Halloween Memories...

This was our baby one year ago....

And this is our baby girl now....

What a difference a year makes! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Tuesday & Wednesday's Activities

The weather here has been beautiful lately...HOT, but beautiful!!!  Yesterday, we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather so we spent the afternoon playing outside.  Madelyn absolutely loves being outside...she points out every single bird and tree, she chases Trooper around, and she has a blast kicking her ball.   

Unfortunately, this is what happens EVERY TIME we have to come inside after our fun filled time in the sun...

Yep....full on MELTDOWN!!!!  I'm not quite sure where this temper tantrum throwing child came from, but she is here and in full force!  Have we already entered the "terrible-two's" this early in the game???  Lord, I hope not, because I don't know if I'm ready for this stage yet!

Today was our normal Wednesday morning Toddler Time at the library.  The theme this week was Halloween.  All of the kids dressed up in their adorable costumes and I have to say, they looked so cute!!!!  I didn't feel like getting Madelyn dressed in all of her bumble bee get-up today, so I decided to just let her wear her little skeleton PJs and call it a costume!  Good thing her buddy Braden was there and decided to wear his Pumpkin PJs too!

Madelyn seems to really enjoy Toddler Time.  I think it's such a great opportunity for her to meet other children who are not in our normal playgroup and it's good for me to meet other mommies as well.   The story for today was about a Monster and all of his body parts, I think! (I was a little busy talking to Jill during story time...oops!). 

After the story was over, all of the kids got to do a little "ghost bowling" and their "bowling ball" was a cute little Mummy.  Madelyn didn't really get the concept of using the Mummy to knock over the Ghosts, but at least she gave it a shot!

As soon as ghost bowling was finished, we headed over to the arts and crafts tables and made our own little monster like the one in the story. 

The kids got to take their monster creations around and Trick-or-Treat at different stations throughout the library.  They handed out things like lollipops, cheese crackers, fruit snacks, and animal crackers.  It was so cute!!!

I think after today, we are ready for the big Halloween night on Sunday!  This will be Madelyn's first year to actually get out and enjoy the fun of Trick-or-Treating and I can't wait to watch her do it.  She will definitely be the cutest bumble-bee out there!

Poor, Deprived Child

This was our attitude last night....

Hopefully today is a MUCH better day!  Happy Sunday everyone!!!

Update: 16 Months

Here is just a little update of Madelyn's new and not-so-new skills and changes.  I realize that it's been a while since I last listed all of her accomplishments, so here we go....

At 16 months....

-She can point out her (and others) nose, eyes, mouth, ears, belly, feet, & hair
-She LOVES to dance
-She runs and jumps (more like a bounce, but whatever!)
-She likes to help mommy and daddy clean...especially if it involves a broom or a vacuum

-She shakes her head "no" when mommy or daddy say it
-She recognizes and can point out the following animals: Dog, Cow, Cat, Monkey, Duck, & Pig
-She can make the following animal sounds: Owl, Dog, Cow, Lion, Duck, Monkey, Dog, (and we are soooo close to Cat and Pig)
-She waves hi & bye
-She pretends to "talk" on the phone

-She uses a fork and spoon with about 75% accuracy
-She loves to brush her teeth
-She will climb on anything including the couch, kitchen chairs, and into/out-of the bathtub
-She loves to take showers and baths
-She loves her dog...she will run around the house all day pointing at Trooper while saying "dog!"..."dog!"..."dog!" and then she starts barking like a dog!

-She loves to stack objects and then knock them down
-Her favorite foods at the moment include: Chick-Fil-A nuggets, Strawberries, Turkey, Spaghetti, Cheese, Milk, Apple Juice, Grape Juice, and Cranberry Juice
-She loves to play "peek-a-boo"
-She signs "all done", "milk", and "more"....we are working on "please" and "thank you"
-She loves to be outside
-Her favorite shows are Yo Gabba Gabba, Elmo, and Sesame Street
-She has recently found a new found love of sunglasses

-She's still not saying a whole lot of words, but she babbles in her own "Madelyn Language" all the time!!!  She does say momma, dadda, dog, duck, no, all done ("da dun"), thank you ("tay to"), & who's that ("do tat")

I think that's about it!  As you can see, we've got a healthy, growing, active toddler on our hands and I couldn't be any more proud of her! 

A Quick Glimpse

Since I don't have the time (or the patience) to sit down and write about everything we've been doing lately, I'm choosing to post a few pics instead!  Enjoy!

Madelyn's First Time On An Airplane
September 30th

San Diego, California
David & Jen's Wedding

September 30th - October 3rd

Austin, Texas

Ava & Grayson's Birthday Party

October 8 - 11

The Little Gym

October 14th

The Pumpkin Patch

w/ Jill & Braden

October 15th

Playdates

October 15th



And these are just a few pictures from the last few days

that I thought were just to cute not to include...

WHEW!!!!! I think we're caught up!  We're headed to Church/Sunday School in the morning and then back to the Pumpkin Patch tomorrow afternoon so I'm sure I'll have more to write about in the next couple of days!  Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!