Maddie's 2nd Birthday Party

WHOOO's Turning TWO?

Happy 2nd Birthday Maddie!!

It's hard to believe that our baby girl is already two years old. It's such a cliche to say "that time goes so fast", but it's so true. It feels slow and "every day" during the week, but when I sit back and think, it sure does go by quickly.

Maddie is such a sweet girl. She's happy go lucky with a skip in her step. She continues to amaze us each day with hers sense up humor, her love for her brother and her words. Maddie is truly a joy...except in the morning. Crankiness must be an inherited gene and I must confess that she gets that from me. Poor Nathan and Jack, their girls aren't very happy campers in the morning. Oh well...good thing there's an afternoon and evening for us to really shine :)

This year I planned an owl party for Maddie. I had fun making Maddie's birthday banner and decorations. We had a treat table with all sorts of sweets. Maddie loved seeing all the candy and treats on the table. Thank you to Grandma Jo (my momma) for coming to help me prepare.

Here are a few photos of the party decorations!

Maddie had a lot of fun at her party. She was a little confused that she now had to hold up two fingers to show her age. She wasn't very happy when we told her that she was two. She said, "no, my one". I told her to get used to it and that women don't ever like to tell their age, I guess it's true all our lives, not just when we get older :)

Enjoy the photos of Maddie, family and friends. Thanks Daddy and Grandpa Dave for taking such great photos to capture the day. The party was a HOOT!

La-ti-da...just strolling through with my juice and my mustache...have you seen my brother?

Here he is!

AND...here's Maddie to inspect all the goodies and owls!!!!

A FUN weekend

I didn't get a chance to write about our camping trip with friends last weekend. We had a BLAST! Although the weather was a bit stormy each night, our new tent stood up to the rain and wind.

We were able to enjoy the company of our friends and relax while floating down the lazy Wolf River. There were some parts of the river that were a bit rocky that we ended up getting stuck on, but with the help of our strapping guys, we made it down the river without a problem.

The nights were spent sitting by the campfire telling stories and a certain someone (Jeff) scaring me with their body parts...or brat! It was great to be able to relax and laugh as loud as we wanted.

We are already looking forward to another great camping trip next year.

A BIG thank you to Grandpa Dave and Grandma Debbie for watching Jack and Maddie over the weekend. It's a great feeling knowing that the kids are safe and happy.

Jack and Dave had fun at "Westwood" on Saturday. Dave put Jack to work by pulling weeds in the garden. Jack was happy to be out stomping around in the woods. He saw a family of turkeys and even spotted a fawn.

When we got home on Sunday, Jack informed us that Grandpa Dave took him to his first bar! ONLY in Wisconsin. We thought it was so funny. Jack said, "yea, we were thirsty and needed some water...so we just sat there and drank and talked with the guys". The imagery alone of Jack and Dave sitting at the bar together was hilarious.

Maddie had a great time exploring all of her toys and space to walk. She's getting so curious about everything. Jack was taking a bath after a long days work at Westwood. Maddie found out that Jack was taking a bath and she started taking her clothes off to get in too. SO cute!

Grandpa Kyle came over to Grandpa Dave and Grandma Debbie's on Sunday for lunch. Grandpa Kyle and Jack went for a short walk and told funny stories over lunch. Grandpa Kyle brought Jack and Maddie their own containers of chocolate milk. We already knew that Jack loved chocolate milk, but Maddie had never had it before. Well, she LOVED it. It was so funny watching her drink it. I kept on adding more to her cup. She wanted every last drop of it.

A great weekend was had by all.