Happy Birthday, Madeleine!

Sweet little Madeleine turned 4 on May 20th. I can't believe it! Where has the time gone? Here are a few pictures of Madeleine over the years. Here she is at about 4 months. Can't you just see her attitude even then?
One year old here. Running around already and keeping us busy, busy, busy. Here she is at 2. Not long after this she fell off the couch and broke her arm. I would have put one up with her in her hot pink cast, but in all the cute ones she was wearing only her diaper.
At 3. I miss that beautiful long hair.
And here's the little lady on her 4th birthday. Pretending to cook up a storm in her new apron and chef's hat. She is one of the smartest and funniest kids I have ever known and she is such a joy! We love you, Maddie, and we are so happy to have you in our family!

P.S. Be on the lookout for another post coming soon about our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend.

Beatin' the heat, etc.

It was well into the 90s today here in Sherman Oaks, so we headed to Santa Monica to cool down a bit at the beach. And let me tell you, it was a perfect beach day! The water, which is often very cold here no matter the season, was really pretty nice. Granted, I only got in up to my knees, but there wasn't much bite when I first got wet. And that is saying something!

Ian played in the water today for the first time. He isn't usually much of a fan, but that was not the case today. He was playing, playing, playing, then all of a sudden totally bookin' it down the shoreline. I'm not sure where he was going, but when I caught up to him he turned to me and said, "Mommy! I payin' in da water!" Such a cutie! Madeleine had fun playing with all her little buddies and mooching snacks off them. Good thing Gabrielle brought such a great stash to share!On a completely different subject, here is a little video of Madeleine that I thought I would share. Even though I may be the only one to really appreciate it. Watch at your own risk. Here's the background on it: When I put the kids to bed or Ian down for a nap, we turn on a CD of primary songs or other church music to help lull them to sleep. Then I turn on the baby monitor. In this video, Madeleine got ahold of the monitor while Ian was laying down for a nap.

Olivia's Graduation

This is my sister, Olivia. Isn't she pretty? This past weekend was her graduation from Montana State University-Billings and we got to go up for the festivities.

Spencer stayed home to collect rent, so it was just me and the kids. We were on a flight with another sister and my parents and grandmother, so it wasn't as bad as you might think. This picture was after the commencement ended. My smile may not look the most genuine, but I was thrilled that it was over. Commencement ceremonies are no place for children under 4.
One of my sisters was missing, but here are the rest of us with our cute mom. L-R: Erika, Angela, Mom (Vickie), Olivia, me. Sisters are the best! I am still holding out hope that someday we will all live on the same block. Then our kids could always play and we could all share clothes.

These are all the cousins who were there. L-R: Andrew, Marley, Zachary, Sarah, Great-Grandma (Loretta), Ethan, Ian, Cyrus, Madeleine, Matthew. Only 4 of the 13 grandkids were missing. We missed them and their parents who couldn't be there. Hopefully soon we can ALL get together! Great-Grandma needed to be in the middle of everything. She sure loves her grandkids. The best thing about having all the kids there was that Angela's and Olivia's kids haven't seen each other since my wedding in September 2000. It was great for them to get to hang out. I think they had a really fun time. I know I did! Angela's family brought their Wii, so that provided hours of enjoyment for everyone. I don't know about anyone else, but I was totally sore from boxing.

Now, it's time to get back to normal life.