The Thye Family

Watching Tangled...

2012-01-12T22:11:00.000-08:00

Playing with dad!!

2012-01-12T21:48:00.000-08:00

Tis the Season... to be a angel!

2011-12-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Madelyn was in her first Christmas Pageant today. It was so stinkin' cute. Thank you to Aunt Plet for inviting her. We all had lots of FUN!

Leaving the "dressing room".

Getting ready for "show time!"

Act 1

Act 2

Finale!!

New Madelyn Videos- Oldies but goodies!!!

2011-11-29T20:25:00.001-08:00

I know I stink at blogging. But here are some videos for the fam that is not in Az, and you other folks to enjoy. xoxo

She thought the video camera was a regular camera. Makes me laugh every time.

Singing happy birthday to Gramma Thye.

Playing dress up with Christian.

Playing memory with daddy. She kind of gets the point...

Dress up at Plet's.

Singing with daddy.

Madelyn is two!

2011-07-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

I seriously cannot believe that my little girl is two. She used to just lay in my arms and give me the squinty eyed smile. Now she pulls my hair, tells me "no" and is the most adorable thing I think I could ever have imagined. I am too tired to go into much detail, because I will cry. Already starting to tear up... Anyway, she has been the best part of the last two years of my life. I cannot WAIT to see more. I love her so much!

Some of the fun things she does now that she is two (cue tiny fingers trying to make the peace sign, and maybe using the other hand to keep the three unwanted fingers down):
- She loves her mammy: we kiss, we hug, we cuddle EVERY morning.
- She loves her daddy: she runs to him when he gets home and asks for him ALWAYS.
- She reads books, colors pictures, plays with dolls, puzzles and her kitchen.
- She can mostly entertain herself, but there are times when she definitely wants your attention. Usually the hitting to the chest and yelling of your name makes that pretty obvious.
- She has funny sayings. "Wha dat soun?" "Up, pease." "Tinkle, tinkle, ittle sta." "Bess you." "Tank you." "You're welcome." "Cuse me."
- She makes almost EVERY animal sound I can think of. The horse (neh), the alligator (snap), and the elephant (a sound she makes that I can't even write out) are my favorite.
- She is super friendly. She is strong and brave. She keeps her routine really well.
- Overall, she is just a great kiddo. Mu-ah!!

Here are some pictures of her birthday week. Grandma and Grandpa Thye visited as you will see.

Happy two years baby girl!

Cool New God Story

2011-07-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

Okay. I keep feeling like God is putting people in my path. And it is not the I just happened to them at the grocery store and they said something odd that made me think kind of thing. It is the 5 million steps that have to all be perfectly in place for the outcome to work out kind of thing. Like the story I mentioned earlier about getting back in touch with Molly.

Anyway,Josh and I took a little break from the initial adoption hype to work out some details. And whoa, are there a lot of details... While on our little get away without Madelyn (the cruise and then a two week Europe trip with the AZ Ambassadors) we were able to get a clearer vision of what adopting looked like for us in the future. Really we just decided that we would start on our home study as soon as possible. So this week I pulled out some paperwork to read over and started making some calls.

Meanwhile I was also getting ready to go to Rockford, IL (where I am now) for a client's wedding. I did her older sister's wedding in Scottsdale last fall and fell in love with this family. Apparently they loved me too because they decided to treat me to four days in Illinois AND pay my fees instead of hiring someone from Chicago. I was super flattered, and very lucky to be here with them. Anyway, the two sisters/brides that I have worked with have an older sister in law named Sara Beth. She is a doll!! This is where the cool story come in...

I had a dream last week that had something to do with Sara Beth being pregnant. Now, those of you who know me well, know I have dreams. Some dreams are just dreams, but some are from God. And we all know when I have one of "those" dreams. They are so vivid I just can't let them go. I know they mean something. Some times it is crystal clear to me and sometimes it is foggy but I know I have to ask questions. That was how this dream about Sara Beth was. Not crystal clear, but I knew it had to do with a baby.

So today when I was with Noma (family friend who is helping me out for the weekend) I asked her if Sara Beth was pregnant. She asked me why. I told her about the dream. Luckily Noma believes in God and the power of dreams and didn't think I was a psyco weirdo. She said I should ask Phoebe (MOB) about it. It seemed like a sore issue and I didn't want to rain on Anna's parade by bringing something like that up. Nor did I know Sara Beth well enough to even feel comfortable asking about her. So I temporarily dropped it.

But tonight at the pizza party the whole family was there and I started to catch up with Ellen, bride number one. She asked about my daughter and I gushed over all the ridiculously adorable things she is doing right now. And then she asks the question EVERY single person asks. Are we going to have more. I love Ellen, so I tell her about Josh and I starting the adoption process. She mentions she has also thought about adopting. Then we get distracted by other people, as often happens at parties.

But later on in the evening Sara Beth finds me and says she would like to talk to me. Apparently Ellen mentioned off the cuff that I was thinking about adopting. So we sit and she tells me the they just got their papers to start their home study. She has a 3 year old, and went through some similar situations that I went through to have Madelyn. Honestly, I think ALL people who try as hard as Sara Beth and I have tried to have kids should be given a gold star on all adoption paperwork. Needless to say, she tried more fertility treatments than I would have had the heart for, and then was blessed with a non fertility related pregnancy that gave her sweet Charlotte. Since then however, things have not worked and she is looking forward to adoption. So that part of the conversation was just fun and encouraging. She is a very strong, REAL girl. Someone who loves Jesus but isn't afraid to tell him when she is mad about life. Someone who can scream, cry, and then laugh. A girl after my own heart. So I was feeling very encouraged by her story and happy that I have a new adoption friend to go on this journey with. (As you all know from my IVF story line, I collect people. I guess I have a big enough mouth that everyone knows my business. Luckily I am a good listener and confidant. Plus, I make friends easy. So I have lots of circles. Adoption is my new one. :o)

After talking about life as we knew it, I asked about the fun part. Where she is headed with all the adoption stuff. Then she dropped the real bomb. One I think was God ordained. The whole reason we were meant to talk this evening. She tells me that she is working with the amazing agency that has all these amazing qualities. She lists them, but I am too tired to get in to what they are, why they are attractive, and what not. But the point is, they are the same things I find attractive in an adoption agency. So now my interest is peaked. She tells me the biggest reason she feel in love with them though is because they are located in her home town, Fort Worth.

Those of you who know adoptions know that there is travel involved. The biggest trip being after the baby is born. You need to travel to that city and stay for two weeks until your paperwork is all approved. Plane tickets, hotel, food, all that stuff adds up. So you can imagine my thrill when I tell her that my in-laws live in Forth Worth and I had no idea there was an agency like the ones I had been looking at in other states, in a state where I would actually want to travel to. A place where I could bring my daughter. A place where I would have a house to stay in. With real food and appliances. And family to surround us. This is a HUGE DEAL. I was so thankful that I was there, in that house, making a friend of Sara Beth and learning one of the most comforting things I could have learned about.

So that is it. My story. I totally get excited about this stuff. I called my hubby right away. And of course my in-laws. I wanted to share my cool God story, but they should also know that I plan on using them for the above stated purpose. And of course, they are thrilled to pieces over it.

Thank you God for this night!

Cruise 2011

2011-06-13T21:51:00.001-07:00

I am naming this post "Cruise 2011" because I am going to go on more cruises. That is a fact! I had so much fun on this vacation that I am still pretty giddy just reliving moments, looking at pictures, telling friends. No joke, best vacation ever! And I have had some really cool vacations. There is just something about a cruise that really appealed to little 'ol me. First of all, everything is so laid back. And besides drinks, everything was paid for. So it was like no hassle, super easy vacation. And you can't go wrong visiting some of the most beautiful places on the planet. I mean really? These islands are just magical... I am totally going back. And you should come with us. I am serious! You will thank me. Here are some highlights from our cruise vacation and then a slide show at the end. Enjoy!

Day 1:
Travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico
Read part one of the Hunger Games series. Amazing!
Watched "The Hangover" on the plane.
Loaded onto the ship, Serenade of the Seas. Explored a bit.
Got dressed for dinner with some fun new friends. Ron, Wendy, Wes and Karen from Houston and Mel and Mark from Melbourne, Australia. Our dinner mates the first night.

Day 2:
Spent the entire day at sea.
Got hot stone massages in the morning.
Laid by the pool, read some good reads, drank some good drinks.
Went to yoga class on the deck that overlooked the front of the ship. Very zen.
Laid out/read some more while Josh ran the outdoor track.
Got dressed for our first formal night on the ship.
Went to the Captain's Reception before dinner, danced a little.
Went to the musical show after dinner.

Day 3: Barbados
Went to Harrison's Cave
Saw monkeys and other animals at the Animal Preserve.
Ate a Barbados classic, flying fish, at a local restaurant.
Swam with sea turtles, and snorkeled a ship wreck. Josh touched the ship. Scary!
Went to another show before dinner.

Day 4: St. Lucia
Did a zip line tour of the rain forest canopy.
Visited a beautiful beach.
Shopped in town a bit.
Josh drank the local beer, Piton, named after the Piton Mountains. He liked it.
Saw a magic show before dinner.
Went to a dancing under the stars event after dinner. Danced our butts off!!
Ate at the midnight buffet after our dancing extravaganza.

Day 5: Antigua
Slept in. Yay!
Caught a taxi/tour for only 20 bucks with four other couples. One from Egypt on their honeymoon. Very cool people!
Visited all things revolving around Sir Horatio Nelson including the famed Nelson's Dockyard.
Spent the reaming afternoon at a local beach that had the cutest little hut cafe and staff. They are famous for having 365 beaches, one for every day of the year, but I liked this one.
Went to another show before dinner.
Participated in a game show after dinner.

Day 6: St. Maarten
Shopped in the morning for about an hour and then hung at the beach the rest of the day. Loved this chill day! And the beach was amazing! A quite find that a local told us about.
Second Formal Night
Went to a Love and Marriage Game Show that was really funny after dinner.

Day 7: St. Croix
Went on an ATV tour of the island.
Rested in the Solarium the rest of the day.
One last show and then off to bed.

Day 8: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Visited the Casa Blanca church and walked the wall that surrounded Old San Juan.
Shopped.
Traveled home...

Madelyn's First Gymnastics Class

2011-06-04T15:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we took M to gymnastics for the first time. We figured she needed something fun to do when it was hot outside, plus the girl could use some coordination! She loved the class! Miss K is so good with the kids and the little routines they do were really fun. M loved it so much that she threw a huge fit when we left. That has never happened. We can usually say, "Say good bye to the zoo." Or, "Say good bye to the park." And no fit ensues. She simply says, "Bye, bye." And is off to the car for her snack. Not true with gymnastics. The girl was into it! I am very happy that she likes it. It will be a great summer activity!

She loves daddy's shoes...

2011-05-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

He is Risen! And for that, we celebrate. We also do an annual egg hunt. For funsies.

Our new sleep pattern...

2011-04-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Usually M sleeps really well. She has not always been a good sleeper but I feel pretty lucky that we have been able to get her down and stay asleep pretty well for the last year and change.

Here is our usual sleep pattern:

8:00- We tell M it is time to go "ni-night". We pick her up. We give hugs and kisses good night. We lay her down, shut the door, and she goes to sleep. She wakes up around 7:30-8:00am.

Our new sleep pattern:

8:00- We tell M it is time to go night night. She screams "no" and runs away from us. We pick her up and tell her to give kisses. She screams "no" and struggles to get free of our arms. We put her in her cribs and she continues to scream. We shut the door.

8:10- M is still screaming. To the point where she can hardly breathe. Either Josh or I go in to the room and pick her up to try and calm her down. She points to the door and tells us she wants to go "out". We just rock her and eventually she lays her head on our shoulder. We put her back down. She starts to cry.

8:20- Her little cry has turned into a scream again and now she is snotting all over the place and again struggling to breathe. One of us goes in and tries to calm her down. Usually the second time around is more successful. She cries when we lay her in the crib. We rub her hair and she falls asleep.

8:30- She is finally asleep. She sleeps until about 7:00, if not earlier.

So what do I do? She is very calm in our arms after a few seconds. She obviously wants to leave the room and play but we stay in the room and hold her and she is fine. The minute we put her down she is not happy. Is this normal? How do I break her of the screaming until she gets what she wants habit?

This is no joke!

2011-04-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

I am super excited about April. Not only is this my favorite time of year (sun, heat, happiness), but it is also the month that Josh and I officially start on what I am sure will be a very cool journey.

Here is a little bit of the back story to what I am going to tell you. We conceived Madelyn through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in November of 2008 after 3 years of trying and treatments. We used 3 embryos to get her and had 7 left over for future babies. At the start of this year we decided to use those embryos for another pregnancy. Unfortunately all seven embryos were unsuccessful.

Those are the brief facts. My feelings on the situation? Sad. I knew I wanted to have more kids. Madelyn has been such an incredible blessing in our life that I just couldn't wait to have more sassy bags of trouble running around my house. But Josh and I weren't quite sure how to move forward. We quickly narrowed our choices down to the two choices we were faced with in May of 2008. We could either adopt or go through IVF.

Those of you who walked the past journey with me knew I didn't have a good experience with the adoption lawyer we consulted with. I never felt comfortable with her and therefore was not feeling very comfortable with the idea of adoption. However, this time my mind keeps wandering back to adoption. Obviously I am NOT go with that particular agency, but I wasn't sure where to start. This is when things get pretty cool.

In the fall I was reconnected to an old friend named Molly through facebook. She went to my (huge) church and did a Holy Yoga class that I had been involved in every semester but the fall semester she was a part of it. I contacted her and asked if she was going to do the class in the spring because I would love to see her. She signed up and so we got to have a pretty cool conversation before yoga class started one day in January. During that conversation I told Molly that we started IVF again and she said they were adopting again, after having two adopted angels at home. They are so much fun! Anyway, after that initial conversation I did not see Molly for a few weeks. Once she did come back to class she had her newest little guy with her. But then I never saw her at class again.

After we found out our IVF was not successful and I knew I wanted to find out more about adoption, I contacted Molly to see if I could talk to her. I went to her house last night. M played with her kids, I got to hold her little boy, and we talked about my feelings and her family's story. It was a very powerful hour. I left her house feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. All my left over fears about adoption from the first pass at it had gone away and I was on to more positive thoughts. I had what I considered to be a game plan and a new friend to lean on for understanding and guidance. The whole process just didn't feel so overwhelming any more. And too bad Molly was there the whole time because I might have just stolen her baby boy from her. He is serious so precious. He just melted into my arms and was so relaxed the whole time Molly and I chatted. In fact, he smiled at me the minute I said hello. And yeah, that pretty much does it for me.

Once I was in the car driving home Molly called me and gave me some good advice. She said that I should go home and write down what had happened that day. She said that when you adopt you don't have doctor's appointments, blood work, ultra sounds, any of that. So you have to celebrate every little thing along the way. Yesterday was huge for me. I have wanted to adopt for a long time. I just got scared off the first time I pursued it. And I think God had other plans for me. But this time I was not comfortable with any other option. And I knew I wanted to grow our family. So adoption has now become the path for us. Who knows where the Lord may lead, but for now I wanted to make sure that kid knows that I am already praying and looking forward to the day that I can hold them in my arms. I may not be growing them inside of me, but there is a child out there who God has meant for our family. We don't know when or where they will come to us but we will document the experience of getting him or her just the same. Can you see why I am so excited??

So now for some answers to questions you may be thinking and commentary on what I am anticipating from the last time Josh and I went through this process.

1. Why not IVF again?

This is a question that many people have already asked. I will tell you that I would never, in a million years, give up the experience I had getting pregnant with Madelyn. I am actually very grateful to have been able to experience being pregnant and giving birth to a child that is half Josh and half myself. However, I was not very happy along the way. And I not sure many people even know to what extent it was hard for me to function during those years. I was constantly going to the doctor for one procedure after another. I was being pumped with pills, and shots that contained drugs that messed with my body and emotions, sometimes to the point that I felt like I need to be institutionalized. And again, I am not joking or even being dramatic. These are facts. I have said on multiple occasions that I would have out of body experiences. I would see my self doing things that were not cool. Acting in ways that were not appropriate, but I could not stop myself from doing them even though I knew I was acting crazy. And now that I am out of that craziness I am embarrassed about not being able to handle my emotions for years. Plus, when I was pregnant I was very sick and my body did not respond well to anything. I ended up 73 pounds gained, with pre-eclampsia, a c-section, and a baby in the NICU. NONE of those things were as glorious as I though they were going to be when I mourned not being able to get pregnant naturally. So the thought of going through all of that all over again just feels like too much to handle. And to be honest, seems entirely unnecessary. I did it once. And there are kids out there that need homes. So, if it saves me the doctor appointments, drugs/needles, 73 pounds and uncontrollable emotions, I am totally down for it.

2. Do I think I will love my adopted baby as much as Madelyn?

This is a fair question, and one that I have gotten only once. But thought it was good enough to share. Of course the answer is yes. In fact I was telling my mom that I love my friends kids so much that I would be happy to take any of them if ever I needed too. And I am serious. There were 9 babies born just the summer I had Madelyn. More before and even more since then. I have watched these kids grow up, and even though they are not my blood I can't stand it when they get sick or even hurt themselves on the play ground. I love them! So if given a child who God has entrusted to me to raise, I have no doubt that I will love them as much as any other kid I love.

3. For people who are not sure what to say...

Then my advice is to not say anything at all. Just give hugs, encourage us, pray for us, or meet me for yogurt. I don't care. Just don't feel obligated to have some fancy words of wisdom. And I am not being smart here I am just being sincere. Sometimes the best thing to do is ask about what is going on and just listen. When we were going through stuff the first time people would say the dumbest things. The fact is, we all have different perspectives and beliefs. And when you throw emotions into the game things can just get out of hand. Comments are misinterpreted and relationships get strained. So unless you really feel led to say something, don't. Let me give you an applicable example for this time around. When Josh and I were deciding between IVF and adoption the first time, a number of people would tell me stories about so and so who filled about adoption papers and then got pregnant. Or so and so adopted a number of kids and then got pregnant. Whatever the story was, the message was always the same, but I felt very strongly about two things. One, I didn't feel it was fair to whatever child we adopted if I was just going through the motions so that I may become pregnant with my own child. That didn't sit right. I wanted that child to know that we specifically wanted to adopt them. We were not hoping for someone else. Secondly, it made me feel as if everything I was doing to try to get pregnant was seen as unnecessary to whoever was telling me that story. If they truly felt that I could just be one of those people who filled out paper work/adopted a few kids and then become pregnant, that they didn't believe the very real things that were wrong with Josh and I. Like were just putting ourselves through craziness for nothing. I am positive that none of these things were meant by the people who were telling the story. But I hope you can see why I think saying nothing sometimes is better than making someone who already feels bad about a situation, feel worse. And please don't feel like you can't talk about this with me. You all know that I am a talker. I guess I just don't want to hear that maybe God didn't want us to have this or that. Or that I am not trusting Him. Or that I just need to have more faith. Or that I should just stop thinking about it or do nothing and something will pop into my lap. I would rather hear that you love me, support me, and pray for me. Sorry if I am too sassy...

4. So, how can we pray for you?

I am a worrier and I read into everything. I hate this about myself. But it is true. So here are some of my worries. I just ask that God allows me to release these.

- I worry that people won't love my kid like I do. It makes me worry when people ask if I think I will love my adopted kid the same as my "real" kid. Does that mean they see "real" and "adopted" as different? I see kids as blessings from God. Little people that we get to raise and love for a short time in the span of eternity. These kids are not mine, but have been entrusted to me and my care. But I freak a little when people talk about "real" versus "adopted". I don't want my kids to ever think I love one more than the other. I could care less about labels. I just hope everyone can feel the same way.

- I worry about the money. But more than that I worry about the anger that goes along with having to pay thousands of dollars to have a family when other people just shack up and boom. I went through this the first time with the IVF. In fact, one of the biggest reasons we chose IVF was because is was, slightly, cheaper. I just have a hard time knowing that I don;t have a retirement because I save my money for kids. Or that I don't get to do things other people get to do because I am saving money for kids. This is INCREDIBLY selfish I know. Believe me, I know. And I KNOW that God has blessed Josh and I. I really do know all this. But I can get really bitter about this every now and then. So I just ask that God helps me though that.

- I worry about more heartache. I can't tell you how many negative pregnancy tests I have taken. It makes my mind swirl just to try and think about that. All those months that I put in so much time, effort and money only to get disappointed. It just broke my heart over and over again. And to be honest, the pain was more than I could bear some nights. So, I just ask that God is present through any failures that might occur. Actually I ask that God protects me from whatever failures could be. I can pray specifically right? I feel like I am a strong person, but I might be a couple heart breaks from complete devastation. God knows what is best. But I can pray that everything goes perfectly. And then He can fill in the blanks...

- I do not worry about Josh. He is so level headed it makes me crazy. Ha! He does not want me to worry about any of the things listed above. He doesn't care about money and he is fairly certain that everyone will love our kids the way we do. However, he does not want to see me hurt any more. He doesn't want be hurt any more. He asks me all the time how I am doing. He very rarely tells me what he is thinking. He did say to me last night that he is excited to see me excited. So just pray that Josh and I can always be open and honest through this entire process.

5. Do you need anything?

Actually we do not right now. I know I just asked for prayers. And some people I have asked to just send over all adoption info they have, but I want to make sure we do not get overwhelmed with the whole process. So if we need something I will be sure to ask. Promise!

Okay. I know I am kind of all over the place. But I think that is pretty normal. Maybe not. Who cares? It is pretty apparent that I am not normal. And there is way too much going through my mind right now. Plus, when I get excited about something I just get chatty. So all and all, here's to our new little one, wherever they are. Let the journey begin!

Spring Break Fun!

2011-03-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

The fam went to Texas for Spring Break. We had to see little Tayten of course! And it was so fun to see the entire extended family while we were there too. However, getting there was a bit of an experience.

The flight over consisted of two legs. Phoenix to Salt Lake and Salt Lake to Dallas with a 45 minute layover. Not too bad until M woke up that morning sick to her little stomach. She threw up on Josh and I 22 times. I counted. Mostly on me as she wanted to cuddle with mommy the whole time. I actually got pretty good at reading the signs right before she let loose. However, by that time the throw up was mostly liquid. So catching it was difficult to say the least. I actually arrived in Texas with dried throw up all over me. And smelled fantastic!

After a day of diarrhea and minor throwing up we decided to take her to the ER. It was 4am AZ time. So I was exhausted. But from what I can remember, the doctor said she had rotovirus (not sure if that is spelled right). Lucky for me it is only transferred orally and fecally. So I did not get it. I guess I washed my hands enough... She ended up being pretty normal after that appointment. Rotovirus goes quickly through the system. But it was scary.

Other than that, we actually had a great time. Went to the Children's Museum, a Dallas Stars game, had lunch with Meikka, Carson and Leah, went to the zoo, and then dinner at Uncle Tom's and Aunt Diana's with Brooke, Haley, Lexi, and Ashley. Madelyn loved those girls! She could care less for playing with kids her own age. But those girls were the highlight of her day for sure. I wish I had that interaction on video. So funny!

Here are some photos and videos from the trip:

Our Little Maid in Training!

2011-03-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

My "little" Girl- the past three months

2011-03-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

It has been WAY too long since I have last posted. I have been the worst blogger mommy the past three months. I am so sorry M (and those of you who actually follow this blog. Ha!) But here is a well, not so brief update.

December:

December flew by. Between my clients and Josh's band competing in the Fiesta Bowl, we ended 2010 with our heads in a fog. Promising each other that we won't do that again next December since we barely got to enjoy Christmas. Good thing Josh's parents and grandparents came to visit so we had a reason/excuse to not work as hard. We had a ton of fun with them. We went to the band competition, the boys went to the Insight Bowl and Fiesta Bowl, and the girls went shopping. Most of all we just hung out as a family It was fun! Here are some pictures of the visit.

Here is M opening her first gift on Christmas Eve:

And here is M kissing grandpa:

January:

Start to a new year. Life is good!

For Ari's birthday, we took her to As You Wish to paint pottery. She is a VERY good artist. So this was the perfect gift. While there Madelyn got to paint her birthday plate. Now she has a special plate to eat her cake off of every year!

My little vocalist:

Being a goof ball:

February:

Well, you already know we started February with a new niece. That was super exciting. We are actually flying to see her next week. Yay!! M said Tayten almost immediately. But of course I couldn't get it on video. So here she is kissing and saying hi to her.

I was also trilled when M put her shoes on for the first time all be herself. Again, this never happens on video. But this was pretty funny. Warning: nudity.

And her all time most annoying/most promising thing to do, play piano.

And some pics.

Well, that's the last three months in a nutshell. I feel like our little girl is growing up so fast. And she is so much fun to be around. I guess I am just loving being with her more than blogging. Yep. I can blame it on that. :o)

WHERE HAVE WE BEEN????

2011-02-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

I have no clue. Just kidding. I know what we have been up to but it will just make me head spin to recap it all. In all, life is good and 2011 is shaping up to be a great year!

That being said, I am writing to announce that we have a new niece. Tayten Faith Thye was born yesterday 2.1.11, 7 pounds, 12 oz, 19 inches long. She is adorable, and I am a little partial to babies being born on the first of the month! In fact, I found it really hard not to be there to bombard Hillary and Jake with hugs and kisses (mainly because I want to hold that baby!) And of course I am so happy for Jake and Hill. I can't wait until Mad, Josh and I get to visit in March. It will be a nice trip. And M needs to learn that mommy can hold other babies or we are going to have issues around here!

So here's to my new little niece. I pray you stay as perfect and precious as you are today. Love you!!

What we are thankful for...

2010-11-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

After a great Thanksgiving weekend with the fam (me, Josh and Mad) I had to write about how thankful I am to have them in my life. This past weekend was the first "time off" that Josh and I have had. No football games, no weddings, no band competitions, no meetings, just time together. We held Thanksgiving at our house so Josh and I cleaned Thursday morning, while I cooked. The Josh and I cleaned again Thursday night, then sat and watched some TV. Nothing super special, but it felt so nice. Then, as usual, I went Black Friday shopping with my mom and Regan and came home to a bare Christmas tree. While I decorated the tree and the inside of the house, Josh did the outside lights. Again, this is something we do year after year (now almost 8). The rest of the weekend went pretty fast. We lazed around. Watched football, ate dinner with friends, and I sang at church. Again, these are things we do all the time. But what I don't do all the time is sit back and reflect. I did today. I was sad that Josh had to go back to work. We had such a great time with him for four full days! But I was happy that I have my little girl to keep me company. She was very needy today (I think she is teething again) and just wanted to cuddle. I couldn't have spent a cold wintry day any other way. I so often get caught up in what is going on around me and the "things" I need to do, that I rarely stop and just take in the moment. Once I do that, I am reminded that there are few things in life that will matter in the end. I got to speak with a dear friend of mine this morning and she reminded me that most people do not look back on life and say they wish they cleaned more, or worked more. But they do wish they spent more time with family, with their kids, etc. She was telling me that her goal is just to have a peaceful home. I like that goal. As always, I am going to let that give me perspective. I also just want to have a God perspective. There is so much in this world that I am blind too because I am so drowning in my everyday life. I need to lift myself out of it and be thankful for what I have or enjoy what I have. Whatever it is... Anyway, so that is what I am thankful for. I am thankful that God has put good friends in my life to remind me of what really matters. And then I have a daughter who forces me to slow down. And I have moments with my husband that I cherish and keep me wanting more. I am so blessed. I am so thankful!

Speaking of thankful, a huge thank you to Gretchen for taking our family pictures again this year. xoxoxo

This shot was not working out so well...

I think this was one of the first pictures we took. We should have just saved ourselves the frustration. Oh boy!
We had her pinned in with our legs. I am super surprise she smiled here. Usually she does NOT like it when you pin her down.
We brought Ella and Regan along so they could get some cute girl shots. And Gretchen captured them perfectly. Ella is in love with Madelyn. She always wants to hug and kiss her. Madelyn wants to do her own thing.
But they both like holding hands. Awwww...

And here is "tee tee" and Miss Ella.

I LOVE this last one!

First Trip to Disneyland

2010-11-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

I know this is a little outdated, but it is too important to just not post it.

Over Halloween weekend Mad and I traveled with Josh and his band to California for their marching band competition. The trip just sounded too fun to pass up. I was very reminiscent about the year before when Dave, Cheri and I followed the band with little Miss Thye to the competition and Magic Mountain. We had fun, so I thought I would do it again. Plus, Halloween is not my favorite holiday so I thought going to Disneyland sounded much more fun than trick or treating.

Side note, Josh's band is awesome! They scored very well in California, placing 3rd. Which is really good against California schools, who just might place their children in marching band as soon as they can walk. They always seem to be SO good. And on another side note, the DV band just won the State Competition beating out all other schools in the state by 3 points! Which again, is FANTASTIC! Now we are anxiously awaiting their Fiesta Bowl competition on December 30th. I am praying they win that too. I like winning....

Anyway, back to Disneyland. Here is how our day went, so you know while you are watching the slide show. We were only there for six hours. But that was plenty with a 15 month old.
- Got to Disneyland and took the shuttle into the park.
- Mad was so excited once we were there, she ran around for like 10 minutes.
- We rode the carousel (which she did a year ago at Magic Mountain too).
- We rode Dumbo.
- We took the Storybook Land boat tour.
- We rode the Nemo submarine tour.
- She took a nap and Josh and I joined some other staff members for lunch.
- She woke up from her nap but still laid on Uncle Drew's shoulder for about 20 minutes.
- Then she didn't want to do anything but play with the flowers (as you will see by Drew's little photo shoot). I figured we were in the Happiest Place on Earth, so she might as well do what makes her happy.
- She did meet Mary Poppins while picking flowers. She didn't care much for Burt. He tried to give her flowers and she ran away, picked her own and then gave them to Mary Poppins. It was really cute!

Boo at the Zoo

2010-10-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

October Videos

2010-10-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

We just got done spending Fall Break with daddy. Unfortunately it started with Josh and Madelyn traveling to Kansas for Uncle Doug's celebration service. He passed away September 29th after his fight with leukemia. His celebration service was on October 9th which was a big weekend for me, so I was not able to make the trip. It was hard not being there, but Josh was a good daddy! Here are some videos of Josh shopping with Grandma Cheri, GiGi (Great Grandma Barnett) and Josh's aunt Lori. She loved the car. Good call grandma!

Then we were able to have some fun at the zoo. We love the zoo! Especially the water!!

Life...

2010-10-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

Life can be crazy. Our past month has been B-A-NA-NAS! Next week is Fall Break though. So I am assuming that I will have time to update you all on our life. Love you!

My Cutie Patootie

2010-09-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

These videos just make me smile. Thank you God for a hilarious daughter!

Finally: We have a One Year Old!!

2010-08-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting to post this until I had the words to describe the past year of our lives. The truth is, I still have no words. Madelyn has been the biggest blessing. I really couldn't have asked for a better kid. And she's a kid now. Crazy... Today in particular she got her first hair cut and is walking on her own. I am just speechless. Life is just crazy when I think back to how things were a year ago today. So here's where she is at after one whole year of life.

31 inches, 22 pounds.
Wears 12-18 month clothing.
Can say a number of words. My favorites are "fish", "what's this", "pretty" and "mama" (Josh likes "dad").
Loves her bath time, story time (especially when she reads to herself) and mommy time.
Smiles showing all 7 teeth, one dimple, and eye wrinkles.
Crawls like crazy to the garage door when she knows Josh is home.
Says "Ahhhhh" when she hugs you.
Keeps her mouth open when she kisses you.
She gets so excited about things that she doesn't know what to do. So she shakes her hands and flails her arms.
She is eating four bottles of whole milk along with four "meals" a day. Some days she can't eat enough food. She likes variety, like her dad. Eats everything except chicken though.
Still takes two naps a day. Generally 9-11 and 1-3.
Is extremely imaginative when she plays with her toys.
Plays well with others.
Copies everything mommy does.
Yells at me and tries to climb on me when I am on the phone or computer. I guess she knows...
Pulls Belle's hair and tail on a regular basis. Belle complains but rarely moves.
Plays the piano every night with daddy. And sometimes on her own.
And so much more!

I just can't get enough. She is a dream come true. And God has everything to do with that.

Here is a little photo shoot that we did in her first house and first bedroom. It was a weird day, but the pictures turned out cute.

Here was our family trip to Montana at the beginning of July.

We had a fun birthday party, but I was so busy having fun I forgot to take pictures. So here is her "eating" her cake at her party.

And here is some footage of her walking today. She is so cute!

Love you Mad! Can't wait until the next year!!

11 months- almost one year!!

2010-06-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

So I do not have an 11 month picture to show you since Josh is not here to help me take it. I will get one though, next week. She just wants to crawl off the chair and eat the paper. Way too much to handle while taking a photo. But I cannot believe she is almost a year old! The 11 month mark is kind of overshadowed by this fact. And I know I always say it, but time is flying! She is growing up! I know I am going to blink and she will be graduating from college. Wow, I might pass out...

Anyway, we didn't do a ton differently this past month. She is still crawling, EVERYWHERE! I think she is so close to walking too. We will see how long until that happens. Everyone with little kids sees her and tells me so. But I am not buying it some days. She is still very wobbly. She has this little push car that she walks behind, only in straight lines though. Very funny when she hits a dead end. She just stands there waiting for someone to turn her around. Today I just let her stand there just to see how long it would take until she got mad. Surprisingly, it took a long time. Then I just felt mean.

She is feeding herself with a fork and if it the cereal is thick she can get a spoon to her mouth. So that has been fun. Messy, but fun.

She officially has four top teeth and two bottom ones. So I am trying to get her to eat more "real" food. This doesn't work out very often, but I try. However, as you will see in the slide show below, she got a hold of a package of cookies and had no problem opening them up and stuffing them in her mouth. This literally took like two seconds. I guess the girl likes her some cookies. I don't blame her... So b-day cake will be the second sweet snack she will taste.

My favorite things she continues to do is climb stairs and blow kisses. When she climbs stairs her little butt just moves back and forth and she is so happy. I can't help but let her do it. Plus it wears her out! And the other day she was riding in the stroller through the mall blowing kisses to everyone like she was Miss America. It was hilarious. Plus she doesn't understand that the smacking of the lips makes the sound, so she just goes "uhhh" every time she pulls her hand away. Very cute.

Well Little Miss M, your big one year is almost here. I can't wait to celebrate! Love you!!

More milestones...

2010-06-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

We finally captured some more milestones on video. Here is a video of her pointing and saying, "Who's that?" We play this game often.

And she is officially crawling. This isn't the best video, but it shows the love between her and daddy. So that is cute.

Pulling herself up on her own:

And trolling around in her walker. This video gets me laughing every time. Love the part where she plays peek a boo. Watch out! I think walking is next... Yikes!

10 Months- Our Perfect Ten

2010-05-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start. Madelyn is growing up so fast and so much happened this past month. The one thing I do know is that we are very blessed. Madelyn is the happiest baby. I am not even sure what I would do without her some days. Her smile just makes life that much better. And we thank God for that all the time. Here is what she has been up to this past month:

- She started eating finger foods like turkey, cheese, crackers, pasta, pears, bananas, potatoes and peaches.
- We have started transitioning to formula bottles during the day. She doesn't mind this transition at all. I am so lucky!! I can't wait until whole milk though. Formula is pricey...
- She has definitely begun to crawl. However, she does not like to do it. She would much rather scream at us until we pick her up to go walking. She only moves forward crawling if there is a toy or food out of her reach. Once she has achieved her goal. She sits.
- My favorite thing she does is baby yoga. She does plank and down dog all the time. For those of you who do not do yoga, plank is the position you are in when you do a push up and down dog would be on all fours with your butt in the air. So funny when she does those. The girl is strong!
- She went to day care at the gym for the first time. When I went to pick her up the lady said that no matter who was in front of her she just talked to them the whole time. Not sure where she gets that from...
- She is wearing 12-18 month clothing. Yep. Big girl!! Although Josh and I think she is thinning out because her legs rolls are as pronounced any more. See above.
- She is clearly saying "mama" and "dada". She has been doing this for awhile, but now she says them and means us. So now we count it.
- She also says:
"beh" = Belle, our cat. And any other cat she sees.
"nana"= num, num. She does this when she is hungry.
"whah"= what. She does this when the phone rings or she hears a text message.
"dah"= what's that? She does this when she is playing because I always ask her what's that? Or what's this?
- She only really signs "more" when she is eating. Brother... We are working on "please" and "all done".
- The most important thing that happened this past month, she was dedicated to Christ on Mother's Day. A very emotional weekend for Josh and I. All we ever wanted was to be parents. Now we just pray she follows God and his plan for her life.

This video was shot after she pulled herself up for the first time. As you can hear, grandpa was quite excited about it. Although we didn't capture the moment on video, it is fun to see her try.

This video was taken when she went swimming on Mother's Day. We plan on doing this a lot this summer.

We took this video when we were at Brian and Joanna's house. She loves their dogs, Jake and Baxter. She loves playing catch the most!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

We had quite a big weekend. Josh's parents flew in last week, he had his annual band banquet on Saturday, then we had Madelyn dedicated on Mother's Day. I have tons of pictures to post, but I also have a lot work to catch up on. So here's to my moms. I love you all!!

Cheri, Jenni and Madelyn Thye.
My mom, Tammie and my grandma, Darlene. 4 generations!
Grandma Sue holding Miss M before she went for her first swim. More an that later...

Thank you for making me into the woman and mom I am today. I love you all so much. I am glad that I have you in my life!

Twice as old!

2010-05-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

Yep. This was as good as it got. See slide show below.

So Madelyn is official as old as she was out of the womb, as she was in the womb. I say it all the time, but I really can't believe it. She is the biggest blessing we have ever known. I just wish she always did what I said, like smile pretty for the camera!! No luck...

April was a fun month! This week Grandma and Grandpa Thye come into town for Mother's Day and Madelyn's baby blessing. More on that to come. I can't wait for them to see how much she has grown. She is still not crawling, but she is so close. Maybe she will finally do it while they are here. Although I am not sure I REALLY want that.

Love you Mad!!

M at the park this spring.

2010-04-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

So our new favorite thing to do is go to the park. Now that it is getting too hot to do this, I was reminiscing about the fun stuff we have done this past spring. I can't wait until it cools off again!

We met my friend Bethy and her little girls Ella and Sophie at the train park for lunch. It was a little nutty (and windy of course), but so fun!

Those pictures just make me laugh!

We also went to watch daddy and his bands play at the TCA. It was a Music Under the Stars concert. She is starting to be that kid that yells "da da". So these are the only concerts we can go to for awhile.

We might try and hit the park a few more times, but I am pretty sure we will start heading to the pool soon!

Happy Birthday Uncle Jake!

2010-04-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Uncle Jake!!! We love you!!

Thank you for trying so hard to make me happy!!

San Diego Trip and Playtime with Ella

2010-04-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

San Diego is by far Josh and I's favorite place to visit. It is about a five hour drive away, can be inexpensive and is always beautiful! While we are there we love to go to Sea World. We also love the zoo and have been wanting to go to the wild life park for awhile now. We just haven't gotten to everything the city has to offer since we also just love to hang out on the beach, eat meals on the pier and stroll on the boardwalk. So San Diego is never boring for us. So much to do! This past weekend was a real treat since Josh's band was competing in a wind band festival just 50 miles north of San Diego. He decided that after the festival he would take the band to play on the USS Midway, which was amazing. To tour such a grand vessel was just so cool! I love stuff like that. You get to see what it is like for sailors to live on ships like that and you get a history of the navy throughout the tour. That was very neat. After the tour the band played on top of the ship. The weather was gorgeous and the concert was very fun. Then we ate lunch at Sea Port village (one of our favs) and then finished the day out at Sea World. I was very excited to see how Madelyn would respond to the animals. However, when we got there she was taking her nap. So it wasn't until the star fish that we got to see her interact. I think she liked the moss on the side of the rocks more than the star fish. She was very interested in the dolphins swimming around though. I about lost all feeling in my knees as I had to bend down for her to see them underwater. We went from there to see the dogs and cats perform in Pet's Rule. I thought for sure this would be her favorite show. She loves dogs and cats! However, with all the little kids (and mommy) yelling for her favorite dog she just lost it. She does not like being startled (like mommy) so as soon as people started screaming she cried like someone was beating her. The water works and sobs just wouldn't stop. I felt so sad for her. Good thing we were off to the penguins after that. She loved them! She also really enjoyed the night time shows of the sea lions, but she slept through the Shamu show. It was a really fun weekend!

Here are some pictures from our trip. Again, there are not too many since our camera is being so funky. But we hope you enjoy the ones we have!

And here is some footage from Ella and Miss M's play-date. One of her favorite things to do right now, "So Big".

M's first Easter

2010-04-06T10:35:00.001-07:00

We had a very fun weekend. The Lord is risen and our lives have been so blessed! Thanks be to God for such a wonderful sacrifice. We appreciate your blood for our sake.

M joined daddy at the Easter parade.

As you can see it was a very exciting parade...

On Easter Sunday we met up with Regan and Ella at church before meeting up with the family for lunch and an Easter egg hunt.

I thought this picture was funny. The girls are easily distracted...

And our family!

8 months

2010-04-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

(Yes, this picture is a little fuzzy. Sorry. Our camera is on the fritz. The flash no longer works and it is dying more and more each day.)

This little girl is so cute and brings us so much joy that I wish I blogged more often. As you can see I am even behind on this entry. Life is just crazy and Josh and I are so busy lately. One of these days I will be better about this... Anyway, Miss M is 8 months old and we just enjoy her more and more every day! I feel like the past week has been huge in her development too.

At eight months she is:

- 20 pounds

- 28 inches

- saying "dada" and "mama" on a regular basis (and I think this past week we have started to see that she knows who we are.)

- clapping and saying "yay!"

- throwing her hands above her head when I say "so big"

- rolling onto her stomach and pushes herself backwards (no crawling yet)

- eating meat (just turkey so far, and doesn't really like it)

- eating fruits and vegetables blended in the blender (loves pears and squash!)

- shaking her head when you ask her a question (apparently mom does this when I ask her something. I say "yes, yes" and shake my head up and down)

- waving bye, bye (which is also hi and sign language for more- she does all three)

- learning baby signs (can copy mommy but is not knowing what they are yet...)

- standing on her own if she is holding on to the furniture

- loving when her daddy gets home, and is as adorable as ever!

Here are some pictures from the last month:

M just loves dogs! Every babysitter she goes to has dogs. She was just cracking Paulette up when they played catch with Marley. So I had to get it on video. This is the toned down version of her squeals...

Here she is playing with Papa at Ella's birthday party.

And here she is playing with her toys. She just cracks herself up sometimes. I love it... You can also see how dad is trying to get her to be a brass player. I call is spitting. Josh calls is buzzing. We'll see who wins that argument when she has food in her mouth.

We love you M!!!

7 months already!!!

2010-03-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Seven is a good number! It is the number of years Josh and I have been married and the number of months our little daughter is. At seven months Madelyn is just getting cuter and cuter everyday. I am not even sure the pictures and videos can do her justice. She is just amazing! I had the opportunity to sit and just watch her play with her toys for an hour and I was in awe at how much she is maturing and getting such a personality.

Here are some cool things she is up to:

1. She has eaten the following foods- carrots, avocados, pears, apples, zucchini, squash, apricots, and green beans. Next we will try peas and bananas.

2. She has two bottom teeth and the top two are coming soon. They are already blistering.

3. She loves to read, play with toys that light up, and chew on everything!

4. She is becoming very independent during the day but is extremely dependent at night. During the day she plays with her toys and only wants to be held if she is eating. At night she doesn't want to be put down at all. It is really sweet except I have to make sure I have everything I need to have done for the night by 5:00 or I go crazy trying to juggle everything!

5. She is learning that she wants to move. Soon, I think she will actually be learning how to move. But I am in no hurry!

Here are some pictures from the past month.

You will see the funny "old man" face she makes now that she feels her teeth.
She also celebrated her first Valentine's Day. She got fun blocks from the Worden's as you will see in the pictures.
And then she got fun presents from Grandpa and Grandma Thye as you will see in the video below. She also got sweet Valentine's cards from Haley and Lexi.

Madelyn, Arianna and Ella all played at the park. Mad liked the toys the best though.

Ari spent the night with us while Josh was in Flagstaff. She read M a book after breakfast. You can see how much she likes books. Even if she can't eat them. :o)

That is what we have been up to this past month. Much more to come in the next month: first ski trip, spring break and more!!! Love you M!!

Some videos from the past few weeks...

2010-02-11T12:13:00.001-08:00

Here are some cute Mad moments!! Love this girl!

Here she is laughing. I tried to get close up so you can see her two teeth that came in. Bottom front teeth of course. These puppies are definitely in. DO NOT put your finger in her mouth or she WILL getcha!

I was putting her clothes away and had her sitting and playing with a toy G-ma and G-pa Thye bought her.

Eventually she decided sitting was too much work.

My little workaholic. Just like Mommy and Daddy.

After a hard days work...

Playing with Maisey

2010-01-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

Last week we got to play a little bit with our BFF Maisey. Let me give you a commentary on how I think this whole thing went down:

"Hey Maisey, look over here! Just ignore her. She does tries to take my picture all the time. Hello? I want to play!"
"Hi! So, how ya doing? This tummy time stuff really is getting old. You should learn to crawl forward, instead of just backwards, and I will learn to crawl too. Then we can be real terrors for our mamas! By the way, I like your blanket."
"Um, we were having a conversation (notice the eye brows). Enough with the clicky click and flashy fash. Can't you just let us play already?"

Look who's a half a year old!!!

2010-01-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

Crazy to think that my little Madelyn (who is not very little anymore) is already 6 months old. Crazy! In fact, I was starting to question all those people who don't believe that there is a God. All you have to do is search any baby related item on the internet to discover that people are still trying to figure out these small creatures. One day they do this, the next they do that. Go to sleep like this, introduce solid foods like that. Anyway, they are complicated little buggers and mine is no exception. I have to believe there is a divine power in charge of something so mysterious. I am in awe of her every day. For six full months now Josh and I have gotten blessed by the most precious blessing we could have ever been given. I know I say it all the time, but I just couldn't imagine my life without her. We just love her so much!!

At 6 months Miss M is:

- Still teething. She stopped plain old drooling and has started spitting/blowing raspberries. Very nice when you couple that with carrots or avocado.

- Eating solid food twice a day. Still nursing 5 times a day. Which in turns makes for very interesting diaper changes. For the most part the explosions have stopped and the stoppage has begun. And they are very stinky now too. Boo!

- Sleeping 8 hours a night. 8:00-8:30 is her bed time, depending on how long she screams... She wakes up for a feeding around 4:00 and then goes back to sleep until 7:00.

- On a four hour schedule now (thanks Aunt Kim!!) and it is working fabulously for naps and nighttime regime.

- Still talking like crazy. Her favorite thing to do this month is put her tongue on her bottom lip and say nanananananana...... Sometimes it sounds like "mama". Which I will take for sure! Other times it definitely sounds like "dada". And sometimes it sounds like "oh no". Which is really cute.

- Becoming stronger every day. She can throw herself backwards and stand up while you are holding her. And she is so strong that you can't even stop her sometimes. I think she just wants to move. Her jumperoo is her favorite toy right now (very close seconds being her My Pal Violet talking dog and a little cloth jungle book she got from g-ma and g-pa Mahlmeister for Christmas) and I am attributing her strong legs to that thing. When we first got it I could place her in it face whatever toys I wanted her to play with and she was still in the same place when I took her out. Now she just twirls around all day long. So sitting on someone's lap must be a bore. Here she is in the jumperoo. Just taking a break apparently.

- Chomping on her tongue so it looks like she is chewing on something (even though nothing is in her mouth). A guy in Costco stopped us the other day and asked if we gave her bubble gum. And my Oma just laughs saying out of all the babies she has helped raise, none of them have ever done that. I have yet to get it on video, but hopefully soon. It is a crack up!

- Certainly becoming a mama's girl. She does well when I drop her off at sitters still, but if she is home, she wants to see mommy at all times. Even the other day, she was at my grandma's house (Oma) and when I walked in she lunged for me. And then when I tried to give her back to grandma she wouldn't go. She held on to me so tight. That was the third day she had been at someone's house. So I think she missed me. That's always nice...

- Wearing 9-12 month clothing. I will get her exact measurements when she goes to the doctor next week. But it is just nuts how fast they grow out of things.

And the biggest milestone we have hit this month is:

- Sitting up on her own. Like enough where I can leave the room and she will still be sitting up. I only did this one time when I went to grab the camera. Promise! Here are some pictures I was meaning to blog when it all happened. You can see how she just gets better at it. In fact, we had almost a full skype conversation with Grandpa and Grandma Thye. So they are our proof!

We had to show off when Michelle came over to play last week.

- Missy is starting to pose when she sees the camera. Can you tell? She has that same goofy look in almost every picture. That lower lip...

Unfortunately daddy had to work on her six month birthday so we celebrated by going to Target and getting more clothes that fit. Going to the grocery store to get the next installment of baby foods, went for a walk in the neighborhood, and then came home and played with Ella and Titi.

(No babies were really harmed in the making of this film. Missy just likes to pull hair.)

Happy six month Madelyn. We love you!!

What just happened?

2010-01-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was feeding Madelyn her current favorite food (beside breast milk), carrots, and she looked up at me and I had a moment. There is no picture of this moment because I wouldn't dare stop feeding the girl, but let me describe the scene. She was sitting in her high chair (that's right she sits up on her own now and eats in a high chair) with a bib on. There were carrots all over her face and the bib. I am not that good at feeding her yet. Now my mom, my grandma and her aunt Paulette can feed her perfectly. I guess I just don't have the mom touch yet... Anyway, carrots, in case you forgot, are VERY orange. This crazy color just makes it all the more obvious. My little girl is growing up! The actual thought that went through my head was, "Who stole my little Madelyn and left this dirty big kid?" It just made me sad. Soon she will be like whatever mom and on to bigger and better things. I know new moms are usually anxious for their children to meet milestones. Rolling over, sitting up, eating baby food, crawling, walking, talking, eating real food and the list goes on. I just had a moment tonight when I genuinely wished she would stay this small forever. I didn't even care if it meant having to nurse her for the rest of my life. I just didn't want her to get big. In fact, I have taken probably three or four pictures of her sitting up on her own wanting to post it on the blog. But I really think part of me just didn't want to admit that she is doing that yet. I want my baby back! Now I know why moms always have baby fever when they are around them. I love all ages of a kids life (maybe minus years 12-15). Kids are hilarious! I am just not ready for a kid yet. I like my baby and want o keep her little. Any suggestions?

Big News for Jenni's Business

2010-01-20T13:03:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! I usually try and keep personal stuff on this blog and business stuff on my Imoni Events blog however, I was just informed today that I am a recipient of a Bride's Choice Award 2010 from WeddingWire. In addition to the Best Wedding Planner for 2009 award I am feeling very peaceful that this is exactly where God wants me to be. I love my job and the people I work with, but in this economy I was starting to think that maybe I needed to look into other options for income. No matter how much I worry that brides will not hire me, they still do. And whenever I am having anxiety over being "good enough", God does stuff like this. I get to do exactly what I want to do and be home with Madelyn as much as possible. And the bills still get paid!! I am so thankful to God for all these blessings and joys! Just wanted to share the good news.

Additionally, I am up for Best of 2010 for Arizona Bride Magazine again. Please take some time and vote for myself and some of the people that have helped make my business what it is today. (You have to fill in at least six categories for the vote to count). I appreciate you taking that time. :o)

Best Wedding Planner: Imoni Events

Best Photographer: Kim Jarman

Best Videographer: Princess Bride Videography

Best Wedding Venue: Royal Palms Resort

Best Invitations: Definitely Debra

Best Florist: Flora Europa

Best Band: Shining Star

Best Make Up: Sarah San Marco

Best DJ: SKM Entertainment

Best Overall Vendor: Imoni Events :o)

You can vote HERE or the link listed above. Thanks everyone!

5 months and Christmas!

2010-01-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

Since I last blogged SO MUCH has happened.

December 19th: We visited Santa for the first time. She was not scared of him at all. In fact, she really didn't even care. The kid cracks me up!

December 20th: Madelyn ate her first "solid" food. She was given permission from the doctor to eat rice cereal. It was a hoot!

December 21st: Josh and I celebrated our seven year wedding anniversary. I am not sure what you are supposed to do for the seven year anniversary, and since I am still nursing we couldn't do anything overnight. So we recreated our first two dates and it was really fun! We went to Oregano's for dinner (date number 2) and then Golfland for goofy golfing (date number 1). One of the golf courses was so cute all lit up for Christmas. It was on that course that we saw a couple with two little girls just having a blast! It was a cute peak into our future. Cute until I realized Josh was schooling me...

December 23rd: We celebrated Christmas with my dad, step mom, brothers and sisters. Which meant they got to witness Madelyn opening her very first Christmas present.

After the celebration we went to church for the first three of seven services Josh and I were involved in. Josh played trumpet and trash cans (for a Little Drummer Boy piece) and I sang.

December 24th: We celebrated the birth of Christ (for the second day in a row) at the last four (of seven) Christmas Eve services at church. Josh's cousin Lyndsey, her husband Terry, and their little girl Addison were also in town visiting Terry's family. So we were blessed to see them.

December 25th: We celebrated Christmas with my mom, step dad, and sisters. We opened more presents, ate good food, watched Christmas Vacation, and decorated a very sassy gingerbread house.

December 26: We flew to Texas to celebrate the holidays with Josh's family. Madelyn was amazing on the flights. She pretty much ate, played with daddy and then slept. I couldn't have asked for a better baby. Here are some highlights of our trip.

December 29th: Madelyn celebrated her 5 month birthday with a snow storm in Texas (see above). Here she is at home with her monthly signage. This is getting harder to take as she is becoming more obsessed with paper.

16 pounds 12 ounces (95th percentile for girls her age)

26 1/2 inches tall (off the chart!)

The top tens things we love about her this past month:

1. Starting to tri pod (sitting up by balancing weight on her hands).

2. Loves books!

3. Has a teething ring or paci in her hands at all times!

4. Is starting to cry when you leave the room.

5. gets to laughing really hard when you tickle her.

6. Eating her toes on a daily basis.

7. Moving from every 3 to every 4 hour feeding schedule.

8. Hair is getting so long it falls into her eyes when we wash it. Super cute!

9. Starting to hit buttons on toys that make noise.

10. Cries when she wakes up, but smile as soon as she sees me or Josh. Just melts your heart!

December 31st: We ushered in the new year with much thanks for 2009. God is so good!

Currently, we are recovering from all the craziness of the holidays. We are back to work, and trying to get Miss M back on a schedule. Tank you all for being part of our lives. Heres to a great 2010!! xoxoxo

Still here...

2010-01-03T20:27:00.001-08:00

Okay. So holiday season is super busy and we have been MIA on the blog. We rejoice that Christ is born and is truly the center of our lives! But wow, time has flown by as we celebrated so much this year. Coming soon to the blog:

1. Josh and I celebrated our seven year anniversary.

2. Our daughter turned 5 months.

3. First Christmas with Madelyn.

4. First trip to Texas with Madelyn.

And so much more!

As soon as I get my pictures and videos up and running I will let you know what has been up the past few weeks. To Christ be all the glory!

Busy week...

2009-12-14T12:00:00.001-08:00

Some fun things have happened in the past week.

She finally rolled over!! I couldn't find the video camera, so I tried to capture it in pictures. Now that she can do it though, she does it all the time. Our little girl is getting big and strong!

This is what she looked like when I realized she was not on her tummy when I put her down.

She continues to love her bumbo. She sits here while I am cooking and doing dishes a lot! She really likes it when I cook. So many things to watch I think.

We went to daddy's holiday concert. She ate through the first half and then slept through the last group. Josh said she tends to fall asleep when music is in tune. :o) But she woke up for the family pic. Loved her adorable outfit from our friend Erin!

We had our first official play date.

Masiey obviously did not like that...
They did better later in the day. Kim and I were saying bye to Alli and we looked over and saw them sharing the poodle. So cute!

All the girls: Maisey (7 weeks older than Miss M), Jillian (5 weeks older than Miss M), and Madelyn (aka Miss M).
All the kiddos: Sam, Maisey, Jillian, Madelyn, and Katherine.

K was singing lady Gaga and Sam decided to sing and dance along. It was hilarious!!!

She is totally teething. This is her favorite toy. And don't even ask her to play with the other six rings we have. She only likes the green square one! She held it through her entire bath!

She really likes to play with mommy's sugar cookies. She just couldn't get to them... This cracked me up!
And my favorite thing she does, is laugh. Josh is able to get it out of her all the time. So cute!

We love Gretchen!!

2009-12-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, Gretchen (co-hostess of Miss M's shower, amazing person, wonderful wedding planner, and sweet aspiring photographer) offered to take our family pictures for the annual Christmas card. I wanted to do them outside so she can do fun things with the sunlight (like she did for Ella's baby pics). I also spent a lot of time figuring out a fun outfit combo that would go well with the really green grass by Gretchen's house. So the day came and the sun decided to go on vacation, Madelyn's outfit shrunk in the dryer, and my adorable happy baby was not very interested in taking pictures for at least half the photo shoot. Lucky for us, Gretchen still captured some pretty great moments. Thanks Gretchen!! You will have to wait to see which one we pick for the card. :o)

I think this is my favorite one. She is so sweet!! A little background info though, her thumb is constantly red due to this activity.

Josh said we needed two Gretchen's. One to make her do this (there's the smile we all love), and one to actually take the pictures.

These chair pictures just crack me up. She was so not into posing at this time.

First Thanksgiving and 4 months!!

2009-11-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

She obviously was not that into taking her four month picture.

I am sitting here right now listening to Christmas music and watching my baby girl grab at her sockies. We have a LOT to be thankful for! I am just in awe after all that has happened this year. I couldn't even think about verbalizing what I was thankful for without breaking out into tears this past week. I couldn't have even imagined how our lives have changed over the past four months. I have been so busy trying to keep up my daily activities, run my business, support my husband, and juggle the crying, hungry, poopie pants little doll. And I wouldn't want it any other way. All the cares in the world just melt away with one little smile. Not to mention the days when I just can't stop hugging and kissing the cutie! Other than being totally in love with such an amazing it from God, here is what this month has brought us.

We finished up our visit with Grandma Thye and Great Grandpa and Grandma Barnett. It was a very fun visit, despite all the flu symptoms rolling around. After Grandma and Madelyn got the tamiflu medicine they were feeling much better. Here is a cute video of GG and Grandma talking to her.

We visited the newly born Calvin Ewbank. Here he is with big brother Declan. (Madelyn is sandwiched in between them.)

It is crazy to think that Madelyn was that small not too long ago.

Then we had our annual turkey fry at Steve and Jenny Zajdzinski. There were lots of kiddos this year, including baby Clare and Anna who are less than a month old. Madelyn had a lot of fun looking at all the other "little people".

Me and the girls: Julia (preggo with baby #2), Sarah, and myself.
Erin, Matthew and I. Matthew belongs to Sarah and is just as cute as can be. And he is walking so much now! We barely saw him since he chose to play with all the "big kids" this year (Steve and Jenny's kiddos).
Ava and I. Ava belongs to Julia and Dave. I just loved her black and white outfit. She is such a cutie!
Jenny had the touch with Miss M. As I was making my plate up she was making Madelyn laugh very hard.
Then Thanksgiving Day Josh and I hosted my family. I was very concerned that I was going to mess something up, but it turned out to be a great meal and an even better day. We watched the Macy's Day Parade, ate dinner, played football at the park, looked through Black Friday ads, played with the babies, made cookies and took naps. All in all a typical American Thanksgiving. I am very thankful for such a wonderful family.
Pictured above: Mom (Grammy) with Madelyn, Garrett (who you can't see), Regan, Josh, me, Mike, and Mackie.

Pictured below: Mom, Garrett, Regan, Ella, Josh, Dale, Ari, Mike, Michael, and Mackie. I am behind the camera.
The kid table.
The twins: Regan and our very own Garrett Masters (model in the making). He actually is very cute and takes great pictures. I hope he does well.
Madelyn talked to the whole table while we ate.
Regan and Ella.
Making cookies.

The finished product, a sugar coma waiting to happen.
Ella is getting so big now. And everything goes in her mouth, so watch your fingers!
The cousins playing together. Ari and Michael were at the park with Uncle Josh. And yes we did have an outfit change. The adorable black and white skirt got Thanksgiving dinner all over it, if you get my drift...

The day was so much fun Daddy was wiped out. Josh slept here for about 20 minutes until Madelyn finally screamed for him to wake up.

Our four month milestones:

- grasping objects

- grabbing toes

- teething (can see two white spots on her bottom gums)

- so close to rolling over

- went up to size 2 diapers

- starting to sleep through the night again (7 hours last night!)

3 months- WOW!

2009-11-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

Time is flying. Our little girl is already 3 months old. Over 3 months old actually. She is a 26 inch, 15 pound chunka monka. We have been very busy, as you will see.

Grandma and Grandpa Thye came into town and we went on our first road trip to California. Josh and the band were competing at BOA in Santa Clarita over Halloween weekend. So we went along to support and have a good time. Here is Miss Madelyn at the beginning of the trip.
Once we arrived at the BOA competition we switched Madelyn into her first Halloween costume. She was a ballerina. Thanks to Grammy for the cute pink tutu and Grandma Thye for the top and matching bow.

The next day we went to Magic Mountain. Again, here is Madelyn when we first arrived. She was very happy to be outside. It was a little warmer than we thought, but she was in great spirits.

Madelyn loves to be carried, so Grandma and I took turns riding the coasters and taking care of Madelyn. Grandma did most of the taking care of Madelyn.
Madelyn also got to ride her first carousel.

It was a big couple of days for her. She was tired!
On the way home we were able to see Papa Paul. She really loved him!
Once we were home Grandma decided that Miss Madelyn needed a new toy. Here she is in the ever important Bumbo!!
Wednesday of last week Great Grandma and Great Grandpa came into town and were able to meet Madelyn for the first time too. Here they are at the DV game.
And here they are Sunday after church. I loved Madelyn's cute yellow dress! Thanks Kim and Brian!!

We thank God for the past three months. Life is crazy and we certainly have had our plates full adjusting to life with this cutie. But we wouldn't want it any other way. Love you Madelyn!!!

Our Week

2009-10-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of fun the past couple of days. I decided that we need to get out of the house now that the weather is nice (er). First item on the list, get a zoo membership. Check! Here is Madelyn and I at the zoo for the first time. She was more interested in eating than looking at animals.

So we went back with daddy since he is on Fall Break from school. We went again today with the Richardson's. So much fun!

Last Tuesday Josh's band competed at The Corona Invitational. Since I have weddings every Saturday I haven't gotten to see the show. This was my, and Madelyn's first band competition. A big thank you to Paulette and Wes for bringing her since I was at a meeting. Miss Madelyn loves going to the Worden's house. She just melts when she is with Wes.

And then we have lots of fun videos for when we are at home. I will try to be better about not thinking my child is the cutest thing ever, but it is really hard when she does these things:

Yells at her animal friends.

Kicks her "Happy Feet".

And grabs her toys so she can eat them. Which I thought was very advanced for e two and a half month old. I seriously tripped three times running to get this on video.

Yay for cousins!!

2009-10-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

Even though I hate to leave this little one, one good thing does come of it. She gets to spend time with family. Tonight, while I was at a wedding rehearsal, my sisters and their kiddos came over to watch/play little Madelyn. This is so cute!

2 months old. Time flies!!

2009-09-30T10:30:00.001-07:00

Miss Madelyn is two months old. I can hardly believe how much she has grown, in length, width, and personality. We are having so much fun with her. In the past two months Madelyn has:

1. Decided she does not really like the paci. She would much rather suck on daddy's fingers if she needs to be calmed down.

2. Been two a couple of football games. She loves loud music. It just puts her to sleep!

3. Now become a regular church attender. Again, the girl loves loud music. She mostly just sleep through the beginning and then is pretty calm during the sermon. She has been to sunday school once. Although she slept through that as well. :o)

4. Visited with lots of new friends. Declan, Maisey, Matthew, Ava and her cousins are the people she likes to be around the most.

Here is a picture of the first time she met Maisey. Yes, Maisey is 7 weeks older than Madelyn. But you would never know looking at our little chunka monka.

Very proud daddys!!

5. Learned to love her tummy time mat. Look how strong her neck is already! Go MAD!!

6. Has perfected shopping and helping mommy carry in things from the car. I seriously lost my mom of the year award after pulling this stunt. The rest of the goods from Target were to go to Josh at work. We just need the deodorant, so I put them on top of Madelyn. This way I only had to make one trip. I could have at least fixed her head band though...

7. Established a Sunday routine, napping with mommy. By the times of the week we are both exhausted and need our energy for the upcoming Monday. Especially with weddings now on Saturday's, these naps are going to be crucial if I want to stay sane.

8. Not slept through the night at ALL! See above. Good thing she is cute!

9. Gone on many walks in her stroller around the neighborhood. Thank God for good weather in the mornings!

10. Starting blowing out her diapers at the worst times: on my white outfit in the middle of IKEA when I have a full shopping cart, in her car seat at the sitters when I have forgotten to refill the diapers and put and extra onesie in the diaper bag, right before I am ready to leave somewhere (this happens all the time, thus the reason I am late all the time now.)

11. Started talking, laughing, and smiling all the time. See previous blog entry.

12. Cheered on daddy at his first triathlon. This was me after an exhausting morning. I had a wedding the day before so I got three hours of sleep. I woke up, fed the baby, dressed her, dressed myself, packed the car, dropped off the husband for his race, followed him around to cheer him on, fed the baby again during the bike portion, ran to the bike transition to cheer Josh on again, changed the baby on the grass, and made it just in time to see Josh finish. Triathletes have nothing on me!

Josh loved having us there though so it was all worth it. Then ensued the Sunday nap routine!

Happy daddy. Josh kept saying, "Are you going to be a triathlete?" Madelyn just stared at him with a funny look on her face. Since she didn't do well getting out of the house that early, I am taking that as a no.

Here's to another great month with our little blessing. We can't wait to see what she has in store for month number 3 (including our first trip to CA with Grandma and Grandpa Thye, Yay)! We love you Madelyn!!

Some fun videos!

2009-09-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have to thank my mom and step dad for buying me this amazing video camera. It is called a flip camera. It is so nice and small that I always have it in the diaper bag. And it is really easy to use. I just flip it open and record. Then I just flip it open and download into this blog. I love it! Thanks guys (especially Dale who knew I wanted one and searched until he found one for me.) So here are some fun videos I have captured over the past week:

She is already starting to talk to me.

And she talks to her toys. She really likes the brown bear!

I am obviously a bad mom. Instead of fixing the head band I just sat there and giggled. What can I say? Her head is too big for baby head bands, and too small for these ones. :o)

She is doing really well watching things too.

And cutest of all, she snores! Listen closely...

I love this girl!!

Laughing Little One

2009-09-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

See, I am not lying! She smiles, kind of laughs, and talks to you (mostly talks back to mommy). She is so cute!!

Just too cute!

2009-09-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy. But little moments like this just make your heart melt.

Madelyn's First Photo Shoot

2009-09-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

The amazing Andrea at Artisan Photography took Miss Madelyn's infant pictures for us. It was an exhausting three hours for everyone, but they turned out so cute! I just can't believe how much she has changed already. She is adorable!

Thank You Artisan!

Look who is already One Month Old!

2009-08-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Today marks Madelyn's one month birthday. I am in awe that she is already a month old, although it seems like she has been part of our family all along. I certainly can't imagine life with out her. So much has happened in the past month, I can only imagine how blown away we will be in the months to come.

Here is what life is like at four weeks old:

1. She goes to "sitters" now that mommy is back at work. And unless they are liars, she is a very good girl for them. Now if she only would be a good girl for me as we get ready to go to their houses.

2. She eats out of a bottle and nurses regularly. The bottle is still new so she is still getting used to it. But she is doing really well nursing. She puts her little hands up on her cheeks while she eats. So cute!

3. She is starting to get more predictable with regards to her schedule: wakes up, eats for about 30 minutes, changes diaper and burps. Stays awake for about 45 minutes and then sleeps for about an hour and a half. The only time this differs is when we go out and at night. Of course...

4. She is a very good traveler. Loves the car, as long as she is not hungry. She pretty much sleeps the entire time she is in her stroller though.

Her she is shopping with Ella and Auntie Regan.
We tried on hats at the Children's Place. Ella in her beret.
Madelyn in her beanie.
We also helped Ella pick out her Halloween costume. Yay for this adorable little monkey!
Then we went out to eat at mommy's favorite place (CPK). Auntie Regan loved getting to see her awake!
5. And even though you can't tell in the pictures on this blog entry, she smiles more and more everyday. If you look her straight in the eyes and say "hi" over and over she just smiles. She also smiles when she has gas though, so who knows... Here is the proof in this video.

6. She can hold her head up for about 3 minutes.

7. She can follow things that move with her eyes. She loves the ceiling fan, when the AC makes the blinds move, her bouncy seat toys that flap when she bounces, and the mobile on her swing.

8. We also weighed her this morning and she is already over 10 pounds. I am very happy that she is now fitting into some of her cute outfits that are hanging in the closet. :o)

9. Probably my favorite thing that she does right now is when she is hungry. If she is not so hungry that she is screaming her head off, she will try to suck on any human body part that is in close proximity of her mouth. She will suck on whoever is holding her. Fingers, bellies, necks, arms, shoulders, whatever is by her mouth. She will even suck through clothing. Too funny!

10. She also recognizes Josh and I's voices if we are in a room full of people. Love that!

As for major events this past week, here she is celebrating Grammy's birthday.

And here she is going to church for the first time.
So far the first month has been a lot of work. A lot of tears and tired eyes. But a ton of fun! We love you Madelyn. Happy One Month!

Back to "Normal"

2009-08-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

I went back to work this week and everything went really well! So now that Josh and I are both back into the swing of things that we know, we are figuring out how Madelyn (what we don't know) fits in. And surprisingly, she fits in well! I still hate to leave her, but with amazing people offering to watch her, it is becoming much easier for me to go on appointments without having a major breakdown. Plus, my brides have been amazing. They love seeing pictures, buying her gifts, and seeing her at some of the appointments. And of course Josh's kiddos and parents just adore having her around. So life is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Plus, no more sitting on the couch for hours on end. We are all a go now! Here are some cute pics we took this week. She seems to be adjusting well!

HEre she is waiting for mommy to finish getting ready for her first appointment back at work. She sleeps just like daddy!!

Daddy can't help but try and capture every yawn. He loves them!

Obviously she was done with play time. :o)

Cute little girl in pjs. She sleeps a lot as you can tell.

First trip to daddy's school to pick him up from marching band practice. We are doing this again tonight. Hopefully it will be a little bit cooler!

What we have been up to...

2009-08-17T10:52:00.001-07:00

Apparently we do not like our camera. We haven't taken any pictures in the last week or so since Grandma and Grandpa Thye left, taking with them their new camera that we were using every day. Maybe Josh needs to buy me a replacement. :o)

Anyway, we haven't been up to much. So I guess there aren't very many pictures to show. But here is a synopsis of what has happened since I last posted.

1. Her cord feel off, leaving behind a cute little belly button. Now for a real bath...

2. Mommy's steri strips are falling off, revealing a scar that is not as bad as I thought it would be.

3. She is smiling. (I am not claiming my daughter is gifted, but I swear she is! And I have three witnesses.)

4. We went out to dinner as a family then went to a going away party for Melissa.

5. We had our first family photo shoot with Andrea Reeves from Artisan Photography. (Pictures to be posted later.)

6. We made our first trip to the mall. She slept the whole time. :o)

7. She talked with Grandma Thye on Skype.

And tonight... we are introducing a bottle so she can eat when mommy goes back to work.

She is a lot of work, but so worth it!

Madelyn's First Week

2009-08-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Madelyn's first full week as a baby. As I looked back on all the pictures we have taken I realized that a lot can happen in a week. Besides all the craziness of the hospital and tons of happy visitors, we did a lot!

We took lots of naps (sometimes...).

We met the cats.

We copped some attitude (and cuteness).

We did a lot of burping.

We took our first bath.

We did not like it until it was over. :o(

We went on our first outing.

We went to our first doctor's appointment and then ate at Joe's.

And of course we experienced lots of joy and love!

We can't believe the first week is over. We can't wait to see what the other weeks will bring.

Miss Madelyn has arrived!

2009-08-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Our little girl, Madelyn Ruth-Marie Thye, is here! She was born on Wednesday, July 29th at 8:50am. She weighed 8 lbs, 9 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.

Jenni was taken in for an emergency C-Section due to her high blood pressure, fever, and preeclampsia. Madelyn needed to be in the NICU for 48 hours to receive an oxygen treatment for the amniotic fluid left in her lungs.

Both Mommy and Baby Madelyn are now home and healthy. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support!

Madelyn is coming!!!!

2009-07-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

This Jennifer's Mom, Tammie and I am posting for her. Sorry, I am not as entertaining as her but at least you will know what is happening.

She is at the hospital, her doctor admitted her with pre-eclampsia (pregnancy hypertension or--high blood pressure). They have her on IV's and bedrest. We will know more by tomorrow if her cervix is willing to open up or whether the doctor will have to do a c-section. We are all hoping for the cervix to wake up and start doing what it is supposed to do.

Jen and Josh are excited, but nervous. Josh's parents arrived this morning. Madelyn will have a very warm welcome when she arrives.

Jen or I will be posting on Facebook and on this blog, so stay tuned.

We are close!

2009-07-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

This is why I think so:

1. I was having a hard time getting to sleep last night because I was feeling really nauseous. It has not gone away all day.
2. I was walking the mall with Josh this morning and I had some pains that made me jump and stop moving. I actually started laughing because I thought I was going to break my water right in front of Wetzel's Pretzels. Not very appetizing for other mall dwellers...
3. I now know when I am contracting. It is getting more intense and she stretches out after each one.
4. I finally finished my thank you cards from the baby showers. God knew I wouldn't have time after she was here. Or I wouldn't want to write them.
5. I got my hair done today and no baby of mine is going to come when Mommy has roots!
6. And lastly, the new car is clean, filled with gas and stocked with beautiful floor mats that she can ruin with crushed Cheerios when she is old enough.

Now daddy just needs to pack his stuff and we are good to go!

Also, I was reading in John today, almost searching for something for God to tell me. I felt rather disappointed because nothing stood out to me as directly applicable to my life. For those of you who know me I am a huge Old Testament fan and usually do not have to "get" anything applicable out of my devotion. But since I have been so anxious, and in a bad mood, I wanted God to just calm me down. He did as soon as I started reading. That is the power of God's word for sure! But I still didn't get a verse to hold on to or anything that I could concentrate on over the next couple of days when I feel anxious. However it dawned on me as I sat down that I was reading about miracle. Jesus turned water into wine. He healed someone's son. He told the pharisees that they should destroy him and he will raise again after three days. He told the Samaritan woman all that she was. Jesus is just awesome and I so lucky to get to be called his child. And I can't thank Him enough for giving me this little girl. When she comes, the timing will be perfect. I waited three years for this, and God has taught me so much through the whole experience. So what is another couple of days, right? Just gives me more time to pray for a great, safe delivery.

The items above still hold true though! Can't wait to meet her!!

Our current status:

2009-07-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor yesterday and was very disappointed to hear that I have not started dilating at all. I know my due date isn't until the 25th, but I was just bummed to not be making any progress at all. I am still effaced about 50% he says. I thought it was more last time I was in, but I might have misheard him. All that to say, no baby yet.

On a positive note, I have been walking the malls like a crazy woman and should be in tip top shape to actually delivery her when she decides to come. I pretty much walk Chandler Mall every morning and Fiesta Mall every night. I think my fav is Fiesta since it is ghetto and very few people go there anymore. Therefore, no one stares at me walking up and down the stairs a million times. It does smell funky some days though... I do look forward to the buns and thighs of steel I will have once the swelling goes down. :o)

Also, Josh and I went to lunch yesterday with Mark and Sarah at PF Chang's. Surprisingly, out of 8 different numbers, Josh and I both had a 23 in our fortune. So maybe you will be reading a much different blog entry on Thursday. Who knows?? The chinese also said I was having a boy and if that happens at this point, he better like pink!

Nursery is finished. Now where is my baby?!?!?

2009-07-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

Okay. So I know I put the whole room design together, and am a little bias, but these pictures do not do the room justice. I am no photographer, but I feel like I can make a room pretty cozy. I just want to rock my baby to sleep all day long in this room. I love it! Now I just need to have this baby!!

Pretty Belly

2009-07-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

So I swear I have the best friends ever! I seriously feel like I can go out and compete against Heidi Klum at a Victoria's Secret show after all your amazing comments. Thanks everyone!

That being said, I just got my maternity pictures in the mail, compliments of Jennifer Bowen. We took them at the Royal Palms Resort when it was 111. I was so uncomfortable, but I think they turned out pretty nice. Good thing Jennifer is am amazing photographer! To see them all visit her website HERE, go to proofs, click on my maternity session and the password is Madeline09 (she didn't know her name is spelled Madelyn ;o).

Thanks again Jennifer for such amazing photos!!

This is what 200 pounds looks like. :o)

2009-07-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

So I wish that I could lie (like some people), but I tend to be almost too honest. So yes, I have gained way too much weight. This is what I look like 55 pounds heavier than I was when I got pregnant in November. And with 15 days to go, my doctor has stopped giving me tips on eating right and has just starting laughing at me. At least he is laughing! Anyway, I wanted to certainly document this momentous occasion. Here's to never being 200 pounds again though...

37 weeks, and counting down...

2009-07-04T16:37:00.001-07:00

Well here is what I am supposed to look like (if my baby wasn't huge like her mommy who has gained over 50 pounds). Anyway, we are counting down until little Madelyn is here. Josh comes home on Monday from Europe, and honestly I am cool if she comes Tuesday! They say babies are completely full term at 37 weeks. (Yay! We made it!!) Her lungs are developed to a point where she can function on her own outside of the womb and she is big enough, and long enough, to avoid the NICU. So with as hot and as uncomfortable as I have been the past couple of days, I am ready. Now we just have to wait for her to be ready, and this future fashionista (as Pauline called her) better not be fashionably late. :o)

Madelyn attends her last wedding in mommy's belly.

2009-06-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Since Josh and I got preggers with Madelyn on November 4th, she has attended over a dozen weddings. But last night was really a blast! My good friend Emily and her husband Santiago got hitched in Mexico on November 1st, 2008. To celebrate with all their family and friends who could not make the trek down to the wedding, they held a reception in their honor at Cezar's in Scottsdale. It was really a fun night, despite my husband not being their to have fun with me. But the best part of the night, besides the amazing food and super fun dancing, was the photo booth. I use this company a lot for my weddings. You take 6 pictures total, place three of them in a scrap book for the happy couple, and then keep the other three for yourself as a party favor. Emily helped me out at one of my weddings in May and saw how fun it was so she hired them to come to her reception too. Here is us in May.

For Emily's wedding though, I took my pictures with Julia and Melissa. We gave the best three to Emily and Santiago, but I was crying I was laughing so hard after we took these. My Madelyn belly barely fit in the booth with two other grown woman, but boy was it fun!!

Getting Closer

2009-06-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it but, ready or not, four weeks from today I will have Miss Madelyn in my arms. WOW! Just had to share since I am getting so excited!!!

This is amazing!

2009-06-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this with everyone... chubby feet! I was having a hard time getting my swelling to go down so I took this picture to texted it to my three moms to see what they suggested.

Soon after, they got worse (I have no picture of that). Anyway, my mom was not happy when she saw me for dinner that night. She really just wanted me home with my feet up. She is very worried that I might get pre-eclamsia. But then the next day they got a little bit better, followed by a lot worse! While we were packing for Josh to leave I literally had to lay down with my feet almost straight in the air to relieve the pain. So after taking Josh to the airport at 5:30 am on Sunday, I decided I would watch my free movie channels all day and just keep my feet up. I barley even ate. But look at them now.

Whew! I was starting to think I was going to have fat feet forever. And try not to be too jealous of the beautiful pedicure I got today at the Arizona Grand Spa. Thanks Dianna and Melissa!!!

Baby Madelyn is a little stinker!

2009-06-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

This morning I went in for my ultra sound to verify the baby's breech position for the c-section. As soon as the technician put the monitor on my stomach she said, "Well, the head is down." I was in shock! I have been agonizing over this for weeks now. Very quickly I went from mad to extremely happy. I really was not excited about major abdominal surgery. I was ready to do what was necessary, but it still was not my preference. Nevertheless, it is no longer an issue. Now I just get to wait, like all other first time mommys, for that blessed baby to decide she wants to come out into the real world. After seeing her current weight at 6 pounds, 7 ounces, I am hoping for that day to be sooner rather than later. This baby could be huge! But she is so adorable I don't care.

Here is her cute little profile:

This is Josh's favorite picture of her. He put it on his phone and I am pretty sure he showing the entire world he thought she was so cute.

This is my favorite picture of her from today's "photo shoot". Precious!

New Birth Plan

2009-06-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today I had another appointment with Dr. Seymann and we had to talk about our "options" since little Miss Madelyn is still breech. After going over every detail with the doctor and speaking to Josh on the phone (since he was setting up for the rehearsals that take place over the next three days before he leaves on Sunday for the 16-day Europe trip) I have decided to write a new birth plan.

Our Birth Plan:

1. Screw birth plans!

2. Have healthy baby by whatever means necessary.

3. Preferably when husband is actually in town...

4. Try not to piss me off when I am in the hospital.

The End!

So, how are you doing?

2009-06-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

I basically get this question about ten times a day. I am doing fine. I actually think I am doing great! I am a nervous wreck. I have major mood swings (my poor husband). I do not sleep without getting numb legs. I cannot eat without feeling like I am going to explode. I am so swollen I hardly recognize myself and various body parts. I cannot breathe when I lay on my side, but am too far along to lay on my back. She is still breach! Ahhhh! And as I am "nesting" my to do list keeps growing and my energy level gets lower and lower. But, I am getting so excited to see her! Josh and I both are getting excited! We have no idea how life will change after she gets here, but so far we have managed with all the pregnancy changes that I think we will figure it out. Keep us in your prayers. I will try to have more exciting news up soon. :o)

Baby Shower Weekend

2009-06-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

So I guess I am getting progressively worse at this blogging thing. I have just been so busy between work and baby prep that I really don't even have time to think, much less blog. And believe me, you want me to think before I speak. :o)

But, I had such an amazing weekend I had to share some of it really quick. Then I have to get to bed. Thank you to everyone who came to the shower, brought amazing gifts for sweet little Madelyn, and helped throw such a great party. My friend Melissa (who luckily is also an amazing photographer) posted some pictures of the fabulous day on her blog. Go here to see them.

Lastly I wanted to say a special thank you to Brooke and Hank for coming down to visit. Funny story... I woke up on Friday morning, went to my massage therapist (who totally kicked my butt, but that is besides the point), came home to the family eating breakfast and Cheri (my Mother in Law) says to me that she needs to know what the plans are for the day because that is her personality. Knowing that it is not her personality to want to plan the day when she was on vacation I knew something was up. So I said to her that I knew she had something planned or else she wouldn't be so concerned about the plans for the day. She said to me that she has friends in town that would like to meet us around 6:00. After my shower I got to thinking, who are these friends. Josh said they were people that they knew a long time ago from Bethany (thus the reason they didn't know me.) I thought it was a little weird that in the short four days they were here that we have to meet and entertain random friends instead of preparing for the shower, but I was fine with it. After rushing from set up at Gretchen's house to get home for these "friends" I was a little flustered. I felt hot and dirty and wanted to change before I met people for the first time, but when we got home she said they were already inside. So I walked in, and to my most pleasant surprise I saw Brooke (Josh's cousin and my friend) sitting in my living room. I wish I could have seen my face because I know I was shocked. Then I saw that Hank was there too. They had come into town for the shower and were ready to go to dinner with us. I was shocked! I was so happy to see them and even more impressed at the level of secrecy the family was able to keep. Sneaky little Brooke even called em the day before and said she was thinking of me and knew I understood why she couldn't come to the shower. Little liar! :o) My only regret is that there were so many people at the shower that I didn't get to talk to her more on Saturday. Luckily we had such an amazing night at Oregano's on Friday. Here are a few pictures of us having fun. Thanks for coming guys!! You have no idea how much I loved seeing you. That story will last in my mind forever!!

Brooke and I waiting for our table.

Josh, Me, Brooke, and Hank after dinner.

Josh, Cheri, Me, Dave, Brooke, and Hank after a great dinner and good time!!

30 weeks and counting...

2009-05-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

We are finally in the home stretch (at least that is what I am going to keep telling myself as I brave the 100 degree plus weather, the nasty iron supplements I can't keep down, the heart burn, the numb and cramping legs, and my inability to eat ice cream or frozen yogurt due to being lactose intolerant.) Anyway, I am getting very anxious for her to be here. Can you tell? I love feeling her daily, but I just wish I could feel her kicking me in the ribs. It would mean she is head down, getting ready to come out like a good little girl versus making mommy go through major abdominal surgery.

Since I last posted I have been incredibly busy with work and not been thinking very much of the baby. Now that I have showers just around the corner and a nursery to decorate things are getting fun again. Josh made my night a couple weeks ago when he bought the baby her memory book. It is really adorable, and has some great keepsake moments for us to document in there.

One of the keepsake items you put in the book are belly pictures. Being that I am growing every day, these are starting to get really fun. But daddy decided he is not so pleased with his sympathy weight. So he thought we should at least document that too.

Crazy daddy!

Here are the "real" belly pics. And in case you are wondering, yes I am getting tan. Lucky for me, Madelyn loves the pool! When ever I get too hot at night, I jump in the pool first thing in the morning. Then, if I have no where to go that day, I just hang out in the AC in my bathing suit. Whatever works right?

28 weeks

2009-05-04T13:06:00.001-07:00

So as I approach 30 weeks there are a few things that I am hoping for. One, that my belly button will pop out. Not sure why I want that, I just think it is cool. Two, that she turns around. I found out at my appointment last week that she is defiantly breach and if she doesn't flip by the end of the eighth month they will schedule a c-section. To which my mother in law replied, "Now we will know when to come out." That at least made me laugh in the midst of my stress! And three, that the temperature will stay under 100 for as long as possible. I just get beat up when I am in the heat. Weddings the past couple of weeks have licked me for sure and my poor husband keeps going to bed with more and more clothes on, as I strip down to less and less while turning the AC down further and further. I can't even bear to think how hot I will be in July.

Here is what Baby Center says about Madelyn and Mommy this month (with some slight comentary by myself):

How your baby's growing:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes (hopefully daddy's lashes). With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb (which someone told me to take the flashlight, put it on my stomach down by my pelvis and she would follow it, turning her out of breach). She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

How your life's changing:

You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds (Ha! That's funny!) this trimester. At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Around this time, some women feel an unpleasant "creepy-crawly" sensation in their lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them while trying to relax or sleep. If this sensation is at least temporarily relieved when you move, you may have what's known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). No one knows for sure what causes RLS, but it's relatively common among expectant mothers (I totally have this!!). Try stretching or massaging your legs, and cut down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse. Ask your caregiver if you should try iron supplements, which can sometimes relieve RLS.

Our Lazy Day

2009-04-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

I love when my husband thinks I am cute! After a long Easter weekend, the cats and I decided we needed some shut eye. Josh was working on his thesis/watching the Masters, so I decided to crash on the couch since I hadn't seen him in awhile. Sad when this is what I consider spending time with him, I know. At one point he stopped working/watching and saw the how cute the cats and I looked sleeping in our comfy positions, so he took pictures for the blog. Thanks for contributing babe!!

Tigre's new favorite position on the chair (that we cover when you our guests are not here). Still not sure how he gets his leg all the way up there by his face, and how it can be that comfortable. Weird...

Belle has a way of always needing to be by someone. I even think her and Madelyn are becoming friends. She doesn't jump every time Madelyn kicks her. :o)

Six Months

2009-04-15T20:33:00.001-07:00

So here are some recent belly pics. I said in an earlier post that I didn't think my belly was getting larger, but every time I see someone they comment on how much bigger I look. You decide. I am certainly wider...

What a day!

2009-04-06T23:25:00.000-07:00

Monday was quite the day. First I took my cats to be shaved. This sounds like a mundane task until you realize that my cats hate riding in the car, going into a carrier, and other people messing with them. We lead a pretty quiet life over here, and they like it that way. However, I do not like picking up their hair all the time. I would vacuum and within hours I could see little Tigre clumps of black hair all over. But Belle was the worst. She has these little white hairs that get over everything. Not fun, especially when I started to think about cleaning up after baby too. So, instead of shaving them right before the baby came, which I knew would be traumatic with all the other changes going on, I wanted to give them a test run. This was just as much for me as for them. After wrangling them all up, I wanted to put them in the front seat of the car so they could see me as we drove. That didn't help. They both screamed the whole time. At one point my Chiropractor's office manager called to ask me a question and she was just laughing because all she could hear were the darn cats. But as I got to the groomers the lady was very kind and promised me she would do her best to make sure they were calm before she started bathing and cutting.

So while they were be tortured at the groomers, I decided I would have lunch with my Friend Sarah and her son Matthew (potential mate #1 for Miss Madelyn). I was a little stressed because the groomer said she would call if the cats were not behaving, but Matthew was so darn cute I wasn't really focused on them for long. Plus, I like talking to Sarah about mommy stuff. I know I am not one yet, but it is fun knowing that I will also have a little one in just a couple of months. And I have realized that it is comforting to talk to friends about their experiences, they ultimately make you feel better.

Sarah and Matthew at lunch. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can look like Sarah when my baby is 8 months old.

Literally he was so chill the whole time, this was as emotion as I got out of him for the picture. :o)

So after lunch it was time to go get the cats. I was very nervous. I didn't care as much about what they looked like. I just wanted them to be calm. It is sad when pets cry and you can't do anything about it. Anyway, I got to the groomer and she said Tigre (our skittish cat who doesn't even let us brush him at home) was so calm for her he fell asleep while she was cutting him. And Belle (our cat who just wants to be up in everyone's business all the time, and loves to be combed) was so scared the groomer had to cut her while she was being held on her shoulder. This was very weird for me to hear. But it is evident in their pictures. Tigre is nice and evenly cut, and Belle looks like we tried to cut her at home.

Mister Tigre

Miss Belle, who was not happy with us for about 4 days. :o)