More tea please.

Yes, I will admit we play in Madison's kitchen and at her table a lot. Currently this is her favorite thing to do. She cooks, she shops for groceries, she checks out at the cash register and all sorts of things. Well, I decided we were going to have a tea party. Sure, we've had tea parties before but not like this one. Today we had real "tea". I took her little tea pot and I filled it up with water. Ryan thought I was nuts but hey a little water never hurt anyone.



Madison was loving our tea party with actual "tea". It surprised me how well she actually could drink out of a cup.





Of course, she did dribble but that was to be expected.





I love spending the afternoons with my girl. Watching her. Loving her. Enjoying every minute of her.





Once she was water logged we eventually moved on to something else.

Madison isn't a T.V. watcher. I'll turn it on to Nick Jr. or the Disney channel every now and again but she never watches anything but only for a few seconds. I am thankful that our gal prefers to play and read books rather than perching herself in front of the T.V.

Any who, one show has seemed to capture Maddie O.'s attention...Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.



Not the whole show just the beginning and the end (if we ever make it there). In the beginning and the end of the show they sing and dance, which is right up Maddie's alley. Anytime she hears music she gets her little groove on. Check this out....



Thanks to DVR we have the ability to record this show and rewind multiple times. Actually now that I think about it, I'm not sure if this really is a good thing.  I believe Ryan pressed rewind about eight to ten times. When the song was over she would pick up the remote and hand it to Ryan to let him know it was time to press rewind...again.  Feel free to watch the video over and over and over and over because then you will feel as if you are right in our living room.  Or maybe you don't want to do that.  It's up to you. 

Until next time.....

Happy Birthday!

On this day, exactly one year ago, I began this blog. Madison was about two and a half months old. The decision was made to create this blog after I realized that on a daily basis I was emailing pictures of our new bundle of joy to various family members and friends. It became tedious and I had to find something to make sharing much easier.

So today we celebrate. We celebrate the birthday of our blog.



When I began this blog my intentions were to share the happenings of Madison. I wanted to relay the "tricks" she learned, cute things she did and how fast she was, and is, growing right before us. However, it quickly turned into the happenings of our life, from my perspective. Sure, I share stories of Madison because that is our life. She has and always will be my focus of this blog but I tend to go off on my ramblings as well. And I think that's okay because hey it's my blog.



My hope is that one day Madison will sit down in front of her own computer and read every word I have typed. I want her to know the stories that happen in our every day life. There is more here than I could ever write in a baby book. This is real and sometimes it's raw. It's not just the dates and times of when she did something for the first time. This blog allows me to share so much more and I am truly grateful for the technology we have.



I know people are reading this because I hear about how much they enjoy following us when I see them in person and I get text messages and emails when I fail to post an update after several days. I am thankful people, like you, take the time to read about us. I enjoy sharing stories and pictures about out life.



I will continue my blogging because I truly enjoy every minute I pour over this computer. I enjoy sitting in our bed with our laptop clicking through the pictures I want to share and typing away. Sometimes I am cracking up as I type and sometimes I am crying. I've got real emotion poured into each post.

Again, thank you for reading and following. I hope you will continue with us.

**Side Note: Do you like my new do? I got bangs! I was inspired by one of my girlfriends from high school and I'm loving my new do.

Yeah, we're still here...

I'd like to think that people have been logging in to check to see if I've updated this here blog and day after day they are disappointed to see that once again I failed to post an update. Then they wonder "Man, I hope everything is okay. Maybe they're just busy." I don't know that this has really happened but I'd like to think that the few readers we do have are eager for our updates. So, some may be wondering "Where the heck have you been?"

Well....Four Mamas, Twelve Kiddos, Three Strollers and a lot of patience took a trip to the Children's Museum.







There really isn't a better way to spend a cold Sunday afternoon. The twelve kiddos ranged in age from one to sixteen. It was so neat seeing each child enjoy different aspects of this museum. We even went back in time for a moment.





And of course my little diva had to take a walk on the runway.





Well, sort of....I had to have a little talk with her about how to be a lady.



So, that's what we have been doing for the past two weeks, chillin' at the museum. Ha! Just kidding. This is what we have been doing for the past week....



Yep, that's right, sickness struck the Bethel household. And it struck hard. All three of us were down. Good times. Good times.



I learned how tough it is to take care of a one year old while all I felt like doing was crawling up into a ball, under the covers, in our bed and sleeping for several days in a row. Somehow I managed, with the help of Ryan. We definitely were a team this past week. We wouldn't have made it through without each other. After a visit to Dr. Pap we are on the mend. And someone has learned where her belly is.



She is such a hoot. Her vocabulary has also expanded recently. She currently says: Dada, Papaw, Pap, Nana, Banana, Di-dah (bath), Du-lu-lu (Logan), bad (while pointing her finger at your face), juice and cheese. She also does sign language to tell you when she wants more or if she wants milk. Notice that Mama has been dropped from her vocabulary.



My blogging has also been put on the back burner due to my sudden infatuation with solitaire on my phone. I'm completely addicted and play until my left arm falls asleep from being bent while holding up my phone. Yes, I have a problem.



Madison is constantly changing, saying more words, spitting out more babbles, adding new facial expressions, it's always something. She recently has stunned us by taking her own little butt to bed. All we have to say is Madison do you want to go night-night. She pops up and says night-night and toddles back to her room. She stands at her bed and waits for us to put her in. She amazes us daily. Tonight I caught that cute little butt up in the air while she tried to retrieve a pacifier from under her bed so she could go night-night.



Saturday is a special day for us. A mark of something big. More to come.

Night-night!

Just another day....

It's January now, the holidays are over and winter has come. This is the time where I should be inspired to clean out our closets, cabinets and drawers. To purge our home of the things we accumulated in 2010. To clean our palate so we can start 2011 off right

But I'm not.

I'm inspired to play with my Maddie Cakes.



How could you not want to play with this cute face? Today we played in her kitchen. I think she is picking up some tips by watching her mama cook dinner. All good cooks taste their broth.



Alright, I've never really made broth. Why would I when it comes conveniently packed in a can.



Yes, that is a giant piece of corn on the cob she is munching on. But there is more than corn in Indiana. We've got cupcakes too!





Madison is becoming such a good little mommy to her babies. Today she fed them cupcakes. Maybe she's actually sending me some hints like "Hey Lady, why don't you give me some cupcakes, some real ones that I can actually eat, not these fake plastic ones."





So, this post is totally about nothing but we did actually do more than play in Maddie's kitchen today. Today we went shopping. Our little trip out didn't last long because Maddie O. was a wee bit cranky. But the trip was much needed.

Pictured here is Maddie's shoe.



Let me know if you've seen the other one because we've only got one.  Somehow, somewhere we have lost it's match. I am completely heartbroken. Not only because they were great shoes and Maddie did so well while walking in them but because they are her first pair of walking shoes. I planned on saving them for her so one day when she was all grown up I could pull them out of their box, yes I saved the box, and show her her first pair of Stride Rite walking shoes. They would be all scuffed up and worn with the laces slightly dirty and Maddie would be delighted to see her first pair of "real" shoes.

I really could cry right now but I'm not I've got to put myself in check and realize that it is just a shoe that we've lost and not her arm or something.

I have my suspicion as to what happened to our match. I've caught Maddie O. putting things in the garbage can in the kitchen several times and I've retrieved many little people, juice cups and spoons from the trash. I'm afraid that I missed her tossing in her shoe and out with the trash it went. I really hope that I'm wrong and we find it buried under a pile of toys in the near future.

So this is what prompted our little shopping trip. Our baby girl needed a new pair of shoes. A new pair of shoes that she could walk in because our baby girl is a walkin'! And we found some....



How cute are they?



I even shot a little video of the shoes in action. Check it...



Yes, they squeak. Madison was putting on a little show in the store showing the ladies her little trot while squeaking away. She toddled all around the shoe section blabbering away and made it a point to stop at each mirror to check herself out. How could I not buy them after that? I did learn that they squeaker could be removed if we do become slightly annoyed with each step. Ryan was happy to learn this news. Right now we are loving our new little squeaker while keeping an eye out for our lost sneaker.

Bye for now!

Ringing In the New Year

Happy New Year!



2010 has been a great year for us and we only expect 2011 to give us the same and possibly better. Although I don't know how it could get any better than watching my two favorite people having a tea party.





But it does....today we spent the afternoon with two of my best friends and their little ones.





We spent the afternoon catching up, trading mom stories and just being us. About 18 years ago I sat in that same living room, with those same girls, with my big glasses, lack of self esteem and innocence. At that age, I never would have thought I would be right back in that place all grown up with my daughter. I love how things in my life have turned out and I love that I can share in motherhood with my girlfriends.





The kids played, not so much with each other, more so by themselves but keeping a watchful eye on the others.



This is the closest they got and it appeared that they weren't too thrilled about it but us mamas were cracking up as they poked at one another. I especially loved how Charlie massaged Maddie's one shoeless, sock less foot.







This is how I wanted to bring in 2011. Surrounded by the people I love, my friends and my family. It's funny how several years ago I yearned to be in a bar all up in the scene, breaking it down on the dance floor. This year I yearned to be with my family. We stayed in and I actually enjoyed January 1st because I wasn't nursing myself back from the night before. See I am becoming a grown up.

Madison has been cooking away for us.



Alright, not for us so much, more for herself.



Thank you 2010 for being so great to us!

2011 bring it, 'cause we're ready!