Babydolls, kitchens, and houses oh my!

Madie's first Christmas was so much fun!  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so wonder what a thousand pictures are worth.........

Our little family 

 Madie had been after the presents for weeks, she was SO ready to open them!

Is it time Mom??

 Making cookies for Santa.  I thought Madie would observe mostly, help decorate.

 She decided to take a real "hands on" approach!  Ha!

 She even took a bite of one of the gingerbread cookies when I wasn't looking!  Mimi thought it was hilarious!

 Ready for the Big Man's arrival

 Finally, it was time for Madie to open presents!  She had so many -  Mimi, Granddad, Uncle Case, Uncle Chad, Aunt Kelly and Cooper were very generous!

 Uncle Case even got her a cross bow!  If you're going to hunt, might as well be pink.

 She LOVED her new kitchen from Chad, Kelly and Coop

 Here she is with her very first babydoll from Mommy and Daddy!  Mimi and Granddaddy gave her a stroller too!

 Cooper is SUCH a hard little worker. I tried and tried to get a picture of him but he was too busy sweeping and mopping with his new cleaning equipment.  Hahaha!

 And here it is folks, fun in the biggest box they could find! 

 Putting out our cookies for Santa

 The sweet kiddos before bed on Christmas Eve. 

 Notice anything about this picture?  We LOVE Uncle Case. 

 Santa came all the way to Abilene to see Madie...............

 And Coop.........

 He even ate the cookies!

 Here is Madie examining all she got!  She must have been really good this year. 

 Cooper was SO excited about his outdoor kitchen!  He cooked from the moment he saw it until it was loaded in the car the next day.  He even showed Madie how to cook too.  She loved everything her big cousin loved.

 Playing the keyboard

 Checking out the Little People

 Cooper grilling

 Madie playing in her new house!

 We had a GREAT first Christmas!!

Most of all, we had a blast with our family.  Christmas is so very special as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and what his birth means to us all.  We are so very thankful for the blessing of an amazing, generous and fun family!  Madie Lou - remind me to tell you about the rubberbands some day! ;)  Hahahaha

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We are SO excited about Madie's first Christmas.  We have watched every Christmas movie known to man, sing carols all day long, read Christmas book after Christmas book and count down every day.  (OK, when I say we I mean me).  I may have gone a little overboard but I have always LOVED Christmas and this year is even more special because of Ms. Madie.  Here are a few pics as we prepare for the special day. 

Madie with her very own tree and my very favorite cheesy grin!

 Her special Reindiva

 Our tree!

 Stockings are hung by the chimney with care

 In hopes that St. Nicholas will soon be here!!

Drawer to Explore

Ms. Madie has her very own drawer in the kitchen now.  She sure has fun opening, closing, taking things out and putting them back in.  She is quiet the little explorer these days!

Gaylord ICE

A few weeks ago we met Chad, Kelly and Cooper at the Gaylord for ICE!  (Yes, I am just now blogging about it, let's just assume I am on backorder)  We had a great time and the ICE exhibit was amazing, although I am not sure Madie was quiet ready for it.  It was FREEZING!  I now know that I will never travel to Alaska.  We also got to see Santa and Madie did great.  She was in shock by the big man but we got a cute picture of her staring up at him.  Cooper had a great time exploring the Gaylord and loved all the trains.  All was going well until nighttime struck and both babies revolted the sleeping routine.  Madie, Mike and I left at 2:00am with a very unhappy little girl.  She did sleep like a champ as soon as we got home!  Oh well, best laid plans and all that, we still had a blast. 

 Getting ready to go in ICE

 Coop is ready!

 Chad, Coop and Frosty

 Poor little Madie was SO cold

 Freezing family photo

 The reason for the season

 Madie LOVES hotel beds, it is the funniest thing

 Getting ready to go see Santa

 Waiting in line to see the Big Man!

I should have known things were going south when Chad decided to wedding crash!!! Ha! 

8 Months - but who's counting?

Little Ms. Madie is 8 months old today.  I say this EVERY month, but I really cannot believe how fast time is going.  I mean, we are almost to the point of when "I just had a baby" is not going to work anymore.  Really?  I need to fix my hair, iron my clothes and skip dessert again?  Wow.  Madie Lou is quiet the drama queen these days, I am not sure where she gets it.  She has this adorable little cheesy grin she gives when she thinks you are not paying attention. She is a Kappa legacy, what did we expect?  Anytime we try a new food she fake gags herself.  It used to freak me out, but I have become wise in my old and experienced 8 months of motherhood.  Madie is SO close to crawling!  She has the full army crawl down and can cover some territory very quickly but we are literally moments away from a whole new world of exploration.  I am so excited watching my sweet angel reach her milestones but with a bittersweet emotion.  I packed up the changing pad the other day because Madie is a crazy baby when it comes to diaper changes.  Seriously, steer wrestlers have nothing on me.  But as I put it away I couldn't help but remember her early days when that was her absolute favorite spot.  She would lay and look in the mirror, then she discovered that she could make noises by hitting the frame of the mirror with her rattle, and now she knows that is only the beginning of what she can do in this great big world.  Madie sleeps 11 hours a night with her bunny and seahorse, takes two naps during the day, and is a great mood most of the time.  We are now eating breakfast and dinner and have just started fun combinations like squash and apples.  Our favorite toys are, let's be honest, anything we are not supposed to have and our favorite game is "drop it and see how fast mommy can get it".  Madie is truly an absolute delight and I cannot imagine how my days existed without that bright smile I receive when I get home from work.  There is nothing quiet like a big sloppy kiss from your 8 month old daughter to make everything else seem small and insignificant.  We love you Ms. Madie Lou!