Mike, Melissa & Maddux

Maddux 2012

2012-02-09T23:03:00.001-07:00

Maddux and I had an interview to start the year off, here were his answers.

Favorite color: Red

Favorite show: Word World and Cars

Favorite food: Mac and Cheese

Favorite drink: water

Favorite treat: Chocolate cookies and milk (oreos)

Favorite thing to do with Daddy: play basketball games

Favorite thing to do with Mommy: make some cookies

Friends: Camdyn, Brenna, Libby, Kaitlin (preschool friends), Kimberly and Zach (our friends that watch Maddux during preschool- adorable right?)

Favorite toy: Cars

Favorite song: my Jingle Bell song (Jingle Bell Rock) and my Cars songs (Cars soundtrack)

Favorite thing to do outside: ride my bike

Favorite thing to do in preschool: color

SNOW!

2012-01-18T15:39:00.002-07:00

We finally had our first snow today. I can't say that I have really missed it, but I am excited that Maddux got to experience some snow this year. When I woke him up this morning, I showed him the snow out the window and he exclaimed, "Mommy! I get to wear my snow boots today!"

Mike shoveled the walks at 8:30 and by the time the preschoolers arrived at 9, they weren't very clear.

Then, when the preschoolers left at 11:15, you couldn't tell they had ever been cleared.

We immediately got Maddux in his snow clothes and headed out to enjoy the snow.

Maddux and Daddy with their snowman Frank.
(Thank you murder mystery party costumes for providing Frank's hat and scarf:) )

Warming up with Maddux's favorite- Candy Cane Hot Chocolate.

Christmas Vacation

2012-01-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

The rest of our stay was full of

Putting together toys- this particular toy took Mike, Ryan, Kelsie, and I an hour to figure out.

Playing with cousins

Playing with Christmas toys

playing with Christmas toys with cousins

and going to Hunter's birthday party. Maddux found this race track and had so much fun.

playing with Uncle Joe

Enjoying birthday cake

The guys played horse so Maddux had to join in the fun!

We had so much fun, a week just wasn't long enough.

Our Holly Jolly Christmas

2012-01-03T04:05:00.000-07:00

Our Christmas began super early for us- we had church at 9 am so we decided to wake Maddux up at 7:30 (On a normal day Maddux will sleep until between 8:30 and 9:30)

He was so excited to see what Santa brought.

Santa brought Maddux a fleet of emergency vehicles

Maddux LOVED them

Playing with Uncle Ryan

no I do not typically get up and get ready before Christmas morning, but 9 o'clock church sorta required it this year.

Ryan made Maddux a Fire station and a police station out of boxes.

Maddux had tons of fun with it.

Then it was off to church with the Brian Family. We didn't get a picture of us all, but here is my handsome boy all dressed up :)

After church we had Christmas with the Brian family.

My Uncle Allen gave all the kids cowboy hats. Maddux told me later, "Hunter has a hat like Woody and Lily has a hat like Jessi and I have a hat like Uncle Allen!"

We had a delicious brunch, the kids played and napped, and I did jamberry nails for my Mom and Camille (Hailey had already left).

Then it was back to the Burrup's for a bit to open presents

play with cousins

and some football with Uncle Jim.

We had such a fun and exhausting day! We loved attending church and celebrating the birth of our Savior, we loved all the time spent with our family, and we loved all the yummy food. Maddux was so much fun this year- he loved every single present and was so excited about everything. He kept checking all day, "Mommy is it Christmas? It is. It's not over."

Little did he know there was still more fun to come!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-01T16:01:00.001-07:00

We had a fun and crazy Christmas this year. We started celebrating Christmas Eve and didn't really stop until the 27th. We knew we wanted to spend Christmas in Pocatello with our families, however, we always wanted to have Christmas with just our family. So, we had our family Christmas on Christmas Eve, then headed to Poky for a week.

All December we have been driving around looking at lights, checking out neighborhoods around us. We always had fun, but we hadn't found that 1 special house/street/neighborhood that just amazed us. Well, 2 days before Christmas Eve we found it! This house goes ALL out. It was amazing- lights EVERYWHERE- house, trees, bushes, porch, window, garage, fence- everywhere- AND choreographed to music. We loved it especially Maddux. He still talks about it. So we went again on the eve of Christmas Eve, it was CRAZY, but Maddux loved it so much, it was worth it. Then we went home and watched the animated Nativity and sent Maddux to bed. Mike and I watched Mr. Kruger's Christmas and a couple Office Christmas episodes and got ready for our trip to Poky. Christmas Eve morning Santa had filled our stockings and we opened our gifts for each other.

Playing with a little hoop from his stocking.

Maddux was super excited to to open his Cars presents, he did it with out any assistance, but was the slowest present opener EVER!

He was so excited over each gift and just wanted to play with it, we were able to convince to keep going though.

LOVED his new Bears helmet and jersey from Dad.

and his Cars bowling set.

We played with Maddux's new toys and enjoyed some baked scones with jam or cinnamon honey-butter. (they were delicious- I think they will be be our new Christmas eve tradition). Then we loaded up the car- we were packed to the brim, but we fit everything in- and headed to Poky.
We arrived in Pocatello about 5 and squeezed in as much fun as possible :)
We spent time with both sets of Grandparents, Maddux got new Christmas jammies from Grandma and Grandpa Brian, he went to see Christmas lights with Ryan, Sydnie, and Kelsie,

we set out fudge for Santa,

took a few pictures,
and Maddux was in bed by about 9:30.

Then Mike and I watched a Christmas Story with Ryan, Kels, and Charlie.

Then it was off to bed so Santa wouldn't skip us :)

Christmas Pics

2011-12-28T00:43:00.000-07:00

Our traditional Sunday Best in front of the Tree

Our Christmas tree 2011 (Between Maddux and 2 cousins that love Cars, seemed like all we had were Cars presents)

I want to Remember

2011-12-22T22:39:00.001-07:00

Maddux is at such a fun age. He is always doing and saying cute little things that make Mike and I smile :)

I want to write a few of them down so we can remember them forever.

For Mike's birthday Maddux gave him tickets to a BSU basketball game. We went this week and had tons of fun. (No pictures- I left my camera at home and our phones were left in the car- boo)

At half time a youth basketball team played for about 5 minutes- Maddux loved it and was searching everywhere for CC :) He loved the music they played during time outs. He loved cheering and clapping, but kept covering his ears when the cheering got loud. A couple days later Maddux rode his motorcycle into the kitchen and told me, "Bye Mom! I'm going to Boise State basketball!" I replied, "Have fun! Cheer loud!" He then rode his motorcyle over to his basketball hoop, jumped off and started playing basketball. He was being so LOUD and making the funniest noises. Then he said, "Mom, I'm cheering loud! I'm making a big shot!" Since then he has played Boise State basketball everyday.
We definitely have to take him to another game :)

My awesome friend Kimberly watches Maddux 2 days a week during preschool. Her daughter, Brenna, is the same age as Maddux and in Maddux's preschool class. They are together 4 days a week, then we hang out as families frequently. I love it! Maddux and Brenna play (and fight) almost like they are siblings. They are both just so cute!
This week when I picked up Maddux, Kimberly told me Maddux and Brenna were pretending to watch TV; Brenna was watching an Elephant movie and Maddux was watching the Bears game. (Adorable right?) Brenna wasn't sure what that meant so she kept saying Maddux was watching a bears movie while Maddux insisted he was watching THE Bears GAME! They make me laugh all the time. They regularly fight over who is more beautiful, who gets the pink plate/spoon/cup, and whether Maddux is a forehead(?) or a boy :)

Special Visitors

2011-12-21T02:11:00.000-07:00

Maddux has been dying to have Hunter and Lily come to his house. SO the first part of December my awesome parents brought Hunter and Lily to visit.

The kids were in heaven and had SO MUCH fun together! For most of the weekend we just hung out at our house and let the kids play. We did find some time to:

visit Santa

and go to the Botanical Gardens Winter Wonderland. The lights were amazing, we had a great time despite the cold.

Maddux ringing the bell with help from Uncle Joe

Maddux and Lily with Santa

Maddux told Santa he wants a police car and coloring book for Christmas.

Maddux kept insisting that these were Grandma's favorite lights (because they are purple) so we had to get a picture.

Hunter and Emily with Santa

The kids had a blast- so glad Joe and Emily were there, it wouldn't have been nearly as fun without them!

Mike, my Dad, and Joe went to a Hockey game. My Mom and I stayed home, watched a Christmas movie with the kids, put them to bed early and then crafted our hearts out!

We had a fun, exhausting weekend and can't wait to do it again!

Maddux's Preschool Pictures

2011-12-21T01:56:00.000-07:00

My amazingly talented friend Liz photographed my preschool kids. Here are Maddux's super cute and grown up pictures!

Family Pictures

2011-12-21T01:51:00.001-07:00

So this post is LONG overdue. Clear back before Labor Day we scheduled family pictures in Poky. We all got hair cuts, we had clothes picked out, we were set- then they fell through:(

My brother's AWESOME and talented wife Camille came to our rescue and took these great pictures for us!

Grandma, Grandpa, Hunter, and Lily joined us for the end of the photo shoot

Thanksgiving

2011-12-09T00:26:00.002-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We went to Pocatello late Monday night after the tree lighting and stayed until late Saturday night. We packed as much fun as we could into those 5 days :)

Tuesday night Hillman payed for a hotel so we invited all the cousins to come up swimming Tuesday night and again Wednesday morning.

We got to enjoy 2 Thanksgiving feasts! We had lunch with my family, minus my little brother :(

We were lucky enough to have my Mom's sister, my Mom's brother and a few of my cousins join us. It was SOOO much fun. We used have Thanksgiving together often, but now that we are all grown up and have families of our own it doesn't happen much.

The kids coloring waiting for our feast.

We enjoyed a delicious meal, catching up, and painting all the girls nails :)

Our whole group (Thanks Camille for the pic)

Then we headed to the Burrup's for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. (I hope to steal some picture from someone soon)

For the second year in a row, my Mom and I enjoyed some black Friday shopping and even talked my sister into joining us. Hailey and I had a lovely time waiting in an organized, friendly, polite line for our item. We were given a ticket at about 10, then at midnight we followed the line in an organized fashion and picked up our item. Next year we are bringing lawn chairs and popcorn- seriously I have never enjoyed better people watching!

My poor Mom, however, did not have such a lovely time. Her line was full of pushing, crowding, rudeness, that turned into a free for all at midnight. She managed to get both her items, but got a decent scratch in the process. :(

I wasn't very happy at first about the switch to midnight shopping, but I have to admit- being in bed by 1:30 was delightful :)

Friday my Mom and I headed to IF for some more shopping while Mike and Maddux went bowling with the Burrups.

It was Maddux's first time bowling and he LOVED it. So much that we bought him a little bowling set for Christmas- ssshhh! don't tell ;)

Friday night my parents, sister and I braved the cold and took the kiddos to the light parade. Maddux LOVED it. He loved the lights, the music, Santa, but most of all he loved the police cars and fire truck!

Here comes Santa!

Hanging out with cousins :)

Then Saturday we had to stick around late enough to enjoy Christmas in the night time skies before heading home.

Fireworks and Christmas music- such a magical combination :)

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and felt so blessed to spend it in Pocatello with our families.

Christmas Tree lighting at the Capitol

2011-12-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

The Monday before Thanksgiving our friend's daughter sang at the lighting of the tree ceremony at the Capitol so we went and enjoyed the festivities.

We had quite the time getting there- we left late, underestimated the time it would take to get there, found great parking only to find out it wasn't public :( - so Kimberly and I jumped out with the kiddos (3 two year olds and a brand new baby) and ran to the Capitol while Mike, Zach, and Ashley parked the cars.

Maddux, Brenna, and Paige

We made it just in time to hear Madi sing and see the tree light up.

I have to say, it was pretty impressive, by far the biggest tree I've ever seen and covered in lights :)

Maddux telling Daddy all about the tree lighting. (They missed it since they had to park so far away, then walk- slowly- since Mike was half crippled with an achilles injury and Ashley is pregnant).

Then there was hot chocolate, The Great Seal of Idaho cookies, and free books for everyone.

First Snow

2011-12-08T23:36:00.000-07:00

The Friday before Thanksgiving we had our first, and so far, only snowfall.

I opened the door to show Maddux and he exclaimed, "Oh Mommy! It's snowing- it's Christmastime!!"

He insisted on getting bundled up (including reindeer antlers) and going outside.

He lasted all of 30 seconds, then decided it was much more fun to watch the snow from the window than to b outside in the cold and wind.

Cute Mr Maddux

2011-12-03T23:38:00.004-07:00

So I finally got caught up, just to get behind again. :(
I have so many fun things to post, but I just had to post about my cute little Maddux. :)

He is just getting SOOO grown up and growing up more everyday. He has become quite independent and is definitely in to doing things on his own. He loves to watch his shows in the bonus room on his own. I'll go in to put a show on for him, as soon as it starts he'll say, "Mommy, don't sit by me. Get out."

He has decided that he is too big to sit on our laps, even when we read book he insists on sitting next to us "like a big boy"

He is becoming quite a good little helper. He is a good listener and is great about going to grab things or put them away. His chore is to put the silverware from the dishwasher into the drawer. He takes it pretty seriously and is so proud of himself when it's done.

Maddux has been dying for some boots so I finally broke down and bought some. He LOVES them and would wear them nonstop if I let him.

Maddux has decided that he loves to play Rock Band.

He is always saying, "Let's play a song. Come play a song with me!"

Maddux loves my strawberry jam. I caught him cleaning the jar :)

Maddux L.O.V.E.S. all things Christmas! He loves Christmas lights- we have been going for drive to see them almost every night. He loves to find ones with blue lights because he knows they are Daddy's favorite. Maddux's favorite are red lights and he makes sure to tell us each time we see red lights. He loves to see the different Santas, Snowmen, Baby Jesus, and winter animals. He is so adorable oooooing and awing over each house. He is always saying things like, "Oh this one is so pretty, look at those beautiful trees. This is my favorite!"

Maddux Loves Christmas music. His favorites are Jingle Bell Rock and Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time. He also enjoys most Mannheim Steamroller (he refers to them as the horns and the drums) and, of course, Rudolph and Frosty.

Maddux loves Christmas trees, especially ours. He looks forward to turning it on every morning. He has been good about leaving the ornaments on but he loves to touch them and talk about them and play with them while they are on the tree :)

While I was getting my Christmas stuff out Maddux found this little Nativity. He keeps it in his room and likes playing with it.

Happy Birthday Mike!

2011-11-30T01:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the BEST Daddy and Husband ever!

Maddux and I love you so much and are so lucky to have you!

Visitors!

2011-11-15T03:53:00.000-07:00

We had a fun weekend full of visitors!

Nathan and Camille came to visit Wednesday and Thursday. We had lots of fun showing them all the fun Boise has to offer (shopping mostly :)) Maddux LOVED having them here. Each time we left the house he made sure Nasen and Camille were coming too. He panicked if he lost them in the store. Maddux kept grabbing their hands and dragging them around to show them something. I think it was mostly to make sure they didn't leave though.

Then as Nathan and Camille were leaving my parents came for the weekend.

On Friday, Bo had a play-off game in Eagle so we met up with Jim, Kels and family, Dan, Denna, Danni and Colty, AND Grandma and Grandpa Burrup for lunch. Then Jim and Kels stopped by to see our house and bring Maddux a surprise (saving that for another post). That night Mike went to the game, but it was too cold for Maddux and I!

Saturday morning Santa arrived at the Boise mall on a fire truck so, of course, we couldn't miss that!

Waiting for Santa to arrive.

They handed out antlers and jingle bells to all the kids.

Cutest dinosaur-reindeer with shark gloves and jingle bells EVER!

Enjoying a cookie while we waited.

Grandpa, Maddux and Grandma

Family pic

Meeting Build-a-bear

Santa's arrival.

Maddux LOVED it. The fire truck pulled up with siren going and lights flashing- he kept saying, "That's so cool!"

When Santa came down from the truck he walked through the crowd right to Maddux and asked to hold him! Santa thought Maddux's hat was so awesome. Maddux did really well- much better than we expected- by the time we got the camera out and snapped this picture he was starting to get worried and on the verge of tears. He came back to me and got a quick snuggle, then he told us, "Santa's so nice! He hold me. He like my hat!"

Meeting the firemen. They were so friendly to Maddux- talked to him, shook his hand, gave him rocks. Maddux was more excited to see them then Santa.

Inside the mall Maddux LOVED watching Santa!

Then Mike, Joe, and my Dad headed to the BSU vs TCU game. It was a great game- until Boise lost in the last few seconds!

We had SOOOO MUCH FUN!! We loved having so many visitors and miss them all already!

Murder Mystery Party 2011

2011-11-04T00:39:00.000-06:00

Our AWESOME friends the Hermansen's hosted their annual Murder Mystery Party. This year the theme was Under the Big Top. It was tons of fun!

Group Picture

There aren't any great pictures of the decorations- but they had it set up like a circus tent and all the food was circus themed- funnel cakes, carmel apples, big-soft pretzels, nachos, popcorn, various foods on a stick.

Our characters were assigned- I was Sybil the Fortune teller and Mike was Payton Protection the security guard at a 1930's circus.

The circus theme led to some AWESOME costumes and some awkward too :) Here are pictures of some- my favorites were the human mermaid and clown. Poor Parker got assigned the bearded lady- but he rocked Liz's dress and heels.

Mike solving the crime for us (he was the only one to figure it out- guess watching Pysch is paying off :)

The murderer was:

the clown of course!

We had tons of fun and can't wait for next year!

(and thanks for the pictures Kimbo!)

Trick-or-Treat

2011-10-31T23:53:00.000-06:00

Our cute little trick-or-treater

Maddux picked his own costume. For weeks I kept asking Maddux what he wanted to be for Halloween, each time he had a different answer and each time we went to look at costumes he refused to try any of them on. Then he saw this costume and tried it on happily. I didn't buy it- sure that he would change his mind, but from then on every time we asked what he wanted to be he responded A ROCKET!!

Family picture

I know- why do we need 2 pictures? Usually we can't get 1 decent picture so I am just so excited about getting 2 pictures this year :)

Our friends subdivision does a trick-or-treat parade at their park and they invited us to join in the fun.

Maddux and cute Josie waiting for the fun to begin.

We really wanted a picture of these cute friends together- but a decent picture of three 2 year olds is next to impossible!

Abbey Cadabbey, Rocket, and a Zebra

I wish we thought to get pictures of all the kids together- 9 total and they all looked awesome!

Ready to trick-or-treat

EXCITED to trick-or-treat!

This is the first time we have taken Maddux trick or treating. We talked a lot about it before hand and he was super excited, but we weren't sure what Maddux would really think.

He trick or treated like a pro. He eagerly said trick or treat to each candy giver and promptly thanked them, he smiled, showed off his costume, waited his turn, and he went for the good stuff when he was told he could pick :)

After the trick or treat parade we headed to Dan and Denna's for the Burrup's famous spud nuts- that were delicious- of course!

Grandpa Brian's Birthday

2011-10-31T23:30:00.000-06:00

We were lucky enough to be in Pocatello for my Dad's birthday. He had to work so my Mom and I took the kids to meet him for lunch. Of course, the kids were sure Grandpa wanted Micky Donalds for lunch :)

Cute Mr. Maddux

2011-10-25T00:13:00.002-06:00

Maddux has grown up SOOO much since our move! I can't believe it. Even though he'll always be my baby, he is definitely NOT a baby anymore!

Maddux TALKS, and TALKS, and TALKS, seriously he talks ALL THE TIME.

Here are some of my favorite things he said lately

-In the car after getting to see his Dad for a brief minute as we were leaving the house

"Mommy I HAPPY! I got to see my buddy my Daddy!"

-"Mommy next week we go to Pocatello to MY fire station with Grandma and Hunter and Lily. And go to Mickey Donalds and eat french fries and chicken nuggets." (Tells me this A LOT).

-Walking past a crying baby in the store, "Mommy that baby is sad- he needs to cheer up"

-In the car I was trying to talk to Mike about something and Maddux was just talking away, finally fed up he said, "MOMMY I JUST TRYIN TALK A YOU!"

-Playing with cars, 1 car talking to another, "OK, if your nice in Target we will go to Micky Donalds for french fries and chicken nuggets."

-Playing with a micro machine car that he found at my parent's, "This car is so tiny and cute. Awww, I just love it, it's my favorite!"

Maddux is all about favorites right now, he's always saying, "Yay chocolate cookies- my favorite! I want to go to Target- it's my favorite! I want to hear this song -it's my favorite!" Or if I am singing along to the radio, "This is mommy's favorite song!"

When we were in Bear Lake, Mike and I left the beach early with Maddux and Colt for nap time. Maddux was in the back seat just talking Colty's ear off, then Mike and I hear Maddux say in the most annoyed voice, "Colty sleeping?! I talkin' him!" Maddux does not like to be ignored!

He also does not like to be alone. He still thinks Mike or I, or preferably both of us need to be in the same room with him.

Maddux still LOVES cars but it has changed from Disney Cars to Police cars, Fire trucks, motorcycles, and ambulances.

LOVES all the fire trucks, ambulances, police helicopters, and police trucks at Costco right now. He would spend hours there if we'd let him.

My aunt lives in Boise and loaned this cute car to Maddux. He loves it!

A few days later she loaned him this motorcycle- which he also LOVES!

Taking good care of his car, making it shine!

Sitting in the yellow car at Walmart- LOVES it!

My 3 year old preschool class is very young- a couple kids that turned 3 over the summer and a 2 1/2 year old. I decided let Maddux come and see how it went. He LOVES preschool and is doing great. This is his best buddy Brenna. She comes to preschool and Maddux goes to her house to play during my 4 year old preschool class.

Still loves playing ball. He is always saying, "Daddy play catch with a me!" "Daddy play basketball with a me!" "Daddy play football with a me, tackle me, YAY Bears!"

Watching Da Bears

YAY BEARS!!

LOVES to wear his Bears Jersey and watch the Bears play with Daddy!
(Thinks any football on TV is Da Bears)

Maddux stills LOVES the alphabet. He has know all his letters and sounds for a while so we have been working on words beginning with each letter. We started out with just 1 word for each letter and have slowly been adding to it. When he says, "B is for Bo" I say "and what else? Bu Bu . . ." and encourage him to come up with another word- he loves it and usually does great with it. So we were doing this one day and Maddux said, "Mommy R is for Ryan" so I said, "and what else? Rrr, Rrrr . . ." Maddux responded, "Rrr, Rrrr . . . TURTLE!" :) Not quite Buddy ;)

Here is his typical list:

A is for Apple and Adria

B is for Bo, Brenna, Burrup, Brian, Barb, basketball, baseball, BOO

C is for CC, Camdyn, Camille, and Colty

D is for Daddy, Danni, and Dinosaur

E is for Emily and egg

F is for Fire truck, Frank(?), and football

G is for Grandma and ghost

H is for Hunter, Hailey and Halloween

I is for insects and yucky (We are working that. I was trying to teach him icky, but he says yucky every time)

J is for Uncle Joe and Josie

K is for Kelsie and Kaitlin

L is for Lily and Libby

M is for Maddux and NOTHING else, just for Maddux :)

N is for Nathan

O is for octopus

P is for Papa, Peytie, and police car

Q is for quack quack

R is for Ryan, Rocky and Robot

S is for star and snake

T is for TayTay and Ty

U is for Ugly Umpire

V- still working on

W is for water (and then immediately turned upside down into an M for Maddux)

X-still working on

Y is for yellow

Z is for zebra and zipper

He has learned the letter for all the kids in preschool class and is on the look out for their letters every where we go :)

Loves reading books! He is always saying "Daddy/Mommy read this a me"

His favorites right now are:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Alphabet Mystery

Big Pumpkin

The Spooky Old Tree

Bus to Booville

Anything to do with Police cars/ Fire trucks/ Motorcycles/Trains/School buses

Watching the rain drain in front of house, he was fascinated by it!

Running
Maddux is all about running. He runs everywhere and always wants us to run with him. He is always saying, "Mommy/Daddy run with me!' We love to run back and forth from the front door to the back!

Maddux's cousins and a friend came to play one day so, of course, we played in the preschool!

TOUCHDOWN BSU!
We have been been BSU fans for a while, but since we live here we had to make it official :)
(Maddux actually swears it is a Bears Jersey)

LOVES oreos and milk!

Maddux was super interested in the whole bathroom process, always wanting to watch everyone and flush the toilet so we got him a little potty. He hated it at first, but is SLOWLY warming up to it. He sits on it before his bath, but that is it- he has NO interest it potty training yet.

Maddux helping paint.

Every wall in our house needed paint! We have got a lot of it done- the main living area/dining area/kitchen, the hallways and main bathroom, Maddux's room and the bonus room. Next up is our bedroom and bathroom. Then next summer we'll do the preschool, guest bedroom, and laundry room.

Scared me to death climbing up the ladder when I was doing some touch up painting!

LOVES his skeleton jams!

Trips to Poky

2011-10-23T11:51:00.000-06:00

Since Mike still covers Pocatello and Idaho Falls we have been able to go to Poky pretty regularly [on Hillman :)] We head there Thursday at bedtime and come home Saturday during nap time or at bedtime.

Maddux thinks Pocatello is a place far more magical than Disneyland. A place full of cousins and grandparents, cousin's football games, trips to the Fire Station, the park, and Micky Donalds, staying up late, and a place where EVERYONE has treats for him. He looks forward to it so much and is always planning all the fun things he'll do. When we can't do something, he'll say, "Next week in Pocatello. Right Mommy? Next week"

Watching Bo's game

Best buds :)

Watching CC's game

Driving a fire truck

In heaven!

In the back of an old fire engine

Playing at the park- Maddux kept saying, "Mommy I sooo strong! Look a me!"

Playing football with Hunter. He was SOOOO excited to wear the helmet.

Skeletons can play football too right?!

I'm glad Mike's job allows us to go back so much- Maddux LOVES every second!

The Burrups in Meridian

2011-10-21T23:04:00.004-06:00

Our NEW house!

We still adjusting to the move, but we are really enjoying our house!!

Our house has 4 bedrooms (3 bedrooms and a preschool room), 2 bathrooms, a bonus room, 3 car garage, and a YARD.

Our favorite things!

Maddux

*L.O.V.E.S. our hardwood floors! He thinks they are just PERFECT for

driving his car

and motorcycle on,
driving his cars,

building with blocks

and Legos,

and bouncing balls!

*Loves having the preschool in our house.

He loves being able to go in and use all the stuff, he loves to play school, he loves to show his Dad what he does in preschool.
*Loves having a yard.

*Loves having a pantry and a shelf full of Maddux snacks that he can get to all himself.

Mike

*Loves having the bonus room A.K.A his man cave. Right now it just has our old TV, a recliner, and the Xbox, but he has big plans for decorating with all his autographs!

*Loves our 3 car garage. He is very excited to not have to scrape windows this winter :)

*Loves our Gas stove, he has been wanting one for awhile.

*Loves being able to hit golf balls in our back yard.

Melissa

*L.O.V.E.S. having the preschool in our house! I love not going anywhere for work :) I love having all my stuff right there if I need something spur of the moment. I love being able to work on preschool stuff ANYTIME I want!

*Loves her new washer and dryer! Our town house had what I am pretty sure is the smallest capacity washer and dryer EVER! So we bought LARGE capacity washer and dryer and I am LOVING it. I find myself looking for things to wash :)

*Loves having Maddux's room on the main floor. I LOVE that all Maddux's toys can be stored in his room and he can get them out/put them away all on his own!

Things we all LOVE!

*Our yard! It has been and will continue to be a lot of work for a while. We are working hard to get rid of thistles, morning glory, and a host of other weeds that have taken over parts of our back yard. But, we love having a place just for us to play and barbeque and enjoy. Our yard has raspberry bushes and we can hardly wait to harvest them next year :)

*Having a guest room complete with a queen bed! We love the room even more when we have visitors staying in it! Seriously, give us a call if you are in Meridian- we LOVE visitors!!

Burrup Family in Bear Lake

2011-10-10T22:27:00.001-06:00

Over Labor Day weekend we headed to Poky for a day and then to Bear Lake with the Burrup Family for the weekend. It was tons of fun, as usual, but a little lonely since the Knapp family and Chris and Daneille were missing.

I forgot my Camera, luckily there is never a shortage of cameras or willing photographers in the Burrup family :)

Ryan and Kelsie made sure every day was fun filled and everyone had a blast.

Maddux and Colty had lots of fun and were the best of friends (when they weren't stealing each toys or screaming in each others face).

Enjoying the beach and cousins

Maddux loves Ryan and Sydnie and followed them everywhere.

Lucky for Maddux, Colty brought his trike. Maddux rode it every chance he got.

He also enjoyed Colty's computer- luckily Colty was too busy playing with everyone's phones and ipads to notice.

Maddux and his Pocatello cousins have really missed each other.

We had lots of fun and can't wait until next year- hope everyone can make it!!

The Move and Ann Morrison Park

2011-10-10T07:26:00.003-06:00

Mike and I decided that our move would hopefully be easier on Maddux if he stayed in Pocatello with his Grandparents for a few days and then came to his new house with his new room all put together and all his toys there. So that is what we did. We started moving in Thursday and my parents brought Maddux up Saturday night. Those few days gave us time to get our house functional, get all the important stuff unpacked, get Maddux's room set-up (not decorated-STILL working on that), and do some grocery shopping AND Maddux was able to enjoy a few more days with his cousins.
THANKS grandparents!
My parents brought Maddux up Saturday night; Nathan and Camille came the same night. We had Joe and Emily over for brunch, then my Dad, Nathan and Camille headed back to Poky. My Dad drove our 30 foot trailer back for us and Nathan and Camille followed with walkie-talkies to make sure he was awake and safe- THANKS!

My mom stayed a few more days to help out. She helped me get the preschool all set up. She made dinner for all our friends and then watched all our kids (8!) while we delivered preschool flyers. She cooked and cleaned and entertained Maddux. Don't worry, we did let her have a little fun while she was here :)

We met Joe and Emily at Ann Morrison park for dinner, feeding the ducks, and playing on the toys.

Feeding the ducks

They are pretty used to being fed and will take food right out of your hand.

While we ate dinner Maddux enjoyed chasing the poor squirrels. They must be pretty used to people too, they didn't flinch at Maddux screams and squeals, and they let him get awfully close.

Then it was off to the toys.

The park is HUGE, and Joe showed us all of it. Maddux thought these little deer were awesome.

These pictures are kinda dark-sorry. There were TONS of ducks in the this big field by the fountain so Joe took Maddux over to scare them. They ran up on the ducks who all flew away, Maddux thought it was awesome!

Thanks Joe and Emily for a fun night! We are lucky to have you here in Boise too!

Summer

2011-09-11T00:43:00.002-06:00

We have had a crazy, fun, busy, exciting, stressful, eventful summer!!

Here is my ~~quick~~ recap:

In April we looked into selling our house, only to find out- there was no chance. Pheasant Ridge has had way too many foreclosures and the value was way down :(

Then we got a call from a friend with a possible renter- things were looking up.

Then, that fell through so we listed our house for rent on craigslist and in the paper- no calls :(

Mid-June: We got great renters lined up for July first:)

The next day we were contacted by a realtor saying he had a buyer for our home, and all the foreclosures were sold SO the value was back up- Yay!

Well, that fell through- and so did 3 other buyers over the next 2 weeks :(

Add to all of this the fact that we were packing, cleaning, Mike was going back and forth to Boise, I was teaching Summer Program Preschool- it was crazy!

June 30th, we moved most our stuff into storage and moved in with my parents for ~~a couple weeks~~.

Since our house didn't sell we started looking for rentals in Meridian. There were TONS of houses in our price range- so no problem right? WRONG!
First of all, neither Mike nor I have ever rented so we have zero rental history and more importantly we needed a place that would allow me to do preschool. I didn't think it would be that hard, but we quickly found that it was impossible. After a couple weeks of disappointment after disappointment, we decided to just try and see if we could get approved to buy even with our Chubbuck house- we were approved so FINALLY smooth sailing right?

Well, Mike and I left Maddux in Poky with grandparents and we went to look for a house. On our second day of looking we found a house we LOVED that had everything on our wish list. We made an offer and then found out that the HOA did not allow in-home businesses. We were pretty disappointed, but we had a back up house that we liked as well. Again we made an offer only to find out this HOA also would not allow preschool. We didn't really know what to do because we hadn't seen anything else we even kind of liked.

Well, when we were looking at rentals, we found one we really liked, but the owners decided to try to sell instead of rent again. Our friends knew the owners so we contacted them. Well, really long story shortened a little- they accepted our offer AND the HOA said yes to preschool. SO on August 10th we closed on our house and started moving in on the 11th.

We owe a million thank yous to so many people!

Thanks to all our amazing family for taking care of Maddux, helping us pack, clean, and move.

Thanks to our awesome friends in Meridian for helping us move, clean, deliver fliers, stay with them while we were house hunting, and fill the preschool.

Thanks to our fabulous family in Meridian/Boise for helping us move, helping us with yard work, helping deliver fliers, and watching Maddux.

Thanks to our friends in Pocatello for letting us borrow their 30 foot trailer to move- saved us SO MUCH money!

Thanks to everyone who let us borrow their trucks to move into and out of storage, and to Meridian.

And a million other thanks yous for things I am forgetting right now.

In all this craziness, we were able to squeeze in a little fun though.

July 7th

Jet skiing at Lake Lowell with our AWESOME friends!

July 7th- Ivy Wild swim Park

Maddux and Daddy on the water slide

Enjoying an ice cream treat

July 8-10 BEAR LAKE

July 13th

Stopped for dinner and to play in the water at Park in Twin Falls on our way to Boise

July 14th

Playing at Settlers Park

and again on July 15th

"Look Daddy, I runnin' FAST!"

All worn out!

July 16th

Dinosaurs and swimming with Hunter

July 21st

Discovered dunking Oreos in milk :)

July 22nd

24th of July Parade and celebration

Maddux was so excited for the parade. All he could talk about was the Police cars and Fire trucks and Police motorcycles- LOVED it!

Hunter and Lily loved the celebration; Maddux not so much.

He did love running through the puddles from the sprinklers :)

Spotted the Police car and Fire trucks :)

July 28th

Swimming and playing in the sprinklers

Loved drinking from the sprinkler until he squirted himself in the face

then he just wanted to squirt other people

August 1st

Back to Settlers Park, running through the sprinklers with Mommy.

August 7th

Riding bikes with Peytie

August 10th

All packed up and headed to close on our house.

So sad to say goodbye to our family and life in Pocatello, but excited for our new adventure.

Bear Lake {July 8-10}

2011-08-18T23:42:00.000-06:00

We had a Brian Family reunion in Bear Lake. Almost everyone was there, Rocky had to work :(

We stayed in this BEAUTIFUL cabin.

We had tons of fun staying together, the kiddos were super excited!

Playing

Lily's scary face!

My Joe Dirt son

Watching and playing cars (of course!)

The boys LOVED Emily!

We hung out, cooked delicious dinner, and stayed up late playing games.

Saturday we went to the lake! The water was CRAZY high so we had we had some trouble finding a beach.

Camille snapped family pics for us all

Nathan and Camille

Grandma and Grandpa

Joe and Emily

Hailey, Hunter, and Lily

We rented jet skis and we all had tons of fun!

My dad had never been, and he LOVED it!

Maddux was determined to have a miserable time at first.

Luckily, his cousins were there to convince him it really was fun!

Maddux and Lily had so much fun and were covered in sand!

Cutest smile ever!

That night we enjoyed some famous Raspberry shakes.

Maddux LOVED his pink ice cream!

Maddux was so excited to ride with Camille in "Nasen's kruck"

Family pics- missing Rocky :(

The next day we took the kiddos to the pool.

Lily is fearless and wild in the water!

Dunking Dad

It was a perfect weekend- family, beach, jet skis, delicious food, raspberry shakes, games, laughter, cousins, swimming, FAMILY! We can't wait to do it again!

Catch up!

2011-08-18T16:49:00.000-06:00

Wow! I am so behind! Time to catch up, many posts coming soon!

Independence Day!

2011-07-12T19:22:00.000-06:00

We had such a fun Independence Day! My Dad, Mike, Nathan, and Rocky went golfing first thing so my Mom, Hailey, and I took the kiddos to the parade. We had all the kids dressed in Red, White, and Blue, holding flags, actually looking at me and smiling. I was SO HAPPY that I remembered my camera, then click- nothing, click-nothing. What in the world? I started checking out my camera (while I'm checking the kids were so nice just smiling at me waving their flags) I forgot my memory card!! Of course, the one chance at a good picture of all the kiddos and nothing to capture it with! That is just our luck!

Well, we got over our disappointment and were set to have a great time when it started raining and blowing literally minutes before the parade got to us. The kids whined until the parade started and then were too busy having fun to care. Of course, the rain and wind stopped just as the last float passed us- but we had fun anyway :)

Then we headed to the Brian Family picnic for food and fun!

Patriotic Madu playing at the park

Maddux saw the guys playing ball across the park and bolted from the playground to join in the fun. He was calling, "Maddux play baseball too!" all the way.

Red, White, and Blue cousins

Fun with Daddy

Snacking and playing waiting for the Biggest Show in Idaho to begin

Quick family picture- I was playing with the settings on my camera so it looks a little weird- I obviously still have a lot to learn!

Watching the fireworks- Maddux actually loved the show and watched it really well. He loved telling us the color of each firework and kept saying BOOM! BOOM!

We are so blessed to live in America. We are so grateful for all those who fought and continue to fight to protect of Freedom. God Bless America!!

Fireworks

2011-07-12T15:33:00.000-06:00

Maddux had a couple pre- 4th of July firework shows

Getting ready to light a snake. He was really interested in the lighting process, but hated the snake. He kept telling Grandpa, "No, No Papa, I don't like it!"

Throwing pops- definitely more fun than snakes.

Stepping on pops

Smashing it

Then Ryan and Kelsie lit smoke bombs for him.

This was his reaction- laying on the tramp sobbing, "No, no Ryan! I don't like it!"

After his reaction to these little fireworks we were sure we doomed for the 4th!

Cute Maddux Michael

2011-07-11T23:05:00.001-06:00

This is a catch-up of cute Maddux pictures I have piling up.

Playing in the hose for the first time

Hands WET Mama!

Playing in the water table

Getting a drink

Playing ball

Maddux just had to have these McQueen goggles

Jumping

CRAZY hair!

First time at the theater to see Cars 2- Maddux was mesmerized, he didn't move once the show started.

Maddux, Madi, and Ethan looking at the stars with Mike

Dunking his color changing cars

Watching Bo's game in the rain!

Zoo Boise

2011-07-04T17:43:00.001-06:00

We took Maddux to Zoo Boise and had a lot of fun! It was a HOT, HOT day, luckily the zoo is pretty shady.

Checking out the giraffes

Maddux's cheeks get red within minutes of being in the heat - I swear he's not sunburned!

Watching the lions

Madu's favorite thing at the zoo- driving the jeep :)

You can't really see it, but they had just fed these bobcats and one of them was carrying a big white rabbit around in his mouth. Maddux was fascinated.

This bobcat was pacing right in front of Maddux, every once in a while he would walk right up to Maddux or paw in his direction, Maddux loved it! He kept saying, "Crazy kitty!"

Love, Love, Loved the penguins!

They were swimming around, diving, and going back up to the top. We watched them for a long time and Madu was in heaven!

Loved the prairie dogs. He loved watching them go in and out of their holes.
"Where'd he go? In the hole. Why?"

We went to the butterfly exhibit, Maddux was a little nervous about all the butterflies flying around. He likes them much better in small quantities!

Lunch at the Park

2011-07-03T23:08:00.000-06:00

My sister, mom, and I have been trying to take the kiddos to the park for lunch and to play. We all enjoy it!

Maddux's Vacation

2011-07-03T22:34:00.000-06:00

Maddux had tons of fun while we were in Tamarack. He was able to spend time with both sets of Grandparents and he was spoiled rotten!

Bathing with cousins

Racing cars with Uncle Ryan

Setting up the track with Aunt Kels

Playing at Grandma's school

Playing with cousins

Upper Ross Park with Grandpa

Maddux got a pet fish that luckily only lasted a few days.

Each time we called to check in on Maddux he was eating treats, or playing with cousins or aunts or uncles. My parents had to run to our house to get more diapers. when they turned into our neighborhood, Maddux started crying, "No Grandma's car again. Papa's house!" Obviously he didn't miss us much!

Tamarack Couples Trip

2011-07-03T21:31:00.000-06:00

We were able to celebrate our 6th anniversary with some of our best friends. We spent 4 days in Tamarack with our friends the Hermansens, the Millers, and the Hermansens- with no kids.

We had tons of fun!

We played A LOT of Rock Band!

and Xbox Kinnect.

We played with our new cameras

and iphones

and ipads.

The guys

went golfing at Osprey Meadows.

The girls

went to the spa.

We ate A LOT of yummy food, mostly cooked by us, but we ate at the resort one night and it was DE-LI-CIOUS!

We went to some all-natural hot springs (seriously they had no electricity).

We rented leisure bikes and rode around the lake.

It was SO MUCH FUN! If it wasn't for cute Maddux we may never have come home :)
Thanks Hermansens and Millers! We can't wait for next year!

Butterflies

2011-05-31T13:56:00.000-06:00

We watched caterpillars turn into butterflies in preschool. We were going to let them go at our last day party, but it was too cold. We have had them at our house since Thursday and Maddux loves the butterflies. Today was finally warm enough so we let them go.

Three of the butterflies flew right out and away, but this little one took it's time. Maddux was calling to it, "Butterfly- fly away! C'mon Butterfly!"

Finally flew out and landed on the grass nearby.

Goodbye Butterflies!

Grandma's Happy Birthday

2011-05-29T12:36:00.000-06:00

We partied in my sister's awesome backyard.

Hunter giving Maddux a ride.

Grandma joining in on the fun.

Only a Grandma gives the kids presents on her birthday! The balls were a BIG hit!

Happy Birthday Grandma! We LOVE you!!

For part of her birthday present, we snapped some pictures of the Grandkids.

2 Year Old Maddux

2011-05-18T22:14:00.004-06:00

Maddux is 2 and oh so fun! This is what I want to remember about Maddux at 2:

Favorites:

-Cars! Maddux LOVES anything to do with Cars. He almost always has 2 cars, one in each hand. He loves them all, with a new favorite everyday. Aunt Kelsie has a set of all the Cars that she keeps in her room. She lets Maddux play with them as long as he puts them back. Maddux can not say hi or do anything at their house until he gets those cars! He has a couple Cars books that he looks at over and over. He points at each car and says, "Look Mommy- Mac Truck! Awesome!", points to the next one and says, "Look Mommy- Luigi! Awesome!" I am expected to reply with an appropriate, "Awesome!" He asks to watch "Cars Show" several times a day. He only wants to eat off his Cars plate or bowl. He takes cars in the tub, in the car, puts them in his bike basket when we go for a bike ride, and takes them to the park. He LOVES Cars. We are going to take him to Cars 2 this summer as his first movie :)

Laying ON the table, playing cars, DURING preschool- little stinker!

-Outside! The weather is finally getting nice and Maddux is loving it. We open the back door while we are cooking dinner and he plays in the back yard. He is always asking to go to the park or outside. He can't get enough of it.

-Cousins! Maddux is finally to the age where he likes to play with his cousins. He is always going through his list (in any order): "Momma, TayTay's house?" when I say, "not today" he moves to the next cousin, "Huntoo's house?", "CC's house?", "Yiyee's house?", "Peytie's house?" "Ty's house?", "BoBo's house?" He is always very excited to hear we are going to see them.

-Balls! He loves all balls, but recently he has been on a baseball kick, I'm sure because we have been going to his cousins' games. He loves to hit off his tee and yell, "HOMERUN!!"

*Yes, my child is wearing his swim suit complete with swim shoes- what can I say, he LOVES it!*

-Nursery! Maddux loves nursery. He asks all through sacrament "I want kids. I want kids church." He goes right in and if I linger too long he tells me, "Bye Mommy!" We are SOOO happy he has changed his mind about nursery, makes going to church so much more pleasant! :)
He is starting to learn all the little nursery songs, and I love it! He loves Popcorn Popping; Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.

Favorite foods: PIZZA, spaghetti, mac and cheese, cereal, grapes, cheese, jello, apples, corn dogs (only the outside, not the hot dog), quesadillas, and basically anything sweet, especially M&Ms.

My Favorite Maddux sayings:

"Nice Mommy" while giving me a snuggle! :)
"Cool Dude!" after getting dressed/getting his hair combed/putting on shoes.
"Easy Maddux" when he almost falls/trips, gets out of control.
"I want Mommy carry you" when he wants held, carried, or to sit on my lap.
"Mommy look!" a thousand times a day when he wants my attention.
"Thank you Maddux!" when he does something nice. :)
He loves to talk about what kind of boy he is:

Lucky boy when he get something he wants
Fast boy when he is running
Handsome boy when he gets ready for church
Smart boy when he talks about his letters/numbers/ shapes/ colors
Funny boy when he makes a joke
Silly boy when he is teasing us

Stats:

Height: 34 and1/4 inches (47th percentile)

Weight: 26 pounds (17th percentile)

Head Circumference: 19 and 3/4 inches (between 75th and 90th percentile) so he is topping the charts in something :)

I know his big head holds his big brains! Seriously, I can't keep up with him! As soon we introduce something- he's got it.

Maddux knows his:

Alphabet- upper and lower case
Letter sounds
Colors- thinks brown is black
Shapes- circle, oval, triangle, diamond, star, heart
Counts 1, 2, 3, 8, 9
Recognizes 7, 8, 9
Sings his ABC's- A, B, C, O, then random letters, but sings to the right tune :)

He is also learning to negotiate quite well. The other night after I put him to bed he was just whining away, not really crying, just whining and whining and whining. So I went to see what the problem was. As soon as I walked in the room he jumped up and said, "2 cars, no no cry."

"If I let you sleep with 2 cars, you won't cry anymore?"

"Okay." (as if he hadn't suggested it)

SO I got him the cars (we usually don't let him take toys to bed) and sure enough, no more crying- he went right to sleep!

I'm know there are a million other things I love about Mr. Maddux and want to remember, but that's all I can think of for now. (I will probably edit and add to this post several times!)

Maddux Michael,

We love you SOOOO MUCH! I hope you stay just the way you are forever- I hope you always love learning, love your cousins, love your parents, want my attention, and try so hard to listen and do what's right!
We are the luckiest parents in the whole world!

Love,
Mommy

Maddux is 2!!

2011-05-01T16:27:00.004-06:00

Maddux is 2!

Checking out his presents.

Yummy waffles for breakfast!

Enjoying his trike

Maddux LOVES swimming so we decided to have a Pool Party!

Maddux's only requests for his birthday: Cupcakes (We did cake) and Balloons

Checking them out

Playing with the ballons

Opening presents.

Maddux wasn't very interested in the presents. The first present Maddux opened was a Buzz Lightyear. Then, he had no interest in opening any more, he just kept saying, "I want Buzz." We were able to convince him to open another. It had a sucker and he couldn't think about anything else, just kept saying, "I want sucker, I want baseball sucker." Luckily, Hunter was there to help. Maddux was spoiled rotten- THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Pizza for dinner, Maddux's favorite!

Playing with Kels

Playing with cousins

Round 2 of presents. Everyone was ready for Maddux to open presents, except Maddux. He was content to play with his car.

Maddux's cousins helped him out.

Swimming Pool Cake

Checking it out

A quick family picture

LOVED the cake

Let the swimming begin!

On the way home this was our conversation with Maddux.

Mom and Dad: Maddux, did you have a good birthday?

Maddux: Cupcakes. Balloons.

Mom and Dad: Yeah, you had cupcakes and balloons and got to go swimming. There were lots of people there who love you.

Maddux: Lucky Boy

Maddux you are a very lucky boy, with lots of people who LOVE you!

We are very lucky parents! We had so much fun watching and playing with you today. We LOVE you so much! Happy Birthday Maddux!

Grandma and Grandpa's Egg Hunt

2011-04-29T22:50:00.000-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa invited everyone over for dinner and egg hunting. Of course, we were missing Joey and Emily, who are in Boise.

These lucky kids had 2 Easter Bunny visits.

Checking out Mater

Easter egg hunting

found one!

Maddux found 2 eggs and was done. All he wanted to do was drive Mater up and down the ramp. Luckily, Hunter and Lily were much more into it, and found all the eggs.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-22T11:36:00.001-06:00

My parents had an egg dying party for the grandkids. They had a blast and made a big mess!

It was funny to see the littles different approaches to egg dying.

Lily was content to sit and gently stir 1 egg in 1 color with a spoon.

Maddux dunked the eggs with his hands and moved them every few seconds from color to color. He loved when the dye splashed so he made sure to really slam the eggs in the cup. His skin was dyed for a couple days, it took multiple baths to get it off :)

23 Months

2011-04-22T11:30:00.000-06:00

I am super late, in fact Mr. Maddux is 2 next week, but I wanted to get these pictures posted before then.

Maddux loves PINK! Much to his father's dismay, it is his favorite color!

Loves hanging out on the stairs!

Love, lOve, loVe, lovEs pizza!

Watching the oven, anxiously waiting for his pizza to be done!

Loves racing. He says, "un, un, un, un- FAST!!" (un=run)
After the race he asks, "Fast boy?"
"Yes, Maddux you are a fast boy!"

Maddux got to spend a morning with his cousins Taylee and Peytie, and Aunt Kelsie. He had so much fun. Now every time we put on his jacket he asks to go to Tay Tay's house.

Fun Weekend

2011-04-22T00:00:00.001-06:00

Mike had an order audit in Boise Friday so we decided to make a weekend out of it. As always, we had tons of fun. My parents were there visiting my little brother so got to enjoy hanging out with them too! My brother introduced us to Arabic food, luckily it was yummy!

We did some swimming, of course!

We hung out with friends (I am terrible and never get pictures!) Maddux had the BEST time playing outside and keeps asking to go to Ethan's house.

Went to our favorite park

My parents wanted to take Maddux to Cabellas.

Checking out the animals

Maddux was more interested in climbing through the bars than looking at the animals.

Checking out the fish

Found the four wheelers

Wait, found something better- a pink one!

My Happy Birthday!

2011-04-21T23:34:00.000-06:00

I had a GREAT birthday. Spent the whole day with my 2 favorite guys, went swimming, and had everyone over for cupcakes.

Maddux enjoying yummy waffles

Making Mommy some cupcakes!

Swimming!

Spring Break

2011-03-30T16:59:00.000-06:00

I love Spring Break! 7 Days of fun with my 2 favorite guys!

We had a fun and BUSY spring break. Maddux and I went to Boise AND Salt Lake with Mike for work. We swam everyday and Maddux was able to play with his Boise and Salt Lake cousins!

Boise was tons of fun as usual! We had dinner and hung out with our friends and their cute kids. Maddux loves the kids, but I forgot to take any pictures :(

Tuesday was nice enough for Maddux and I to go to our favorite park. We were too busy having fun to get many pictures, but I snapped a few.

Maddux saw some older boys climbing the rocks and desperately wanted to do it too.

Loved this blue ground

We hung out with Dan and Denna, Maddux LOVED jumping on the tramp with his cousins!

In Salt Lake we met up with Kaylyn and kids at the picture studio where they were having their pictures done. Sounds like it would be boring, but the kids had SO MUCH fun!

Maddux loved Gordon

There was this huge window with chairs on both sides. Maddux LOVED it.

Then, we headed to the little playground in the mall.

Maddux trying to catch Maycie

My happy boy! He was really good in the car, especially for driving to Boise Monday, home Tuesday, to SLC Wednesday, and home Thursday!

Tons of Fun

2011-03-30T16:15:00.001-06:00

As I have said before, Maddux thinks he is a preschooler. He loves playing in the preschool, playing with the preschoolers, helping me set things up, and enjoying preschool activities with his cousins. Here are some fun things we have done:

Playing with Magnets

Stacking bottle caps to make the Cat's hat for Dr. Seuss birthday.

Building marble runs with Hunter and Lily

Playing in shaving cream. The picture doesn't show it, but Madu LOVED this! He played forever in the "snow" as he called it.

My niece Taylee is in my class and Maddux loves it. Tay reading to Maddux.

Playing play dough with the preschoolers.

Coloring with Tay

Maddux helped me make a rain drop counting activity. I had umbrella counting mats out and we were counting the rain drops. Then, when I went to make lunch, Maddux lined up all the rain drops and was counting 2, 2, 8, 9, 9, 2, 8, 8, 9, 9 . . .

Pretty good counting, considering those are the only numbers he knows :)

This isn't preschool related, but it was tons of fun! I made bath tub paints and let Maddux paint the tub and himself.

He had lots of fun, mostly he wanted me to paint letters on his belly and legs.

It was super easy, can't wait to try it again.

Baby Animals

2011-03-26T02:26:00.000-06:00

My mom and I took the kids to CAL ranch to check out the baby ducks, chicks, and bunnies.

The boys stuck together.

Maddux was in heaven. He LOVED all the babies and couldn't get enough.

22 Months

2011-03-05T21:58:00.002-07:00

Maddux is 22 months!? Is he really almost 2?!

My handsome boy all ready for church!

Watching Sid the Science kid

Maddux LOVES Sid, so when I found a Sid doll on clearance plus an additional 40% off at Freddys I had to get it. Maddux loves it; he sleeps with Sid every night, loves to share his food and drinks with Sid, and loves packing him around.

Taking Sid for a train ride.

Watching TV

Maddux enjoying our latest snow storm- so much for the groundhogs prediction of an early spring :(

Playing trains

Things to remember about Maddux at 22 months-

*Knows all his letters except z (thinks it is N) and W (thinks it is M)

*Starting to know his letter sounds- M, B, T, H, A

*Has turned into a wild man! He literally runs circles around our house!

*Loves to climb on anything he can

*LOVES to leave our house for any reason

*Enjoys puzzles- He loves to purposely place pieces in the wrong spot so he can say "Nope" Then he puts his finger on his lips and says "Hmmmm" while he looks for the right spot. (Learned that from Sid)
*Recognizes the number 8- Thanks to Maddux and Mike's Deron Williams jerseys- too bad he's gone :(
*Loves anything that comes in twos- 2 shoes, 2 eyes, 2 feet, 2 legs, 2 cookies, 2 ears, 2 books, 2 anything!
*Knows circle, oval, and blue

*Has decided he needs a later nap so he no longer sleeps through afternoon preschool. He plays with the kids for the first half hour or so. He is learning a lot from the preschoolers and they LOVE being experts and teaching him things.

*Favorite things are: Balls, Trains, Cars, ABCs, Sid the Science Kid, and the Cat in the Hat.

*Calls the Cat in the Hat "Go Go" (the theme song is "Here we go, go, go, go on an adventure . . ."

*Calls all cars trucks even though he can say car

*Said "Love you" for the first time and it was the SWEETEST thing ever!

*Loves to say things are cute:

Maddux "Baby cute?" me "Yes, your a cute baby"

Putting on a football shirt- "Awwww cute football"

Putting on shoes- "Baby shoes, awwww cute!"

Carrying an Urlacher football figure around- "My football, Urlacher, awww cute. Cute football. Awww cute Urlacher."

He's pretty much the cutest lil' guy ever!

Preschool Fun with Cousins

2011-02-27T00:35:00.000-07:00

Maddux thinks he is a preschooler. He loves helping me get the centers ready and then exploring them. My nephew Hunter is in my preschool class. Every time he comes over, he and Maddux convince me to get some preschool stuff out.

Sea animals in bowls of water.

So excited! They had tons of fun and got water ALL OVER my kitchen!

Fun with Magnets

Maddux went right for the magnetic balls, of course!

Checking out how the poles repel each other.

Found Pictures

2011-02-27T00:27:00.000-07:00

In the fall (Septemberish), Mike's mom took some pictures of our family in our Bears gear. Well, I forgot all about them until about a week ago so here they are!

When I was looking for them I found these cute pictures from the summer.

21 months

2011-02-11T18:49:00.005-07:00

21 months!

Mr. Maddux is growing up too fast!
Here are the things I want to remember about Madu at 21 months:

*Refers to himself in the third person as Baby. "Baby coat?" "Baby bye-bye?"
*LOVES the alphabet and is so interested in learning his letters. He knows A through T and X. He LOVES the books Chica Chica ABC, and Eric Carle's Alphabet.
*Maddux and I are taking a mommy and me swim class and he loves every minute of it! (and so do I!)
*He is very interested in snow lately. He is pretty brave until it gets on his hands, then he is DONE!

*Maddux holds his spoon in one hand and eats with his other hand. I have tried switching the spoon hand and it makes no difference.
*Loves any chance to leave our house. He is always saying, "coat? C'mon, let's go!"
*Loves playing in the preschool and is interested in everything. He calls it C-school :)
*Is loving everything about Valentine's Day. He loves hearts and points them out everywhere!
*He has been calling me Mimi for the last 2 days. I am encouraging him to go back to Mama :)
*He says "un-un" for yes even though most people consider this a synonym for no.
*Madu still LOVES trains and balls.

*He is so particular about shoes. He seriously won't wear anything but Pedipeds or Jack and Lily shoes. I bought him some water tennis shoes and as soon as I pulled them out of the box he was in tears. He cried as I put them on, then grabbed his pedipeds and cried shoes and signed please until I changed his shoes.

Maddux gets cuter, smarter, and more fun everyday!!

We love you Turkey!

Dance Dance!

2011-01-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Aunt Kelsie got a dance video game for the Wii. All the grandkids LOVED playing it over Christmas break. Maddux loves dancing and just can't resist shaking it when he hears music- he loved dancing around with his cousins!

Pet Shop Visit

2011-01-17T23:46:00.000-07:00

We took Maddux to McKee's Pet Store- best free activity EVER!

Madu LOVED it. He just circled around and around the store, checking everything out, smiling, giggling, squealing, and jabbering away.

Checking out the birds

Watching the big turtle

LOVED the little box turtles!

We will definitely be headed back soon!!

Fat Lip

2011-01-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

Maddux got his first of what I'm sure will be many fat lips.

He was pretty upset, luckily Grandma made it all better with a popsicle :)

20 Months

2011-01-08T21:21:00.001-07:00

I'm a little behind (not a great way to start the new year)!

Maddux is 20 months!

Here are the things I want to remember about Maddux at 20 months:

Maddux LOVE, love, LOVES trains.

He got several for Christmas and loves playing with them. He loves to watch Thomas the train.

Still loves any ball. He got this one from Uncle Joe for Christmas. It rattles and shakes all on it's own. Maddux is very entertained by it.

He loves basketballs most of all- any size. Uncle Chris got this little hoop in his stocking and gave it to Maddux after Madu played with it all afternoon and evening. Thanks Uncle Chris- it is one of his favorite things!

Maddux is a pretty picky eater, but he loves spaghettios, spaghetti, and pizza.

Maddux has become VERY interested in letters. When he sees them he says vowel sounds randomly, "A, E, O, OOO, A, I, E." He spots them everywhere, in books, on TV, on signs, on his clothing, on toys, on food- everywhere. He can pick out the letter C and M. He got this Leap Frog magnet in his stocking and loves it.

While I work on preschool stuff, Maddux sits in his chair and plays with this bag of sponge letters. They seriously entertain his for a long time. He'll say his vowel sounds, we talk about the names of the letters, he finds M and C over and over, he'll dump them out and then pick them up.

Another interest he developed recently is the stars.

Anytime we are out at night we have to stop and look at the stars and find the moon. This last week we learned about stars in preschool and Maddux loved it. He loved being in the preschool. He loved the pictures and the books, and most of all these counting stars.

He loved putting them on the counting mats, then picking them up, then doing it again, saying, "stars, stars, stars," the whole time (completely ignored my attempts to count with them). He carried them around- LOVED them.

Maddux LOVES books. He is really good about looking at them on his own, but he LOVES having them read to him.

Maddux also loves watching TV. His favorite shows are: Sid the Science Kid, The Cat in the Hat Knows a lot about that, Curious George, Thomas the Train, His Baseball Dora show, and Wordworld.

Maddux LOVES his Grandpas. Every time we leave the house he thinks we need to visit Grandpa!

Maddux is typically a very nice little guy. However, we know when he is tired because he gets very naughty!

Maddux is starting to really like his cousins, especially CC, Taylee, and Hunter.

Maddux is no longer scared of Lily and they are actually starting to be friends.

Maddux LOVES his bath still. Each time I change his bum, or his clothes, or do anything that involves removing an article of clothing, he begs to take a bath.

Maddux can be a little stingy with hugs and kisses if you ask for them, However, he gives the very best random, surprise loves ever. I LOVE when he hugs my leg, or lays his head in my lap and says, "Awwww!"

We have successfully gotten rid of the binki except for bedtime. Maddux willingly gives it up in the morning and no longer asks for it. He knows it's just for bedtime.
*I know their are 2 pictures with his binki, the one with Lily is old and the other was a weird day.*

Bathtub Buddies

2011-01-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Maddux and Lily having fun in the tub.

New Year 2011

2011-01-07T23:37:00.001-07:00

We rang in the New Year 1-year-old style-

at 7:30 pm!

We went to my sisters, the kids had tons of fun playing together and the adults enjoyed delicious food.

We celebrated at 7:30 and had Maddux home and in bed at 8:30! Then Mike and I enjoyed a movie and quietly rang in the New Year at home.

2010 was a big year for our family, we had a lot of great moments and some really hard ones.
Here is my recap:

January: I started my student teaching. I LOVED it, but had a really hard time leaving Maddux in someone else's care 40 hours a week.

April: Busy month for us! Mike took over the Boise area for Hillman. Maddux was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with SVT- probably the worst week of 2010. Maddux celebrated his first birthday- one of the happiest days of the year!

May: I finally graduated with my BA is Early Childhood Education- YAY!

June: Mike and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary in Jamaica with our great friends Dave and Jen. Definitely, a highlight of the year!

I began my job search- turned out to be a very trying experience for us!

Summer: Maddux and I enjoyed going to Boise each week with Mike. We were able to spend so much time as a family this summer- we LOVED it!

I continued my job search, unable to find a job that was right for our family. I knew I wanted to start a preschool, but I didn't think it was possible.

July: Enjoyed a Hull family reunion at Indian Springs.

August: Mike and I decided to open Melissa's All Star Preschool. We worked from sun up to sun down for 3 weeks. It was a lot of hard work, but SO worth it.

September: Enjoyed Labor Day weekend in Bear Lake with the Burrup family. Then, preschool started. The preschool has been so great for our family and I am really enjoying it!

November and December: We enjoyed a wonderful holiday season!

We are looking forward to what 2011 holds for us.

Christmas Morning 2010

2011-01-01T00:52:00.000-07:00

Christmas morning

We were super excited for Christmas with Maddux this year. We knew he would love his gifts and have such a fun day.

Maddux was pretty intrigued by his tunnel, until he saw

his basketball hoop.

He LOVES it! Now maybe he'll stop hogging the one in nursery :)

He did enjoy his tunnel eventually.

Playing with Daddy

We had a very Merry Christmas, hope you did too!

Christmas Jammies

2010-12-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

Christmas Jammies- Yay.

Santa Claus

2010-12-23T22:39:00.003-07:00

My parents took the grandkids to see Santa.

Maddux was not a fan of the idea.

Decided it's ok, as long as Santa doesn't look at him and he can sit on Grandpa's lap.

Then we ran into Santa and Mrs. Claus at Costco. They offered to have a picture taken with Maddux.

Maddux couldn't figure out how to get away from them. He would look at Mrs. Claus and shrink away, then realize he was right next to Santa. So he'd shrink back the other way, only to find himself next to Mrs. Claus. He was not happy.

Christmas Cousins

2010-12-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Grandma bought the Grandkids these cute Christmas clothes so we had to have a photo shoot.

Handsome Boys

Playing with the Christmas train

The only sort of good picture of the littles. They were having a good time on the rocking horse.

I think this picture is too funny. Look how pleased Lily is that she has Madu in a headlock.

My handsome boy

quickly turned into my little monster.

Lily wondering what Maddux's problem is

Lily fake crying, Madu real crying.

Christmas Pictures

2010-12-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

Mike's mom took some cute Christmas pictures in front of our tree.

Lets Go Jazz!!

2010-12-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun weekend. We were able to go to the Jazz game with Mike's brother and his kids minus Bo.

We went down early so the boys could autograph. It was raining so I took Maddux and Peytie back to the hotel to play.

They had tons of fun playing in the curtains!

Then we headed to the game.

CC, Maddux, and Taylee

Maddux did not sleep on the way to Salt Lake so we were worried he would be a monster at the game.

Fortunately, he was very interested in the game. Also, we were lucky and had an empty seat next to us. Maddux loved having his own seat.

During the 3rd quarter I took Maddux and Tay to the little playground.

They both loved this little airplane and enjoyed the slides.

It was a great game- Jazz beat the Magic- YAY!

The next morning we went swimming- Maddux loved it and cried when we got out.

Saturday evening we did a little Christmas shopping at the Gateway and visited Temple Square to see the lights. The weather was awesome for December and we had fun.

Maddux's favorite part was the basketballs at Dick's. We had to drag him out of the store.

I love Salt Lake at Christmas time and I love spending time with my 2 favorite guys!

19 Months

2010-12-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

Mr. Maddux is 19 months old!

A few things I want to remember about Madu at 19 months old.

*Love, lOve, loVe, lovE, LOVES basketball!

He is always playing. Before he shoots he'll say SWISH! He loves to groan when he misses- I almost think he enjoys missing more than making. He loves when Dad shoots with him and tries to imitate all Mike's shots.

*He loves his Grandpas.

*Hates nursery- won't go unless Mike or I go in with him. He starts crying, "bye-bye!" as soon as we walk in the church.

*He has the cutest little giggle and loves to be silly.

*Loves cats, he loves all animals, but cats most of all.

*He is fascinated by all the Christmas lights and decorations. He is always saying, 'Ohhhhhh' with the cutest little fluctuations in his voice.

*He loves trains! He loves the show Thomas the Train, but is terrified of any Thomas toys or clothes.

*He has decided on 1 favorite blanket. He loves it because their is 1 corner that has come unsewed and he loves to play with it.

*He loves to push buttons- remotes, computers, toys, any buttons!

*He has finally warmed up to the preschool kids. He's decided it is fun to have them wait on him :)

Still loves the laundry basket

Wearing Grandma's glasses

Lovin' Dad's birthday breakfast. Didn't care for the crepes, but loved the filling!

Playing play dough at preschool

Grandma, Grandpa, and Hunter gave Maddux this Polar Express train- Maddux LOVES it!

We love you Turkey!

Happy Birthday Mike!

2010-11-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Babe!!

I Hope you know how much I love you!!

Maddux and I are lucky to have you!

Thanks for being the best Husband and Daddy!

Love,

Melissa

Wonderful Week!

2010-11-26T22:02:00.001-07:00

This has been the best Thanksgiving week!

Maddux got to experience the snow.

Thinks it's Beautiful, HATES touching it!

No Preschool this week so Madu and I were able to go to Boise with Mike. The roads were pretty scary there and back, but we made it safely and had a GREAT time.

Of course we enjoyed some swimming!

Maddux loves the luggage carts :)

Enjoyed 2 wonderful Thanksgiving dinners with our families!

Black Friday shopping at 3am! This was my first real Black Friday experience; my Mom was great company and we scored some amazing deals!

Maddux thinks our TV box is a great toy!

We took Maddux to Old Town to watch Santa arrive in a Helicopter.

Maddux LOVED it! It was freezing, but he didn't care :)

Then we took Maddux to the Christmas Parade.

Grandpa and Grandma with Maddux and Lily

Again, it was freezing, but Maddux didn't care- he thought it was Magical and loved every second. (Luckily it was a short parade.)

We went to my cousins nearby dance studio to warm up with family and hot chocolate.

Maddux loved the marshmallows and running across the dance floor!

We have had such a wonderful week and have SO much to be thankful for this year!

We are Thankful for many of the same blessings as last year; we have many more to add this year!

I am Thankful for Maddux; for making everything more fun; for making me smile and laugh everyday; for his unconditional love; for making me want to be better!

I am Thankful for my wonderful husband who supports me through everything; who kept my spirits up when I couldn't find a job; who supported me when I decided to start my preschool; and who helps me make games, cut out patterns, make snacks, shop for supplies, and helps me in a thousand other ways!

I am Thankful for my wonderful Parents who gave up a room in their house for my preschool without a question and are constantly helping me with cleanup, dumping the trash, providing paper towels or toilet paper- even though I ask them not to.

I am Thankful for my Mom and all her help with the preschool. She has helped me with every step from making the decision to start it, to passing out flyers, to putting the classroom together, to planning curriculum, to being a substitute. I couldn't have done it without her!

I am Thankful for my in-laws who watch Maddux one morning each week and are always willing to keep him whenever! They dote over Maddux and he loves it :) I am also Thankful for all their help with the Preschool start-up!

I am Thankful for my Preschool! I love all my cute little preschoolers and have the best preschool parents! I feel so blessed to have a job I LOVE! I am so Thankful it allows me to bring in a little money without having to have Maddux in childcare. It really is the PERFECT job for our family!

I love weeks like this- spending time with people you love, doesn't get any better!

Crazy Idaho Weather

2010-11-14T01:13:00.001-07:00

Maddux loves to be outside so we try to let him go out when possible. It is getting difficult though, especially since Mike and I both hate the cold!

These are pictures from the week before Halloween.

All bundled up, because it was COLD!

Maddux threw a fit about wearing his hat until I said, "You can't go outside without a hat- it's too cold." He let me put it on and has never fought it since- I love that I can reason with him a little *occasionally*!

Then the first week of November looked like this:

Beautiful- short sleeve weather :)

Still loves our Pumpkins, we have yet to throw them out.

He pushed his stroller about 3/4 the way around the track at the park- he thought he was so grown up!

and now we are back to:

for a long time I fear :(

Maddux might go crazy- or make us crazy before the winter is over!

Here are a few recent pics of Maddux's cuteness!

LOVES brushing his teeth!

We got new laundry baskets and Maddux loves them. He thinks they are the greatest things ever!

I can't use them for laundry- Maddux throws all the clothes out and climbs in. He thinks they are just for him!

Maddux thinks their needs to be a kids show on ALL THE TIME- Even though he will only watch a few minutes, he always wants it on. We broke out the mini-DVD player and keep his shows playing. He stops and watches 10 minutes here and there. He LOVES this Dora episode about Boots playing baseball. He usually stops to watch each time it comes on.