Daily adventures

Jack is a very funny kid. He has such a great imagination. His teacher comments on it all the time and we love hearing him make up stories and different scenarios for his cars/trucks/airplanes/little people. The other day he was eating an English muffin in the car and said "Look Mom- it's Dora!" I turned around to see that he had eaten his muffin into a shape that he believed to be Dora! So creative! (It was clown day at school so his nose was painted red.)

Madeline loves to climb into small spaces- here it is my bathroom cabinet. This is where she spends most of her time while I get ready.
I asked Jack to share his fruit snacks with Madeline. He would put one on third stair (if you look closely you can see it) and say "Go get it Madeline." And of course, she would.

I would like to entitle this "Good help is hard to find."

12 months

We did our last "monthly" photo shoot yesterday. Madeline is getting tougher to capture as she is not one to sit still!

So happy and silly!

The Year in Review

When the doctor pulled Madeline out of me, he said to Clay "well Dad, tell what it is!" (We don't find out.) And Clay said "It's a girl- I think?!?!" I, from the behind the curtain, was so confused. "What do you mean, you think???" I said, still not really even believing that I had a daughter. Clay was just a little in shock and Madeline was still covered in "stuff" but sure enough, she was a girl!! To this day, I still stare at her in disbelief. A girl, a daughter, a precious gift. Sure, I immediately thought of the clothes, the shopping, the room that would HAVE to painted pink but I also thought of the precious relationship that a mother and daughter have. I love my mom so much and I was in awe that I was about to be given the chance to start that bond with my own daughter. I also adore my dad and couldn't wait to see the daddy/daughter relationship that would develop between Clay and Madeline. Fathers are so important to their daughter's self-esteem, confidence and how they value themselves. I know that Clay will instill in Madeline how beautiful, smart and talented she is just like my dad did and hopefully Madeline will know she can take on the world because her Daddy said she could (just like my dad told me!).

I wrote this http://thecouncills.blogspot.com/2007/11/one-year.html when Jack turned one. It was such a year of change, of learning, of failing and getting back up again. Our world was turned upside down by this little person. We could never be selfish again. When the second child comes, you are better prepared. It isn't that you don't miss the sleep or don't mind the crying but this time around you know "this too shall pass." You are used to being covered in snot or food or dirt and have already sold all your "dry clean only" clothes at the consignment store. With Madeline, I have enjoyed more and worried less. She slept in her swing for the first four months b/c she slept 12 hours a night. Was it hard to transition to the crib? Sure, but having four whole months of good sleep was awesome! She only ate baby food for 2 weeks b/c she wanted to feed herself (like Jack) so we went straight to table food. Does she get all her fruits/veggies, etc? Probably not but she is healthy and happy. I breastfed her for the first year b/c she loved it and it was easy and I didn't have to be at work, looking for a time and place to pump. It was a luxury and created a bond between that I am having a hard time breaking - we are on day 4 now. Madeline, like Jack, is a happy child. We have been blessed with two children who have spirited personalities and are already so social. Madeline and Jack have formed a bond and we love watching them interact. They are going to be quite the tag team when he isn't locking her out of his room and she isn't trying to date his friends. Those days seem so far off but I know they aren't. I am reminded to enjoy the giggles, the smeared goldfish on my shirt and the hundreds of tiny socks all over the house. We are excited to see what Year 2 will bring for our Madgirl- here is hoping that it includes more hair!

Happy Birthday Madeline!

Our sweet Madeline Kathleen turns one today!

She loved being sung to!
Checking out the cupcake

Showing us all how pretty it is!

Eating it like a lady!

I promised myself (and Clay) after Jack's 1st bday party that I would never do that again with another one year old. It was too much stress, chaos and work for a child who didn't even know what was happening. I kept true to my promise. I will save the big blowouts, princess parties, pink everything parties for when she will know and appreciate my hard work. For this year, we had a great dinner with the Smiths and celebrated with cupcakes. I just hope in the years to come, Madeline will still love me even though she got Funfetti and Jack got fondant. She seemed to enjoy hers just as much, even though she was alot cleaner with it.

We love, love, love you Madgirl and have been so blessed to have your sweet spirit in our family this year. We cannot wait to see what Year 2 holds- maybe even some hair!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Let the wedding season begin!

Friends in Knoxville threw my brother, Ryan and Julia their engagement party last night. We were so sad to miss it but can't wait for the other parties and the wedding where we can celebrate with them! We love you guys!

Valentine's Dinner Party

Last night we got to go to a FABULOUS Valentine's Dinner Party hosted by our friends Barb and Bret. I love to throw a party but Barb REALLY loves to throw a party and is SO good at it! I was thinking back to last year's party. I was 48 hours away from giving birth- yikes I was HUGE!

AHHH- So much more comfortable last night! I find it ironic that Clay can wear the same shirt year after year for VDay but I am ever changing in sizes! So not fair!
The decorations were so amazing. My pics don't even do it justice. My camera does not capture candlelight well. Here is the family room, set up for the "newlywed" game.

Tables set for dinner

The buffet- I don't I have ever seen so much tulle in one place!

The dessert bar

The cookies were meringue hearts dipped in chocolate!

We were selected to play the "newlywed"game. No one was newlyweds but it was the same concept- husband gets asked a question and you both write down what you think the other will say and vice versa. We ran the table, getting EVERY question right!! Love that we know each other so well!

As we were leaving the party we came out to find the ground covered in snow! A great party, a great night!

Busy Busy

We are having a busy day here! Cleaning, cooking, getting ready to go to a Valentine's Dinner Party and maybe even awaiting some snow tonight! Madeline is feeling so much better after fighting a nasty cold for the last week and has been super busy helping me!

Sweet girl is wearing a dress made by my Aunt Maureen! Isn't it adorable? I love the colors!

Checking out the bathroom drawers, a favorite activity
Dusting with her black tights! Madeline loves climbing through the end table.

Helping unload the dishwasher. Yes, I had to wash all the silverware again because she put most of it in her mouth but it kept her happy and entertained!

Let's Play!

We braved the cold windy day yesterday to take the caution tape off the playground because it is ready for PLAY!!! Jack was so excited to be the first one on all four slides!

The bounce buttons are a big hit!
Madeline wanted to go everywhere Jack went.

The spiral slide seemed to be his favorite!

How lucky we are to have this great playground in our backyard! We can't wait for warmer days so we can have all of our friends over!

Jordan and Kristy

We headed out to Salt Lake City for Jordan (Clay's brother) and Kristy's wedding. Jack was so excited to go on the airplane and see the snowy mountains. He insisted on wearing his backpack through the airport and pulling the carry-on. It was quite helpful!

He also LOVED the moving sidewalks and called them "slides." He rode them like this. It caused for alot of looks and laughs as we made our way through the airport!
The new Mr. and Mrs. Councill!!!

The Councills and The Councills

The Councill siblings and Kristy

Silly brothers!

The Councill family (we were missing lots of kids and Arwenn, Will's wife)

Bride and Groom and their parents- Lots of love!

The reception was beautiful but I didn't take many pics. I think I was just enjoying being out alone with Clay and not worrying if I had snot on me somewhere :)

Not the best quality but the only one I have with the happy couple!

We are so excited for Jordan and Kristy and loved being able to share in their special weekend!

Utah 2010

When not attending wedding events, we filled our time with lots of other fun activities. One of the highlights was taking Jack tubing in Park City. He was mesmerized by all the snow and talked about sledding even before we got on the plane to leave. We promised him all weekend and finally went Monday afternoon.

Ready to go!

Clay pulled Jack in the tube to the tow rope!Getting a ride up the mountain

So excited to go again and again

Coming down- Jack is in a tube in front of Clay

I stayed in the warming hut with Madeline most of the time but got to take a few rides with Jack too! It was awesome!

On Sunday we went out to Kristy's parents house in Midway for a luncheon. Again, Jack was so excited to play in the snow. It was about 2 feet deep and Kristy's sister-in-law had brought over snow clothes for the visiting kids- so nice! Jack had a blast!

At one point he said he lost his boot so I traisped through the snow to help him only to find that his boot was on his foot! I was wet and he was fine!

We spent Friday night at the home of Rick and Jodi Neilsen. The Councills and the Neilsens grew up together in Virginia. Jack and Madeline loved exploring their beautiful log home!

The Neilsens, Littles and us- all Virginia/North Carolina friends

When we got into town Thursday night, we headed straight for Russ and Chelsea Murphy's. Russ and Clay were roommates in Atlanta. We loved seeing them and the kids had fun together. Clay and Russ went skiing on Friday while the girls and kiddos did some shopping at Ikea. Of course, we didn't think to get a picture until the end and it didn't go well. Cade was not having it! This is the best one!

Overall the trip was great! The kids woke up between 4:30am and 5am every morning so Clay and I were working on 4-5 hours sleep a night so that was exhausting. But Madeline was a champ and Jack has such a great sense of adventure. He loves meeting new people and thinks everyone is his instant friend. On our way home, he got on the plane and introduced himself to the pilot. He then said "get us home fast!" As we made our approach into Raleigh, the captain did his usual descent message and then said "I hope that was fast enough for you, Jack!"