Last Saturday...

I came upstairs from being on the computer to find this....

This is what Lazy Saturday's are for right?

Baby Dedication

Last Sunday, we had Madelyn's baby dedication.  My parents and Jeremy's parents came as we dedicated our little girl to the Lord and recognized that she belongs to the Him. 

Can you say diva?  "Life is too hard..I can't smile for the camera."

Mady slept through the entire thing in her daddy's arms:-)

Our family.

Mady girl's outfit.  Everything was too big...especially the tights and shoes...but I was determined for her to wear this outfit!  It was suppose to be her Christmas dress but at Christmas time, she only weighed 6 lbs 10 oz.  For some reason, when I was pregnant, I was convinced I would have a HUGE baby...I'm glad I was wrong:-)

 Here is what Jeremy and I wrote about our sweet Mady girl.  This was read as they introduced us.  

Madelyn has been such a blessing in our lives.  Everyday, her sweet, easy-going personality brings joy to our lives as we watch her grow.  "Mady" as we call her, is always up for cuddle time, especially with her dad.  Madelyn's middle name "Grace" reminds us of God's faithfulness and love in that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  We are so thankful God has entrusted us with Madelyn.  Our prayer is that she will grow into a Godly woman who desires to serve and see others come to know the Lord.

 

Random Pictures of Mady

Jeremy and I love this picture of Mady girl!  The purple brings out her beautiful blue eyes.

Mady loves her stuffed animal.  It plays music and moves. 

Aww...

Lexi and Mady shared some quality time together yesterday staring at one another.

"Why do you have to take so many pictures Mom?"

FINALLY!  I caught a smile on camera!  It's not her best smile but at least I got one! 

"Dear Jesus, thank you so much for formula and clean diapers.  Please tell my mom to stop taking so many pictures.  Amen."

Trip to Oklahoma

This last weekend, we took Mady for her first road trip to Oklahoma to visit my side of the family.  Most of my family had not seen her yet, and so I was very eager to get down there so they could meet my little girl.  Since the longest car ride Mady had been on was 30 minutes, we weren't quite sure how she would do for 3 1/2 hours...she did amazing!  Here is some of the highlights of our trip.

Before we left for Oklahoma, we had to stop by the hospital and visit Mady's new friend, Mark.  Dana and Nick are the parents of this adorable little boy!

What a cutie!  Look at all that black hair!

 Then we were off to Oklahoma!  We took Lexi with us.  She rode in the back with her sister.  

Being a good doggie!

Lexi was concerned when Mady started to cry a little.

Our first stop was great grandma and great grandpa Ellis' house.  (My grandparents.)  My niece and nephew Rielly and Titus were there along with my brother and sister-in-law and my parents.  

This picture is dark but my grandparents just loved Mady girl.

Rielly and Ty with baby Mady.

Rielly wanted to hold "Baby Madelwyn"

As you can see, Rielly and Ty LOVED seeing Baby Mady.  They couldn't get enough of her!
The next day we visited Great Grandma Smith.

Look at my long girl!

We also saw LOTS of other friends and family but I didn't get pictures.  On Sunday, we celebrated my grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary.  It was so amazing to see Family and Friends I hadn't seen in YEARS!  

Rielly's "Princess Dress" as she calls it.

Rielly and Ty love Baby Mady.

We had such a wonderful time in Oklahoma.  Mady did fantastic on her first road trip and sleeping away from home!  She was exhausted though and on our way back, she slept the entire 3 1/2 hours!  We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family and can't wait until the next time we're down!

Things I Can Do!

Cuddle with my dad

Take up as much space as I can in my crib.

Take you to a "gun show".  Look at my muscles!

Watch my furry sister play in the snow.

Use my pacifier for all sorts of things, including picking my nose.

Look cute.

Help my mom cook in the kitchen.

NOTE:  Please ignore the annoying Mom voice on the video at the top.  I hate hearing myself on camera...

Thankful

I am so thankful for these two blessings.

I was talking with Jeremy the other day about how if I were still teaching, this would be my last week home with my sweet girl.  I cannot imagine having to drop her off at daycare.  I am so thankful that my husband, not only works so hard at his job so I can stay home, but that he encourages me and wants me to.  I love being a stay-at-home mom.  It is my ultimate dream job.  Of course, there are days I miss teaching.  I definitely miss seeing my co-workers at Hesston everyday.  And I miss seeing the change in my students from the beginning of the year to the end.  I know that I will go back to teaching one day, however right now, I am LOVING being at home with my little girl.  Even when she decides to pee on her 2nd outfit of the day, or spit up all over her crib sheets, or I get poop on my hands (yuck!), or she cries every time I give her a bath....this job is the best and I'm so thankful I get to be home to enjoy it all!

This is what I've been up to this week....

Wearing a cute hat!

My first tummy tme

Hanging out with Lexi

Going on a walk with my Mom

Taking a bath without screaming

Going grocery shopping with my Mom

Wow!  It's been a busy week!

Our Watch Dog

This post is dedicated to our wonderful, spoiled "first child", Lexi.  She has been a little neglected the last month but has had a pretty good attitude about it most of the time.  Lexi is Mady's watch dog.  They do many things together like watch the backyard together to make sure there's no intruders.

Lexi is so worried when Mady cries.  She goes into her room and lays down by her crib.  If I don't respond to Mady's cry in a "reasonable time" Lexi will come find me with a look on her face that says "Mom, aren't you going to do something?"  During the late night feedings, Lexi will follow me into Mady's room and fall asleep.  The monitor use to freak Lex out but she's now getting use to it.  I so look forward to the day when Mady girl can interact with her furry sister.  

And finally, here's a photo of Mady girl and her pacifier.  Those things are just too hard to keep in my mouth!

1 Month!

On Sunday, Mady turned 1 month old!  It's so hard to believe!  Here's a few pictures of my little girl.

Here is what Mady is up to now!  

• She's a pretty good sleeper, only waking up one time at night.  YAY!  
• She gives her mom and dad good smiles on a daily basis.  We haven't caught any on camera though...bummer!
• She loves car rides and does so well with her "big sister" Lexi in the backseat.  
• She still loves cuddling with her daddy in the evenings.  It's the highlight of my day to see how much she loves her dad!
• She's a pretty easy-going little girl.  We have so loved getting to know her unique personality.

Mady girl~  We love you so much!  We cannot believe you have been in our lives for 1 month already!  We enjoy every moment with you! ~Mom and Dad

A Few Pictures of Mady Girl

Snoozing...

Check out my boots from my Aunt Amy!

Practicing talking on the phone already!

Church just wore me out!  I can't even keep my pacifier in my mouth!

This picture shows just how long my sweet girl is!  Her feet hang off her bouncer already!

Mady's 1st Christmas

Although I would LOVE to say Mady's first Christmas was so much fun, seeing all of my family in Tulsa, it didn't end up that way.  We found out the week of Christmas that Mady wasn't gaining weight.  Because she was so fragile, we were advised not to travel anywhere.   I was very disappointed but I also wanted my little girl to grow and get bigger.  The week of Christmas was exhausting for Jeremy and I.  However, on Christmas day, we did find time to relax and enjoy our family of 3.  
On Christmas morning, we ate a HUGE brunch and took family pictures by the tree.  

Us in our PJs Christmas morning. 

I think her sweet face looks like Jeremy in this picture.  

After brunch, we laid around watching Christmas movies.  We watched my all time favorite Christmas movie, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  We also watched Elf, another favorite.  Mady girl wore one of her favorite outfits from her Great Grandma Smith.  

Her shirt says, "Who needs Santa when I have Grandma"

Candy Cane Socks from Great Grandma Smith.

Because we stayed in our PJs practically all day, we decided to take "nice" family Christmas pictures the next day after church.  Mady's "Santa Baby" dress is from her Aunt Tracy.  I absolutely love it!

 

So yes, our Christmas wasn't exactly as we would have planned, but it was still wonderful.  We are so thankful for our favorite Christmas present, our sweet Mady girl, and for Jesus Christ coming as a baby.  For that is really the reason we celebrate Christmas.