just about every body part, she also knows many animal sounds and points up to the sky if she hears a plane or a bird.

She is just the happiest, sweetest, affectionate little girl and Dylan and I are loving the fact that she now calls out to us as "Mommy" and "Daddy", and we agree that we could listen to her giggles all day long and never get tired of that sound.

I really could go on and on, but I'll post a few recent pictures and head off to bed.

Good thing her baby is willing to share...

LOVES playing outside!!

If her daddy is wearing a hat, she usually wants one too!

Missing Dylan and Madison

Well, I am in Cleveland, Ohio for trial, for the second time this month. I got in last night and should be going home Wednesday evening if things aren't too hectic. I didn't blog about my first trip, but it was about 2 weeks ago and I was gone for three nights and three days. It was the longest I had ever been away from Madison and it was so hard to leave. Madison slept in the truck on the way to the airport and right as I was getting out, she woke up, and (I know it sounds silly) my eyes started welling up! Once I got to Cleveland and got really busy, everything went fine and the days passed fairly quickly. I don't think Madison realized I was gone. I envisioned our "reunion" to be much more dramatic than it was. ;o) So, I'm back here again for a few days, and though I know I am going to survive just like I did the first time, it is never easy to leave those two for an extended period of time.

Before I post a couple videos of Madi that we took the weekend before last, I'll just mention a couple of other things about Cleveland...it is snowing here (Dylan says it is 70 in Houston) and I forgot my coat!

Now here's our sweet little munchkin....