Manners

We've been working a lot on having good manners at the table, in public, etc. Although slurping spaghetti isn't an example of good manners, it was way fun and yummy too!!

Spring Break

I know spring break was a few weeks ago but I'm just now catching up. Our family spent most of the month of March being sick, I mean SICK!!! Trust me, you don't want to know the details. Anyway, one of the very few things that we enjoyed over spring break was the new swing set Matt and some friends built. We were hoping that it would all be finished before the big birthday but the weather was our enemy. Rain delays held us up during the construction of the swing set then snow didn't allow us to enjoy playing on it on her birthday. Oh well, Madelyn sure loves it now!! Here are a few pictures of the construction of it.

Meeting of the minds

Rob and Jason are supervising (I think)

Getting closer

Birthday Girl

Dear Madelyn,
I can hardly believe that you are 3 years old!! Even yesterday I almost told someone you that you were 2. It is so amazing the way you have become this little person, or as you like to tell me, a big girl now. You have always wanted to be independant but it seems even more now and you constantly remind us that you are a big girl and can do things yourself. I know you get this quality from me and while it is sometimes frustrating now, it is a quality you will be proud to have as an adult. You have such a little sense of humor going now. You like to trick us and tell us you are just teasing. Like last week when I went out on the deck for two seconds you got up from the kitchen table, closed the sliding glass door, and locked me out. When I knocked on the door for you to let me in the house you had the biggest grin on your face and shook your head no. When I said please, you let me in and told me you were just teasing me. I love it!! You make me smile everyday at how much you know and are learning. You can sit down with books by yourself and "read" the words. Sometimes it is a book that you know by repetition and sometimes you talk about the pictures. Either way, it makes mommy so happy that you have found a love for reading like I have.

You birthday was so fun this year despite the fact that it snowed all day and we were unable to use your new birthday gifts. It ended up being just a family party because of how much snow we had but that was fine with you. We decided upon a princess theme and mommy had so much fun making the invitations, cake, and even your shirt and leggings. You absolutely love your outfit and ask to wear it everyday!! All the grandparents spoiled you rotten and you loved all the attention from your aunt and uncle. We got you a swingset for your birthday, but they'll be no pictures of that in this post because of all the snow! You spent most of the day in sugar shock and playing with all your toys.

We love you Madelyn and can't wait to see what the next year brings!
Mommy

Super Cheese!

Normal Cheese

Opening Presents is so fun!

Sizing up the new hot wheels, it always takes her a while to warm up to big gifts.

Thanks Mimi and Papa!

Yes, that's Aunt Courtney on the new hot wheels!

Our Family!

Finally got on the hot wheels, look out, her she comes!

Miss Sassypants!!

Here she is, Miss Sassypants. Can you tell?? The hands on her hips should be your first clue. The girl is too smart for her own good. She now realizes when Matt and I aren't using good manners or "following the rules" and calls us out on it. Here's a few statements that we've had to deal with lately. Some of them are to be bossy and some of them are totally random thoughts.

1. "Mommy, don't ever drive without two hands on the wheel, let me show you"

2. "Daddy, don't step on the lines in the floor, it hurts them" (these are the lines on our linoleum floor)

3. "We don't eat dog food, it's not good manners, only dogs do"

4. "Mommy, you should not push me" (for the record, I don't push her)

5. "Daddy, you can't have a ponytail because you have tiny hair"

Who Is The Child??

Look closely at the pictures. Exactly who is the child? That's right, my sister is all cuddled up in Madelyn's bed while Madelyn is reading her a bedtime story. And why you ask is Courtney the child? Oh yeah, she's suppose to be babysitting!! It's partly our fault. Courtney has such a great kid connection with Madelyn and willingly does all the silly stuff Madelyn wants her to that we all call it a PLAYDATE when Courtney comes to babysit. Oh, and we also tell Madelyn that Courtney is five years old, heehee!! It's all in good fun, I promise! And Madelyn LOVES, LOVES her Aunt Courtney. Oh yeah, and Uncle Bart too.


Who knows what happened in this picture. I think Madelyn really thinks she is the smartest one of the bunch. And who could argue!! She made sure each of us had something soft to cuddle with and then went around the room reading each of us a story.

Winter Entertainment

What do you do to entertain a toddler when the weather hasn't allowed us to play outdoors for months? PLAY HOPSCOTCH!! This game, made by Twister, has been a awesome substitute for outdoor play. It comes with a spinner, rings, and latches. You use the latches to make any configuration of the rings you want, or just throw them down on the floor. The spinner lands on the words dance, clap, or wiggle and those are the actions you do as you hop through the rings. And when you don't want play hopscotch they are also useful for a game of ring toss or are the perfect size necklace for our dog. Whatever you choose to do this game is definately worth the $15 at Target!!

Treasure Hunt

Check out our conversation from last week while driving home from school.

Madelyn (yelling very excitedly): "Mommy, I found three buders" (a.k.a. boogers)

Me: "Really, how did you find those treasures?"

Madelyn: "I got them with my fingers, look at them" (she's so proud of herself)

Me: "Next time we need to use a kleenex to get them out"

Madelyn: "Daddy told me I can eat buders"

Me: "WHAT!!! No, Madelyn we don't eat them!"

Madelyn: "But Daddy told me to"

Me: "Oh my"

And yes, Matt got an ear full from me when we got home. But he insisits that he hasn't ever discussed boogers with her, EVER!!