A busy week....

This week has been absolutely insane. We've had one thing going on after another and I've not managed to blog any. So, you are about to get a ton of stuff all in one. LOL

Tuesday, Maddie had to go for her 2 year old check up. She weighed in at 24 pounds 8 ounces and 34 1/2 inches tall. Based on the growth chart, she is in the 25th percentile for weight and 76th for height. Basically, that means (according to the dr) that she is going to be super tall and skinny. YEAH!

After going to the doctor, the kids and I did a little shopping and met Alex for some mexican food for lunch. He took the kids home and let me go do a little more shopping ALL ALONE!!!!! I was very excited. It is always nice to get out of the car all alone and cruise around the store with NO CHILD distractions!!! Thanks Alex.

Wednesday, WOW! I'm not sure there is any other word for it. The kids and I loaded up early to get out of the house in order for the cleaning ladies to come. We headed for the pool at Jimmy Floyd only to arrive, knowing that it is raining and we could use the indoor pool, only to be told they closed it too. Oh no, I've just unloaded two toddlers in the pouring down rain only to have to turn around and go back out in it. I was so drenched when I finally got us all loaded back up that it looked like I had literally gotten in the pool fully clothed. I was dripping water down my back because my hair was so wet and I had nothing left dry to dry it off. Yes, it was starting out to be a great day! The kids don't understand why we're not going swimming inside and the cleaning ladies are going to be even more excited when they see us walking back in the door. What are we going to do???? We managed to find some stuff to do and thankfully the rained stopped enough to take them outside, but wow... it was a very interesting morning at the Perry's house.

Thursday, we had the Reed's over. Katrina and I tackled Maddie's room. We got the headboard ready to be put on the frame, even though it still needs a little tweeking... it is assembled. We also got some stuff on the walls, the rocking chair in and I painted a little quote on the wall. It was finally starting to look cute! I have a little more I still want to do, but it is coming together. Maybe this week some time I can get it finished & then I'll post some pictures!

This is Maddie opening her present from Kaleb. She literally took this same cup set out of the bag at least 3 times and was more and more excited each time. WOW! Doesn't take much for a kid!!!

Ashton, Maddie & Kaleb all riding in the driveway in Maddie's new jeep. Kaleb was super excited about Maddie's jeep. Maybe even more so than she was. LOL.

Saturday, we had Maddie's 2nd birthday party at our house. We kept it fairly small. It was mostly family with a few of our really good friends that Maddie plays with most. It was a princess theme and I decked Maddie out for the festivities as you can see below.

For anyone that knows me very well, knows that I AM NOT a girlie girl, so this was a huge stretch for me. I am trying really hard to give Maddie more girlie things even though they aren't my favorite.

The birthday party went great. We had BBQ and hot dogs with all the sides, followed by some cake, cupcakes and ice cream. It was nice! Maddie was surrounded by lots of people that love her. She got tons of clothes and books and was super excited opening her presents! The kids all got to play outside on the trampoline and our little bouncy thing. They also ran around the yard and played on the swingset. It was HOT, but the kids didn't seem to care one bit. The men didn't seem to mind too much either. They got a cornhole game going and they stayed outside probably longer than the kids did. I think everyone had a nice time and we were glad!!

Maddie turned TWO!!

Monday, Maddie turned 2 years old. She was super excited from the moment she woke up. Alex went to get her out of her bed that morning and she immediately said, "my birthday?". She was ready. Her, Ashton and I just did some random things all day and planned to save the birthday festivities for when Alex got home from work. Well, Ashton just couldn't stand it. He was probably more excited than Maddie. While she napped, he kept asking if it was time to wake her up. Our baby monitors are also a two way radio. Ashton knows that you can talk in to them and Maddie can hear you. However, he doesn't know that you have to push a button to do so. He so desperately wanted her awake that he went in to our bedroom where her monitor is and started talking in to it trying to wake her up. He told her to wake up, that he had a big present for her and it was time to play. He kept on and on while Alex and I peeked around the corner watching him. It was adorable!!

Finally, she woke up and Ashton was ecstatic!! We couldn't get her shoes on fast enough. He took her outside and showed her the new jeep "like Mr. Erik's" that he had gotten her. They played around riding it until the rain started and then it was a fight to get them back inside.

After dinner, we enjoyed some cupcakes to celebrate. (We're saving the cake for her party.) She loved it. We had to sing "Happy Birthday to You!" at least four or five times. She'd eat a little of her cupcake then say, "sing again" and we'd have to do it all over again. It was cute. All and all Maddie had a super birthday and now she can't wait for the party on Saturday.

Weekend of Creativity

Saturday and Sunday turned out to be very crafty days for Alex and I. We spent a lot of time in "Alex's Shop", better known as the garage. I continued to work on the castle for Maddie's room. I began by cutting out the windows, painting part of the castle and staining the door to have a wood grain look to it. I'm excited with it so far. It just needs some dressing up now.

Alex, on the other hand, started working on a set of cornhole boards. I have to say, I did assist some on that also. I made the cornhole bag, which happen to be a very important part of the game. Without them, you couldn't play. I even made a "monogrammed" set for Alex. How many people can say they have a set of monogrammed cornhole bags?? LOL

All and all it was a nice, fun filled family weekend. We were super glad to have Alex back home!!!

Fourth of July & the Fireworks

Our Friday morning started out just like any other Friday morning. We got showers, dressed and ready to go. Oh, and the kids were fighting over toys. You know... same as any other morning in our house with two toddlers. LOL. We headed out to run a handful of errands and pick some last minute things still needed for Maddie's room redecorate. It was off to Walmart first. About 20 minutes after we got there, Maddie started fussing that her "boo boo hurt and was hot". I looked down to see what she was talking about and her right arm, just below her elbow was swollen, scratched, and hot to touch. My first thought, "holy cow, what has she done". Then I recalled that Ashton had pushed her down in to our footboard in our room in their last quarel over a golf club just before we left. She hit her arm and back in the fall and cried hysterically over it and then went on. I hadn't thought anything else about it. Well, now I'm thinking she has hurt her arm in the fall. I call Alex's mom and send her and Alex both a picture, because I'm not sure what I should do. It is the 4th of July and our doctor's office isn't open. After some deliberation, it is off to the emergency room to have it checked to make sure she didn't hurt it or even worse, break it, in the fall. We get in the car and start making our way to the hospital and Ashton is upset because he thinks he has hurt Maddie. I hear him in the backseat telling her he's sorry he hurt her and she has to go to the hospital. It was sweet. I explained to him that he didn't do it on purpose and we know that. I tried to explain to him that this is why we don't fight because someone might get hurt. He said he understood and he wouldn't do it anymore because he didn't want his Sissy to get hurt. Cute, but how long will that last?! Surprisingly, we were taken right back and helped very quickly. We were in and out of there within an hour and a half. She had to have it x-rayed and played with, but in the end they determined no break or problem with the bone. Instead, they THINK it was just some kind of bite and sent her home. I just have to watch it for drainage or anything like that. So far, so good. Still a little swollen and irritated looking, but looking better.

Last night, Alex came back from his trip. The kids and I surprised him at the airport and boy were the kids thrilled to see Daddy!! It has been a super long week without him. We got his luggage and headed for the car. The kids enjoyed the ride to the car ON Daddy's luggage as you can see.

Our church, The Journey, was apart of the first annual Providence Shopping Center 4th of July festivities. Alex, the kids and I headed over there after we left the airport to join in on the fun. It was nice. A little humid, but tons of fun. The kids jumped in the bouncy things and had snow cones. That was all they needed. At dark, the kids all sound down and watched the fireworks. For a minute, Ashton wasn't so sure.

Then, began really enjoying it. He, Kaleb and Erik sat together and watched them almost all night. It was so cute to watch the excitement on his face when it was a big colorful one or one that he thought was "cool".

Maddie DID NOT like it at all for probably the first half of the show. She clunge to Alex for dear life with her head down and her blanket over it. I started thinking we might need to leave. I didn't want her to stay and be that afraid. Then she looked up and saw one that she thought was pretty and it was over. She got super excited and we stayed for the whole show.
It was nice to enjoy some fun with a ton of friends! Can't wait to do it again next year!!

Swimming with Friends

The kids and I went over to some friends' house this morning to play. They all enjoyed some time playing in the sandbox and then we headed for a swim. Ashton was jumping in like crazy without a care in the world. Maddie wasn't totally sure, but would jump in some. Berkley is one fearless little lady and Addison just kind of went with the flow. It was fun. It is amazing to me how different kids are even at the same age. Shanna and I had our hands full, but we enjoyed it. Of course, as usual, the kids didn't make it super long and it was back to their house.

The kids played outside riding on about every toy you can think of. It was a lot of fun. However, Ashton did almost give me a hard attack. He decided to take Addison's bike, which is a little big for him, and go down the hill in front of their house. He had no helmet on and barely made it in to the grass without flipping it end over end. He was rocking back and forth and the look on his face was pure terror. I ran for him as soon as I realized what he was doing and thankfully he didn't get hurt. He didn't get back on the bike either. WOW! My heart is pounding to just think about it again.

After some lunch, the kids played in the backyard on the swingset. Addison and Ashton climbed the ropes and the girls played on the swings. The kids all got on the big swing together and below you can see they were enjoying themselves. Now we're home getting some much needed rest after a lot of activity this morning!

"The GIRLS" in the Shop

Last night after bible study, two of the girls decided to stay around and hang out with me for a while. Alex is out of town and so I'm on my own. We sat down at the table with some dessert and popcorn and laughed hysterically about everything imaginable. It was a good time! We jumped from subject to subject, but laughed the whole time.

Some time after ten o'clock, I talked Tiffany and Katrina in to going out to the garage and "the girls" breaking out some tools. As some of you already know, I'm in the process of redecorating Maddie's room. I've decided to go with a little bit of a princess theme. In doing so, I've also decided that I'm going to make, yes I said, I'm going to make, a headboard myself. We're going to move her from her crib to a twin bed. I've found several I like online, but not willing to spend that much money on a headboard. It looks like it would be so easy. I CAN do this!! How hard can it be???

Well, Tuesday afternoon I got the castle drawn out on the board. It was pretty easy. I'm thinking so far, so good. Last night "the girls" broke out the jig saw (Thanks to Robbie loaning it to me!) and started cutting it out. Yes, I used a saw. Can you believe it?? No instruction from anyone. I used a power tool!! I was super excited! Tiffany and Katrina, on the other hand, weren't as enthusiastic. First of all, we had to use cases of water as our saw horses because we don't have any real saw horses. Next, we had to keep the board from shifting while I cut, so Tiffany & Katrina held it from bouncing on me. I couldn't find safety goggles in Alex's tool box, so "the girls" truly looked like bank robbers holding the board. Tiffany had her sunglasses on and her shirt over her face and Katrina had her entire head down inside her shirt. WOW! We were super professional. I think we probably broke every safety rule there is. It was funny though and I happen to think we had a pretty good time! I almost couldn't concentrate on what I was doing because I was laughing at them so much. It was definitely a Kodak moment.

I'm not done with the headboard yet, but I am well on my way. I have a big portion of it cut out. It is just a lot of cutting and it started getting late. I can't wait to finish it, sand the edges and get started on the painting. It is going to be so cute!!! I'll definitely post pictures when its done. Stay tuned.....

Morning at the Pool

This morning, the kids & I met Miss Tiffy at Jimmy Floyd to go to the pool. We started out inside because the outside pool wasn't open yet. It gave us just enough time to get wet & play around a little then it was time for us to head outside. We walked out the door to discover it was kids' club day. WOW! Can we say two bus loads of kids?! It looked like there MAY have been 4 or 5 adults with them. Basically, there was NO supervision what so ever. These kids were wild!! They were trampling all over us like they didn't have a care in the world. One little girl kept coming up to Maddie wanting to play & she kept pushing her away. The little girl didn't take the hint & would get right back in her face. Finally Maddie put her hand up in the girls' face & said "no, stop!" It was kind of humerous!

Here is a cute shot of her playing in the sprinklers. She & Ashton both had a good time with those!!

Ashton did really good at the pool today! Thanks to Katrina & the "shark" she found. He has done a wonderful job in the pool. He swims around & just takes it all in. He really enjoyed going down the slide today. Over & Over & Over again!!! He also loved running in the sprinklers. He was letting the water splash him in the face! And this is the child that doesn't like getting his face wet in the shower. It was cute!!! Daddy would be so proud.