"Go Outside!"

I hear this demand from Madelyn at least 10 times a day. It is been so hot here, I have been trying to get her interested in inside activities instead but I do give in probably about once a day. The heat does not seem to bother Madelyn - she is happy to play out there as long as I will let her! We usually play for about 30 minutes (that is about all Mommy can take with this big tummy) and then we have a Popsicle break :)

A Great Day for Swimming!

Since today was another HOT day in Texas and it was the family's last full day here, we spent the morning at the pool. Madelyn loves it here and spends her time showing off the skills she learned at swimming lessons. (I did not take my camera to the pool so these pictures are from Jennifer's camera! Thanks Jenn!)

Swimming in the big pool with Daddy!

Her favorite part of the pool - the shower!

Showing off in the bath tub later!!

Hottest Day of the Year!

Since today was the hottest day of the year (so far) with temperatures getting over 105 we decided to spend the afternoon inside the very cool mall! I was not sure how Madelyn would do since she is not a fan of the stroller but she actually did very well! She was very content to sit and watch the people going by.

Riding the very small Marry-Go-Round at the mall! This was a first for her and she LOVED it!!

Cookie Break!

The whole gang (minus Mommy of course!)

Jennifer, Aunt Sue, Derek, Aunt Mary and Madelyn

Family Time!

Today we welcomed some of Derek's family from the Great White North to our HOT neck of the woods. They are craving some hot sun which I think that we can provide this weekend :). Derek picked them up from the airport on the way home from work today and we had a great evening...

After some catching up time, we headed out to an early dinner at Babe's! YUMMY!

Aunt Mary, Daddy, Jennifer, Madelyn and Aunt Sue

Madelyn was not very interested in the yummy food there - she wanted chips!

After dinner we headed home for some play time and to get ready for bed...

Madelyn and Sue 'hiding' from Mommy before bedtime!

Toddler Time!

Today Madelyn and I spent the morning with some friends at Toddler Time at the library. The little boy that lives next door to us is about 2 weeks younger than Madelyn and they have a great time playing together so we decided to load up and head to Toddler Time! The kiddos had a great time running around the library, singing, dancing and listening to stories. After Toddler Time, we walked around the Town Square for a little while (it was too hot to stay too long) and then headed to get some yummy lunch! The best part was the awesome nap Madelyn took when we got home!!

Listening to the story! Not a great picture but there are so little of Madelyn and I that I decided to suck it up and post it!

The whole crew in front of a painted cow!

Madelyn loved the fountain!

Cruz and Madelyn

Just Because...

Just because she is so stinking cute and growing up WAY too fast (and Mommy is obsessed with taking pictures of her!)!!

Dove Park

I have been wanting to take Madelyn to a Splash Park all summer long...I know there is one in Frisco but I have not had the time or the will to drive that far not knowing how Madelyn would react to the idea. I found a little (very little - only two sprays overall) park only about 15 minutes from our house so I thought this was a good way to see if she liked it. It is attached to a pretty nice playground so we played for a little while so Mommy could check out the water features. We then changed into a bathing suit and I let Madelyn go for it and she LOVED it! She thought it was the best thing in the world and did not want to stop playing. I found two more bigger splash parks that are closer to the house that we are going to check out this week!

Changes...

This past week we made the switch to a big girl bed with Madelyn. I was very nervous about this but Madelyn did MUCH better than I expected. On Tuesday we had Madelyn's big girl room painted a bright pink and went and got her some new furniture...We decided to just jump in and try it Tuesday night. We had a long talk about the big girl bed and how she was a big girl now that did not need to sleep in a crib. She was very excited!

So excited!!

Pretending to be asleep!

The first night did not go as well as it could have. We went to bed around 7:30 and I sat with Madelyn in her room until she finally fell asleep around 9:30!! Not so fun. She never really tried to get out of the bed but was not settling down at all...She was rolling around, singing and talking. Once she was asleep, everything was great. She slept the entire night, did not get out of bed and waited for me come get her when she woke up in the morning! So overall, a success...

Actually asleep on her first night in a big girl bed!

First nap! (She did not sleep for very long but it is getting much better as the days go on!!)

The next night we decided that she did not need me to sit in there with her and it might actually be keeping her up. We were really busy that night and did not get to bed until around 8:00. We read books, had milk and then said goodnight. I left the room (after a long talk about not getting out of bed) and within 15 minutes Madelyn was asleep! I kept peeking in on her and she did not try to get out of bed once!! Again, she slept all night and waited for me to come get her in the morning!

The third night was much of the same...bedtime routine and then she was asleep on her own within 15 minutes!! YEA - I think this is going to be a success! :) What a big girl!

Her new room is not quite complete (we still need to finish some decorations) but I will take and post pictures when we are done...then comes the work on Mason's nursery!!)

Happy 4th of July!!

We had a pretty low key 4th of July at the Bird House! We spent the morning cooling off at the community pool where Madelyn showed Daddy all the tricks she learned in swimming lessons. After the pool it was supposed to be nap time but Madelyn would have none of it. So, because it was a no nap day and Madelyn was feeling the effects of that, we decided to forgo the fireworks tonight and go to bed early!

Relaxing and watching a movie before dinner...This lasted about 10 minutes until she was up and running again! :)

Happy 4th of July to everyone!!

4 Year Anniversary!

Today marks 4 years of marriage with my best friend! Happy Anniversary Derek! I love you! :)

And a big thanks to Gigi for watching Madelyn so Derek and I can go on a date :)

We Heart Layla!

Layla, my parents chocolate lab, is so sweet with Madelyn. She will just lay around and let Madelyn kiss her, pet her and love on her all day. She is a very calm and sweet dog. It is hard to remember her as a wild puppy!

July Desktop Calender

**Remember that you can click on the calender to make it bigger and then right click to save as your desktop...**