Jumpy Bean + Yippy Chihuahua + Family Feud = He He He!

Some people have mighty aspirations to achieve before they die. So I am a little bashful to admit that one of the most important items on my bucket list is shamefully trivial...one day, before I die, I WILL BE ON FAMILY FEUD!!! I have a long-lived love for this wonderful little show. "Good answer, good answer..." my fans and loved ones will cheer me on as I consistently produce the NUMBER ONE ANSWER! Yes, I can see it very clearly.

Well, anyway, yesterday we came home from a long walk and Madi was starving so I began to feed her and stumbled upon a new episode. Maybe it is cold and unloving of me to find so much humor in what occurred next, but I really got a good chuckle out of it! As we all know, Madi is a Jumpy Bean. She gets easily startled and can suffer major come-aparts from the smallest of unexpected noises. So I was proud of her fragile little nerves when Lily had her own come-apart as a result of the "doorbell-like" sounds produced as the "fast money" answers were revealed on the gameshow.

Lily, our 5 lb chihuahua, is a very good little pooch. She is chill, sweet, and calm--a good big sister for baby Mads. Unlike most small dogs, she is very quiet, non-snippy, and hardly ever makes a peep. But without fail, she barks when the doorbell rings...she just can't help it! So watch what happens when the "DING" of correct answers on the show causes Lily to yip and Madi to jump. To her credit, little Mads holds it together very nicely and no real tears were shed in the making of this movie.

4 Fun-Filled Months

It's an inside joke! :)

PURE JOY!


...and that's a wrap!

Family Date Night

Since we were all dressed up (showered, teeth brushed, even donning deodorant...keep in mind, this doesn't happen everyday...for Mom) for a night out, we decided to document the occasion with a family photo. So presenting...(clean diapers, non-spit-up shirts, even combed hair)...the Happy Houghs! :)

4 Month Madison Mae

At four months, Madi:
* loves long stroller rides (now insists that the shade is open so she can see out and take in all the nature--loves trees and leaves, clouds, and talking back and forth with Mama as we stroll, and stroll, and stroll--went on an 8 miler to celebrate Madi's four month birthday)
* loves to "sing", talk, goo, gurgle, giggle, laugh, yell, converse, listen to stories, grunt, and just generally make lots of noise
* slobbers/drools/sucks her hands/chews everything/possible teething (oh, no!)
* continues to grow in sauciness, spunk, and sweetness. Has a love of life and all-around sparkle. Full of zest and zeal!
* still prefers to be upright, taking it all in (in arms, or bouncy chair, or Bumbo, or carseat)
* still doesn't love tummy time
* is strong and sinewy (muscley, skinny legs); not a soft, cuddlebug but stiff and straight as a board
* STARTLES EASILY! Major "jumpy bean." Is getting better, but easily comes apart at the tiniest sound--once I yawned/sighed while nursing her, which sent Madison into hysterics. So imagine when I had a cold and would sneeze! Dad has learned not to clear his throat or cough around Miss Sensitive but Lily still can't remember not to bark when some one rings the doorbell! Maybe this means Madi's got really great hearing (we're hoping it doesn't mean she's a major pretty-princess, drama queen) Hopefully it's just a lucky "first/only child" syndrome where the tot can appreciate and gets used to peace and quiet. When there is a constant loud/music/background noise, Madi is fine, but if it is quiet and then suddenly loud, WATCH OUT!
* has found her toes
* grabs and reaches and plays with toys
* loves her soft white blanket over her face while she sleeps (this magic blankie used to be Mom's favorite, then got claimed by Lily, then Madison assumed ownership--all the girlies fight over it)
* often has tiny, tight knots in her hair from thrashing her head from side to side (she does EVERYTHING with Tasmanian-like bursts of energy) as she settles down for a nap. She doesn't cry or scream at all, just has to silently rub her head which wears away the hair and knots the longer sections into dreadlocks.
* continues to brighten our lives with love and joy!

"Fashion Show, Fashion Show, Fashion Show...at Lunch!"

(This blog post title comes from one of my favorite "Office" lines where Kelly chants this to Pam to coax her into trying on some of her new outfits for everyone to see at work)

Mads is a pure delight! A real sparkly, silly, naughty, wiggly, FUN, FUN, FUN baby girl. She grows more cheerful and saucy by the second. She continues to be Momma's babydoll and humors me with dress-ups and photo-shoot sessions. I admit she prefers to be MOVING, but once in a while she will simmer for me long enough to snap a picture. These pictures highlight some looks from Miss Madison's Summer Collection 2011 (been watching a lot of Project Runway/Rachel Zoe Project). Madison is about 3 months + or - in these photos.

Red Rover, Red Rover, Roll Madi Right Over!

On September 13th, Daddy coaxed Madi into her first successful roll-over (well partial tummy-to-back flip, to be exact)! Mads has been VERY tummy resistant. She would much rather be upright taking everything in. But Dad was set on helping her conquer this feat. He was such a patient, terrific teacher. In as many small installments as she could stand, he would play with her on her tummy, rolling her back and forth from side to side. Sometimes he would rock her by pulling the blankie out from underneath her. The key was practicing when she was in optimal spirits, in a very cheerful mood! She became less startled with the movements and at times seemed to be downright enjoying herself. When she flopped from tummy to back unassisted, Daddy was downstairs by himself with his "Punkin'-Patch" and let out a whoop of joy which scared the pants off Babygirl. So cute! Momma came running to see. Matt was pretty darn proud of himself and his little champ. It was very special for them to do this together.

Oooooh, Dad!

Madi loves Daddy! He can really get her giggling as evidenced in these sweet pics of those two sillies playing.

Labor Day Fun

For a mini day-trip, we headed up the canyon. On our way to Bear Lake, we stopped at the Limber Pine trail. This short, one-miler was a beautiful path through a neat forest of snow twisted pines. It also had a gorgeous overlook of the lake. Against Matt's better judgment, we threw Madi in the big backpack rather then her age-appropriate tummy pack. Mom was sure if we stuffed a pillow in for her to sit on and blocked up the sides with blankets so she didn't slip through all would be okay. She did great, thankfully, but we learned later that she isn't supposed to ride back-style until she can sit up on her own at about 6 months. OOPS! Aunt Jodi saved her little life when we took her out on the Bonneville shoreline trail a few days later and things went badly awry with the backpack. She was in some serious hurt not being able to hold her head up that long and Jodi had to carry her down to the road while I ran back for the car. Oh, those poor oldest children who's parents have to learn everything the hard way. Well, she's a toughy and we'll be smarter in the future. So glad we didn't head out to the Juniper Tree trail (a good 10 miler) with this tiny tot wobbling, jarring, and jiggling sadly away in the too-big pack (another one of Mom's wild ideas that Dad was very hesitant about). We learned from our failed test-run that it would've been a real fiasco!

Anyway, Labor Day was fun, fun, fun! No labor, beautiful drive, fabulous mini-hike, and the best part...pizza at our favorite place in Bear Lake and a famous raspberry shake before we headed home. It don't get any better than that!

Stroller Adventures

Rolling, rolling, rolling ... Madi keeps 'a rolling ALONG!

Madison Mae's "happy place" is definitely her palace on wheels. Grandpa Black instilled a love of strolling in little Madi when she was tiny and they toured Idaho Springs, Colorado together. The bumpier and faster the movement, the better!

Mom, Baby, and Little Lil have kept the love alive. Together, we three amigos go on at least a four mile walk almost every day. It has been so fun to take walking tours of our own little community. Each adventure seems sparkly and new and we are constantly amazed at the beauty of lovely Logan, UT. We especially love walking down historic center street and notice some new cute house, flower garden, decoration, doggy, etc. everyday. It's amazing what you can take in when you get out of a car, off your bike, and just stroll along. It has been an absolute joy and is Momma's favorite time of the day (besides Matty/Daddy time, of course), too! We often visit the library, cool off inside, get a big drink, check out a new book/DVD, and enjoy the thrill of seeing if little Lily in the bottom of the stroller will get noticed, busted, and get us booted out. Our rule-breaking, naughty little rush. :) It is a real treat to stop for a diet Pepsi on the way home when we are hot and sweaty (none for baby or Lily though...Mom knows when to draw the line but just can't seem to shake this evil little pleasure). The ladies at our convenient store love Madison and get a kick out of Lily in the stroller. Lily prefers to walk and only hides out in the bottom of the stroller when she needs to go unnoticed inside a building or when she is in trouble and being scolded. She also loves the long workouts, especially the fairgrounds where she can drink from the beautiful streams and always finds a good cow pie or pile of horse manure to roll around in and munch on...gross! We girls are the best of buds and are so grateful for our fun adventures together. We know we are living the good, good life! :)

Girls Just Wanna Have/BE Fun!

Thanks, Aunt Jenn! Nothing says, "FUN" like hot pink baby toes. So stinking cute. I could eat those pink piggies!