Mad Family

Darn That Baby Weight

2012-02-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

I'm ba-ack from my two-week vacation (I'm sure you've missed me). And while I enjoyed myself immensely whilst on vacation, the post-vacation depression has come on in full force. I miss never cooking, cleaning or grocery shopping. I miss the great company, the constant entertainment for both me and my kids in the form of siblings/parents/grandparents/cousins. But what I miss most of all? The food. Because now that I'm back to real life and back to reality, I've come to realize something: this darn baby weight ain't going anywhere any time soon. Thus, the sad end to my happy days of eating whatever I want whenever I want. And the beginning of my days of tracking every calorie on MyFitnessPal.com and dreaming constantly of ice cream, butter and all things fattening (I have a serious sweet tooth). In order to help reach my goal, I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who wants to join me in my quest for healthy living/eating? You know what they say: you have more success if you diet with friends (but what I really think they mean is: misery loves company). So, let me know if you want to have the time of your life, depriving oneself of food and happiness but eventually (hopefully) looking decent in a bathing suit.

P.S. Send my way your favorite healthy meals and snacks and I would love you forever and ever!

A Day in the Life of a Three-Month-Old

2012-01-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Lucy's three months now. And besides eating and sleeping (and eating while she's supposed to be sleeping, i.e. at night) here's what Lucy's been up to:

Posing for her mama for her three-month photo shoot:

And, of course, getting harrassed by her brother during said photo shoot:

Snuggling with Dada:

Chillin' in the bumbo (check out Will in the bumbo at the same age--they could be twins!):

Getting introduced to all the Book of Mormon characters from her big bro.: (Will yelled at me one day, insisting I bring Lucy upstairs so he could show her all his Book of Mormon characters)

Playing in the snow for the first time: (here she's decked out in her outfit. She didn't really play in the snow but she did watch her brother play in the snow for all of ten minutes before she had to hit the sack)

And because he's so cute, I had to throw one in of Will, who is a big part of Lucy's day-to-day life:

We love you, Lucy--even if you still wake up a ridiculous amount at night--we'll keep you anyway. Happy three months!

The Tickle Monster

2012-01-14T07:14:00.000-08:00

Lucy received a baby gift from the doctors at my fertility clinic--a darling book called The Tickle Monster that comes complete with a pair of tickle monster gloves used, obviously, for tickling. It comes as no surprise that Will thought these tickle monster gloves were just about the coolest things ever and insisted on wearing them to bed. And when I went to tuck him into bed that night, this is what I found:

Now just try to tell me this isn't the cutest tickle monster ever.

Luce

2012-01-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of our little gal from the last month:

Tummy time (and drool time. I have leaky babies).

First slow dance with Dada. So cute.

She was being so cute one day that I had to snap some photos.

And we broke out the playmat the other day, which she loves. She just kicks and smiles and kicks and smiles when placed upon it. I can never get a good photo of it. This is the best I got.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

This Christmas we celebrated in Vermont with our usual Christmas festivities: the nativity with friends, our traditional Christmas eve dinner (that serves as Christmas Day's dinner as well), Santa, church, present-opening and then the playing with the new Christmas loot. This year the sledding was cancelled due to lack of snow (boo hoo) but we took the big kids to the Muppet Show while Josh stayed home with the babies and Nate worked. Christmas night, once the kids were asleep, we celebrated a job well done with some brownies and homemade peppermint ice cream and some Brian Reagan to boot. Good, fun, sleep-deprived, crazy Christmas--how we like it best!

Now the photos to document:

Will as the wise man, delivering his gift (in a purple box, of course). Sadly, no one would be Dada Joe this year but we did have one child offer to be a cat. I'm sure there were cats in the stable, right?

All the participants in their nativity pose.

I love Beth in this one--look how tenderly she is looking at Baby Jesus. I also love little Nate on the right who is crying, "Save me, save me from baby James."

Luce was there, too, though she wasn't awake.

The Christmas eve jammies.

The Christmas eve jammies pose.

And Lucy's jammies. It was waaaaaay past bedtime.

Oh look, she can be happy.

Christmas morning on the stairs.

Inspecting their Santa loot.

Santa brought all three big kids sleeping bags. They were a hit!

And here they are enjoying Cars 2 in their new sleeping bags.

Lucy, of course, slept through it all. But Will enjoyed opening all her presents.

Good times Christmas 2011! Until next year.

My Dirty Little Secrets

2012-01-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd air out some dirty laundry, for the sole purpose of your reading pleasure (Jon go ahead and skip this post--there are no pictures. You'll have to actually read).

1. I truly cannot return a library book on time. It is impossible. I've accrued fines at all the libraries in the vicinity and when we lived in Colorado I had to stop going to the library so as to avoid paying my astronomically high fine.
2. Another thing I simply cannot do is get ice out of the freezer without dropping some on the floor. Every time, I drop a piece or two and it shatters all over the floor, making a liquid mess!
3. Every night when going to bed, I take a new glass of water, without ever removing the old glass. My bedside table is riddled with glasses of half-filled water. Josh always claims that he can tell which day of the week it is by how many glasses I have on my bedside table. Of course, on cleaning days, I return the glasses to the kitchen. But it takes at least three trips.
4. I just may be addicted to television. I do love television. And babies don't help. I feel newborns are just more bearable with television--the constant nursing is less painful while watching a good show; the late bedtime seems earlier with a good show; the bouncing and rocking and bouncing and rocking to sleep is less tedious with a good show, etc., etc. Some of my recent favorites: The Good Wife, Friday Night Lights, anything Masterpiece Theater and The Good Guys (just to name a few).
5. I'm still wearing my maternity pants. Even my fat pants don't fit. I just don't want to buy new jeans. I want to wear my old jeans. It's a little disheartening. By week 4 with Will I was back in my pants. And by month 3? I'd lost all my baby weight. Currently, I still have 15 lbs. to go and I only gained 30.
6. At 2.5 months old Lucy was officially sleep-trained. I guess 10 weeks is my breaking point, because that is when I let Will cry it out, too. This time around was much easier--12 minutes one night and she was done. Now I just rock her, sing her one song and plop her in her crib (lovingly, of course). Usually there are no tears, but sometimes there are a few. Doesn't mean she's now a fantastic sleeper (though she is much better). But it does mean that I've regained half my life back. The getting the baby to sleep and to STAY asleep process was just getting far too taxing. Is it bad to say that I love my babies much more once they're sleep-trained?

There it is folks, a few of my deep, dark secrets. On paper, they are pretty boring. But let's be honest, I'm not that exciting. I'm a mother of two who either reeks of poo or breast milk. But, of course, I wouldn't have it any other way (well, maybe I wouldn't mind smelling like roses every now and again).

2 Months

2011-12-24T04:20:00.000-08:00

Lucy's two-months-old. At two months, she:

weighs in at 10 lbs 7 oz. (50%)

is 23.5 inches long (50%)

is an "angry nurser" as I like to call her. She nurses so fast and furiously that it makes her slightly agitated; thus, she cries and burps and spits up, etc., etc. It's a miracle she isn't weaned.

still gets up a ridiculous amount in the night to eat.

is a tummy sleeper (shhhhhhhhh, don't tell the AAP).

has had a terrible bout of baby acne, poor thing. It's getting much better, though. I say she has a face only her own mother will love.

loves to make (blow?) raspberries.

is cooing, "talking" and smiling.

has a love/hate relationship with her brother. No one can make her smile bigger or cry harder. She never has a moment's rest from his harrassment/love.

can still only stay awake no longer than one hour.

is finally sleeping in her crib (and out of our bed).

is not a fan of her carseat.

is our favorite little Lucy Lu, Lu Lu and Luce. Here's to hoping you get up only once tonight!

Now here's some pics:

Pompa

2011-12-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

Pompa has come and gone and with him the last of my help (sob, sigh). Really, I can't tell you how great it was to have my dad here. Will had a ball with him, but I think my dad may have had more fun. My dad said several times that this was his best Christmas ever--just to be with Will and have Will be his little pal. Every little boy needs a Pompa to pal around with.

Pompa spoiled us--he cooked dinner (impressive!), he played and played with Will, took Will to and from preschool, took Will out to lunch to get his favorite--chicken nuggets, helped with Lucy, kept me company and introduced Will to "Belle" the elf. Will literally cried the whole day Pompa left, saying, "I'm so sad. I miss my Pompa." For so many reasons I'm so grateful to have had another baby, but a big one was all the good, fun, one-on-one time Will got to have with all his grandparents. I may just have to have another baby just for all the visits!

We love you, Pompa! Can't wait to see you again.

Blessed

2011-12-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

We blessed our baby girl on Sunday, December 11, 2011. Lucy was 8.5 weeks old and decked in a darling dress, courtesy of my sister.

And Pompa (my dad) came all the out for the big day and we were so blessed to have him! Isn't he a cute Pompa?

Pompa with my two kids (Josh always says, "Isn't that fun to say--kids??")

And our two kids. Too bad Lucy's having a hard time there.

Clearly, Will is still learning how to hold her.

Our sweet Lu Lu (Will always calls her Luce). We are so blessed to have you here finally. I'm far too lazy to figure out how to flip that photo.

Our little family. (Too bad no one told me that I'm busting out of my sweater. Oh well. Maybe some day I'll be back to my pre-pregnancy form. Until then, I think I need to avoid anything with buttons since they clearly can't close!)

How Do Dinosaurs Decorate for Christmas?

2011-12-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

Do they stand on their heads?

Do they water the tree, cute as can be?

Do they stand at the tree, paws to their head?

Do they hang the stockings with care?

Do they shout, "Hooray, it's Christmas!"?

Do they love their little sisters?

Why yes, this dinsadaur does. Merry, merry Christmas little dinsadaur.

Frosty the Finger-Pickin' Snowman

2011-12-21T06:46:00.000-08:00

Guess which child is mine?

That's right--the one who, at his preschool performance debut, picked his nose for all the world to see. I couldn't be more proud.

Really, though, his preschool program was darling. If you couldn't guess, Will is Frosty the Snowman and below they are singing the "thumpity-thump-thump" part, while placing their hands on their knees and bouncing up and down.

And Santa was there and Will was jazzed about that.

Will, you make one fine Frosty, if I do say so myself.

Somebody's Tired....

2011-12-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

. . . and it's not just me. The other night at dinner, Josh was holding Lucy and she just fell asleep like this:

It was too cute (and unfortunately, too rare) so we had to snap a photo.

A Mother's Sacrifice

2011-12-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

The last few days Lucy has been having some terrible, painful gas (pleasant topic, I know)--waking her up from every sleep period. One night, in tears of exasperation and exhaustion, I decided I better go off dairy since that seemed to be the common instigator of said gas (plus, it was a problem for Will, too, when he was a baby). Two days off the dairy and sure enough, Lucy is already doing better. Then yesterday at a Relief Society function, I enjoyed my fair share of some homemade bread sticks, only to discover they had been slathered in butter. Sure enough, that night Lucy was up again with gas. So no dairy for me for a few weeks, which is a tragedy at this time of year. Everything worth eating has dairy, especially at Christmas time. All my favorite treats--mint M&Ms, mint hot chocolate, candy cane Hershey's kisses, any and ALL cookies, cheese balls, etc., etc., etc., are off limits. And let me tell you, abstaining is no easy task. One day, when longing to grab a handful of mint M &M's, it occurred to me--a mother's role requires much sacrifice. I sacrificed so much to even get this sweet baby here--endless doctor's appointments, innumerable shots, invasive procedures. Then I sacrificed my body for nine months to carry the babe, suffering weight gain, indigestion, and the like. Then I sacrificed again, delivering her, without an epidural. Then I sacrificed again, recovering from a bad tear and then, of course, there is the sacrifice that is nursing--oh the pain and the indignity. And let's not even talk about the sacrifice of sleep. Oh, how I miss sleep. But when it's all said and done, those sacrifices are all worth it and I'd do it again for our Lucy Lu. But take away my mint M&M's, my Candy Cane Hershey kisses, my mint hot chocolate? That's where I draw the line.

All Smiles

2011-12-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

Lucy's smiling! And what a cute smile she has. She is happiest when in the bath (sooooooooo not like Will. He hated baths for the first few months of his life), so we snapped some photos of her smile sans clothes. And the photos beneath are of some of her first smiles at around 6 weeks. I may be just a tad bit biased, but I think she is a doll.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2011 was spent how we spend it best: with the Vermont Madsens. And the thought that it is our last Brothers Madsen Thanksgiving makes the tears start flowing freely. The festivities were dampened a little by one baby Lucy (why didn't anyone remind me that newborns were so much work?) but we did manage to have some fun. Two trips to Five Guys (of course), two mountain bike rides (for the big boys), one trip to Target, a visit to the Albany Museum, a Thomas the Train movie in the theater and, obviously, the making and eating of a dreamy homemade Thanksgiving dinner. None too shabby, I'd say.

Will loved having his cousins come and the excitement at their impending arrival was palpable. He helped me clean the whole house for his cousins with gusto and not one complaint--all I had to say was, "We got to clean this or that for our cousins" and he was all help (not his typical reaction when asked to clean). Plus, he called Amy at least a dozen times, asking when they were coming. And when he was waiting for them to arrive at the window and they finally got here, he dashed into my room and shouted with joy, "Our cousins are here! Our cousins are here!" And the next day, when Josh got home from work, he proclaimed, "Dada, our cousins are still here!" It was priceless. Whatever are we going to do without our Vermont Madsens?

Of course, this Thanksgiving I am grateful for my little family. How blessed are we to have Will and Lucy Lu in our lives? I could never fully verbalize how grateful I am for those two little rug-rats, even if they are the world's least photogenic children, as evidenced below:

Sam, Beth, Will and Lucy (barely) sitting, ready to eat a Thanksgiving feast (where is James? Who knows??)
And here is a better one of Sam and Beth but check out Will. I'll bet those of you who know him know what he is saying, "I am tired." A mantra he chats from 5:00 on.

And my two kids. Aren't they prizes?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Janelet

2011-12-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

Our favorite Aunt Jane also came to help out with the babe and Will. It was uber nice of her to give up a weekend of living large in New York City to spend it with us happenin' folk in Schenectady, participating in such exciting things as cleaning out the pantry/fridge, Thanksgiving shopping at BJ's and going to bed at 10:00 (the earliest, she claimed, she'd been to bed in ages). It was so nice to have an extra set of hands around--she held baby Lu Lu all through church so I could run around and do my Relief Society responsibilities and Josh could do his Young Men's. I think I need Jane at church with me every week. We seriously adore our Aunt Jane and are so glad we finally got a picture with her (I made everyone snap a photo before church). And my kids are her hair twins, which couldn't make me happier. Isn't she beautiful? Love you, Jane. Come back and soon!

Granny Came, Too

2011-12-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

I'm seriously easing into this whole parenting-two-children-gig. And it's a good thing. It's not for wusses (how anyone cares for more than two children is mind-boggling to me). I've had lots of help come my way, saving me in these times of sleep-deprivation, never-ending nursing sessions and constant diaper changes. And let's not even talk about Will. After Josh went back to work, I flew solo for two days, then my mom came. After she left, I had three days by myself until Josh's mom came. Then she left and I had four days alone before Aunt Jane came. And immediately following Jane, Amy and the kids came to play with Will for a week (and spend Thanksgiving) and let me sleep in every day (because we all know Will is a notorious early riser--especially when his cousins are around. Sorry, Amy). Now I am facing my longest stretch yet--two whole weeks all by myself (not including weekends, of course) until my dad comes (I called home and begged for him to come. We can't wait). Let's see if I can handle these two weeks (one week down and I barely survived).

We were so very happy to have Granny (Josh's mom) all to ourselves for a week. The day she left, Will ran into the bathroom while I was taking a shower and cried, "I miss Granny." I quickly told him, "I miss Granny, too, buddy." And trust me, we still miss Granny. She got up with Will every morning, cooked us 14 batches of enchiladas to go in our new freezer (that she got for us because where else were we going to fit 14 batches of enchiladas?), made us dinner, took Will to get some trains, colored with Will (as shown in the pictures below. Castles were that week's fascination), snuggled baby Lucy lots and just spoiled us rotten. We love you, Granny and we miss you lots!

All Dressed up and No Place to Go

2011-11-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

If you can believe, this little girl is one month old. I really can't. To celebrate, I got her all dressed up and ready for church in this darling little dress, but instead of wearing it to church, she only wore it to a much-needed four-hour nap at home (she'd had a really rough morning with NO naps, so when she finally crashed, I told myself I'd just bring her to church once she woke up. But she never woke up. And since Josh and Will were already at church, I had a glorious afternoon, far more restorative than church--shhh, don't tell my bishop I said that).

After church, Will, Lucy and I had a little photo shoot to commemorate her first month of life. Will took several of these photos and didn't do a bad job, I'd say. We love you, Lucy, even if you are a tad high maintenance at this early stage of your life. We can't imagine life without you!

Look at her cross-eyed look!

The Night I Cried Myself to Sleep. . .

2011-11-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

. . .was the night my mom/Grammy left us. Really. I cried myself to sleep, for so many reasons. I cried because when Grammy was here:

Will had a constant playmate, coloring (and coloring and coloring), playing with play-do, driving cars, reading books, etc., etc., etc. Will loves him his Grammy and could NOT understand why she had to go home.

I got to sleep in until 8 every morning, knowing that Will was taken care of. I cried a lot for the loss of this one.

We had a home cooked meal every night that I had nothing to do with. And I never even washed a dish.

We ate lots of yummy homemade baked goods (Will told me after Grammy left that Grammy is the best cookie maker ever.)

Will got to and from preschool without any assistance from me.

She cleaned my house. Twice. And it needed it.

I had a constant friend and companion. I cried the most at the loss of this one.

We love you, Grammy. We miss you. We really, really want you to come back. And soon. Thanks for making the long trek out to see us and help us.

Now, here is the only picture I took of Grammy and my kids, but it had to make it on the blog):

And Even More Lucy

2011-11-10T04:28:00.000-08:00

Another friend took some pictures of our little Lucy. They turned out darling. My friend, April, has a photography business and she is very talented. If you live in the area and are looking for some fantastic pictures, look her up.

Here's the link to the photos of our Lucy Lu: http://www.aprilnewmanphoto.com/?p=370

Thanks, April!

Halloween 3-Year-Old Style

2011-11-09T11:08:00.000-08:00

In order to truly appreciate Halloween, I think you must be three. In my opinion, this holiday was made for three-year-olds. So, without further ado, here's how to have the perfect Halloween, three-year-old style. (And yes, below you will find picture overload. I did pare it down. A little).

1. Have a lazy mother who once again failed to get you a Halloween costume (can we blame baby Lucy just a little??). Have a wonderfully talented friend and neighbor who once again let you raid her homemade Halloween costume collection and pick out your favorite one: a dinsadour costume, of course (that's how he says it: dinsadour).

2. Wear that dinsadour costume everywhere for two weeks straight: to bed, riding your bike, to music class, to Panera for dinner. If your mom or dad tells you that you cannot wear that dinsadour costume to church and/or school, break down in absolute hysteria.

3. Attend your preschool's Halloween party and parade with all your school friends (especially Olivia--the little Snow White to the right of Will. He loves Olivia and she loves him. Olivia told her mom that she wants to "bury" (aka marry) Will).

4. Insist you hold your baby sister in her Halloween outfit. (Or insist you hold your baby sister in any outfit. At any time).

5. Carve a "scary jack-o-lantern" with your headless horseman father and your grammy. Love every second of it, especially the lighting of the jack-o-lantern at night. (And, of course, it's all done while wearing your dinsadour costume).

6. Attend the ward party, where you participate with your whole heart and soul in every game, in order to win the coveted prize: candy, candy, candy. In fact, insist you play every game twice so that you can receive more candy. (Note: my favorite game is pictured directly below. Will had to crawl through the streamers without knocking them down to get to the pumpkin filled with candy. Never have I seen a child take on a task so seriously. He was not messing around).

7. Go trick-or-treating for the first time in your neighborhood. Run with gusto and much excitement to every door (really, I want that image to stay in my mind forever--Will running gleefully from door to door, dinosaur tail wagging, pumpking pail glowing in the dark night. It will make me smile for years to come). Once you've hit about 15 houses, tell your dada, "It's past my bedtime. Let's go home."

Trick-or-treating at our house with Grammy passing out candy.

After running so fast and furiously from house to house, Will would run up to the house, ring the doorbell, then sit down and wait, then say, "I just need to rest a minute." It was too cute.

Happy Halloween to all. May you ever experience and enjoy it through the eyes of a three-year-old.

More Lucy

2011-10-29T13:46:00.001-07:00

Just in case you needed a little more Lucy in your life, here's some more photos of our little peanut. My friend Janet came and took some pictures and did a great job, especially considering Lucy was less than cooperative. Thanks, Janet! Now for your viewing pleasure:

P.S. Amy and Kasey, like all of Lucy's outfits? Whatever would we do without Bean's and Sarah's clothes?

Introducing...

2011-10-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Lucille Grace Madsen

It's official. I won the coin toss, so Lucille Grace it is. (We really did flip a coin. And I did legitimately win, though Josh claims, "We all knew you would get your way anyway." I should say so. I gave her life without an epidural so my vote counts at least 10% more. And yes, don't you worry. I will be using that without-an-epidural card as long as I so shall please).
We love her. Her brother clearly loves her (seriously loves her. He tells everyone, "Come see my baby sister! She came out!").
And we even love her when she looks like this:

Pictures of Baby Lucy: My Gift to You

2011-10-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world, little baby Lucy. You may still be officially nameless (will it be Lucille or Lucy?) and you may have come into this world far too fast and furiously (barely made it to the hospital) and you may look a little bit like a boy (she is a twin of Will when he was brand new) but one thing is for sure: you are adorable and loved to pieces. Grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins have been begging for photos, so enjoy these photos of baby Lucy with limited commentary (my brother Jon says he never reads the words any way--he calls my blog too wordy). I'll post more details later.

First picture ever. Birth date: Wednesday, October 12, 3:15 a.m. Born at 39 weeks 6 days. One day early. I really thought she was never going to come.
Weight: 8 lbs. 4 oz. Height: 21 inches. Healthy and happy, with a cone head just like her brother Will. Can you believe I gave birth to this big baby SANS drugs? I think I should get some sort of award. Especially since I am the world's #1 advocate of modern medicine (a.k.a. epidurals).

Hospital attire: cap and swaddling blanket.

You can't really tell from the photo, but she has the cutest strawberry blond hair. Whenever Will was at the hospital, all the nurses would comment on our redheaded children.

Will's first time meeting baby Lucy. I'd say he likes her. I think the jury's still out as to whether or not he wants to keep her. And I'm pretty sure his favorite part of the hospital was the moving beds. He would not stop playing with those beds, making them go up and down. I think that is one of my favorite parts of the hospital, too. That and the nurses call button attached to the beds. I want one of those at my house.

Will and his little sister, Lucy.

Getting ready to take off. We kind of left the hospital in a mad rush because I was getting a roommate and wanted no part of that, so as my gift to that new mom, we left that night so she could have a solo room. I'd been there two full days and one night anyway. Plus, the beauty of the nursery in the middle of the night was dead to me since every time I called the nursery to come and take the baby back THEY NEVER CAME. So, baby girl bunked with me all night anyway.

Oh yes, I was there too. Once we got her in some pink, she looked more feminine. We realized as we were leaving the hospital that we never took any pictures of me. Luckily, we snapped a few photos at the end. It's a good thing since I'd say I was a pretty integral part of this whole process.

Isn't she a doll?

All ready for the car ride home.

Once home, Will insisted both he and she get their nigh-nighs and have them downstairs. He's usually not allowed to have his nigh-nigh downstairs, so I'm sure this was all a ploy to get his nigh nigh, but it was still cute.

Trying to give her a kiss.

Sorry baby girl, but I'm afraid this is a portent of things to come--getting harassed by your much bigger big brother.

We love you, little Lucy (or little Lucille?). We are thrilled you are finally here!

I Dare You to Find. . .

2011-10-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

. . .a little boy as cute as this:
or this:

And to further illustrate my point, here are the latest in Will's funny sayings/doings:

A few weeks ago, he was just walking around the house calling things nasty, as in, "Oh boy, that is nasty." I was a little perplexed by this, since I don't recall using this word. When I asked him who taught him to say that, he quickly replied, "Grammy taught it to me." Right, Will, Grammy did.

It was a rainy day and I was car-less and trying to get things done around the house. So, Will just played and played around me, never getting dressed. In fact he was just wearing his jammy tops and some underwear, when I told him that dada would be coming home soon. To this he responded, "Do that mean I need to put on pants?" Yes, dada is the known pants-enforcer in our home.

We were running late to a doctor's appointment, when I told Will I would be his best friend if he would just buckle himself in his carseat. Since no immediate action was taken and I needed to get going, I just reached back and buckled him myself. While doing so, Will stated, "I want you to be my best friend and buckle me!"

Josh, Will and I were off to a church function when we got stuck in traffic due to construction. Knowing the extent of the traffic, I could foresee that the usual 5-minute-commute to the church would take at least 40 minutes; thus, I started whining (in my defense, food was to be served at this function and I hadn't eaten since lunch so I was hungry, hungry, hungry which makes me a tad testy). After listening to my complaints for a few minutes, Will told me from the back of the car, "Mama, just be quiet!" Nothing like being put in your place by a three-year-old.

Lately, I've been obsessed with listening to Les Miserables. I guess it's been quite a bit since one time while in the car I asked Will what he wanted to listen to and he replied, "The Jon U Jon song." I laughed and laughed at that, since I knew that he meant Jean Valjean. And now, he walks around singing, "Who am I? I'm Jon U Jon!"

Will must be listening to me intently lately since yesterday, he stated, "Why can't baby Lucy just be born already?" Don't we both want to know, buddy.

He is obsessed with hiding. When he hears the garage door opening, indicating Josh is home, he runs and cries, "Hide! Hide! Hide!" And every night, before bed, if he has to run to go potty or brush his teeth, he tells Josh and me to hide. We always hide in the same spot (under the covers) but he acts surprised every time. My favorite is when we play hide and go seek and he tells me, "I seeked you!" (meaning, of course, he found me).

Here are a few more pics:

Will and Josh enjoying scones on the floor/stool since Josh was using all the chairs to tie baby Lucy's quilt.

Will's current obsession: making me print off pictures from clipart so he can color them and then hang them himself. He is going to run us out of house and home with the way he goes through markers--he presses that hard. He really is quite the talented colorer, though. My favorite is the picture he colored entirely black. I'm pretty sure that brand new marker is out of ink now.

World, Meet Wolverine, My Husband

2011-10-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that, though not an exceptionally talented person myself, my one true talent lies in surrounding myself with truly talented people. Enter Joshy, who really is one of the most talented people I know. And though he may not be a true super hero in the worldly sense (even though after a good night's rest he has the "Wolverine hair" as seen in the picture below), he really has been my super hero in helping me prepare for this baby. My nesting instinct has mostly consisted of merely standing by and ensuring Josh gets everything done on his "Honey-do" list. Here is just a small taste of what he's accomplished to prepare us for baby Lucy (who, please bless, will make her appearance real soon).
Will and Josh displaying Josh's perfect Wolverine hair. Notice the shelves he made hanging on the wall behind them and the bed he made for Will that they are sitting on (and the cute comforter my SIL made).

1. The closet. He not only hung extra shelves in the master closet so that he could move all his gear in, but he also eliminated at least 30 t-shirts from his collection to make room for baby Lucy. If any of you truly know Josh, then you know how difficult this was for him. He is insanely attached to his t-shirts. I was laughing so hard at some of his comments while downsizing (I wrote them down b/c I needed it on paper--here's just a few):

"But what if I ever need to be a cowboy?"

"It might be time to give this one away. It's too big. It's got stains on it. I've had it for 17 years. I'll sleep in it tonight one last time, then give it away."

"I could acid wash them to make them look better." (That one's for his brother, Nate).

2. Making a "nigh-nigh" with Will for baby girl. They even went to the fabric store and picked out the material. When I tried to make a suggestion as to what fabric to buy, I was ushered away by Will, who insisted, "Mama, this is our project. Now go away." When Josh was trying to explain something to me in the fabric store about quilting, he whispered to me, "I can't talk about it here. I can't let people know that I know more about quilting than you."

3. Sanding, priming and painting, painting, painting.
He re-painted the crib so it looks brand new (destructo Will had done a number on it--plus, remember he built that crib in the first place). And look at the darling bedding my sister-in-law Kasey made. Really, that deserves its own blog post. And when I get the nursery fully decorated, don't you worry, I will devote an entire post to that wonderfully talented lady. (Plus, the nursery is a bit of a hot mess still since Josh and I have been sleeping on the guest bed on the floor in there since our master bed is too soft for my aching back).

He sanded, primed and painted this dresser with 4 coats of paint! It was in need of some serious TLC. Thanks to my neighbor and friend who donated it to us.

And, of course, he painted and primed this glider that I scored at a garage sale when Will was 6-months-old (that I never finished). Notice the darling quilt Kasey made to match the bedding. Plus, amazing Kasey re-covered the cushions for me for Christmas of 2008. Good thing it finally gets to be used!

4. These are just a small number of the projects (really, the most photogenic ones). Of course, all this was done on top of his usual household duties: cooking, cleaning, putting Will to bed, etc., etc. Basically, I've been useless these last few weeks of pregnancy. It's a good thing I'm so talented at marrying such a talented guy. We love you, Wolverine; couldn't have done it without you.

First Day of School

2011-09-14T05:15:00.000-07:00

*Another long and boring post written mainly for my records.

The first day of preschool has come and gone. And while there were a few tears (only from me), I'd say it was a success. The night before we had a special meal, his choice: mac and cheese, green beans, cantaloupe and homemade bread. Turns out, the homemade mac and cheese was not his favorite (I guess he likes it out of the box better, but not me; this mac and cheese was decadent) and Josh got stuck in traffic due to closed bridges from the flooding (his usual 10-minute commute took him two-and-a-half hours!) and by the time he made it home, Will was beyond ready for bed and as I was beyond ready for Will to go to bed as well. Will got to open some presents (a few books, a tradition I'd like to keep for pre-back-to-school night) and then he was off to bed.

The next day, he couldn't contain his excitement. He wouldn't let go of his "leaf" poster and he insisted on wearing his Thomas the Train backpack (and not the cute LLBean backpack Granny bought). Since it was Josh's day off, we both accompanied him to his first day of school. Once at preschool, Will ran in to play with the toys and was completely engrossed, never giving neither Josh nor me a second thought. I tried to get his attention to say good-bye, but he wanted none of it.

When we came and got him, he was jazzed to see us. He ran up to his teacher and gave her a hug, telling her, "I can't wait to see you again, Ms. Stephanie!" It was the cutest thing ever. Then he told us that his favorite part of preschool was Ms. Stephanie. He loved story time, insisting that we check out the Monkey and the Alligator book at the library next time (we even found the very book on Amazon and reserved it from the library). He also told us that there were goldfish and grapes for his first snack, but that he was too tired to eat, so Ms. Stephanie told him to take a nap on his chair. He said he did (lately, "I am too tired" has been his excuse to get out of anything he doesn't want to do, though I'm surprised he used that for snack time). He came home with a nice drawing with his name spelled on it like this: LLIW. Maybe he's dyslexic or maybe it's because he is ambidextrous (he will NOT choose a favored hand. He changes hands mid-meal, mid-color, etc. Should handedness be manifest by now? Who knows?) or maybe it is because he ran out of room (he always starts the W too far to the right of the page). But he loved preschool and he can't wait to go back.

Since Josh was off, we got to have a mini-date, realizing that this could be the only time to be sans children before Lucy makes her appearance. So, we ran a quick errand to Lowe's and then went out to breakfast, where we mostly talked about our cute little boy and how we can't get enough of him and how weird it will be for me to not have him constantly by my side. He's been my partner for so long, it just was sad to be without him (but good, too. I guess that's the way of life). That was a real treat--a daytime date with free babysitters (well, besides the preschool tuition fee, that is).

Now Will gets to go back tomorrow and I'm looking forward to a few weeks of having a few hours of free time in the middle of the day for a couple days a week. Hooray for that. I already have a haircut and pedicure planned for the next two preschool times. That's putting my time to good use, no?

Now enjoy the photos of our cute preschooler.

Here he is showing off his new books.

The before school shot, complete with his leaf poster, filled with family photos for the first day of school.

Tell me he isn't adorable?

He walked right in and saw his cubby with his name on it and was tickled pink that he would have a cubby with his name on it and just for his Thomas back pack.

The Mad-family all proud on Will's first day of school (though Will doesn't look too thrilled, he really was. It's just that he's never thrilled about getting pictures taken).

Lovermont

2011-09-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

We lovermont (get it? We love Vermont. I saw that on a bumper sticker whilst there and had to steal it). And why do we love Vermont? We love Vermont because when we're there we get to:

Go on a mini-camping trip at this idyllic lake only three miles from the Vermont Madsens' home (meaning, Amy, baby James and I went home at 9:30 and slept peacefully in comfortable beds located very near flushing toilets while Josh and Nate had the pleasure of sleeping with all three kids in the tent).

Get assistance from older cousin Beth on everything, including going to the bathroom in the woods. (I had to include this photo, though mildly inappropriate; it just makes me laugh. The bathroom process took all three kids: Beth, to help Will put his pants back on and Sam to hold the light while Will went potty in the dark).

Go on fun mountain-bike rides with our cousins.

Go to the beach (not pictured), go out to eat and enjoy all our fun family time. Thanks, Vermont Madsens. What ever would we do without you?

Would You Rather?

2011-09-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

Would you rather have a newborn or be this pregnant?

35 weeks pregnant, self-photo.

Admittedly, babies are easier to take care of inside than out, but I could sure do without the constant bathroom trips, the terrible indigestion, the backache, the never-sleeping yet constant tiredness, the inability to walk without feeling as though I'm going into labor this very second, and overall lack of energy (i.e. laziness). Plus, I really miss my toes.

Here's to hoping the next few weeks just fly by. And that I somehow accomplish everything I need to before baby girl comes. And that I don't gain ANY MORE weight. And that my baby girl is born sleeping through the night. And that she's born a few weeks early, like her older brother. That's not too much to ask, right?

Summer Fun

2011-09-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

Though I may not have hit everything on our Summer Bucket list, I was far more adventurous than predicted here. And since we didn't get in our annual summer Spokane trip (weep, weep), we tried to have some fun locally. Of course, I didn't document all our outings, but here are some that I did:

1. Mad-time in Maine with the Madsens.

We've done this trip for a few years running--spending time shopping, eating, beaching (maybe some day I'll get those photos from Amy) and just having fun with all the Madsens.

2. Moreau Lake
We hit this one up twice--one time with dada and one time with friends. I love this lake. What's not to love? Warm water, groomed beaches, plenty of sun!

3. Water Wednesdays
For the third year in a row, I've hosted Water Wednesdays at my house--a day for the kids to splash around in the kiddie pools and slip 'n slides and for the mamas to chit chat.

5. Saratoga Horsetrack

We also hit this place up twice--once with dada and once with friends. It is really a beautiful race track and I'm glad we got to finally check it out.

Here's Will, placing his bets.

6. Saratoga Pool

A beautiful, cold pool that was very refreshing on a hot day in August.

7. We also camped (twice--once with me and once without).

8. Hiked.

9. Did plenty of bike rides (well, Will biked--I walked).

10. Swam any chance we could at the Y.

11. Went to Vermont (maybe someday I'll post pics of that).

12. Amusement parked (in Hershey. Again, I need my photos from Amy).

Not too shabby for one very pregnant lady, no? Now, the questions is, am I ready for the fall? Yes and no. Fall means school for Will, cooler weather, and one baby girl. I think the former two I'll embrace. But a newborn? Is anyone ever really ready for that? Plus, her nursery is still a hot, hot mess. Ahhhhhhhhhh, guess I'll take summer, thank you very much.

Today

2011-09-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today. . .

. . .was the day that Will woke up at 5:40 and was ushered back into his room by his dada until there was a "first seven on his clock".
. . .was the day that we spent raspberry picking with our friends the Packs, covering our hands with the red tart juices, savoring the raspberries' sun-ripened goodness and basking in the sunshine.
. . .was the day that Will climbed on the farm's playground, complete with a pirate ship, and laughed the afternoon away, chasing his friends on his swift three-year-old legs.
. . .was the day that Will took a nap, snuggling his nigh-nigh tightly and looking as precious and calm as only sleep can bring.
. . .was the day that Will's dada woke him up from his nap, where he turned to his dada and said, "You are my favorite cousin" (a compliment in its highest form).
. . .was the day that we went swimming as a family, splashing in the water's weightlessness, jumping on the count of three and racing to the pool's edge and back again.
. . .was the day that we went to Hannaford after swimming, to grab a dinner of "chicken nuggets", fresh corn and hot bread (and don' t forget the free cookie).
. . .was the day that we sat at the dinner table, eating Will's favorite meal, when Will told us, "You are my best parents. I want to be with you forever and ever," only to be followed moments later by a, "I love you lots."
. . .was the day where Will ran out to help his dada mow the lawn, only to lose one precious "cwip-cwop" in the process, the priceless shoe torn to shreds by the lawn mower.
. . .was the first time I've seen my child so scared and so sad as he processed his first real loss (his flip flop).
. . .was the day that I dropped everything (dishes, clean-up, bedtime routine), to comfort my saddened son.
. . .was the day that I tucked in my sweet son, told him I loved him and would see him first thing in the morning, running my fingers through his coarse red hair, rubbing his back and snuggling him tight.
. . .was the day where I sat down and let myself cry, cry for the happy joy it is to be this boy's mom; cry for the blessings of motherhood; cry for the impending loss of this content family of three; cry for the excitement of bringing another baby home; cry for the nervousness that looms from thoughts of caring for another child; cry because I am so happy, so whole as a mother and how grateful I am I get to do this every day and how I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

Lessons Learned in Hershey, PA

2011-08-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Amy and I decided to throw all the kids into Vinnie (our trusty ol' mini-van that we've acquired. Will calls it the "vini-van"; hence, its name) and trek on down to Hershey, PA, to visit my other sis-in-law, Kasey, and her two kids. It was a fun and fast trip. We learned a few things, to say the least, traveling with all the kiddos. We learned:

1. Never, never put the two three-year-old boys all the way back in the vini-van because it will be impossible to reach their ever-so-needy-three-year-old selves. Seriously, mini-vans need a pulley system or something. And Amy, the copilot, got the workout of a lifetime, reaching back there to divvy out snacks, find trains, fix the DVD player and so on and so forth.
2. Never underestimate baby James. The thirteen-month-old was by far the best one in the car. He didn't cry, didn't really sleep, but did just sit there, happy as a clam for the five-hour drive.
3. Never make a stop at 5 Guys in Scranton, PA (yes, the Scranton of the Office fame). While the kids had been happy in the van, we decided to stop for lunch where they were decidedly unhappy--no one ate one bite of their food and tears and tantrums ensued.
4. Never sleep with Will on vacation (or anywhere else for that matter). Will slept with Amy, Sam and Baby James (I slept on the couch b/c I didn't want to wake everyone all the time with my innumerable bathroom trips) and he would wake up at odd hours of the night (or morning), jump around on the loud air mattress and then sometimes go back to sleep (or sometimes just stay awake). What a menace.
5. Never doubt your child when he/she insists it's wet, rainy and cold in the back of the car. Turns out the window was rolled down unbeknown to me, all amid a stormy, rainy day and Will's complaints were valid. Poor kid.
6. Do have fun with your cousins. These kids adore each other. There's nothing like cousins.
7. Do have a good time playing at Hershey park, visiting the infamous chocolate factory and throwing rocks at the duck pond.
8. Do stay up late, laughing and chatting and getting plenty of girls' time.
9. Do say lots and lots of prayers that trusy ol' Vinnie will make it home safely.
10. Do send Kasey a thank-you card for letting us come and crash her place and eat all her food. Or if you're far too lazy for that, do at least write a blog-post where you publicly thank her for her hospitality. Thanks, Kase! We had a ball. Until next time, right?

Now for the pictures. As usual, I didn't take enough photos and these are all at the duck pond on our way out of town.

All the cousins: Will, Grant, Sarah, Beth, James and Sam. This is as good as we could get.

This cute Will of mine.
Throwing rocks.
And I had to throw this one in. Will and Sam are only four months apart, but look at the size difference. But they don't let it deter them. They love each other.

Willy Will

2011-08-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

I'm long overdue for an update. And though I have plenty to post about, I wanted to do a Will update before I forgot some of the funny things he has said/done. It's never boring around here, that's for sure. And I'm pretty sure no one, except perhaps grandparents, will care to read this long, long post, but write it I must, for the sake of journaling.

We were trying to Skype with my parents one night when our computer was being so slow. My dad called, wondering what was going on and Will answered the phone. He told my dad, "We trying to talk to you on the computer but the computer is so dang, dang slow."

We were reading our scriptures and I showed him a picture of Enos and I asked him who he was, to which he quickly replied, "Dandio" (the name of his favorite bull from one of our favorite books Toot and Puddle).

We were driving in the car when the old country song, "Please, Don't Take the Girl" came on the radio. The part about Johnny not wanting the girl to come fishing played when Will asked, "Why he not want to take the girl?" When I told Will that some boys don't really like girls, Will said, "I like girls." I asked him who some of his favorite girls were and he shouted, "MAMA!" It melted my heart. He then proceeded to list all of his favorite girls: Beth, Amy, Kasey Mama, etc., etc., (all his cousins and aunts and grandmas) when he finally declared, "And Lucy! Lucy's a girl! I love Lucy!" (Lucy is what Will is insisting we name our baby girl). It was too precious.

The vacuum was out the other night and Will was pretend vacuuming with it. He finished up and told us, "Now it's all clean. You can't come in here, 'kay?" Clearly, that's something he hears often.

Now I can't remember all the funny things he says. Arghh. Pregnancy brain.

Now here are some of the things he's been up to:

Not enough of this (sleeping). He really and truly is done with naps (this picture was probably taken the last nap he took. He loves to sleep like this--like a frog, I say). Nothing, and I mean nothing, I can say, do, bribe, threaten, lock will produce a nap, so he's downgraded to quiet time. I don't really mind, except at 5:00 every evening when he falls apart until we put him to bed at 6:30 and then he's up at the crack of dawn. He just can't hold his bladder long enough. Is it wrong to put him back in diapers for night again? Just so he will sleep and not be a bear every evening?
Watercoloring......

in his underpants, of course. He rarely wears pants around the house. After he uses the bathroom he just takes his pants off and it is too much effort to make him put pants on again and again. Don't worry, though, I do insist he wears pants when we leave the house. This kid really does love to color, paint, draw, write. He'll sit and do it for a long time these days. And he's so obsessed with spelling and writing things and his alphabet and numbers. He's discovered typing names on the computer and it is fun (except when he can't find the q and he is shouting bloody murder at me to come and help him find the q).

Helping me sort through all of Lucy's clothes. This girl will never go naked, that's for sure. We've been given clothes by two neighbors and two sisters-in-law and, of course, I've bought a few things. Needless to say, she'll be decked. And Will thinks it's fun to try her stuff on. In this case, it's a robe. The best was when he tried on some 0-3 month pants.

Skewering. Will thinks kabobs are the best, especially when we grill pineapple. He mostly eats the pineapple straight off the skewer, but what are you gonna do? He really is, for the most part, a helpful little boy. He especially loves to help me bake. And he loves to throw things in the recycle bin in the garage. And he loves to clean toilets, dust, water plants, unload the groceries, and get the produce at the grocery store. What he doesn't love, however, is to clear his plate (it is a battle every time) and empty the silverware. Who knows why?

Riding his bike. He's been learning how to do it without training wheels. He can do it across the tennis court all by himself. We're still working on it and he's just discovered his new bike has brakes, so it is painful at times because he brakes, then brakes, then brakes, but we'll get there.

Assisting. He loves to help Josh when he has his tools. He is always this close when Josh has a project at hand. The best was when we were weeding the flower beds and Josh was kneeling down weeding, and Will just went and sat on his lap and started weeding. He just has to be right there.

Obsessing. Over that dang nigh-nigh again. It's always a battle on wash day to get him to get it in the washing machine. I always tell him, "Next load and it's the nigh-nigh." And he will sit there and cry, "I don't want my nigh-nigh to be washed. I like it dirty." Finally, the other day, we got it in the wash and ten minutes later this is where I found him: sitting on the washing machine, just staring at his nigh-nigh in the washing machine. I think we have a problem.

Creating. Josh and I were working on some projects around the house and Will was left to his own devices for a while. He'd found the masking tape and had taped everything in his bedroom. The best was the reason why he taped the basketball hoop: "I didn't want it to be blue anymore. I like white better." (And yes, he's wearing no pants, again).

Sunday Mornings

2011-07-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with 1:00 church. I love it when I can get my trash together--iron all clothes, bathe, get ready, throw dinner in a crock pot, clean up, leave early for church, enjoy church and come home to a clean house with dinner ready. I hate it when I don't have my trash together--scramble for hours for something decent to wear, rummage the cupboards for dinner, hurriedly dress Will in any shirt that doesn't need to be ironed, bark at Will to eat his lunch, get his shoes on and get in the car because we are going to be late again and then come home to a house in shambles and nothing to eat, feel far too exhausted to make anything but breakfast for dinner and neglect the dishes until the next day. Unfortunately, my Sunday mornings tend to be more like the latter than the former (in fact, one Sunday not too long ago, I ran out of the house in such a rush I forgot to feed Will lunch. We were sitting in church and he started crying, "I want a sandwich. I want a sandwich!" What kind of mother am I? Please don't call Child Protective Services on me).

This Sunday, however, I had it together, so much so that we even had a chance to enjoy some jump around time in our Sunday clothes (of course, we ended up being barely on time for church because Will had to go to the bathroom right as we were about to leave and he takes forever to go to the bathroom--like three stories, lots of encouraging, some "I just need a little privacy" time and then, of course, the "Come wipe me" time as well). So, during our jump around time, I had to snap some photos for the good ol' blog--not only because he was so cute but also so that I could document that I was, at least once this year, on time for church. (It may never happen again).

How to Go Camping in Upstate New York

2011-07-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

If ever you decide to go camping in New York state, then I'm sure you'll appreciate some advice. So, here it is: how to go camping in upstate New York, Madsen-style.

1. Attain a large bag with which to fill the most important items: one cute, very excited little three-year-old and all 3 of your memory foam pillows (this is a must for one very pregnant woman--yes, those pillows were all for me).

2. Put your hubby, who can do anything, in charge of most things--such as packing, putting up the tent, cooking most meals. Really, I insist everyone go camping with Josh. It is just so much fun and so little work.

3. Snuggle, snuggle, snuggle in your two-man tent filled with three-and-a-half people (really, you have no choice but to snuggle in your two-man tent filled with three-and-a-half people).

4. Bring lots and lots of bug spray--mosquitoes are rampant in these parts.
5. Take a moonlit dip nightly to get rid of nasty bug spray.

6. Pose on any and all rocks for a picture. But it is important that you be this cute:

7. Pray that your little guy does not trip and fall over the innumerable rocks, stumps and holes that dot the campsite. Or start a forest fire. Camping with this little guy keeps you on your toes.
8. Enjoy the beautiful scenery that surrounds you. Upstate NY is so very pretty.

9. Bring lots and lots of junk food (this is really camping Spear-style, but a tradition I insisted we keep. Will, who had never had licorice before, referred to them as, "My red camping sticks").
10. Bring a beach chair so that the pregnant woman can have a place to sit in the two-seated canoe (did I mention we canoe-camped? We fit everything we needed, including us, inside that one canoe. That was some trip to our campsite).

11. While sitting in that beach chair in said canoe, sit back, relax and let your hubby do all the work. (This was his view). And if you're a boy named Will, demand your dada to "Go get that duck!" or "Go see that rock!" and then proceed to let your dada do all that work while going to said duck or said rock.

12. Have a great time being in nature, bonding as a little family, eating s'mores around the campfire and enjoying your first real family camping trip.

This Ain't No Potbelly, People

2011-07-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, while grocery shopping, a cute little old man came up to me and stated matter-of-factly, "You're having a baby!" I smiled and told him that I was and he was all kindness and congratulations when his wife pulls up with her little cart and reprimands her husband, saying, "You can't just go up to people and tell them they're having a baby--they might just have potbellies!" The cute man points at me and responds with, "That ain't no potbelly." No sir, this sure ain't no potbelly, this is a baby, a big one I might add. So here I am in all my glory at 25+weeks (yes, the + is very important). And as you can clearly see, this sure ain't no potbelly.

I may be huge and I may have a double-chin already, but doesn't my hair look great? Pregnancy is great for hair, at least! (I insisted on getting a pregnancy shot before church so that I at least looked decent and was wearing something besides sweatpants, my outfit of choice these days. I'm lovin' the maxi dresses. They hide the already swelling ankles. Darn this dang humidity. I've had about enough, already).
And Will had to get in on the action, too, of course, giving me some kisses while I made a funny little face. That boy is too cute and really is my best accessory! Now, if you know what is good for you, you will proceed to comment on how darling, how small, how beautiful I look as a pregnant lady (unlike most of the comments I receive while at church, such as, "Wow. You are going to be big," or "Are you having twins?" or "How much longer do you have?"). Let the comments begin.....

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Swimming Classes?

2011-07-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Will: the little boy who fears almost nothing. He's not afraid of the big slide at the park; he's not afraid to jump off anything, no matter how high; he never feared nursery; he giggles when big dogs lick him; scary stories are his favorite; the dark--he treasures it. What is this little boy, this feisty, determined little boy, afraid of, you may wonder? Why, the big, bad swimming classes, of course.

Who knows the reason? He loves the kiddie pool. He loves the big pool when swimming with dada. But one look from Miss Stephanie and the child is in full-on tears, clinging-mode and absolute hysteria.

Here's the kiddie pool, notice no fear--no sense of danger (or common sense for that matter):

And here he is with Miss Stephanie (and this is how he was the.whole.class.long for every.single.class):

Poor Will--apparently his mama tortures him. But torture him no more. Seven weeks of this was enough for both of us. Until next year, I suppose.

P.S. Today we went swimming at the Y, just in the kiddie pool because the big pool was closed due to swimming classes. Will was having a ball, as usual, oblivious to the swimming classes going on around him. That is until Miss Stephanie appears. The mere sight of her (a full month after swim classes had ended) sent him into hysterics, running to me, crying, "I don't wanna go to swim cwasses, I don't wanna go to swim cwasses." Scarred for life, I tell you (and it isn't Ms. Stephanie. She's no warm and fuzzy but she isn't mean).

My Very Own Summer Bucket List

2011-06-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

If you've been blog-reading (or stalking) lately then I'm sure you've noticed everyone posting their summer bucket lists (a list detailing all the things they want to accomplish this summer. Mostly fun, summery things like: going camping, attending a water park, visiting family, etc, etc.). Not wanting to be left behind from the blog-trend bandwagon (as I'm always so up to date), I felt it necessary to include my very own summer bucket list. So here goes.

1. Get rid of and keep all flies from my house (a.k.a. teach Will to shut the door behind him, for the love).
2. Don't get fat (too late for that one--I'm looking like a beached whale. Good news, though--I only gained two pounds at my last appt.--trust me, that's good news for me. How did I celebrate? By heading straight home and spreading Nutella on top of everything. I love Nutella).
3. On that same note, don't get cankles. Please, please don't get cankles.
4. Buy a window air conditioning unit for my bedroom window. I have central air, but it just ain't cutting it at night. Is anyone else here in upstate NY sweating to death?
5. Not throttle my three-year-old when he: refuses to get dressed in the morning, refuses to brush his teeth, refuses to comb his hair, refuses to do anything unless I count to three (and threaten with the step).
6. Pray no one judges me when I leave the house with a three-year-old who is undressed, hair uncombed, teeth unbrushed.
7. Catch up on all the good shows I missed, like The Vampire Diaries (don't you judge me. We all have our dirty little secrets).
8. And maybe, just maybe--if I can muster the energy--do something fun with my family (like go camping, attend a water park, visit family, etc., etc.)

There's my summer bucket list. What's on yours?

Songs & Jokes

2011-06-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

If you've talked with Will recently then I'm sure you've heard both this song and/or this joke. And though you may be sick of hearing this particular song and/or joke, to his adoring mother they will never get old. I dare you not to smile! Now for your viewing pleasure, the do-re-mi song and the elephant joke:

Fathers' and Sons' Campout

2011-06-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that this boy loves his dada. (What's not to love?). So, put together the following equation and this boy is in hog-heaven. Camping+Dada=True Love. I wish I could just bottle this kid's excitement up and keep it forever and ever. He was that excited for his camping trip with his dada (or Joshy as he calls him of late), following him around, gathering gear, collecting the "camping bed". But truth be told, I don't know who loves it more, Will or his dada. Either way, fun was had by all (including me, who went to bed early after watching some of Masterpiece Theater's Downton Abbey and then slept in and cleaned the house uninterrupted). We love you, Fathers' and Sons' Campout (though we never know quite where to place your apostrophes). Until next year!

Note: Josh took Will out for a boys' night out while I hosted a baby shower at my house the other night. They went swimming at the Y, then stopped off at the local grocery store for some chicken tenders (a.k.a. "chicken nuggets"--Will's current obsession). Then, they ate the chicken "nuggets" in the car, Will referring to the adventure as a "car picnic". While sitting there, eating his chicken nuggets with his dada, he looks over at Josh and says, "I soooo happy." A few minutes later, he reveals, "I love you, Dada." I daresay Josh was sooooooo happy, too. What a ham, that kid.

Easter 2011

2011-05-31T03:00:00.000-07:00

Our Easter this year was much quieter than usual (we're accustomed to sharing it with our VT cousins, as we have for the past three years as seen here, here and here). And though we missed our cousins terribly, we did enjoy the time we had to spend together as our little family. Saturday was really quiet, with just Will and me to color Easter eggs since Josh was off at the youth temple trip (and we were stuck at home with no car on a rainy day--though we did coerce some friends into playing volleyball, at least). In fact, I had to call my mom to ask her how exactly to dye Easter eggs. Apparently, that had always been Amy's responsibility. I didn't know the ratio of water/vinegar and the directions on my box were confusing me--I guess I am no rocket scientist. My mom laughed at me and then proceeded to tell me she didn't know either--that I should just read the box. When I read the directions to her, she said she had no idea what those instructions were saying either, just to guess. So, I guess I know where I inherited my Easter-egg dying skills. Turns out we did just fine, though.

I really do love it now that Will is getting holidays: getting their meaning and purpose and getting so very excited for the celebrating. I tried hard this year, since he was old enough, to really focus on the meaning of Easter, since it has such an important message.

Now for the festivities and celebrating in picture format.

The coloring of the Easter eggs. I insisted he take his shirt off, so as not to ruin his clothes and he insisted he wear an apron, since I was wearing one (I didn't insist I take off my shirt, don't you worry).

I had to include this picture because I always tell him to "look up" when we're taking pictures because he is always looking down. I need to tell him to "look straight ahead" I guess since this is him "looking up"--and I mean really up.
Waiting on the stairs to see what the Easter bunny brought. He slept in that morning until 8 (soooo not like our Will). In fact, Josh was getting so impatient, he went in and woke Will up.

Will and his dada. Will cannot get enough of his dada.

The finding of the basket.

The showing us of every single toy. He was soooooo excited (the Easter bunny could have hid toilet paper in his basket and he would have been stoked. Such a great age. No present can disappoint).

Of course, no toy was as exciting as the opportunity to eat an entire bunny-shaped candy bar all by himself. Before breakfast.

The t-ball bat.

Josh pitching to Will, inside the house, much to my dismay. Needless to say, this here bat is now strictly an outdoor bat. I'm surprised we made it through the day without any broken furniture, limbs and/or windows.

The before-church-clad-in-new-Easter-outfit picture. I had hopes to get in a family picture, but sadly no time.

Posing with his mama.

Learning about Easter's true meaning. Here we talked about the triumphal entry, including waving some homemade palm fronds. Will thought that was pretty great. And for some reason, blogger erased my other pictures, showing Will learning about Easter and I am far too lazy to try again. Just picture Will learning of the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the "cross on the hill" and the empty tomb and Mary. I fear he has a morbid tendency and since I am not one to think things through, I told him all about the details. Of course, he now always wants to see pictures of "the nail prints" and "the spear wound". I guess I know he's not squeamish.

How grateful I am to have the knowledge that, because of my Savior's sacrifice, I will live again. One of the Easter songs I taught Will was, "Did Jesus Really Live Again?" and I love the last line of the song, "Did Jesus really live again, after he had died? Oh, yes and so shall I!" What comforting words. I am so grateful that not only do I get to live again, but if I live right, I will get to live with my family as well (which, most days, is an exciting prospect).

The Christensens Hit Manhattan

2011-05-22T05:14:00.000-07:00

My sister and her family came out to visit the beginning of April. They flew into Albany, where we had a fun few days hanging out, bowling, geo-caching, playing games and watching conference. Then we braved the crowds, trains and taxis of New York City. We hit up the Empire State Building, FAO Schwartz, The Natural History Museum, The Shake Shack (of course) and Central Park. Will and I joined them for a couple days, then we headed home, while they stayed longer for some fun--Manhattan style. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but we were so glad they came. Will still talks of his cousins and "Aunty Em" and "Uncle Kirt" often. Thanks Christensens, for a fun time--come again and soon!

I had to include this photo because it made me laugh (even though my sister is going to kill me). Above pictured: the true Christensen family in all their glory. Below pictured: the Christensen family at their best. This was at the Empire State Building. It was free-zing cold and uber windy.

Will and his mama were there, too.

Will and the gi-normous Cookie Monster at FAO Schwartz. I kid you not, this kid went up to every.single.stuffed animal and wanted to hug it.

Will and the Granny piano, as he called it (because last time we were in NYC he played on the piano with Granny and we watch the video of it all.the.time).

Will and the life-sized Chewbaca made out of Lego's.

One morning, Katie, Will and I walked to Central Park while we were waiting for the maintenance people to unlock the door Garret locked in the apartment they rented (and locking both his and Tanner's shoes in there. Fun times). But it was a gorgeous spring day and Will and Katie had a ball at the park. And then we even walked to the Natural History Museum, which was a lot of walking, especially for Katie (Will was in a stroller). But she did a great job (even if I did have to bribe her with a treat) and we made it in no time to the Natural History Museum.

Will and Katie on the slide. It was such a fun park. I've never seen so many nice strollers and nannies before, though. What a different world than mine.

We went back to the park after the museum to play some more. Will loved him some Tanner. Will really, really needs an older brother.

This was the Mother's Day...

2011-05-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

...where I got to spend most of the night in the hospital (9-4. Had some bleeding but everything looks just fine. Still, not fun). Not pictured: Josh and me shoved onto a twin bed in one of the recovery rooms at the hospital, trying to sleep, waiting 5 hours for the doctor to read the results of the ultrasound--which never came. I didn't end up getting the results until Monday morning.

...where I got to find out that we are having a baby girl (made the seven-hour hospital stay almost worth it. Really, the ultrasound tech made the night--every time she highlighted a part of the baby on the screen she would exclaim, "Perfect! Gorgeous!" over and over again. I like to believe that is exactly what my baby girl will be: perfect and gorgeous). Pictured: the fabric I am dying to make for my baby girl's bedding. If only I could sew.

...where we got to spend it with some of our favorite people--the East coast Madsens, Nate, Amy, Sam, Beth, Baby James and Aunt Jane. We had fun playing outside, eating at Five Guys (which is now officially tradition), riding bikes, swimming, talking, shopping (at Target. Which is now officially tradition since no one else has Targets accessible to them), and eating at our favorite local restaurant. Will adores his cousins and that night, after they left, he said in his prayers, "Please bless our cousins to come back." I feel the same way, Will. Pictured: Nate giving the kids a horsey ride (I love Nate's face), Will and Beth hugging, Sam and Will on the "choo-choo" and cute baby James. Not pictured: cute Aunt Jane, snuggling and reading books to Will. How do I always miss pictures of that?

...where I didn't make it through more than 15 minutes of church, due to some dysentery-like sickness that left me crippled for two hours. I haven't been that sick since King Tut's tomb in Egypt. When I ran out of church with Josh's keys, all I had to say to him so that he would know the severity of my illness was, "I feel a King Tut's tomb re-enactment coming on." Not pictured: me being deathly ill--and it's a good thing.

...where I got spoiled by the men in my life. Josh was a dream and took all three kids to Lowe's on Saturday to make our Mother's Day vases. Then he took all three of them to the store to buy flowers for the Mother's Day vases. Then he took all three of them swimming at the Y while Amy and I went and got pedicures (and Jane stayed home with a sleeping baby James. Thanks, Jane). Then Josh made us all scones on Mother's Day and then that night made dinner and not only cleaned up the dinner dishes but the whole house, which was a mess from having six extra people in it. He really knows how to treat his woman. Pictured: Will and the vases he made for his mama on Mother's Day.

...where I realized how blessed I am. As Josh, Will and I sat on Will's bed reading scriptures and Josh offered the evening prayer (and he prayed for our baby girl and our little boy), tears just streamed down my face as I recognized the manifold blessings in my life. My cup runneth over. Not pictured: me, blubbering and crying like a baby, runny nose and all.

Happy Mother's day to all the women in my life.

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-05-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

Though my b-day was three weeks ago, I still wanted to wish myself happy birthday (so that you could too, right?). Really, though, I just wanted you to see the cutest thing ever: Will singing happy b-day to me. Does it get any cuter than that? I think not (except that, as you'll see, he ages me ten years. That's not so cute). Happy Birthday to me.

Miracles

2011-05-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

Do you believe in miracles? I do. Because one such miracle is joining our family on {or around} the date of October 13. And really, we couldn't be more thrilled.

P.S. Sorry I waited so long to divulge. I'm quite sure you've all been anxious (right?) to hear the news. But something in me makes me wait until the 2nd trimester and then I wanted to wait until I had a doctor's appointment, etc., etc. Though I'm sure if you live in Spokane, you've known for months since they announced it over the pulpit in Stake Conference--not really, but I'm sure my mother would have if she could have and certainly did her best to ensure everyone knew the second she did.

Nothing a Purple Popsicle Can't Fix

2011-04-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Really, there's nothing a purple popsicle can't fix--even terrible, no good, very bad days. And I have to state on record that 99.9% of my days with Will are wonderful, good, very great days, especially when we share a purple popsicle at the end of it. (And if you couldn't tell, in this picture we are showing off our purple-colored tongues from the yummy grape popsicle. Grape's my favorite).

The No Good, Terrible, Very Bad Day

2011-04-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

We all have them as mothers, right? Well, today was one such day. (This actually happened two weeks ago, but it took me that long to finish the post. Hey, I was busy). But to fully appreciate my no good, terrible, very bad day, I need to start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). So, here goes. (Of course, in retrospect, it doesn't seem all that bad. But at the time, it did. Honest, I swear. You try potty-training a stubborn three-year-old).

As previously mentioned, Will is a potty-training mess. He only wears a diaper at night and he then just waits for that time to go number 2. So in an effort to somehow get him potty-trained, we put him in underwear at night. He can only hold it until about 5:30 in the morning and he gets up on his own, goes potty, goes back to his room, but DOES NOT GO BACK TO SLEEP. So, he's had some insanely early mornings which makes him insanely crabby throughout the day. That is how our day began. Early. Crabby.

We took Josh to work around 7:20, then went straight to the market to do our grocery shopping. We came home, ate breakfast and the plan was to do a few things (like put away groceries, empty the dishwasher and clean up the kitchen) and then take off for the gym around 10:00.

We ate breakfast and then, while I was trying to get a few things accomplished, Will cried his desperate, "Mama, Mama, Mama" cry, which means he has to go number 2. Well, he has to go, yet he won't go. So literally 12 pair of streaked underwear, two hours and no number 2 later, he is in tears and my house is still a disaster and it is now 11:30. The childcare at the gym closes at 12:00, so no gym for us.

Will was driving me bonkers from the crying, so I send him upstairs to watch a show on my bed, so I can please empty the dishwasher, thank you very much.

A half-hour later, the groceries put away, dishwasher emptied, the kitchen cleaned, lunch made, I went upstairs to get Will for lunch. He is passed out on my bed. He NEVER just passes out on my bed and NEVER at 11:30 in the morning. But hey, I'll take it.

He sleeps for two hours and wakes up soooooooooo very angry because 1. he is hungry and 2. his show is turned off. Not able/willing to deal with it, I let him eat lunch on my bed, while he finishes watching his show. I just snuggle next to him. (Great parenting, I know).

After lunch, he is much happier and he proceeds to do "Spiderman dives" off my tall bed. A spiderman dive is where he covers his entire head with his nigh-nigh (darn that nigh-nigh) and jumps with full gusto off the bed, never knowing where he will land. Clearly, this was making me a little nervous so I told him only one more spiderman dive. Well, that last one was the fatal one. He jumped full-speed into my bedside table, where his head landed right on the corner of it. Luckily, the nigh-nigh cushioned his fall, so no stitches necessary, but he did end up with one nasty black-eye and some scratches. Of course, followed were many more tears.

We watched some home videos to calm him down, went on a walk (a little exercise, yeah!) and I proceed to attempt to make dinner while he plays with his cars in his room.

Of course, from downstairs, with two burners on, dinner in process, Will is upstairs yelling his special, "Mama, Mama" cry. I book it upstairs, but it is too late. He has messed his pants. I clean him up, give him a bath, and by then it's time to go get Josh from work.

So we go get Josh and he comes home to a messy house, (smelly house), dinner half-made, an exasperated un-showered wife and a crabby little boy. Luckily, as usual, Josh saves the day by finishing dinner while I shower, then feeding Will and putting him to bed while I went and got some much-needed pampering in the form of a hair cut. And that put an end to the no good, terrible, very bad day where nothing was accomplished except poop and injuries and where I almost pulled out all my hair in utter frustration (potty training is going to kill me) and, once again, Josh saved the day. Here's to hoping tomorrow's better (and that Will will somehow magically be potty-trained. We can dream, right?). What's your terrible, no good, very bad day?

Will's injuries.

The camera really doesn't do it justice.

Josh and Will and their respective battle-scars.

William-isms

2011-04-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

I just had to write down a few more William-isms before I forgot all the crazy things he says. This kid. I just love him. And here's a few photos, too, to illustrate the cuteness of said kid.

He loves his cars. This is a perfect picture of what he is always doing with those cars. Playing with his awesome marble run. My sis-in-law scored on this one--she got it for 75% off. Originally $130--she got it for $38. Deal of a century. And it is pretty darn cool. Thanks, Amy. I owe you big time. And here's Will reading scriptures with his Dada. We're reading the New Testament right now and every night, before we read, he insists on looking at this page, page 20, where Joseph is carrying a toddling Jesus on his shoulders. It's so sweet. Now, here's some of the funny things this kid says.

One day I was getting ready for the day in the bathroom, while Will was playing on my bed. He looks at me and says, "Mama, I love lore (your) bummy." Though this was a high compliment, I didn't want him to think that we go around talking about people's bummies, so I replied, "Thank you, but it isn't appropriate to talk about people's bummies." He thinks about it a minute and then says, "Mama, I love lore legs. Is that 'ppropriate?" Yes, Will that's appropriate.

Lately, he's been saying "whatever" all the time. It's funny when he uses it, though. It's mostly when I tell him "no". Like, "No, you cannot eat that before dinner," and he just says, "Whatever." I guess I'll take that to a tantrum.

I'm the horse, dada's the zebra and Will is the cow (last week he was the lion). When I ask him to do something he says, "Okay, Horse." It's a crack-up. And sometimes, if I call him Will, he just tells me, "No, I the lion," or "No, I the cow." Sometimes, he just responds with a moo.

When we were at the store the other day, the cashier asked Will what his name was. He looked at her and said straight-faced, "Jessy-ca." (That's how he pronounces my full name. And Josh's full name? Joshy-wa).

We were at the mall and I had to go try on a few things and I said, "Okay, buddy boy, one more stop and then we'll go home." To this he replied, "Okay, Jessy-ca Madsen. Sounds good." I was laughing for a long time--just at the way he said it.

My mom called right before we started to each lunch one day. I asked her to hold on a second so that we could say the prayer. Will offered the prayer and after he stated loudly, "Good enough." Apparently, that's what he often hears after his prayers: good enough. My mom was laughing so hard when I got back on the phone--she heard the whole thing.

He asks me all the time, "You 'ppreciating that?" or he says to me, "I 'ppreciate that." Clearly, I say that a lot to him.

He's been learning the music notes at our music class (do-re-mi). So, I showed him the clip of do-re-mi from the Sound of Music and he looooved it. Now he goes around singing that song all the time. It's the cutest thing.

After dinner one night, Josh reminded Will to clear his plate. Will complied, stating, "Yes, sir dude."

We Heart Maple Sugaring

2011-04-08T04:54:00.000-07:00

We love maple syrup so much (and our Vermont cousins) that for the third year in a row we drove 3+ hours (extra time, due to the closed ferry), braved the freezing cold, endured the mud and suffered the cow smell all so we could eat some dreamy maple donuts, buy a gallon of the best maple syrup (at a bargain price) and enjoy time with the local farm animals (and, of course, our cousins--though somehow we managed only to take pictures with the cows and not the cousins. I guess that shows our priorities). Vermont maple sugaring, how we love you. Until next year! (And Vermont cousins, we love you, too. Thanks for letting us crash your pad for the short trip).

The kissing cows. Will & the cow.

Here he looks so excited to see the cow.

While here he realizes, "Wow, that cow smells."

The tractor.

Cute Will. He clearly did not like the cold that day. He had a major meltdown of epic proportions--like I hadn't seen before and I sure hope to never see again. But we calmed him down, bribed him with donuts and cows and he recuperated. Barely. At least he's cute, right?

3

2011-03-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

It's time for a William update. Mostly for my own records.

He's three! And at age three, I can officially say, he is the most fun. I think I say this for every stage, but this time I really mean it. He's funny, inquisitive, energetic, independent, smart and full of life. Every day is a wild ride with this man and I wouldn't change it for anything. So, here's a glimpse of Will at age three:

He's 34 lbs. (75%)
He's 39.5 inches tall (90%)
At his check-up, the doctor kept commenting on how tall Will was. So now, that is Will's response to everything: "I not a big boy, I a tall boy." "This is my tall car seat." "These are my tall boy pants," and so on and so forth.
I've never met a child so darn obsessed with one's nigh-nigh. Still.
He calls his cat a "coon" ever since we watched part of "Where the Red Fern Grows."
He loves to be tickled. I will tickle and tickle him until he can't breathe, then stop, to which he responds, "More!"
He loves to ride his bike. If we're going somewhere and I tell him to go get in the car (which he is perfectly capable of doing), I can guarantee you he is not in the car, but is out riding his bike--even if there's rain or snow.
He will probably NEVER be potty-trained. He refuses to go number 2 in the potty. Number 1 he has down pat.
He is obsessed with all things Cars related. He plays cars for hours and hours. His absolute favorite thing to do is to watch the movie, with all his cars by his side and when a particular car comes up on the screen, he holds up that car and yells his/her name. It's a crack-up.
He always wears his underwear backward, but calls it forward (see pictures below). When I put it on the right way, he says, "I don't want to wear my underwear backwards."
He loves to play soccer. We play in the living room all the time and I've been teaching him how to be the goalie. I taught him how to dive for the ball when he's goalie. Now, when he's playing goalie, no matter what, he dives for the ball, even if the ball is right in front of him.
He always says, "Lore" instead of "your". For instance, he always asks his dada at the dinner table, "How lore day, Dada?"
Since the truck is dead, we've been driving Josh to and from work. One day, when we were picking up Josh, Will asked, "Where all these cars going?" He thought about it a minute and said, "They going to pick up their dadas at their works?"
He calls the "Friend" magazine the "Boyfriend".
He's shy in front of strangers and instead of using any of the thousand words he knows, he will talk baby talk to strangers if they ask him questions. Awesome.
His favorite thing to eat, for any meal, is breakfast--french toast, waffles, pancakes, crepes. He loves it all. He also is a big fan of yogurt and "gola" bars.
He really doesn't know his pronouns--he calls people "what" all the time--as in, "What that?" pointing at a person right in front of him.
He loves to sing, though you'd never guess at our music class, where he runs around like a mad child instead of singing. The best is when he sings in church. He opens up the hymn book and sings any other song as loud as you can imagine. For instance, today he sang the "ABC"s song while the rest of us sang a hymn. And during the pauses in the hymn, he still sang with his whole heart and soul the "ABC"s. Everyone around us was just cracking up, as were we.
We were waiting outside for Josh once when Will said, "Come on, dang Dada."
He loves to hide and be found by the "Mama Monster". He also loves to seek. When he's looking for me, he says, "Little Mama, where you are you?" It's too funny.
One morning, we went to eat breakfast when we found all the milk was gone. I said Dada must have drunk all the milk. To this Will responded, "Shame on you, Dada."
He loooooves nursery. He is by far the oldest in nursery and is way outnumbered by little girls. But all the little girls love him, for some reason.
He loves the Packs, especially Caleb. He tells me all the time he wants to move in with them.
The other day we had to go somewhere and he didn't want to come. He told me he would just stay home by himself. I told him he couldn't stay home by himself or else I would go to jail. His response, "Go to jail then. Go!"
When he doesn't take naps (which is becoming more and more common) he asks to go to bed at 5:30. He'll leave the dinner table and say, "Just go take a nap," and then he will walk up the stairs and bring down his jammies, so that he can go to bed. Then, of course, he is awake at 6:00 on the dot.
He loves to hear stories--stories about a little boy named William, a little boy named Joshy and a little girl named Jessy. His favorites are the stitches story, how dada got stitches, how dada got in the bathtub with his jammies on and how mama got Vaseline all over.
He really just is our world. We love him to pieces and can't get enough of him and are so grateful for this little miracle boy.

Now for some awesome pictures in his backwards-forwards underwear. He just trotted downstairs like this one morning, and I had to snap some photos.

Stitches

2011-03-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

*This is the story of how Will got stitches, the very story that Will demands to hear every night before bed. The italicized words are the words Will always says.

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named William who had to get stitches. He got to go on two airplane rides to his Granny & Gus' house. He got to see his cousins and go skiing and swimming, too. One morning, right after breakfast, Will was running and slipped and fell and bonked his forehead on Granny's bench. He cried and cried and there was lots of blood, but his Mama was right there. Then Dada and Gus gave William a blessing and they went to the hospital. There, they checked in and Will got his own bed. Then the nice nurse Michelle came in and the EMT Mark and the doctor. The doctor gave him something that went up his nose and then they wrapped Will tight, like a baby, and put a green sheet over his face. The doctor gave him a shot, then gave him six stitches and they were blue. After, because Will was so brave and so strong the nice nurse gave him a sticker and a Popsicle and it was lellow and it was so gooood. Then he got to see a helicopter and it was red. They went and said goodbye to Michelle, then drove back to Granny and Gus' house and lived happily ever after. The end.

Poor little guy. He was a trooper. His mother, however, was not. It really was slightly traumatic for me. Then again, I really don't like blood. All pictures courtesy of Jane's blackberry. Somehow, I never managed to take a picture of the actual stitches. Again, what kind of mother am I?

B-day

2011-03-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

As luck would have it, for Will's 3rd b-day we were in Utah again for our annual ski trip. Lucky, because Will got to spend his b-day with family, and most importantly, his cousins. Since we had to wait for the big boys to come home from skiing, the b-day event was a little chaotic at best, rushed, crazy and filled with one greedy little birthday boy. My festivities were Cars-themed, though my efforts were a tad lackluster (hey--it's hard to have a b-day when out of town). And, of course, my camera died so I have very FEW photos (what kind of mother am I?), but enjoy the few photos I managed to take.

Here's a photo of the decorations with one cute cousin Beth in there:

More pictures of the decorations (the banner was supposed to look like racing flags, though Josh wasn't convinced):

Will opening his soccer ball:

And a photo of the cousins. I told Beth I'd pay her one dollar if she could get the three of them to take a picture together. This is what I got. Not bad, eh? Will's not looking, but it's better than what I could have done.

Will couldn't really handle himself because of all his new presents and he refused, absolutely refused, to share with his cousin Sam, who was also quite excited about all of Will's presents. So, after breaking up fight after fight, I decided to just put Will to bed, where he hoarded all his presents in his bed, the cupboard under the stairs, and had, I daresay, a grand time. At least there's that. Happy Birthday, Will.

January in Pictures

2011-03-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

As predicted (see this post), our January was far from enthralling--you know how it is: wintry weather, cabin fever, the post-Holiday let down. However, we did manage to do a few things and even take pictures. So, now for your viewing pleasure: our January in pictures.

Chore-day Monday at our house looks like this: (yes, it is better cleaning the toilet without pants)
Building and playing trains:
Here he's utilizing "Cranky, cranky" as he refers to him:
Snuggling with our nigh-nigh under the table (or anywhere else for that matter. This kid is seriously obsessed with this blanket. It's disturbing). One night, after dinner, Will just brought his nigh-nigh and pillow down and insisted he go to bed under the table.

Sledding, sledding and more sledding.
Every chance we got, when it wasn't freezing, we went sledding. This kid loves it. And our backyard has the perfect hill for him. And notice he had to wear his Thomas back-pack filled with his cars to sled.

And the post-sledding mug of hot chocolate, complete with a hot chocolate mustache.

Preparing for our Utah ski trip, trying on the new/used skis. Looks like he's ready for action!

All right winter--bring on the spring, already.

The Mormon Bachelor

2011-01-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I not only have a great family, but I also have great in-laws. Among these fabulous in-laws is my sis-in-law Jane, whom I adore. She is cute, funny, kind, smart, gutsy and knows what she wants (not to mention street savvy--she lives in NYC, for heaven's sake). Currently, she is competing in The Mormon Bachelor, similar to that of The Bachelor--only this is for eternity, not for two-Hollywood seconds (check out her entry video here: Plain Jane; it's darling). And let me tell you, Mormon Bachelor Rick, if you choose Jane, you'll be glad you did. And now here's where I need you, all ten of my readers: Jane's date is now up and running on the blog The Mormon Bachelor, so you need to watch it, comment on it and then like her on Facebook. The more likes she gets, the better her chances for a second date. And believe you me, Rick needs to take her out on a second date--for his sake. Okay, my friends. Start watching and start liking. Go Jane--we love you, soft lips!

The Floating Embryo

2011-01-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

*I just really felt I needed to share this, though it is something so personal and so private, I just felt like I needed it out there.

This last year has been hard. Even while typing that, I can't hardly believe it. Because even though it's been hard, it's also been wonderful. Hard, because we've undergone three IVF cycles (one frozen, two fresh) to no avail. Wonderful, because I am the mom to the funniest, most energetic, cutest, smartest (clearly I'm not biased) little boy and married to the kindest, most helpful, funniest man. And now I'm in the midst of another IVF cycle, one that hasn't been as successful as I've hoped. The last few cycles I haven't been producing very many eggs, but this one we got a decent amount (7)! However, for some reason, only one of those seven fertilized. Saturday, we transferred that lone embryo, hoping and praying that this one floating embryo can transform into something miraculous. And I do believe that miracles can happen. But more importantly, I know that no matter what, God loves me and that the right thing will happen for me and for my family. That's all I can do--trust in God.

I've had three scriptural heroes on the mind lately: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. When faced with the fiery furnace, for worshiping God and not the king's graven images, they stood their ground, refusing to worship anyone but God. They proclaimed that they knew God could save them from the fire's flames, but if not, they would still serve God. I love that--but if not. We can't always predict God's will for us, we can only put our faith in Him and trust that it will all work out. And as I face down my own fiery furnace--the terrible ten days of waiting for the pregnancy test, the progesterone shots with the "horse" needle (as Josh refers to it), the prospect that this might not work for me, that this might not ever work for me--I say that if God can save Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego from the fiery furnace, he can make this one floating embryo into a baby. I can also say, though, as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, but if not. But if not, I will still worship God. But if not, I will still serve Him. But if not, my faith will not be shaken. And while this has been something that is so hard for me, it has also been something that has helped me to come to rely on my Savior so wholly and completely. And while I in no way can compare my trials to that of the handcart pulling pioneers, I share in their sentiment: "The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay." (quoted from a survivor of the Martin Handcart company). I have come to know God and I have felt his love for me as a tangible force. And though I long to have a baby, lots of babies, I wouldn't trade that love, that knowledge, for all the babies in the world.

This Christmas

2011-01-03T00:59:00.000-08:00

This Christmas:

1. We packed our Christmas gear, hopped in the car (and then on a ferry boat) and headed on up to VT to spend Christmas with our favorite VT cousins.

2. We spent Christmas Eve day on the sledding hill, as per custom, enjoying the picturesque snowy Vermont. (Hooray for a white Christmas!)

The Mad-family sledding.
The VT Mad-family sledding.

3. We ate our traditional Christmas eve spread of 'lil smokies, salad, Ruffles & onion dip and French onion soup.

4. We acted out the Christmas story, with Will as Dada Joe (second year running); Beth as Mama Mary and Sam as the perfect sheep. Other positions were filled by friends of Sam and Beth's.

That there sheep was thirsty for some hot chocolate.

5. We got some new Christmas Eve jammies and had the obligatory Christmas Eve jammies photo.

6. Will woke up at the crack of dawn (surprise!) and couldn't hardly wait to, "Go see Santa Cwaus." (He'd been soooo excited to see Santa that when I went to tuck him in that night--he stirred in his sleep, rolled over and whispered, "Santa Cwaus comin' to town." It really was the sweetest thing ever). I hadn't realized he actually thought Santa Claus was going to be there on Christmas morning. After a little chat and some tears, Will calmed down enough to take the Christmas-morning-on-the-stairs shot:

But his calm didn't last for long: (yes, that is one biiiig cry)

7. Will got Big Mack, filled with friends of Snot Rod, from Santa Claus. And that cheered him up. He didn't even seem to notice the absence of Santa Claus.
Note: Today, Will turned to me and said, "Next time Santa Cwaus come to church with us." I'm thinking he thinks Santa is some distant relative who will, hopefully, one day come on over to our house and stay for a while. He also keeps asking me for random toys and tells me that, "Santa Cwaus will get 'em for me". Right.

And Charlie (a.k.a. Purple Thomas) in his stocking. (Well, in his pseudo-stocking. I forgot the stockings so Beth made him a toy-mat. She's good to have around in a pinch).

9. We had to stop the opening of presents on several occasions:

to play with our Santa presents (all three cousins playing with Sam's choo, choos),

to color with our new markers,

to watch an entire episode of Sam's new Thomas the Train "yow",

to eat breakfast,

and to put out an oven fire (from the bubbling butter of the cinnamon rolls. It was seriously smoky).

10. Baby James had his first Christmas.

11. Nate tried on all of his Christmas loot--and hey, it even all matches!

12. The kids had innumerable "jump-a-light-shows" act 3,700. (Don't even ask).

13. And we remembered why we celebrate Christmas: for the gift of our Savior--his life, birth, death and Resurrection--without which we'd have no reason to be merry at all.

Grammy & Pompa

2010-12-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

Our favorite thing about our Spokane visit really was how much we got spoiled by our Grammy and Pompa. Really, my life was a dream: woke up, went to the gym with my dad while Grammy watched Will, played with Grammy, Pompa, Will, aunts, uncles, and cousins all day, napped while Will napped, ate a homemade meal almost every night, went to bed and started it all over again. Of course, we did miss our dada, or else we may have never left. Will just adores his Grammy and Pompa and talks of them often. And, I daresay, I think the feeling is mutual.

Love you, Grammy and Pompa! Can't wait to see you again.

Will's acrobatics with Pompa.

It was a nightly ritual to play this game.

They took us to the Nativity Festival. It was pretty cool. (Can't you tell Will is having fun from the photo?)

I had to include this photo, even though Will is missing, because it makes me smile. I was napping (as was the daily ritual) and Will had woken up from his nap and was playing with my dad when my dad showed Will the deer under the swing set. Will was so excited, convinced that it was one of Santa's reindeer. He came racing downstairs, woke me up and said, "Mama, get my 'now boots on. Santa reindeer outside." It was priceless. Of course, the reindeer bolted as soon as we stepped outside.

Will and Pompa snuggling on the couch with the nigh-nigh. Does it get any cuter than that?

Cam and Rachelle's Wedding

2010-12-18T18:25:00.000-08:00

Our main purpose for heading to Spokane for the holidays was for the nuptials of these two crazy kids:

My baby brother Cameron's wedding to his beautiful wife, Rachelle. It was a picturesque, snowy, freezing day. Will had been so very excited for the wedding. Every night in his prayers for the month prior, he'd pray, "Please bless Cam and Rachelle get married and bless Rachelle get a pretty dress." It really was the cutest thing. One time he even threw in a blessing on Mama's pretty dress. Too bad, though, I couldn't find a pretty dress to wear to the wedding. Will still talks about Rachelle's pretty dress. Congrats, you cute kids. Best wishes!

The Mad-family at the wedding.

Will with Cam and Rachelle and the "pretty dress". Will doesn't exactly look too thrilled but we had to wake him up from his nap for the pictures.

The Spear siblings.

The reception. Kudos to my mom for making it look so beautiful (and to all her help as well).

I've just had a glimpse of my future....

2010-12-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

.....and it is cold and smelly. Try as I might, I cannot convince Will that a future in hockey is just that: cold and smelly. He loooves it and loooves all things hockey. When Josh, Will and I were in a hockey store, searching for some hockey gloves for Josh, I really had an insight into my future and I'm not sure I'm ready for it--cold, hard benches, smelly equipment, games at all hours of the night (due to ice time), etc., etc., etc. At least I've got a good while before all that happens because we took the kid ice skating with the youth from church and he was t.e.r.r.i.b.l.e. So, maybe he'll play soccer instead like I've been praying for!

The Mad family ice skating! Too bad we couldn't get Will to look at the camera.

Santa Cwaus

2010-12-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

That is how jolly ol' St. Nick is referred to around here: Santa Cwaus. And oh how he loves that Santa Cwaus. It really is such fun to see what joy Christmas brings to Will. Today at the gym, there was a blow up Santa at the entrance, and he just looked in awe at him, shouted, "Santa Cwaus!" and walked up to him and gave him the biggest hug ever. And any time we're going to someone's house, he'll want to know if they'll have a Santa Cwaus there.

Luckily, when in Spokane, we went to breakfast with Santa. And Will loved him. He just sat on his lap, smiled and, of course, enjoyed the candy Santa gave him.

Will, Santa, the candy cane and, as always, Will's cheese smile. Will is wearing his jammies because my mom told me that all the kids would be wearing their jammies (it was Santa's breakfast, after all); yet, he was the only one in his jammies. Clearly, he wasn't phased and I'd say he looks pretty darn cute, though Josh claims that he is camouflaged in the picture.

Katie, Will, Santa and Garret (Will's cousins).

Will, Pompa and Santa.

What Will asked Santa for Christmas: friends of Snot Rod. I hope Santa obliges!

I is for Igloo

2010-12-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

It snowed abundantly while we were in Spokane for Thanksgiving. So of course we had to go play in the snow. And of course we had to build an igloo. And of course after about two minutes none of the kids were interested in the hard work that was involved in building an igloo. And of course, after about an hour, my mom, my brother and I all gave up, taking the kids inside for lunch and naps (building an igloo really is hard work). But of course, Josh, the consummate engineer, could never, never give up. So when I woke up from my nap wondering where Josh was, I shouldn't have been surprised to find him outside by himself, finishing the igloo solo. And I shouldn't have been surprised that Josh wanted to sleep in the igloo that night (but I was surprised that he thought I would sleep in the igloo with him). And I shouldn't have been surprised when my mom told her entire ward that Josh slept in an igloo that he built single-handedly. And I definitely shouldn't be surprised that everyone in said ward now thinks Josh is an Eskimo (either that or crazy. I can't decide which one's worse). Crazy Eskimo or not, Josh is an excellent igloo-builder. My parents really couldn't be more proud. Every time they talk to us, they update us on the igloo's status. Unfortunately, the igloo is no more. But at least there's evidence:

Josh and me and all my star-studded beauty, wearing my pj's and decade old moon boots (held together by duct tape, no less), standing in front of Thee igloo.

Josh, so proud of his creation.
That is one serious igloo. Job well done, Josh. You really should be proud (or an Eskimo or crazy).

Singing Videos

2010-11-23T14:15:00.000-08:00

We finally figured out how to get Will to sing for the camera: chocolate chips. Yes, that's good parenting--cold, hard bribery. But hey, if it produces these little gems of Will singing his favorite songs, then it was worth it. (Disregard that for one film he's actually eating a chocolate chip whilst singing. Also disregard what he is wearing. And do recall that he is learning to dress himself).

How to have a cheap, easy (and let's be honest--lazy) Halloween

2010-11-16T17:16:00.000-08:00

Step 1: In a delirious moment, determine to craft your child a hand made Thomas the Train costume from scratch, using materials you currently have in your possession. (Cheap. Not easy. Definitely not lazy).

Step 2: Procrastinate making said costume. (Cheap, easy AND lazy).

Step 3: The night before Halloween utterly freak out since you have neither made a costume nor have you bothered to buy one. Fortunately, your kind neighbor saves the day, providing a darling dinosaur costume for your child to wear. (Cheap, easy and lazy. Perfect).

Step 4: Go to the ward Halloween party with dinosaur in tow (it turns out costume was actually a dragon, not a dinosaur, but try telling that to a determined two-year-old. Oh, how he loved that dinosaur costume. What joy it was for him to wear it). Attempt to take pictures before the party, but to no avail (Josh was absent), so give up and make do with this beauty--see below (cheap, easy and lazy. I'm sensing a pattern).

Step 5: Attend the neighborhood fire department party, complete with a parade, pumpkin painting, games, candy eating, etc., etc., etc., all while trying to carry your child during said parade, keeping all paint off borrowed costume, stopping your child from stealing everyone else's candy and helping that dinosaur onto every.single.fire.apparatus. (Cheap, not as easy, clearly not lazy).

Step 6: Don't take child trick-or-treating, since not only was Halloween on the Sabbath but also because said child was in bed at 6:00 due to lack of naps, too much excitement and an even greater amount of candy. Sit on the couch with your hubby, watching a movie, eating candy and turnyour lights off at 7, so that you can have some peace and quiet, for heaven's sake. (Lazy, lazy, lazy).

Step 7: Take pictures of your dinosaur-wearing child one entire week after Halloween, since it has taken you that long to recover (and for your child to recover) in hopes of getting some decent shots. Somehow, even with a helpful Josh, your child will still refuse to cooperate. Hence, the lackluster photos as well as one taken whilst dinosaur is upside-down. (Easier than doing it alone on Halloween night, but not as easy as one would think).

Step 8: Post about it on your blog almost a full month after the blasted Holiday because you are lazy, lazy, lazy.

Happy Belated Halloween all! Now bring on the turkey...

Fall Leaves 2010

2010-11-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

Really, my posts are becoming redundant. Not just of the beauty of fall, but also year after year I find I'm taking the same photos, writing the same posts, making the same memories. (See here and here for the past posts of fall leaves). However, as redundant as it may seem to you, to me it is a treasure to have these pictures of Will, showing not only the changing of the seasons but also the steady marching on of time. Oh, how I wish it would slow down just a little.

I love this year's edition of our annual leaf collecting. It is just a perfect portrayal of Will at the age of 2.5: his bike helmet in place (he insists on wearing it all the time); his "dog boots" on foot (his rain boots that sit on the step of our garage door, the very boots that he can put on all by himself and that he demands on wearing for every outing); his clothes on backwards (just recently he's ventured into the world of dressing himself, much to my dismay. He gets dressed possibly twelve times a day and oh the outfits he chooses). Hopefully, you'll cherish the Fall Leaves 2010 in picture form as much as I do.

This year he actually helped a little with the raking of the leaves.
Here he told me he was "taking a nap in da weaves".
Look at his shirt--backwards AND inside out. Now that takes talent.

He adored jumping in the leaves.
And, of course, tossing the leaves.

And we had to get a video of Will running/rolling down the hill, though I am not sure why the video is so little??

The things he says

2010-11-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Will and I have been "reading" the scriptures together at breakfast (basically just looking at the pictures in the Gospel Art Binder and then telling the stories and singing any songs that correlate with the story) and we had been learning about Abinadi. One morning I couldn't find the Gospel Art book with the pictures, so I asked, "Where's Abinadi? Have you seen Abinadi?" To which Will responded, "Um, Abinadi dead." Yes, Will, Abinadi is dead.
Will wanted to have the lights off at dinner one night so I said, sure why not? (There was still some daylight out, so it wasn't completely dark). When he turned off the lights, I said, "Ooooh, Will isn't it romantic?" And of course Will said, "Yea, romantic." Josh questioned Will, asking him what the word romantic meant, and Will said, "Um, it means take a nap." At our house, apparently, romantic means taking a nap. Very nice.
Will and Josh were doing somersaults one Sunday afternoon when they told me it was my turn. I was still wearing my Sunday skirt, so I said, "I don't know if I can. Ladies don't do somersaults in skirts." Will thought on this and quickly countered with, "You not a lady; you a mama." So, what was I to do? A somersault in my skirt, obviously.
We were sitting at dinner and Will just looks at Josh and said, "Welcome to the Island of Sodor, Dada." Clearly, he has been watching far too much Thomas the Train since this is the opening phrase to every Thomas show.
Will and I were coloring when he wanted me to draw dinosaurs. This is tricky for me, since my drawing repertoire is limited to flowers, rainbows, and houses. So, I decided to go to clipart to print off some dinosaurs that I could trace. Will was sitting on my lap while I was doing this and as I was editing the dinosaurs, Will looked at me and said, "Cool dinosaurs, babe."
That same coloring day, after I had drawn my dinosaurs (again I'm not so handy with the pen), Will turned to me, looked at my dinosaur drawing and observed, "Your rainbow is better, Mama."
I had a ba-zillion errands to run and so I was prepping Will for this by telling him we were going on an adventure. We got in the car and Will asked where we were going. Again, I told him we're going on an adventure. Will thinks about this and said, "No, Mama. We not going on a-venture. We going on the road." Right, silly me.

Big Boy Bed

2010-11-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

I guess it was bound to happen, though I tried my best to put it off for as loooong as possible. There was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth (all from me), but the time had come. The cage we had created for Will (a.k.a. his crib) could no longer contain him, so we pulled out the big-boy bed. After a week of no naps and of Will constantly climbing out of his crib, I just went for it. The first week went smoothly: Will excited for the bed, taking naps every single day, staying in the bed all night long, playing quietly with his toys in the morning until I came to get him. I was disbelieving and euphoric. Week two, not so great. He refused to nap, instead choosing to destroy his room (even though I locked all his toys in his closet). I am lamenting the loss of his nap, but am grateful he just crashes around 6:30 every night and sleeps until 7-7:30 the next morning. At least there's that. As of yet, the bed is just on the floor next to the crib, waiting for Josh to build a frame for it. But we all know how that goes--remember how "overdue" the crib was (look here and here for reminders)? Maybe for Christmas. Here's to hoping. Now enjoy some pics of Will and Josh getting ready for a night in the big-boy bed.

Since the lamp is in another corner of the room, Josh got his headlamp out to read to Will at night (and look at what they're reading--The Book of Mormon--I think we're going to be translated we're so righteous). Of course, Will insisted he have a headlamp, too. So here he is, headlamp and all, readying himself for the long night ahead.

Will and his cheese smile!
The big-boy bed.

Punkin' Patch

2010-10-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally did it. What did we do, you may wonder? Why, we finally made it to the Punkin' Patch. Our weekends had been full and busy, so by the time we actually made it to the patch most of the leaves were gone from the trees and a lot of the pumpkins were rotting. However, that did not deter us from having fun. And if you're local, you really should check this place out. It's called The Pumpkin Patch (some members of our stake own it) and it has it all: hay rides, pumpkins, a tree house, farm animals, a corn maze, cider donuts, etc., etc., but best of all it's free! Will had a ball and, I daresay, so did we. Pumpkin Patch in Schoharie, we're believers. And of course we have pictures of the fun that you now get to enjoy (lucky you).

Will and Mama in the school bus.
Will and Dada in the scary witch.
The hay ride.

The search for the perfect pumpkin.

Our two pumpkins.

The tree house with tire horse.

The go carts. This was a serious hit. We could never get a picture of Will's face because he was riding that there pedal cart way too fast.

Will referred to his shirt all day as his "punkin' patch shirt" and he insisted Josh wear a matching one. And then he fell asleep on the way home. Isn't he so peaceful and cute? I do believe this may be the last nap he ever takes. Sob, sigh.

Fall is where it's at

2010-10-22T05:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, you must listen to me drone on and on yet again about my love of all things fall. But really--what isn't there to love? We are definitely taking advantage of all fall has to offer here. And, of course, I will now post about it. Don't worry, though. Come January and February no posts will be made, for who wants to see me going crazy with cabin fever, watching yet another episode of Thomas the Train with my child or putting on a good ten pounds readying myself for the winter cold? I thought not. So enjoy these posts while you've got 'em.

Here's us enjoying two of our favorite fall activities: apple picking and our favorite little hike just down the road from us (Indian Kill).

Will looooves to go on hikes. The entire time we were on the hike he just kept chanting: "I'm a big boy exercising!" Who knows where he came up with that? And it's true--I just must look like a bag lady while taking this hike (look here for evidence), but who showers before a hike?

On a side note: since the hike was a little chilly, we insisted Will wear gloves. And now he cannot get enough of said gloves. He wears them everywhere. Often, he just wears one glove and we call him our little Michael Jackson. Here are the pics of our glove-wearin' friend (and pictures of my not-so-clean house):

Sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down

2010-10-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

Pixar has a darling little short film called Boundin' (on the extras of the film Incredibles) about a little sheep who has a coat of hair with the most remarkable sheen, but then one day a truck comes along, sheers the poor sheep and then dumps him back in his home in the middle of a rain storm. The down-trodden sheep is so very sad and in the dumps until a-bounding up the slope comes a great American jackal ope who has some very sound advice for the poor sheep: "Sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down. When you find you're down, just look around and you'll bound, bound, bound and rebound." (And then, of course, a lot of jumping up and down ensues). Will loves this little film and I love it too because I love the message. Sometimes in life we're up and sometimes we're down but if we just look around we'll see it ain't all so bad and we'll bound, bound, bound and re-bound. And Monday was just a down, down day. And I needed a little boundin'. So I took Will to our favorite park on a beautiful, crisp fall day in NY and basked in the goodness that it is to be the mom of this energetic, funny, vibrant little boy. Then I went to the City Mission to serve dinner and recognized that I am so blessed, that I have so much. Then I came home to a clean, quiet house and snuggled with my hubby and read this talk with him from last General Conference that stated:

"If you have been wronged--by anyone (a family member, a friend, another member of the Church, a Church leader, a business associate) or by anything (The death of a loved one, health problems, a financial reversal, abuse, addictions)--deal with the matter directly and with all the strength you have. "Hold on the way"; giving up is not an option. And, without delay, turn to the Lord. Exercise all of the faith you have in Him. Let Him share your burden. Allow His grace to lighten your load. We are promised that we will "suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ" (Alma 31:38). Never let an earthly circumstance disable you spiritually."

And I realized that I am not alone, that I am never alone. And that however it all turns out, it will all turn out right. And now I've bounded, bounded, bounded and re-bounded. Things are looking up again.

Now because no post is a good post without pictures, here are some photos of my boy at the "firetruck park".

How can you look at this photo and not be up?

So Long, Summer

2010-10-07T12:42:00.001-07:00

It's official: summer's over. And while I typically have a love/hate relationship with summer (love all the fun summer festivities, like bbqs, summer produce, swimming, etc.; hate the humidity and heat that make me sweat every hour of every day), I find myself now longing for those sunny, summery days and wholly unprepared and unready for the dark and dreary days of winter. So, here's one last sad good-bye to summer and a final look at some of our fun summer times.

Wolfe's Neck, Maine

Madsen family vacation May 2010

The dreamy house we stayed in whilst in Maine. It was gorgeous.

Trips to Vermont.

Two, in fact. Once before baby James and once after.

Here's the sole picture we took while at Shelburne Farms.

Family Movie Nights

This time I made my boys endure Enchanted, though Will only lasted for the animated portion. I love that he thought that the princess' dress was made out of toilet paper (instead of lace).

Days at the Lake.
Moreau Lake August 2010. Will was made for the water. I was made for this kind of water. Since it is a tiny lake, 35 minutes north of us, it is soooooo very warm. Per-fect.

So long, summer!

Camping Bed

2010-09-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you take:

3 very excited kids under the age of five
1 very excited man under the age of thirty-five
1 tent
3 "nigh-nighs"
1 DVD player?

You get:

2 kids attempting sleep
1 child bouncing and hopping all over said sleeping children (thus, waking them up--try and guess which child that was)
2 women sitting on the couch, eating ice cream, watching a chick flick and enjoying the peace and quiet
1 child taken to his crib inside
2 children and 1 adult finally sleeping
3 very tired children the next day
1 happy backyard campout had by all!

We sure had fun with our VT cousins. Just wishing they could come again and soon!

Beth, Sam, Will and Josh in the "camping bed" (sadly the only picture taken from their visit).

Oh What Did You Do in the Summertime?

2010-09-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I thought it would be oh-so-fun to describe our WA trip, which happened over two months ago, in the form of a song. However, I never claimed it would be a good song or that it would rhyme. But in the form of a song it is. Enjoy the picture overload. And I even pared it down.

Oh what did you do in the summertime when all the world was green?

Did you hop on three planes,

to go to Spokane,

to see this crazy fam? Is that what you did? Well, so did I.

Oh what did you do in the summer time when all the world was hot? Did you camp in a tent,

with a view like this,

and roast marshmellows with your favorite guy? Is that what you did? Well, so did I.
Oh what did you do in the summertime when all the world was humid? Did you ride on this boat,
or go wake surfing,

or be forced to wear a pink lifejacket? Is that what you did? Well, so did I.

Oh what did you do in the summertime when all the world was happy? Did you ride on the "motorcycle boat",

or build drip castles,

or hit the ball real high in the sky? Is that what you did? Well, so did I.

Oh, what did you do in the summertime when all the world was swimming? Did you play with your cousins,

or hike to waterfalls,

or watch Tanner throw baseaballs in the sky? Is that what you did? Well, so did I!

In New York City (Take Two)

2010-09-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last summer, we headed on down to NYC via the Metro North train to visit our favorite Aunt Jane and visit with Josh's parents who were visiting for the weekend (see this post for a walk down memory lane). And this year, we did it again. And it was just as fun. And this time Annie and Ryan joined us for the fun. And thanks to Jane, the best tour guide ever, we enjoyed a weekend filled with all things New York City:

A trip to temple while Jane watched Will (thanks, Jane)!
Playing at the playground in Central Park

A visit to the Natural History Museum

More Shake Shack (sooooo worth the three-hour commute)

Boat rides in Central Park

A night at the Met

Then, Josh and Will took off (Josh had to get back for a youth water skiing activity and he took Will with him) and I got to enjoy the city sans a kid in tow. We slept in, went to brunch at Alice's Teacup, ate Levain cookies (dreamy), had a pedicure/massage and then went to a show. It was perfect. And sort of a dream to do it all without a kid. Thanks to all who made our annual NYC summer trip a hit!
Will on the train. This train is the best because it has the added bonus of running along the water so Will gets to be on the train AND see boats. Oh how he loved it.

Jane, Jessy, Will, Annie and Ryan at the Natural History Museum. Will insisted that we find these elephants. And find them we did. And he was impressed.
This nice street performer gave Will some instruments. Will was stoked.
My cute, matching boys at Central Park.
More street performers. There were all out this weekend--the weather was a dream (which is lucky because it was August in the city).
On the boats. Will stuck his hand in the water the entire time and I just pretended that the water was clean.
The Mad Family on the boats in Central Park. It was too fun. We even saw a guy proposing to his girlfriend. We all applauded and whooped at the happy couple. Classy, no?
Will was so tired he actually fell asleep while Josh was carrying him on his shoulders. Will never just falls asleep. It was a New York City miracle. It was too cute.
Ryan, Annie, Josh, a sleeping Will and Jane all on the subway. What's a trip to NYC without a picture on the subway?

Oh, Heaven Help Us.....

2010-09-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

...for we are attempting this:

and so far it has been anything but fun.

(Warning: potty talk ensuing. Please don't read if this will make you uncomfortable and/or squeamish).

Let's just re-cap my morning to illustrate:

Will refuses to wear big boy underpants, but also refuses to wear a wet diaper. What will he wear? Why, nothing. He just wants to be naked. Dressing him has become quite the nightmare.
This morning Will goes twice in the big boy potty--he just comes up to me and tells me he has to go (success!).
We run a couple errands where one such errand is to purchase some M&Ms as bribery for going on the big boy potty. He stays dry for the hour of errand running.
We come home, he goes pee-pee in the big boy potty and receives an M&M (success!).
He insists on staying on the potty so that he can go again in order to receive another M&M.
He sits on the potty for about 10 minutes.
I leave him on the potty for all of two minutes until I suddenly hear an, "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" scream coming from the bathroom.
You guessed it (#2) is ALL over the step-stool and ALL over the floor and ALL over Will's leg.
We clean it up yet Will still insists on sitting on the potty (he loves M&Ms). He tells me he has to go poo-poo again. Right.
He sits on the potty for another 5-10 minutes while I clean up the kitchen. Once again I hear another, "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" coming from the bathroom.
This time Will has shoved enough toilet paper in the toilet to cause the toilet to overflow. Water is everywhere and the toilet is still running. Arghh.
Will still insists on sitting on the potty though it is past lunch and nap time and even though the floor around him is drenched in toilet water.
Finally, I pry him off the potty, kicking and screaming, force feed him lunch and get him down for a nap.
Now, not only is my house a disaster but it also doesn't smell like roses either. Per-fect. Plus, I'm scarfing enough M&Ms to make some kind of record. I have no kind of self control when it comes to those delicious morsels. Chocolate covered in a candy shell? Ingenious.
I think I quit.
And let's not even talk about what happened last week at Chipotle when Will's five-year-old niece insisted that Will had to go to the bathroom. Let's just say I'm never using public restrooms again.

Now, it's your turn. Please tell me that you are having just as miserable time as I am. However, if you are one of those people whose child potty trained in one day (which I totally think is an urban myth), then don't comment or brag. Misery loves company--I only want potty horror stories. Or advice. Or an offer to come to my house and personally potty train my child while I go out shopping and get a pedicure.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2010-09-02T05:10:00.000-07:00

Our ward all gathered at our local (and I mean local) baseball game for a night of baseball, hot dogs and, of course, fireworks. To get Will pumped for the game we told him that Ben (his friend down the street) was going to the game (that holds much more appeal for our two-year-old than a night of baseball). All afternoon long he chanted, "Go see Ben. Go see Ben." So when we finally got to the game, he, of course, promptly went and found Ben, Ben's dada and insisted on sitting on Ben's dada's lap for the entire game. When we tried to get him to come sit with us, he just cried, "See Ben's dada. See Ben's dada." And who are we to refuse? So, he stayed there the entire game, asking Ben's dada repeatedly, "Where ball going? Where ball going? Where ball going?" Ben's dada, being the nice guy he is, continued to answer him. All I can say is, thank goodness for Ben's dada!

Here's Will with Ben's dada.
Ben's dada, Will, Ben and Ben's brother Damian.

Oh look--we were there too and Will deigned to sit with us for a while. (No, our child is not special; however, he does have a special cheese smile. He can smile normal--just not for pictures).

Cuddling with Dada. Will couldn't hold out for the fireworks. We had to get him home to bed.

The Naughty Step

2010-08-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Will on the naughty step--clearly phased by this act of discipline.

When Will was nearing the age of two, it was becoming quite apparent that it was time to start disciplining. Josh and I, parenting novices that we are, weren't quite sure how to approach it. Then, one night as we were watching the Super Nanny show on TV (which is rare), we saw her discipline a two-year-old with the "naughty step". Liking the concept but not neccessarily the name, Josh and I decided to put it into action. Josh wanted to call it the "penalty box" whereas I wanted to refer to it just as "the step". However, the first day we implemented the step, both Josh and I called it "the naughty step". And there was no turning back, for that is what Will insisted on calling it. And though the naughty step has mostly helped in curing some unwanted habits (I say mostly--there are still a few we need to work on), it has also brought on some humorous moments, such as these:

The other day I found Will with his cat on the naughty step, discipling the "tat" with a pointed finger and the following lecture: "No frow cars, tat, only frow balls. Sit naughty step two minutes." This lecture was then followed with Will making the "beep, beep" noise (indicating the timer had gone off) and then Will telling the tat: "Okay. All done naughty step."
Will helps load the dishwasher after meals (mostly the silverware and plastic ware). He has to open the dishwasher, pull out the bottom drawer and then load his few pieces. We were having a terrible time of him opening the dishwasher and bouncing, bouncing, bouncing it. After a few trips to the naughty step, he has, mostly, stopped this bouncing. He'll open the dishwasher and remind us, "No bou-ing." The other day, as I was opening the dishwasher to load it, the dishwasher just bounced all on its own. Will saw this and then told me, "No bou-ing dishwasher, Mama. Go sit on naughty step. Two minutes." Of course, I complied.
Will is obsessed with gum--eating it, not chewing it. He found a piece in my purse the other day and I didn't want him to have it. I told him if he ate that piece of gum, he would have to sit on the naughty step. He looked at me, looked at the gum, looked at the step, then opened up the gum, popped it into his mouth and quickly ran to sit on the naughty step. I'm pretty certain he felt that piece of gum was worth the two minutes on the step. I'm also pretty certain that the naughty step now holds no fear for him. I guess we'll have to watch Super Nanny for some new ideas. Let us know if you have any good disciplining tips.

Weekend Warriors

2010-08-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

Not to toot our own horns or anything, but Josh and I are pretty much awesome. Typically, I really don't like to brag (har, har), but I really need to document our accomplishments so that in the future I can recall that it is possible for us to actually be productive. This was our Saturday:

6:00: Josh went on a 17 mile bike ride.
7:00: I went on a 5 mile run (and I ran those 5 miles in 42 minutes, people. That's some kind of record, for me anyway. It helped that it was finally cool and un-humid).
8:00: Ate a homemade breakfast of crepes made by Josh, the best breakfast-maker ever.
9:00-10:00: Weeded the flower beds that had been neglected all summer long.
10:00-10:30: Purchased mulch, flowers and new bushes at our local garden center.
11:00-12:00: Planted flowers, bushes and spread mulch in those long-neglected flower beds.
1:00: Fed Will and put down for a nap.
1:00-2:00: Cleaned, organized and swept basement (Jessy).
1:00-2:00: Swept and cleaned garage (Josh).
2:00-2:45: Bathed, finally. That was some serious grime and filth I washed off myself--after a run, working in dirt and mulch and then ridding the basement of all cobwebs, I was in desperate need of a shower. Josh too (though it was his second shower of the day. His record for showers in one day: 5. The man likes to be clean).
2:45-3:00: Vacuumed and mopped all floors on the main level. They were rather messy from traipsing in all forms of dirt, grass and mud.
3:00: Woke Will up and went to "Woody-Bud" show (how Will refers to Toy Story) at our favorite local theater.
3:30-5:00: Consumed ridiculous amounts of popcorn and M&Ms (which totally negated earlier run/ride), thoroughly enjoyed new "Woody-Bud" show, even crying shamelessly (it really is a must-see: I laughed; I cried; I cuddled with Will on my lap as he scarfed popcorn non-stop).
5:00-6:00: Played at the park and even watched a local v-ball tourney they happened to be hosting there.
6:00-6:30: Josh vacuumed his truck (I think it had been probably at least six years since that had last occurred) while I made dinner and Will rode his bike--in the flower beds, mind you. Josh also cleaned out all the vacuums. Impressive and dirty work.
7:30-8:00: Gave Will a bath, a story and bed.
8:30-10:00: Folded laundry and then cuddled, watching our latest favorite show on DVD: "White Collar" (a good show--you should check it out).
10:30-morning: Went to bed, woke up, destroyed house in the whirlwind that is trying to get to 9:00 church on time. Came home, took a two hour nap, had FHE, made dinner and am now staring in wonder at the hurricane that apparently exploded in my home that was, 24 hours prior, spotlessly clean.

All in all, it was a pretty good day. Lots of work, lots of play. My favorite kind of day. Feel free to now offer your praises and express how incredibly impressed you are with all our hard work (not to mention how impressed you are with my beauty, talents, wit, and, of course, humility). Stay tuned for an update on next weekend which will most likely consist of sleeping in, watching television and eating bon-bons all day.

What I Want

2010-07-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

{First, let me preface this with I know I have everything I need--I'm not naive enough to think for a second that I am not very, very blessed. But hey, if I got to choose the perfect world, then this is what I'd get}.
Here's a list of some of the few essentials I feel would make my life a whole heck of a lot easier.

A full-time cook. Seriously, I hate cooking dinner. It seems that most of my life revolves around the making, eating and cleaning up of some meal or another. For instance, right now I should be making dinner. But I'm not gonna. We're going to have pancakes for dinner. Again. There's no shame in that.
While we're talking, a full-time dish washer. Again, far too much of my time goes to this inane task.
A four-year-old brother for Will (or just any four-year-old boy who I can have on hand whenever I so desire). Those 4-year-old boys are the best kind--they entertain your child and are tough enough to take any of the beatings your child chooses to dish out at any given moment. My life would be a breeze.
A Sherpa. I only have one kid and the amount of junk I lug around amazes me. If I had a full-time Sherpa, I could get in and out of my car with ease, all while said Sherpa lugs around my child, my purse, my stroller and the inordinate amount of rubbish my child insists on taking with us everywhere.
Three hours of nursery, from the beginning of church to the end of it. I mean really, after Sacrament meeting I feel like I have been through WW III. And my bench looks like it's been through WW III. And my Sunday best, that I spent hours ironing, look like they've been through WW III.
A full-time mother's helper--someone who will always be here so I can go to the gym for an hour, shower in peace and change my child's diaper every time it needs to be done. Like, right now. Will has stinky pants on. Again.
The immaculate conception. As in, some how, miraculously conceiving without a vat of drugs, millions of doctor's visits and an entire team of doctors. Come on, I just want to be pregnant already.
On that note, to somehow, again miraculously, lose a good 10-15 pounds, all done without any exercise, dieting or any form of strain on my life.
To be on the show, "What Not to Wear" so I can clean out my entire closet and have $5,000 to buy an entirely new wardrobe with the help of a team of stylists (plus, you get a makeover. I soooooo would love a makeover). Wouldn't that be divine.

There's my list. I really don't think it's too much to ask. What's on your list?

But since I highly doubt I will receive any of these things (unless anyone wants to volunteer to be my Sherpa? My full-time dishwasher, anyone? Anyone?) I'll just have to console myself with these words I read while reading my scriptures this week, "Receiving something without effort will mean nothing" (from Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon by Joepsh Fileding McConkie, Robert L. Millet, and Brent L. Top). So, I guess I just better buck up and go make dinner already (pancakes is still an effort, right?).

Everyone Deserves a {Naked} Day

2010-07-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

After our week long vacation in Washington, we've been slowly trying to get back on East Coast time. We've had some lazy days, waking up at 10 or 11, lounging around and swimming in the kiddie pool out back (no thanks to this crazy heat wave we've been having. Oh, how I miss Spokane weather!). And lately, Will has been so obsessed with "be naked", wanting to wear nothing but his b-day suit. So, after our jaunt in the kiddie pool, when Will requested to "be naked" to eat lunch, I thought, "Why not?" I mean, his window of opportunities to prance around naked are quickly coming to a close, right? So, he may as well enjoy it now because what better way is there really to eat lunch than this:

And, when I finally at least diapered him and he tried to escape to the outdoors in nothing but his dog boots, I insisted that he put some clothes back on. His naked day was over.

Fathers & Sons' Camp Out (a.k.a. Jessy's Day Off)

2010-06-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Will and Josh's first fathers and sons' camp out. Sure, they had a good time--eating s'mores, playing by/with the fire, sleeping in a "camping bed" (as Will called it) and eating a yummy campfire breakfast of "pankicks". Sure, Josh was in heaven, snuggling with Will in the tent all night (Will's first time not sleeping in a crib, by the way, and he did just fine). Sure, Will still talks about sleeping in the "camping bed." But really, what it was all about was what I got to do (because, let's be honest, this is my blog and isn't it always all about me?). I got to go for a nice long bike ride, without rushing back home. I got to CLEAN all the floors, with no one spilling or messing up around me. I got to take a nice long, hot shower. I got to watch a non-Hollywood action thriller (BBC's Bleak House. Slow but wonderful. Josh could have never stomached it). I got to go to bed nice and early. I got to SLEEP IN. I got to go on a nice loooooooong run. (Of course, I did lock myself out of the house after my run, but luckily Josh and Will were on their way home). I say: let's have a fathers and sons' camp out every weekend. I know I could sure use the break.

My cute boys.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2010-06-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

Here is the babe himself, lining up all his bikes. And below, he lines up all his cars. He is obsessed with lining everything up. He always comes and gets me to show me how proud he is of his accomplishments.

I just wanted to record a few of the crazy things Will has said of late before I forget them:

He was holding my cell phone, "talking" to his cousin Beth when he dropped the phone. I heard a loud crash and then Will's response, "Oh, curse me!"
Josh, Will and I were all cuddling on our bed, Will playing with all his cars. Will fluffed and Josh asked him, "Did you fluff?" to which Will replied, "No. Blue car fluff." Right, Will. The blue car fluffed.
I was upstairs, using the restroom, when Will came crashing through the door. He looked at me, saw I was using the toilet and then asked, "Where's your book, Mama?"
We try to encourage Will not to throw toys, only to throw balls. It must be something we tell him often because one day when I was cleaning the kitchen, I threw some spilled food into the sink. Will looked at me, pointed his finger and said, "No throw food, Mama. Only throw balls."
Will looooves to play cars, especially on Mamadada bed for some reason. Our bed is a pillow-top so it is high off the ground, which makes it difficult for Will to get on. One time when Will was trying to climb onto Mamadada bed, he slipped and fell. All of a sudden I heard an, "Oh, Mensch!" from Will's direction. Apparently, he got this expression from his German-speaking father who often says this (it means "oh man!" in German).
Will likes to put his cars down for a nap. He lays them on their side, puts a blankey over them, sings them a song (usually "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"), and rubs their backs. Then he uncovers the blanket, picks them all up and says, "Good nap. Good nap."
One time when I got Will up from his nap, I asked if he had a good nap. He quickly replied, "Sure did, Mama. Sure did." It was too funny.

I'm sure there are more things, but this is all I can remember for now. Every day is entertaining, living with a chatty two-year-old.

Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?

2010-06-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Yup. Sure did. What did I do, you wonder? Why, I sewed 1.5 baby wrist rattles in twice as many hours (and let's not focus on the fact that all the charitable people around me made about twelve hundred rattles in the same amount of time). And now I feel I must pose the question that was running through my mind as I sat there, fingers bleeding, sewing those blasted wrist rattles: why, oh why, does every service project entail sewing? I will gladly clean your house, watch your kids, pull your weeds, mow your lawn but please, please, don't make me sew anything. ever. again (sorry, Mrs. Strangburg, my 9th grade home-ec teacher; I have failed you). At least I will sleep better tonight, knowing that I have, in fact, done some good in the world today. Because I am sure, certain, that my 1.5 barely-recognizable wrist rattles make the world a better place.

El Dia de los Madres

2010-05-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

{Note: Since I took enough Spanish classes in college to be fluent in the language, I feel justified in entitling this post in said language. Mind you, the only reason I passed these classes (not only passed but received top marks) is thanks to my Uruguayan teacher's assistant who just happened to teach all my classes and who also just happened to take a liking to me; thus, in all my oral exams she asked me the exact same questions (all about mi esposo). Thanks to her, I didn't learn much Spanish but I did gain a love for Shakira and let's be honest--how much Spanish do I use in my every day life? Nada. But how much Skakira do I use? Muchos. That's right, "The Hips Don't Lie" is a vital part of my daily life}.

On this day of the mothers, I try not to get overly sentimental. Instead of focusing too much on all the "what ifs" (what if I were a better mother, what if I could just get pregnant again, what if I NEVER get pregnant again, etc., etc.), I choose to focus on the important stuff: breakfast in bed, fresh flowers, long afternoon naps, and homemade dinner. That said, don't think for a second that I'm not grateful that I get to spend every day with this rugrat:

Don't think that I don't love every hug given, every laugh bellowed, every nose kiss received, every song sang, every "wuv you, mamas" offered. I daily recognize that I'm living the good life, spending every day doing what I love most. And while it could be easy to focus too much on all the "what ifs", I choose to focus on the "what I've got". Because what I've got is good. Really good. Will and his mama; Mother's Day 2010

Here he's giving me "eye kisses" (butterfly kisses).

And here he's giving me "no'e kisses" (Eskimo kisses).

Palmyra Pilgrimage

2010-05-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Every year, in the spring, we trek to Palmyra, to revisit the place where it all began--in a grove of trees. Every year, we visit the temple, walk through the grove, see the hill. And every year, I remember why, why I go, why I believe, why I do what I do. Because a boy prayed, in a grove of trees, early one morning in the spring.

This year our pilgrimage wasn't quite as magical as in years past. Will wouldn't sleep in the porta crib {or anywhere else}, I didn't sleep when he didn't, the humidity was rampant, the BUGS were out, Will was a tad crabby from the lack of sleep, I was a tad crabby from the lack of sleep and our favorite sandwich shop was closed. Even still, we met Jane there. We went to the temple. We walked through the grove. And my testimony was fortified.

Did you hear that Palmyra adds ten pounds? I guess so. I'm figurin' it's time to do some bicep curls.
Wouldn't it be fun to be as beautiful as Jane? {Don't worry, I'm not jealous.}
That cute Will.
I love this shot of him. What a ham!

How to Have a Great {31st} Birthday

2010-04-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

1. Wake up at the crack of dawn so that you can beat the crowd at the DMV (nothing like putting off your driver's license renewal until the very last minute).
2. Half hour after that wake-up time, greet your child in the hallway, a child who has previously never met you in the hallway in the morning. Yes, that very child, on your special day, has learned how to climb out of his crib, altering life as you know it. Happy B-day, Mama.
3. Arrive at the DMV at 7:57 a.m. Attain the coveted #1 spot and quickly exit with a shiny new driver's license (unfortunately, also exit with a much lighter wallet. $65 are you kidding me!?).
4. Go grocery shopping at Walmart. (I don't know about you, but Walmart is always on my list of fun things to do on my birthday)
5. Drive to grocery store #2 since the aforementioned Walmart didn't have everything you needed.
6. Pay an exorbitant amount of money at grocery store #2 and suddenly appreciate the value that is Walmart (with the good comes the bad, right?)
7. Change your first (and let's hope only) major toddler blow-out (and I mean BLOW-OUT), complete with giving said toddler a bath.
8. Babysit two neighbor children, leaving you to care for three children under the age of three.
9. For first half hour, think to yourself, "I could totally do this--having three kids 18 months apart isn't so bad."
10. For the next two and a half hours, think to yourself, "AHHHHHHHH! Why would anyone do this?"
11. Rock crying 8-month-baby girl until she finally falls asleep. Read your own child a story and get him in his crib for his afternoon nap.
12. Once again, greet your child in the hallway, accompanied by squeals of delight at his proud accomplishment.
13. For the next hour, continually be greeted by child in hallway. After that, just give up, lock your child in his room for 1/2 hour, only to hear him playing choo-choos and cars.
14. Once your hubby comes home, go on a much-needed bike ride.
15. On that bike ride, get chased by a dog, stared-down by a cow and followed by a chicken.
16. Come home to a newly fashioned crib for your child (holes drilled lower to move the mattress down), a clean house, a sleeping child and a scrumptious homemade dinner. (It was a long bike ride).

Happy Birthday to me. At least I got I greeted by a b-day video from this guy: (Josh had this video waiting for me on the computer when I woke up. Very sweet). And at least every year I insist on having a birthweek. So, here's to more, and hopefully better, celebrating! {Friday is when I plan on having my b-day re-do since Josh has this Friday off}. Enjoy this little gem of Will singing "Mama Mia!" and wishing me a Happy B-day!

Easter: Bring on the Candy

2010-04-13T13:27:00.001-07:00

What did the Easter bunny bring Will? Well, Will sure didn't know and/or care. What did he care about? Why, the lovely, brightly colored eggs that held mounds of candy, of course. After all that, the rest of Easter was kind of a let down. Too bad for Will, Easter is the only time he gets to consume ridiculous amounts of candy. Hopefully, one day he will not only recognize but appreciate the full import of Easter: it's not about the candy, it's certainly not about the presents but it is about the fact that our Savior lives. And hopefully, he will also one day recognize that this knowledge can bring better joy and satisfaction than any Reese's egg-shaped peanutbutter cup ever will.

The VT Madsens and the NYC Jane joined us for our Easter celebrating/Conference viewing. How blessed are we to have such good, fun family so close so that we can share all the good times? And how blessed are we that, because of our Savior's life, death and resurrection, we can live forever as a family? And who wouldn't want to live with this guy forever:

Posing with his NYC presents: light-up bunny ears from Granny and a taxi cab from Mama.

His Easter loot: notice said Reese's peanut buttercup in his hand. (When he looked in his basket, all he saw was the candy and he just kept saying over and over, "Eat it! Eat it!").
The cute kids in their Easter garb watching a church show while the adults attempted to watch conference.
Willy Will.
Will and his dada.
The three kids actually looking at the camera at the same time! Love this kid.