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!!

My Blindside (literally)

I am having lasik eye surgery tomorrow and though I am slightly nervous I couldn't be more excited about it. I've worn glasses and contacts for almost 20 years. Yikes, that's a long time! A couple of years ago my eye doctor dropped a big bomb on me - no more contacts. Yes, I was well aware that I had been way overusing my contacts for years and that I had caused a lack of oxygen on the surface of my eye. I was reprimanded each year at my eye appointments. Hence, I've been in glasses for the last two years with contacts only for special occasions. I don't hate glasses, sometimes they make me feel smart. But I definately don't love glasses, or contacts for that matter. I won't miss having a "frame" around what I am viewing or dealing with putting contacts in and cleaning solutions. So I thought I better document just how bad my vision is before my surgery. So here goes:

*I cannot read "the big E" on the eye exam chart, yes, I know it's an E but I can't read it.
*I cannot read street signs at all without glasses at even the closest driving distances.
*I cannot put on make-up without being a few inches away from the mirror.
*I have to get a few inches from the alarm clock to read the large numbers.
*I cannot tell the shower is dirty until Matt tells me.
*Most objects only appear in blocks of color even within 5 feet. There is no detail and definition.
*Ceramic tiles for flooring appear just one color instead of the terracota look they often have.
*Any lighting looks like a big blob of glowing yellow.
*Wood appears with no grain until I get very close.

I'm sure there are many things on this list I've missed. Right now I cannot even imagine my life without glasses or contact, until TOMORROW ...

Let it SNOW!!

While we were in Larned for the holidays the weatherman had forcasted for western Kansas to get hit with blizzard conditions. However, not one single flake fell from the sky!!! But we did come home to several inches of wintery powder in Basehor. Fenway couldn't wait to get out and romp around in all the snow but Madelyn really didn't want to, she just kept saying it was too cold. So, we showed her the sleds that Grammy and Grampy had given to us and although they haven't been used since Matt was a kid, they were a hit. We spent quite a while out in the snow making snow angels, throwing snowballs at Fenway, and sledding around the backyard. Thanks Daddy, you were such a sport when I wouldn't let you take a break to catch your breath!!!

Whee!

This stuff is cold but yummy



Snow Angels

Mmm, hot chocolate with marshmellows!

More Christmas

I know Christmas was a couple of weeks ago, so I'm trying to wrap up the rest of it in this post. We decided to go home a day earlier than planned on because western Kansas was forecasted to get a blizzard. How much did they actually get?? Not one single snowflake in Larned!! How is it that the meteorologists can be that wrong and still have a job? Anyway, we were able to spend some quality time at home with lots of family. First up, Christmas with the Eaves'. We were a little concerned about Madelyn's manners during present time because she had already opened a few a our house and said she didn't want them. Yes, I know hon, pajamas aren't what you asked Santa for but you still get some. Usually it is a very low key Christmas, we all open one at a time and each take turns, but not this year. Someone thought they should unwrap all of hers first and then help everyone else. Oh well, it was fun!

Matt's dad has started a tradition of getting him a bottle of Crown Royal every Christmas. He loves it!

Mommy, I'll take your picture too!

So tired!

At my parent's house, we had to wait until my sister and brother in-law arrived to open gifts. This was a killer for Madelyn! She did a little better this time, she opened hers and then just wanted to play with them. She didn't want to stop playing with them to open the next. I'll help you Papa.

What is it?

My new table!

We also got to see many extended family and some friends. Then we drove home with no snow on the ground and the further east we came the more snow we saw. It was amazing to pull into our drive with several inches of the powdery white stuff already there!

Christmas at Home

What a difference a year makes!! Last year we tried our hardest to get Madelyn to say Ho, Ho, Ho and had absolutely no luck. But this year she really got into it and we had tons of fun!! She liked Santa but wasn's shy about the fact that she was a little bit scared of him too. She learned several Christmas songs that we are still singing now. Some of the favs: Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman (although the words aren't quite right), and Oh Christmas Tree. She belts out the lyrics anywhere she can, even in restaurants when she should be quietly eating!! Making cookies for Santa and putting out carrots for the reindeer were each a hit.

Before she even glanced in the direction of the presents, she had to check to see if Santa ate the cookies and go outside to see if there were any carrots left.

The new vanity.

Daddy getting all dolled up! (hee,hee)

Yeah, candy necklaces in my stocking!

My new books

Cheese!

And some amazing dress up clothes, thanks Cameo!!

We celebrated at home a little early so that we could spend some extended time in Larned. We decided to drive out west a day early in anticipation for all the snow they were to get. However, they didn't get any, we did in Basehor. More pictures to come soon of Christmas with the rest of the family!