Madisons First Birthday Party!!!!

Today was Miss Madison's birthday party. It went really well besides the hurricane winds that we had! Maddi got lots of gifts and loved demolishing her cake. There was also some entertainment when Matt hit Colby in the face with a cake and secretly made a deal that they were gonna hit me! Not fair right? My husband is supposed to be with me, not against me! It was fun though! Jessica Meinardus was there to do the photography and got some really good shots! She offers a WONDERFUL birthday package where she takes the pics for you so you dont have to worry about it. Well worth the money! HEre are a few of the shots! THanks Jess!!!! We Love You!

Congrats Mary Kate!

This is just a quick post to update on Mary Kate and Michael that I talked about in earlier post. She went for her first ultrasound today and there are two little babies in that belly! I can not imagine all the ups and downs that this couple has had to endure. They say that 'The Lord will not give you more than you can handle.' Im sure this was a true test! So many people would have given up. I cant express how happy I am for them and the journey that they have ahead! Children are amazing. I can honestly say that Maddi has taught me much more over the past year than I have taught her! She is quite the comedian! Well, Im gonna go get Matt off to work and get to bed! Once again, Congrats Mary Kate and Michael! THere is a link to her blog on mine so go and check it out. Her story is amazing!

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!!!

I cannot believe that today my Baby Girl is 1 year old. It just seems like yesterday that I looked into her big blue eyes for the first time. I remember when Matt and I talked about what we thought she was gonna be like, I said, " I hope she has your big blue eyes, curly brown hair, and a sweet little smile." WOW! I couldnt have said it better. That little girl has blessed Matt and I in so many ways. She is such a precious gift.

Maddi Beth-

Your Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will EVER know. I thank my lucky stars for you each and every day.....even though you have learned to shake your finger at me and sternly tell me "No No Momma." You are precious. I want you to know that your Daddy thinks the world of you. He is so proud. I will never forget the smile on his face the first time he held you. You are so lucky to have such an amazing Daddy. He is truly special. Happy Birthday Baby Girl and WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Memorial Day at the Meinardus House!

Sleeping With Dinosaurs!

Well, I have to say I am absolutley hating that Madison is sick. Finally, she seems to be doing better. Hopefully, we are on the down side of things! I think I figured out the problem. THE CHILD HAS FOUR TEETH COMING IN ON TOP!!!!!!! She has had the bottom two since January, now four are coming through on top. I knew the middle two were but I pryed her mouth open today to get a look and there are four! I had considered that her teeth may be the cause of her being sick, but as ill as she was, I thought for sure she had a bug. My mom told me that the two teeth beside the front teeth are the hardest for a baby to cut. I guess when you have four at once, it would make you sick! Bless her heart! She is at least moving on her own will today and has not thrown up.
The topic of this post though is me realizing how precious life is. Growing up, I always heard my Mom and others say, "Kids grow up so fast." You don't really realize how fast time really flies until you have your own children. Last night, Maddi and I went in to wake Daddy up for work, just as we do every night. She likes to crawl on him and hide under all of our pillows. I guess she carried some of her toys in there last night. This morning, I woke up to three plastic dinosaurs sitting on my pillow. I know is sounds crazy but my heart just melted. For a couple of months now, she has been fascinated with dinosaurs and we picked some out the other day at Toys R Us. She growls while she plays with them! It is the cutest thing ever. The point i am trying to get at is we should cherish the simple things. No matter how stressed I was the night before over having a sick baby and my house being a disaster, all it took was a couple of plastic dinosaurs to make everything better. It was at that moment that i realized that I need to cherish life more. Who cares if dishes are piled to the ceiling. Who cares if there is laundry in the bathroom floor. All that matters is that my family is happy and healthy. It seems like just yesterday that I was telling Matt that we were gonna have a baby. Now in less than 96 hours, our little Madison will be one year old. Hard to believe. Well, I am going to shut up now and try to get those dishes that are piled to the ceiling done!!! :)

So Far So Good!

Well, it is day number two and I have somehow successfully managed to write both days! Im impressed with myself! Even though I now find myself staying up until 11:00 to blog! :) Things have been a little crazy around here. Matt had a wild hair Friday night and wanted to go to Branson for the weekend. So we packed up and the three of us headed up to Missouri bright and early Saturday morning. I was a little concerned because my Little Maddi HATES HATES HATES to be in her carseat. Turns out, after going through a basket of toys and TONS of food, she did suprisingly well. Its ok that I bribed the kid with food right? After tons of shopping and a sleepless night with two adults and a one year old in a motel bed, we headed out Sunday morning. Not more than 30 minutes after arriving home, Maddi started throwing up. I don't mean a little spit up, I mean throwing up! I thought it maybe due to a mixture of a change in routine, a long car ride, and lots of bribery food from Mommy. Almost a week later, the poor child is still throwing up and diarrea! The doctor says that there is nothing they can do for an infant throwing up. She also said that there is a virus going around in little ones that is causing diarrea and vomitting for three weeks!!!!! Please Lord, don't let that be the case here! Keep us in your prayers!

Also, I have been following a girl that is friends with Jessica who has been struggling with infertility for quite some time now. She just found out that she is finally pregnant. She goes on May 29 for her first ultrasound, and to see how many heart beats that there are. Please keep her and her husband in your prayers. I am writing her to see if I can link her blog to mine. She is a very inspiring person. I will keep you updated on her! God Bless you Mary Kate and Michael!

Wishful Thinking!

I am hoping that this is going to be a wonderful thing!!! My friend Jessica does it all the time and since we have so many relatives that do not live close by, I thought it would be a good way for them (and even the people who do live close that can't get enough of My Maddi) to keep in touch and keep track of Matt, Madison, and myself. I am really excited about this and hope that Jessica can teach me a few tricks to this blogging stuff!!!! I promise that I will try my hardest to get pictures posted on here as often as I can! Wish me luck on this journey! I am going to attempt to post my first picture!!!!