4 Months Old!!

WOW- I can hardly believe how fast time flys. Madilyn turned 4 months old on Sunday and today she had her 4 month check-up. She was such a good girl for the doctor and was very brave during her shots. Madi weighed in at 12 lbs. 12 oz and she's 25 in. long- putting her in the 30th percentile for weight and 78th for height. I came prepared with tons of questions, of all the little things that I stress out about. However, the doctor quickly assured me that we're doing a great job and that Madi looks perfect. It always feels good, going to the doctor's office and hearing that all my worries were only that- unnecessary WORRIES!!

Mom's M&M Cookies!

So, my mom is a pretty awesome lady! She is great at alot of things, but one particular thing that my mom is famous for is her Utopia Cookies. My mom makes cookies that are to die for. She says the secret is that she uses her bosch mixer. But truly I've never had anyone make them as good as my mom does. Consequently, I'd NEVER attmepted to make her cookies, for fear of messing up or having them not turn out like hers do. Well, I am the primary choirster in our ward here in Maryland and we have been busy preparing for the annual Primary Program. In preparation for this big event, I brought M&M's and a jar to church each Sunday. When the kids worked really hard on their songs and had really good behavior they were able to earn M&M's. I promised them that if they could fill the jar to the top with M&M's by the date of the program, I would use the M&M's to make them cookies. It worked like a charm (it's also one of my mom's great ideas). The kids worked really hard and earned all of the M&M's! So this past Saturday I used my mom's receipe and made over 7 dozen M&M cookies!! I was super nervous about messing something up. But after calling her a dozen times to make sure I had all the EXACT ingredients that she uses and followed the directions just how she does it, I felt ready and prepared. I didn't have a bosch, but luckily my good friend Melissa let me borrow her Kitchen Aid (thanks again Lis!).

The dough looked (and tasted) just like my mom's. So good so far!


They came out looking like my mom's cookies.


Now the moment of truth was Spencer actually trying the cookies. He loves my mom's cookies and begs her to make them everytime she visits or when we go home.
After trying the cookies, Spencer's words were, "you did it Anie, they taste just like your mom's!!"


YES! I can now ofically carry on the legacy of my mom's Utopia Cookies.


P.S. The Primary Program went great on Sunday and the kids loved the cookies!!

Prunes!

While I usually would stay away from discussing poop, this is worth mentioning. Madi is generally very regular-sometimes this would mean 5-6 good ones a day. Madilyn was quite proud of this skill. Almost every day, she would wait until AFTER I changed a wet diaper to fill those britches. Thus, after not pooping for almost a week, we were beginning to get a little worried. So, I called the doctor and he recommended a small dose of prunes to get the system running. While I only gave her maybe a teaspoon, I think most of it ended up on her grill and not in her mouth. Madi thought the whole process was quite strange. Needless to say, she went another couple days and then one day, I found a giant surprise. I'm glad to report that all systems are back to normal operation.

This doesn't taste like milk...


Madi's still not quite sure if she likes prunes.


One teaspoon later...

Happy Birthday Spencer!

So, last Saturday was Spencer's 28th birthday. Yikes, we're getting old! On Friday, Spencer wanted to go to Famous Dave's for a big plate of meat. ummm. Spencer particularly enjoyed the six different barbecue sauces at his immediate disposal. Men are such simple creatures-give them meat and they are content. Then on Saturday night (his actual birthday) we went shopping and then went to the Cheesecake factory so Spencer could get his favorite pumpkin pecan cheesecake. It was heavenly. For all you who've never tried it-you'd better get there in the next month because it is only served in the fall.

Cooking with Daddy

Madi loves watching daddy cook! On this day, she requested that he cook up some Kung Pao with lots of peppers. She likes to add a little "Kung Pao" to her diet every now and then!

Madi's New Bed!

For the past 3 1/2 months Madilyn has been sleeping in her beautiful cradle made especially for her by her Grandpa Al. She was beginning to get a little big for it though. At night she would flail her arms and hit the sides of the cradle, waking herself up. So we decided that we better get her a bigger bed. We ordered a crib last month but they told us it would take 10-12 weeks to get her. We were very surprised and happy to get a phone call on Friday (just 3 weeks after ordering it) saying that our crib had arrived! So Monday morning we went and picked it up (thanks Brewers for use of your truck and strong muscles:) Monday night we put Madi to sleep in the office so we could set up her new bed. It was so fun to put it together and put on her new bedding that has just been sitting in her closet. I seriously have been wanting to set up her bedroom since before she was born. Because of moving I never really got to set up a "nursery" like most new, first time moms do.
Madilyn woke up at 3am to eat and after feeding her I put her into her new bed. It was funny because she totally realized that she was somewhere new. Her eyes got really big and she kept starring at the sides of her bed and at the mobile hanging above her head. She loves her new mobile (thanks Roxy:).

BEFORE the crib. Madi is just chillin in her cradle!


The new crib!

Trip to the City

This past weekend, our friend, Adam Eshenroder, flew in from Utah for a quick visit. On Friday after Spencer's class, we all jumped on the Metro for a fun day exploring our nation's Capitol. This trip into DC was a first for Madi, Anie, and Adam! On Friday we started out at the National Archives to see the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Then, we stopped by Sen. Orrin Hatch's office for a tour of the Capitol. After a lot of walking, we finished the day off at Union Station for dinner and then back home on the Metro. What a day! Madi was quite the trooper. We all had so much fun on Friday, we decided for a double dose of the city on Saturday. On Saturday, we went back in to the city to see the Smithsonians and the Holocaust Museum. Boy were we tired by the end! About an hour through the Holocaust Museum, Madi decided she had had enough of Museums-or maybe she was just sad because we were in the Holocaust Museum (not the happiest place!). But, we all had a blast. DC is such a fun city!


Madilyn meet Adam. Adam meet Madilyn.


Madi is all bundled up and ready for a trip to the city.


Waiting for the Metro.


Our first trip to the Capitol.


Inside the Capitol dome.


Waiting for the capitol "subway".

Burbank Visitors

Today, we were privileged to have the Austin Family stop by for a quick visit. They were in our ward in Burbank and their daughter, Taylor, was one of my favorite fifth graders last year at Jefferson. We love visitors!

Story Time

Now that Madilyn can sit up by herself (with a little back support) she can enjoy reading time all by herself. Her favorite story right now is "The Hungry Caterpillar."



Sometimes Madi holds the book with her hands.



She makes sure to study every page.



Sometimes, Madilyn's hands get a little tired from holding the book up. She is so talented, she figured out how to hold the book with her little feet!

1st Time in High Chair

So today, Spencer decided to let Madilyn try out her new high chair. I didn't think she'd be able to sit by herself without tipping over. Madi proved me wrong!



Does this mean I get to eat meat like daddy?



Oh boy, thanks for this great high chair Aunt Fay & Uncle Bob! You guys are the best!

Road Trip to North Carolina

Madi took her first road trip this past week! We left on Monday, October 1st and didn't get home until Sunday October 7th. Her daddy had a hard time parting with her. It was the longest time they've been apart. We drove there and back with our friends Matt, Doreen, and Hunter (thanks Gertsch family for letting us come along). Madilyn and Hunter had a great time hanging out together in the backseat! Madi and I made the trip to visit my sister, brother-in-law and their kids and see their newly purchased home! The Calhoun family moved to North Carolina about 2 months after we moved to DC. We are super excited to have some family out here with us! It's hard being so far away from everyone.
We had a fun filled week. Madi enjoyed being around her cousins. It was a little louder than Madi is used to, but she enjoyed the craziness! While we were there we celebrated Adley's 2nd birthday and joined him for a day at the Children's museum in downtown Raleigh.


Leaving the Children's Museum. Adley was a little sad about leaving.

Cousin Adley being such a big helper and giving Madilyn her binky to suck on.

Madi with cousin Ani- the girls are only two months apart!

Madi and Hunter excited to get going!


Daddy having one last snuggle before saying goodbye to his girls for the week!