Madeline is Three!

Hello all. This post is very belated as Madeline turned three on Saturday, April 19th. I couldn't sign in to blogger for some reason but it is finally working!

So without further ado...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADELINE!

Our beautiful, spunky girl has grown so quick it's hard to believe. Many of the cliches of parenthood are true, and none ring more true than how quickly time flies when you have kids.

It just seems like yesterday that Travis and I were truck drivers (I know. That still sounds strange doesn't it?) and found out we were expecting a baby. I was very excited...not only to become a parent, but to quit truck driving! I actually told Travis we were expecting as he was driving an 80,000 pound semi-truck down the road. Luckily he didn't crash from the shock. ;)

Fast forward 8 months to the day I went into labor (three weeks early). I just have to tell this story because it still cracks me up.

It was 8:30 a.m. and my water broke. I called the hospital and they told me to come in within a couple hours. I didn't have contractions yet so I was running around like a mad woman trying to clean and get everything ready.

My cousin Sarah was supposed to be watching our dog, Josie. But Sarah was at work and so I called my Aunt Gayle thinking she might take Josie until Sarah got home.

Here's the conversation we had:

Me: Hi Aunt Gayle. I think my water broke and I need someone to come get Josie for me.

Her: (interrupting) Call this number. Your Uncle Louie is across the street eating breakfast. Call him.

Then she hangs up. She doesn't wish me luck or act excited that I'm about to have a baby.

I call Uncle Louie and tell him my water broke and ask him to pick up the dog. He shows up about three minutes later and tells me that he doesn't know much about plumbing.

As in pipes and water. Gayle and Louie thought a pipe in our loft broke! I have never laughed so hard. Feel free to tease them about it when you see them.

So back to the birthday girl.

Madeline was a little baby with a big personality. She has grown and changed so much but her big personality remains. If there is music, she is singing. And if there isn't music, she's making her own songs up. She also loves to dance. Travis taught her how to breakdance and she loves to perform for visitors. Or strangers. Or herself in the mirror. You get the idea.

She has a big heart and is a very kind little girl. She loves being a big sister to her "Zella Bella".

Madeline also loves to draw and paint. Every morning she wakes up and says "Today is a new day." And on our way down the stairs she talks about her naturally curly hair. (I don't know why she is obsessed with her curly hair. She just is. She talks about it all the time.)

We are so thankful she is a part of our family!

She had a great birthday!

I wanted to post pics of her as an infant, but am having problems getting them to load. I'll try again later. Pics from her birthday are coming too.

Also, my Grandpa Lester (my dad's father) is in the hospital and not going to make it. Please say a prayer for him and his children.

With love,

Free Vision Screening

Hello all. Just checking in.

Yesterday I had a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting in Forest City (about 20 miles away). Madeline and Zella had a great time playing with the kids. There are babysitters for the kids while the mothers have "mom time". We listened to a speaker and then broke out into groups for discussion. Everyone has been so friendly and I really enjoy going.

Madeline started yelling, "Mama...I made new friends! Hooray!" when she saw me. Too cute.

After the meeting the Lions Club screened the kids vision for free. It's a great program where they photograph your child's eyes using a special camera. The photos are sent to the University of Iowa for opthamologists to review. If they see a problem, they contact you and encourage you to see an opthamologist. The program is called Iowa KidSight and it is for children aged 6 months to 5 years. Check out the link above or call (319) 353-7616.

As you know, Zella has a cross-eye, lazy-eye and is very farsighted. If she wouldn't have had the obvious problem of a crossed eye, we may not have known for quite some time about her farsightedness. So I think a program like this is so important. Basically...have your child's eyesight and hearing checked!

Another great program is InfantSee, which is also free. It provides a free assessment to an eye doctor for infants between the ages of 6-12 months. Check out their web site or call toll-free (888) 396-EYES (3937).

Okay, I'm done with my infomercial. I am just so thankful we caught Zella's vision problems so soon. That is not the case for many children! Early detection is key.

More later,

More Mexico Pictures

Viva La Mexico!

Hola amigos. We had an incredible time in Mexico! I have never seen Travis so relaxed...(I think the massages by the beach and reflexology massage at the spa had something to do with it!)

We enjoyed 90 degree weather, the beautiful Caribbean Sea, white sands, relaxing pools, good food and plenty of margaritas.

We went with Trav's boss John, his wife Mary, co-worker Steve, and his wife Shirley. It was for the Land O Lakes Reward Trip and it was awesome! There were about 20 couples, 10 people who worked for Land O Lakes, and another 5 couples representing the sponsors of the trip. It was quite a large group and everyone we met was a lot of fun.

Travis has had to put in a lot of hours at his job the last couple years, but a free vacation to Mexico is definitely a nice perk! We are thankful we got to go!

The girls had a lot of fun with Aunt KK, Granny and Grandpa. They didn't miss us at all! They were happy to see us yesterday morning though. It was the longest we have ever left them and it was hard for me to leave. It was good to have a break and remember that we're a couple and not just parents.

We stayed at the Occidental Grand XCaret Resort in Riveria de Maya, Mexico. It was about an hour south of Cancun. The resort was absolutely beautiful and huge! There was a lot of the resort we didn't even see I think. We also went to the XCaret ecological park attached to the resort. It had a fun underground river we floated through.

We spent a lot of time in the water, either at the beach or in one of the five swimming pools. We made a lot of new friends who go on the trip each year. We can't wait to go back.

We are burnt (especially Travis) and peeling but still feeling relaxed. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Love,

Hello, Mexico!

Well, we are finally done with the flu (fingers crossed). Travis went back to work today thankfully. I have been up all hours trying to get ready for our trip to Mexico.

We leave for the hotel in the cities tomorrow and fly out at 6 a.m. Friday morning. Hopefully we'll be on the beach by noon. :) Woo hoo!

The girls will be at home with Aunt KK and Granny and Grandpa. Madeline is super-excited that cousin Gracie gets to spend the night at our house.

Travis and I have never taken a warm weather vacation (only camping in 50 degree weather!) so we are beyond excited.

I will return early next week with pictures.

Love,