"Bad Dog!"

Our dog Ally has had a dramatic change in her quality of life over the past year. She was our baby before we had babies. She's not anymore. I am constantly frustrated with her hair that I am constantly sweeping and vacuuming up every day, so lately she's been spending a lot of time cooped up on our porch. Used to roaming the house, she doesn't take this very lightly and does a lot of whining out there. Madeline and Eli love to sit at the french doors and watch her. Recently I taught them to say "Bad Dog" when she whines. Eli really took to this and even has the hand motions down. He shakes his finger and says "Ba Da", sometimes pronounced "Da Da" - at everything now. We passed a big stuffed bear in a toy store at the mall the other day and it was "Ba Da".

M is for Madeline the Monkey

Madeline is climbing on everything lately. This was all within an hour...

Brusha Brusha Brusha

Madeline and Eli brushed their teeth for the first time last night. Madeline got the spinach from dinner out of her teeth, and they both enjoyed brushing so much that they cried when I took away the toothbrushes. Let's hope they continue their love of good oral hygiene.

Happy First Birthday Madeline and Eli!

Today is Madeline and Eli's first birthday. I can't believe it's already here! I can honestly say that the past year has been an absolute joy and looking back, it seemed pretty easy. Okay, I did shed quite a few tears along the way, but God has blessed us with two great-tempered children and for that reason, I really can't complain. Madeline and Eli have made our life so much more fun. Their interaction and contrasting personalities are a constant source of entertainment. We love them so much and are excited to watch them grow and change with many birthdays to come!

We had a little family birthday party for M&E on Sunday. I have to say I was a little disappointed with the lackluster cake smashing scene. Madeline shuddered at the first taste of icing and wanted nothing more to do with her cake. Eli did get a little messy, but only because Daddy shoved his hand in the cake. Julia suggested the lack of enthusiasm was rooted in the white cake and I have to agree - chocolate was the obvious way to go, dually noted (literally). Despite the embarrassing cake-eating show, M&E looked very cute in the bibs made by yours truly.

Our family was more than generous with their gifts and M&E now have a great new stash of toys and some of the cutest books I've ever read. To name a few favorites: a Radio Flyer double wagon from Grandma and Grandpa, Madeline's first My Little Pony from Mama Kaye, "That's Not My Monster" from Uncle Joe and Rena, and many, many more.




















Happy Birthday Madeline and Eli! We love you!

One Year Ago Today

One year ago at this time, I was a whale, a beached one to be precise...

The nurse had just come in to tell me not to eat breakfast because my 4:00 c-section had just been bumped up to noon - praise God! - and we were getting ready to meet Madeline and Eli and see these precious babies who had been making me so uncomfortable.

Happy Independence Day!

We had a relatively uneventful 4th of July this year. Last year, I had been in the hospital by this point for about a week and a half and Brandon, Mama Kaye and I snuck outside the hospital with popsicles in hand to watch the fireworks. Surprisingly, the labor and delivery entrance had a fabulous view of the Vulcan fireworks. This year, we saw no fireworks (past M&E's bedtime). However, we have two beautiful, healthy children who really put that grueling 2.5-week hospital stay in perspective.

We took Madeline and Eli to Wald Park, which only lasted about 5 minutes because it was very hot. I think that was about it for Independence Day 2008. God Bless America!