We're BACK!

Madi and I flew out of Oakland this morning at 6am and as much as I really DON'T want to talk about it, I figured I should document my LEAST favorite flight with Madilyn! This flight was an hour shorter than flying to California, but 10 times WORSE!! Let's just say, waking Madi up at 4am and trying to get her to take a nap on a PACKED airplane= BAD NEWS!! That's right, it was one of "those" flights! The one where everyone is looking at YOUR kid and plugging their ears. Ya, the lady sitting across the aisle from me would plug her ears every time Madi would start crying! Luckily, no one was mean or gave me bad looks (good thing cause I would have given it right back to them)! Madi was one of about 15 kids on the plane so I know most people understood. When getting off the plane, one guy commented in passing, "Don't think you're the only one who's ever gone through that!" It made me feel a little better!

I was rejoicing when I saw Spencer waiting for us at the gate leading into the baggage claim. I was glad he'd decided to park and come in, because out of every mom on the plane, I was the ONLY one who didn't have their stroller waiting at the door as we got off the plane. I secretly think it was their way of punishing me for having the loudest child on the flight! After filing a missing stroller claim and gathering my bags, the stroller luckily turned up! PUNISHMENT OVER!! Madi was an angel the whole drive home (must've forgotten about how tired she'd been just an hour earlier); quietly reading her books, allowing Spencer and I time to chat!

Long story short, we're now home, unpacked and already adjusted to East coast time (Madi was in bed just after 6pm tonight)! Spencer definitely gets the award for being the BEST dad/husband ever! The house was immaculate, grocery shopping done, and he even surprised me by framing, and hanging pictures on our BARE dining room wall (something I've been wanting to do for MONTHS)! Madi was thrilled to see all of her toys again! Her daddy left her a cute welcome home note on her easel.

Here Comes the SUN!

The sun here in Northern California has finally arrived! The first few days I was here, my parents kept apologizing for the rainy weather and promising that the sun would be here soon. I kept telling them it was ok and that I didn't really care if I had sunny weather or not (it's warmer than back home and that's all I care about). However, I couldn't have been happier with the weather today! It almost reached 70 degrees!! What a HEAVENLY day it was! I spent most of the afternoon outside, in a lawn chair, with my book, soaking up the rays! Yep, I put my swim suit on and everything. Go ahead, laugh it up- I got my first tan of the year!! OH YEAH!! No more pasty white arms!

California Vacation- Week One

Madi and I have been in Brentwood for a week now and are having a FABULOUS time (aside from missing Spencer like crazy of course)! It's so nice to come home, get spoiled, have two other people who adore Madi, and be able to relax without having a million other things to worry about. Some of the things that have been keeping us busy this week include:

1) NAPS!!! Yep, that's #1! I don't ever feel guilty taking a nap when I come home. Probably because it's something that my mom insist I do EVERYday! Plus, this whole time change has had Madi so turned around that she's been napping 3 to 3 1/2 hours a day! It sure has allowed me a LOT of free time!

2) Reading- this is one of the things I've been able to do during Madi's naptime. Unfortunately, I usually only last a few minutes before falling asleep, but surprisingly I've already been able to finish one of my books since I've been here!

3) Eating lots of YUMMY salads!! My mom makes the BEST salads! For some reason, as much as I love eating them, I rarely make them for myself. There's something about ME making the salad that turns me away from eating it. However, when someone else makes the salad I usually always love it.

4) Walks- my favorite place to go is to visit the animals at Dainty Center. Our first trip there was quite the hit! Madi did a good job of telling the geese that they were way "too loud"! She was in awe of the BIG FAT pig that did NOT resemble her friend Wilbur.


5) Hanging out with Kody! Being a dog lover, I knew Madi was going to LOVE having Kody around. Sure enough, Madi's always asking, "Where'd Kody go?" or "What's Kody doing?" She always wants to have her new friend around.



6) Hot tubbin! Madi sure has enjoyed going swimming with Gram in the hot tub! Madi especially likes playing "Motor boat, motor boat" with Gram.


7) Shopping and Dress-up! On one of our shopping trips, my mom found 2 adorable tutus which of course she couldn't resist getting for Madi and cousin Anneke's birthdays. Madilyn had a great time trying it on, twirling around, and staring at herself in the mirror! I can hardly wait to get the girls together and play dress-up!


8) Having a gym membership! It's been so nice being able to go to the gym every morning. Oh how I've loved having access to all the machines, weights, and classes I could want!

9) Getting caught up on all my shows. Last year Spencer and I canceled our cable and tivo. Sometimes I feel so disconnected from the world without it. Every night mom and I have a favorite show (or two) that we watch.

10) And last, but certainly NOT least- our road trip for the week was to Half Moon Bay to visit G.G. Aunt Fay and Uncle Bob! It was so much fun to see them and be able to spend the day in Half Moon Bay. Unfortunately, Madi didn't warm up to everyone until the end. She's always so shy when first seeing someone and she refused to show off her vocabulary skills for G.G. While Madi and I visited with Grandma, mom was able to sneak away to catch the AMGEN Tour of California cyclists pass by, with hopes of getting a picture of Lance Armstrong for my brother Clark. Look closely and you might be able to see him!


Thanks Aunt Fay, Uncle Bob, and Grandma for the fun visit, the delicious lunch, and the enjoyable afternoon. We love you guys!


And thanks Gram and Papa for a fabulous week here in Brentwood!

Happy Valentines Day!

Ready or Not- here we GO!

In 4 1/2 months Madi turns two, and will no longer be able to fly for free! I've been wanting to go somewhere warmer since December, so while complaining to my dad one afternoon- he of course suggested that I come home! He had a free flight and said it was mine if I'd come for 2 weeks! While it's SUPER hard for me to be apart from Spencer for this long, he has been really busy and will actually be in Boston all weekend anyway. So, really it's just 10 days that we won't be at home together. Plus, it's just too good of an opportunity to pass up! I can't think of a better time to go than NOW! Once Madi turns two and we throw another kid into the equation, things get a little tricky. Even though the weather has been gorgeous here the past couple of days, I know the cold is going to hit again soon (snow showers are predicted for Saturday)! SO, Madi and I have packed our bags and are READY TO GO!!! We fly out tomorrow morning and don't get back until the 24th. Wish me luck on our 7 1/2 hour plane ride tomorrow!

Primary Songs

Tonight Spencer and I had a PPM (aka: Proud Parent Moment)! After dinner, Spencer started singing primary songs with Madi. He decided to pause at the end of each phrase or sentence to try and get Madi to sing along, and sure enough- she was able to fill in every blank! I was washing dishes at the sink and couldn't stop laughing. It was just SO darn cute! It was expected that she'd know the words to the ones that we sing on a daily basis such as:
"I am a Child of God"
"I love to see the Temple"
"Popcorn Popping"
"Give said the Little stream"
"Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam"

But then she surprised us by also knowing some of the ones we don't sing as often, like:
"I hope they call me on a mission"
"I am like a Star"
"A Child's Prayer"

It's good to know that the hours of listening to primary CD's in the car, and our songs before bed are paying off!


After watching (and laughing) from the sink for awhile, it hit me that I should be getting this on video. By the time I whipped out my camera she obviously was getting a little bored of this activity though (hence being distracted by her book). Just thought I'd share a minute of our PPM in case anyone is interested. Sorry the sound is horrible. If you turn it up real loud you might be able to hear her!

So Happy Together!

Madi and I finally have our friends back and we couldn't be happier! Melissa and Lexi left for Arizona in November and just got back last Saturday. After hanging out EVERYday since then (and what a heavenly week it's been to have constant entertainment), I HAD to post these cute pictures of the girls from earlier in the week.

When it's cold outside, you learn to get a little creative!



It's fun for Madi to have a friend that she gets along so well with (and of course for me to have a friend I LOVE hanging out with too :)! While Madi and Lexi usually do their own thing, they're always watching each other and laughing! Melissa is the only one I can leave Madi with (besides family members) and still have a happy child! The other morning I found Madi with the front door open, looking out the glass screen, calling for Lexi! When I tell her we're going to Lexi's house that's ALL she talks about until we go. It's definitely exciting to watch Madi light up when she gets together with Lexi!

Last night Madi joined Lexi for a little sleepover so that Spencer and I could go out (thanks Melissa)!! I don't think Madi's ever had so much FUN before bedtime!




Then to top the week off, we had a gorgeous day today (I think it got up to 63 degrees)!! So we busted out Lexi's wagon and took the girls for a stroll!





We love you Melissa and Lexi! We're SO happy that you came home!

17 weeks

I'm 17 weeks along now and have NOT felt like taking any pictures of myself! However, since I promised myself that I'd do monthly updates on how I'm looking and feeling- I knew it was time to post something. Check out that belly!


As for how I've been feeling- aside from my clothes getting tight and only wanting to wear pajama pants, I feel great! I do still need a nap everyday though. While I usually like to have a whole hour, 30 minutes will usually do. It's definitely nice to have my energy back. I struggled with my morning workouts during the first trimester. I started worrying that I was getting out of shape (I'd breathe heavier and not be able to go as long or as fast). Luckily, an hour on my elliptical is no longer a problem. If it were warmer outside in the mornings, I'd love to be able to substitute a run in every other day. It's a bummer that by the time it warms up, I'll be too big to run anymore. It doesn't seem real that I'm pregnant yet- more like I'm just gaining weight. I think it will seem more real once we find out the gender (just moved the date for this to the 27th-due to a trip out to California)!

As for complaints, my varicose veins are still super ugly, but thankfully they don't bother me as much now that I have the compression stockings. My biggest complaint is definitely the never ending break-outs (luckily you can't really tell in pictures- concealer can do wonders! :)

I've already broken out the maternity clothes but still wear my regular clothes (I was just so excited to see my upcoming wardrobe)! I started rubber banding my jeans this week. I got away with using the rubber band my entire pregnancy with Madi, but I don't know if I'll have such luck with this one. I'm already feeing like I'm going to need to buy a pair of maternity pants this time around.