Catch Up...

Whew - I had a few days get away from me there! Anthony was off on Saturday and Sunday was a busy day so I opted not to blog on either of those days. Today will be a picture heavy blog post while I try to get caught up on the last few days. So... here goes!

On Friday, Maddy and I joined Amanda and Ethan and Emily, Lillian and Rosie for the first trip to the cider mill of the season! We tried Plymouth Orchards and had a fun time even though we weren't able to get out and pick any apples! I was not overly impressed with their cider or donuts, though, so I am definitely looking forward to a trip to Erwins!

Ethan and Lillian - they are so cute together!

Sweet Rosie

Maddy as a very cute caterpillar

Ethan as a caterpillar

Maddy as the most serious scarecrow I've ever seen! Anthony and I were remarking that our poor girl is in trouble - with two of the most serious people for parents, I'm not sure how the girl is ever going to learn to be silly! :)

Lillian and Emily - so cute!

Lillian - she's such a precious little girl!

Lillian - look how happy she is!

Maddy in the wagon

she was not sure about the hay - hence the classic Maddy Grace face!

enjoying the cider!

Saturday was Anthony's day off and we really enjoyed it! We had a lazy morning just relaxing at home and playing with Maddy. Then I ran some errands during Maddy's nap while Anthony got some relaxing time at home. I got a lot accomplished! In the afternoon, we headed over to Todd and Emily's to hang out and watch the Michigan game with friends. It was a lot of fun! Of course, it's very different to watch a football game with six kids under six!

reading with Dad!

she loves this story about the sounds animals make and often looks back and forth between the page and the reader as they make the funny sounds - too cute!

I love her intent expression in this picture!

Love these two so much!

Maddy and Daddy

In the evening, we headed out to see Anthony's Mom, and sisters Anna and Catherine perform in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. They were all three in the chorus and it was SO FUN to watch them perform! I'm so proud of them and impressed at their skill! I was especially loving to watch Mom in such a different role than I've ever seen her in - she really enjoyed it and looked GREAT singing and dancing up there! A big thanks to Jess and Mike for staying with Maddy so we could enjoy the show.

Incidentally, the show was performed at our former high school - North Farmington. Anthony and I met there and have a lot of memories dating back to that time and place. In fact, ten years ago Anthony performed in Joseph on the very same stage as a senior in high school. It just so happened that I had already spent a fair amount of time that weekend thinking back to high school days and everything that went with it (as a result of a couple of interactions over the weekend). So, when we arrived for the show, my emotions were right up at the surface. And sure enough, just sitting in that auditorium, I welled up and started crying! I can't even explain it fully - just so many memories and so much emotion that goes along with it. I know everyone's experience was not like this, but a lot of high school for me was filled with insecurity and constant self-awareness. I spent way too much time worrying about how I was perceived and trying to project the image of myself that I wanted others to see. Inevitably - even with a great group of friends - I ended up feeling not good enough and shunned by certain people. The most surprising thing though, was realizing that while I've made a lot of good progress in that area, I still struggle with a lot of the same things! I think I'm sick of wondering what people think of me and watching every word and action when I'm in public. I now feel pretty good in my own skin and I'm increasingly confident of how I'm viewed in God's eyes and yet I still get stressed so often in social situations. Just sitting there Saturday night made me realize that it is time to move past that and just embrace myself and be myself. I don't want to waste any more time on any of that silliness.

On Sunday Anthony was back to work. Maddy and I hung out at home in the morning and I got some good work done around the house. Our dining room table had become cluttered with my crafting stuff and it was time to clear it off and get organized! It felt really good to get it clear and even better when Anthony saw it later!

In the afternoon I realized that Maddy is cutting a tooth on the top! She's definitely been showing the signs of teething so I wasn't too surprised but I'm always relieved for her sake when we see the gum pop open! She must have been feeling it too because she took an extra long nap in the afternoon! That was actually a good thing because after her nap we headed to a birthday party for Anthony's grandmother. She was extra rested and in a much better mood than she would have been otherwise! Anthony's dad came to pick me and Maddy up - it was such a treat and so nice not to have to drive at all!

I really enjoyed my time at the party. A lot of the great aunts and uncles were there and it was so nice for them to be able to see Maddy. I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed seeing everyone myself! There were about 40 people there and as I looked around the room I realized how much I now feel that these people are MY family - even though I'm not blood related! They have really embraced me and it is just such a great feeling to know that we have so much family that love us and care about us! The party was downtown so Anthony was able to come right at the end after he finished his shift. Everyone was so happy to see them - it is so rare that he is able to attend the events anymore - and I know it meant a lot to his grandmother. Maddy did great the whole time and just bounced around between me, Mom, Dad, and Anna. She was - of course - very happy when Anthony arrived. I brought her pajamas and her blanket so she snuggled up and fell asleep in her carseat on the way home. Once we got home, she settled right into her bed! It was perfect!

a very happy Maddy this morning!

Maddy talking to me from her crib (for more of this, see the video below)

she found her paci in her toy bin - too cute! It's funny how strange she looks with it since she never uses it!

while I was trying to get some things in order in the bedroom Maddy got a drawer open and started pulling a ton of stuff out of it! She made a big mess fast!!! It actually worked out because I had been meaning to organize that drawer for a while.

the little mess-maker! (she looks so innocent!)

While I was organizing the drawer and cleaning up Maddy's mess, she was exploring Bella's crate and the poor girl got stuck! I couldn't resist snapping a picture before helping her get out.

I took advantage of Maddy's extra long nap to get a little dolled up for the party. It isn't very often anymore that I get to do that! Most days I don't even put make-up on! I was able to try on a few outfits and pick a favorite, get contacts in, jewelry on, hair done and put on make-up. Even after all that she was still sleeping!

all dressed up

Maddy got all dressed up too! This is one of my favorite dresses of hers and I decided to try putting on the pearls that Nani (Anthony's grandmother) had given her. Maddy always loves other people's jewelry so I wanted to see how she reacted to something on her. She loved it! She played with it for a few minutes and then left it alone!

Before we left I tried to get a picture of me and Maddy since we were both looking so good! She was not interested! I think I took 20 pictures or more and practically all of them had her either pushing away from me (see below) or crying (see below). Ugh!

"Mom - I am not interested in this!"

"Didn't you hear me?!?"

this was the best I could get...

I'll finish with a cute video. This was Sunday morning and it was first thing when I went in to get Maddy. She was just so vocal and intense - it was too cute! I rushed to get the camera and was so surprised that she kept it up! These are the moments to remember...