Early Christmas

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas with Aunt Darlene, Uncle Chris, and Jonas. A great time was had by all! The kids loved playing together and opening gifts to find new toys to play with.

Fall fun

The weather has been really beautiful here on the weekends. Sunny and around 70! Couldn't ask for nicer than that, especially for November! Madi just loves being outside.

Happy Halloween

Madi was a cute little ladybug for Halloween this year. She loved handing out candy to the neigborhood kids that came to the door. She stood by the window and looked out waiting for people to come. It was actually close to 80 this Halloween, so I thought Madi's costume might be too hot to wear, but she was fine. She even let us put up the hood with her little antennae sometimes! Very cute. We did carve a pumpkin, but the squirrels got to it very quickly!

I think next year will officially be the first year to Trick or Treat!

Pumpkin farm

We took Madi to a pumpkin farm in Cary last weekend. It was pretty chilly, but she had a great time! We walked through the corn maze and played some games they had set up. Really, Madi was perfectly happy ust walking around in the grass! This weekend she will be a ladybug for Halloween- can't wait!

Madilyn turned One year old on Tuesday, 10/13. On Sunday, we had a great birthday party for her with lots of family. Grammi and Grandpa Johnson came down from Rochester, Omi and Grandpa, Uncle Chris, Aunt Darlene, and Jonas came down from Virginia. We were SO happy that so many family members were able to make the big occasion. Madi got some wonderful gifts, but more importantly had a blast spending time with everyone. She stuffed her face full of cake, and just loved it!

Looking back on Madi's first year of life, there were many challenging times, but many more wonderful times. We watched her grow from a helpless little baby into a sweet, affectionate, and smart little girl. I'm a mix of emotions. I feel happy and fortunate to have a perfect little daughter that has enriched our lives. I'm sad because the last year has gone so incredibly fast, and I would love to re-live some of those precious moments. I have to say though, I can't wait to celebrate and enjoy the many milestones that lie ahead.

Fun with Omi and Grandpa

Had a great time when Omi and Grandpa visited recently. Good news was Ryan and I got to go to dinner for our anniversary and Madi had a great time playing with omi and grandpa. Bad news was Madi got a bad cold and wasn't feeling too great all weekend.

Carousel ride

Madi took her first carousel ride at the mall today and just loved it. She was laughing and smiling the whole time. I could already picture the future...waiting on a bench at the amusement parks while Ryan takes her on all the rides!

Just hanging out

Having a great 3 day weekend! We've really enjoyed the extra time with Madi. She has officially now taken 2 steps on her own...yea! Pretty nervous about her walking though. As you can see in the picture, she got her first wound already above her eye by taking a step forward and falling while holding a block in her hand, which she fell on.

Can't wait for the big First Birthday party with all the family!!

spaghetti baby

Madi had her first experience with spaghetti the other night...and sauce. She loved it of course, like she loves every food we give her. The mess we had to clean up, not so fun!

Growing up fast

I can't believe in just a couple months we will be celebrating Madilyn's first birthday. She is changing so quickly, and is so much fun. When we play with her she is interactive and imitates what we do. She's standing up very sturdy now and is even pushing things while walking. I love her full belly laugh and how she thinks the most random things are so hilarious.

At Madilyn's 9 month check up she weighed 22 lbs and was 28 inches long, both in the 95th %ile.

On one hand, it makes me sad that my baby is growing up so fast, but on the other I am so excited to see the little girl she's turning into.

NY Trip

We returned home recently from vacation in NY. Madi did great on the trip and we all had a great time with family and friends. Can't wait to see everyone again!