Lights at Temple Square

 What a delight to see the lights at Temple Square with family.  Grandpa was so good to hold Madelyn the entire time.  It was really fun to have Adam, Alyssa, and their kids with us. 

Madelyn was a little fussy at the beginning but as we kept walking around, she loved the lights.  

 Aiden, Oliva, Jaxson, and Jillyn

 Roger and Jill

By the end of the night, Maddie crashed in Grandpa's arms.

Memories with Dad and Mom's visit

 A few days after my parents returned home from their mission in England, they came for a visit.  Four generation of girls loved visiting and shopping together.  All four of us went to several stores to find the most beautiful wreath.  It will always be a special memory.

 Grandpa spent time helping Maddie practice rolling.

 I thought this Santa was a little less scary than the real thing, so this can count as her picture with Santa this year.

 Dad and David enjoyed reading the paper, while the ladies visited.

 We made sure to celebrate December birthdays with Mexican food.

 Plus, we had a special birthday meal for Michael.  Sunday night, we went to the Gee's for the official party.

Other memories include snuggling up on the couch and watching a movie.  Saturday evening, we attended the Fuller Christmas party.

 Thank you Grandpa and Grandma for visiting us!



Lil' Cutie

Each day brings joy, smiles, lots of laundry, spit-up on the couch, stinking diapers, and laughs.

But I am so blessed to be able to stay home with this little ray of sunshine.

A few nights ago, it was probably the toughest.  She must have been teething or something, because she didn't go to sleep til 2:30am.  Everytime I would get her asleep and lay her in bed, she would wake up around 3 minutes later crying---just long enough for me to crawl in bed and get relaxed for a minute.  I finally just forgot about the bed and laid her in the baby swing. 

Mommy likes to sneak Maddie into the bed so she can be a surprise when Daddy wakes up.

Santa's lil elf

Madelyn has successfully rolled 4 times!  Glad we got this one mostly on record.

Thanksgiving Weekend with Family

 What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! We were grateful to visit with lots of family who we love.

First, we stopped to see Grandma and Gordon.

 Chicken foot games with Grams

 Gordon took us to Chilli's

 Then we enjoyed a feast of a Thanksgiving meal with Jill, Roger and family.

 Madelyn slept through her first Thanksgiving meal.  Her mother was very grateful.

 Finally, Suzanne came for a visit.  What a treat. 

 We played in the backyard  

 and took a walk outside around the neighborhood

We are so blessed to have so much family close by and those who come for a visit.  Thank you!

Happy 4 months!

 Another month has gone by! Madelyn continues to grow, as our love follows.  The 3 month clothes are getting a little tight.  This month she is our Christmas angel, being joy to everyone she smiles at. 

 Lately, she loves to laugh.  Her laugh could be described as a giggle.  I play a game with her using her stuff animal, duck, which she loves to suck on its beak. (so technically, Maddie already knows how to do mouth-to-mouth) I mean she really grabs at it with her mouth.  So for the game, I tease her as I bring it closer to her mouth, touch it, and then pull it back, repeatedly.  She thinks it is the funniest thing.  She just laughs and laughs and then I fall under her cuteness spell and let her grab the duck herself.

Also, Madelyn loves to look around.  She looks at your mouth when you speak to her.  She glances around when in new environments and likes to see and touch new things. 

Happy 3 Months!

We are so blessed to have this little girl in our family.  Madelyn truly brings joy to us each day.  She teaches us patience and provides laughs for us as we watch her reactions.  Though she has only been with us for 3 months, we are grateful that we will have her for eternity.

Time to hold on...

See this sweet thing?

 Who me?

 Yes, you---Madelyn has begun to really hold on to everything she can get her hands on.

 Like her play rings as well as her wash cloth while in the bath

 Once she mastered that, I pulled a trick taught to me by my mother, and started pulling "toys" out of the kitchen drawers.  Maddie currently loves to hold the tablespoon.

She even has learned how to hold on while she's asleep.

A Snowny Day to Play

I love how the snow seems truly magical.  With our first real snowfall of the year, our backyard is an enchanted wonderland.  Our tree looks like a flame with the bright oranges popping out against the white snowy background.  The air has a beautiful peaceful silence about it.   

 

Maddie put on her polar bear bundler (Thanks to Aunt Christine) and entered the enchanted snowy land for the first time in her life.

 

 It was so precious to see snowflakes land on her nose.

 Afterwards, we snuggled her in her warm blanket as she drifted off to sleep.