Ahhh!

Easter egg hunt (Part I)

Tuesday was the Moms Club Easter Party at St Luke's United Methodist Church. Madelyn, Sawyer, and I took her Easter basket and attended the festivities. The invitation indicated there would be an Easter egg hunt, possibly outdoors if the weather was nice.

We arrived at the party and had a few snacks to kick things off. Then, we visited with some friends and later headed to the bathroom for a potty break. In the bathroom, Madelyn politely asked if she could have a cupcake when we got back to the party. Since she was polite, and had been VERY good about not helping herself to the table full of sweets, I agreed.

We finished up in the bathroom and headed back to the party. As we crossed the hallway, we saw all the other children, with their picnic baskets, headed outside for the egg hunt. Ever the competitive one, I said, "Get your basket! They're headed outside!" Madelyn ran to our table, grabbed her basket, and ran to catch up with the other kids. Normally, at these events, she doesn't stray too far from my side. Not this time. She was not about to be left out of the Easter egg hunt.

By the time Sawyer and I caught up with everyone outside, Madelyn was already running from egg to egg, scooping them up, and putting them in her basket. Fortunately, she was wearing a bright pink shirt so she was easy to see. It's amazing how age makes you a good Easter egg hunter. Oh, and practicing last weekend at the Noltemeyer's didn't hurt either! At three years old, she was one of the older children at the party. Needless to say, she cleaned up. When the egg hunt was finished, Madelyn continued her pursuit by checking behind bushes and under rocks. (Thanks, Uncle Matt!)

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures. Between holding Sawyer and the excitement of the egg hunt, I had no chance. I don't recall the final count of eggs she collected but she did well. She (we) are still enjoying the candy she collected on Tuesday. Last year for Easter, we only hid a dozen eggs. This year, might we need two? Or, maybe more?

Little yogi

Last weekend, Sawyer discovered how to get to a sitting position from laying down. Oh, and he subsequently pulled himself up against the crib railing. As a result, his bed was lowered to the bottom setting. No need to have him tumble out of bed with these new talents!

Yesterday afternoon, on the tile floor, Sawyer taught himself downward facing dog. When I pointed it out to Griff, his response was, "Put that boy on the carpet!" So, here he is on the carpet demonstrating. It seems as though we may just skip crawling entirely and go straight for walking. Oh, Mr Sawyer...

Nine Months Old

Height: 28-3/4 in, or 70th percentile
Weight: 20 lbs 13 oz, or 70th percentile
Head circumference: 45.8 cm, or 75th percentile

I can...

* Sit up very well.
* Almost crawl. I'm going to take off one of these days!
* Clap.
* Wave.
* Laugh and interact with others. I especially love giggling with my sister.
* Drink from a sippy cup.
* Eat solid foods. My favorites, so far, include bananas, Cheerios, black beans, cheese, and yogurt.
* Stand holding onto something.

Peek-a-boo!

What's this baby doing?

Madelyn and Sawyer co-bath now even though Sawyer still uses the baby tub. After Sawyer gets out, Madelyn likes to sit in the baby tub and play. Reminds me of our visit to Tiny Town where she was a gentle giant.

Three years old!

This past weekend's big event included the birthday of our very own Mile High Madelyn aka Big Sister aka Sweetums aka Madelyn. Happy 3rd birthday to my sweet, sweet Madelyn!

Although Madelyn started planning her birthday in May, we had a low key celebration this year. The activities began shortly after Christmas and lasted through yesterday. One could probably say her birthday celebration was more of a festival this year. The 2012 festival included - 

• The Muppet Movie in the theater (and popcorn) with Mom and Dad. Sawyer spent the afternoon with Grammy and Grandad since he's too little to go to the movies.
• Birthday girl haircut (3rd ever) on Friday. Not really a true festival activity but worth noting. She got to sit in a yellow Jeep!
• Sunday morning swimming with the family at Southridge Rec Center.
• Pizza and grapes for lunch followed by strawberry ice cream cake with Grammy and Grandad and Honey and Poppie.
 

Monday morning, Madelyn had her three year old check up with Dr Marc. She received a great report and Dr Marc confirmed she's a genius. Those weren't his exact words but it's how I interpreted it.

Thank you all for the birthday cards, gifts, phone calls, and warm wishes. We had a great time celebrating our sweet girl and Madelyn loved every minute of it.

Christmas 2011

After attending Christmas eve service at Bethany Lutheran Church, we went to Grammy and Grandad's house for Christmas eve fun with the Anderson-Gilbert group. Christmas Day was spent at our house and we had everyone (minus Uncle Gabe and Aunt Kari who left for Phoenix on Christmas Day) over for dinner and Wits & "Waggers".

Below is a photographic summary of our family's Christmas celebration -



Team Anderson

Mollie and Sawyer at Grammy and Grandad's.

Ready for Christmas eve fun!

Decorating a gingerbread house with Uncle Gabe (not pictured).

To eat or to decorate...that is the question.

Christmas morning at our house before the little ones came downstairs.

The Little People Zoo Madelyn ordered from Santa.

It IS as much fun as she imagined.

Sawyer's first ride on toy. Wee!

Our family has changed so much in the past year. We moved, welcomed Little Brother Sawyer into the world, and watched Sweet Madelyn turn from a toddler into a little girl. Life moves quickly and I wish I could blog more frequently. But, I know I'm capturing some of the moments in their childhoods that will be looked back on fondly by all of us.

Six months old!

Vital stats from our appointment with Dr Marc -

Height: 26-1/2 in, or 55th percentile
Weight: 17 lb 14 oz, or 55th percentile
Head: 44 cm, or 80th percentile

I can...

* Sit unassisted
* Laugh, coo, gurgle, and say "bah"
* Interact with my big sister
* Roll front to back and back to front.
* Hold an object with my hands and pass it from hand to hand
* Flirt with anyone who'll give me the chance

So, this post is almost a month late BUT better late than never! Happy six month birthday, sweet boy. How did six months go by so quickly?!

Things that go bump in the night

Sawyer is almost ready to sleep through the night. But, we're not quite there yet. At any rate, every little, or not so little, noise wakes me up these days. Last night was particularly goofy night at our house. I'm pretty sure there wasnt a full moon either.

230A. I was awoken by the pitter-patter of little feet running across the tile downstairs and someone yelling, "It's Christmas!" I'm not sure what I was most concerned about -- one of the outside doors being opened and the house alarm going off instantly, the gifts under the tree being torn into and me having to re-wrap them all, or Madelyn injuring herself. I found my sweet little muffin by the kitchen table, brought her back upstairs, and tucked her in bed. There she stayed for the rest of the night.

515A. I was awoken by the sounds of toys falling. Assuming they were falling down the stairs, I got up expecting to find Madelyn headed back downstairs. But, no. I peeked in her room to find two cats. Nemo was under attack! Sadie cat, the look out, had already fled, but Felix was holding his position firmly on the dresser next to Nemo's bowl. The water was sloshing around and the toys on the dresser were all knocked off. When Madelyn and Griff got Nemo a week ago, I swore I would have nothing to do with it. However, I also don't want to clean up dead fish and stinky water. Nemo will be finding a new home within our house so that he can be better protected from cats.

On a side note, Mr Sawyer slept until 615A. Progress!

PS I do have six month pictures and stats to post but afternoon naps haven't been longer than 30 minutes lately so I'm a wee bit delayed.