Spicin' Up the Pad

Thanks to my sister, Allie, and her vinyl business, I have been able to add a little color and excitement to the apartment. She sent some vinyl with my mom and I love it! Here are too many pictures but I had to show it all.

Here's what a room with two cribs looks like

Isaac's new transportation decorations

Not sleeping as much as he should...

Maddie's name

Closeup of Maddie's butterflies--they match the butterflies on her bedding (thank you, Robyn!)

Birdcage in the hall

Flower vase above kitchen sink (I don't even miss having a window in the kitchen with these beauties!)

Under the Sea animals in the bathtub

Thank you so much, Allie---I love it all!

All to Myself...

I'm so excited to have my mom in town this week! It is the first time that I've ever gotten her all to myself. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but if you had a brother like mine, you would understand. Whenever we go to Utah to visit he is so demanding and needy that no one else (myself and kids included) can get any quality time with her (still love ya, B). Not now! Here's to the best week ever!

Rock and Roll

Here's a clip of our little rock star rolling over. As you will see from the video, having a head that measures in the 75th percentile really comes in handy when you need momentum and weight get yourself where you want to go.

She is still working on rolling from her back to her tummy--maybe we'll let her watch the footage of her cousin so Addie can show her how it's done :)

For my Mama

This post is dedicated to my angel of a mother (who's coming to visit on Friday--wahoo!). Without her, I never would have won my first blue ribbon. That's right, I entered my mom's Fresh Peaches 'n' Cream pie into the local pie baking contest at church and I won!I never win anything so this is big.

Let me tell you peeps, it was some steep competition--there were hundreds of delicious pies competing with mine (or at least a dozen)---including cherry, key lime, strawberry cheesecake, raspberry-peach, and more--- but Peaches 'n' Cream didn't let me down. This pie is one of the best things about fall--so delish! Here is the recipe (for my girls who asked for it):

Peaches 'n' Cream Pie

1 prepared baked pie crust

1 1/2 c. mashed peaches

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1 c. granulated sugar

1 pint whipping cream

1/2 c. powdered sugar

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3-4 c. sliced fresh peaches

In saucepan, mix mashed peaches, cornstarch, and granulated sugar on stove top over medium heat. Stir constantly until glaze begins to boil. Remove from heat and refrigerate until cool.

Meanwhile, whip cream until soft peaks form. In separate bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add whipped cream. Spread half of cream mixture into bottom of prepared pie crust. Place sliced peaches on top of cream mixture. Pour cooled glaze on top of fresh peaches. Spread remaining cream mixture on top of pie. Serve immediately. A special thanks to Isaac for cleaning the beaters. I just had to post this picture of Maddie. She's been working really hard on her tummy lately ever since we figured out how to keep her from falling asleep. Unless we put her hands underneath her, she just gets puts her head down and sleeps most of the time, but if we strategically place her arms underneath her, she squirms so much that she rolls over (unless she has a 23 lb. toddler trying to lay on top of her, of course).

Spoke too Soon

Our conversation last night at the dinner table went something like this:

Me: "You know, I'm really proud of Isaac and how well he's adjusting to having Maddie in our family."

Ryan: "Yeah, me too. He's such a good kid."

Me: "I mean, sure, he struggles every once in awhile---like always trying to lay on top of her during tummy time, or shoving his hand in her face every time they're in the stroller together----but overall, he's such a good big brother. I can't imagine him ever doing anything to hurt her."

Not 30 seconds later (no lie), Isaac---who had been tickling Maddie's toes as I held her in my lap----opened his wide mouth and bit Maddie's chubby little knee. So hard that it left teeth marks.

Guess I spoke too soon.

At Least Someone was Entertained

Keeping Isaac busy and entertained throughout the day can be challenging. He loves to be outside but sometimes it takes me awhile to build up the courage to take both kids out in public on my own----just getting them into the van by myself takes exceptional skill (I'm working on it).

The other day I had the bright idea to get Maddie's exersaucer out of the closet, just to see how she liked it. It turned out to be very entertaining, though not so much for Maddie.

Playing innocently

A content Madelyn (though slightly oblivious to all the surrounding toys--I should probably give it a couple more months)

Going...going...

gone... About this time I decided to put the camera down and save Maddie

He has since dove head-first into the seat, where he laughs upside down and peaks through the leg holes saying, "hi mama, hi mama." I don't think Maddie is going to get much exercise in this thing until she can fend for herself more. Her brother doesn't seem to understand what personal space is just yet.

Seriously so Funny

My dad introduced me to a new blog the other day: www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com It is a spoof on Mormon Mommy blogs. It totally mocks my life and everything I stand for but it is laugh-out-loud funny. Some of it is a little over the top but it's still my favorite new blog to read. I especially got a kick out of this post. I would pay money to know who is behind it.

On a more serious note, did you know that you can subscribe through lds.org to have different inspirational quotes sent to your RSS feed or email? Check it out here. Thank you for the heads up, Andrea!

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures taken on Maddie's blessing day while we were in Utah:

My sister-in-law, Becky, is an amazing photographer, so she took some pictures of all the grand kids while she was in Utah. Isaac is to blame for the chaos in this picture. Just after she got everyone positioned, he started to cry, and in doing so scared baby Addie and caused Ellie to frown. Carson and Natalee seem happy--too bad I cut their heads off in the picture. Meanwhile, Maddie is snoozing away, oblivious to it all.

It's hard to get our whole family in a picture together (since one of us is usually behind the camera), so even though this is just a snapshot, it's my new favorite family picture. Muchas Gracias, Jota.

Maddie's stats

Maddie had her two month check-up this morning. I was a little nervous about taking both kiddos to the doctor myself, but it wasn't as bad as my nightmares played it out to be. Isaac just played with the toys the whole time (except while they were giving Maddie her immunizations--he wanted to watch that and smiled a couple of times because it was her on the table instead of him) and Maddie was her usual, pleasant self (until they gave her the immunizations, that is, when she let out the loudest, saddest cry of her two-month-old life).

She weighed in at a whopping 12 lbs, 4 oz (75th percentile), and is 22.25 inches long (50th percentile). Just like her brother, she has a big melon---her head is 40 cm in diameter (75th percentile). This is what she has been doing ever since being calmed down after getting her shots:

We love our little chunky monkey!

You've got to try this New Snack

Buttery Salt and Cracked Pepper popcorn. My sister introduced me to this beauty while we were in Utah. I am totally addicted. There are 4 or 5 other flavors (like garlic and olive oil), but I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to deviate from the salt and pepper flavor. Why would I? It's perfect. I'm not even crazy about popcorn, but this stuff is absolutely addictive. It even comes in 10 convenient snack bags (though I could down 2 or 3 at one sitting). Seriously, you have got to try it.

Looks can be Deceiving

I know, the "Kramer" hair is a little out of control but I don't know how to tame it! Multiple people have asked if it's a wig or if I gave her a perm---who would give their newborn a perm?

Maddie hardly ever spits up. It's sort of crazy--she can belch like a drunken sailor, but she has only spit up a handful of times in her two months of life. I used to think, "I've got it made! A baby who never spits up, how great is that?"

But don't be deceived by that seemingly innocent smile. Though she doesn't spit up, she has developed a far messier habit---mega blowouts. This girl will go days without a poopy diaper---she just lets it build up and build up until no diaper can contain it---and then she lets it all out. Who knew something so small could create such a huge mess? She has blown out three times in the past week and a half. Luckily we've been at home during all three incidents because no amount of wipes is enough---this girl needs to be hosed down in the tub.

I miss spit up.

Fun at the Gateway Fountains

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Utah. Isaac LOVED the fountains at the Gateway mall. We took him there three times during our two week trip (gotta love free entertainment).

Isaac and his cousin, Beck, playing in the water

This picture was taken in my parents' backyard. My dad has rigged up a sprinkling system from a telephone pole. It sprays water everywhere. There are a bunch of swings in the backyard as well. Isaac was in heaven. While we were staying there, Isaac would wake up each morning and run straight for the back door, yelling "weeeeeee, weeeeee." It was like living at Lagoon. Needless to say, it was rough coming back to apartment living---no swings or sprinklers here.

Deal...or No Deal?

My dad's nickname (one of them, anyway) is Mr. Lucky, and he seriously is one of the luckiest people I know. He has been known to frequent the slots at Wendover once in awhile, and he ALWAYS wins. I remember he took me with him once right after I turned 21 (and right before I decided to go on a mission--go figure). I lost my $20 in a matter of about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, my dad, Mr. Lucky, was winning money left and right.

To make a long story short(er), Mr. Lucky won again. He chose the winning case in a game of Deal or No Deal and ended up winning 2000 tickets at the Gateway mall arcade. The grand kids were going crazy choosing their prizes at the prize counter. The best part about the day was that when my sister took the tickets up to the counter, the arcade worker announced that it was double ticket day---4000 tickets, not bad. Neil, my brother-in-law, who stood in front of the game for 15 minutes waiting for the 2000 tickets to dispense from the machine. They had to reload more tickets halfway through because the game ran out. Mr. Lucky and the family in front of the winning game.

Bye-Bye Cell Phone

Isaac has been saying goodbye to everything lately. "bye-bye Papa," when Ryan leaves..."bye-bye cheese," after eating his snack..."bye-bye crib," when he wakes up in the morning.

The other day he walked into the living room and handed Ryan his cell phone. It was soaking wet. I guess Isaac decided to drop it in the toilet. At least he had the decency to fish it out for him after giving it a toilet bath.

Bye-bye cell phone.

FYI--if you need to get a hold of Ryan, you'll need to call my cell phone.

Isaac cooling down and Maddie growing up

Isaac's favorite place to hang out these days is in the refridgerator. Any time I open it and he's within earshot, he makes a b-line for the little "seat" inside, plops himself down, and starts reaching for bottles of soy sauce and salad dressing. I guess it is a refreshing way to cool down during the hot summer months. Here are a couple of pictures of Maddie. She is starting to respond when we talk to her and she will even smile and coo a little bit. She will be two months old next week. Two of my friends just had babies while we were away in Utah and Maddie is already twice their size! They grow up so fast! (sniffle, sniffle)