Happy Easter!

I am finally catching up on this blog after a week off! Whew! We were busy! We had a great Easter Morning this year! Grandma was here too which made it even better!

Both girls had great fun digging into their baskets. Later in the day they got dressed up for a photo shoot outside and we headed off to Uncle Ed's and Aunt Margaret's for dinner!




The weather was so nice that day! No jackets needed for once!

Double Birthday Party!

We decided to have a small family party for the girls when my mom came out to visit for Spring Break. I surprised Brooke with a Rapunzel cake and theme which she loved. Madeline didn't get a say. Hope she doesn't mind when she is older :) Madeline also had her first cupcake which she LOVED LOVED LOVED. Total opposite of Brooke's first bday when she bawled her eyes out eating the cake. Brooke had a blast and loved all of the attention during the party.

The Rapunzel Cake. Not so well done but Brooke didn't care! We added some of our own figurines:


Excited to see the cake!


Madeline digging in!




Grandma got the Rapunzel dress she had been begging for!

Brooke's Nursery Rhyme Performance

Yesterday Brooke had a Nursery Rhyme performance and Easter Egg hunt at school. Here is a video clip of her songs. It's kind of long but you get the idea :)

Madeline's 1 year check up!

Madeline had her one year check up today! Here are her stats!

Weight: 19 lbs 14 oz
Height: 29 inches
Head: 18 1/4 inches

Overall in the 50% and much smaller than her sis! This is really putting a damper on my hand me down plan that was working so perfectly until now :) Oh well, another reason to shop!

Madeline is a hoot these days! She says uh-oh and fish. Sometimes she will say dada and mama but not enough for me to count them. She still signs a lot. Her current sighs are : more, bath, milk, eat, night night, all done, please, and bath.

She is very into imitating everything! She loves to pretend to feed babies and hug them. She also picks up on things very quickly! Her other love is finding my keys and sunglasses and carrying them around. I am actually shocked my sunglasses have survived this long. Madeline also tries to copy everything Brooke does and steal anything Brooke has. This also results in her pinching and hitting Brooke if she wants something Brooke won't give her.

Sleeping is not that great. She doesn't love to nap and at least once a week wakes up crying in the night and will not go back to sleep without a giant protest of screaming.

Overall we have a thriving little girl who is giving us a run for our money!

Growing up too fast part 2

I posted a few weeks ago about Brooke's dance recital costume being too mature for her. I still do. I sort of casually asked the other moms if they liked the costume. One mom said she wished it was more frilly. However, other moms at ballet class said "Oh its so funky and cute". Funky? For a 4 year old? They don't even know what funky means. I was clearly the only one who had an issue (or the others just didn't voice their opinions). I am interested to see what the other classes are wearing since they are at least dancing to more appropriate songs like "Do You Believe in Magic?". Cute! Fun! Age appropriate! Sigh. Picture day is a few weeks away so I will post the outfit in its full effect then.


I saw someone post this great article today about dressing little girls like tramps. Harsh words but so true. It's a good read if you have the time to do so. Click HERE to read.

First Park Trip

Poor Madeline really has not been outside at all since she became a mobile baby! Friday it was at least 50 degrees so I took the girls to a park after Brooke got out of school. We had a great time and they both loved the swings. Madeline also enjoyed picking up sticks and trying to eat them, but overall we had a great time! Looking forward to the weather warming up so we can go more often!

Happy 1st Birthday Madeline!!!

Madeline is ONE! Time has flow by this year! I will do more of an update after she goes to the Dr. on Wednesday! Here is a trip down memory lane!

On her way home from the hospital!


1 month


2 months


3 months


4 months:


5 months


6 months


7 months


8 months


9 months


10 months


11 months


1 year


and a bonus because she's so cute...

She speaks!

On the eve of her first birthday, Madeline said "fish". Well it was really "shhhh" but I'll take it!

Besides "uh oh" this is one of her first real words. Even mama and dada are not consistent yet. When I got the girls snack ready my hands were full so I needed her to follow me. I showed her the bowl of goldfish crackers and she started to follow. Then I asked her if she wanted fish and she said "shhh". I guess she just wanted to profess her love for goldfish crackers. :) She even repeated it for daddy a few times!

Hoppy Easter!

Someone did not like the Easter Bunny.....



This was taken right before her big escape from his lap! LOL. The funny thing was Madeline was so into him before we got up there. Waved to him, even walked over to him, etc. I guess sitting on the lap was just too much to ask.

Brooke's 4 year Check Up!

Height: 43 inches (90%)
Weight: 36 lbs (75%)

I swore her height had slowed down, but I guess not. This also explains all of her current dresses being too short.

Passed hearing and vision. They also had to do a urine test and had her draw some shapes, etc.

Her umbilical hernia is still open and the doc said it probably won't close on its own at this point (I knew this was coming). We have to go see a surgeon to see about having it closed. I would love just one year without a surgery. Sigh. I also don't know if insurance will cover it or not. I hope so!

She got one shot. The chicken pox/MMR booster. Of course with her own dramatic flair she did not cry until AFTER the shot had been given and then went into hysterics and had to be held.


Here is a fabulous quote from Brooke today:

Brooke: Mom we need a scarecrow in here.

Me: Why do we need a scarecrow in the house?

Brooke: Well we need a scarecrow to distract Madeline from my toys.

Me: Well I'm not sure that would work.

Brooke: Well then I will be a scarecrow then! She needs a distraction!!!!

She then proceeded to stand with her arms straight out and swayed back and forth. In response Madeline tackled her. :)

Meal Plans week of April 10th

I had to bump two meals from last week due to things coming up so you will see a repeat of some things. Happy Meal Planning!

Sunday: Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
Monday: Grilled hot dogs and corn on the cob
Tuesday: BBQ Beef cups
Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
Thursday: Leftovers and Madeline's Bday!
Friday: Grilled Steak with Pepper Kabobs and Cheesy Potato Salad
Saturday: Pork Chops and Mashed potatoes

Brookes Birthday in a nutshell

Brooke had a fabulous birthday last week. She opened up gifts and got to go to a Hibachi Dinner to see her "volcano" she requested. We had a great time! Here is the pic they took which is HILARIOUS.



Here is a video of her getting her new bike. I just love her. She loves receiving gifts and always has great responses! You can also catch Madeline screaming as she is angry with the envelope she is trying to get.

Full Time Walker!!!

Madeline is officially a full time walker. No more crawling for this girl! She is so much younger than Brooke was when she was walking. It's a little freaky to see this little baby walking around my house LOL! Video to come!

This also means she DESTROYS my house. Literally takes anything and everything out and throws it. I need a maid!

Meal Plans week of April 3

Sunday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Pasta Salad
Monday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Tuesday: Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Friday: Grilled hot dogs, corn on the cob, and veggies
Saturday: Buffalo Style Empanadas

Happy 4th Birthday Brooke!!!

Four years ago we got the best April Fools Day surprise ever!!!


At one:


At two:


At three:



and today on her 4th birthday!



Happy Birthday Brooke! You are 4 years old and so grown up! Even though you cried last night that you did not want to be 4, it will be fun we promise! You now can ride your big girl bike and next year will go to preschool! We hope you have a fabulous day!

Love Mommy, Daddy, and Madeline


-Brooke has requested to go to dinner at a place that makes a volcano out of an onion. We will be going to a Japanese Hibachi place for dinner and I hope it lives up to her expectations!!!