A week with Nonna and Nonno

Maren:
This week my mommy has had to work EVERY day!  A total bummer as I have really gotten used to having her home all of the time now that she is on maternity leave.  Her boss is in Hawaii for spring break so she is just helping out and then will have some more time off with me and baby brother.  Nonna and Nonno were nice enough to come help out this week and stay with us so daddy didn't have to take any time off and I have been having lots of fun with them!
My Nonna has done something really special with me every day while she has been here.  She lets me help her cook dinner every night and bakes cookies with me too!  She brought all of the stuff to make a really special Easter Egg tree to put up in our house and we decorated it so pretty.  My Nonno took me down to the green way for a nice bike ride while he walked... they have just been making me feel really special!

Maddox:
This week has been a bit weird for me... one morning I woke up and my mommy wasn't here!  This funny lady they call Nonna picked me up and gave me a weird thing to drink out of.  I wasn't so sure at first but since it tasted just like the milk I am used to I decided to give it a go.  I have been a pretty good boy for Nonna and haven't given her too many problems.  I have been a good napper and a good eater which has made my mommy happy while she makes it through this stressful week. 

All swims and smiles

Maren:
After our big trip last weekend we took it pretty easy this week.  I had my last two classes of swim and they even had a little graduation ceremony for me.  I did so well in my class that they said I could move on to the next level!  I guess I'm just a natural! 
We bought some new flowers for the yard this week and they had some strawberry plants at the store.  I just had to have some!  So mommy bought me four plants to keep out on the back deck!  I helped plant them and then sat watching them closely to see if they would grow! 
My best buddy Jace turned "3" this week and we got to go to a really fun birthday party at his house.  It was a firefighter themed party and Miss Heather had all kinds of fun stuff for us to do.  I got to dress up in some turn-outs and compete in an obstacle course: up a ladder, down a slide, crawl through a tunnel, climb up a hill while holding on to a rope, save a moose by dragging him across the lawn, and rescue a kitty trapped in a tree.  My daddy got really creative while we were at the party and set up a zip line for every one to ride and I liked that too!  But, my favorite part had to be the birthday cake!  Miss Heather made a really cool Fire Engine cake and some yummy home made ice cream.  My Nonna and Nonno came a long to the party to help us celebrate.  They are staying with us this next week while my mommy works.

Maddox:  
My smile is officially working and I like to show it to mommy as much as possible!  I usually talk to her a lot too which really makes her smile right back at me.  So far, she is definitely my favorite person but I've been breaking it out for a few other people too... like my Nonna, my sissy, and a new friend I met Miss Stephanie. 
I am turning in to a really great sleeper and mommy is really happy with that.  I slept through the great birthday that we all went too but heard all about it later from my sissy. 

A weekend getaway

Maren:
This last weekend was a BLAST!! Daddy had a class to attend up in a place called Portland and he asked mommy to bring us along!  Since she is still on maternity leave, we all loaded into the car and headed north.  I didn't really enjoy being in the car for 5 hours but watching movies really helped.  Plus, when we got there, our hotel had an indoor swimming pool and hot-tub!  I had a great time showing daddy my newly learned swimming skills and burning off some of my excess energy.  Unfortunately I was so enamored by being in a hotel room that I didn't fall asleep until really late (all of the nights we were there).
We were hoping to go to the zoo but unfortunately it rained the entire time we were there.  Mommy found some really fun indoor things for me to do though.  On Saturday we went to a place called the "Children's Museum" that is one big place for kids to play and explore.  I especially liked the room that was a "grocery store"... and I bought lots of crackers, cereal and milk!  I also spent a lot of time in the veterinary office fixing my sick doggie, in the water room splashing around, and the circus room.  They had a special place where I got to paint my own face and mommy let me do hers too!  They had so much to play with that we were there for 5 hours!  Mommy didn't get to play with me much because she had to take care of baby brother but I found lots of other kids to play with.  On Sunday we went to a place called "Playdate PDX"... a huge indoor play structure of tunnels, tubes, slides, and more.  I was a bit overwhelmed at first because there had to be at least 100 kids running around inside of it but after a while I was having a blast and didn't want to leave.  I even got mommy to come in and play with me for a while!  But, since she had baby brother to carry through the maze, it didn't last long! 

Maddox:
My first road-trip!  I was such a good baby the whole weekend!  Slept the entire way up with one short stop for a meal and the same on the way back.  I even got super spoiled and rocked to sleep both nights because mommy didn't want me to wake big sissy up.  And, she held me lots of the weekend so I could watch big sissy play and so I didn't have to spend the entire time in a car seat or stroller. 

Mushroom hunting and making new friends

Maren:

We have been having some beautiful weather the last few days which has meant some nice outside time. Mommy and I have been going on lots of walks down on the greenway and the other day we went for a hike up the hill in front of our house to look for mushrooms... The first morels of the season are just poking their heads out! I am an expert mushroom hunter because I am down on their level and can find them really easily! Daddy likes to take me along. 

We got to make some new friends this week too. Mommies boss hired a new veterinarian to work with her so we went to Dr. Franks house the other night to meet him and his wife. I got to play with Miss Emily the whole time and had lots of fun! On our way to the dinner I asked mommy what she had made for dessert. When she told me apple crisp, I replied... "Wummy, wummy!! (Thats how I say yummy) Apple crisp makes my tummy giggle!!

The very next day we were invited out to Uncle Frankie's house for a barbecue. His girlfriend Rachael was bringing her whole family out too. I got to meet Rachael's brothers and their wives as well as all of their kids! Their were a couple of little ones about my age and we had a really great time playing together. 

Another funny thing I said this week while mommy and I were talking...

Mommy: "I'm not as tough as daddy is."

Me: "Maybe you'll be tough someday"

Mommy: "Oh yeah? When?"

Me: "Maybe Friday. Or Sunday."

Maddox:

I sleep through most of the exciting stuff that big sissy talks about above but at least they take me along! We did go on a nice walk the other day to look for some things called mushrooms... I snuggled up nice and close to mommy in the Moby wrap and slept pretty much the whole time. She did get me dressed up in my "hunting clothes" (some nice comfy camo 

pants) before we left so I was all ready for whatever adventures we had.  I woke up for a while because I needed to eat and I got to hang out for a bit on mommies lap before we headed home. 

Bike Rides and a Big Smile!

Maren: 

Another great week has gone by... Mommy being on maternity leave is really great! We get to do so much fun stuff every day... It's a constant party! 

Last Wednesday we met Jace, Baby Bella, and Miss Heather at the park for a bike ride down the green way. Our mommies walked while Jace and I rode our bikes. This was the first time I had ridden my bike for more than a few minutes at a time so my mommy was a bit worried, but I did great!  I had a bit of trouble on the hills because I would go too fast then try to stop by putting my feet down... That was a disaster because then my bike would roll right over the top of me. After that happened a few times we practiced braking for a bit and I got the hang of it. I still wanted mommy to hold on to my coat when I was going down hill, just in case though. We rode for a couple miles  and finished at the park where we fed the ducks and had a pic-nic that Miss Heather brought.  Jace and I even climbed a tree (with a little bit of help)! 

I had so much fun on the bike ride that mommy took me back a few days later. I got all dressed up in my exercise suit just like her! We started at a different spot with fewer hills so that I could ride without worrying and so that mommy didn't have to worry as much either. The trail was much flatter so mommy and I raced a lot and she got in a pretty good work out. 

Other than that, I have been helping mommy and daddy out a lot at the house doing projects and work outside. 

Maddox:

I get cuter every day! I even smiled at my mommy for the first time the other day... I can honestly say that I think it melted her heart! 

Mommy took me along this last week when they went on their bike ride/walks... I don't remember much since I slept the whole time but I'm sure I had lots of fun!