on vacay!

well...i'm in between jobs now! i don't start my daycare job until october 13, yes, my birthday :( madelyn and i are just hanging out all day together. it's kind of nice to know that i don't have to be anywhere or do anything. just be with maddie! :)

i haven't updated lately, but monday, the vikings/packers game was on. my brother bill and his wife, debbie came over with their two little girls and watched the game with us. the girls played alll night long. it's nice to have people over, makes it seem less lonely around the house! the packers ended up winning which was a bummer....but i think grandma will get over it soon enough!

{the cousins}

we are hoping to get to the clay county fair again this year...if i get pics i'll post them here!

mississippi

so...i was going to get this posted right away...but didn't have the pictures to do it with. this past weekend we went to see my good friend from school, taci. she lives in milwaukee, but her parents live in lacrosse...so we met halfway there. we left on friday and came back saturday, which made for a short trip...but it was fun nonetheless. there was a great park across the street from the house and madelyn loved running all around there and of course swinging.

we went to the mall for a quick little time to let the weather heat up a bit more and to pass time. i couldn't find anything for me...it was quite depressing...but oh well!

after the mall we ate at a restaurant next to the river and took a picture of maddie on this jet-ski ride. we didn't have any quarters with us to let the thing do what it did, but the pictures are pretty cute anyway.

then we headed to the mississippi where we spent the rest of the afternoon. it was gorgeous out and madelyn had a BLaSt! she'd run into the water and come back out on dry land...then we'd splash...then i'd hold her up and swing her into the water...she just loved it all!

we got back to the house and had to leave to pick up mitch who was at his college friend's house. the weekend was great and i'm glad we went!

today i accepted the job at the furniture place...i don't know how long it's going to last, because i just don't know if i can work weekends and be away from maddie, but the pay might justify it all...so we'll see how it goes!

jobs...

so i got the job offer from the daycare on monday. i haven't heard from the furniture store on whether or not they want me. it's such a big decision! either i stay at the same building and work for a few bucks...or i work in another building and send maddie to daycare and make triple that. i'd work a few weekends too...but i've always worked weekends...so it doesn't matter as much to me as it matters to mitch.

we're going to see my dear friend, taci, over the weekend in lacrosse. mitch will be dropped off on our way to see his college buddies. should be fun for both of us. hopefully the weather is going to be nice...we want to take madelyn to the beach and park!

hopefully i remember to take pictures...then i'll get to post them!

catch up!

so...i'm still behind in keeping this updated. ahhh! we had lasagna on monday night and usually it's just a regular supper...clean up...done. madelyn of course, had to make it a little more exciting. it was hillarious! i gave her some chopped up on her tray and ate a few bites of my own. i look over and she looks like she was giving herself a lasagna facial! mitch and i just laughed...although i know mitch was thinking, let's get this cleaned up! so she had a bath and went to bed. i never thought i'd think something was so precious...but this was!

yesterday we went over to grandpa and grandma r's for a little bit. we sat out on their patio and enjoyed these last days of summer. it's gone by waaay too fast! if these summers keep going by this fast we'll be sending maddie off to kindergarten in no time at all!!! :(

reuniting

we had the big family reunion this weekend. there were lots of people there...some i knew...most i didn't. i meant to take a lot of pictures...but i didn't take ANY! trying to get better!

snowsuit in the summer

we bought madelyn her snowsuit for the winter. we found it online at cabela's and used mitch's club points to get a great deal. she got a whole columbia snowsuit for under $20! it only came in a light green/lime color...but we'll get pink hat/mittens to match that. mitch can't wait to take her our and play...and i guess i can't either! :) i hope the winter isn't too long or too cold! :) here it is:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0050306970889a&navCount=3&podId=0050306&parentId=cat603758&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat21404-cat602000-cat603758&catalogCode=OG&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat603758&hasJS=true

oh deer!

forgot to post the picture of the deer we saw last night! woops! here they are!

the weekend

still struggling to keep this blog updated...pretty sure no one is really reading it anyway...but i want to have some kind of place to put what i'm doing/thinking/feeling. i need some kind of outlet!
so...the weekend started friday. i watched my nephew all day and had an interview for a daycare position after that. it didn't go very well...not sure about it...she seemed pretty disorganized when she said that she was going to have a schedule prepared she didn't...kind of annoying...but we'll see how it goes. time will tell.
after the interview we went to the county fair and madelyn had a hoot of a time seeing all the animals. we started in the dnr building where she thinks that every deer/coyote/moose mount is a puppy. it's really cute...and i can't believe they don't scare her. they were big...but she just loved them. we also saw pigs, roosters, lambs, and chickens and all the fun fair animals. we got a photo with the bunnies...one day madelyn will have her own to take care of at the fair...who knows?! we ended the day with a traditional shake at the dairy stand and a couple rounds of bingo.

{daddy's famous shake at the fair..he has to share now!}

{the "puppies" at dnr building}

{the soft bunnies-we were saying hi to them}

saturday we had a 50th wedding anniversary for one of mitch's aunt's/uncle's. that was really fun...madelyn loved running around the little city park where it took place. she's getting so brave and loved the slide that uncle nic and her daddy helped her go down! :)
now sunday we had to babysit for my brother bill. it was so much fun, maddie loves playing with her cousins!

tonight we saw a mama deer with her two babies...such a cute thing to watch. first the little birds...which i never did get a picture of...and now the deer.

things are looking 'up'!

so madelyn and i were outside playing yesterday and i saw something i've never seen! there was a nest with new little birdies in it. they were waiting for food from their mother. it was the sweetest thing. i wish i had a picture of it. if they are there again today...which i am sure they will be, i'll capture the moment. the weather is supposed to be stormy, so i'm not sure we'll be getting outside.

last night i called a local daycare, because they are hiring. it turns out that it could be the perfect job for me. i would be able to have madelyn at work with me and i'll see other people during the day. my social skills have been put on hold the last year...hope this works out! we'd also have a little extra money...which is always nice! i'd love to get some saved up for a family vacation!

i've got madelyn's 1 year pictures...i had to take them, because the photographer we went to was not very good. we didn't get any pictures from him, except the standard package that came with the sitting fee.

sick of being sick!

this weekend started off with a terrible cold and hasn't stopped yet. i was really looking forward to this weekend, because we had nothing to do...just do what we want!

madelyn is doing well...but i think she's catching this cold...her nose is drippy, and it never is! :( poor baby! i know how she feels...this is one bad cold!

no real energy to write much more!

pleasssse!

it's official...yesterday madelyn learned please. if she wanted some of my cracker she had to say please...which is a sound for her "ssss" i know what she means, so i give her one. now this a.m. without being prompted she pointed to the plate of eggs/toast/pears and said "ssss" i'm so proud of her...and i guess, me! next on the agenda...prayers before dinner.

mom and dad stopped by after a meeting they had. it's so sweet to see them play with madelyn. i'm so glad they had a chance to stop by! we miss them when they're not here :( if life was perfect we'd have each set of grandparents within a mile...but life isn't perfect, is it? i'm just love spending time with family!

what a weekend!

so...it's tuesday and i'm talking about the weekend...i'm already lagging behind in trying to keep this updated! saturday we had my friend from high school, lindsey's wedding. it was beautiful and we were so happy that she found someone to share her life with!

sunday we woke up to madelyn who my parents took care of while we were dancing the night away...i still have blisters! she is so sweet. we headed home after getting her breakfast and enjoyed the rest of the day at the cabin. madelyn had her first boat ride with grandpa rowe...she fell asleep about 5 waves into it! haha!

yesterday, i watched weston, my nephew, and when mitch got home i was so excited...i was exhausted from the weekend still! after he got picked up we went outside where madelyn ran around in the grass and mitchel watched her while i looked in my garden...guess what?! we had 3 good sized cucumbers! i also noted that we had little tomatoes sprouting...which was amazing, because everyone said we'll never get anything out of them if we just plant the seed...they thought we needed the actual plants, ha, got them there!!! there are also a few squash starting...those should be really good!!! so excited for them!

so that's it for the day...i'd have pics of the veggies, but mitch wouldn't run in to get my camera...and i was being lazy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

a year ago today...

{july 17, 2007}

{july 16, 2008}

a year ago today, mitch and i were experiencing our first complete day with madelyn. she was so beautiful, when i woke up i couldn't wait to see her again! she has now grown to a beautiful 1 year old...and the time has flown by so fast i can't even imagine the next few years!!!

we went to take our professional 1 year picture with maddie yesterday then to get groceries...which have gone up sooo much in price, it's crazy! and then came home. our initial plan was to take madelyn to the zoo for her bday, because mitchel and i love zoos for some reason, we're not really the animal type...but we just lovvve zoos! weird?! anyway..the plan was extended to next year and we went to the brand new aquatic center. it was 98* out and felt like 110*...so it was probably a better choice to go swimming anyway! after swimming we made maddie a banana-cream bday cake for her to mash into. she thouroughly enjoyed that! she got it all over her highchair...and despite how much mitch hates a mess...i think he liked to see how big maddie is getting!!! :)

we went to dq after swimming...just the drive-thru, but i tried the girl scout thin mint blizzard and went to heaven! it was soooo good! it reminded me of my brother nick and cathy who just love gs cookies!

madelyn's 1st bday party luau!

well...i'm completely exhausted today...yesterday we had maddie's big 1st bday party! it was all that i had envisioned for her big day! we had so much fun and so many great people around us. i stood there yesterday just thinking...how could we have done this without all these people?! the marriage, the pregnancy, the birth, and now the raising of our dearest daughter. it's all been a joint effort...so thankful that we actually have a support system.

{madelyn and daddy with her

1st bday cake! uncle francis is

watching on...waiting for the

cake to be cut!}

maddie had so much fun running around at the cabin and swimming in the lake with all her aunts and uncles. she had cake that grandma w made with the classic "sticky" frosting. she didn't hesitate long before she was engulfed in frosting...daddy wasn't too excited...but i thought it was hillarious!


today we're watching cousin weston...he got his 1st haircut yesterday...he's not even 6 months yet! he's growing soooo fast...and his hair is growing even faster! he's so precious!

summertime!

it's been a loooong spring here in minnesota and now the sun is finally coming out late in the summer. we had an incredible time outside yesterday. madelyn played in her new sandbox with daddy while i weeded the garden and then went on the "ssss" "ssss" (swing) with me after that. we had a blast! when we were all finished we hosed her off in the yard which she thought was hillarious....and so did we! we got in the house she had her little supper and we took a warm bath. we then danced the night away to baby einstein music...she laughed until she was too tired to stand...and then she fell fast to sleep.

today we have our 1 year doctor appointment! i can't believe that time flew that fast...omgomgomg! i still remember having her right up to me after her birth...i couldn't believe that she was finally there...now she's 1!!!! it seems like it took forever for her to be here...and now time is counted in seconds! we have so many memories of her 1st year with us.

{loving the sand}

{needing the bath and loving it too}