Happy "Bir"day

Our sweet Madelyn has always loved music.  She is most certainly what you would call a "mover and a shaker"!  She can break it down with the best of them.  Most recently she has taken a liking to singing as well.  You should hear her sweet little voice...
Each night I get her all snuggled in her "nigh night" and then I stand by her crib and I cradle her like a baby while I sing to her.  She sucks her thumb and hums along with me and she just stares into my eyes.  Such sweet moments with my beauty.  I made up my own version of the goodnight lullaby, because I can't remember all the words to the original.  Madelyn has never seemed to mind!  ;)  She has become accustomed to this song being part of her bedtime routine and usually beats me to the "LU-A-BYYYYYYYYYYY"...it always makes me giggle.  So I start my sweet song and she immediately interrupts by breaking out into "HAPPY BIRday to you..."  And she keeps on, all the while getting louder and LOUDER until I join her in singing Happy Birthday.  So now each night ends with Happy Birthday dear Madelyn...
And sometimes it sure does feel as though she is aging a year each day.  Growing up so fast, her little...or shall I say BIG... personality shining brighter as each day passes.

If only I could slow the hands of father time...

Slow down sweet girl, you're growing much too fast!

XO my love!

It will come off...

...in a few days!

Yep, Mads, unfortunately you found a permanent marker...

At least it matches your eyes...

Thanksgiving

Yesterday was a fantastic day.  Surrounded by the ones we love the most... laughing and lovin' on each other...what more can you ask for?!  I have so much to be thankful for, I have most certainly been blessed beyond measure.

 Just look at these two sweet faces...

If I could choose to be in any family in this world, 

I would choose my family 

every 

single 

time!

And special thanks to the lady who prepared the feast...

Photo credit should be given to our Collin bug!!  ;)

Bring on Christmas!!

Hair

Oh my word where have I been?  I am surprised Grammy and Papa haven't sent in back up to make sure I was alright being my last post was days ago!

Anywho...

This morning both kiddos got haircuts.  Madelyn just had a little "shaping" done and Collin got a big boy cut.  Both of them were amazingly awesome!  Madelyn sat sweet as could be on my lap and Collin sat still as a statue all on his own in the swivel chair.  I took them to a new salon and I really liked the girl who cut Collin's hair, she was a doll and did a really nice job.  Her name is Cameron...Miss Cameron.  :)

Can you believe I didn't even take a picture of them with their new dos?  Such a slacker!

In more hair news...

I bathed both kids after dinner and then we played downstairs.  I took a quick phone call and when I was finished realized that Collin had soaked (and I mean SOAKED) his head with my hair products.  Oh muh gawsh!  So annoyed.  But whatever...get BACK in the tub and this time you are taking a shower.  Took forever to wash that gunk out.  

Back to the basement to play.  

I came up to do a few things in the kitchen and for whatever reason thought to yell down

"Collin if you put that in your sister's hair, it is bedtime!"

"Ok mommy.....come on Madelyn we need to brush your hair out!!"

Que the sound of feet pounding down the stairs...

"BEDTIME!"

It was annoying the first time, and even more annoying the second!  :)

And even after an exhausting night like tonight, I can honestly say that these two sweet faces are most definitely what I am most thankful for!

Bring on the holidays!

I love this time of year!  I just love to see all the Christmas decor that goes up and the beautiful lights, all the lovely music and of course my favorite part is all the family parties!
Christmas always makes me feel a bit like a kid again.  I have such fond childhood Christmas memories.  Mom and Dad always made is extra special, all the while reminding us the true meaning of Christmas.  They still do!  For as long as I can remember Dad has been collecting pieces from the Dicken's Village Series.  He has an entire little village now. The set up was always a big night in our house.  We always did it together.
My dad is not a man who makes material things his treasures.  He has always made it known that his treasures are in heaven and the only earthly things that really matter to him is his family.
That being said, we all know that Dad's Dicken's Village is important to him.  It's lovely, and is always complimented.  I know he enjoys the beauty of it, and who wouldn't?  But I also know in my heart that the most beautiful part of that village is that it has always brought his family together.  It's something that we all have enjoyed throughout the years.  Now that I am grown and have children of my own I have a better understanding of why Dad has always loved that village so much.  It's not so much about the village itself, but more about the family tradition.  So it was important to me to make it a tradition with my children to go to Papa's for village set up every year!
Last night was village night!   Collin really got into helping this year and Madelyn was more into destructing by taking all the people out of the village after they were so neatly and deliberately placed.

Last night I heard Dad say, 

"They will always remember this you know" referring to the kids...

And he's right, 

but they aren't the only ones who will always remember...

Physical Therapy

So my Collin bug is a toe walker and has been for as long as I can remember.  He walks flat foot in shoes but when he is barefoot he spends a lot of time on his toes.  His ped kept telling us to wait, he would grow out of it...never happened!  Finally, at 3 1/2 I decided we were done waiting and my pediatrician finally referred us to a physical therapist with a diagnosis of  "tight heel cords".
Yesterday was Collin's first "physical fairapy exercise class" as he calls it.  His teacher is Ms. Sandy.  Collin had a great time!  Sandy agreed that, yes, Collin's heel cords are tight.  She thinks that physical therapy and stretching exercises along with possible shoe inserts should fix the problem and stretch the cords. Collin loved his new "school".  We will go every Thursday for 45 minutes with Sandy and she promised that at Collin's next "exercise class" they would play soccer and kick ball!  She quickly won his heart!

Speaking of school...

Remember when I posted this picture of how Collin could write/trace his name?

Look at how he writes it now, just a few short weeks later, all by himself!

I am so proud of our little guy!!

On our way to "physical fairapy" (seriously don't you love that?) Collin was asking how old everyone is..

how old is daddy, mommy, grammy, papa etc.
He then started talking about how when he grows up, he will be a daddy.  I asked him how many kids he will have.  He said lots...here are some of their names...Aaron, Daron, Jaden, Adam, Andrew, Grammy and Papa.  I hope his wife wants lots of kids too, and lots of boys for that matter...and I certainly hope she likes the names Grammy and Papa for her children because he has his heart set on those names!
Sweet Collin bug, oh how we love you!
So after we talked about his future children I asked him if he was the daddy who would the mommy be?
"Who will you marry when you grow up?"  I asked.
"I will marry YOU mommy!"
I absolutely LOVE that out of all the girls in his life he would think to choose me first.
I explained that I am already married to daddy so he will have to choose someone else.
"Ok, then I will marry Grammy"
Well, Grammy is married to Papa.
"Oh, well then I will marry Aunt Andi"
Aunt Andi is married to Uncle Michael.
"Well I guess I will marry Papa"

Papa is married to Grammy!  Who will be the mommy?  Think of someone who isn't already married.

"Oh alright mommy, then I will marry Eva.  I will marry Eva AND Cora!"

I totally love that child!

The sweetest moment

In our house we say "I love you" all the time.  Not just at bedtime or when we say good-bye but several times a day.  Today while in the mommy van on the way to Meijer I hear Collin calling, "Madelyn....Madelyn....Madelyn....MADS"...

"What" she called back.  

"I love you Mads".  

"Yuh you too".  

Melt your heart right?  A few quiet moments pass and she calls out 

"I yuh you Collin"....

"I love you too Madelyn"!    

What joy their love brings me!

Madsy Girl

Our Sweet Beauty...

Collin Bug

Our handsome treasure...

All photos taken by the talented Lois Pierpont.