McKinley Park with Grammy

On a not particularly special Tuesday afternoon, my grandmother and I took Madison to McKinley Park in Sacramento. Madison is really interested in flowers these days, so we knew this was a good spot because of a beautiful rose garden they have there. She really enjoyed "smelling" the flowers, playing on their huge playground, and chasing the birds and ducks. Aw, how I love my summer days with Maddie!


"Look Mom, pretty flowers!!!"

Father's Day 2009

On Father's Day, we went to Old Town Sacramento to check out Disney's A Christmas Carol train on display for that weekend. It was a huge train that had paraphanalia from the making of the animated feature inside. It was really neat, except for the TWO HOUR WAIT!!! If we would have realized it would take that long, we would have skipped it, but once we'd commited to the line, we just couldn't leave. My back and feet were killing me (being 8 months preggo and all) and Madison became fussy when her naptime came and went, but the actual train experience was neat. Because it was Disney, we dressed Madison in her Minnie Mouse dress for the first time. She was so CUTE! Afterwards, we had a BBQ at George's mom's house and the father's opened lots of gifts.
Here are some picks:

Cute Minnie Mouse dress:

"Talking" on Mommy's cell phone (too funny):

The masks were showing Jim Carrey's character (on left) and another character. Above is showing how the actors dressed in a special black suit that had sensors all over it to detect their body movements for the computer animation. Last photo is of my dad and father-in-law opening their gifts. Happy Father's Day George!

Bathing Beauty

Our hot summer days in northern California make a cool pool feel amazing! Madison seems to be a total water baby. She really enjoys being on her tummy in the water and has even started kicking her legs a bit. We're lucky that two of Maddie's aunties have pools that she can actually "swim" in (although we do love our backyard sitting pool). Here are some pics:

With Auntie Kara in her special floaty:

Snack Time! After a water workout, we take a break:

With Auntie Kelly at her parents' pool (she's copying Kelly by sitting and drinking!):

Cutie Patootie in her bikini!

First Trip to San Francisco!

On Wednesday, June 17, 2009, Madison and I packed up for a day trip to the Bay to meet three of my BabyCenter online friends and their little ones. Madison did a great job in the car and had a good time being around three 14-month olds (their birthdays are all within 4 days of each other). The highlight, from Madison's point of view, was this warehouse of old Arcade games. Even though she conked out as soon as we left SF, she woke up due to a sneeze 20 minutes later and couldn't get back to sleep for the rest of the 90 minute drive, bummer. I wish that we didn't live 3 hours away from these friends and their babies because they are a really neat group.
My feet were SO gross and dirty when we got home because I was in flip-flops (the only comfy shoes that my prego feet fit in). Ew!!!!

Here are some pics:

Ready to start the drive -7:15am


Maddie's new friends: Olivia, Jacob, and Brennan at Pier 39.


Checking out the Sea Lions


"This is fun Mommy!"


Posing in front of Alcatraz Island


First mechanical horse ride (video at bottom)


My little driver


"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" - Who's boat is this anyway??


I took this at the first stop light after leaving the parking garage. Too bad she didn't sleep longer.


Quick video (I was nervous that she may fall off)

My daughter is a genius!

Well, maybe not, but she sure is smart! George and I are amazed everyday at the things she understands and is able to do. Especially with me being home during summer vacation, I am noticing every little detail (and taking pictures of them!) She is understanding multi-step instructions (i.e. "Madison, pick up your toy and bring it to Mommy) and has gotten so much more courageous when it comes to trying new things or being adventurous (hence the scratches on her arms and legs). Here are a few examples of our smart little girl:

Playing with her stacking blocks . . .

And Ta-Da! She does it!

Driving our neighbors 'big girl' car. She learned how to press the motor button and 'drive' by herself!!! Check out the short video below:

A Day At The Park - 14.5 Months

Now that I'm home for the summer, Madison and I get to enjoy many days at our neighborhood park. It's so amazing to see how she plays differently as she grows up. We used to just going on the swings, then we'd "carry" her down he slide, and now she climbs the stairs and goes through the tunnels by herself!!! She has cut two molars now, for a total of 8 teeth and easily walks everywhere, although she seems to like the challenge of walking in grass these days. She really enjoys seeing other children at the park, especially if they are riding a bike or on a skateboard. Tomorrow I'm taking her to her first trip to San Francisco to meet up with three ladies that I met on a online baby board and have been online friends with since we were pregnant. I'm anxious about how she'll do on the long car ride with only me and how nap time goes. I'll let you know.
Here are some pics from the park:

Crawling the tunnel on her own:


"Hi Mom" from the swinging bridge:



"Driving":


"I don't need any help Mommy":



My big girl waking across the swinging bridge by herself "sniff":

Pasta Night

So, Madison doesn't have much of a varied diet. She basically eats cereal, vegetables, and bananas everyday. I wish she would eat more. We keep trying to introduce her to new foods and get VERY excited when she accepts one. Well. . . she actually ate a lot of pasta tonight!!!! She would even eat it after it had been dipped in tomato sauce We just had to share some pics and videos.


This is my FAVORITE pic! She's totally grubb'n!


A more serious look of hers, but always adorable.

Baby "Sprinkle" for Jayden

On Saturday, June 13th, close friends and family came over for a BBQ Baby "Sprinkle" to celebrate the anticipation of Jayden's arrival. Good friends, Kara and Kara, hosted along with lots of help from our moms with the food (thank you!!!!).
Because Madison is only 14 months old, we didn't really need a lot of stuff, but we wanted to celebrate our baby boy, so our friends came up with a Baby "Sprinkle" instead of a baby shower. We ended up getting a lot of adorable boy clothes and some much needed items like diapers, wipes, bottles, and nursing accessories. We feel very blessed and are getting excited for our little bundle of joy. Thank you to EVERYONE who came to celebrate, and those who were there in spirit. You spoil us, and we appreciate you more than you know. Here are some pictures:

Cute boy outfit from Kara and Wayne

Badly needed stove knob covers from the Chan's. We put them on that night and it's great that Madison can't access turning on our gas stove. Thanks!


George, the BBQing master, with good friend Dave.


Don't drink the water! Three of my pregnant friends and me.
Kara (23 weeks), me (33 weeks), Kara P (30 weeks), and Lisa (38 weeks), Crazy!

One of our two cute cupcake cakes - so cute!


Jayden's ultrasounds pics. The one in the upper right corner is the "money" shot of our B-O-Y

Summer Vacation!

So, I'm officially on SUMMER VACATION! My last day of school was Friday, June 6th and I couldn't get out of there fast enough! I don't know if it is because of my pregnancy, but I had very little patience by the end of the year. It feels SO wonderful to not set my alarm each night and instead wake to Madison playing her rain forest crib soother. Unfortunately, Madison is cutting a second molar and has a temperature, so I haven't enjoyed long, sleep-filled nights, but it doesn't bother me so much since I don't have to go to work! I just wish that George had the same schedule as me so that we could travel and experience what summer has to offer.

Quick plug: My daycare (mother-in-law) is looking for some summer work since she won't be busy with Madison, so if you know of anything in the Sacramento area or at-home or online, let me know.

Ocean Day 2009 @ The Eco Station

On Saturday, June 6th the family headed out to George's work, The Eco Station in Rocklin, for an Ocean Day celebration! Madison had a great time with the bubbles, but especially LOVED the bird room. She really enjoys trying to mimic their loud noises. She's a walking champ, walking everywhere on her own, and rarely even letting us hold her hand these days. She's also cutting her 2nd molar (think lack of sleep), so that makes things interesting. She's such a happy toddler!
NEW SKILLS: When asked, she'll point to your nose, eyes, mouth, tummy, and ears (sometimes). Her favorite song is "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas. She'll start dancing whenever it comes on the radio or we play it on our phone - it's so cute!!!!

Baby Jayden update: I'm currently 32 weeks pregnant with our baby boy. He's moving around a lot, and I've felt two Braxton Hicks over this past weekend. I can't believe that we're going to have another child before the summer is over!


Madison checking out the birds.

In the "inside-out globe" checking out the continents.

We made her a special button to remember the event.

Loving the Zome tools (especially putting the connectors in her mouth).

Daddy and Maddie having fun