We Miss You Daddy!!

Madi has been without her daddy for over a week now and she is really missing him! Actually, we are BOTH going through some serious daddy withdrawals. This is the longest time Madilyn has gone without seeing her dad and by the end of our 2 weeks, it will be my longest absence from Spencer as well. Luckily, we manage to fit in several phone conversations during the day, including when Madi wakes up in the morning and before she goes to bed. The other day we were driving to the store and Madi was having a serious "tired" melt down. I decided to let Spencer handle the problem! I quickly called him up and handed Madi the phone. I couldn't hear what he was saying to her, but Madi calmed right down and started chatting with him. I was AMAZED and had to take a peek over the edge of the car seat. Sure enough, there she was, holding the phone up to her ear (backwards though), chatting away with her dad! It's been so cute to watch her excitement as she listens to her dad on the phone and then hear what she has to say in return! We miss you babe!



Here's a few pictures to fill you in on what Madi's been up to.


She's been having LOTS of fun playing outside!


She's becoming quite the pro with standing by herself!



She's been letting me experiment with some new hair-dos!


She's eating TONS of good food....


Including some pretty yummy desserts! Mmmmmm....lemon cheesecake!


Yes, she is still taking her nightly bath, even if it is sometimes just in the kitchen sick!


And she's already made lots of new friends!

Boating

With the HOT temps we've been having here in Brentwood, we decided to head out to Discovery Bay this afternoon to go boating with some friends.


This was Madi's first boating experience, so of course I had to take a few pictures! She wasn't a big fan of the life jacket, but I thought it was pretty hilarious!



I thought letting her drive the boat would help..... no such luck! To Madi's credit, the life jacket did seem VERY hot and uncomfortable!


Standing up helped a little.


Luckily, once we got moving everything was better! Madi was super content watching the water spray behind the boat and feeling the cool air on her face.

More from last weekend!

Here's a few more pictures from graduation weekend, several stolen from my sister's blog (thanks Jen for getting so many great shots)!!


Originally, Madi and I were dressed as twins- complete down to the bright pink toe nails! However, I thought it was pretty cheezy, so I had Madi change her outfit before leaving!




Madi had a GREAT time hanging out with her aunt Jen. For having NEVER seen her before, I was shocked at how willingly Madi went to her and was happy in her arms even when I was around.



Madi's having a wonderful time already! Stay tuned for more of the fun that we'll be having while staying here in Brentwood!

Graduation Weekend!!

On Thursday, June 5th, Madi and I flew into Oakland for some serious family fun!! I had been anticipating this day for several weeks- for 2 BIG suprises. My oldest sister, who I hadn't seen in 2 1/2 years, flew in a few minutes before us and was totally unaware of Madi and I coming. We found her at the baggage claim and got a great reaction!!


Our next surprise was when we arrived at the house. Karlee didn't know that Jen, Madi, or I were coming. She figured that as the youngest of 6, she'd be celebrating her high school graduation alone with mom and dad. Her reaction was even better- complete with an ear piercing scream and crying!


Friday night was graduation. Karlee was the closing speaker, leading her classmates in turning their tassles. She did a GREAT job, receiving a standing ovation! Congratulations Karlee- WE LOVE YOU!!!!





We got up bright and early Saturday morning and headed over to the beach in Pacifica. We were all exhausted from a late night of visiting, but enjoyed the relaxing ocean breeze and warm sunshine. Madi had a fun time hanging out in the cabana!




We got back from the beach in the early afternoon to take naps and prepare for Karlee's graduation party. Here's just a glimpse of some of the memorabilia displayed and yummy food eaten!!






Karlee will be leaving on June 19th to attend summer school at BYU in Provo, UT. We're super excited to hear about all the adventures that lie ahead for her! Good luck Karlee!!

4 Great Years

Today is Spencer and I's 4 year wedding anniversary!! Wow, I can't believe it's been 4 years! Actually, it feels like we've been married a LOT longer- it's hard to remember life before Spencer, and it's even harder to imagine life without him! We celebrated last night with an evening at the beach! I am going to be at my parents for the next 2 weeks and Spencer will be working here in So. Cal, so we had to celebrate a day earlier! We put Madi down for bed (thanks grandpa Al for babysitting!!) and drove to the Ventura Harbor for dinner. There is a restaurant right on the water called Andria's Seafood that has the BEST fish-n-chips!!



We ate a romantic dinner outside on the patio, overlooking the water and all the boats, and then after stuffing ourselves, decided to "walk it off." The sun was just about to set, so we walked over to the beach to get some pictures before it got dark. It was a beautiful night and the perfect temperature!







After the sun set, we made our way back to the harbor and walked along the docks, admiring all the expensive yachts and watching the fishing boats coming in with the day's catch. A perfect evening, a great anniversary!

Burbank

Yesterday morning, Madi and I decided to accompany Spencer on his commute to work. Except, we had some fun plans of our own and needed the car for the day. After an hour an half drive to drop Spencer off at his office (usually only takes an hour), Madi and I took off to Burbank to visit some friends.

Our first stop was to see Angie and Sophia (her 3 other kids were in school- we were sad not to have been able to see them on this trip). Angie and I served together in Young Women's and became great friends! She's one of those moms that you look at, and wonder, "how does she do it ALL??" She's always got some amazing idea up her sleeve and I love being able to turn to her if I a need a good recipe or a cute idea for a lesson.



After leaving Angie's, we headed to Thomas Jefferson Elementary school to say hello to my fellow co-workers! I was able to sit in on the end of a 5th grade promotion practice, which brought back so many memories from last year!! I was also able to pop into the office and say hello to several of the office staff and teachers going to and from lunch.

After saying our hellos, the fifth grade team joined Madi and I for a fast and furious lunch at subway. Oh, how I had forgotten the days of a teacher's lunch break- NEVER slow and relaxing!! We had a great chat, got caught up on things, then all the teachers had to hurry back to school.



Madi and I then headed over to my friend Catrina's house. Amy (church and teacher friend) also joined us at Catrina's. It was great to get caught up on life! Life is never dull at Catrina's house!! :)



Madi had a great time playing with all of Carson's toys (while he was sleeping) and decided that she REALLY liked coming to Catrina's!



Seconds after buckling Madi into her carseat, she fell fast asleep. However, I still had one more good friend that I had to see- so off to Marbell's house we went. With Madi sleeping, the visit was outside and WAY too SHORT! I was just happy that I at least got to see Marbell and her 3 adorable kids. It's crazy how much they grow in only 6 months (we really got to get your blog up and working Marbs)! Sadly, I forgot to take a picture before leaving, but we'll be getting together again in a few weeks for some summer fun!!

There were still several other friends that I would have liked to have visited with, not to mention many of my past students who I would have liked to see. I guess that just means I'll have to make another trip down to Burbank soon! :) Though it was great to see everyone that I did, none of my visits were as long as I would have liked. Thank you Angie, Catrina, Amy, Marbell, Cheryl, Julie, Tina, Kathy, Brian, and Kris for making time in your day to let Madi and I come and visit. We had a SUPER FUN day!

After all our fun in Burbank, Madi and I headed back over to Spencer's office to say hello to the gang there. At 5pm we headed back to Camarillo. Yes, Madi slept well last night!