Happy Anniversary Mommy and Daddy

Maren: 

We have been home with daddy again this last week but his time off is coming to a close too. He only has one week left before be goes back to work and I have to go back to school. 

We have been having lots of fun together and I have been a great helper for him. The other day we got a swimming pool for our ducks and I filled it up. Those silly little ducks were so excited about that new pool! They jumped in, splashed around, and wiggled their little tails all around! We all sat and watched while they played. 

Mommy and daddy celebrated their anniversary this weekend too! They have been married for thirteen whole years!! To celebrate we spent the entire day together as a family. Mommy said it was one of the best days ever!! We started the morning with a nice hike up the table rocks. I did my best, but it is pretty steep and it wasn't long before I wanted a ride in daddy's pack. When we got to the top, we spread out a blanket and had a pic-nic! It wasn't long before the local ground squirrels figured out that we were there and were trying to steal our food. I thought it was fun to feed them.  When we got home that day we spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the creek and having a fire. 

Maddox (16 weeks old) :
This week has been a bit tough for me since I officially got my first cold.  I wasn't horribly sick but I definitely had a snotty nose which made it hard to breath.  My first night dealing with that was really tough but mommy acted quickly with the humidifier and saline drops so I felt better.  My little voice is really hoarse and you can really tell when I try and talk.  It makes my mommy really sad to hear but I have still been in really good spirits overall. 
I have officially found my toes!  I have been noticing them for quite some time now but finally realized that I could reach down and grab them!  Mommy put me in the big tub with her the other night and let me soak in the warm water for a really long time hoping that it would clear my chest a bit.  While I was floating around and all floppy these cute wiggly things kept popping up in front of my face and now I can't get enough of them! 
The other day mommy, daddy, sissy and I went on a really nice hike.  Mommy put me in the front pack so I could look around and I really enjoyed myself.  I fell asleep on the way back down for just a bit snuggled right up to mommy. 

One Hectic Week

Maren:
This last week has been super hectic for my mommy but LOTS of fun for me!   Last weekend some good friends came over for dinner and played with me a lot.  I know Miss Trish from the news and think she is pretty special.  Then, my daddy went out of town to a class in Colorado and he was gone all of the days that mommy had to work.  She was a bit panicked about what to do with us at first but Miss Heather came to our rescue!  She, Jace, and Baby Bella came over to our house Monday night and had a slumber party!  When I woke up Tuesday morning they were still here and stayed with me and baby brother all day long!!  Then, they did the same thing on Wednesday night and Thursday!  I was so excited to have my best buddy Jace come and stay with me two nights in one week.  Unfortunately we fought like crazy the whole time and probably drove Miss Heather crazy... but I still thought it was great he was here!  Miss Heather french-braided my hair one of the days and it made me feel like a princess!  I made mommy braid my hair every day for the next few days but she just couldn't get it the same as Miss Heather! 

Maddox:
What a crazy week this has been!  I have met lots of new people, including a really cuddly lady my mommy and daddy called Miss Trish.  She snuggled me a lot when she came over for dinner and I talked and smiled at her the whole time.  I'm kinda a ladies man! 
Then, Miss Heather came over a few days to help take care of me and sissy while daddy was out of town and I loved her too!  She snuggled me a lot and would pick me up any time I cried!  I think that I may have used that to my advantage a bit!  I spent a lot of time gettin to know Baby Bella while Miss Heather chased Maren and Jace around. I think we are going to be really good friends! 
I am now getting really good at holding on to toys and tracking things that are moved in front of me and I chew, chew, chew on them when I get them up to my mouth! 

 

Happy Mother's Day Mommy!

Maren:
This last weekend we had a great family trip over Mother's Day weekend.  Mommy and Daddy took baby brother and I to the coast and we had an absolute blast!  We arrived early afternoon Friday, the sun was shining, and the wind was hardly blowing.  We rented a house that is right on the Winchuck River.  The a river dumps right into the ocean and is protected from the scary waves and crazy wind!  Daddy set up a nice sun shade on the bank of the river and built us a really big fire.  It wasn't long before I had my clothes of and was running through the water with mommy right behind me!  Daddy even went swimming in the river too!  We roasted yummy chicken/apple sausages and played forever!  Saturday was a bit overcast and cool but still a perfect day for hanging out on the beach.  We ran into to town in the morning and picked up a really great kite to fly as well as some stuff for a picnic... then, it was back to the beach for another fire!  We spent the whole day playing and flying the kite.  I absolutely wore myself out and was asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow!  Sunday morning I woke up really sore from all of my exercise and playing the day before.  My legs hurt so bad that I could barely walk and limped my way around the house for a couple of hours.  Sunday was also Mother's Day and daddy had helped me make mommy a really special card.  We had to head home that day so we packed up the car and went for a nice little hike in the Oregon Redwoods before going home. 

Maddox:
My first trip to the beach was great!  I am such a good traveler and make things really easy for my mommy and daddy.  I slept the whole way there and never made a peep!  Then, down at the beach I laid on the blanket next to mommy under the nice shade daddy set up for me and talked all day long.  I got super snuggly with mommy by the fire and took a nice little nap.  On Saturday, mommy took me down to the beach in my car seat so I would have a nice comfy place to rest where she could lay me down to sleep while she was playing with my sissy.  I slept for almost two hours on the beach while everyone played all around me! On Sunday, mommy tucked me in to the moby wrap for the hike... it wasn't long before I was asleep again! 

The Final Countdown

Maren:
This is our last week with mommy home full time... next week she has to go back to work.  Then, daddy gets to stay home with us for a whole month!  He is already starting to grow a beard in preparation! 
Our baby peep-peeps are getting bigger and bigger and I love to catch them and hold them!  I have gotten so comfortable with them that I can even catch more than one at a time!  The bigger chickens still scare me a bit but not as bad as they used to.  Our ducks are still terrified and won't let me anywhere near them! 
We went to Uncle Frankie's house for a barbeque again and had a really nice time.  It was a really warm day and I played a lot in the creek.  Daddy, mommy, and I tried over and over to fly my kite but just couldn't get it to stay up in the air.  Finally, daddy loaded onto the back of Uncle Frankie's four wheeler and they gave it a go!  The kite flew pretty well that way but then it got stuck in a tree and the string broke so we couldn't get it out. 
A funny Maren-ism:
"Pee-eew!  Mommy, the breath from your car really stinks!"

Maddox:
I am officially 3 months old now!  Time is going way too fast and my mommy has to go back to work soon.  We have gotten really close and I think she is pretty amazing.  Unfortunately I don't really like it when she isn't around and I get really unhappy when someone else holds me (even my daddy).  I think mommy is a bit stressed out about leaving me home with anyone else but daddy keeps telling her that everything will be okay. 
We had a nice time at Uncle Frankie's house the other day and I was even awake for a lot of the festivities.  Mommy, sissy, and I sat and cuddled in the hammock for a bit and daddy dunked my feet in the water down at the creek.  I didn't appreciate the cold water and started to cry almost immediately!