Idaho Springs, Colorado

"Rolling, rolling, rolling...Madi and Grandpa keep rolling...along!"


Chugga, chugga, CHOO, CHOO!

Iconic Idaho Springs Water Wheel



We stumbled upon this rockin' band playing in a gazebo outside the cute, touristy casinos in Black Hawk.





"Now you put that out this second, ya hear?"


Our first stop on the "family-palooza" roadtrip was to Idaho Springs, Co where my folks are serving a mission. It was their first time meeting grandchild #20 and boy, were we excited! The last leg of the journey from Denver to Idaho Springs is about a half hour and was a gorgeous and exciting ride--we were positively giddy to reach Grandma and Grandpa! Idaho Springs is an old gold mining town in the Rocky Mountains and is thoroughly scenic, quaint, touristy, and completely adorable! It was unbelievably good to be with Mom and Dad/Grandma and Grandpa/Sister and Elder Black!

A few highlights of our Colorado time included the river walk from their home into the heart of the little town, perusing the shops on main street and eating at Beau Jo's, the other-worldly and completely breathtaking drive to Mt. Evans (the highest paved road in the U.S.)where herds of mountain goats frolicked along side our car, visiting Central City and Black Hawk (adorable gambling/casino/tourist towns just up the road), attending the powerful little branch there on Sunday and blessing baby Madi at their cabin, and working out at the community Rec. Center while Grandma and Grandpa strolled that loved little punkin up and down the streets of Idaho Spring. Grandpa pretty much strolled Madi for three days straight and instilled in her a deep and abiding love for jiggling/bumping/MOVING WITH VIGOR in her happy stroller.

Here are a few of our many loved memories from this wonderful trip.

Madi's First Radical Roadtrip

Madi turned two months old while we were in the middle of our "family-palooza" two-week roadtrip in the middle of July. Matt had saved up vacation time at U.P.S. and used his two weeks consecutively so that we could really live it up, see the sites, and introduce Peanut to lots of fabulous family members including Grandma and Grandpa Black in Colorado and Granny and Papa Grubbs (Matt's grandparents) in Kansas.

Outline (Picture Posts To Follow):
* Idaho Springs, Colorado July 16th-20th (Madison's Blessing Sunday, July 17th)
* Lakin, Kansas July 20th-25th
* We stopped back by Grandma's and Grandpa's mission home on our way to Blanding, Utah where we wrapped up the trip, then made it home sweet home to Logan, UT on July 31st (our anniversary).

Luckily the carseat still retains its magical powers and puts Madi right to sleep so the driving was LONG but relatively painless. We had a dynamite system where Matt drove us safely along while I would pump a bottle (powered by the car charger), we'd pull over for gas/potty breaks/Mads guzzling down her fresh milk rather than nursing which takes at least twice as long, and off we'd go!

So let the blogging begin! Catch up time . . .

Madison Mae's Blessing Day

Blessing Bretheren


Madi was blessed in Elder/Grandpa and Sister/Grandma Black's beautiful mountain mission cabin in Idaho Springs, Colorado when we went out to visit at the end of July. It was a perfect, intimate gathering. Didn't matter if Babygirl fussed or squawked during the prayer. It was so peaceful and stress-free. Such a sweet, perfect, tailor-made experience for us to treasure and cherish always.

Thanks, Mom, for the beautiful pictures. They are truly priceless. I'm having a very hard time cutting and editing to narrow them down to only a few of my faves so I'll probably just post way too many. :)

August 23rd

On August 23rd in Logan School District, all the stressed-out teachers painted on happy smiles to meet the crowds of excited tater-tots, their new families for the next school year. For almost a decade of my life, I was included in this exciting, awful, stressful, wonderful back-to-school day, meeting my students and gearing up for a fabulous first grade year. But this August 23rd, started nice and easy for the Happy Houghs. No hustle-bustle at our little place. Rather than an apple on my desk, Madi gave me the gift of sleeping in until 9:00. We cuddled and smiled at each other as the bus pulled away packed full of adorable, energetic school children. I felt like I was floating on air. Like I'd hit the jack-pot. Better than Christmas morning. Almost guilty for being so giddy. Madi smiled up at me and I thought, "this is a good trade!"

Back To School Blues

Let the blogging begin! Matt started school today and I am a little sad and lonely. Okay, a lot. I thought I'd be so busy and productive, ready for good routines and excited for this new chapter. But alas, I am feeling very sentimental (can it still be those powerful "after-baby" hormones ... will I ever be myself again?) and tender about kissing our beautiful summer together good-bye. It was such a wonderful time, a real luxury, to have Matt home with baby and me in the mornings before he went in to U.P.S. in the afternoon everyday. I miss my adventure buddy (and am grateful I still have his pint-sized version, Madi, home with me)!!! Back to real life ... BOO! Who needs it? There. I got thought out of my system. Now I can just be optimistic and grateful. I will forever cherish that first summer of Baby Girl's life when Matt and I were able to spend so much time loving each other and started to figure out this wonderful little creature together. Mommma, Baby, and even little Lil just don't know what to do here at home without our Marvelous Matthew Michael. We've been spoiled beyond repair and now just have to GET ON WITH IT! We can. We will. Tomorrow! :)

Our Little Paint Buckin' Bronc

Giddy-Up Little Horsey!



I wanna be out there RIDING!

Momma Mare and her Little Buckin' Paint



Dad is a true-blue cowboy. He REALLY wants a hat but check out that shirt! The genuine article!

Matty, Madi, and I enjoyed the Cache County Fair and Rodeo last weekend. At this stage in the game, the way we involve babygirl is to "roll" her past the animals, booths, etc. (she's a HUGE fan of her stroller) I'm not sure she gives a hoot about the stinky cows and baaaaing sheep, but it's fun to pretend.

She attended her first rodeo Friday night. They let out a herd of beautiful bucking horses in the arena (I didn't know they were bred to do this), probably 10 horses, big and small.

There was a saucy little colt who was the exact horsey version of little Madi. It would power kick, buck, toss it's head, and thoroughly enjoy spastic seizures of energy and action across the arena. Total and complete joy in movement. It also was a beautiful pinto. Madi is a paint, too! She has a lucky white streak/birthmark in her hair and some not so lucky white marks on her legs and even tummy. She was born to be a saucy, joyful, little buckin' horse. YEEEEE-HAW!

Church Babydoll

We don't play dress-up near as much anymore (well, probably still too much). But Sundays still afford us the opportunity to dress babygirl up in her adorable dresses each week and Matt will even allow us to put a headband on Madi for a minute (although he's sure she hates it and that it causes much pain, discomfort, and even divets and "squeezy marks" in her sweet noggin' and he never makes/lets her wear it for the entire block of meetings). Too bad you can't see the cute, pink ruffle dress she's wearing cuz she's already strapped in the carseat. But she still has her Sunday sparkle sizzlin'! :)




Let's Go! I'm all ready for church. Don't be late, MOM!



Sparkle Eyes


Oh, Dad! You're so silly. My bow doesn't hurt, and besides...a little bit of discomfort is a small price to pay for such beauty!



Oh, it's exhausting being this cute!

a MOVER and a SHAKER!

OUR WONDERFULLY WIRED, WACKY, WIGGLY WORM

The Sleeper

Oh, no! It sounds like from my post title I have put my baby in a wrestling hold and choked her out. And as tempting as this may sound sometimes...no, no, no...that's pure awful! This post might be more aptly named, "Sleep in Heavenly Peace." The awake/daytime Madi is a wiggly worm in every sense of the word, a real mover and a shaker! She is ULTRA-ALERT, taking it ALL in! She kicks, and cooes, and giggles, and gasps, and fake hyperventilates (excited breathing), and fake coughs (it must be a bad case of the "black lung"). She startles easily and can keep her eyes open long past what an infant should be able.

But, THANK HEAVENS, she now makes up for her exhausting energy by sleeping like a rock at night. At just a month and a half old, Madi began sleeping through the night. Aaaahhhh! Deep, blissful sigh of relief. We were getting clinically cuckoo bird around here with little sleep at night and no naps to make up for it during the day. But to her credit, that "clutch" little baby pulled through for us by becoming a deep sleeper. Consecutive hours of sleep at night make for a MUCH more functional, happy day!

The first few nights of sleeping in until 7:00 a.m. scared me! I woke up with a jolt, ran to her crib, and finally starting breathing again when I saw that she was (breathing again)!

I know that the "magic wrap"/mummy wrap with her blanket is a huge factor in her nighttime sleep success. It's like strapping on a straight-jacket and keeps her still and forceably peaceful. It also keeps her snug and warm and she doesn't get pools of slobber to make her wet and cold because she can't suck her hands. Thanks, Matty! I also swear by the book "Babywise." Routines are golden! She has some "magic jammies" too (the kind with the footsies) that seem to possess drowsy powers. She LOVES Colbie Caillat and quiet rocking time with Daddy in the evening. Her pacifier is also very helpful. She only takes it when she's super sleepy and spits it out as she drifts off but it really soothes and lulls her into dreamland. But most of it is probably just dumb luck...and the fact that little Mads can't possibly have even one calorie left to burn after all her daytime, wiggle-wart adventures! :)

But anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you, little angel, for sleeping through the night!

Bright Eyes

Madi just might get her bright eyes from Grandma Patsy! I love this striking picture of those two beauties together.

What's Not To Love?

A very good question, indeed!


UPDATE: Well just a few hours after I published this post, one OBVIOUS, smelly, green, slimy, disgusting thing "not-to-love" exploded onto the scene. Madi's 5:00 blow-out is one thing I DON'T love. No matter how absorbent and big the diaper, her volcanic poop spews straight up the back and out the leg holes no matter how many precautions I put in place. I have become an EXPERT with the Shout and cold water but I'm not sure this little outfit will be salvageable after we rode around in the stroller sitting in it for hours! So there, I thought of one thing not to love. But only one. :)