Maddie loves her friends!

We had two very fun play dates this week! 

On Monday we went to Ronny and Kristin's house for a cook-out and played with Hudson!

Hudson and Maddie tried to get in on the corn-hole game...

Then they just took over!

 I kept asking them to look at me and smile and Maddie finally shouted at me, "Mommy! I don't want to take a picture. I want to play."

Fine then.

Hudson made faces--he has hilarious expressions! 

On Wednesday, Stella Murphy came over! We have to call her "Stella Murphy" because we have "Stella Hughes" at our house. Plus, Maddie likes to call everyone by their full name. 

The girls RAN for 2 straight hours. Back and forth from the swing-set to the water table to Alan's house. Alan is our neighbor and Madeline loves him. He and his wife Tammy have a daughter Hannah and two really fat cats that Maddie tries to chase.

Between play dates we lost power at our house for eight hours. EIGHT hours, on the sunniest day of the year! And this is how Madeline felt about our stock-up trip to Kroger.

 I feel ya sister. I do.

Daddy and Maddie went to Lowe's and daddy let Maddie pick out her own plant to keep. She picked a bamboo plant.

We got baby number 2's closet finished! 

I spent the afternoon organizing Maddie's clothes. 

Poor number 2. It was hard enough coming up with one girl name we loved, so the second is really challenging us. I am trying to find names that flow with Madeline so that when I shout them together it sounds good. You know, since I imagine I'll be spending most of the next ten years saying things like:

Madeline and Molly, stop hitting each other!

Madeline, did you push Olivia?

Abigail, did you read Madeline's diary?

Madeline, if you pinch Campbell one more time, I'm going to lose my mind.

You know... normal conversations that a mother of two girls has to have. 

If you have any name ideas, send them my way!!

HUBER'S!!!

We've had a great week!

Madeline learned how to climb her rock wall by herself.

She had an accident at school and got to see what she looked like in camo pants.

Having a special Friday night treat!

This morning we went to Huber's with my parents to use a Groupon I bought. It was a great deal!! Madeline had a blast at the Family Farm Park.

We mined for gems.

Dumping her "silt" out.

 Rinsing.

 Cleaning her gems.

Packing her pretty stones up.

Then she went down the barrel slide. Which actually looks REALLY scary but she wasn't afraid at all.

Climbing the big hill with daddy and grandpa.

I don't have one of her at the bottom b/c I was too busy trying to catch her! 

Waiting on daddy.

The adults had fun too!

We went through the bamboo maze which had the disclaimer of being a difficult maze. It was actually REALLY difficult and a little creepy.

 About halfway thru (after many wrong turns) Madeline proclaimed: I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE. 

We "rode" the tractor.

She loved feeding the fish.

And they loved her! 

 Just playing with the signs.

She was WORN out after a morning full of fun. 

Maddie is staying the night with nana and grandpa tonight and we're headed out for date night. Nothing too crazy. In fact, after dinner we plan to come home and do some house projects. Chris is getting baby 2's closet put together so I can start organizing!

Sunday Water Fun!

We had planned to go to the zoo on Sunday with Kyle and Danielle but it was HOT HOT HOT!! SO they came over for a water day instead! 

Our neighbors were giving this pool and slide away for free so I snatched it up one night when I was out walking! 

Maddie LOVES it. She can do the slide by herself and isn't scared to come splashing down.

You wouldn't know it, but Hudson enjoyed it too!! 

All the swimming worked up an appetite for strawberries!

A sweet moment between friends.

You probably noticed Stella above. She is ALWAYS near by, ready for a snack, a drink or a rescue. She's pretty protective of Madeline.  When the kids were swinging she was about 2 feet away watching intently.

We had a great day! 

My mom sent me this gem. What a riot! I forget how fat Maddie was as a baby! She had rolls for days!! (And was still only in the 10th percentile for weight!)

Two and a half?!

People often ask how old Madeline is. I am in the habit of saying, "she just turned 2." But, actually, she didn't. She is almost 2 and a half! Which is basically 3. Which is basically 13. Sigh.

Throughout the week we try to mainly eat at home, but that does require a lot of planning on my part. Sometimes I'm a great planner and we make it through the week without having to eat out. Othertimes....I call Chris and say, "how does pizza sound tonight?!" We had a random Wednesday night out at the new Casa Fiesta by our house.

We went to see Dr. Brown to get our ears checked out.

 

After, I asked Madeline what she wanted to do. She said she wanted to go to the mall, so that's what we did. She LOVED this vanity at PB Kids...it is sooo cute!

On Saturday, my family came over to send Mercedes off. She's heading to Disney for a month and then on to Costa Rica so we won't see her much this summer. The kids played hard all morning and it was WAY past Maddie's nap time when my grandma decided she wanted some pictures. 

Four generations!

We realized we looked weird all being on the steps so we moved outside.

 I know I look weird in this picture but Maddie had HAD it at this point so I was trying to get her to laugh. This was the best family photo we could get.

Saturday night we did dinner with my parents and then hung out around their house. 

 I left Maddie in the car with my dad for 10 minutes while I ran in Kroger. He of course got her out and this is what I saw when I walked outside.

Helping grandma water her plants.

She loved the Venus Fly Trap and kept telling me about the "buggy in there!"

Maddie is very into dresses right now. She likes to spin and twirl in them. This is her current favorite. We wear it every time it's washed. It hasn't even made it in the drawer yet!

 On her way into church. Looking forward to a sunny week!