My New Walker ---

Grandma and Grandpa Kennedy were here for a visit this weekend and Colby decided to steal Grandpa's cane for awhile.....

Easter Egg Hunt

We went to the Johnston Easter Egg hunt with Katie, Rob and RJ yesterday. It was really fun! A little windy and cold but everyone had a good time and Maddy and RJ got a ton of eggs! Colby liked the open field and track and just wanted to walk around everywhere!

Pictures from Preschool Day ---

Here are some pictures from Colby's and my visit to Maddy's preschool last week ---

Maddy and her friend Mya:


Colby just jumped right in and started playing blocks with the boys. He really wants to be one of the big kids!



Colby loving the duster:



Singing Happy Birthday to Maddy:


The whole class:

Birthday Fun at Preschool....oh, and a couple shots :-(

Maddy celebrated her birthday at preschool today. It has been awhile since I've been in there, so Colby and I decided to visit today. We had a fun time with all the kids and Colby was into EVERYTHING!!!! He of course found everything that he shouldn't play with such as the glue sticks, scissors, markers, etc..., etc.....Anyways, I spent a lot of the time watching over him, but I did get in some good quality time with Maddy and her friends and got to read them a couple books and just participate in the day. It was fun!

We also had Maddy's 5 year check-up this afternoon. She is in the 60th percentile for both height and weight. Her eye sight and hearing were checked and everything came out good! whew! She liked doing these tests as this was the first time she has read an eye chart and raised her hand when she heard the beeps for the hearing test. She does still have a tube in her left ear that she got when she was 1, so I will have to take her back to the ENT to look at it. For some reason, the tube will just not come out. They have been saying for the past year and a half that it should fall out on it's own at any time, but it hasn't, so there is a possibility that she will have to undergo the ear tube surgery to get it removed. We should find out in another month after we see the ENT. If tubes stay in too long, they can cause problems in the ear, so they really aren't supposed to be in for more than 3 years.

She also had to get 2 booster shots today (we did 2 shots last year at her 4 yr old check-up to split it up some before she starts school). She was really brave about the shots until it was time for them and then she got pretty anxious and I guess the 2 she got sting and burn, so she cried quite a bit (which of course meant Colby had to start crying as well :-)which meant complete chaos at the doctor's office :-)). I did feel bad for her, though. She had to get her finger poked to test for lead in her blood and did not like that either. I got her a Happy Meal at McDonalds afterwards and I think that cheered her up a bit;-)

The Last Five Years ----

Now that the blog seems to be up and going again, I wanted to take a few minutes to go back five years to the day Maddy was born.....March 16, 2005......I remember being so excited when I found out we had a little girl. I mean, I would have been excited either way, but I was just so happy to have a little girl. It was hands-down the best day of Jeremy's and my life that day (& of course again when Colby was born ;-)).

What an awesome experience that is just so hard to even put into words. I mean bringing a new life into the world is completely amazing and overwhelming. Maddy has taught us so much these past 5 years. She has taught us an unbelieveable amount of patience and self-sacrifice --- She has taught us about compassion and unconditional love. She has also taught us how to enjoy the simple things in life and the true importance of family. She has taught us how to have fun (and I mean with EVERYTHING) and how to forgive and forget in the blink of an eye.

What an incredible gift we have been given in this little girl. She has grown and changed so much in just 5 years --- I can't wait to see all of the great things that lie ahead for her and yet I miss all of the sweet baby days at the same time.

We are truly blessed ----

Easter Bunny

We went to visit the Easter bunny last week at the mall and let's just say Colby was not a fan --- He seemed to like Santa, so I thought he would do well. Once again, Colby threw me for a loop --- no surprise there, though......

A week ago today.......

Here was Maddy a week ago today. She was so sick and threw up all day long. I was a little concerned that we would not be able to make our MN trip, but she was better by Monday night and we were able to go ---- I'll have to say that now that she is older, it is so much easier when she is sick. She knows to just sit/lay around and can also throw up into a bowl instead of all over the floor ;-) She can tell me what is wrong.....It is also harder in some ways to see her sick now as I know she is hurting and she is telling me this as she is throwing up. It is so hard when there isn't much you can do to fix it. I guess her ability to communicate the pain makes it more 'real' for us and no parent wants their child to hurt. It makes me wonder what some parents have to go through who have kids with very serious illnesses and there is not much they can do to help. What an awful feeling. I need to be more appreciative and thankful for the health of our children each and every day as it truly is a gift.

Maddy Turns 5!!!!

Maddy turned 5 last Tuesday!! We have had a great week celebrating as her birthday fell on Spring Break this year. We went to the Mall of America on Tuesday and Wednesday and visited the American Girl store. Maddy got a doll for her birthday and was very excited! The store was really cool and we also ate dinner there that night. She had a great time! Colby is not so much into sitting still and "waiting around", so we had our hands full trying to chase him around the store and also around the mall --- I didn't want to rush Maddy and wanted her to be able to look around, but if we ever go again, I think it might be a trip for just Maddy and me ;-)
I think she had a great time, though, and she loved staying at the hotel and swimming in the pool. We also did a few rides at the mall, so that was fun.

We had a little family party at our house today with all of Maddy's cousins that live here in town. It was a Hanna Montana theme, so the kids all got out the instruments and did some dances for us. They had a good time. We decided not to do a friend party this year since we took a trip and bought her the American Girl doll. We had a lot of fun with all of our family today though!! The cousins are reaping the benefits of all of Grandma and Grandpa K's hard work of raising all of us kids!!! Now there are tons of cousins to play with at all the parties!!!! So much fun for the kids!! Cara and Maddy even used green glitter hair spray in their hair so they could look like real rockstars ;-)

Sick Day

We've had a few sick days around our house lately. First it was Jeremy on Friday and most of Saturday and then Maddy woke up sick on Sunday. I have never seen her throw up so many times -- it was awful. She couldn't eat or drink anything yesterday and every time she would stand up to walk she would throw up. She seems to be doing a little better this morning, so I'm hoping she will be fully recovered by tomorrow, but we'll see ---- We are supposed to go to the Mall of America tomorrow for a little trip for Maddy's birthday, so I really hope it works out. She has been looking forward to it for awhile now.

Oh, also, I've been having some trouble uploading pictures to the blog for some reason (hence the reason there haven't been updates the past couple weeks) -- Every time I try to upload a picture the internet crashes. If you have any tips on how to fix this, let me know!

March!!!!!

March is here!!!! Time to get out of our Snuggies and get off the couch!!!
I am always excited each year when we get into March, but this year I am beyond excited!!!! I think all of Iowa is excited about March this year!!!! It means Spring is coming and the weather is warming up!!! No more snow storms, please!!!!!
March is also special in our house with Maddy and Jeremy's b-days --- One of our favorite months!!