Tapioca Art

This winter we have had a lot of colds in our house.  During one of the rounds of sickness, we decided to help Madison feel better by trying a little art project I had heard about from a friend.  We cooked some tapioca, added food coloring and let our little Picasso go to town.

Not so sure, checking it all out.

Getting the hang of it.

Taking a taste... not a fan.

"Hold on, I'm making a masterpiece."

It was a success!

Cousin Birthday Fun!

Cousin Christopher turned 6 this month!  Since we live so close to Aaron's family, we were able to go up and spend two days to help celebrate.  My parents made the trip down, making it extra fun.  First we met everyone in Cincinnati for lunch and then toured the aquarium.  We normally go on a weekday, but went on a Saturday since it was Christopher's actual birthday.  It was busy!!  We battled the crowd and had a great time.

Next we headed up to Dayton to Aaron's house and spent the night.  Madison loved playing with her cousin, as always :)  We had a great time and are thankful that we could spend the weekend with everyone!

Some special time with Grandpa.

Playing at a nearby park.

Faces of Madison

Our child is expressive.  You don't always need to guess how she is feeling.  All you need to do is look at her face...

I just love the progression.  Good thing for puppies!

Key West Trip - January 2013

We were able to take a week long vacation over the New Year to Key West, FL.  My parents and Todd's mom were able to join us there.  We flew down and Madison surprised me immensely by being a wonderful flyer.  (Previously this had not been the case).
The weather was great and so was the company.  Madison enjoyed all of the grandparent time, especially all the books that were read to her and walks that she took.  The weather was perfect so we went to the pool several days.  Madison loves the pool!  All summer she had a kiddie pool where she could stand on her own.  Unfortunately, there wasn't one here so we had to hold her or she played on the stairs. If you know Madison, she likes to do everything herself so she didn't understand why she couldn't swim on her own.  She still had a good time enjoying the water. 
We ate a many wonderful restaurants and explored the island.  We went to the beach for part of one day.  Madison did not like sand this past summer and stayed true to form.  However, we were able to convince her is wasn't the end of the world if she walked in it this time.
Below are few pictures from our trip.  I'll add more when my dad sends me some of his. 

She looks so grown up here!

Christmas 2012

We had a nice, small Christmas this year.  We went to Corbin to spend Christmas Eve day with Todd's family and then drove back home late to wake up at our house Christmas morning.  It was fun to watch Madison this year.  She caught on right away and was a pro at opening her (and everyone else's) gifts.  She is a lucky little girl who is loved by many.  She was very blessed this Christmas.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and have a very happy new year!

Christmas Cookies

I decided we needed to get in the Christmas spirit last week.  So of course, that means cookies!  I had my little elf to help roll and cut out the cookies.  I think she enjoyed the final product as well :)

Thanksgiving

 We went to Michigan this year for Thanksgiving.  Todd was able to take a few extra days off so we arrived at my parent's house Sunday evening.  My brother's family arrived Tuesday evening, which made Madison VERY happy.  My best friend Angie and her husband, Josh, took off all day Wednesday to spend time with us.  We were lucky to see them almost everyday while we were there. 
The weather was wonderful and warm, allowing us to visit a local park two different days.  The kids had a great time exploring and burning off energy.  My brother turned 30 while we were there so we went to dinner and a movie with them while my parents kindly watched the kids.  On Thursday, many relatives from my mom's side came over for a delicious Thanksgiving meal.  It was great to see everyone.  I miss spending the holidays with all of them. 
Sadly, Todd's grandmother passed away that Wednesday.  We left Thursday night so that we could make it back to Kentucky for the funeral on Friday.  We stayed overnight in Corbin and spent time with his family.
I don't think we will make it back to Michigan until after baby #2 arrives so I tried to savor my time.  It always goes too fast!  Maybe I can be sneaky and head up so #2 can be a Michigander like Madison ;) J/K Todd!
I'm the worst at remembering to take pictures.  Thankfully, I have many talented & reliable family members that make up for my slack.  Below are a few pics from the trip.