YAY....We have a new laptop!!!

The new laptop came today and it works great! I was bummed we didn't get it yesterday but I have been sick so I probably wouldn't have done much with it anyway. I am sitting in the living room writing this blog and I am so excited!!!!!! I have to transfer a lot of our pictures before I can update the blog but here are a few recent ones that were on my camera!!!

Madelyn loves her rain boots and wants to wear them all the time!!

Madelyn loves her doll bed that Aunt Mary & Uncle Randy gave her. She rocks and sings to her baby dolls every night before bed.

Madelyn's last day of school was Tuesday. She had a great year at Hillcrest and Mrs. Angie and Mrs. Raegan were great teachers.

A Lot Going On.....

I am trying to work on updating the blog….we have had lots of fun stuff happen over the last few months but our computer has been on the fritz so doing anything with pictures is a big challenge!!! On Friday we finally ordered a new laptop and it should be here sometime this week. I don’t know when I will be done catching up but soon there will be blogs about Valentine’s Day, Florida Vacation, Kelsey’s Spring Break, St. Patrick’s Day, Madelyn’s 2nd Birthday, Kasey & Paul’s Wedding, Deanna Rose 2011, Fun Times with Neighbors on 100th St., Allison Marie Connelly, Tax Day, Easter, Ben’s Baptism, & Mother’s Day Weekend.

Just a quick update on Madelyn……
Madelyn continues to amaze us!!! She is talking so much and she says some of the funniest things. At her 2 year visit she measured very tall but very thin, Jim and I wish we had that problem….HAHA! She is such a sweet little girl and still LOVES her baby dolls. This past weekend Aunt Mary & Uncle Randy passed down a wooden doll bed to her and she is in heaven. Last night she rocked all her babies to sleep singing “You are my Sunshine”. Although we have had an extremely cold spring that hasn’t slowed her and the neighborhood kids down from playing outside ALL THE TIME!!! She got a tricycle for her 2nd birthday and she rides it very well. Leo and Hannah are both a year + older then she and they can ride their bikes so she was determined. She still needs if we are going uphill but other than that she can pedal and steer!! Madelyn is just getting over strep throat for the 3rd time in less than 2 months so she has been on heavy antibiotics. They have really done a toll on her so we are so happy she is done with the medicine tomorrow. Tomorrow is Madelyn’s last day of school!! She had such a great first year and it is amazing how much all the kids have grown in her class. In August when they all started most of them had just turned 1 and were still little babies…..now they are all 2, have a definite personality, are talking nonstop and want their INDEPENDENCE!! Madelyn will be attending a new school next year but hopefully we will keep in contact with some of her friends from Hillcrest. She is always talking about Jane and the teachers tell us that her and Jane love to play baby dolls together. Over the summer Madelyn will be attending a summer camp 1 day a week at her new school. We are excited for her new school, new class, and new friends! Madelyn is still taking her gymnastics class once a week. This is her 4th month and it is amazing how much she has improved since her first class. We are thinking at the end of the summer she will move up a class.

Big news about Jim……
Jim accepted a new position at W&R on Thursday. He started interviewing for this position in the middle of April and after 3-4 interviews he got the job!!! He will be a FAD OSJ Specialist (Financial Advisors Division Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction Specialist) for a specific region of the country. This is a big promotion for him and Madelyn and I are so excited and proud of him. Since it was on a Wednesday when he got the good news we celebrated with a picnic outside with Sonic cheeseburgers! Madelyn was so sweet and kept clapping and saying “YAY Daddy”, “Proud of Daddy”, “I Love you Daddy”! Jim is very excited about this new challenge and he can’t wait to get started. He will start the position in a couple of months. He is required to get his Series 7 & Series 24 Licenses so he will be EXTREMELY BUSY studying over the next 2 months. WOOHOO…..GO DADDY!!!

What a week (1/30/2011-2/2/2011)

We found out at the last minute that I was going to have to work from Wichita last week Monday through Wednesday. We were already planning a quick trip to Wichita to visit one of my best girlfriends and her two little boys who were in Wichita visiting from Canada so we packed up Sunday morning headed to Wichita. It was an uneventful and very pretty drive. When we got there we went straight to Jen's house and had a playdate. It was so great to see her and her beautiful little boys! Her youngest Maddoc was in love with Madelyn and her pretty necklace it was to cute! I miss Jen so much and I loved hanging out and having girl time with her :)

Jim has still been working 11-12 hour days so when we found out I was going to be out of town for 3 days we called in back up to help out. Jim's parents picked Jim and Madelyn up in Wichita Sunday evening on there way to KC. I was so thankful Jim and Madelyn were able to come to Wichita for the day, we had so much FUN! After visiting Jen & the boys we went out to dinner and to McDonalds to have ice cream sundaes and play in the playland. When Jim's parents met us at McDonald's I think they were suprised to see there 32 year old son sliding down the slide.

Tuesday KC got a huge snowstorm (14 inches) and Jim's dad did all the shoveling! Jim and I were so appreciative and thankful! While I was in Wichita they got a pretty bad storm as well, not as much snow but horrible winds. They let us go from work Tuesday at 3 and it took me 2 hours to drive 8 miles to the hotel. Once I got to the hotel we had to park in the road and walk because of the snow drifts from the wind. Everything was shut down but at 8:30 pm the hotel brought in some pizza for the hotel guests to eat. I was so happy to come home on Wednesday night but I couldn't believe how much snow lined our driveway!

Thank you so much Mike & Ann for coming to KC and helping us out while I was out of town. I am so sorry you were here in the big snow storm and that you had to shovel our driveway as well as yours when you got home but we are so THANKFUL!!! Madelyn loved having you here and it gave me such peace of mind knowing she was home with Grandma & PaPo while I was out of town and Jim was working.

Gymnastics

We signed Madelyn up for gymnastics and she loved it! She was a little hesitant at first but after about 5 minutes she fit right in. She didn't want to leave when the class was over :)

This is her waiting for the class...she was really excited!

The class is full of little obstacle courses for the kids...below she is suppose the bear walk on the two beans.

Walking across the bean on her tippy toes.

Bringing her feet up to the bar.

At the end of the class they get to climb the rock wall and slide into the foam pit...Madelyn was waving to her Daddy. They also get a stamp at the end of class which she was so excited about!

Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm

Today Jim was having cabin fever and looking for something fun and inexpensive to do on the internet. He came across the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm which is located in Olathe directly on the Santa Fe Trail. It looked like a neat place and because of all the snow we have on the ground they were offering horse drawn sleigh rides for $2 from 12-3. We all bundled up and headed that way! We had a great time and although it was cold it was definately worth it. We were both suprised how fast the horses went..they must have been cold. Madelyn had a great time and was all smiles. Everytime we would go down a small hill or the ride would get bumpy she would yell "WHOA"! Afterwards they offered hot chocolate and a tour of the place. We were invited back next Saturday to celebrate Kansas's 150th birthday.


Waiting for the horses to arrive for the sleigh ride...we waited inside b/c it was cold.



Getting on the sleigh.....




Pictures during the sleigh ride

After the sleigh ride we were allowed to pet the horses.

Madelyn vs. Cody

Santa broght Madelyn a princess couch that she loves.......she sits on it to read, color, play baby dolls, drink her milk and wants us to sit/lay on it as well! It was a great gift from Santa!!!!

After Madelyn goes to bed Cody really enjoys the princess couch....if Madelyn knew she wouldn't be happy and she would say "NO OFF STOP!"

Go Get Happy

Whenever Madelyn doesn't listen, whines or throws tantrums we tell her to go find a spot and get happy. We also tell her that when she is happy to let us know and she can join us again. So far so good, it always works and she always picks the same spot....the bottom step. We never assigned the happy spot as the bottom step it was the place she chose. Sometimes she sits there for a few seconds and other times it is a few minutes. When she is happy she shouts "Mommy/Daddy I HAPPY"! Tonight Jim was able to sneak a picture.