HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MADY!

Mady,
Well, first off, I'm sorry this year your birthday was not a big ordeal. Unfortunately for you, your birthday fell right in the middle of the chaos that was our November. Your Aunt Ashley got married, and between showers, luncheons, favors (ugh!), etc, we just were not able to squeeze in a party. We had a little dinner here with family, and you seemed to enjoy that, so hopefully it was OK.

It's hard to even begin to put into writing what all has taken place in the last year of your life. You have changed and grown up so much this year and I just can't believe you are TWO!! Where did this year go?? It seems just yesterday I was writing about you turning a year old. When I look back at your baby pictures, I can barely remember them and that makes me so sad, because that means you are growing up TOO fast!! I just want to stop time and keep you this age forever.

Here are some fun facts about you right now:
~You LOVE to eat (girl after my own heart). You can eat WAY more than J.D., but you are still so skinny (lucky you!)
~We joke that you are going to be a nudist because on a daily basis you take all your clothes off and pitch a fit if we try to put them back on.
~You love to copy everything J.D. does.
~You also know exactly how to push J.D.'s buttons and do so quite regularly :)
~You are extremely independent - you want to do everything for yourself.
~You can pretty much dress yourself now. If after about 20min of you trying to do it by yourself, only then will you come ask for "hep".
~You have been slow to talk. You have the usual suspects - mom, daddy, J.D. - and are just now starting to take off.
~You are physically advanced. By that I mean you were able to scale our rock wall the first time with no help, you can climb up on anything, you've been jumping for a very long time, learned a somersault after just a few tries. I can't wait to get you into gymnastics - I think you would do great!!
~You are all-or-nothing...either throwing a tantrum, or laughing; no in between.
~You are a wonderful sleeper. (12hrs @ night and a 3hr nap).
~You are just SO crazy (that's the only word I could come up with)
~You have the best "belly laugh" and it gets us all laughing.
~I'm not sure why, but Jimmy & I have several nicknames for you...not sure where some of them came from, but you answer to any of them. Here they go in no random order :
*Mady-cakes
*Mady-girl
*Moones
*Moonie
*Mooner
*Mal-Moones
*Poones
*Pal-Poones
*Pooner
*Poonie
*Mads (what J.D. usually calls her)
Like I said...totally random and silly, but we really do call her ALL of these. I think we have a problem :)

And lastly, it would not be an accurate documentation of her year if I didn't discuss how "STRONG-WILLED" she is. I hope that one day this will definitely work in her favor, but right now it's taking everything in me to keep me SANE!! To say you are "strong-willed" is an understatement. Whether its putting your clothes on, getting in the car seat, sitting in a high chair/grocery cart, etc etc...if you don't wanna, you aint gonna!! I'm not going to lie, this year has been extremely difficult trying to figure out how to best parent/train/handle (ha) you. There have been days when I feel like I'm not cut out for this and that I'm failing as a mom. But deep down I know that all I can do is keep seeking the Lord for guidance and not give up because you are WORTH IT!!!

Mady, you have tested me. You have pushed every button. You have made me think I'm going crazy. But I wouldn't change a THING about you. You challenge me. You make me WORK. You make me dig deep down inside myself. You make me get on my knees and seek God. You have made me laugh so hard I've cried. Your smile is so big it lights up your face. Your giggle is infectious. I love how independent you are.
You are YOU and you are so unique and I'm so thankful that God thought I was strong enough to be your mom. I promise you now and forever that I will do everything in my power to love you, protect you, and point you to Christ. You are such an amazing girl. I love you so much more than words can say.
I love you, Ladybug. Happy Birthday!!

MADY'S FIRST HAIRCUT

As much as it pained me, I just could NOT put off cutting Mady's hair any longer. It was totally out of control and people were making fun of her (not just us. ha) She has extremely fine hair and it somehow gets all matted up in the back. She really did look like a crazy person. So when I went to get my hair done, I asked Jennifer if there was anything she could do with it. Mady was SO patient and sat in a chair all by herself (with a sucker in hand) while Jennifer proceeded to cut off ALL her hair!! Yikes!! I must admit that when she first did it, I hated it and was so sad. But then after I got home and played with it a little, I am totally in love...this hairdo just suites her. She's a sassy little girl with a sassy little hair cut!!

Before: (can we say CRAZY!!!)
















After: (adorable)
















Before: ("wild child")
















After: ("cutie pie")
















She looks adorable...however, I do miss the piggy tails (sniff,sniff), but this it totally cute and fits her personality :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

So we did our "4th Annual Halloween Extravaganza". Ha, not really. We just had some friends and family over for dinner and then trick-or-treating. As usual, a great time was had by all.

J.D. was a "construction worker"...NOT Bob the Builder, just a plain ole construction worker (he was very specific about that). He looked great!!
























Mady was a "Candy Corn". I actually MADE her costume ALL BY MYSELF!!! I got a sewing machine for my birthday and this was the first thing I've ever made. If you looked closely, you could see some mistakes, but I was pretty proud that I figured it out by myself. And after ALL my hard work, this was the BEST picture I got of her.....CLASSIC.























All the kiddos ready to go get some sugar: (minus my own kids)
















Not sure if William was trying to hold Mady's hand, or snag that treat from her hand...either way she wasn't having it ;)

















GREAT MEMORIES!!

Pumpkin Patch & Pumpkin Carving

Last weekend we made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch. The kids had a great time "picking out" their pumpkins. Funny story - we told J.D. that they could pick out a few little pumpkins, but that we were going to buy the real big ones at Sam's later (because we figured they were cheaper there). So as we are purchasing our "little" pumpkins, the guy at the patch asks us if that's all we're going to get and J.D. says, "Mom, can we please go to Sam's NOW to buy our big pumpkins??!!" Oops!! Jimmy & I pretended we didn't hear him and just turned around and walked away laughing! Ha!















































































After we got our pumpkins, we got set on the carving! J.D. was hilarious because yet again, he did NOT want to have anything to do with sticking his hand in that pumpkin to get out the seeds. But they both did a great job scooping them out with a spoon and then Daddy & I carved them. They came out pretty good this year, if I do say so myself. Fun times and a great family tradition.

GO CHEETAS!!

My sweet boy had his FIRST EVER soccer game today...sniff, sniff. I'm not joking, I literally was tearing up as he ran out onto the field in his adorable little outfit. He was so darn cute!!

He did such a great job and we were so proud of him. We had been prepping him all week and he was so excited that morning to put on his uniform and cleats. We got all dressed and headed out to the field. It was a beautiful day and he couldn't wait! Jimmy was coaching because the regular coach was gone, and as he headed off he said, "bye mom, I'm gonna kick so good!" Love him. Anyway, he did so great in the warm up - he kicked the ball in the goal, was excited to see his friends - it was looking promising...until the game started and he was the first to have to sit out. In hindsight, that was a big mistake, but certainly Jimmy didn't mean for it to be. Well, he did fine standing there for awhile, but when the minutes kept passing, he begin to lose hope. I'm still not sure if he thought he wasn't going to get to play, or if he didn't like standing there all by himself (which I don't blame him for), but he started crying and no matter what we said, we couldn't get him to stop. We all took a turn trying to console him - Daddy, me, Memaw - but he just wasn't having it. My heart just broke for him because he WAS so excited (which we were SO shocked about) and then to have his excitement dashed by being made to sit out...I'm crying right now just thinking about it! :) Finally he did make it in the game for a few plays and he did GREAT! He kicked the ball a few times, but finally decided to call it quits and sit with Memaw. I must admit that a part of me was starting to get frustrated, but I quickly remembered that I had NO expectations and I also realized how he must've been feeling, so I was SO proud of him for what he did do - because that was a HUGE step for him and I know that just going out there at all was a push out of his comfort zone. He is so much like I was as a kid - which is challenging because I identify with him and want to just tell him he doesn't have to do it, but at the same time I know he needs to be pushed out of his shell a little bit.

Anyway, it was a great day and a mental image that will be ingrained in my mind forever. I'm sure this is the first of MANY days out at a ball field.

Love you, J.D. and I'm so proud of you!!
























This was him standing on the sideline patiently waiting his turn before the meltdown:

First Trip to the ER!!

Well, I made it a WHOLE 30yrs without going to the ER. My streak is over...thanks to my precious little bundle of craziness...MADY!!!!

It was just a casual night at home hanging out on the couch and watching a cartoon before bedtime. I was holding Mady on my lap, when all of a sudden she flung her hand back toward my face (for no apparent reason) and poked me in the eye. I knew immediately that this hurt more than the usual "poke-in-the-eye", but I just kept rubbing it (now know that's NOT what you are supposed to do) and hoping that it would feel better. I layed in bed for a few hours, tried ice, and this throbbing pain just would not go away...and I couldn't open my eye ;(

So, I took some Tylenol, and just kept trying to go to sleep, thinking it would all be better in the morning. Well, sleep was NOT coming. This stupid eye was hurting SO bad I couldn't think straight. Throughout the night I would doze off for maybe 30 min, then wake up to what felt like a knife being jabbed straight in my eye. After an awful night and maybe only an hour of sleep, I was finally over it around 5am and told Jimmy we had to go the ER. He awoke poor Barbara to come watch the kids, and off we went.

This was one of the most humiliating things I've ever done. So I have to be led by Jimmy into the ER (I now can't open the other eye as well because it hurts the other one too bad) and proceed to tell them that I'm in the ER because my daughter poked me in the eye! ha! I'm sure they chuckled about that one. Then, they actually make me SIGN papers!! Are you kidding me?? "Lady, I can't see a stinking thing!" She laughed and told me to just sign wherever. ?? Not to mention, I have NO idea what I'm wearing or how my hair looks and I didn't wash my face the night before (due to the incident) so I probably look like a circus performer with mascara all over my face. Ugh!! Such a blow to my pride.

Anyway, long story short, I had a corneal abrasion, but pretty deep and with a piece of my eye actually lifting up...which was causing all the pain. I had to see an eye specialist and he put me on some antibiotic drops and some pain drops. Hallelujah!! However, STILL couldn't open my eye!! It was actually the next day before I could open either one...36+ hrs with NO vision. I have a new appreciation for blind people. Four days later and a doctor's appt every day, and I'm finally feeling back to normal.

Mady - not that I will forget this, but had to write this down to make sure you never live it down. You are such a crazy girl and it only makes sense that it would be YOU that would send me to the ER. Love you in spite of you gouging my eye out - literally! :)

First Rays Game

This past Saturday, we finally did something we have been wanting to do all season long...we took the kids to a Tampa Bay Rays game. The season is almost over, and Jimmy was just sick that we hadn't gone yet. So we made a spur-of-the-moment decision and decided to give it a try. We were really nervous about taking Mady, but we packed lots of snacks, and went with really LOW expectations for how she would do. Ha! And guess what, we were pleasantly surprised!! She was actually really good - she would watch a little, eat a little, then eat some more. J.D. on the other hand did enjoy it, but I think was more concerned about the hot dogs and cokes! He was really excited to see the stadium and walk around in it, but it was a little difficult for him to follow the game. For that matter, its hard for ME to follow the game! Ha!
Anyway, all in all it was a great night and we were so glad we did it. The kids seem to enjoy it and it was a great family night.

Anna Maria Island

As I said in the previous post, we spent a week with my family at Anna Maria Island. We've done it for a couple of years now, and I truly enjoy it and look forward to it all year long. Even though all our family lives close by, there's nothing that can bond you like living together for 7 WHOLE days!! Ha! Anyway, we had such a great time and made lots of amazing memories. I'm SO glad that my kids get to make memories with their grandparents and ALL their cousins - I think it is so special and I hope they remember it all their life and stay close to each other.
Here are some more beach pics:

J.D. shooting "Nina" with the water guns that SHE bought them:

















The guys playing their new favorite game:

















All the kiddos trying to catch a fish:
















And J.D. finally caught one - with a little help from Daddy:

















Attempting to cover Kassidy with sand - that didn't last too long:

















What do you do when it's raining outside?? Why, fill the bath tub up with water and play with your motorized speed boats, of course! (I didn't get a picture of it, but the highlight was when Colton reached to get his boat just a little too far and went head first into the tub - we all about died laughing - and THEN we helped him out! )


















On a completely different side note, Debbie and I are in full throttle planning Ashley's bridal shower, which is a red, white and black polka dot theme. When I lay down to sleep I see polka dots. So I just had to make my blog background coordinate with my life. Ha!

BEACH TRIPS

Over the last few years our family has turned into "nomads" during the summer. I think because we rarely take trips or go anywhere during the year due to school, once the summer hits, we just pack up and GO!! This year we spent one week in Marco Island with the Ammirati family, one week in Anna Maria island with the Gordon family, a few days in Orlando with friends, went back to Orlando for a few more days just us, then lastly to Miami to visit family. Whew!! I'm exhausted just writing that all down. I think I spent a solid week catching up on laundry when we got back. We had a blast on ALL the trips and now I'm glad to be getting back into some sort of routine.

Here are some beach pics:

JUST A FEW FUN SUMMER PICS

CATCHING UP

Well as I said in the previous post, I've been having trouble getting on here to journal. So now it'll probably take me months to get all caught up, but I'm determined not to miss a thing, so here we go!!

I last posted on J.D.'s birthday and wanted to jot down about his party. He has had pretty big parties for the last couple of years, so we decided that this year would be low key.

*On a side note - I'm kind of torn with the whole "birthday party thing". My logic brain tells me that they don't need a big over-the-top party every year (since they probably won't remember it anyway). But then there's the side of me that says its only once a year and I want EVERY birthday to be special. I think that was something that my mom was really great at growing up - she didn't just pay attention to the "special ones" (1,5,10, etc) - she made every year feel like it was the most important and went "ALL OUT"!! She was great at making wonderful memories for us and I hope I can do that with my kids as well.

I'll let you know if I can find a happy balance! Ha!

Anyhoo...so since it was "low key", I decided to take his "best buds" up to the playground at church and then go get pizza. He insisted on having a "Gordon the Express Engine Birthday Party", which of course doesn't exist, so we found some Thomas paraphernalia and pretended it was Gordon (for those of you without boys, they look almost the exact same). So, it was a great, but HOT day and I think he really enjoyed himself. He's already asking about when's his next party???





















































We also did a family party at Debbie's to celebrate J.D. & Joscelyn's birthdays together.
Lots of good memories, prayerfully there will be many more.