Change is in the air...

We have a BIG change coming to our household in about 21 days. The arrival of our second child. But, before that happens we also are giving our kitchen a little facelift. Yesterday we purchased a new stainless steel dishwasher!! Today, sometime between 1:00-4:00 p.m. it will arrive and be installed and the old one hauled away. We are praying that the installers don't have any trouble getting the old out and the new in correctly. It will be a tight squeeze.

The rest of the appliances will be ordered today, unfortunately our frig is backordered for a couple weeks. When they arrive it should be about the same time as the baby. We are going to be a very busy household.

Happy Easter from Indiana

We didn't travel back to Missouri for Easter this year, that makes two years in a row with us NOT traveling. Last year we had a wedding in Austin, TX, the next weekend and it was the first time we left Madelyn overnight. She stayed with Grandma Debbie and PaPa, but still it was a huge step, we were away from her for at least 3 nights in a row. (Now that I'm almost a mother of two, this doesn't seem like such a big deal, but it did at the time) This year we didn't travel because, well, that's pretty easy-- I'm 35 weeks preggo and a 10 hour car ride doesn't sound very fun. I don't really like the 20-30 minute rides around town anymore. There are just too many pot holes from the winter weather!

Although we weren't with our extended families, our little family of three and almost four had a great Easter. We went to the Egg Hunt at church on Saturday and attended 10:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday. I think it took almost 25 minutes or more just to get the HUGE crowd through Communion. We felt blessed to have a seat that wasn't on the Altar this year. Last year we got to our church in Lincoln a little late and we had to sit right next to our Priest- Up on the altar!!! That was a mass I won't soon forget. Trying to keep a one-year-old happy in church can be hard enough, but when all eyes are on you up on the altar it's a whole different ball game. I was just glad that she ate her Cheerios and didn't scream.

My little sister should be pleased to hear that I made real mashed potatoes and ham and corn casserole. Nothing from a box. I even went so far as to make a pecan pie, unfortunately I have been the only one eating it! Our lunch was great and we had just the right amount of leftovers for a couple ham sandwiches this week.

1st Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday Madelyn took part in her first Easter Egg Hunt at the park in Westfield. I was glad that the 0-2 year olds had their own area and eggs, because our non-aggressive child would have ended up with no eggs. Instead she came home with a whole bucket full of eggs and opened them one by one with the help of Daddy. She then neatly organized the stickers that she found inside the eggs again with the help of Daddy. Sometimes I think he is trying to mold her into a little organizer, because Mommy is pretty scatter-brained these days and our house is far from organized!

We are going to consider this egg hunt as a practice and we will be ready for the one at church next week. Madelyn did NOT want her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. She told me, "Mom, I do not like that big Peter Rabbit, I don't want a picture." She tells me about 5 times a day that she didn't like that big Peter Rabbit, I'm hoping that this fear will pass by next weekend!

Big Sister Class

A couple of Saturdays ago Madelyn went to a Siblings class at St. Vincent Hospital in Carmel to help prepare her for the arrival of our new family member. It was just a short video and practicing how to hold a baby(doll) and change a diaper. A class designed for two years olds isn't too complicated, but she was the best behaved kid in the class. I know that all toddlers have their moments, we were just lucky on that day.

The hospital is much smaller than the Madelyn was born at, but I have decided that can be a good thing. When we toured as a family and again when we went for her class they only had one baby in the nursery! They said that they are rarely full in the nursery and tops have one or two babies at a time. That means our kiddo will get lots of extra love and care while in the hospital.

I must get going, the big sister is sitting next to me coloring with a highlighter and I have run out of things that she can or I should say, that I want her to color.

A good pair of boots

In Madelyn's world there is nothing like a good pair of pink boots. They could be snow boots, rain boots, or cowboy boots, just as long as they are PINK! I don't recall when this started, but if it is something to wear on her feet it needs to be pink, or glittery, or have a bow and high heals. She will correct you if you use the improper words to describe her shoes. Boys DO NOT have "fancy" shoes-- just girls. And tennis shoes aren't in the fancy category, they just help you run fast.

So, in the world of our two year old, shoes are very important and "fancy". I am afraid we having a budding Fancy Nancy on our hands. (If you haven't read the book Fancy Nancy, then you need to!) The girl is true to her Theta roots with her love of glitter, an appreciation that I hope grows with her as she ages!

Good Times at the Zoo

Madelyn even touched a shark all by herself!

Saturday was a great day outside, so we decided to go to the zoo in the morning. Of course, we had be home in time to watch the Mizzou basketball game. (It wasn't much of a game to watch but we still made it home in time.) Madelyn is much better this Spring at correctly naming the animals when compared to last Summer. We also had the great opportunity to have the Lion come up and ROAR really loud at us while we stood look at him behind the fence. Luckily we didn't have any bathroom accidents when he was showing off and making a loud noises.

I would say that her favorite animal was the tiger because she hasn't stopped talking about him. He jumped from one rock to another and she will tell you, "The tiger jumps on the rocks." I am sad to say that we didn't get a picture of the lion or the tiger, but we can always go back. We had a great family outing at the zoo and hope to go again at least once before the new baby gets here.

Flashback to one year ago....

Time seems to fly these days, unless it comes down to the due date of baby #2. I thought it would be fun to look back at what our life was like one year ago today, give or take a couple days. I was amazed to see how much younger Madelyn looked and how little hair she had. She still doesn't have much hair, but it looks like a lot older compared to last year.

This year she is a very independent toddler that can even tell me, "Toot and Poodle is on a 5:00 Mommy." Yes, my child knows what time her "shows" are on TV or DV as she calls it. Sometimes 30 minutes of quiet time in front of the TV goes a long way when Daddy is traveling or I'm trying to make dinner. I guess I should be making dinner.