Madilynn turns 4!!!

Wow I can't believe that Madi is already 4 years old!  Where does the time go?  She just seems so grown up all of the sudden.  My baby girl is turning into a little lady.  I'm sad and happy all rolled into one.  I'm sad that she is growing up so quick but I'm happy to see the new things that she does everyday.  She always has something funny to say and people that we come in contact with are always so amazed at how well she can carry on a conversation.  She definitely isn’t afraid to talk and talk and talk your ear off.  I just love to hear her stories she sure comes up with some funny things.

We were in Utah on Madilynn's birthday so she had birthday parties while we were there.  On Saturday she had a birthday party with her Fairey Grandparents and cousins.  She was so funny after she blew out her candles she did a little bow when we all clapped and cheered.  She’s always the little performer. 

On Sunday we had a party with the Barnes family.  Brett's sister Katie made a really fun cake that Madi just loved.  She freaked out when she saw it.  Madi is totally infatuated with Barbie so it was the exact perfect cake.  Thanks Katie for making it for her it was a HUGE hit.  Madi was spoiled with dress up clothes and a new Barbie she also got her very first piggy bank that is super cute.  I have to find a safe place for the piggy bank so that she doesn’t try to play with it because it’s super breakable.  It was so funny when Madi was opening her card from her Great Grandma she saw that it had money in it and well, watch the video it was so funny..

It was so fun to be able to spend Madi’s birthday with our family.  Thanks everyone for making it a super fun time for her.  I know she had great fun at both parties and loved hanging out with her cousins. 

Primary Program

Today Madi was in her very first Primary Program at church.  She has had a cough for about a month so we haven’t been to church for the past two Sunday’s when they rehearsed so I didn’t know how it was going to go for Madi.  We had a copy of her line that she was to say so we did our own little rehearsal at home.  Just before it was time for her to go up to the stage I told her to be reverent and to smile and say her line loud but not yell.  When they called all the kids to come up she marched up there and found her place.  Kimber was upset that her sister left but she wasn’t the only one pretty much all over the chapel all the little ones were crying.  So cute that they all love their older siblings so much.  Back to Madi…  Since they are the youngest class they were the very first to say their lines.  Shelbee Ropte is in the primary presidency so she was right there to help the kids say their lines.  Madi was the second in line to get up to the the mic I didn’t know exactly what she would do but she handled it wonderfully.  She went right up to the mic and started saying her line.  “Heavenly Father….”  then with Shelbee’s help, “Loves me and has a plan for me.”  She said it very clearly and loud enough that you could hear her.  I couldn’t have been more proud of her.  This was the first time she had ever been on the stage or been up to the mic so I was so impressed that she had no hesitation at all especially in front of such a large crowd of people.  I was especially proud that she remembered the first part of her line all by herself.  Brett and I were just beaming!

For the rest of the meeting she sat very reverently at least that’s what appeared to be happening since all I could see was the very top of her little curly head.  She stood up with everyone when it was time to sing and tried to sing the songs.  At some point she got offended by someone so she had a sour face after that.  She from the stage was motioning to me trying to explain to me about what had happened.  She is so silly!  About 5 minutes until the end of the program all of the sudden she was there to sit with us.  She had met her limit and now it was time to be done.  She sat down and told Brett that she was ready to go and she wanted to go right now.  Silly girl!  After the meeting we gave her high 5’s and told her how well she did. 

I wonder when the next program will be.  I can’t wait to see how she does next time.  I wonder if she will ever be shy in front of the crowd.

You did such a great job Madi I am so proud of you.  Your Dad, Kimber and I love you very very VERY much!

New items at Madibu Bows

I’ve been really busy getting all of my things ready for a craft fair that I am going to be in this Saturday.  I’ve made some new bow boards and rings to put in my booth.  Check out my bow blog to see what new things I have.  www.madibubows.blogspot.com

My favorite new thing

I have heard people mention how nice it is to use Windows Live Writer to write blog posts.  I hadn’t tried it but thought about it.  The other day I finally checked it out.  I finally had it with blogger.  I just have to tell you Windows Live Writer is so nice to use.  It is very easy to upload photos and you can edit them and add cute borders to them.  The spell checker actually works and tells you as you are writing.  Also, I can’t tell you how many times I needed to move something around and accidentally deleted everything.. Just makes you want to pull your hair out.  So, if you have had it like I have you should check Windows Live Writer out.  I just thought that I would share that with you.

Funny side note.. As I was going to write this post I started typing and couldn’t see anything that I was typing.  I almost said, “Oh great!  Here I am about to sing praises about this thing and here it is sucking it up.”  Well, come to find out whatever text color you have set on your blog is what color your text is on here.  I had my text color set to white so it would show on the black background and so it wouldn’t show up on the white page.. Ha ha funny me! 

So proud of my little Miss Moo

This post is long over due. We have a HUGE announcement!!!!!!! Madi is officially potty trained and at the same time done with her silky!!!! Woo Hoo!!! It all kind of happened at the same time. I took all of her silkies away and she had a really hard time with it. She couldn't sleep and would cry and beg for them. It was sad to watch her be sad because she missed her treasure but I think it helped her to be a big girl and use the potty all the time. She just decided it was time I guess. She only has had one accident and it was when she was climbing up the ladder on her bunk bed and couldn't get down fast enough. I'm so so so proud of her. She hasn't even needed to wear night time pants.

Why I took the silkies away. Well, every night when she went to bed I made sure that she had her silky. Most nights she would wake up crying hysterically that she couldn't find her silky. I would have to go and try to find this tiny piece of fabric in her bed. It was really frustrating for us both so I decided it was time to be done with it. I think I did tell her that she couldn't have it until she was potty trained so that might have also influenced her to get going on being a big girl. She has asked for it a few times but then remembers that I told her that big girls don't need a silky. She has cheated a little, whenever I have a basket of laundry that needs to be put away she sneaks in a little snuggle with my "silkies" so when I find the basket of laundry with the silky pulled out halfway through one of the holes in the basket I know exactly what has happened. I guess she just needs to get her little fix every once in awhile.

It has been so lovely having her potty trained and I know she is so happy to do it all by herself too. I need to look back to find the dates of when this all took place. I guess I didn't write about it sooner because I didn't want to jinx it.

Way to go Madi I knew you could do it!

SPIDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday Tifany picked me up so we could take our friend Amber to lunch for her birthday. We had only been in the car a couple of minutes when out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving on my arm.. I looked and saw it was a SPIDER so out of instinct I flicked it off of my and started waving my arms. It landed next to me on the handle to the door. I opened the door slightly (while the car was still moving) I guess I thought I would just flick it out the door. I was screaming this really weird scream I don't even know where it came from. I couldn't even move. The door was ajar and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even brush the furry spider out with my purse. I was completely frozen. It also didn't help that the spider turned and faced me and I could see it was doing something with it's fangs... I get the heebee geebee's just thinking about it. When Tifany got a chance she pulled over and went to my side of the car and got rid of the spider with her foot. She said that at first she thought I was just kidding and that I wasn't really freaked but when I opened the door and didn't move after that she could tell that I was frozen. I hate spiders and usually I can move away from them but how I was stuck in the car I couldn't do anything but FREAK OUT! I'm sure in my mind I even considered jumping from the moving vehicle to get away from that icky furry spider that wanted to bite me. I figure that it either climbed on me when I was raking leaves earlier in the day and had been riding around with me for probably an hour..... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or it was in Ryan's car (which is what Tifany was driving) and climbed on me when I got in the car. Ewe ewe ewe!!!

Madi funny!

Brett had me trim the hair on the back of his neck. Madi and Kimber were in the bathroom with us watching what was happening. After I was done Brett rinsed his neck off with some water then dried off his neck with a towel. When he was done his neck was a little red. Madi says, "Why are you a red neck?" Brett didn't hear her the first time so she repeated herself, "Why are you a red neck?" Brett replied, "I was just born that way."

This just makes me happy!

This was too funny and every time I watch it I laugh so I thought I would share it. Don't hate me Tifany! I just wanted to share the joy.
We were at our friend Amber's house for a play date and Amber's cat jumped up on the table and surprised Tifany that had her eyes closed. Enjoy!

Kimber 18 months

Ok I'm only a few weeks late on this one but I'm doing it now so that's all that matters right? Well, our little Kimber Boo Boo is 18 months old nearly 19 months. She went to the nursery at church for the first time a couple of weeks ago. She did great! I was sure that she was going to freak out but she proved me wrong. When Brett picked her up she was crying but they said that she just started crying when she saw him.
At her 18 month appointment she had to get a few shots which is never any fun. She did pretty well though she's a little trooper.
Her are her stats.
Height-30.5 inches
Weight-20 lbs 12 oz (she only put on 12 oz from her 15 month appointment)

We are pretty sure that she is left handed. She always reaches out to grab spoons, crayons and everything else with her left hand. She still loves to climb up on everything and she is getting more daring. She just likes to scare me. When ever she wants you to go with her somewhere, usually the kitchen to get a snack, she grabs onto your pant leg and pulls you along with her. I could be in the kitchen making dinner and she will grab my pant leg to direct me to the pantry. I love the leg hugs that she comes and gives me while I'm cooking. Anytime I'm sitting on the couch working on my computer she comes over to sit with me under the blanket. She loves a good snuggle but also likes her space too. She is a real little sweetie!
Madi and Kimber are great friends. Most days when Madi hears Kimber talking in her bed she goes in and gets in the crib with her. They just have a great ole time jumping and being silly. Madi will come quickly to the defense of her baby sister. If someone at the store comes over to look at Kimber, Madi immediately says, "That's my baby sister!" With this look on her face like you better get back or I'm gonna.... I'm so glad that they get a long so well. They do of course have their moments of squabble but for the most part they are good buddies. Kimber just loves to follow Madi and copy everything that she does it's really cute!
I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. She will be two before I know it. Slow down kid! She's just a real sweetie and we are so blessed to have her in our family.

Madi Bedtime Stories

Bathroom Remodel (Part 2)

Since we have decided to stay put in this house for another 18 months I convinced Brett into fixing the shower in the bathroom. It really wasn't built to have a shower in there so what we had was just not my favorite. It was really hard coming from a brand new home to this 1970's house that needed updates. So after a year of making due we finally remodeled the rest of the bathroom. I love love LOVE how it turned out. Brett did such a great job on the plumbing, framing, glass block laying, drywall and hanging the bead board. He said to me, "Sheesh! How come you wouldn't let me do this earlier.." Which is a total joke. He didn't really want to get into this project in a house that's not ours. Now that it's done he and I both are so glad that we did it. I'm so glad to have such a handy husband. Oh yeah, the controls to the old faucet in the bathtub were backwards. You know how the hot is usually on the left side? It was flipped so that took some getting use to. Brett fixed that problem when he was reworking the plumbing.

Tifany and Ryan came over and helped with framing up the new wall and when then Tifany did the tile around the window. Tifany even came over today and did the second coat of cutting in for me. She had to make sure that the blue she helped me pick was the right color and I think we did pretty well. Ryan and Tifany both have mad remodeling skills!

Here are the photo's of this project from start to finish. I still have to hang my fabric shower curtain to completely complete the the bathroom but for the most part it's all done. (Sorry I couldn't get these photo's to rotate. Just turn your head to the side and you'll get the general idea.)

Bathroom Remodel (Part 1)

(We did this part of the remodel back in October 2008)
When we first moved in the bathroom was really in need of some TLC. The guy that we are renting the house from had purchased the home after his first divorce and since married and moved their combined nine children into a larger home. When he told me that they all lived here in this house for a few months I wondered how they all survived. He didn't have his three boys all the time so I'm sure that made it easier but still with the other four kids it couldn't have been easy either. Anyway, back to the bathroom. The sink in the bathroom had some rust stains and hard water stains so I thought that I could use some lime away and make it all better. I poured some down the over flow on the sink and that started the yuckiest mess ever. The lime away kept bubbling up and no matter how much water I poured down there it kept coming up with more yucky rust. The sink ended up much worse than it was when I started so that alone was are motivation to fix the bathroom. Not to make light of the fact that there was only ONE electrical outlet in the entire bathroom and the bath and shower are another matter all together. At first we thought we would try to remodel the entire bathroom but in the end we just concentrated on the sink and vanity. I'm so glad that Brett is handy and he is able to build things and knows about electrical and plumbing. I'm sure that our landlord is glad too because he didn't have to pay someone to do all of the work. We figured if he (the landlord) would pay for the supplies that we would do the work and then it would be nicer while we were living here.

Gymnastics Class

Madi started taking gymnastics a couple of weeks ago. I think she likes it. When we first get to class she tells me that she wants me to stay with her. It's the same thing she was doing at her tumbling class. I think it's just an act because she is anything but shy. It's a lot of fun watching Madi do all of her moves at gymnastics class. There are a few moves that we need to work on but she did pretty well at the low balance beam. When it was time to walk on the low balance beam she didn't hesitate at all she just jumped right on. I took this video at her very first class. I really think that this kind of class is more her thing since she likes to jump around. It's also really good for her because she has so much energy and hopefully this class will help her use up some of that energy. I think it will also help her learn how to follow instructions a little better.

Madi already knows a couple of the girls in the class. Claire (who we met at tumbling) is in the class and Kylie (who we met at tumbling) is also in this class. I'm really glad that we get to watch the girls practice it helps when I want to be able to practice with Madi cause I know what they do in class. This dance school has been a lot different from the last school that Madi went to. I think she really likes her teachers, they make class a lot of fun which helps Madi want to go to class.

Slacker...

I have so much catching up to do on the blog. There are things that I haven't written about that happened months ago.. What's my deal! I guess I have been a bit busy lately. Anyway, as soon as I get my butt in gear I'll be posting some stuff.. Like what you ask? Well, Madi started ballet and gymnastics a couple of weeks ago. Oh and some other stuff. If I keep talking now I might as well just tell the whole story and I have to do some things before I go to bed so it will have to wait until later. This is mostly just to give my blog a little love. I think it's lonely when I don't write on it. Just kidding!

Duane Wall

died 2009-08-23

Duane A. Wall, age 82 of Vernal, surrounded by his wife and family, passed away Aug. 23, 2009 after a recent injury.
He was born July 24, 1927 in Maeser, to Henry Wilford Wall and Alice Adams, the oldest of seven children, four of whom precede him in death.
He was raised in Avalon, Utah, graduating from Alterra High School where he played basketball. He attempted to enlist in the U.S. Army during World War II, but was rejected as being too tall. He married Valenna Rae Gardiner on June 21, 1950 and was then drafted for the Korean Conflict where he served as a Motor Pool Sergeant from May of 1952 to Feb. 1954.
A daughter, Anita, joined the family in May of 1962. Duane worked in the building trades for many years, receiving diplomas from the State Board of Vocational Education as Carpenter and Carpenter Foreman, and certified in Civil Defense. He worked on construction of the Flaming Gorge Dam as well as numerous other projects. He also worked most every job in the oilfield, retiring from Dresser Magcobar in 1983, then working for Turner Lumber for many years.
He married Vadrus Joyce Bodily on Nov. 6, 1973 after the death of his wife Valenna. He often stated he always wanted a big family, and was immediately joined by six more children.
A faithful member of the LDS Church, Duane served as President of the Gusher Branch in 1961, and later as Sunday School President and greeter. He served two Stake Missions to the Uintah Basin Indian Mission as well as ward missions. Later, at the age of 73, he was called with his wife Vadrus to serve a C.E.S. Mission to the Vladivostok, Russia Mission, where a doubtful Mission President was impressed by his vigor and impact, particularly with the many young people who were baptized.
He is widely known in the Basin for his work ethic, friendly demeanor, and never-ending willingness to help anyone. Many times after working all day, he spent all night repairing a vehicle broken down along the road. Trips to the city after a snowstorm could be painfully long, as he always stopped to pull every car that had slid off back on the highway.
In his retirement years he built quilt-stands for dozens of people and gave away scores of handcrafted stools. His grandsons and other boys were built scout footlockers, and children were made blocks. He liked carpentry projects for the joy of giving them away. He is loved as a gentle, friendly man with a steady temperament and faith. Greatly loved by his family, and many others in the Basin.
Duane is survived by his loving wife Vadrus; children, Ann Reynolds (Kenneth), Lisa Watkins (Greg), Lydia Anders (Gary), Edward Burghardt, Anita Ashmead (Lon), Laurie McDowell (James), Barbara Madsen (Robert); brothers Don of Casper, Wyo. and Ted of Powell, Wyo.; 27 grandchildren and 51 great-grandchildren.
Preceding him in death are his parents; brothers, Laverne “Poncho”, Neldon “Blondie”, Wilford “Doc” and sister Veda; his first wife Valenna Gardiner; as well as grandchildren, Kevin Reynolds and Sheridan Madsen; and great-granddaughters Hunter Watkins and Izzi Howcroft.
Services will be held Aug. 28 at 11 a.m. at the Naples 1st Ward Chapel (2313 South 1500 East) in Vernal. Friends and family may call Thursday from 6-8 at the Mortuary. Military honors will be by the American Legion Post 124 and 11 and the Utah National Guard.
Interment will be in the Maeser-Fairview Cemetery under the direction of the Blackburn Vernal Mortuary.

Uncle Duane

I found out today that my Uncle Duane passed away. A few days ago he fell walking up some stairs and broke his leg. He hasn't been really well for a while so it was hard on his body. Right now I'm just glad that he isn't in pain anymore. It's sad to know that we won't see him at any of the family reunions or get togethers but it makes me glad to know that we will see him again someday in Heaven if we live worthily.
Uncle Duane was this very tall man, he was like this giant teddy bear that wouldn't hurt a fly. Whenever he was around he would stand next to you and give you a side hug and tell you how glad he was to see you. He was always very complimentary. He would tell me how pretty I was and how I looked like my Mom. He was such a sweet man and I'm so glad that I could call him my Uncle. He will be dearly missed.
My Mom told me that yesterday Duane was talking about how he had seen some of our family members that have passed away already. I like to think they were near to him at the end to help him find the way back to our Father in Heaven. I am so grateful to know that we are a Forever Family and we will be together again with all of our loved ones that have passed on before.

A moment of duh!

So the last few days I noticed that I was the only visitor to my blog. Being silly me I wondered if I had done something offensive to keep people from looking at my blog. Then it just occurred to me that a few days ago I turned my private blog setting back on so that I could get a few e-mail addresses from it. Silly me.. I turned it back off now.

All about Kimber

Kimber has started to talk a lot more lately. She says, "HI!" and "Bye!" She also says, "Pleeease!" which when she says it sounds like she's saying cheeese. It's so darn cute! She also says, "Thank you!" and then possibly my favorite, "Okay!" She kind of says it like Little John (is that the name of that rapper guy?) It's too cute for words but don't worry I have it on video.

We're starting to see that Kimber is probably going to be left handed. Her uncle Russ will be so happy to hear that since he is a lefty too. Anytime I hand her a crayon or a spoon she takes it with her left so I'm thinking that's a pretty good sign but we'll see maybe it will change and maybe she'll use both her left and right like my older brother John does.

She absolutely loves shoes. She is so totally a girl. The other day Brett took her shoes off because we came in from outside and she had the biggest fit. If we leave her bedroom door open she will go in there and find shoes to put on herself. Usually that means that she pulled every other shoe at of the drawer too so now there is a fun shoe mess to clean up. We leave our flip flops by the back door so they are ready to be slipped on as we go outside and Kimber usually sits down and puts them on and walks around the house. I don't know why it is but girls love shoes and this is proof that it starts at a very young age.

Whenever I am in the kitchen Kimber comes in to mooch a cracker or anything else that is tasty to eat. When I pull out the crackers she just plops down wherever she is standing so that she can completely concentrate on her treat. I sometimes sit down on the floor too to feed her some dinner since that's where she puts herself. I do that instead of picking her up and moving her which would end up with her being mad at me.

Speaking of being a mooch... Brett usually eats his food in the family room in front of the TV. Kimber is always right there with him asking for a bite or a sip of his soda. Brett doesn't mind though. I think he really likes the attention from her.

Kimber just loves to be with her sister. Anywhere that Madi is Kimber is sure to be close behind. They love to dance with each other which really is Madi pulling Kimber by the arm and Kimber trying so hard to stay on her feet. They have so much fun together I just love to watch them play.

We are so blessed to have these sweet little girls in our home. I thank Heavenly Father for them everyday and I pray that I can do my best to teach them to do what is right and follow the teachings of the gospel.

New Background

Hey do you like my new background? It's a barn get it? The Barnes'.... Ha ha ha! Just kidding it's really not that funny but I do have to buy a calendar of barn's every year and once I even had checks with barn's on them. I'm silly I know.. When you grew up with the last name Fairey you have to have a good sense of humor about your name and Barnes is really pretty normal.

Jumping Bean

These girls love to dance!

The Turn Around

On Saturday I took Madi to the open house at a dance studio here in town called The Turn Around. From the moment we walked in I got a completely different vibe when compared to the other dance school I had Madi enrolled in. Madi was really excited about the girls that were there practicing their gymnastics. I enrolled Madi in the Pre-Gymnastics class and the Pre-Ballet class. While we were there we picked up Madi's dance shoes and a new leotard. I'm thinking that since Madi will have Payton and Claire in the same ballet class that it should go a lot better oh and the fact that her teacher wont be the Ballet Nazi should help too. Her first class is on the 25th so we'll see how it goes.

Girls Night!

It is so necessary to have time away to hang out with the girls. I have always felt guilty about not taking every possible moment of free time that Brett had off from work to hang out with him and the girls. I never and I mean hardly ever leave my girls with anyone. If you ask Tifany she'll tell you that she would always offer to take Madi but I would never take her up on it. I rarely left the girls with Brett and head out on my own. He would offer to take the girls but I would take them with me. I just don't want to inconvenience anybody but come on myself I need to accept help. It's not that I don't trust Brett or Tifany with the girls I know that they are both very capable I'm just silly. Since moving to Iowa I have started changing my ways. I have come to realize how nice it is to go to the doctor by myself and not have to juggle the girls while trying to talk to the doctor. Tifany has been my life saver many times.
Tifany has also tried to get me to go out on a girls night without kids but since I'm such a silly I wouldn't ever go unless I took the girls. Brett was so glad when I asked him if it would be ok if he took care of the girls so I could go out on a girls night. I didn't even finish what I was saying and he already knew where I was going with it and he said, "Definitely!" So once a month we (the girls) get together and go to a movie or whatever without kids or husbands. It's such great fun! Last night Tifany and I had already been planning on going to see The Time Travelers Wife (which neither of our husbands wanted to see) and go eat at Hu Hot (which isn't Brett's favorite). We met Shelby Ropte at Hu Hot and she then came with us to the mall. At the mall we decided to take Brett's advice and try out this new massage parlor. I'm a little sore today from the chair massage that I got but it was so worth it. It just hurt so good!! After we all had our pampering we did a little window shopping until the mall closed at 9:PM so we went to Target because we still had 50 minutes until the movie started. While we were shopping I heard back from our friend Amber (that we met at the girls tumbling class) and she decided to come meet us at the movie.
The movie was really sad and I knew it would be. It was sad and happy all in one. I liked the story line. I like sad movies but I guess I'm weird that way.
The night was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that I've finally decided to go out and take a little Mommy break. It's also so fun to come home and have the girls so excited to see me.. I mean they love me I know they do but since they are always with me it's no big deal when they see me except when I've been away. It's cool to see how fun it is for Brett when he comes home and the girls are so excited to see him.
We (the girls) have decided that we are going to do a girls night at least once a month. It's so nice to have the time away and it's fun to get to know the girls better.

Facing Her Fears

Madi isn't what you would call the bravest of kids. She doesn't like to be tossed up in the air or swung around. Brett took her on a carousel ride and she screamed and cried the entire time. What's scary about a carousel? It's not like it was even going up and down or anything. She doesn't really even like to swing in a swing either. If you push her very high at all she completely freaks out. She is just a ground loving little girl. She doesn't usually like to climb the stairs and go down the slide at the park. Well, Friday we finally went to the pool at the YMCA. They have a zero entry pool that is kind of like the splash parks. They also have a long winding water slide. I didn't think that there would be anyway that Madi would want to go down the slide. I watched her face when she saw Payton and Kutter going down with their Dad. She thought it was pretty cool. I asked her if she wanted to go down if Ryan took her and at first she said yes and then immediately said, "NO!" Then Tifany turns to me and says, "I bet I can get her to go down." I knew that if Tifany talked to her about it she would probably go for it. I watched in disbelief as Madi took Tifany's hand and walked with her over to the stairs of the slide. I did notice a little of hesitation from Madi. You know how you know what your kids do when they don't want to do something well I could see in Madi's body language that she really wasn't wanting to go up there but she went ahead anyway. I thought for sure that they would get to the top of the slide and Madi would start screaming. I was so excited when I saw that she climbed onto Tifany's lap and rode down the slide. Then when she reached the bottom she was smiling from ear to ear. It was awesome! What was even better is that she wanted to do it over and over. Then I tried to take her down and I didn't know the trick to keep her head above water at the bottom so we both went for a swim and she didn't like having her head go under water. After that she was starting to change her mind about the slide but Tifany was right there and immediately took her up and down the slide again. I was so proud of Madi for facing her fear and then stomping on it.
I had another eye doctor appointment so I left Madi with Tifany and Ryan at the pool and Kimber and I went to the doctor appointment. When I got back to the pool I sat down by Ryan and asked him how Madi was when I was gone and he said that she was just fine. Then about a second later he shot up from the chair and through the wading pool. My eyes were dilated so it was hard for me to see anything in the day light but Ryan was running to save Madi. She had been standing playing with the rope that separates the deep pool from the wading pool. She lost her footing and went under water. She was still in water that she could have stood up in but she was panicking so she went under water. Ryan brought her out of the water and she was just fine. I think she swallowed a little bit of water but other than that she was ok. I told her that she needs to be more careful about going by the deep water. I told her that she better tell Ryan thank you for saving her life. Tifany came over to see how Madi was and then almost immediately said to Madi that they were going to go down the slide again. Madi hesitated but with a little coaxing she went right along. I was so proud because Madi having just going under water and being scared was brave enough to face her fear and go back in the water. Of course I have to give all the credit to Tifany and Ryan, I don't think she would ever do it for me. Now I just can't wait to put Madi in swimming lessons.

My poor little Baby Boo

Poor little Kimber has had a rough week. I think it was Wednesday morning that she woke up with a temperature of 102.3. All day I was giving her Tylenol to get her temperature to go down. She played outside a little but just wasn't completely herself. She wasn't really interested in eating. I really started to worry about how high her temperature was that night when she just felt so hot and she wasn't sleeping very well. I consulted one of the nurses in the family about when I should get worried and take her to see the doctor. Megan (the nurse) told me to alternate between Tylenol and Motrin every three hours and give Kimber a few luke warm baths. She said that if the temperature was still above 101 that I should take her in. So that night I started Motrin then Tylenol three hours later. I also gave Kimber a luke warm bath which didn't go over too well. She was just sitting in the tub shivering, it was a pretty sad sight. The next morning her temperature was back up to 102.3 so I called the doctors office to get her in.
At the doctors office they weighed Kimber and she was exactly 20 lbs. she's a growing girl. When the doctor came in the room she looked Kimber over and was concerned that the palms of her hands and her knees seemed to be yellow. She told me that she was just about to just send me over to the ER. She then went out and brought in another doctor to get his opinion. He was also concerned about how yellow Kimber seemed to be. I asked if it could just be the olive tone in her skin and he said that her little hands should be pink. I honestly couldn't recall if her hands were always that color or not. Then the doctor said to run a CBC and some other blood test and to check liver function. That right there freaked me out. When the walked out of the room I had to have a little pep talk with myself so that I didn't break down and start crying. While I was waiting for the doctor and nurses to come back in the room I took a second to send a text message to Megan to ask her what it all meant. She responded saying that the CBC test is what they do just to check everything to see what's wrong. That made me feel a little bit better but my imagination was just running wild with all the what if's.
The poor nurses that had to take Kimber's blood weren't happy about having to do it and Kimber wasn't happy about being laid out on the bed to have her arm tortured either. They had me lean over Kimber to hold her still because they had to take the blood from her arm. Neither of my girls have ever had to do this so it was traumatic for us all. I tell you what Kimber might be a tiny little bean but she sure can put up a good fight. I really had to hold her tight to keep her arm from moving around and of course they had to use a tiny needle for her tiny little arm so it took longer to get the amount of blood they needed. Not a fun experience that I ever want to have to put my baby through again.
It probably took 30 minutes to get all the results from the blood tests back so I had a good little while to ponder about all of what could be. I was so worried that something serious could be going on with my poor little Baby Boo but I tried really hard to be tough for both of us. Kimber fell asleep a little while after her ordeal with the needle so she got some much needed rest. When the doctor came back in the room she said that everything looked really good and that her liver function was normal. WHEW!!! A huge sigh of relief from me. She told me that sometimes kids just get an unknown virus that makes them have a temperature. She also told me that if Kimber still had a temperature by Friday night that I should just get her in to be seen again on Saturday.
I kind of thought that this could all be because of teeth in the beginning but because of the scare of the Swine Flu I was being very cautious. By Friday evening Kimber was cooling off she was still not in the best mood but she at least wasn't burning up. When Saturday morning rolled around she seemed much more like her usual self. We are pretty sure that the whole thing was because of all the darn teeth that are trying to come in at one time. She is still pretty ornery but she doesn't have a temperature anymore thank goodness.
I am so thankful that our girls are blessed with healthy bodies. It breaks my heart to see the sick children in the hospital. A few weeks ago I saw "My Sister's Keeper" and it broke my heart. I can only start to imagine how hard it would be to loose a child and then to have to watch them be sick would just kill you everyday. I am just very very VERY grateful to Heavenly Father that our girls have been blessed with good health. Actually they have great health because other than these little sicknesses they both have been very healthy.

2 boxes in 1 day...

What I said when I first saw this, "Ahhhh!! Kimber! Where's my camera?"

What I said when I first saw this, "Oh Kimber really? Two in one day!" What can I say she loves cereal and she knows where to go to get it. Oh and what's with the way she is sitting? Sheesh bendy girl!

Eye doctor

Two weeks ago I went to the eye doctor for my yearly eye check up. While I was waiting for the doctor I looked at all the fun frames. I tried on some really fun Tiffany and Co. glasses but decided that they were just a little too fancy for me. I just couldn't make my mind up about what frame to go with so I planned on taking Brett in with me to help me make my mind up. When the doctor was ready for me she checked my eyes but didn't dilate them because I had asked her about lasik. I guess for lasik they have to do another type of dilation to make sure your eyes are really healthy. She also told me about these extended wear contacts that I could wear for 30 days straight so sleeping, showering, everything in them. She then went and got me a pair of the contacts to try out for a week. I guess sometimes your eyes don't accept them that well so she was going to have me wear them for a week and then have me come back at the end of the week and see how I did.

I felt like I had brand new eyeballs. It was awesome! I didn't have to think about putting my glasses on in the morning or even messing with contacts cause they were already in my eyes. If you have ever worn regular contacts you probably know that if you accidentally sleep with them in your eyes you wake up feeling like you have sandpaper in your eyes or if you shower with them in they totally suction to your eyes.. It doesn't feel nice. These contacts on the other hand were wonderful! I was totally in love with how cool they were. I kept on telling Brett how much I loved them.

At the end of the week I went to the eye doctor appointment and again while I was waiting decided that I would look at some of their sunglasses because I needed a new pair to wear with my new contacts. I ended up with some super cute red ones. After goofing around with that I got in with the doctor. When I first sat down in the chair she asked me how the contacts felt. I told her that they were so great and it was like I had new eyes. After that she looked at my eyes with the contacts in and then moved one of the contacts around a little and then said that she needed to take it out because it had a film on it. She had also said that I had a bit of an astigmatism now which I didn't have before. After she took the contact out and looked in my eye again she said, "Oh dang it! These aren't going to work." She said, "You have a corneal edema." To what I said, "What does that mean?" She said that it's like I have little blisters all over my eye. I just said, "Oh dang it!" I wasn't too worried about it she said that I would need to put eye drops in my eyes for a week and then we could try these other contacts. I kept joking about my new eye problem and the doctor said at least I have a sense of humor about it. She felt bad that they seemed to be so great when they were actually causing my eyes to get sick. I figure that we were just trying something out and there was no way of knowing how well my eyes were going to accept the new contacts. So basically my eyes have an infection because they were starved for oxygen so the drops I have are a steroid with an antibiotic in it. The doctor said that I had Hypoxia from extended wear contacts and it is causing microcystic corneal adema. Awesome!

So I put on my new glasses that came in that day and drove home.I was a little bummed about the contacts but I was more bummed that I couldn't wear my new sunglasses home. Boo Hoo!

I do have to say that my new eye doctor is wonderful! She has a great staff that are very helpful and very willing to help you find just the right frames. I most definitely will be going back there for my next eye exam... Well besides the visit this Friday. Ha ha ha!

A very scary story (dun dun dunnnnn)

Early this afternoon while Madi was taking a nap and Kimber was playing happily I went to take a shower. I left Kimber in the living room playing and turned the TV to the baby channel so that she would be entertained for the time I was in the shower. I left the door slightly ajar so that if Kimber needed me she could easily come in. I think it was around the time I had suds in my hair I heard this CLUNK..... CLUNK..... CLUNK.... I was terrified! What could it possibly be and it was coming closer and closer and CLOSER! CLUNK..... CLUNK..... CLUNK..... Then the door swung open and it was Kimber wearing one of my clunky sandals. It was so cute. She had her foot slipped into the shoe and was walking around.
(By the way in case you didn't catch it I wasn't really terrified I just said that for affect.)

Two very different little girls

Everyday Brett and I see the differences between Madilynn and Kimber. For instance Madi does not like to be tossed up in the air or spun around by her arms. Now Kimber on the other hand loves to do those things. Madi wasn't into climbing up things and getting into scary places but Kimber is. Madi has always used her right hand and Kimber is looking like she is going to be a lefty. At the same time they have a lot of similarities too. They both love shoes and dolls. They both love to wear jewelery. Getting into Mom's purse and taking everything out is also a favorite of both. We are so blessed to have them in our family. They keep life interesting and we learn new things about them everyday.

Thanks for reminding me!

I asked Madi to put her shoes away in her room and when she came to pick them up in the kitchen she said, "Thanks for reminding me Mom!" She is so considerate for a 3 1/2 year old. Brett and I always tell her how impressed we are with her. It's funny to hear her use the things that we have said to her back to us. She tells me all the time, "Mom I'm so impressed with you!" That's my little sweetie.

My baby ate it!

You know how in school the oldest excuse for no homework was that your dog ate it? Well, we don't have a dog so explain this.

If Kimber finds a piece of paper, or a piece of mail in this case, within her reach she usually puts it in her mouth. This actually happened a few months ago but I just found the photo in my computer file.

You Are My Sunshine...

Madi loves for me to sing to her when she is going to bed. She asks for the Sunshine song and Twinkle Twinkle song. If at all possible I need to get her on film singing You Are My Sunshine because what she thinks the lyrics are crack me up. This is what I hear her singing.
"You are my sunshine my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are GRAAAVY!"

Tumbling For Tots

For the past six weeks Madi has been taking a tumbling class at the YMCA. I think she had a lot of fun doing it especially since her good friend Payton was in the class too. After the classes Madi would talk about the parachute and she would twirl around and kick her leg up high in the air. They learned how to do somersaults (even though Madi already could) and walk on a balance beam. Madi has hardly been shy a day in her life but for some reason she started this little act when I went to drop her off at the class. She would turn to me and say, "I want to stay with you Mom." or today was, "Where's Pay Pay (Payton)? I kind of think that she started doing this because she saw some of the other kids crying when they were being dropped off. Last week Madi's friend Claire was crying and didn't want to go into the class so Madi gave her the sticker that she got in the ER and Claire then was brave enough to go into the class. Then today when Claire got there she didn't cry at all she just went right into the class it was great but then there was Madi being silly. Soon enough though Payton arrived and Madi felt a little better. Today was the last class and before they all escaped I took a quick picture of the kids with the teachers. I don't know who all of the other kids are but Payton is the fourth from the left (in pink) then Claire and Madi. Before we left to go home Madi gave her teacher a hug and her teacher said to Madi, "Did you tell your Mom what we did with the shoes?" Then Madi jumped up and down and said, "We put them in the parachute!" Then they both giggled. It was cute! I guess they put all the shoes in the middle of this parachute and all the kids held an edge and then popped the shoes up and down. I'm guessing that it was great fun! I'm just glad that Madi had fun and she and I even made some new friends. It will be interesting to see if Madi wants to take tumbling again when there is another class in September. It was just fun to see Madi making new friends and having fun.

Madilynn quotes

The other day Madi was sitting at the counter eating a sandwich and I was standing on the other side gobbling up my food and root beer as quick as I could before Kimber woke up. I accidentally let a little root beer burp slip. Madi giggled and I made a frowny face then she says, "It's ok. I burp sometimes too." She didn't want me to feel bad for making a mistake. She is such a sweetie!
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One day after Madi's tumbling class we went to Subway and picked up some sandwiches. Before Brett gave Madi her "Roast Beast" sandwich he took a bite to what Madi said, "YOU'RE WELCOME!" With so much attitude I can't do it justice in writing. Sometimes they say stuff that just knocks you right off your feet and that did. She is so funny!

Ouch x's 2

Our regular daily schedule is to have lunch around noon and then off to bed for a nap right around 1:PM. Today that is what we did. I put Madi down for bed but Kimber wasn't quite ready to go for a nap yet so she was playing in the living room. While Kimber was playing I thought I would take the full recycle bin out and empty it in the garage. When I got back to the kitchen door Kimber was standing right in the way so I couldn't get in and she was close to the top of the stairs. I picked her up by her left arm and right away she started crying. At first I thought she was just mad that I moved her out of the way but when my attempts to get her to calm down weren't working I knew that there was a little more to it. I went and woke Brett up to tell him that Kimber's arm was hurt and I thought I should take her to the doctor. I wanted to brush my teeth before I left so I had Brett hold Kimber while I went into the bathroom. Just after I put the tooth brush in my mouth I heard Madi scream and cry out really loud so I ran into her room. She was laying on the bed and I noticed that her pillow was missing it's pillow case. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "I hit my head!" When I looked closer I saw that she had a huge bump on her forehead that had a red line down the middle. It looked like it was about to split open. The pillow case that was missing was on the floor, I found out later what that had to do with Madi's accident. I picked Madi up and ran her to Brett then ran back to the bathroom to wash my mouth out. Brett was getting up and putting some clothes on so that he could help me. He at first just wanted to keep Madi home and put ice on her head which is all they ended up doing in the ER. The bump on her head had me so worried I told Brett that I just felt better about taking her in to have it looked at. Haven't I said before that I have learned my lesson about taking kids to the ER when it's not completely necessary. I guess I'll never learn but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Head bonks scare me since they can be serious without you even knowing it.
So back to Kimber, we all l0aded in the car which ended up being very painful for poor Kimber. I felt so bad that I had caused her to be in pain and I didn't know what to do to help her. When we arrived at the ER Madi wanted me to hold her while we were being checked in at the desk. She went about charming the ladies behind the counter she was completely herself so I wasn't too worried about how she was just the sight of the huge bump on her head made me nervous. They got us in the room pretty quickly. The nurse took the girls vitals and then left us with the remote so we could watch TV. Brett was sitting in a chair holding Kimber and I was sitting on the bed with Madi leaning on me so she could watch TV. Kimber just laid in Brett's arms very still. She usually sucks her left thumb but since it was hurt she had her fingers on her right hand in her mouth. She wasn't talking or smiling she just stared straight ahead. I got her to look at me and I almost had her laugh but she just really wasn't in the mood. When Dr. Holcomb came in the room she looked Madi over and asked us a few questions like has she thrown up or did she loose consciousness. She asked Madi what happened and Madi said, "Well, I had the sheet (pillow case) on my head and I couldn't see and I bonked my head on the bed." So that's why the pillow didn't have the case and the case was on the floor. Then Dr. Holcomb went over to Kimber and immediately knew what was wrong. She tried to put me a ease by saying it happens all the time and very easily. She said that it's called Nursemaid's Elbow or Radial Head Dislocation. She then put her thumb in the bend of Kimber's arm and closed Kimber's arm up towards her shoulder. I thought that she was still accessing the injury but she was putting Kimber's arm back into place. Kimber screamed and cried for a minute then the Dr wanted Kimber to use the arm. I kept digging into my purse for things that I knew Kimber would go for. First I handed her my phone which Kimber took with her right hand. Then I handed her my keys. The Dr had to step out of the room for a minute so while she was gone Brett and I kept working with Kimber to get her to use her arm and she finally did. It was so amazing! Instantly Kimber was back to her old cheerful self it was like night and day. She started waving her hands and laughing it was so cool. The nurse that had helped us before came in and told me that the dislocation like that happens a lot. I mentioned to her about how Kimber was now just acting like normal and she agreed that before Kimber was way subdued.
When the doctor came back in the room she told us to just keep an eye on Madi and that if she throws up once that's ok but if she does it twice to bring her back immediately. She said with Kimber that we should just follow up as needed but she should be completely fine. Madi's tumbling class was in a couple of hours so I asked the doctor if we should just skip it and she said that Madi should be fine. So Madi went to tumbling class with a huge bump on her head but she was just fine.
After we left the ER we took Brett home so that he could go back to sleep since he had to wake up and go to work in a couple of hours. I'm just so glad that he went with me. I would have been a complete wreck if he hadn't been there to help me.
I always try not to lift Kimber by just her arm but after this happened I noticed how many times I end up holding her by one arm. If we are walking together and she falls I end up holding her by one arm. I am so paranoid about pulling her arm out of socket again. I'm just glad that her arm was fixed so easily. The doctor said that it doesn't even show up on an X-ray.
Having to take one child to the ER is scary enough but having both of my kids get hurt within minutes of each other was something else all together. I just feel so blessed that Kimber's arm or Madi's head bump weren't more serious. I was sitting there in the ER thinking that we were going to take Kimber home with a cast on her arm or that I had broken the growth plate in her arm like had happened to a friend of mine when she was young. I was also sitting there thinking, "What is going to be the third thing that happens?" It seems like bad things always happen in threes. I guess the third thing would be my glasses falling apart that night and I had to drive home in my sunglasses when it was getting dark. Whew!! I really don't want something else to happen to us.
When I took this photo the swelling on Madi's bonk had gone down a lot. I think that it even looks worse now (a few days later). Poor little one.

My Favorite Recipes

I've been thinking for awhile that I should make a blog of all of my favorite recipes. Mostly so I can have them all in the same place and get them ready to be in a book. Well, today I finally did it. I thought that it would be fun to share my favorites and if anyone else would like to share a recipe it could kind of become a recipe trading blog or something. I am definitely not the best cook but when I find a yummy recipe that we all like I hold onto it. So I figure if I find something that works maybe someone else would like it too or not. Anyway, if you wanna check it out let me know if you like what you see and if you make one let me know how it turned out. The blog address is http://nummyyummyfood.blogspot.com/

She's a walker!

Kimber has been tempting to walk for probably a little over a month or maybe even more. Well, let me get a little more technical about it. She has been holding onto furniture for a really long time. She started walking behind her little walker stroller just after her birthday (March 24th). She started taking steps on her own around Brett's birthday (June 24th) and she finally started walking all by herself June 29th right after her doctors appointment which is funny. At the doctors appointment he was a little concerned that she wasn't walking yet. Well, I guess she heard that and jumped right into action. Here are some pictures of her progress. She sure loves to walk.

The Snakey Woods

A couple of weeks ago we (Brett, Madi, Kimber and I) were all sitting on the front porch when we heard something moving in the bushes next to us. Brett looked a little closer and saw a snake! Ahhh!! The girls are always playing right by there! Brett took the snake out so we wouldn't worry about it. A few days ago Madi and I were outside and I heard her call the bushes the Snakey Woods. If you have ever seen this show you probably know what she is talking about.

She is so smart it totally is the Snakey Woods!

McGaha visit

My little sister Beth and her family stopped to see us this last week. The McGaha's RJ, Beth, Kyle (8) and Bryen (4) oh and the puppy Jax (7 months). They just sold there house in Missouri and are on there way to Montana then Utah then California which is where they will live. My brother in law RJ is in the Navy so they have moved around just a little bit the last few years. I think they lived in Missouri for two or three years but before that they lived in Iceland. My nephew Bryen was even born there. What a cool story that will be when he gets older. Then before Iceland they were in California so now they get to go back.

It was so fun to see them the last time I saw them was at my niece Tiffany's wedding which was June of 2007 so it's been a little while. They had their dog Jax with them who is a very well behaved yellow lab. The first night they were here Beth and I took Jax for a walk after we got the kids in bed of course. It was so nice to go on a walk just Beth and I, we left RJ home with the kids. I can't remember the last time that Beth and I just hung out like that. I'm sure most of the time when we were little I was usually torturing her I'm sure she's forgiven me for that... Right! She always talks about the time when I got the canning handle's (I'm not sure what they are really called) out and I rolled them up her nose. Ewww!! I was such a meanie! It was nice to just walk and talk with Beth. I don't know that we really even talked about anything important just being silly.

After dinner the first night we went to get ice cream at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor. It's really fun and set up like and old time ice cream parlor. Madi and Bryen shared the Super Hero sundae, Kyle got a hot fudge sundae. The Super Hero sundae had pop rocks on top and they even gave the kids what was left in the package. They had a lot of fun with that. We even let Kimber try some pop rocks. She didn't really give us any reaction like we thought she would but I think she liked them. If you can't tell in these photo's the Super Hero ice cream is bright blue.

(Please excuse the quality of these camera phone photo's)

The next day we took the kids and Jax to the Ice Cream park that is just down the street from us. The boys thought it was very cool. They played for a while and then it was time for lunch. After lunch Brett was up from bed, he had to work while they were here so we had a few hours with him in the afternoon and then it was time for him to work again. Of course we had to pull out Guitar Hero and let Beth try it out. I think RJ had played it before but didn't know if he liked it. I think he got pretty good at it while we were playing. Kyle played the drums and he did really good. The drums are probably the hardest part so we were all impressed. Beth sang and Bryen helped. It was great fun. I think we must have played too hard because poor RJ got a migraine and had to go to bed. We all just hung out and watched Bolt with the kids then Brett had to go to work.

That night after we had eaten dinner we went outside to play. The fireflies come out around 9:00PM so we were having fun watching them and catching them. Kyle at first was just catching them in his had then I got him a jar and I think he ended up having twenty something in there.

Beth just kept telling me that Le Mars is like Leave it to Beaver or Pleasantville. It really is a nice little town. It's really quiet and people are really nice here. Beth even said that if they could pick anywhere to live they would probably live here. What a sweetie!

The McGaha's were all packed up (in their two vehicles) and ready to go by 7:00AM the next morning. They wanted to get to RJ's parent's house in Montana that night so they could spend July 4th with them. It was a lot of fun to have them come stay with us. I'm so glad to get time to spend with my nephews to get to know them better since we've lived so far apart for so long.