Madelyn's 2nd Birthday Party

Madelyn's 2nd birthday party was a shoe theme, she adores shoes! If you ever take her to a shoe store, I warn you now "enter at your own risk"! You generally have to leave with Maddy kicking and screaming. So, when we were deciding on a theme for her birthday, I couldn't think of anything she loves more then shoes.

We started the birthday celebration with a trip to Monkey Joe's on her actual birthday, she loved it!



I took on the challenge of making her birthday banner this year, I enjoyed making it but the jury is still out on whether this will be a continued tradition! We had a cake and cupcakes this year, Madelyn loves cupcakes but I couldn't imagine not having a cake as well. I had cotton candy made by The Sweet Treat Boutique, for the favors.




Madelyn got the hang of opening gifts much better this year, she is very blessed to have such great friends and family. She received many great gifts, her first Cabbage Patch Kid, lawn chair, doll house and accessories, dress up clothes, and many new fun summer clothes. Thank you, everyone!!









The next day we were able to celebrate with more gifts at grammy and grampys house and go on a boat ride, Madelyn was much more excited about the boat ride this year.



We completed the birthday celebration with a gift from mommy and daddy. We gave Madelyn her very own pink, portable, dvd player. We thought it was the perfect gift for her, considering we will have a 15 hour drive to the beach this summer!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Madelyn!!

Happy Birthday to my favorite two year old!! I can't believe it's already been two years, we now have a full blown toddler.

A Two Year Old
A two year old is so many things.
A tiny discoverer of butterfly wings.
A hugger of teddies, a sweet sleepy head.
And someone to dream for in bright years ahead.
A special new person who right from the start,
has a place in the family and a coarse in your heart.
And just when you think you've learned all the things,
that your dear girl is,and the joy that she brings,
a hug or a grin comes with such a sweet surprise,
that love finds you smiling with tears in your eyes.
-Author Unknown

We are taking Madelyn to Monkey Joe's tonight for her birthday and the "official" celebration will be on Saturday!!!

Easter 2011 Pictures

I'm a little late but here are a few pictures of Madelyn from Easter. She was very excited about her Easter Basket this year and was a champ at hunting eggs!

Green Monster!

Aunt Allie came to stay with us on Friday night, she brought cupcakes from Sugar 'n Spice in Bloomington. She picked the perfect cupcake for Madelyn, it looked like an Easter basket, it had green grass icing with jelly beans on top.

And here was the aftermath!!! I can't wait to get her back one day!

Already Driving?

Such a big girl!!! Though I think she will have a little trouble figuring out how to reach the pedals and see over the dash.

Cute?

Madelyn is all girl! She has the sweet, bashful, smile mastered...and she knows how to use it. Adam doesn't stand a chance, I have a feeling the girl will have whatever she wants. She now uses the word "cute?" when she wants to know if she looks cute. We bought her a few new things for summer on Friday night and when we got home she had to model them for us, all at once. She would then ask "cute"?

The picture isn't the best but you can see that she has her new pajamas on, along with her new shorts. She thought she was super "cute"...and I agree!!!!!!

Grocery Shopping

So I battle the grocery every weekend, maybe it's not so much the actual store that I despise but the dreaded list. I usually go to the grocery every Sunday or Monday depending on what the weekend has in store for us. Yesterday I knew I would be going to the store later that afternoon and so the dreaded grocery list began. I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if Adam and I actually liked to eat the same food, but that would be way too easy. Adam prefers to have meat, meat and more meat. I prefer to eat a mostly vegetarian diet with a little meat every once in a while.

I prefer to make out the menu for the week and then make my list from there, so here is what I came up with for this week. Please remember that I am working full time, adding Real Estate stuff into the mix every week, and a Mommy. So my time is a little limited!

Sunday: Quesadillas with homemade guacamole
Monday: Tuna Salad and macaroni and cheese, my tuna recipe is awesome with dried cranberries and fresh apples. Yum!!
Tuesday: Beef Burgundy with egg noodles (Adam gets his meat and I can eat the noodles, mushrooms and onions)
Wednesday: Ham & Cheese Sandwiches with chips and salsa
Thursday: Hamburgers on the grill (I am not sure what I will eat but I can assure you it wont be a hamburger)
Friday: Baked ziti and garlic bread
Saturday: Out to dinner!!!!!
Sunday: My dreaded list and menu starts all over again :(


So my reason for this post…what do you make for dinner and how do you decide what to put on the menu?