Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
• 1 cup chopped red and/or green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup sweet onion slivers
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (or more to taste)

Directions

1. Blend pineapple, bell pepper, onion, lemon juice, cilantro and jalapeno pepper in medium bowl.
2. Refrigerate, covered for 4 to 24 hours, if desired, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve with grilled chicken or seafood or as an appetizer with chips.

I just threw the items together. I didn't measure anything. I did tweak a few items. I used canned crushed pineapple rather than fresh and two jalapenos instead of one and put more cilantro in it. 

If you try this recipe, let me know if you tweaked it and how you liked it. 

It's going to be a busy week!

This past Friday I had the privilege to out to dinner and a movie with some fabulous ladies. We started off at Ruby Tuesdays. I did not know any of these ladies going into the dinner. This is something very out of my norm for me. I was nervous going into this because I am such a shy person until you get to know me. I met seven ladies and are fabulous. It was so easy to talk to them and we all had so much in common since we are all mothers of youngin's and all have at least some sort of military experience if not married to a military man. After dinner, we went to the movie theater and saw "The Help". If you have not seen that movie, I highly recommend you go see it. It was such a good movie. Some of the ladies told me that the movie did the book justice. I want to get the book just so I can compare now. I had so much fun. They were all very kind and invited me to join another play group and events that they attend.

Saturday was another long day. We got up pretty early and immediately got ready. If you know us, you know that we don't get ready right away on weekends unless we have to. I needed to head back to Walgreens to get the items that they were out of earlier in the week and then to CVS and Walmart. Jeff wanted to go to the gun show with a few other marines. I met up with them for lunch and then finally home to get Maddie a nap before we had to go to a friends BBQ. Jeff and I made some Pineapple salsa which every one enjoyed. We kept getting compliments. We had a lot of fun at the BBQ, but didn't get to stay long. Maddie was really worn out from the day and only getting an hour nap in when she is used to a three hour nap. Got her home, a bath, and finally in bed about an hour and a half then she should have been.

Today, we got up and went to church. It was a good service. Maddie had a lot of fun. One of the ladies in charge told us that she is very talkative now and more open than she was last time. After church, we went to Harbor Freight really quick and then to lunch. Old Navy was our next-and last- stop for the day. We got Maddie a few outfits for Christmas.


Finally, we are home. What a long, but fun weekend. This weekend is going to be just as busy. Play dates, birthday parties, speech therapy, and more play dates. This entire week has something to do each day. Maddie will have a lot of fun because it is all for her. She will have plenty of time to play with other kids her age.

I'll post the pineapple salsa in a minute. Hope every one is having a good weekend.

Until next time, have fun but be safe!

Ipad Case :)

Our Military Home is having an Ipad cover giveaway that is super cute! You should check it out and enter yourself! If you don't have one, it could be a great gift to someone who has one. : )

http://www.ourmilitaryhome.com/?p=1547

Just what I needed

I have been feeling a little off lately and I didn't know what to do about it. I had all of these plans and they are a little harder to achieve than I previously thought. I thought maybe I made a mistake choosing that path and got pretty down with the start of my new career as an independent consultant for Thirty-one. I was starting to doubt myself. There are some other things in life that wasn't going according to plan, but, hey, that's life right? I decided that I wanted to attempt church again. I always knew that once I had children that I wanted church to be a part of our lives. We went to church in Texas and I really loved the place. I felt so comfortable there and looked forward to going. We tried church here, but it just wasn't the same. Last night, I looked up that church and decided to give it another chance. I found that the church had another location with a younger Pastor and thought I would give it a try. It was a 30 minute drive, but if I liked it then I didn't care. Maddie and I went and tried it out. Jeff had other plans already set in place, so he didn't go this time. I am so glad that we went. It was exactly what I needed. I had a new outlook on things and I walked out with a ton of weight lifted off my shoulders. I was so relieved that after listening to the Pastor talk that I knew that this was the church for me. It felt as if they were talking right to me. I look forward to next Sunday.

Maddie has been sick lately. She is getting her two year molars and this round has been a doozy.. She has had diarrhea for a week, moody, tired, not really eating, extremely sensitive and so much more. I felt bad for her. I tried to help her as much as I could. She was so cuddly. She has been feeling good the past two days for the most part. Her appetite has been coming back and she is not as temperamental. We have her cardiology appt tomorrow. I am not looking forward to seeing her doctor again. He's not the nicest guy on Earth.

Jeff's class is about to graduate, so his work schedule might be a little less stressful and strenuous. He is currently taking two online classes, so he is always busy with that. He actually got to go to the shooting range today with a guy from work. He hasn't been able to do that in a while.  I think he had a good time out there. I wish there were more people out here that enjoyed doing the things he likes to do.

We took Maddie to the pool Saturday. She had so much fun. The pool that we went to has a kiddie side where it is just over a foot. She could walk up and down all by her self. She was just big enough that she could pick up a toy at the bottom and not be all of the way under water. Jeff occasionally took her to the deep end and would throw her up and down. She had so much fun doing that. Overall, it was a pretty good day.

Until next time, have fun and be safe.

Oreo cupcakes- "Death by Oreos"

These things hold true to their name. Oreo cupcakes are delicious. Imagine an oreo on the bottom, chocolate cupcakes with oreo pieces mixed in and a cream cheese frosting with oreo crumbs included. Some of you may think that is too much and some of you may think that sounds delicious! I made these for another BBQ that we went to and they went very vast. Some of my friends went for seconds. They are really easy to make and such a hit. They are not overly sweet, unless you taste them when they are still warm!

Here's the Recipe:

Cook time:	15 Min		Difficulty:	EASY
Prep time:	20 Min		Serves:	24 cupcakes

Ingredients

- 1 pkg oreos, regular size - 1 pkg mini oreos, for decoration - 1 pkg chocolate cake mix/ mix according to directions on box - 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

- 8 Tbsp butter, room temperature - 3 3/4 c powdered sugar - 1 tsp vanilla extract - cupcake liners

Directions

1.   Preheat oven to 350. Mix packaged cake mix according to directions. (Do not bake.)
2.   Line cupcake tins with liner, place an regular size oreo cookie in the bottom of each one
3.   Take 1/2 of remaining cookies and chop coarsely and add to cake mix. Fill the cupcake tins. Bake for 15 min (or according to box directions). While cupcakes are baking make the frosting.
4.   Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla, then add powdered sugar slowly until blended well.
5.   Chop remaining regular-sized Oreos very fine. Add to frosting.
6.   After cupcakes are cool put frosting on and decorate with a few mini oreos on top

If you try this recipe, comment and let me know what you think and if you tweaked it a little bit. Enjoy!!

Oreo Ball Recipe

YUMMMY ! These are delicious! I got this recipe from my aunt and they were a big hit! I made them for a BBQ that my family and I attended and everyone there asked for the recipe! These are so good that if you don't pay attention to how many you have eaten you could have eaten half the batch. If you want something easy and delicious and sure to be a hit, this is it. Now, there are a few things that I would that would change to this recipe. The recipe says to let the dough chill for 15 minutes. I would definitely let it chill longer. It needs to be a little harder in order to be able to dip it in the melted chocolate and not break apart. Also, I don't use the white chocolate. I use milk chocolate. An idea that you could do to make it look a little prettier is to dip it in either the white or milk chocolate and drizzle the opposite chocolate over it.  If you try it, comment and let me know what you think and if you did anything different. I appreciate it. 

Cook time:			Difficulty:	EASY
Prep time:	1 Hr		Serves:	24-36

Ingredients

- 1-18oz. pkg oreo cookies (regular size, 3 rows of cookies) - 1-8oz. pkg cream cheese-block

- 4 oz white chocolate almond bark

Directions

1.   Add oreos to food processor and blend until fine.

2.   Add cream cheese to oreo crumbs and blend until dough-like.

3.   Chill mixture for 15 minutes then roll into bite-size balls. Chill balls for 15 minutes.

4.   Melt almond bark in microwave according to package directions. Dip chilled oreo balls in melted chocolate using fork so chocolate can "drip off". Set covered cookie balls onto waxed paper and let set aprox. 30 minutes. If using sprinkles or decorative sugars do so before chocolate sets. I usually do a dozen at a time sprinkling after each dozen

Enjoy

Amish White Bread Recipe

I am always trying new recipes and sometimes people ask me for the recipes, so I decided that I would start sharing the recipes on here. The first one I am posting is a bread recipe that I found yesterday and decided to try yesterday. As you can see from the post name, it's Amish White Bread. 

I have never made bread before and I don't have a bread machine, so I did this by hand and my handy dandy mixer that has a bread hook as an attachment. ( I was excited to see that my mixer had some attachments that I didn't think I would get to use, but did.) 

Jeff really likes homemade bread, so I thought  I would try my hand at it and see where it goes. I bought yeast packets a few months ago and finally had enough time to try something new. I have to say I think I might have found a new obsession. It was pretty fun making it and it is something that Maddie and I could do together. At least parts of it. 

I tried it once it cooled down and it was delicious. As soon as Jeff walked in the door, I told him that he couldn't have any. HEHE! I finally gave him a piece and he asked for more. I will definitely do more and maybe switch it up a bit! 

Here's the recipe. Enjoy! 

Amish White Bread! 

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 168 | Total Fat: 2.9g | Cholesterol: 0mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Maddie's Two Year and Family Pictures

This past weekend we went up to Mom's and had a high school friend do our new pictures. She does amazing work and I knew she would capture us perfectly! We set the time to do it in the evening, so that Maddie would be okay and we could hopefully get some good pictures. BOY!! It seemed as if every thing was going against us at the time. Maddie had been in the pool with at least one person throughout the entire day. We got her in, ate dinner, and got ready. We had planned on leaving 45 minutes early because it would have taken 30 minutes to get there. We didn't leave until 25 minutes before, still had to stop at a bank to get the money (my fault. I take full responsibility on not getting it earlier), and right before we actually left Maddie had diarrhea and it ran down since she was in regular panties. Needless to say, she needed a bath. She was getting cranky and I could see where this was going. We stopped at the bank and was out of order. So, we had to stop at an actual store and go buy some gum. Gosh! We get there. I feel horrible by this point for wasting her time. We finally start doing pictures and Maddie's patience runs out. She clings to Jeff the rest of the night. I was so worried that we didn't get any good ones, especially since Maddie wasn't smiling. My friend offered to do some more photos the next morning in town. I agreed very quickly! That night she posted some sneak peeks and I was so relieved that we actually got some pretty cute pictures. :) Whew!! I was so excited and worked up from seeing these amazing pictures that I couldn't sleep. Today, we woke up and got ready and it went a lot smoother than yesterday. Mimi and PopPop came this time and made it a lot better. She posted a few sneak peeks of today's session and all I have to say is that I can not wait a month to see these pictures and finally get to print some out!!! When I get a CD, I will post some on here for you all to see! If you can't wait that long, you can go check my Facebook. She tagged me in them.

This was a pretty good weekend. Maddie got to spend some quality time with Mimi and PopPop and got to swim in the pool with everyone. Probably the two things she loves to do the most! :) This week came too fast. We have a busy week, too! So, I am going to get off and go to bed. I am so tired! It's been a very busy few days.. Until next time, have fun and be safe!!!

Potty training, attitudes, and independence OH MY!!

This week has been very interesting so far. We have decided to try and start Maddie with potty training. I got an email about potty training with working moms. I read the tips and decided that even though I am not a working mom, I would still try the tips out and see if they work for me. Yesterday morning, we got her out of bed, got her out of her diaper, took her to the potty, and put regular panties on her. I was expecting several potty accidents and a few little break downs from her since she freaks out when that happens. I was pleasantly surprised. She did have one accident, but it was because she went to go, but her seat wasn't on the potty and she came back to get me. As soon as she got back to the bathroom, it was just a little too late. Other than that, she did amazing. I was so proud of her. She whined when I put a diaper on her for nap time and was very excited to get it back off. Today, we went to a playgroup date, so she had a diaper on for a few hours. She had no accidents today. We even made a step up in progress today. We used her little potty chair ( which she refuses to use) as a step stool so she can get on her toilet seat by herself.

That is where her independence comes in. She is so determined to do everything herself. As of today, she has to get her bottoms and underwear off, get up on the stool and get onto her seat all by her self. She will slap my hands and yell 'NO'. When did she decide to be so independent already?? Also, she doesn't want help to get her up in her chair for dinner. So sad...

When I say attitudes, I mean attitudes. Maddie and I were out yesterday running some errands and Maddie was asking for a snack. While I was at the commissary, I grabbed her some cheese nips. While I was driving home I asked her if I could have one as I held my hand back. She says to me in a stern voice with a little bit of attitude "Please?!". I laughed so hard. Where were my manners. "Maddie may I please have one?". I asked for another and once again I forgot to mention the please and I once again got the "please?!"  She is so much like me it's unreal.

This weekend we are driving up to mom and dad's house. We are getting our new family photos done and Maddie's two year pictures done, as well. I am very excited. The girl who is the photographer is a friend of mine from high school. Her pictures are amazing and I am beyond excited to see how well they come out. We will get a little pool time in and a bit of Mimi and PopPop time in. It will be really short trip, but well worth it I believe!

I think that is all of the information I have to share for now. Until next time, have fun and be safe!

Maddie's TWO!!!!

Can anyone tell me where the time has gone? Is my baby really two? I can't believe it! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was getting ready to have her and was feeling rushed with feelings and here I find myself almost in the exact same position two years later. Time does really fly by when you're having fun.

Yesterday, we had Maddie's birthday party (the 16th). We wanted my parents to be there to help celebrate, so we chose the day before so They could be here for that. It was a great turn out! Maddie is currently obsessed with Elmo ( or melmo if you ask her). So, it was an obvious choice on what theme we were doing this year. I had gotten little red tin buckets to put the food in, the basic colors for streamers and balloons and a few other colors as well, and a few Elmo balloons just for her! Mom and dad brought their three crock pot set and brought the supplies for a nacho bar! ( Huge success by the way). We had our friends come over and even though the rain decided to show up and ruin the bounce house, the kids still played with the slip and slide. We played Elmo bingo that I made for them and Elmo says. The kids loved getting to play that and I am pretty sure winning a toy didn't hurt either. I made a variety of cupcakes, so everyone got to pick which on they wanted. Maddie had a lot of fun getting to play with everyone and getting lots of new toys. She chowed down on some food and loved the icing I made for the cupcakes. My parents, Jeff, and I all got sesame shirts to help the celebration and Maddie even had an Elmo shirt on. Mom and I wore an Elmo shirt. Dad wore an Oscar the Grouch shirt and Jeff wore Cookie Monster (known as Cookie to Maddie). I have some pictures, but I will have to post them later. Everyone in the house is asleep and the camera cord is in the guest room. Overall, I think everyone had a great time and had a good choice of food to choose from. It definitely looked like a party when you walk into the house which is exactly what I wanted. I had so much fun preparing for this party and being able to create it all. 

It's sad to think that Maddie is already two and that soon she will be starting school and I won't be a cool mom soon!  Why can't they stay small??

Anyway, since I have been off of here for so long, I will give you all an update on what has been going on. We made a trip out to California to see Jeff's side of the family. We stayed for a week and had a lot of fun. Maddie was beyond spoiled there with all of the attention from her cousins, aunts, and uncles. She didn't know what to do at first. We, also, had the chance to go down to San Francisco for a Giant's baseball game. This was the first time I had been there (other than when I was a baby). So, I was rather excited. Maddie stayed with Jeff's family while we made it a day trip. We stopped by the Fisherman's wharf, took a boat tour of the bridge and Alcatraz, and caught a glimpse of a few seals. We walked to the game a little early and watched them practice. It was so much fun to get away and do something fun.

Maddie is doing so well in speech. She is saying so many more words and actually moving her lips and tongue without a problem now. Her therapist informed us that she may not have to go much longer because she is doing so great! It's a happy/sad situation. Maddie enjoys going, but it will sure be nice not to have to wake up so early and go.

Jeff went to Sgt's course for 7 weeks. He left the week before Easter and and returned the second week of June. We met half-way at my parents house and all spent Easter together. It was good for Maddie to see Jeff and all of us get to spend the holiday together. Maddie had a great time looking for eggs and her baskets(one from us and one from Mimi and PopPop). We took almost two weeks and went up and spent some time with my parents and then made a weekend trip up to see Jeff. Maddie was beyond excited to see him. I wasn't allowed to do anything. Jeff had to do it all. She enjoyed being able to get in the pool with Poppop in the evenings and getting into everything else during the day. We even made it to a farm and got to play with some bunnies, goats, and a donkey. I, also, got to go blueberry picking for the first time and picked a large amount of blueberries which didn't last that long with Maddie around.

I will post the pictures sometime soon. Until then, I should try and get some sleep. Until next time, have fun and be safe!

Grandparents weekend

My parents came into town this weekend. It was so much fun! They arrived Friday evening and stayed until Monday after lunch. Saturday, we went to Black water State Park. It was such a beautiful day and couldn't resist enjoying the warm weather. We packed up some sandwiches, fruits, veggies, and chips and headed on our way. The dogs rode along with us. The hike through the park wasn't too long or too sunny. The dogs were worn out and passed out as soon we as got in the cars. Maddie finally passed out like 20 minutes before we got home and slept for a while after we got home. That evening, we went ahead and celebrated my birthday early. We went to Outback. YUM! It has been so long since I have been there. It was a good dinner, beside Madison being cranky and not wanting to eat any food. Thankfully, the waitress we had was really nice and knew what it was like to have kids. She brought Maddie some cherries and oranges. Maddie took some of dad's cherry tomatoes, so we asked the waitress for some more. At least my daughter eats healthy. LOL  Later that night, we tried the cupcakes that we got from Oh Snap! Cupcakes. It was really good. They have a lot of choices and specialized cupcakes, as well.

Sunday, we all kind of did our own thing throughout the day. Dad took Maddie to the park and played for two hours of going down the slide. Mom and I went to Joanns to get fabric for the quilt that I want to make for  Maddie and Jeff did homework. After that, we had some Delicious dinner and played Smarty Pants.

Before my parents left on Monday, Jeff and I went to Lowe's to pick up the soil and such for our garden.  It was a lot easier to get everything that we needed without any distractions. While Maddie was sleeping, Jeff and I got out there and put it together. I can't wait to see if they actually turn out. As we were loading up the truck, a very nice man started a conversation with us and told us some great ways to rid of the bugs that were safe and non toxic. So, if anyone is wanting some good gardening tips... here are some. :)

1. To avoid bugs from eating your lettuce, place baking powder on it and on the soil. The bugs will eat the baking powder and explode. It should only take a few times and then you shouldn't see any more bugs trying to take your precious lettuce.

2. There is a small bug that literally suffocate any stemmed plants, such as tomato and pepper. They will wrap itself at the bottom of the stem while the plants are small and squeeze it until the plant is dead. This is the bug's defense against predators. He said to either put tooth picks around the plants while they are small or some foil. The gentleman said that once the plants are full grown that there is no need to take any precautions. 

3. If any one is growing a garden in Florida, then you know that there is a ridiculous amount of sand and not dirt. The area around here takes a lot of tilling, but can have a garden year round.

4. The last thing he mentioned to us is that rabbit maneuer is the best thing to place into the soil. Chicken maneuer is the second best.

I know I learned a lot from him. He was very helpful. He also told us a few things that are good to know for living in Pensacola. I was glad to know that there are still a few good people out there that want to help others.

Today, I don't know what got in to me, but I woke up in a GREAT mood. Maddie and I made some breakfast and then got ready and went for a 2 1/2 mile walk with her in the stroller. Then we walked over to the park and slid down the slide a few times. I think she was worn out by this point because she was done after four times of sliding down the slide. I ended up having to carry her home. I laid her down and accomplished quite a few things around the house. I made her lunch and then we went on another walk, but this time with a friend and her little boy.  Maddie and I did a few more things around the house and she went down for another nap. I guess I kept wearing her out. Overall, today was a pretty good day.  A VERY productive day at that.

Maddie is starting to go potty on the big girl potty. For three days straight, she has gone on the big girl potty in the mornings and sometimes once in the afternoon. Hopefully this continues and goes smoothly. We all made a pretty big deal about it and it seems to be like 'Great mom, I went. Can I go play now?' to her. She doesn't seem to be too excited about it.

This weekend was a lot of fun. It is always nice to spend time with family. Maddie was absolutely loving her time with Gamma and Papa.

I have some pictures that I'll post, but they aren't uploaded just yet. Once I get them uploaded, I'll edit the blog. Until next time, have fun and be safe.

What Day is it?

This week has gone by so quickly. I had meant to post a blog talking about this past weekend and then another post (like tonight) about the week. Well, that obviously didn't work out. LOL The weekend was so nice. It was a family weekend. Jeff did homework and I caught up on some things. We played some Wii, and played with Maddie. Sunday was the Superbowl. We had some friends over and it was a lot of fun. It was definitely had a lot of people over and we didn't even have the whole crew over. The kids had a blast. They utilized every single toy that they could find. By the end of the night, it was hard to see the floor. The night overall was a success. We had a ton of food left over, so I sent food with them. I love to have people over and plan for these things. It was so much fun. 

This week went rather quick. It's all kind of a blur really. I know we went and ran a few errands and on Wednesday I met up with a friend for lunch and a playdate with the dogs. She asked me to watch her dog while she's gone for the weekend. I told her that we needed to make sure the dogs get along first. That turned out to be a really good idea. When she first came over, Katy went right into guard dog. There was no way Katy was going to let the dog come through in any further than she already was. We sat down and tried to get the dogs (really just Katy) to calm down and see if the two dogs could get along. I was starting to worry that this wasn't going to work out as I had hoped. I put Katy outside, so I could figure something out. She didn't like that I did that to her at all!!! I finally had the idea to see if we could get the dogs outside and play with eachother. IT WORKED!! Katy went from guard dog to play dog! WHEWWW! The husbands came to the dogs playing great with eachother!  Jeff thinks it's because I put Katy outside and left the other one inside. I don't care how we got them to play and get along. Haha! So, this weekend we will have another dog to add to our family. :)

Katy's birthday was on Tuesday. She turned 3! I made her a little puppy cake. She liked it-as usual. The day before, we got the package of Dingo bones. It was perfect timing.

Wednesday, I had lunch with a friend that I previously mentioned.

Today, I sat around the house. I haven't slept much the past two days and was ridiculously tired. That meant that the errands I had hoped to run today didn't happen. That just means that tomorrow I DEFINITELY have to get out and go get blood work done.

Oh, I tried the embossing tools that I mentioned in a previous blog. Unfortunately for me, you have to have a special ink for it to work. I didn't realize that and just stocked up on cool colors. Oh well! I guess another trip to Joann's is in my near future. :) DARN!

Well, that is my update for now! Have a good weekend everyone! Until next time, have fun and be safe!

Cribs and Knees

Maddie has been a pro at getting stuck in her crib. How, you ask? Well, Maddie likes to fit her legs through the spaces and let her feet hang off. This would be fine with me if she didn't try to get her entire leg in the space and escape. I don't know what she is thinking really.

This morning, I found her with one leg stuck. It's not an usual scene anymore when I go and get her out of the crib. Unfortunately, Jeff is normally around when she really gets her leg stuck and wasn't present this time. I attempted to get her knee free, but she screamed and cried every time I tried. I tried several times, but no success. I didn't know what to do, so I called Jeff at work and asked if he could come rescue her. I was tempted to cutting a piece of the crib off it not. LOL Luckily, we live two minutes from work and he was able to come home and play Super Daddy. He got her free so quickly. I will admit that I was jealous and pretty lame for not being able to do it. Maddie didn't even wince when he did it. I guess I am not a pro like daddy.

One time, Maddie was laying down for a nap (which she didn't do... she played the entire time in her crib). We went to get her out of bed and I couldn't even believe what I saw. She was on her tummy with both of her legs hanging out of the crib. From her thighs down was sticking straight out. HOW!!! It looked as if she had a brilliant idea of getting out of her crib. LOL This girl.! I don't even know what to do with her. I am just hoping she doesn't do it anymore, or at least while Daddy's not home.

I am going to have to figure something out so that she doesn't do it anymore. Does anyone have any smart ideas that I can try? Ideas are appreciated.

Well, until next time, have fun and be safe.

Crafting = LOVE

I attempted to write this blog before and it wiped out on me! So, here it goes again.

Any one who knows me knows that I absolutely love crafts.! I will do any sort of craft. I like scrapbooking, sewing, making cards, random crafts for holidays and such, everything.. LOVE crafts!

I figured that I would start sharing the crafts that I made. Some of the crafts that I made are some burp clothes and a baby blanket for a friend's baby boy. They turned out really cute. I have a picture of a burp cloth on my phone that I will download later.

Lately, I have felt as if I have lost my creativeness lately and desperately wanted it back. I had to do something that was easy and could possibly bring the creativeness come back to me! I had some extra material, so I made a blanket for Maddie. Well, it's a little big for her right now, but she will eventually be able to use it. I love it! It's so pretty. I wish I had enough material to make for me. We really don't need any more blankets in this house though. We have enough for everyone on the block.

I have been trying to get more into card making. I think that it is more meaningful if you hand make someone a gift or a card. It is more valuable than spending money on a gift. I have seen cute ideas, but nothing that really caught my eye. I went to a few different blogs that had cards on their sites. They each had an etsy shop to go along. I thought I would look through and see what these cards are going for. I found a few cards that were cute and I could easily do. They wanted a lot of money for a card that I could very easily make and spend like an 1/4 of the price. Who knew! I should really get into this business ! I tell ya!


I wanted to make a shirt for the big sister of the little baby boy that was just born. I have never made one before and didn't think it could be that hard. MMM! I was kind of wrong. I learned a lot though. It didn't turn out as good as I was hoping for. Note to self: Pay attention and think about what I am actually doing.


The last thing I would like to share my newest tool which I plan to try out right after this blog is over. :) I am now a proud owner of an embossing tool and the powder! I am beyond excited about this thing. Embossed cards look so pretty and it has such an elegant, yet simple look to it. Wish me luck!!!

Well with that being said, I am going to get off and try it now.

Falling Waters State Park!!!

Today, we decided to have a family day and go do something outside since it has been such nice weather the past few days. We looked up a few different parks that we could go to that would be good to go to in the colder weather. We chose Falling Waters State Park. It was a two hour journey there, but it had really good reviews and the pictures we saw were really pretty. So we packed up all of our stuff and made sure that we had enough supplies to last a week( JK, but I do like to be prepared). We got in the car and arrived around lunch time. We stopped and got lunch really quick and made our way to the park which was so nice to see. It was a change of scenery for us and who doesn't like seeing trees everywhere they look. Katy was so impatient getting out. Maddie was ready to go, so we hurried along to get our adventure going.
We first took the trail to the sink holes. It was a wooden path the whole way, so we took the stroller. Little did I know, there are a lot of stairs once you get a certain distance. Jeff had to help lift up the front of the stroller. It was really pretty. The holes were pretty deep. It was shorter than we thought. Next, we decided that we would head over to see the waterfall. We caught a glimpse of the pathway and it was mostly stairs. We headed back to the car to exchange the stroller for the carry on backpack. Once we were ready to go again, we headed back on the trails. It didn't take long to get to the waterfall. It was beautiful to see. Unfortunately for me, I am terrified of heights and of falling. In order for me to get a close up view of the waterfall, I had to go down these stairs which I could see through. Jeff, Maddie, and Katy were already down there and I was debating if it was really worth my life to see this waterfall. I finally crept my way down there. You should have seen me. You all would have laughed at me. Only if Jeff had the camera instead of me. Anyway, I took one step at a time with both hands on the rail. I held on so tight. Jeff was actually making fun of me for how slow I was going, but I gladly explained to him that I can see through the stairs and that scares me (tremendously). He mentioned that I just look straight ahead and walk down. Doesn't he know I am terrified of missing a step and falling down the stairs only to die??? I finally made it down all of the stairs and got some great pictures. Once we were done, I quickly made my way up to the top of the stairs again.

We stopped to take a family photo.. or a few.. you know if you only take one and it doesn't turn out then you have no back ups. So, we took a few. Thank Goodness too because the first one didn't turn out so great ! We continued on our path to the lake. We figured this would be a good place to let Maddie get out of her back pack carrier and walk around. There weren't any wooden bridges to walk on. She had so much fun walking/running around. She was a little ball of energy that we couldn't catch. We decided it was time to go after a water break and playtime, so we started to walk back to the entrance. It was so cute to see Maddie trip over a ground branch and just get right back up to brush off the sand/dirt. It didn't even phase her one bit. She did need daddy's help on the way down a couple of times to get over some thick roots. Maddie wanted to walk Katy, so we let her (with daddy's help of course). She really enjoyed it.When we came back to the wooden bridges, we, unfortunately, had to place her back in the carrier. She did not like this one bit!!

We made it back to the car and put everything away. Overall, the day was amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better day to go and better people to go with. Time is never more important than it is with family. Everyone had such a good time. It was amazing to see how much Madison enjoys the outdoors just like daddy and how Katy enjoyed being part of our family trip. The girls were worn out after the trip. I will admit that I was worn out, too. Katy slept the entire way home and we didn't hear or see her once we got home until it was time to eat dinner. Maddie slept for an hour and a half before I woke her up to eat dinner.

I love having family days like this. All of us getting to do something we love and to be together. I look forward to many more of these trips together. I thank God everyday for blessing me with such an amazing family. I can honestly say that I have never been more happy.

Well, That is all I have to say about the State Park. I'll get on a little later just to post some pictures. Until then, have fun and be safe!

Attempting to be a better blogger!!

So, this is my attempt to be a better blogger. Two days in a row! We will see how far this goes. Last night, after I finished the blog and was attempting to sleep, I realized that I had more stories to share. But, as usual, I don't remember what they are now. Haha. So, while I try and remember what it was about, I will talk about this weeks happenings.

This week went by so quickly. It's already Thursday night and it still seems like it's early in the week. Monday had an ENT doctors appt. She passed all of her tests with flying colors, so now she is going to speech therapy. Jeff thinks that this could possibly be a big mistake. lol. To have a child who babbles all day long to soon having a child who actually talks all day long. LOL I think it'll be good. I will actually be able to understand what she is trying to tell me and not get upset with me because I am not helping her with whatever she wants. Tuesday - I don't remember what happened actually. Yesterday, Maddie and I ran some errands and then came home from Target and took a nap. Jeff got home and went to PT. Then he came home, ate dinner, and then ran to the commissary to get a few items. Maddie had her firt peanut butter and raspberry preserve sandwich yesterday. She finished all of the bread and it seems that as soon as we are low on bread or out is when everyone in the house wants bread for something. Going through the first three-quarters of the bread takes forever though. She loved the sandwich... I have a few pictures on my phone. I'll have to upload them one day. Today was a pretty relaxing day. It was a pretty nice day outside today, so I opened the back door to let some fresh air in. That, in turn, made Maddie want to go outside all that much more. So, we got her ready to go outside and try out her new tricycle that grandma and grandpa kallal got her. She loved it. It was a little too big for her. She couldn't reach the pedals when they were all of the way down. Daddy had to push her around. :) It was a fun time. Daddy had to leave shortly after for duty. That was so much fun to deal with. Maddie didn't want him to leave . She would hug him and hold on tight. She would not let go of him. She even gave me hugs and a kiss and went right back to him. I had to distract her so he could slip away without her seeing.

Tomorrow starts the beginning of the weekend. I don't know what's in store for us this weekend. I think because today was such a nice and Maddie had so much fun, we will try to go for a walk or a little trail hike somewhere. Maddie really enjoys being outside. She ran around outside and screamed the entire time. Of course that meant that Katy joined in and ran around. I know that Katy would love to get outside and use some of her energy. It has been hard to get out and go for walks since it has been cold.... Hopefully my friend has her baby, so we should get to see the new little baby sometime.

Well, I still don't remember what stories I wanted to tell you all so I am going to go. Until then (hopefully tomorrow), have fun and be safe.

WOW! It's been too long

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted on the blog. I guess I have a lot to catch up for those who are still reading this.

Um... let's see.. where should I start? I got my surgery in October and spent a couple of weeks up at my parent's house to recover, be with Maddie, and get a surprise visit from Phillip. Maddie dressed up as a bumble bee for Halloween this past year. I had a one month check post op check up. Things looked great. I did feel extremely tired and was pretty sure that I was anemic though. When I got back home, I had my doctor run a few tests and sure enough I had it. It was low enough that I needed a blood transplant. I was still feeling pretty week even though I had the transfusion and was taking iron pills daily. My doctor referred me to a specialist. I had an appt with him and found out that my body no longer processes Vitamin B or iron. So, I am on a high dose of both and going back in a month to see where stand and if I need, yet, another transfusion.

Anyway, on a happier note, Maddie is doing great and is growing way too fast!! She can get herself onto our couches now, can open doors on occasion and is in the works of being potty trained. She is so tall now and so smart. She picks up things so quickly. We have to watch what we do around her because she repeats everything we do right after. For example, our entire family has had sinus problems for a while now. Jeff went to spit before he got Maddie in the car to run some errands. I walk outside after gathering the rest of our things and Jeff turns to me and says, "I've done something very very bad." I asked him what he did and he informed me. I get in the car and Maddie is in the back seat trying to spit. I give him a dirty look. The entire ride to the store, we could hear her trying to spit. What happened tonight while she was playing? She actually spit. Thankfully, it was on the dish rag that is designated to clean her face and hands after she is done eating. Maddie is getting so big. She tries to clean whatever we are cleaning. She closes the dishwasher for me. Immediately after a diaper change, she wants to put her diaper in the diaper genie and either wash her hands or use hand sanitizer. As soon as I am done changing her, she wants to put her dirty clothes in the hamper RIGHT AWAY! I can't make her wait for a second( both are in the closet that she can't quite get open just yet). She always puts her shoes away when they are taken off. She knows where her jacket is and waits for me to get there when she is dressed and has her shoes on. Maddie, also, attempts to carry her diaper bag when we are heading out the door. LOL. She is one smart cookie. She isn't speaking very many words, so she has to see a speech therapist. She will go for the first time next week. She babbles all day long though. She even responds to questions... I just have no clue what she is trying to tell me.

Jeff has been busy at work. There is always something going on it seems. He is, also, taking college courses, too, so he is always busy. He did lose one of his responsibilities at work, so he comes home earlier and doesn't always get a ton of phone calls or texts from other marines that were under him. He did pick up one more responsibility at home though... being Maddie's personal horse. She absolutely loves it when he plays horsey... or buckin' bronco. LoL .. she laughs the entire time she is on his back. If he tries to quit or take a break, she pushes him down to the ground and gets back on. There is apparently no rest for the horse in this house. I have a ton of cute videos of them playing.

I have been really into trying to save money and coupon blogs. It is almost like an obsession for me. I check out several blogs a day just to see what the latest deal is. I think I need to go to an addicts meeting. Although, I am actually enjoying it and saving us quite a bit of money. There is no denying that. I have gotten into sewing, too. I made a few baby shower gifts and a few outfits for Maddie. I am currently working on a valentine craft that seems to be turning out pretty good. Hopefully, it continues that way. Maybe I'll post a picture of it when I am done. I should really post some new pics up here anyway. That's going to have to wait though because the laptop doesn't have any pictures on it. I am taking a sewing basics class and a quilting basics class next month that I am pretty excited about. I know some of the basics, but it would be nice to know how to sew buttons on and such. My friend made a quilt and that seemed pretty cool. So, I signed up for a class in hopes that I learn how to do it and actually continue do it. I love doing different crafts and learning how to do different things. It'll be exciting to actually get out and do something I am interested in.

Jeff and I celebrated our second year anniversary in the time of me being MIA . We had a friend watch Maddie while Jeff and I went out to dinner and a movie. We went to Tokyo for dinner and we were upset with how the food turned out. Everything had too much salt and soy sauce on it. The Fried rice had such small pieces of onions in it that I couldn't even eat it (which I was very bummed about because that is one of my favorite parts of going out for a good dinner). Then we went to see Little Faukers. We were warned that it wasn't as funny as it looked. I didn't even care to see it, but Jeff wanted to see it and thought it would be funny. We went and ended up disappointed. Don't get me wrong. It had funny parts, but it definitely wasn't worth paying so much money for. We could have waited until it came out on redbox and paid a dollar. Oh well! After we went out, we went to a friends house where Maddie was hung out with friends. It was really nice to get out with just Jeff for a night.

OH OH OH!! I completely forgot to write about Thanksgiving and Christmas. MMMM ! Thanksgiving was good. We brought food to the single marines and hung out at home. For Christmas stand down, we went up to Illinois for a few days. It was a lot of fun. Maddie got to see snow for the first time. She had no clue what it was. LOL Jeff threw a few snow balls at her and she just stood there and looked at me. Jeff actually got some snow in her jacket and on her face. So, he quit and helped her out. We got to see all of my family and had a few Christmas' there. Maddie made out like a bandit there. It was good for her. Maddie helped Aunt Shirley sprinkle some sugar cookies. Which ended up a funny story because Aunt Shirley ended up cooking them a little too long since we were opening presents. Haha! It was a good memory. Maddie had a lot of fun playing with her cousins and aunts and uncles. The time went by way too quickly. Mom and Dad came down here for the weekend. We cooked lots of food and played and then Mom and I went shopping. I actually ended up getting sick on Christmas and slept a lot that day. It wasn't fun. Jeff did most of the cooking. We, also, did the single marines meal again. Well... Jeff did. I was asleep.. Maddie, once again, made out like a bandit. She had so many presents. It was hilarious to see her open her gifts. If it was clothing, she would throw it out and go get another gift. I think that pretty much covers the Holidays.

Well, I am going to cut it off for now.. Thanks for reading... if anyone is still reading... Goodnight. :)

Diaper Rash

has been my enemy for almost a week now and is taking its toll on Miss Maddie. I feel so bad for my little girl. She has to endure so much pain because of this. This is the first time that she has actually ever had diaper rash. So, being 13 months, I guess that isn't that bad. I am not for sure what gave her diarrhea that caused the diaper rash, but I am almost to the conclusion it was the white grape juice that she was given right before her ordeal. I was really excited because Jeff thought that since she really liked grapes, she would probably like white grape juice and it would be a juice that she would willingly drink. We got her a bottle-after checking all brands and checking sugar levels- and poured her some juice mixed with water. She LOVED it. I couldn't get it out of her hands. GREAT! We, finally, found her a juice that she will drink... now only if she would do that with her whole milk... She drank her whole sippy, so I thought I would go ahead and give her another half/half mixture.... didn't think anything would happen. White grape juice is supposed to be good for you.. The next day, she had diarrhea... and the next... and the next and so on. I have no clue as to why she got it.. Too much sugar? just too much juice? everything overall? or not even the juice and I am just completely missing the whole reason why she is having to go through this. I put cream on, put more cream on, gave her lots of water and it only got worse. Have I mentioned how hard/scary/emotional being a first time mommy is when you have no idea what your doing for the firsts of everything. I called the nurses advice line and she mentioned warm soapy water after each dirty diaper, vaseline or the butt paste and not cream, and let her soak in a warm water bath. Ok, I can do that... she didn't like any part of that. Screamed the entire time, tears strolling down her face, and her squirming trying to get away. Ugh! It is so hard to see my baby girl crying and in so much pain. Oh how I wish I had the power to take it away and make her happy again. The desitin paste worked for her. She was a happy camper once it was on. Not even a scream or move out of her. She was even trying to talk to me after that. THANK GOD! I am hoping that even though it's looking worse and places are raw, that it is on its way to getting better. She is in a great mood the rest of the day.

I am finally getting her to drink some whole milk... I actually have to trick her into drinking it though. How sad is that. I give her half formula and half whole milk. HEHE... she actually likes it and drinks it. I guess over time it will be less formula and more whole milk.

On another note with her, Maddie got a princess castle playhouse with a little tunnel that comes out of it. She really enjoys it. She will go in, go through the tunnel, smile and giggle at me, and go back in. Yesterday, Katy was at the end of the tunnel to great her and Maddie was being nice and tried to give her kisses... Imagine Maddie sticking her tongue out and moving it up and down( like a dog) and leaning in towards Katy's nose... mm yes, that is what was going on. Of course I stopped her.. only after she got kissed by Katy ( with Maddie's tongue still out) WONDERFUL! Sisterly love? lol This went on for a while and each time Maddie came out of the tunnel I would have to, once again, tell Maddie 'no' and Katy 'no', as well. Those two are so amused with each other and have so much love with each other. Maddie will try and play with Katy every chance she can and will even throw food down to Katy as she eats her meal.

Maddie is walking great! I can not believe how well she has progressed in such short time. She walks around with no problems at all. She even bends down and picks up heavy objects and carries them to the couch, so they are at her level when she is standing. She even runs at times. She is truly a miracle. She almost always has a smile on her face and is a bundle of joy. She has made a lot of friends here and plays so well with them. It is nice to have her around other kids since it's only her at home.

I have decided that I am going to start working out, along with eating healthy ( as much as I can anyway with my strict diet from the doctor), to lose the rest of my baby weight.. YES, I still have baby weight from 13 months ago. I know... Jeff seems to think that it will come off in no time.. I think that I am stuck with the weight and it has no plans to go anywhere. I have been pretty good about exercising. Not as good as I could be, but it's been really busy lately with Maddie not feeling good and torrential down pour makes it hard to go running outside. We will see... I hope it comes off within decent time.

So, my friend has inspired me to be " the mom who can do it all" . : ) I had a moment where all I wanted to do was to find new cupcake and muffin recipes and bake them. Jeff's office at work got to be my guinea pigs. Before that, and still now, is scrapbooking. I have a lot of catching up to do, so I guess that's a good thing. My newest thing is to learn how to sew... Yes, I don't know how to sew. But, on the bright side, I am taking a sewing class soon which I am very excited about. I already have things that I want to make when I know how to. I think I want to take up kickboxing once I get into a little better shape. In between that all, I found new dinner recipes that I have been trying. Overall, it has been a lot of fun. I just need Jeff to rescue my pictures from my broken laptop so I can do some more scrap booking. Oh and Jeff thinks that he is going to get me to run in a 3K in a couple of months when I am a little more prepared for it. We will see about that.

Jeff has been busy with work. He is working on paperwork to start classes back up. He has PT more often now, so he goes to bed early to get up early for that and work. Good thing is that he is usually home around 1 for the day. He takes a little power nap and plays with Maddie until I give him a honey do list. :)

It seems like we always have something going on and something to do. Life is a lot more crazy now that we have Maddie and a whole lot more work with a walking baby. Although, I wouldn't change a single moment in it.

Up Late Again...

So, it's 12:13 AM and once again I can't sleep. Thanks to my mom who passed the thinking when it's bed time gene.

I had my other test done a few days ago. It didn't go as well as I had planned. Since my other test came back fine, I was hoping for pretty much the same result. Before I got my second test done, my GI doctor was talking to me and was telling me that everything looked great. He didn't see any problems and that my medication would need to be adjusted. I had my test done and when I woke up, Jeff told me that he found the area that I have been having problems with. He was actually surprised when he came across it because the other test showed no sign of a problem. He said that as much as he didn't want to do this, I will eventually need surgery. He temporarily fixed the issue, but when the problem resorts back, it will be time to have another surgery. Being a Crohn's patient and already having one surgery under my belt, I wasn't really surprised. I was warned that I would eventually need at least one more surgery within my lifetime. Unfortunately, my doctor couldn't tell me how long the temporary fix will last. He said it could be two weeks or two months. It really depends on my body. So, until that point comes along, I am on quite a few meds and on a restricted diet. I am kind of have mixed emotions about it. I mean, why should I be on all sorts of meds and a restricted diet when I know that I will have to have surgery. Why shouldn't I just have it now and get it over with. No need to worry about one more thing than I need to, right? On the other hand, the sooner I do get the surgery, the sooner I will probably have to get another surgery. I don't want to get more surgeries than I need to within my lifetime. So, as much as I hate being on my really restricted diet, I guess I will just wait around until it's time.

Still on the topic of me having my procedure done, as some of you might have read on my facebook, I got on Facebook while still under anesthetics at home. I had no recollection of ever making a status post of "It's over. Yayyy! " I was warned not do get online, facebook, buy anything, or drive while I was recovering from it. So, I had a few comments wondering what was over. I was clueless to what they were talking about until I got to my status. Mmmmm go me! Jeff laughed at me and rubbed it in my face that he had warned me. I guess I was pretty annoying after my procedure. Jeff informed me that I asked SEVERAL times what the conclusion was, if I was still on a restricted diet, and what the doctor told him. As soon as he would explain, I would fall back asleep immediately. I do remember waking up one time after jolting and Jeff and the nurse who was taking my IV out started to laugh at me. Once I finally woke up and could stay awake long enough to get an answer out of Jeff, he told me how I behaved. LOL oh well.. He can't hold anything against me. It wasn't my fault.

Madison went to daycare that day since I was obviously not well enough to care for her myself. She went into the pre-toddler room. She had a lot of fun. Jeff said she was the only one who was still crawling. That afternoon she came out walking 5-6 steps instead of 3. I guess that room is good for her. She is more driven to walk instead of crawl there. Hopefully, she will continue to take more and more steps.

She is doing great! She has been kind of cranky the past few days, but I think she was a little dehydrated yesterday. This whole transitioning her from formula to whole milk isn't going so great! She simply won't drink her whole milk. She would much rather drink her water and when I do give her a bottle full of formula, she gulps it down. Teething might have played part today. She was such a cuddler yesterday. I actually got to rock her to sleep yesterday as she snuggled in my arms with her bunny blanket (AKA her security blanket). I love my little cuddle bug. She grows up so fast and hardly ever wants to be rocked to sleep anymore. She rarely wants to be bundled up when she knows she can run free.

That's about all I know for now. It's getting late. Until then, have fun and be safe. Remember, life is short so embrace it.

A Blurrrrrrr

The past few weeks have been crazy and quite the blur. I remember having Madison's first birthday party and then going to the hospital for a test and then sitting here wondering where the last two weeks have gone and how little I truly got accomplished. Madison's party went great! I couldn't have been more happy with how it turned out. We had a lot of family and friends come out for the big day and it made it even more special. I had been prepared for this party for months in advanced because I was so excited and sad that my little girl would be celebrating her first year with the people closest to us. We had a beautiful cake made by a friend from high school, cute decorations all throughout the house and even little tutu's and wings for the girls to wear since it was a fairy themed party. Madison did amazing on her big day. We had close to 30 people there and she wasn't fussy or cranky throughout the entire day. We worked her naps pretty good, so that she would just be waking up when people started to come over and to go back down after the main part of the party was over with. She really enjoyed eating her cake. When it came time to open presents, she didn't care too much for the presents. She was much more concerned with the tissue paper, wrapping paper, and the Popsicle that was going around. She was so very lucky to have so many presents to open up. After she opened the Winnie-the-Pooh train that she received from Great Aunt Shirley and Uncle Dave, that is all she wanted to play with. She got very upset that we took it away from her in order for her to pay attention to all of the other gifts. She received a ton of adorable outfits, books, and stuffed animals. She got 4 different riding toys that she loves to go back and forth from and see if she can get them all of make noise at the same time. Overall, everyone seemed very happy and pleased with the party. It was a relief how well it went after so much planning. I do have to give a quick Thank you to mom and dad once again for letting us have it up there.

After our trip up to Georgia for the party, we came back down to spend a little more time with Grandma and Grandpa Boone before they had to leave. I had my GI appointment that next day, as well. As most of you already know, for the past several months I have been having a lot of problems and no one seems to have a good fix to it. I was put on new medication while still taking my other medicine and given a prescription of steroids in hopes that it will calm things down long enough to make me feel better. Unfortunately, the medicine wasn't working and I was in a lot of pain again. So, the doctor put me on a stronger dose of steroids and requested that I get a few different tests done. Of course, they aren't the fun and easy tests. Anyway, the new meds and strict diet seem to be working for now. I still have to take one more test before the doctor and I can discuss any possibility of permanently getting better rather than a temporary fix. Tuesday is the big day. Luckily, I will have my mom down here to take me to and from the hospital since Jeff can not take off. It will be nice to have her down here helping with Maddie while I try to get better. Lately, it has been such a blur because all I can really think about is my stomach and how much pain I am in. I end up sleeping whenever I can to try and let my body heal.

Maddie had her first year well-baby appointment a few days ago. She is looking good. She goes from 19-20 pounds and continues to grow longer. You would think by the way that she eats that she would be a lot bigger than that. That little chunker loves to eat anything and everything. She is hilarious with food. She absolutely refuses to eat any baby solids now. She swats the spoon down every time it comes close to her, unless it has 'big girl' food on it. So, now she eats a ton of fruit, turkey dogs, sweet potatoes, and pretty much anything that we will give her. She gets really aggravated if Jeff and I are eating something and we don't give her a bite. She will scream at us and hold her hand out to get a piece. It doesn't matter what it is. She loves everything now. So, now whatever Jeff and I are having to eat, she eats it with us. There hasn't been one thing that she wouldn't eat. Tonight we had homemade lasagna and she took it down like she hadn't eaten in days. She got mad at me because I was eating a piece of garlic bread and didn't give her any to have. Since she is one now we have to transition her off of formula and switch it to whole milk. She is taking 3 steps at a time now (when she wants to of course). She gets so excited and makes herself fall... or maybe she knows how excited I am and she turns to see me. Either way, she is growing up too quickly.

Last night, after she went to bed and I was watching Teen Mom, I couldn't help but reminisce of all of her accomplishments lately and how happy she truly makes me. She is so full of life and loves to give kisses and hugs. She melts my heart by wanting to cuddle with me and just crawls up to me to give me a few kisses and then crawls off to go get into something. She always gets this huge smile on her face when she sees me and when she is doing she knows is right. I love hearing her giggle and talk when she plays. It is so much fun to watch her dance to the tunes on her riding toys when she doesn't even realize how much more I fall in love with her each time. No one will understand what it is like to love a child until they have one of their own. It is truly a miracle and blessing to have someone like her in my life. She is such a little sponge. She is in her copying and attentive stage. She watches everything I do and tries to mimic it as soon as I quit. I think back and realize that a year has already passed and before I know it she will be starting school and then dating, and getting married. I love being able to stay at home with her and spend as much time with her as I can while she still wants to hang out with me. Madison has touched Jeff's and my heart in a way she will not understand for quite some time.

The past week has been very expensive. First, our vacuum decides to stop working on us. Since that was the 2nd one in two years, we decided to just buy a really nice one that will HOPEFULLY last us 15-20 years. Second, my laptop decided that it didn't want to work anymore and stopped turning on. It was really upsetting to me because I had just downloaded Maddie's first birthday party pictures a few days prior and then deleted it off my camera since it was full. I was relieved when Jeff told me that he could get the stuff off of my hard drive, but there wouldn't be a computer to use after it. I told him I didn't care. I just wanted my pictures. Then, to top it all off, someone hit Jeff's truck IN THE FRONT OF OUR HOUSE and decided not to own up to it. All within a week. What can you do I guess...

Jeff got to go sky diving this past weekend with a friend for his birthday present. The two of them had a lot of fun. This was the first time for the both of them. Since Jeff is so tall, he couldn't do back flips out of the plane. So, he did front flips coming out while his friend did back flips. They both came back with big smiles on their faces and were already talking about planning a scuba diving trip sometime when the oil isn't a threat. Jeff was glad that he got the chance to do it, even though it wasn't with me. But, that would have never have happened because this momma is terrified of heights.

Jeff's schooling is going great. This Friday he will teach his first class. I think he is pretty excited about that other than the fact that he has a set schedule now and can't just leave when he needs to. From Friday on, if he needs some time off or has an appointment, he has to find someone to cover his class. Otherwise, he can't take leave. He always comes home and has so many different stories to tell me. I never realized how much drama could be in one school house. His schedule isn't that bad. Right now, he is working from 7-3 with an hour lunch. Friday, his new schedule will be from 6-12:30. It will be nice to have him home from lunch on each day.

Well I think that I have said enough for now. Until next time, have fun and be safe.