The Lewis Family. Classy, Dashing and Swank.

A Good Day

2012-02-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

Today was labeled a "no TV, no computer" day. With little William loving to be held all the time, it's been far too easy for me to let Maddie just watch some Blues Clues or play on the computer. She's become far too dependent on this for entertainment, so we decided to take a day's break. I think our decision created a bit of magic to fall onto William because today he napped two times in his crib! The first for an hour, then second for two hours! I felt like today was such a breath of fresh air. Maddie sat at the counter chatting with me while I did the mound of dishes from Casey's birthday dinner last night. I was able to get most of the laundry done while Maddie played at her Grandma's. We walked to the park, we played board games, William was hardly fussy when he wasn't being held. If I can have days like today, I think I can maintain a sanitary living condition for our family and keep our kids entertained without always relying on the tv or computer.

Lovely Winter

2012-01-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed Christmas in St. Johns this year. We were lucky to get lots of snow to play in. Maddie loved her Minnie Mouse from Santa. I didn't get any Christmas pictures of William, but this photo was taken on Christmas Day so we'll count it.

William's Photo Shoot

2012-01-25T22:09:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit behind in the blogging...Here are William's newborn photos taken by my good friend Jenna Jameson. They turned out so great; I couldn't put all the ones I loved on here because it takes too long! He is not even one week old in these. My how he has grown, by about 10 pounds!

2012...Here I Come!

2012-01-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

Every year I make a list of goals. It's something I quite enjoy doing. Writing a list of all the things I want to someday become. But then everyday life steps in, and I quickly get sidetracked just trying to get the dishes done each day. Here's hoping I can better myself in at least one way this year.

1. Nightly family and personal prayer/scripture study.
2. Exercise at least 3 times a week. (I already broke this one, but am still trying!)
3. Drink more water (I'm the worst!)
4. Read one non-fiction book.
5. Monthly date nights and temple dates
6. Work on family videos, a photo book and a piece of art decor for the house.

William Updaate

2012-01-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

Our Sweet William. Apparently Sweet William is a plant, who knew? Just a little update on our adorable little boy. He is almost 4 months! He is definitely a fast growing boy. 9pounds at birth, 12 pounds at his 1 month appointment, 15.2 pounds at his 2 month, and we are awaiting stats for his 4 month appointment. I predict a near 20 pound weigh-in.

He is laughing and smiling and trying to engage anyone he can in baby gurgling chatter. He LOVES his big sister and his eyes follow her all around the room.

He's quite fond of being held, and still doesn't nap during the day without that comfort. But, he does do pretty awesome at night and will sleep from 9 pm-ish to 7am-ish with only waking once to eat (usually).

We got a bit lazy in the bottle making/pumping department, and he now refuses a bottle. We were so adamant that this kid would most definitely take a bottle! Ugh, we failed miserably. I have hope that we can still make it happen. It must happen. Mother needs her time off too.

This kid can drool! Maddie wasn't a huge drooler, so this is new to me. I always try to dress him so cute for church, then have to throw on that tacky bib. Ruins the whole effect. His hair is hilarious. It looks like a come-over in the back. I'm still hoping some curls will emerge.

We love our Bubz.

Halloween

2011-11-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

We opted for a very buggy Halloween. It all started with Maddie's decision to be a ladybug. I made Maddie's costume, and I found William's costume at Goodwill, and as you can definitely tell, Casey's and mine are homemade. We hit up a few Halloween events this year. We got invited to a party on Wednesday and Maddie spent the entire time with all the other little ones in the bounce house. Then Saturday night we went to our ward trunk or treat. Finally came the actual Holiday where Maddie had a slow start to trick or treating, but I finally coaxed her into gathering free candy from strangers. We headed home to an evening of candy eating and family fun.

2011-10-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

We're now on week 2 of William's life and still adjusting. He's a noisy fellow; lots of squeaks and grunts. He still doesn't like his bassinet, so we're still not having great nights. He's gained 15 ounces since his birth because he's always eating! My doctor said to wait until he really cries from hunger before I feed him, so he's not snacking so much.

Maddie is still doing well with him; she doesn't seem to dislike him in any way. Every once in a while she'll ask to hold him. Mostly she likes to disrupt his daytime naps by shaking him and yelling, "Wake up baby! Wake up!" Which, I'm fine with his daytime naps being interrupted if it helps him sleep at night at all.

He's still doing great going back and forth between nursing and bottles, and I'm trying to build up a storage of breast milk so we don't have to use formula anymore. We're on our last container of the freebie stuff.

Mom is doing well and feeling pretty great; other than lack of sleep. I forgot how painful nursing can be, but I'm at least glad that the contraction type cramps stopped after a few days. I jump at any chance to leave the house since we're home all day long. I've been blessed with fabulous friends, who brought me dinner for two weeks! I even got gourmet breakfast one morning. I really feel so overwhelmed with how kind and generous people have been. It definitely makes me want to be that kind of person to other people.

William's Arrival

2011-09-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

William Kenny Lewis arrived Friday, September 16th at 7:43 pm.

I had been to my weekly doctor visit that previous Monday, and the doctor told me to come in to his office that Friday (my due date) and he'd schedule a time for me to get induced. So I went in at 9am to my appt., he checked me out and said, "how would you like to be induced today?" I of course said yes and he said, "how about 11?"

So we hurried home, got all packed, I cleaned the kitchen and whatever else I could, then we dropped off our little Mads with the inlaws, grabbed some Taco Bell and headed in.

I was having light contractions when I got in, I wouldn't have noticed if the machine didn't tell me. They started the pitocin at noon. I began to feel them noticably. The doctor came in at 1 or 2 and broke my water. That hurt. By 4 I was ready for my epidural. Just in time for Jeopardy. At 7 my doctor came in, checked me and predicted the baby would be here at 7:40pm. At 7:30 I started to feel the contractiona pretty frequently and began to feel pressure down below. In came to doctor, he told me to go ahead and push, and within 2 or 3 minutes we had a baby! I looked down at the doctor and asked, "Is that usually how it goes?" I seriously couldn't believe how fast and easy it all was. Delivering thte placenta didn't hurt at all. I didn't feel the pain of getting stitched up afterwards. It was all so different than last time.

We love our little William and are adjusting to life with a newborn around. He's not a fan of his bassinet yet, so we tag team the recliner at nights. Maddie enjoys loving on him and telling him he's all done eating so Mom can play with her. Casey, as always, is such a sweet loving dad, and is loving that this baby enjoys bottles from Dad (as does Mom, except the whole pumping thing).

Countdown

2011-09-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

5 days and counting...I told Casey about a month or so ago that I thought this baby was coming early. He just felt really low, I had lots more aches and pains this time around, and just a different feeling than when I was carrying Maddie. I think that difference is just the fact that I'm 3 years older and 3 years more out of shape. It's definitely been a harder pregnancy this time around, but I still think I have it easier than most because I don't really get too sick and what not. We're uber excited to finally have Baby William here, and every night I envision myself timing those contractions, and every night I'm disappointed. I have at least fully embraced the "eat whatever I want" mentality of being pregnant these past few weeks; along with lazy days lounging in my unmentionables and giving out tasks to the husband. I'm pretty sure the whole household is ready for the baby to squeeze his way into the world.

August

2011-09-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

The adventures of Maddie's August.

We love the culture pass system at the local libraries. The past month we were able to go to the Phoenix Children's Museum (my fave) and the Natural History Museum in Mesa. Maddie was so tickled that I packed a lunch for both of us and we sat in their little cafeteria area and ate it together. I think we were there for 3 hours and I had to weasel her out of there because my pregnant body was tired.

Casey took her to the Natural History Museum, and she loved all the dinosaurs. Her very favorite is the Triceratops. She was also so excited to show me the gold her and dad found in the river. I love when just the two of them get to spend time together, because she's so attached to me; it's a good change for her to fully enjoy her fun dad.

We also had Mercedes come stay with us for three days and two nights. Maddie was in heaven; Mercedes is pretty close to her idol. We set up a little tent in the front room and they spent a lot of time playing witches and ghosts and screaming. Poor chubby Raheem also had a few days of being chased and tackled and loved on.

And finally, we started back in joy school! Maddie had been so excited to have school at our "new house," and I was the first mom to take a turn, so she was quite happy. This year we have 7 kids, so it's quite busy. But I love that they're a year older and more capable of sitting still and learning more. I have this next week as well, then I'm on hiatus until February, just to have time to deal with a new baby and such.

Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

We spent our 4th in St. Johns this year. The 4th is also my dad's birthday, and this year was his 50th birthday. So we decided to throw him a party, and I'm very surprised that he agreed to go along. It was at my sister's and her husband's house in Lakeside. They have such a beautiful property: two acres with a catch and release pond (slash doggie swim hole), horse corral (no horses), fire pit, picnic benches, three tire swings, and just wide open space. We spent the day just hanging out then guests arrived in the evening.
While is St. Johns we went to the fireworks show up in Springerville, which I think I was watching the blazes on the ground more than the actual fireworks. We also attended the Springerville parade. Maddie was all waves in hopes for some candy. The BBQ and foot races at the park are always a favorite; so Americana. Maddie of course refused to race, so we sat around in the hot sun and eventually got a snow cone and headed home.
That night we had a cookout at my mom's then Casey and I decided to head back home...sans Maddie. My mom kept her for the rest of the week. It was nice to be able to get fully moved into our new home (pics to come eventually). We get to pick her up today and we are more than excited to see our little girl. I feel so lazy and bored without her around to entertain all day, but I have enjoyed the lazy tv watching and sleeping in.

Mother's Day

2011-05-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind, but here is my Mother's Day...
I awoke to a very excited child bringing me a present in bed. Maddie and Dad had worked hard to make me a very beautiful flower brooch. I was so impressed with them both and proudly wore it to church that day. I was also very impressed with my husband's culinary skills as I watched him make me eggs benedict for breakfast. you can see the pic below where he is very carefully poaching the eggs. Breakfast was the best I've had in a long long time. Grandma helped Maddie with the giant cookie to give to me. Maddie is the world's best gift giver. She is always so enthusiastic and sincerely excited to give gifts; I love it.
I've been contemplating some of my favorite things about being a mother...Although it's very hard at times, it truly is so rewarding to see your very own child grow and play and just be them. So here is just a glimpse of some of my favorite mothering privileges.
1. Maddie is insistent that I put her to bed at night (I actually get a bit burnt out of this) but before climbing into bed to hear her stories, she always grabs a stuffed animal to sleep with, but she also brings one to me. Sometime in the night she always climbs into bed with us, and she always brings that same animal for me to sleep with. She is so sweet and thoughtful about it.
2. I love to listen to her in her bedroom talking and playing with her dolls and toys. I seriously could just sit and listen to that with no need of any other entertainment.
3. She is a wrap-around-the-neck-teeth-gritted hugger. She will randomly fall on top of me with one of these hugs for no reason.
4. She is obsessed with playing with my hair. I usually have to pry it out of her hands at night when she falls asleep.
5. She is so excited about the new baby and talks about him a lot. She is going to be a stellar big sister, and I can't wait to see how they love each other.

Thanks to my wonderful husband and daughter for the best Mother's Day!

Easter

2011-05-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Easter at our place was pretty low key. I woke up early and was out watching TV when I heard some movement in the kitchen. I waited a few minutes before going to see who was up. There stood little Maddie in her pajama shirt and diaper (she is particular of her pajama outfits) just looking, but not touching her Easter basket. She had set out the empty basket the night before for the Easter Bunny to fill, and she also left a carrot from the garden. I told her it was okay to open it. She was most excited about her Ni-hao Kailan band-aids, but I'm also very happy that she was excited to get her own little Book of Mormon and Jesus bookmark. She's not much of a candy girl, but she did get a chocolate bunny and nasty Peeps.
We later dyed some eggs and let Maddie color on them with markers. We only did 12 between the 3 of us; we were pretty tired that morning. We then hid them in the yard and Maddie very unethusiastically found her eggs. Raheem helped out and ate one of them, at least he was excited.

Maddie Ramblings

2011-03-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Maddie will be 3 soon, and I need to reflect on her 2 year old self for a while.

We've been on and off potty training for about 6 months now, but it's just not coming along. I was really worried she wouldn't be trained by 3, but I honestly don't care at this point. I've realized I'm much too lazy to take her to sit on the toilet every 30 minutes, and I doubt she'd cooperate with me anyways.

She does make trips to the bathroom every 30 minutes to get her band-aid fix though. Seriously, this kid is obsessed. I had bought some Hello Kitty ones for her and quickly found that those were far too expensive for her usage.

She loves playing outside in the garden, and the other day while picking spinach, I found a little caterpillar. She quickly took a liking to him, and 3 days later he's still living in a jar in her room. His name is Woggy. She often makes up words, and this name was one of them. As well as her Barbie horse named Fance Fance.

She is long done with naps, and we're okay with that because if she does nap, she's up till midnight in our bed. We often have to keep her awake in the car if it's after 4pm or she'll quickly drift off. Otherwise, she will usually go down between 7:30-8:00, but not without a miserable fight.

She loves to play computer games every chance we let her, and she now can navigate around the page well enough that if she doesn't understand or like a game, she can find another. It's a wonderful time for me to get some laundry folded, or more often, rest on the bed next to her.

The last two pics on here show her sense of style. I used to get quite peeved that she wouldn't wear the cute clothes people bought for her, and we would very often (very often) get in fights over getting dressed. I've learned this battle is one I'm okay with losing, and I actually am quite fond of her crazy attire each day. I am not fond of her not being able (or willing) to dress herself, because she does about 5 wardrobe changes a day.

She's super smart and loves asking all kinds of questions to figure out the world. We watched Bambi the other day, and she was quite focused on why Bambi's voice was different when he got bigger. I tried to explain that when we get older our voices change. She just wouldn't believe me that her voice was going to change someday. She also wanted to know why Bambi's mom died, and I told her that people eat meat, so they hunt animals. I then told her that we eat cows and chickens and pigs (hoping I wasn't scaring her away from eating meat). But she listened and seemed to understand and just said, "Oh." At this rate, I need to make sure I'm well read and know a lot about the world, because she's definitely going to be one who will ask me.

4th Anniversary

2011-03-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

Four years together and we finally get a weekend getaway! My mom came and picked up Mads on Friday, and we left directly to Sedona. It was wonderful to spend alone time with my Love. We ate out (yummy Indian food), slept in (kind of), I took a bath, took a nap, went on a 5 mile hike (my poor body hasn't seen that much effort in a long time), ate some more, watched movies and just relaxed. We enjoyed the atmosphere of Sedona and had many giggles and eye rolls over vortexes and aura readings. We definitely could have used one more day, but we were excited to see our little girl.

This first picture is a sand painting done by some monks. First of all, I only thought Native Americans did sand paintings, so I was enlightened on that fact. I was a little disappointed in that I thought it was going to be very large and on the ground, but I'm still so impressed with the patience and time this took. We weren't there when the swept it up and did the ritual, but I'm glad we got to see it.

Why do I always look so much larger than my husband? Okay, yes I am larger, but he IS taller than me.

Oh la la.

February Birthdays

2011-03-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

February is always fun because Casey and I share such close birthdays. We always enjoy all the freebies that restaurants offer, and this year took advantage of: Benihana, Rubios, and Souper Salad. The day of Casey's birthday, I had to babysit, and Maddie was mega sick. Like, the sickest she's ever been. I managed to get over to the house and make his crepes for breakfast, then took both kiddos with me to the doctor. Turned out that Mads had RSV, a double ear infection and a temp of 101. Casey tended to her all day until I got home around 4pm. I then attempted to make his birthday dinner and cake all while trying to comfort my sickly child who only wanted to be held. It was stressful, and I felt bad that Casey took second on his birthday, but he's a good dad.
My birthday was less stressful, and we enjoyed Panda Express at home. Casey made me a strawberry cake with purple frosting. It looked like an Abbey Cadabby cake, and Maddie still talks about it; it was yummy of course.
I now look forward to Maddie's birthday where I can go all out, or at least as far as our budget will take us.

Miss Maddie Modeling

2011-01-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

Maddie is usually a stinker about letting me take her picture, but on this night that's all she wanted to do. She kept going to different locations and doing different poses. She would immediately want to look at the picture after I took it. I think we have a future model on our hands.

Showing off her new "Valentine" tree (we had to improvise to get her to take down all her Christmas decorations and tree).

Future Mousekateer.

Katie Kangaroo and Baby Joey. An exotic shoot in Australia.

Sneaking a peek.

E.T. impersonation.

I think she's going for "saucy" here.

This is her vogue pose.

Mona Lisa smile

Christmas

2011-01-12T21:39:00.001-08:00

Maddie's fantastic Christmas.
She gets plenty of time on her tricycle, cruising to the park, cruising around the block, cruising at the zoo...she always asks to ride her tricycle to whatever destination we're going; near or far.

We were about a month too late in buying her the Cars dvd, she has yet to watch it even though we ask everyday. (As opposed to watching it EVERYDAY at her cousin's house the previous months). But she is quite fond of her Cars garage from Grandma and Papa. Every so often, when she decides she can entertain herself for a few minutes, I can hear her in her bedroom playing with her cars. I love her little sense of imagination and pretend conversations.

Of course Christmas was a lot more than just presents for us. Maddie really understood a lot the birth of Christ and who was involved. She loved all of Grandma's Nativities and visiting the temple lights to see baby Jesus. Although, she was always concerned that there was no angel at the temple. And we went once during the day when baby Jesus was inside "taking a nap", she was quite distraught at his disappearance. I loved being a mom during this time of year and teaching my daughter about Christ and how special he is. It's so fulfilling to see your child learn and understand such important topics.

New Year...New Attempts

2011-01-01T23:02:00.000-08:00

High lights and some low lights of 2010.

At the beginning of 2010 I never thought we'd be where we are now...living with the inlaws. We're so grateful for their kindness, but hope 2011 goes a little better in some areas. Here's a year in review for Jessie Lewis; a list of things I remember most (in no significant order).

1. Maddie learning and talking and growing! She went from speaking words to speaking full conversations. She had a few encounters with the potty, but has remained faithful to her diapers. She loves to sit and listen to us read her books every night and often throughout the day. She's loving joy school and doing well at remembering her letters, and definitely loves all her friends.
2. Anniversary date with Casey (and dates in general). Ice skating and dinner with my main man was so much fun.
3. Maddie's 2nd birthday was so much fun to plan and create. I'm excited for this year's!
4. Last year I made a goal to read a book a month and I was so close to succeeding. I loved reading a new genre each month and hope to continue trying new books.
5. Summer checklist was a fun adventure for the Lewis family.
6. We were so happy for Tasha and Derek and their fun Vegas wedding.
7. Maddie's emerging diva. We've had several recent meltdowns (and I mean meltdowns) concerning mom's choice in her wardrobe or in having to dress at all. Getting dressed for church is always fun, as is trying to get jeans on this kid.
8. Wonderful sewing nights with my friends, cabin trips, girls' nights and farewell parties.
9. Babysitting my nephew Chase. He turned one in June and is just getting more and more fun to be around each week. Maddie loves going to his house and is learning to love being nice to him.
10. And of course, the big move. Unfortunately we couldn't afford to stay in our condo and had to trim our already trimmed budget. We're working hard to find Casey a job at a hospital and hopefully get some student loans to help us out as well. We're so excited for Casey to get into his "real" classes, the ones that are specified to his Business Administration major.

I truly think this upcoming year is going to be a good one for us. I'm excited to see what comes of it. And of course a post on new year's day must include a list of my resolutions. So here goes another attempt at bettering myself on an upcoming year.
1. Study/pray everyday (this seems to make the list every year)
2. Sew a wearable garment for myself (I had to add "wearable" because I've attempted clothing in the past, and have yet to wear them)
3. Read one classic novel.
4. Make one pretty cake.
5. Learn to identify one new bird (yes I aspire to become a bird watcher)
6. Learn to identify one new tree/plant (yes I aspire to become nerdier)
7. Learn to play one new hymn on the piano
8. Learn to drive Casey's scooter
9. Make a quilt
10. Make one family movie (I'm soooo behind on home videos)

Make it a good one folks!

Final Book Review

2010-12-29T22:51:00.000-08:00

Soooo, September was the last book I posted on. October was a failed attempt at Emma. Sorry Jane, it just wasn't cuttin' it for me. Maybe someday...

I did read a book in November. The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson. This one was captivating, but definitely too graphic for me. I won't be reading the sequels or watching the movies. This was a murder mystery book, and reminded me of the Agatha Christie book I read earlier this year. I forget names, but this man is attempting to solve a decades old murder and also dealing with his own issues of libel fraud. The girl with the tatoo is an odd one, who helps him solve the case. The language is bad. There is too much reference to sexual crimes on women; too disturbing for me. But it was a quick read for me because I was definitely drawn in to the plot. I think mystery is a genre I'll keep going back to.

As for December...I attempted Emma again, got bored again, and am now reading Two From Galilee by Marjorie Holmes. So far so good. It's a romance story of Mary and Joseph...and I'm a sucker for romance.

November

2010-12-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

Oh man, November went too fast, and I have entirely too much to write about. Here it goes...
#1- The Big Move
We officially moved in with the in-laws over Halloween weekend. It had been months and months of waiting, so we finally just did it. Things are going really well. My inlaws are saints for letting us invade their home and inviting a bipolar two year old as well. She had a rough first week or two, and would often cry and ask to go to Maddie's house. It broke my heart. (she now refers to this as her home).

#2- Maddie's New Sleeping Habits
She also has had to adjust to a twin bed, rather than her crib. She wakes up most every night and climbs into bed with us. It's hard to be strict on this, because I don't want her crying and waking up everyone, so we always let her in. I am a little sad about the change in bedtime routine. Before, it was: read books in chair, sing and rock in the chair, then into her crib and out I would go. Now she wants to read books in bed, and when books are done she wants her music on (not Mom's beautiful, melodic singing voice) and she's become a back stratching Nazi. We have to lay in bed with her until she falls asleep. She will not fall asleep on her own. More than once, I have fallen asleep with her and woken to her still grasping my hair. I love this kid.

#3- Thanksgiving
We had a big scare the day before Thanksgiving. My mom called me from Show Low hospital and said she was at the ER, they found some "space" in her brain on the MRI and they were emergency flying her to Banney Baywood. I majorly panicked and thought she was dying or something, so it was a pretty lousy day for me. I went to the hospital and was there when the neurologist came in. I felt much better after he left because he didn't seem too concerned. We waited all day and some of the next morning for her to get in for an MRI and MRA. (Why they flew her in such a hurry to make her wait, I don't know) Everything is fine, she's fine, I'm far happier. They got released from the hospital and arrived to the Lewis' just in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

#4- Harry Potter was awesome! Thank you Casey for doing a midnight showing with your wife.

#5- Here's an adorable pic of Maddie post bathtime.

Happy Halloween From the Lewis'

2010-11-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

I was so excited when our Bunko group did a couples costume theme this month! Both Casey and I are big fans of Halloween, so it was great fun for us. And to answer your question, no we did not get our costumes from The Office, but I am excited to see how Pam's and Jim's costumes turned out.

Miss Maddie had been really excited about Halloween this year. She LOVED all the spooky decorations, the Halloween books from the library and daily themed crafts. Seriously, everyday she would ask to make Halloween decorations. In the very beginning of Halloween mania, she decided she wanted to be Belle. So me, being the over-excited mother, raced to Joann's to buy all the necessary items to make her a Belle dress. A few weeks later she changed her mind and wanted to be Backpack (from Dora). Then it was Buzz, then a happy witch, then a cuckoo (mystery)...everyday it was something new, but never Belle. Then Halloween arrives. We were so excited to go to our church's block party and see all the cute kids in their costumes and play fun games. Casey and I tagteamed Maddie and wrestled her Belle dress on her. Really, we wrestled her down. She went CUH-RAZY. Crying, screaming, tearing at her dress. We caved, took off the dress, and gave her the stink eye for about an hour for making us miss the block party. In steps Grandma who was able to get her in the dress and in smiles for trunk or treating.

After that, the night was pretty smooth. She was so sweet as she stepped up to each trunk and very quietly said, "trick or treat...thank you." I love this girl. But I think the highlight for Maddie was handing out candy to the trick or treaters. Each time the doorbell rang, she would squeal and dash to the door. I think we had a pretty great October and I'm already looking forward to next year.

Fall Farm Fotos

2010-10-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

We made our 2nd annual trip to Mother Nature Farm this year; this time in daylight...waaay more fun. Maddie was in fine form; easily provoked into hearty laughter with each new task. She loved feeding animals, loved the hay maze, loved the playhouse, loved decorating her pumpkin and EVEN loved taking pictures. My favorite part: the 5 day old piglets. I could never raise a piglet to later slaughter or sale for slaughter. They are ADORABLE! I think the whole family had a great time watching the excitement of Maddie. Happy Fall!

Playmates

2010-10-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Maddie is so lucky to leave close to all her cousins (all three of them). She especially loves playing with Nikolas, who she strives very hard to be like. Maddie can tumble with the best of them, and loves to wrestle and roll with her cousin. Poor Raheem sometimes has to endure her fits of excitement; he's a good sport and even attempts to play back, but is usually a little rough with his nipping when he's excited. Maddie is such a good blend of girlie girl and tomboy. She loves her princess gear and fancy shoes, but she also loves Batman and rough housing. I hope she keeps a good balance throughout life; there's much to be enjoyed on both sides.

Girls Night Out

2010-10-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend 7 friends and I packed into a Honda Pilot and drove 1 and a half hours to escape reality for about 20 hours. We enjoyed eating out, eating in, playing games, chatting and laughing the night away. We woke far too early for mother's trying to escape reality. I was the last riser at an awful 7:30 am. But that just meant we got to enjoy the cool morning and beautiful view for that much longer. I love great friends and enjoyed my time away from mothering duties, even for a short time. I'm sure any longer and I would have wished to be home sooner to my family.

Happy birthday Bekah! Farewell Jill! It was a great night!

Maddie

2010-09-20T20:26:00.001-07:00

We took an evening trip to the park and I realized how much my daughter has grown. We haven't been to the park much this summer; I think it has something to do with the blazing heat. So my memory of park trips are from the beginning of the year, when Maddie was just a little thing. She has lost any hesitation for fully enjoying the playground equipment. She thinks she can crawl up any climbing apparatus, without Mom's assistance of course. She loves to hang from monkey bars, and is always yelling "a big one!" when I'm pushing her on the swings.

She is very much into books; which I love! She will sit in her bedroom and "read" through them one by one. She has become more independent in her playing and can entertain herself without Mom. Too many times she says, "No Mom. No following!"

She's the cutest little singer, especially when she doesn't realize I'm listening. I'm amazed at how much she recalls from my singing to her at night. She has picked up on a few of my key phrases as well, "Just a minute!" (which I say way too often to her). And the other day we were at Fiesta Mall, she was in the ice cream truck, I was ordering my hot dog from her when she asked, "Do you want a Diet Dr. Pepper?" Um, too many drive through McDonald's trips for Mom. I'm surprised she didn't ask me if I wanted light ice.

She is so funny about naming herself and her parents after movie characters. Among her alter egos are Nemo, McQueen, Hogarth, Birthday Bear, Gus, Pablo, Boots...I can't keep track of them all. But the amazing thing is, she can! Plus all of our corresponding names. By us I mean me, Casey and Raheem. She sometimes includes other family members as well.

When did my daughter outgrow her toddler-ness!?

The Art of Racing in the Rain

2010-09-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is a story told through the perspective of Enzo, a dog. When choosing this book, I thought, "Oh it's from a dog's perspective, there won't be any language or bad scenes, dogs won't think that way." Nope, still had the language. But despite that aspect, I still ended up enjoying it. I cried on several occasions, fretted on many others and had a few giggles here and there (but very few.)
Enzo's owner, Denny, is a race car driver, and Enzo shares his love for the "sport." It's the story of Denny's struggles with his wife and daughter, and Enzo's readiness to become a human. If you're looking for a happy, uplifting, cheerful book; this isn't what you're looking for.

Naptime

2010-09-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

There are two bad words in our house: "dinnertime" and "naptime." Lately Maddie has been beyond stubborn when it comes to her naps, and she has learned she can climb out of her crib, so my attempts are pretty fruitless. I usually resort to lying with her on the couch until she falls asleep, but today she wouldn't even do that. I put on a movie for myself and continued to ask her to come lay down by me. She would smile, then retreat to play under her table. She sang made up songs. I heard words here and there about things she had done recently. She played with her fork like it was a doll. She tried to eat popcorn kernels she found on the floor. She asked for her McQueen pillow and eventually...fell asleep. I love this stubborn girl.

August Reading

2010-09-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting so long for this book to come out. If you haven't read the Hunger Games series, do it! And it's fabulous that all three are out now (that's the entire series), because you can just read them one right after another. I didn't reread Catching Fire before Mockinjay, and I found myself confused on a few happenings and characters. It's a series I will definitely reread and definitely own as soon as possible. It's the story of Katniss, a seventeen year old girl, who participates in the Hunger Games. The Capitol is the head of Panem. Panem is made up of 13 districts. The Capitol is evil and controls the districts. The Hunger Games is an annual fight to the death, among children from each district. There's your general summary.
I will say this; I did like Mockingjay a lot. When I first closed the book; I didn't love it, but after contemplation, I feel quite satisfied with how it all ended. I hope to discuss more with others who've read it. Thank you Suzanne Collins. Bring on the movie!

Maddie's New Favorite Book

2010-08-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

On more than one occasion I have caught these two enjoying crib time together. Maddie thinks it's absolutely wonderful when Dad plays inside her crib with her. As do I. She has a new favorite book. Where the Wild Things Are. It's the cutest thing to watch her "read" it. She knows the jist of every page and has memorized quite a few lines. My favorite is when she says, "I eat you up!" in her most growly voice. My hopes are high that this little one will be a bookworm, and I envision a bookshelf filled with well worn books for her to enjoy.

Romance

2010-08-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

I can see myself becoming one of those women who lounge around all day reading romance novels. I took on the task of sampling romance for the month of July, and accomplished that task in less than a week. I even went and got another romance novel for July since I had so much time left in the month, but for the life of me I cannot remember the name or author of the book, but it doesn't matter because I didn't like it much.
I'll be honest, I was a little scared to read romance; I didn't want to feel like I was reading super trashy stuff. But I found this website called All About Romance which gives a rating system for romance novels. The first book I read was "warm" on their charts and the second book was "subtle". Their system isn't too accurate because I felt like the second book was more "detailed" than the first one I read. So if you're interested in reading a romance, but a little nervous, you can try their rating system. I'd stick with "kisses" if you don't want any of that stuff in your book, because it will be in the rest. After reading a "subtle" book, I can't imagine what a "burning" novel is like.
On to the book, Almost Heaven, I really liked it. It had a Pride and Prejudice feel to it and was set in the same time period and location. The main character is a beautiful girl who had many suitors, but after a run in with one man, lost all respect and prospects in society. I found myself reading until 2 am some nights, and that rarely happens with me. It's by no means an intelligent read, and does have a few scenes that made me giggle and roll my eyes, but it's a fun fast read. I will definitely be turning to romance when I want to be quickly entertained in the future.

Vegas

2010-07-27T16:33:00.000-07:00

We have come to the conclusion that Vegas is not the place for a Lewis vacation; at least not at this point in our lives (being poor and having a two year old). I think we got off to a bad start. Our very first stop as we pulled into town was going to the M&M store on the strip. Trying to navigate that place with a stroller is beyond frustrating, as was most places we went. When we made our way back to the car our tire was completely flat. Thank goodness Casey was so fast in changing it because it was sooo hot in that parking garage. We ended up having to buy a new tire, which was not in our budget for the trip. I got to meet up with one of my best friends, Jodie, and her two kids, so that was a definite bonus. Friday was the wedding so I was occupied from 9 am till about 7 pm with wedding stuff. Tasha and Derek had the wedding at Mandalay Bay, and it was so nice. I was a bridesmaid and Maddie was a flower girl. We ended up walking down the aisle together because, as anyone who knows Maddie knows, she is quite shy and quite attached to her mother. I led her to Casey then walked to my spot up front. Five seconds later she begins her wail; this is just as Tasha is supposed to be entering, so Maddie runs to me and the only way I get her to stop is to tell her, "Tasha is coming!" in my most excited voice. This gets her to stop because she knows that Tasha is wearing a beautiful dress, and if there's one thing Maddie enjoys, it's a beautiful dress.
Casey and I did get a night out, thanks to my mom for taking Maddie. We had huge plans of staying out super late and riding the rides at the Stratosphere, but when it came down to it, we're just old and cheap. We ate dinner, gambled away $20, watched the Volcano at Mirage then headed home at midnight. I would say the highlights for me were: the wedding (of course), seeing Jodie and fam, the creme brule at dinner, my cute scarf I bought at H&M and watching the volcano in Casey's arms.

June- Horror

2010-07-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind on my post; as it's mid July and I've already finished my July book as well. But for the month of June my genre was horror and I chose The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Although this book didn't keep me awake at night with fear of ghosts or killers, it was enjoyable. It's the story of a doctor who assembles a small group of people to stay at a house known to be haunted. He chooses people who have had past supernatural experiences to help his experiment. We are focused mainly on one girl and the affect the house on her. I think there could have been more to this book; maybe more detail or explanation to the happenings and the cause of the house's distress. There are two movies made from this book and I'd love to see both of them.
I've already read my July book, which was the genre romance. I'm going to start another romance to see if I can finish by the end of the month. Happy reading!

There Doesn't Seem to be Anyone Around

2010-07-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

As I was driving back from a long journey to Phoenix, somewhat irked by the fact that I was making an hour journey to deliver diapers, I scanned my twelve preset radio stations, and backtracked immediately after passing an unpassable tune. Bohemian Rhapsody. Anyone who's anyone knows it by heart, and my inner diva was let loose. My passenger Raheem was startled by the fluctuating volumes coming from my mouth and was doing the cute-dog-head-tilt on a loop. I then scanned my stations again, and to my ultimate enjoyment, Beastie Boys! I think I was on a bit of a high because my body just had to move to the beats; it was Beastie Boys after all. I have to admit, it's been a long time since I've let loose in the car. I guess continuosly listening to the Wiggles or Princess Storybook has completely overtaken my music listening experience in the car. It was nice to be alone.

And then my mind began to wander to other times I've enjoyed the feeling of being all alone. In high school I used to take my bike out for late night cruises. I'd make a loop from my house, around to Auto Center, then cruise down Main Street. I loved being alone, cruising down the middle of the road without a car or person in sight, in the middle of the night.

Then I remembered a time in Flagstaff when I was going to school. Again, it was late at night, I went for a jog (not safe, I know) and it started to snow. No wind, no noise, just gently falling snowflakes in the night. I stopped my jog and began to stroll enjoying all I could of the moment.

I thought it funny that these moments have always stuck with me, but I hope I never forget them. They were times when I had clear thoughts and was able to understand that life is wonderful and I was so grateful for my time here to enjoy it.

A Good Day

2010-07-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

Loading up on parade candy...

Dancing by Aunt Teena...

Sparkler spinning...

First time watching fireworks...

Celebrating Grandpa's birthday...

All make for a fabulous Fourth of July. Happy Independence Day to all!

Our Summer Checklist

2010-06-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by another blog, which I can't find at the moment, to create a summer checklist. I tried to keep our checklist reasonable in hopes that we can accomplish everything on the list. I'll be honest; I think I'm the most excited to see Toy Story in the family. I wonder how long it will take to get to the dollar theaters???

What's on your to do list this summer

The Two Best Dads

2010-06-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the first picture; it's the only one I have of my dad saved on my computer. The second is just adorable. Casey received a card from Maddie today which listed her favorite things to do with Dad. Toe nail painting ranked very high. Happy Father's Day to all those hard working men in the world; especially my dad and my husband. I love you guys!

2010 Family Shoot

2010-06-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Family fun! I've been wanting to get some family photos done since Maddie turned 2, so I coaxed my sister into coming out and snapping a few for us. Didn't she do great for a total non-professional? Especially since Maddie was not a cooperative poser, but who expects a 2 year old to be? I'm happy we got a few with her smiling and looking at the camera for a few shots. I just wish she would have cooperated in a couple of my favorite locations. The grass shot is definitely the one going in the frame. It fits our family perfectly. I'm still planning to take Maddie out for some single shots. Any suggestions for a good location?

The Cuteness that is Maddie

2010-06-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Above is a full display of adorable outfits Maddie received for her birthday. The Minnie Mouse dress is by far her favorite outfit ever! You'll see her sporting it anytime she gets a chance. I love little girls. I will admit; I'm not a huge fan of her very opinionated wardrobe choices. If it's not a dress or doesn't have some sort of cartoon character displayed, she doesn't want to wear it. We fight too often over my pleas to get her to wear her cute board shorts or new tank top etc. I have a strong feeling this is only the beginning of many more battles as she grows older. Are there any training programs available?

May Book

2010-05-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

So I'm embarrassed to admit that I had no clue that Agatha Christie was a mystery writer. I've heard her name a lot, but in my mind I assumed she wrote of the hardships of prairie life. (I have no idea where this idea came into my mind; I think the name Agatha threw me). So when I typed in "best mystery novels" in google, I was surprised to see her name EVERYWHERE. I went to the library and chose this book at random; Five Little Pigs. It's a story of a detective trying to solve a 20 year old murder mystery. He interviews the 5 people who were there when the murder occurred. It was a fun read; reminded me of my Mary Higgins Clark days. Gotta love mystery.

Next month I'm going to attempt to read a horror. I've read Dracula, Frankenstein, Hyde and Jekyll and the Invisible Man. I don't know if those are considered horror, but I'm going to attempt something a little more modern. Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is my current choice, so if you'd like to read along, please feel free.

Maddie's 2!

2010-05-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

Today is Maddie's birthday. We've enjoyed her cuteness for two years now; it's so hard to believe. Last night we celebrated with family and had such a fun time. Maddie loves everyone in our family and was so excited to have them all in one place just for her entertainment. We had a Madeline themed party (Mom's choice) complete with balloons, goodie bags and a Madeline dress. Maddie was spoiled with merchandise from the Disney Store, art supplies, cute clothes, movies and lots of new toys.
Now to end with praises to my daughter, who truly is the cutest and smartest two year old I know. I'm so proud of the sweet enjoyable girl she has become. She gives out hugs and kisses on demand, loves to get dressed in girly attire, eats Rice Crispies any chance she gets, free falls into our arms, dances and sings with her crazy parents and is all I could ask for in a child. Happy Birthday Maddie!

Two-fer April

2010-04-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

For April I read Blink. I must confess that I didn't reach the end. I was on a wait list to get the book, got the book while I was still reading my March book, started reading Blink, book was overdue and could not be renewed due to its high demand, etc, etc. I did read 3/4 of the book and felt I understood his concept. Basically, it's a book about how our mind makes snap judgments, and how those judgments are oftentimes (not always) the best decision. He gives example after example and study after study. It's very interesting to read his research. He talks about speed dating, hospitals, marriages, war strategy and so much more. I enjoyed this book and would like to read more of his work in the future.

Because I only read 3/4 of Blink, I was able to finish another book this month. I read Everything Matters by Ron Currie Jr. It has language, which seemed forced to me. I hate that. Bad language is bad enough, but when it's forced, it's even worse. Anyways...this book is about this guy who has known about the end of the world since he was growing in his mother's belly. He hears voices in his mind that tell him, among other things, exactly when and how the world is going to end. It's a story about his life, which is not very pleasant, and how he deals with his knowledge. It wasn't great writing, but it was an easy read and a page turner which I finished quickly.

May's genre is mystery. I'm so excited!

Birkenstocks and Recycling Bins

2010-04-23T00:10:00.000-07:00

My inner hippy loves to emerge now and again, and what better day than Earth Day? I started my day by slipping into my comfy cozy, but not quite fashionable, birkenstocks. I had full intentions to replant some flowers on our patio, but the day got the best of me, so I had to cut that from our activity list.

We've lived in Westbrook Townhomes for three years now. There has not been a recylcing bin in the complex in those three years. When we first moved in, we were outraged. Well, I was outraged; I'm pretty sure Casey cares more about his ingrown hairs than he does about recycling.

My laziness got the best of me, and eventually I forgot all about my recycling rage issues. Today I decided I needed to make an effort and do some good. So Miss Maddie and I made a trip to Target, bought a trashcan, then colored the sheet above to label our new recycling bin. I will have to make weekly/daily trips to Dobson and Baseline, but I babysit near there so it shouldn't be too hard. Right? Eeek! I'm nervous my laziness will again get the best of me. Have I mentioned I haven't been to the gym once this week? Nor have I done any sort of cleaning improvements at my house. Yeah, I'm lazy, but my intentions are always always good.

Happy Earth Day!

A long trip to St. Johns

2010-04-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

My little sister Mercedes turned 5 this weekend; complete with a Princess and the Frog party. Maddie loved just about every minute of our stay in St. Johns. For days before our departure she would randomly spurt out, "Mercedes? Birthday?" Then, once we arrived, every time we would get into the car she would say, "St. Johns!" "Yes Maddie, we're in St. Johns." Her and Mercedes played themselves silly; blowing bubbles, cruising the Jeep, dressing up, time in the playhouse and just being good friends. My favorite part of the trip, though, was that Maddie opened up a lot more to my dad. She's not around him as much as her other grandparents, so she gets a little shy around him. But we stayed the night at his house one night, and she had so much fun. He let her use his brightly colored satin pillow (it's Naomi's, I'm sure) and she was attached to the thing. It's in her crib now. He also sent her home with a collection of coin poker chips, which she also loves. It was one of my favorite trips to St. Johns.

I totally forgot my camera, but I did have it handy for when Dad came home from work. He had a soccer tournament on Saturday so couldn't come with us. Maddie and Dad were both so excited to see each other. These photos of their 3 minute hug is proof. Three minutes of hugging and just chatting about the trip. Melts my heart.

Easter for the Lewis'

2010-04-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

We had a bunniful Easter this year. Some ladies from the neighborhood gathered on Wednesday for a lunch/Easter egg hunt. Maddie found a total of 3 eggs because she insisted on eating each find before she moved on to the next. Casey's parents also had a hunt for her in their yard where she had no need to race others to her treats. The Easter Bunny brought her a basket with a bead kit to make her own jewelery. She is such a girl. He also left a beautiful print of the Savior in a gorgeous frame found at Goodwill; such a savvy shopper. We of course watched General Conference, with just a few naps and interruptions from Maddie. We ended our night with a Mediterranean inspired meal, bunny cake and watching Easter Dream.

March Reading

2010-04-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

Book three was completed around 1 am this morning. It took me the longest of the three, but it was my favorite by far. I've had Willa Cather on my list for a long time and I'm glad I finally got around to it. It's set around the time of WWI. It's the story of a young man who is continually trying to find meaning in his life; which, I think is something we all do at times. The main character, Claude, struggles with accepting his inheritance, adopting his mother's religious faith and taking on a new wife. He eventually enlists in the war, where life is quite different than it was back home. I'll definitely read more Cather in the future. For April I will be reading Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell.

Anniversary, St. Patty's and Spring!

2010-03-29T16:33:00.001-07:00

On March 16th, we celebrated our 3 year anniversary. We had been saving up some money and wanted to get away for the weekend, but decided it was just too much hassle with a little lady to deal with. So this was our celebration instead. We made our annual trip to Cracker & Co. for breakfast. If you haven't tried out this place; do it. Later that night I made a candle lit dinner to try and add some romance to our nightly routine. That following weekend we had a date night and went to a new Indian place in Chandler. I got my usual Dal Majarani and naan bread. It was delish as always, and instead of mango lassi, I tried out strawberry. Oh my goodness, so good. Casey got some curry, and it was even better than my dish. It was thicker than most curries I've had, but sooo good. I really like food. After stuffing ourselves we went iceskating. This was only my second time and I was a little unsure of myself at first, but after about 20 minutes I felt a lot more steady. I only fell once, and it was during my attempt to skate on one leg. I convinced Casey to hold my hand around the rink at least one time. Those bratty 15 year olds couldn't out perform me in the PDA department; we were the ones celebrating our love for eachother.

In other March news, Maddie and I had fun dressing in green and playing at the Jump and Shout at Riverview. Spring is here and we're taking full advantage of the beautiful weather by playing outside the majority of the day, whether it's kicking the princess ball around or blowing bubbles with Percy the train. Very soon all we'll be able to do outdoors is swim.

Casey is fully enjoying his scooter rides in this weather and the plentiful amount of basketball on tv. I've already beat him in my bracket. The one that took me 30 seconds to fill out. He's also enjoying playing soccer twice a week. He is NOT enjoying his online Biology class, but the end is so near that his mood has lightened. All in all the Lewis Family is well and very happy.

2010-03-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

I love this girl. She is seriously such a kook and is constantly making us laugh with her funny ways and unexpected phrases. Tonight I was harassing her to get in the tub or she would just have to get in her jammies with no bath. In mid-sentence she puckered her lips as far as they would pucker, pressed her index finger to those puckered lips and gave me a big long "shuuush", and of course our instant laughter gave her further encouragement; I think she just found an easy way out of my scoldings.

Book #2

2010-03-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

So for February I read Ender's Game, which was a completely different novel than the Memory Keeper's Daughter. I enjoyed the faster pace and sci-fi feel. I'm a big fan of Ray Bradbury and C.S. Lewis, so this type of stuff entertains me. It was a young adult book so that always helps with the entertainment factor. I did glaze over a bit during the battle scenes and battle talk, but overall I enjoyed the read. I'm trying to mix up the genres each month, so for March I'll be reading One of Ours by Willa Cather.

Best Friends

2010-02-25T12:37:00.000-08:00

My little sis Mercedes hung out with Maddie and I for a couple days. Maddie was in play heaven. She adores her "Aunt" Mercedes, or Cedes as she calls her, and Mercedes loves Maddie in return. They completely wore me out with trips to the park each day, library time, a run to Walmart for finger paints, dress up, making jewelery, playing frisbee and whatever else their entertainment demanded. I wish I could post pictures and video of all their activities together because I love watching them play together. I hope Maddie has a little sister someday that she loves as much as Mercedes loves her.

Casey is 26!

2010-02-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my sweet husband Casey. This post is dedicated to your 26 years of life.

26 Reasons Why Casey Rocks

1. He can run and not be weary. For example, today we hiked South Mountain, and he went off on his own, then 20 minutes later I saw him off in the distance running back, over rocks, up hills, straight to us, then grabs Maddie and carries her all the way back to the car with no fatigue.

2. He always smells of delicious cologne (except when he's running hills on South Mountain).

3. He always is the one to pursue thoughtful conversations with me and gets me to express myself more than I normally would.

4. He is never afraid to verbally express his love to all of his family.

5. He has great ball control on the soccer field and understands the game inside and out.

6. Whenever we walk through a door he opens it for me, or, if it's a door that doesn't need to be opened, he lets me go first.

7. He has fun taste in music.

8. He is always willing to try new foods with me, and enjoys all types.

9. He is the best travel partner in the world.

10. He plays with Maddie as soon as he gets home from work.

11. He tells me I'm pretty on a regular basis.

12. He is friendly and talks with complete strangers.

13. He adds commentary to every show, commercial and movie we watch.

14. He dances in front of us...daily.

15. Every time I'm making dinner he asks, "What can I do?"

16. He is patient and kind when I'm frustrated and trying to deal with a stubborn child.

17. He enjoys board games with me.

18. He's haaaaandsome.

19. He enjoys the outdoors and going on hikes, swims, etc.

20. He's not addicted to video games.

21. He constantly gives me praise and encouragement in every thing I pursue.

22. He made me a personalized beaded dangle to hang from my rear view mirror. Seriously, how sweet is that?

23. He spends his days working at a job he doesn't love and going to school part time so he can provide for his little family.

24. He knows how to skateboard.

25. He's willing to watch Felicity with me.

26. He makes me laugh every single day.

Growing Maddie

2010-02-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

I'm so amazed at how fast Maddie is growing up. She is so smart and remembers things so well. Last Monday we went to the park to feed the ducks with Casey's family. She couldn't get enough of the ducks and throwing bread into the water. Days later, if I would mention anything related to the day she would begin rapid fire words about the day. If I said Grandma, she would open her eyes wide and say, "Ga? (Grandma) Nas? (Nikolas) Ducks? Bread? Papa?" Maybe it's because I have no previous experience with kids, but every time she does something like this, it's so exciting and new for me.

She is learning so fast and I love teaching her new things. She loves for me to draw her shapes, she's learning her letters and colors, she's starting to try and sing-a-long with songs and she will often just say a word I never taught her. In short, I love being a parent. I love this new experience of seeing my baby develop and progress into a little person. It's so rewarding to be a mother.

1 Down, 11 To Go.

2010-02-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

I made a goal to read a book a month this year, and, although I actually started this book a while ago, I'm gonna go ahead and count it for January. Check.

I'm going to give this book a rating of, "Eh". I didn't hate it, but I definitely didn't love it. It was very poetically written. Unfortunately, I've never been a huge poetry fan. I kept finding myself skimming the pages for some useful plot information. Also, it was a little too emotionally intense for me. I enjoy a book that makes me happy...or at least makes me smile...at least once during the book. This book provided none of the above.

Here's the basic plot. A doctor is forced to deliver his own set of twins. One of the twins has downs syndrome, so the doctor hands the baby to his nurse and tells her to take the baby to an institution of sorts. The doctor then tells his wife the girl twin died during birth. And as you can imagine, then comes the emotional drama.

As for February, I've started Ender's Game. I'll let you know how this one goes.

Just Whistle While You Work

2010-01-21T19:24:00.000-08:00

Maddie's current movie obsession is Snow White, or White as she calls it. She is so cute when the wicked queen is creating her transformation brew. She is usually standing while watching, and she slowly walks backwards towards either Casey or me without ever taking her eyes from the screen. She creeps back until she is safely by our side.

I would like to thank Disney for encouraging my daughter to clean and eat apples, both activities have increased drastically since her receiving the movie for Christmas.

Reflections and Aspirations

2010-01-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

Top Ten 2009 Memories
10. Utah trip: Our first family vacation, with many hours spent in the car.
9.New Pilot: We're so grateful to my mom and stepdad for the uneven trade. We love having more room and feeling so high class.
8. Quitting transcription: A valiant few months of trying to bring home some bacon for the family ended when I could no longer contain my inner beast.
7. Bootcamp: I started bootcamp in September and hope to carry on this year.
6. Soda and Felicity with Casey: I suckered Casey into watching Felicity with me. I borrowed all four seasons from a friend, and we're trying to get finished so we don't have it forever.
5. New camera: We finally saved enough to buy a quality camera. This year perhaps I'll focus on taking quality pictures.
4. Christmas: We did so much more this year as a family. Lots of baking, several trips to look at lights, movies.
3. Maddie turning 1: I've loved watching our little baby grow into a little girl. We've watched her go from immobile to crawling to walking to running all in one year. She's saying so many words and understanding so much. I can't get over how much she makes me smile and laugh everyday.
2. 2 year anniversary: I love that we're still in that honeymoon stage where we just love hanging out with each other. He's such a wonderful husband; I'm excited for all the years to come.
1. Sewing: I'm so happy I've taken up this new hobby, despite all the grief my sisters give me. I truly love it and am so excited to keep learning more and more.

As for 2010 I have a few goals on my list:
1. Pray everyday with my family and study scriptures with my husband daily. I know I need guidance and I know this is how to get that.
2. Exercise one day a week on my own.
3. Read 1 book a month (I'm very open to suggestions).
4. Learn to sew clothing for Maddie.
5. Paint one picture. It's something I haven't done in years.
6. Learn about one new thing a month.

Wish me luck!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T08:42:00.000-08:00

Maddie quite enjoyed Christmas this year, and we loved it because of her. She woke at 5:30 am, not out of excitement to open her presents, just to wake up. Nana (my mom) got her a cute table and chairs that we put together the night before, and she loved it. She wasn't as enthused about opening presents as we had hoped, but she did get excited after we opened them for her. Her favorite by far was her Super Why dvd. She carried it around all morning and would set it down to open a present, look at the new present, then pick up her Super Why again. She also loved her nesting dolls, her plastic frogs, her Mr. Potato head from Aunt Kristi and Uncle Rich, her rocking chair from Grandpa and her games (Legos and Hungry Hippos) from Grandma and Grandpa.
I think her favorite part of the day was getting to play at cousin Nikolas' house for a couple of hours. She LOVES him, and he tolerates her as she tries to play with all his new toys.
It was a fun Christmas, oh did I mention Casey got me pearls? He is such a cheater and went over our budget of $50 for eachother. I did too, but maybe $20 over. I forgive him though; I love my present and his thoughtfulness.
I am excited for my life to go on as normal now. I used the excuse of having a messy house because I had to use all my time finishing Christmas projects, so now on to keeping it real, one dish at a time.

Happy Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

Casa de ginger-pan

2009-12-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

El hombre de nieve tiene un sombrero y moustache es muy guapo. Los pez son muy colores. La puerta es abierto. Me gusta mi casa de ginger-pan.

Two years of high school Spanish, two semesters of college Spanish. My teachers would be so proud.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-19T06:49:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you all. I'm grateful for this time of year to remember my Savior, to see people full of Christmas cheer, to spend time with my family making cookies, for Christmas lights, hot cocoa and toast, finding a gift you know will be loved, making Raheem wear a Christmas bell, singing Christmas songs in church and all the fabulous Christmas movies on TV. I wish you all happiness and peace. Love, the Lewis'.

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

We had a baking-filled day of cookies in the Lewis home. Maddie loves to "help", mostly by just sitting on the stove and playing with all the spices. I loved wrapping on an apron, cranking up some 99.9 and spending the day in the kitchen with my two favorite people. We made three kinds of cookies, one kind was gingerbread people. I laid out the cookies, frosting and plastic bags for Casey and Maddie to decorate our cookie people while I started another batch. Maddie just licked the frosting while Casey was hunched over in steady concentration. Half an hour passed and I found a table filled with decorated cookies, one of which was an anatomically correct gingerbread man made especially for me. My husband giggled like a 12 year old boy. I gathered our cookies onto plates to make some walking deliveries. Later that evening Casey asked where my special cookie was. Neither of us had eaten it. I suddenly had a mini panic attack as I pictured one of our unsuspecting neighbors staring perplexed at the aroused gingerbread man. Then I thought it through and remembered that the man was left on the edge of the kitchen table, and Raheem was left unattended for quite some time, so my mind is comforted by the fact that he was probably eaten by our fat dog. (I apologize if this is not the case. I blame my husband).

2009-12-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

Tempe Marketplace. My battery died before the snow came :( I was so hoping to get a cute picture for our Christmas cards, but I only got a few in before the battery was gone. I'm gonna have to cram a photo session in our busy day tomorrow. Happy Hannukah!

Friends

2009-12-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I'm not a "Hi, my name is Jessie," type of person. I'm horribly awkward and uncomfortable talking about myself, and am quite certain that most things I say bore strangers to delirium. It takes a long time before I can open up and be an enjoyable and fun person. Really, I can be fun. That being said, I am so grateful to have friends I feel comfortable around. It's hard not having a house full of girls you can grow close to and share every happening of your life with.

These girls are my friends. We sew together, play bunko together, go to church together and entertain our kids together. They are all so talented and fun and just wonderful people. I'm so grateful to have them as my friends. Thanks girls.

Jenna Jameson took cute pics of us for our sewing blog. I would have posted more, but blogger was being lame and kept saying bad report, or something negative.

November News

2009-11-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

November's been a busy month, and we still have Thanksgiving left. Our little sewing group decided to have a booth at the Zootique (boutique at the zoo). I made about 20 baby booties, a few onesies and some wall art. I sold zero items. Lucky for me I always follow my life motto, "Keep your hopes low and you'll never be disappointed." It was a good experience though, and fun to spend the day at the zoo with friends. But if you're interested, we're selling the items on our etsy site.

I also attended the New Moon midnight showing, preceded by a themed party. It was such a fun, but long night. We started with delicious dinner set on a beautifully decorated table, New Moon trivia game, crafting our own hair flowers to debut at the debut then the wait in line for the movie. Unfortunately our early-bought tickets and hours of waiting didn't equal great seats. We were on the second row. I quite enjoyed the movie, and although Jacob looks quite nice with his shirt off, I'm still with Ed. I guess I'm more of a romantic rather than someone who roots for the more level headed choice.

In more exciting news, Maddie is now discovering all of her athletic capabilities, which include walking backwards, spinning and jumping (feet have yet to leave the floor). This video shows off her skillz.

Halloween

2009-11-03T05:49:00.000-08:00

Where did October go? Geez. We took little Miss Maddie to the pumpkin patch, mostly to take cute pics of her. She absolutely loved the mini patch where kids got to choose a little pumpkin to decorate. She picked up most every pumpkin and then brought them to us. Aren't her boots the cutest?
Halloween wasn't quite as blissful, as seen in exhibit D. After four attempts, I gave up trying to get the kid to nap. To add to the fun, she's growing up some molars. We probably would've skipped Halloween if we didn't have to work booths at the block party. We begrudgingly got dressed, without smiles, and walked to the block party in silence where we both did our duties then left without even a stroll to check out the other booths. We then made the cordial visits to family to show off our little clown, came home and put Maddie to bed at 7:30, ordered pizza and enjoyed the rest of the night watching Drag Me Down To Hell. Next year will be the Halloween I love so much.

Done Babysitting, Now What?

2009-10-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

Smelly house. Sewing machine and "crafty" crap all over the kitchen table. Casey's trunk emptied onto our floor (he sold his car!). Mail from all week all over the counter. Jessie posting a blog with intentions of sewing rather than cleaning when finished.

P.S. Maddie just starting having conversations on the phone. Apparently she overwhelmingly agrees with whoever she is talking with.

Lewis Family Update

2009-10-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

Casey: Still working with Farmer's Insurance and loving every second of selling policies and dealing with his always polite customers. We've decided that his 95 Honda Civic is coming to a slow and painful death. I almost lost my life (not really) when the brakes went out as I was cruising down Alma School. I had to swerve into the Mcdonald's parking lot going about 30 to avoid the cars coming to a stop at the light. The cost was about $850 for the brakes, which we decided against. It also makes pleasant noises. So we're going to sell the car and Casey is getting a nice little scooter, most likely tomorrow.

Jessie: Still doing the babysitting. Mondays is baby Eva and the rest of the week is baby Chase, oh and of course Maddie insists on coming along each day. She has gotten loads better about accepting the fact that I do have to hold and feed these babies. It's far less stressful not having a screaming child at my feet. I've also started boot camp with some friends. It's been on a week, then I was gone a week, then on a week, then the instructor took off a week, so I'm excited to have consecutive weeks of me getting worked to complete soreness.

Maddie: Is such a goober, as we always say to her. She is constantly on the move, she hates eating healthy food and any food in her highchair, she dances almost always when music comes on (even to my harmonica playing), she's fully enjoying having a dog to chase around, I found my first object in the toilet and several in the trash can, she loves Nemo but our disk is scratched so she will never know the ending, she does so well at knowing her animals and what they say, she's fascinated by letters and numbers, she inherited her dad's love of candy corns, she loves being outside, she had her first bike ride in her new carseat and didn't even cry when we put the helmet on her. She's such a fun baby and we are always laughing at her silliness.

Raheem: is chubby and lazy, except when newcomers stop by for a visit then he is a maniac. His sole purpose in life is obtaining food. He tolerates Maddie's playfulness and is ecstatic when I take him for rides in the car.

i <3 mesa

2009-10-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

i heart mesa is offering a photo session giveaway here. It's a great blog for all you Mesa dwellers that gives fun activities going on. Tonight Casey and I and our friends headed to Second Friday on Main Street. The weather is beautiful and strolling with friends made for a perfect evening out.

Bang Bang Raheem's Dead

2009-10-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

You may want to tap that volume down just a tad; I get a little screechy near the end.

Vegas with the Rodriguez's

2009-10-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

The past week was spent with my family in Vegas. Lucas had a convention for homicide stuff (much needed in SJ lately), so they brought Maddie and me along to watch Mercedes. We ate a lot, like gained 5 pounds a lot. We swam, walked the strip, visited some of the casino attractions, lost $5 to slots (not my life-changing winning I was expecting) and just hung out in the hotel. It was nice to not have any house or dinner obligations to tend to while Maddie napped, so I finished my first Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility. Love that Colonel Brandon.

I missed my husband tremendously and was very happy to get home to him after too much driving. I was also very pleased with the weather when I arrived home and continue to be pleased.

Playing in the hot tub.
Four queens standing infront of the 4Queens.
Fremont Street.

Maddie's first glimpse of Vegas lights.

September 11th, 2009

2009-09-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

Tempe Town Lake does a memorial every year and they set up nearly 3,000 flags to represent those who died in the 9/11 attacks. On each flag was a paper with the person's name and age and a few sentences about him. It made me realize even more just how devastating that day really was. There was also a candle light vigil, but our little one didn't allow us to stay.

Peekaboo Maddie Moo

2009-08-30T21:57:00.001-07:00

This is Maddie's favorite peek-a-boo place in the house. She pokes her little head inside then I poke my head in and say, "Peek-a-boo!" Guaranteed laugh fest every time. She has recently started climbing all the way in and comes out with all kinds of goodies (see below pic).

"Mother, I'm famished. Please get going on dinner ASAP."

Sunday Dinner

2009-08-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

My husband has a serious problem, and so do I apparently. He somehow convinced me it was a good idea to have chocolate chip cookies and caramel popcorn for Sunday dinner. Okay, so by convince I mean suggest. But really, I've never met anyone with a bigger sweet tooth than this guy. He paces the floor if we don't have sweets in the house, and he can eat the biggest dinner and 10 minutes later go to the cupboards. "Are you still hungry Case?" "No, I'm just craving sweets now." More power to him if he can keep a slender figure and down a bag of candy in one sitting.

2009-08-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Go here to participate in a fun craft supply exchange. I'm excited.

Books.

2009-08-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

Her love of books makes me very happy. I'm so excited for the day that she'll actually let me read books to her rather than her just turn the pages rapidly. Her library is growing, even though most of the books are easily torn paper pages, for which she isn't quite ready. My Harry Potter books are waiting on the shelf; ready for a mother daughter adventure.

2009-08-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Wednesday is a day of doom. I'm leaving to Girls Camp as a youth leader for my church. No, that's not the doom. Maddie isn't coming with me. My mom has offered her services as babysitter for four days. My anxiety is caused by two factors. 1: This will be my first time away from Maddie. 2: This will be the end of my nursing with Maddie. The past week has been really hard because every time I nurse her I get all weepy and motherly and hate the fact that she's growing up and growing more independent. Geez I'm crying as I type. Casey has been putting her to bed a few nights a week just to make sure she will do okay with my mom. I hate it. I know it's selfish, but I just want to cherish every last opportunity with her. I know, I know, I need to let go at some point, she is 14 months; a very normal age to be weaned. Months ago I was so excited to get the kid off the boob, especially those dang teeth. Seriously, who knew such pain? Maybe that's how guys feel when they get knocked down below.

So wish me luck, wish my mom luck and wish Maddie luck. I just know she will hate me when she returns, and I won't even be able to give her the comfort she wants. Gosh being a mom is hard sometimes.

In My Defense...

2009-07-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

...it looks a lot better when it's dry. The bottom half of her hair curls really tight, so it loses the mullet affect. Poor girl. Her dad now refers to her as Dude, and I'm pretty sure she knows something's up because she keeps scratching the top of her head. In other words, no more home haircuts by Mom.

BEFORE

AFTER

2009-07-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

We are back from our week long journey to Utah. Casey had is Mecham Family Reunion in Altamont, Utah. We stayed in a huge lodge, which still wasn't enough to hold the 170 members that attended. There was four-wheeling, rock climbing, volleyball, lawn games, mountain bikes, swimming, hiking and of course good food. Maddie was a trooper on the long drive, but once we arrived she decided she was done with the sleeping business. Poor girl only got about 45 minutes of napping in a day, and the nights were a beast. We shared a room with Casey's parents, and his dad is not the quietest sleeper by any means.

We spent a few days in Saratoga Springs with a good friend I went to school with. Jodi and Mike and Kayhlen. We went to Wheeler Farm, toured around Salt Lake, went to Gardener Village (sewing friends, there is the CUTEST fabric store there; Pine Needles; expensive but soooo cute), had a bbq with friends from SVU and just enjoyed being together as a family. We loved our time in Utah, but we are so grateful to be in our own bed and especially to have Maddie back in her own crib.

Glad Ware and Thomas the Train

2009-07-05T22:25:00.001-07:00

The classic toddler destination: kitchen cabinets and drawers. Maddie has discovered my newest switch-a-roo. The cleaning products have magically disappeared, and in their place...non-toxic tupper ware. She loves hanging out in the kitchen with me while I cook. Tonight I was making ginger snaps for my sickly husband and was relishing the fact that she was cleaning out the cupboards. Yes I said relishing. I'm not always fond of the countless messes she makes each day, but for some reason, the kitchen mess is welcomed. I love to watch her crawl inside trying to reach that furthest Glad Ware Container, and when she finally reaches it, she instantly throws it over her shoulder as if in disgust. I love when she finds her Thomas the Train dinnerware and sits and stares down at it repeating, "Bah, bah." It's her universal word of recognition. I think the kitchen drawers being emptied and the tupper ware strewn across the floor somehow makes me feel more motherly, and that's a feeling I adore, being a mother.

Happy Independance Day From the Lewis's!

2009-07-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

Blimey Limey

2009-06-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

Like what you see below? Go here to find out how these can be yours!
My wonderful friends are offering these cute aprons as an "All Things Lime" giveaway. I'm excited to try out the lime cupcakes. I've had Christie's lemon cupcakes, and they were delish to say the least.

Maddie's One Year Photos!

2009-06-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

A Week of Entertaining Four

2009-06-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

My week in St. Johns was quite exhausting. It prepared me for life with a future four year old. Mercedes loves to stay busy. She loves the park, she loves racing, she loves playing restaurant, she loves playing dolls while giving me each and every line my doll will say.

We did so much while we were there and LOVED being outside every single day. We took many trips to the park, had daily snow cone runs, planted some flowers, took a couple trips to the new
library, played on the swing set, and just hung out with Nana and Teena.

Here are some pics of Maddie with her first snow cone. Trips in the wagon which sadly made me sore. Raheem enjoying Teena time. Mercedes with a blue raspberry smile. Nana chillin' with Oscar. Nana's sidekicks, Grandma and Oscar. And finally dinner time with the whole gang.

Woods Canyon Lake

2009-06-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

We took a very quick camping trip this past weekend. Left the Valley by 6pm on Friday and were back by 1:00pm on Saturday. It seemed that nothing went right for us on the trip. It was dark when we arrived, it took forever to find an available camping spot, we had to use our headlights to look for firewood and set up the tent so our battery went dead, neither Casey nor I got more than a full hours sleep, Maddie only got about 6 hours of sleep, we spent almost 3 hours fishing with no catch and I spent 90% of the trip holding Maddie. But yet, I loved it. I'm so glad Maddie got to experience her first camping and fishing trip. She did so well, even though she was so tired the next day. Don't worry sister, we got more camping trips up our sleeves.

Our Dapper Dog

2009-05-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

Casey has got into the sewing spirit as well. He had a tie that was too long on him, so we finally trimmed off the end. He, being the green spirit that he is ;) did not want to waste and insisted that we "reduce reuse and recycle!" He decided that he would "reuse" the excess material to craft a handsome tie for our beagle. Doesn't he look charming?

2009-05-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

My sweet little baby girl turned 1 yesterday. As all mother's say on their child's first birthday, "I can't believe it came so fast." She is turning into the most curious, life-enjoying little person. I've loved watching her learn new things as the months pass on. Who knew that with each new milestone, we as parents would be so completely proud and amazed at our daughter's growth. I'm not going to lie; being a mother is the hardest thing I've ever done. It's so draining to be on 24 hour on-call service day after day after day. Sometimes I say to myself, "Next baby is going to be bottle-fed from the start," as I imagine myself fast asleep at 3 am while Casey tends to the little one. But then bedtime comes, and my little baby reaches for my hair to twirl and caresses my face as she eats, and I once again cherish my time with her. Never before has a person caused so much frustration and anger in me. Really, she has caused some major meltdowns on my end. But on the other end of emotions, I am so attached and reliant and completely devoted to my sweet child. She is beautiful. She is vibrant. She has a smile that will make you ahhh. She's my little Maddie Cakes.

5. 5 Dollar. 5 Dollar Foot Loooongs.

2009-05-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

5 More Things...

5 things I was doing 5 years ago...
1. Recently graduated from college in Virginia.
2. Finishing up my softball career in our last tournament in Georgia :(
3. Preparing to spend the summer alone in L.A. for my internship.
4. Checking out my brand new cell phone my mom got me for graduation.
5. Driving from VA to AZ with my best pal Brindi. We took the southern route and spent time in New Orleans, canoeing with alligators and eating delicious food.

5 things on my to-do list today...
1. It's 4:00, so I've done most of my list: folded and put away laundry done yesterday, cleaned kitchen, and did some sewing.
2. Watch the season finale of Biggest Loser. We don't watch the show until the last episode because we like to see the dramatic losses.
3. Watch Casey play some indoor soccer.
4. Perhaps go for a jog at the track if my husband permits me to run at night.
5. I need to read more.

5 things I would do with a million dollars.
1. Pay off all debt.
2. Go to Chandler Mall and shop at all the expensive stores (by expensive I mean more than $30 for a pair of jeans)
3. Hire a personal trainer.
4. Get my husband a new car or truck.
5. Buy a small business that does graphic design, printing and screen printing.

5 places I have lived...
1. St. Johns, AZ
2. Flagstaff, AZ
3. Buena Vista, VA
4. Los Angeles, CA
5. Orem, UT

5 things I want to be doing in 5 years...
1. Sending Maddie to school.
2. Tending a small baby boy (my son).
3. Being able to move to a new home with Casey settling into a career.
4. Developing a new hobby like gardening or mountain biking.
5. Watching Maddie play tee ball.

Thank You!

2009-05-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who were so thoughtful to leave a comment. I really appreciate your advice. I haven't yet tested any new methods, but for some odd reason, my child slept sooo well last night. I put her down at 9:30, she woke up at 5 am but I got her to go back to sleep. She didn't wake up again until 8:30. Amazing! Maybe she got on the computer and saw my pleas for help and decided to take it easy on Mom. We're going to do everything exactly the same as we did last night to see if it works again.
Again, thank you so much for the much needed advice.

Help!

2009-05-04T08:54:00.003-07:00

So I know there are a lot of mommies out there, and I'm in desperate need of your experience. I would venture to say that of all mommy frustrations, sleep issues are at the top. That's the definite case in our home. Little Miss Maddie has to be nursed to sleep, which is a big problem in itself. (I FEAR weaning this child). But she also wakes up 3 times a night, about every 2-3 hours. She won't go back to sleep unless I nurse her back to sleep. Then she thinks it's fun to wake up at 6am. Everywhere I read it says that babies her age (11 months) should be getting 11-14 hours of sleep a night. She gets maybe 7-10. I've tried letting her cry it out to see if she will just fall asleep on her own, but after so long I just can't handle it. And when I do go in to get her she's standing up in her crib just screaming at the door. Of course she can't soothe herself when she's upright! Does anyone have ANY advice for me? I'm pretty desperate, and am tired of doing online searches.

Babies Galore

2009-04-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

I went to St. Johns AGAIN, but this time I went to see my good friend Jordan and her baby Carter. Aka Jimmy Carter. He's such a chunk; I love it.

I've reached the point in life where most all of my friends have babies. It's so funny how our conversations change with time. I remember the days when boys were all we talked about. Now it's on to breastfeeding, body changes and insurance woes.

This is almost all the little ones. We're just missing little Ava. Someday we'll get them all together.

I think we'll use this next pic on their wedding announcement.

New Car....Sort of.

2009-04-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

So a few months ago my mom called me and asked if I'd like to exchange vehicles with her. It took me by surprise, and I didn't know what to say. Then she explained that they have the truck already and she'd like a car to drive to work (she drives an hour each way to work). So I told her I'd discuss it with the husband, and of course we both thought it was definitely a trade in our favor. We felt pretty guilty and called my mom back to express our feelings about the trade. She assured us that it was what her and Lucas wanted, and she knew we'd need more room with a baby and growing family. I went to St. Johns a few days ago to visit Jordan and her baby, and came back with the Honda Pilot! It's a very nice car, and we are so grateful to have it. I don't have a picture yet, but it's silver. I have no idea the year. So if you see us cruising the Pilot, no we didn't fall into tons of money, we just have a very generous family.

Saturday was a Special Day

2009-04-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Saturday morning beginning at 6:00 AM. We got up to head over to Pat's Run. I'd been dreading/excited for the race. It's my first since getting knocked up. It's only 4.2 miles, but up to that point I hadn't run more than 2. Unfortunately I did not take advantage of the dozens of porta-potties on site before the race and was crippled by the yearnings of my bladder up until mile 4, when I reached those blessed porta-potties again. I made a bee-line from the path and relieved myself. I tell ya, that last 0.2 miles I was running like the wind. I like to think that my time would have been significantly better had I not been bothered by pee on the brain the whole race. But in reality, I probably would have done the same. I am proud that I did do the race, even though I had about 12 minute miles. Casey pushed Maddie in the stroller, and she did great the whole time. Her first race. Sniff.

Later that day we finally planted flowers on our patio. The planter's brackets don't quite fit over the brick wall, so it looks a little sloppy from the outside. But from our view, it's great! It just makes it feel a little less like a tiny condo and more like a home. We love it.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Ours was pretty laid back. We went to church in St. Johns then traveled home to have dinner with Casey's parents. We got a little basket for Maddie even though she has no clue what an Easter basket is. She got a little puppy and kitty book and a Thomas the Train DVD. She loves both. Casey was so nice and gave me a yard of super cute fabric with fabric pencils and a yard stick. I have the most thoughtful husband. He got candy. He has a very unthoughtful wife. I wanted to have a more Christ centered Easter, but with all the traveling I just didn't get around to doing what I intended. I guess next year I'll have to try harder.

Mercedes Turns 4!

2009-04-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

My little sister Mercedes turns 4 today! We went up to St. Johns this past weekend for her Tinkerbell themed party. She had the coordinating outfit and all. The basement was decorated with balloons and streamers. Tasha came up with the design of the hanging vines. My only contribution was purple flowers on top of the vines. We ate burgers and hot dogs and lots more. It was a pretty cold day, so we built a fire outside and many stayed outdoors around the fire until late in the night. The picture below is our present to Mercedes. I made this little tote for her to take in the car. It opens like a book with slots for colored pencils and a pocket to hold coloring materials. She seemed to enjoy it and was even playing with it the next morning. Success!

Apron or Nursing Cover Give Away!

2009-04-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Secret Stitch Club has officially opened an Etsy site, and in honor of the grand opening is offering a giveaway. All one needs to do is go check out the Etsy site, choose one's fave item, then leave a comment on the Secret Stitch Blog. I chose the "groovy" half apron. It's hot.

My First Apron

2009-04-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

So here is the hand crafted gift that was sent to Jordan. My very first apron. I'll be honest, it was tough for me. Hopefully it will get a bit easier. I have a strong feeling that a 7th grade home ec student could have done a more complex pattern with better results. But the fabric's cute right? I've completed my second item which will go out to Alyson if she ever sends me her address! (get on that Woody if you want a surprise in the mail).

Sewing Woes

2009-03-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

So I finally have a sewing machine. Apparently my mother had one. Who knew? I have yet to use. Reason being; I can't thread the stupid bobbin. I was physically challenged with this task at my mother in law's as well. So now I sit waiting for my husband to get home so he can do it for me. Yeah, I'm a total newbie. I finished my first real project last Saturday. It's a homemade gift for my friend Jordan; thanks to her reply on my previous blog post. I'll be honest; it took me five hours and lots of re-reading the pattern. I struggled with terminology such as "machine baste" and "turn in"...what the? Also, sewing straight lines seems to be a difficult task for me as well. There were several occasions when I resorted to just looking at the picture and trying to make it look that way instead of trying to interpret the secret sewer's code written on the pattern. Let's just say it's not the prettiest piece of work cranked out by a lady, BUT I'm quite proud of my accomplishment. I haven't yet sent it to Jordan, but I'll post pictures when she has received it. I look forward to someday becoming proficient in the art of sewing. Look out world.

True Love is Eating

2009-03-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the annual celebration of our wedding. Two whole years of Casey and me. It seems like too much has happened in our lives for it only to have been two years. We had an awesome day; consisting mostly of eating. Let me first line out my menu for the day.

Breakfast:
Crackers and Co.- appetizer (for breakfast? Heck yes!) Cinnamon roll, New Princess Omelette (Holy Cow good). The kind lady at the restaurant found out it was our anniversary and also sent us home with some bread pudding.

Lunch:
Casey and I split a large popcorn (with one refill) and one large Diet Dr. Pepper (with one refill)

Dinner:
Cheesecake Factory- Strawberry lemonade, stuffed mushrooms to start, Thai chicken pasta, and banana cream cheesecake (oh heavenly)

To end the night we headed over to See's to use our gift card for one box of chocolates.

Needless to say, I stuffed myself to capacity.

But we weren't the only ones stuffing ourselves. We came home after a long day to find Raheem cowering under Maddie's highchair. Suspicious? Yes. I saw no chewed up items or wet spots on the floor, so I figured he was just being a weirdo. Fast forward 20 minutes, I find a nice big pile of vomit on our stairs. I figured he was sick, and we kindly escorted him outside. Last item to be found...an empty bag of Reeses candy eggs. Aaa ha! The reason for his guilt and vomit. He ate an entire bag of candy. I guess we all had a good day.

Pardon the long entry, but I find it appropriate to end with some braggings of my husband. I've never met someone who is so completely perfect for me. So what do you do when you find someone like that? You marry them of course! He is the sweetest sweetest husband who is constantly showering me with compliments and "I love you's" and so much affection. He is such a hard worker, working full time and going to school to take care of his little family. He is probably the funniest person on the planet who will do just about anything to make me laugh, including dancing like a crab and trying to dance like Michael Jackson. He is the cutest dad you will ever meet. He's so involved in everything thing Maddie does. He wakes up early to play with her while I sleep in, he's there for every bathtime and bedtime routine and he even does her hair. He's handsome, he's sporty, he's smart. He's everything I could hope for in a husband. I love you Case!

Peralta Hike

2009-03-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

We took a hike out at Peralta Trail this past Saturday. It was quite a drive, but the scenery was well worth it. Casey and I always argue about the beauty of the desert. He thinks it's brown and ugly. I love it! We brought the Maddie Cakes along in our baby carrier. We couldn't go as far as we would've liked, but it was nice to get out and enjoy the warm weather and the beautiful desert. Next weekend is Camelback sans Madeline.

More Baby Shoes

2009-03-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

I finally made Maddie some little white shoes for church. The onesie and shoe combo were for Baby Gray. I got this pattern off a great website here. I still haven't perfected this, but I was in a rush to get these two done during Casey's lunch break. We met at his parent's house so I could use the sewing machine while he tended the little gal. I have another set all cut out ready to sew; maybe I'll take my time with this one.

St. Johns Weekend

2009-03-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

We went to St. Johns this weekend since it was our first free weekend in a long while. Whenever we go we never see our friends. We usually stay holed up at home, but this time we decided to get everyone together for a BBQ and some Rockband fun. I love all my friends from back in the day and a lot of them are living in St. Johns now, so it's great when we all get together. Maddie got to play with her future husband, Baby Trey (see last pic). He's such a cutie.

I also got a picture with my mom and my grandma (Nana). I don't have many of the four generations, but I try to get them when I can.

Maddie had fun over at Grandpa's playing with all of his toys (cell phone, lap top and some magnets).

I miss home, but I don't miss that blasted wind. Yuck.