Party girl!

Today is Kaylen Broaddus's first birthday! Chris was golfing for work all day so Madeline and I went to her party by ourselves. We had a great time! Madeline played and played! She was a little shy at first but then really warmed up to everyone. Happy birthday Kaylen! You are such a sweet little girl.

 Meeting Austin Haselton. Madeline thought he was sooo cute!

A little sun in her eyes

 So happy playing with bubbles and sidewalk chalk!

We also had some tent time this weekend!

 Peeking out

 "No time to chat, dude. I'm in my tent, sipping on some milk."

Tents are so fun!

Happy weekend!

Almost done framing!

The framing process is winding down- and I'm really excited to move to the next stages. Next week, we've got our electrician, plumber and HVAC guys coming. We'll start laying brick in 2 weeks! Here's where we stand today.

I forgot how many trips to Lowe's we took last time we were building. It's the same thing this time. There's always something you have to pick out or plan for. Right now, we're making our decisions for shingles, plumbing fixtures and flooring. We've already chosen brick/stone, kitchen cabinets and windows/doors.

For some reason, Madeline really enjoys Lowe's. She spent ten minutes "washing her hands" the other night.

Her new thing to do is riding in the back of the cart. She knows that if she stands up, the cart stops. She has to sit on her bottom to get a ride. Being the child that she is, she likes to see how far up on her knees she can get before I stop the cart. Always pushing her limits and testing her boundaries!!

Daddy's home!

Chris got home from Ireland on Friday. Madeline and I are so happy he's back. 

Even though she had a little fun while he was away...

"Shopping" at the new exhibit at the Children's Museum

Dancing with a new friend at Old Navy

She was so happy he was home!

 Snuggling before bed while daddy reads a story

 Holding daddy's hand 

On Sunday, Hudson came over to play!

Such a sweet happy boy!

 Having a strawberry snack in the shade! She insisted on sitting alone in the big girl seat. Miss Independent.

 Here's looking at you, Hudson. XOXO!

Happy birthday Cedes!

Mercedes turned 20 yesterday- I cannot believe it. Even though my little sister has been taller than me for a long time and is a junior in college I still think of her as my "baby" sister. I am very proud of Mercedes. She is doing well at GEorgeotwn and is headed to Disney World in the Fall to intern. She'll be working in one of the theme parks and taking an environmental biology class. Since Chris is gone this week, we celebrated with dinner on Saturday at her favorite--The Melting Pot. I think we're at five straight birthdays here. Mom and us below. 

The house is moving quick. The framers have just under two weeks left--it's starting to look like a real house now!

Chris is in Ireland and we miss him. Madeline face-timed with him tonight and kept waving and blowing him kisses. I know she will be so happy to see him on Friday when we pick him up. As will I!

Happy Wednesday!

Bourbon and Wine Tasting

Last night, some of our friends watched Madeline so Chris and I could have a date night. My dad is really active in the Rotary club and planned a big event at some local gardens. The Bourbon and Wine tasting was a huge hit!! We sampled a lot of drinks and had a great dinner. A few pictures...

 My sister driving the courtesy shuttle. I have no idea if she was qualified...

 We're so weird.

Tuesday with Tia!

On Tuesday, Chris goes out with his guy friends (a little mid-week bromance, if you will) for some boys-only time. Heaven only knows what they talk about. This means Madeline and I are on our own usually. Tonight we picked up my sister (being a College Spanish major, she would like for Madeline to call her Tia) and all went to Old Chicago.

Madeline had a blast! She sat very nicely in the booth with us and colored while we chatted. Then she sat in the high chair and gobbled down a big meal. She loves their pizza. 

One of her latest tricks--drinking from a straw without spilling!

She had already eaten but was still going for round 2 while we waited for the check.

We took her to Meijer to ride Sandy. She laughed and laughed!

What a fun Tuesday night with Tia. Madeline can't say Tia....so she calls her gaga. It's not even remotely close, but it sure is hysterical.

This weekend, my friend Taryn got married. I am so happy for her! We were able to get all of the Thetas together for one of our "kites."

Now Taryn is in Mexico on her honeymoon. Raise your hand if you're jealous.

Happy Fourth!

I wish I had every Wednesday off! This week we had a great break in the middle of the week from work. We had a cook-out with nana and grandpa Hughes and Kyle and Danielle brought Hudson over. Madeline loves "baby" and "Hussen" (as she calls him.) The two swam in the pool together.

 

 Proud daddy Kyle

Our family

This picture cracks me up. Danielle and I are trying to get the kiddos together and they are both leaning as far as possible away from each other. I'm sure that will all change in about 15 years!

 This week we started framing the house and it's going up quick. Here's a picture of the kitchen area.

As for Madeline, she's a riot.  She is the only child I've met who likes to clean. She LOVES it. She purposefully spills her milk so that she can clean it up and throw the paper towel away. She finds random things to clean (windows, doors, etc.) and does it pretty well, considering she's only 18 months old.

She's also really big into dressing herself right now. She likes to layer her shorts. Tonight she ran around the house with a Winnie the Pooh jean skirt over two pairs of shorts. She was so thick, we could barely strap her in her seat for dinner! As you can see below, she also has a thing for her "hair bows". Here she is playing with them. I see lots of dress-up in her future!