Bed Head Supreme

Seriously, I did not touch her hair. She must have had one wild nap!

Cutie Patutie

Have I mentioned that I LOVE putting Madison's hair in ponytails?

She is quite a talker these days. I sat down one day and wrote down all of the words that she uses and she has hit the 100 mark. I did not include words that she repeats. These are words that she uses without prompting. At her check-up, the NP asked me is she used 8-10 words yet. Hee, hee, hee.

We moved her to a toddler bed about two weeks ago. It has not been a pleasant experience. I have only had a full night's sleep 2-3 times since. When she wakes up, she will stand at her door (which I keep closed) and yell "Mommy" in the most pitiful voice you can imagine.

The very first night was quite an experience. Madison woke me up out of a really deep sleep. I was disoriented and was definitely not thinking straight. I went to her room and for some reason decided just to let her sleep with me. She did not mind this. At some point, while it was still pitch black, she sat straight up in bed and started talking to me. I decided it was time for her to go back to her bed. She settled right down and I made my way back to my bed, again still dark. When I got to my doorway I noticed a white face on John's pillow. My mind was so foggy that I stood there trying to remember if John really went to work or if he had the night off and if he did have the night off, why didn't Madison bother him while she was in our bed? I could feel the panic start creeping in. As I was silently praying, I let out a "Hey, Carson" very nervously. Imagine my relief when I heard "Hey, Mommy." So I ended up with at least one child in bed with me all night!

Snow time

This setup was rather convenient for John and me.

If no one will take her sledding, she will take herself!

I'll admit that this was a rather ugly snowman but in our defense, we were not prepared to build one on this trip. Carson loved it just the same!

Our Quiet Christmas

The big boy bike.

So excited to inherit the tricycle.

Making cookies for Santa.

OH MY!!

The finished product.

The loot.

We had a very quiet Christmas around here. It was quite nice. The kids slept in as they do these days. I woke up around 0730 wondering when the kids would wake up because I was so excited. Carson totally put it all together. The grin on his face when he discovered the presents from Santa was priceless. Madison was a little confused by it all but enjoyed opening the presents nonetheless. John and I completely forgot to take a single picture. We did, however, capture the entire thing on video. Carson received the triceratops that he insisted Santa was bringing him although he was most excited about a dinosaur puzzle. Madison really did not react to any present but after all was opened, she really enjoyed playing with her new baby gear that included a stroller, pack n play, play mat, bouncy seat and diaper bag. I can't even begin to tell you how many miles that little stroller has already been pushed!!! After a late breakfast we took the bikes out for a test ride. Both kids were just as happy as they could be as you can see in the pictures. By the time we made it back, it was time for John to get ready for work. I cannot complain about him working the holidays because that is much better than the alternative of deployments. For the rest of the day, the kids and I just played with their new toys and read all of their new books.

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas!!

Daddy Did It!

I'll let the picture do all the talking.

Snow Much Fun

Making snow angels.

We have discovered sledding about an hours drive from us. It is hard to believe we have this much snow so near to us considering we live in a desert! This isn't just a dusting either. I would sink down past my knees in the soft spots. We have been twice now and we all love it.

Little lovebirds

Madison sandwich!

Best Buds.

We kept Matthew and Abby one night so that their parents could go out. We had such a great time! After dinner, the boys wanted to watch a movie. So I put the movie in and walked into the kitchen to clean up from dinner. I walked back into the living room to find Matthew and Madison all snuggled up on one end of the couch. It was so stinkin' cute that I had to grab the camera! They were just as content as they could be together and were even a little kissy kissy. As I was snapping pictures 2 thoughts crossed my mind. #1 If this were 10-15 years down the road, this behavior would not be tolerated in my house and #2 We will have to watch out for Madison going after her brother's friends!