Happy 4th Birthday Maddy

Where can you eat cake for breakfast??


This Magical Place of course...


Along with some friends





And then you can finish up the day with Mickie's Christmas Party 2009 and watch Cinderella's Castle lit up with Christmas lights (while it's pouring down rain - the rain started at 7pm so our day wasn't totally ruined by rain)


and finish off the evening with Fireworks and a Parade.


We are having such a wonderful time here in Disney with Maddy. The rain finally stopped around 10 pm and we were able to watch the final Christmas parade. Maddy was such a trooper. We had started her day at 7 am and we stayed at the park until it closed (around midnight) plus had to take the shuttle back to our resort. We have the Christmas parade on video so when we return home and have time, I'll make some major updates to the blog.

Happy 4th Birthday Sweet Maddy. Mommy and Daddy love you very much and hope you enjoyed your special day.!!

3W Sunday - Oct 4, 2009

The picture says it all. For the past couple of years, Marty gets some kind of issue with his right foot where he can hardly walk due to the pain. Personally, I think he has some kind of pseudo-gout but the most our doctor says is tendonitis. Anyway, he says it sucks getting old all the time now that he is over 50. I'm no over 50 and I tend to agree with him. Since turning 40, pain has become a daily occurance and 4 letter word around this house.



This is our 2 1/2 year old grandson Christian. He came over yesterday and had a great time at grandma's house playing with Maddy. He LOVES this Dora headband that Maddy has and puts it on every time he comes over. Notice how he wears this thing on the front of his forehead... He looks like he belongs in the 70's. We love you Christian!!

This upcoming week will be a busy one. Sarah is having surgery on Thursday to have an area of her abdomen removed that has been causing her severe pain since March and I have to be in Columbus for a coding seminar. I've never missed one of her surgeries. I know she is a grown up now (21 years old) but she will always be my little girl.

Where does the weekend go?

Is it really Sunday already? Where does the weekend go? It's like planning for a big event...all the anticipation and then in a blink of an eye, it's over. Yep, that about sums up the weekends.

Our family did have a great time on Thursday night visiting with our bloggy friends from Arizona. John is a buckeye fan but has never attended a buckeye football game. Jeanette decided that for his 40th birthday, she would get him tickets to the game and fly their family out to Ohio for some vacation time. They stayed with us on Thursday and we had a nice dinner at Maddy's favorite Chinese restaurant. Then, we came home and we gave them everything they needed to make the famous "bucklace". :0) They each made their own to wear on gameday from now on. Too bad it had to rain all day yesterday. There was still quite a crowd at the first game since school has started but I just wish it had been a nicer day for them. I can't wait to see what they thought of their first college football game.

Our Saturday started out bright and early with a walk for the American Heart Association. Maddy did quite well and walked 1/2 mile all by herself but then started to slow WAY down so it was in the stroller she went to ride the rest of the way. Honestly, that was probably the best way to go. I have to say that I surprised myself in walking the 3 mile trek with a few uphill moments. I wasn't sure I could do it since I can barely walk a mile around our house or on the treadmill. After the walk Saturday, I've determined that it's not that I can't walk 3 miles... it's that it is BORING to walk around the neighborhood or on the treadmill that keeps me from doing it. I actually enjoyed the Heart Walk! After our walk it was off to Sam's Club. As much as I like Sams, I hate Sams. I always spend WAY to much money there. I did get the Wii Active game though and look forward to trying it in the morning to start my day. And, this brings me to my three word Sunday photo. Only in Ohio could you find a premade Game Day Pizza with a big block "O" made out of the pepperoni, using 2 black olives for buckeyes and green peppers for the leaves. :0) The bucks pulled off a beautiful win against Illinois 30 - 0. Go Bucks.

3WS - 9/20/09

This has been a very busy week for us. On wednesday, Maddy had her first dance class. Maddy was all about wearing the dance clothes, and eating her french fries while she waited. She decided just 5 minutes into it that she DID NOT want to dance. She cried her little eyes out until we left. I think perhaps we may give it one more chance this week but if it's a no go... we'll just wait which is totally ok with me.


Thursday, Sept 17th is our forever family day. Below is a picture of us on the first Saturday in china. You can imagine the heads we turned wearing Buckeye apparel all around China that day. The gentleman standing with us in this photo was our guide, Larry. His wife was/is a prominent physician at the hospital in Nanjing where Maddy had her surgery.


We had our 2 1/2 year old grandson this weekend and let me tell you that he and Maddy were such a BIG help to Marty. They helped Marty pick up all the raked grass and then had the pleasure of hitching a ride back to the yard. They made 6 trips in total. Daddy/PopPop was tired!

Happy Family Day

Dear Maddy,

I sit here a little teary eyed as I think back on that first moment I got to hold you in my arms. I cannot believe it has been two years already. You are definitely and amazing little girl and I am so very blessed to be your mommy (daddy feels the same way) You bring joy to our lives every single day and neither of us know what we would ever have done without you.

Here are a few interesting facts about you...
- you are the most polite little girl I've ever known. I don't say that because we've been teaching you your manners. I say this because you are genuinely polite and caring. If someone sneezes, even someone you don't know, you will say God Bless You and the tone of your voice is very sincere. If someone is coughing you will ask "are you ok?", again your voice sounds sincere in your concern.
- You love to SING, SING, SING everytime we get in the car.
- When you are around people you know, you are a chatty cathy! Your language has exploded lately and I love understanding what you are saying and that you understand what is being said you to 100%
- as much as I don't like it... you are a TV/Noggin watching couch potato!! I do love that you sit in exactly the same spot of the couch everyday when we come home from a long day to 'watch your shows'. And, if someone or something is in your spot, you want it or them moved immediately . Afterall, it's YOUR spot. :0)
- You love Shockit (chocolate) and you make mmm mmm sounds when you are really enjoying something that tastes very good to you.
- You give the best hugs and kisses. I melts my heart when you are just sitting there, starring and then out of the blue you say "I love you Mommy" or "I love you Daddy" and touch your hand to our face.
- You do NOT like to sleep in your room. Every night you ask to sleep in mommy and daddy's bed for "just one minute". You go to sleep right away and then daddy moves you to your own bed and you sleep through the night. It's just going to sleep part. And, I love how you ask Mommy or Daddy to lay down with your for "just one minute". the best part is when we say, "not tonight Maddy" and you respond with.. "how about TWO minutes". Who can resist that. So, we lay down for just two, well, maybe 5 minutes and you are ok with that and roll over and go right to sleep.

We love you Maddy and are so very happy that you are a part of our family. We thank God every single day for blessing our hearts and home with the gift of YOU!

Love Mommy and Daddy

Happy 2 year Gotchaversary/ Family Day

Then









NOW

3W Sunday - Sept 13, 2009

This about sums up our week. Last night was our neighborhood Buckeye Bash and in the last 4 minutes, our Buckeyes lost the game.
Maddy was giving me the Grumpy Gus face last night because I wouldn't let her move her seat to somewhere else on the lawn. She cracks me up sometimes.

3WSunday - Ready For Football

This weekend was the first OSU football game and Maddy was so excited to get out and wear all her 'garb'. this year she got new OSU crocs and she picked out a new baseball cap. So much for the cute little OSU hairbows I have for her hair. :0)