Madelyn Turns 2!

Happy 2nd birthday (yesterday!) to our beautiful daughter, Madelyn! I would have posted all of this yesterday, but with work and the birthday celebration and Maddy deciding that 2 year olds don't have to sleep, I just didn't get to it!

Maddy is officially 2, and is definitely acting like she has entered the Terrible Twos. We hear a lot of "no, that's mine!" and "go away now". The tantrums have also begun, especially when she doesn't get a toy or object that she wants. She has become very picky about food, and has made the decision that sleep is overrated. It's way too much fun staying awake and getting into trouble. 

Once upon a time, we were worried that Maddy was slightly delayed in meeting her milestones. Well, let me reassure everyone that it is no longer a concern of ours! Maddy is talking ALL of the time now, and is learning new things every day. She can already count to 20 and knows every letter in the alphabet. She knows all of her colors, and loves identifying them wherever she goes! She loves books, and has memorized her favorites: "The Monster At The End of This Book", "My First Book of Numbers", and "Little Quack's ABC's". 

We spent her birthday evening out to dinner at Home Run Inn, where she ate a little bit of pizza, and devoured her ice cream sundae. She then spent the night in our bed, not as a special birthday treat, but because she was keeping her sister awake! 

We love our little Madelyn and are so proud of her! 

Here are some stats:

Height, weight, head circumference: tbd at her doctors appointment on October 7th! 

Shoe size: 5

Clothing size: 2T

Diaper size: 5 

Some of our favorite Madelyn phrases: 

"So, what do you want to do?"

"That's a big tower, huh?"

"Mama read Monster ehehehsss Book" (Monster at the End of This Book)

"Oh no, it's a terrible mess!"

"What happened? I don't know either." 

"Haha, funny!" (She says as she's laughing)

Maddy likes...

Reading books, watching "Clifford's Puppy Days" or "Super Why", coloring, going to gymnastics, counting, identifying her numbers or letters, cuddling, playing with her sister Taylor, building with blocks or Legos, dressing up, making messes, playing with her "Baby" (red sock monkey), swimming, listening to music, her new cousin Lillian, shoes of all sizes and styles, and playing outside. 

Maddy dislikes... 

Sleeping in the pack and play (sorry Maddy, only a couple more months until we are in our own house again!), sleeping in general, getting her nails clipped, being told "no", smiling for the camera (as seen below), having toys taken from her, and getting her diaper changed. 

The girl loves her sweets

Posing with her sister

Looking at an ant... this was a source of entertainment for about 20 minutes!

Birthday dinner - she wouldn't dream of turning her attention away from her ice cream sundae for this picture! 

Pumpkin patch!

Again, this girl with her sweets

Couldn't sleep... naturally, watching TV with an American flag is the answer

Welcome Baby Lillian!

Congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law on their new arrival! Lillian Everly Forst was born on September 10th. The girls were able to meet their beautiful new cousin today! Taylor was in awe the whole time, and talked about her all the way home! Maddy kept saying "so cute!"

When Dad's Away, the Girls Will Play!

Sam was able to fulfill one of his childhood dreams this weekend: seeing Frank Thomas inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. He and his friends took a road trip to Cooperstown, NY, for the big event. He is on his way home now, and will inevitably have more pictures and details for me to share. However, this blog post is going to focus on the fun weekend that the girls and I had! So while Sam was away doing things like this... 

We were out and about, doing things like this: 

The Park! Initially not one of our more successful trips, we ended up having a great time!

Blackberry Farm! The girls absolutely loved this place. I can't believe we haven't been before! We will definitely be going back. 

Downtown! We took a trip into the city and explored Millennium Park and had lunch with our good friend, Natalie! 

Movie Nights! Each night, we wound ourselves down with a movie. We watched Ella Enchanted, Shrek Forever After, Monsters Inc., and Beezus and Ramona. 

Outdoor Fun! We spent a lot if time outside this weekend! Bubbles, sprinklers, parks, and bikes kept us busy and active! 

We also went to gymnastics, went out for lunch with our friends Erica and Sophia, made cookies, and had a sleepover together in our bed! I certainly loved every minute that I spent with my girls this weekend! I also am looking forward to Sam being home and sharing in some of the fun, too! (AKA some of the work!)

That's One Way To Clean a Doll...

Taylor was "bathing" her water-resistant Barbie dolls in the bathroom sink tonight. Of course, Maddy felt it would be only fair to give her Baby a bath, too! 

Summer Fun!

The girls are at such wonderful ages this summer. We've really been able to go to a lot of places and do a lot of things with them! Here are a few pictures of our summer so far!

Making a wish with Quinn and Caroline before letting the ladybug go! 

Playing dress-up.

Enjoying some birthday cake!

Fun at the zoo with cousins Haley, Mark, Zach, and Ryan. 

Many of our summer days make for very sleepy rides home!

Stealing fruit in the grocery store

Sitting in a cool bowl of water!

Drying off

Pool fun with Gianna and Isabella

Green eggs and ham breakfast

My girls!

Maddy exploring Uncle Eric & Aunt Krystle's backyard

At Aunt Krystle's baby shower! We can't wait to meet our new niece/cousin! 

Baltimore and Big-Girl Beds

Last week, Sam and I flew out to Baltimore for Sam's 3 month check-up. We are thrilled to announce that everything is looking great! His rods and the bone graft all look in tact, and his mobility is slowly improving. Normally, Baltimore is not our favorite destination, but this was a very encouraging, uplifting trip. In fact, the appointments went so quickly, and we flew out so early, that we were able to go out to dinner, catch the White Sox/Orioles game, and go to the movies! It was a whole summer's worth of date nights packaged into one trip!

Our spunky little Madelyn is now in a big girl bed. Well, it's somewhat of a makeshift big girl bed for now - basically, her crib mattress is on the floor, surrounded by furniture to keep her from falling off. Her first day was yesterday, and she did not nap; she was too excited about her newfound freedom to wander around her room, trying on play jewelry and tearing her sister's books apart. Last night, she fell asleep in her stroller, so I put her right into her crib. However, at about midnight, she woke up and began wandering around the halls. It was adorable, actually! She kept popping her head into our room and talking to us. We figured out a way to barricade her in using a baby gate and some book bins. So here she is in her new, makeshift, ghetto-looking big girl bed:

Back From My Writing Hiatus!

Hello everyone! It's been a LONG time since I've posted last. It's been a very, very hectic couple of months: we sold our home, Sam went back to work part-time, we moved in with my parents, we hired a nanny, and we started building a home in Shorewood. Forgive me if I haven't had enough down time to keep the blog going! It is going to be my new summer project, though!

Here is a brief overview of what's been going on with our kids:

Taylor
Taylor is 4 1/2 years old now. She finished her first year of preschool and loved every minute! She is taking gymnastics every Saturday morning, and just started taking piano lessons on Fridays. Even though she still likes dress-up and princesses, her favorite movies now include "Despicable Me", "The Croods", and "Lilo and Stitch". She even requested to watch "Hannah Montana" the other day... she really is growing up! She is also really into drawing lately. She draws pictures all day long, and has decorated the walls of the house with her works of art. She recently got an iPhone - an old iPhone 3 that my dad didn't use anymore. We loaded it with music and pictures, and she spends a lot of time in her room listening to music. We have gotten a glimpse into her pre-teen years!

Madelyn
Maddy is 21 months old now. It's hard to believe that, soon, we will be celebrating her 2nd birthday! She is still easygoing, but with a little bit of that "Terrible 2" sass peppered in! She is quite talkative. Here are some of the phrases that she says well, and often:
"Where did mama/dada/Bapa/Mar/etc. go?"
"I hungry! Tay-Tay hungry too!"
"Are you ok?" (after anyone gets hurt, cries, coughs, etc.)
"It's mine!"
She loves watching dogs on YouTube, playing in the water, blowing bubbles, reading stories, playing the "Fishy" game on the iPad, playing dress-up with her sister, going for walks in the stroller or wagon, building with blocks or Legos, trying on mommy's shoes, and exploring anything she can get her hands on. Here are a few of her stats:
Height (as of her 18 month checkup): 31 inches
Weight: 26 pounds
Shoe Size: 5
Diaper Size: 4
Clothing Size: 24 month/ 2T

Sam & Cheryl
Sam went back to work part time, and transitioned really well! He has been getting stronger and stronger every day. He is also still in remission, so he has been clear for one full year, which is a huge milestone in the cancer world!
We had a nice, relaxing time in Punta Cana recently, with our dear friends Anthony and Sarah. It was the most relaxing weekend that we've ever had!
We also purchased a plot of land in Shorewood, which was bank-owned and dirt cheap. We've been working with a wonderful builder, who has helped us design a family-friendly ranch home that will make Sam's life much easier. We should break ground soon (really, we will!). We will be living in the Kipling Estates Subdivision soon!

Overall, we are thoroughly enjoying our summer together. Living in Lemont has been great, being close to our family, friends, and suburban life! We've had a lot of fun so far going to parks, play dates, splash pads, picnics, and museums. This is a fun age for both girls to be at, and we can't wait for the rest of the summer to enjoy with them!

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the last couple of months:

First trip to the Bulls Game with her daddy!

Chocolate Ball Gala 2014

Daddy Daughter Dance

Preschool Pals!

First haircut! She was also sick that day, we didn't find out until later but you can totally see it in her cheeks here!

Mother/Daughter Pajama Party with her buddy Evelyn! Yes, Taylor did her own hair. 

Easter

Posing for the camera!

Picnic on our "land" in Shorewood!

Maddy loves the splash pads! 

Exploring at the zoo!

Painting faces at the zoo

Movie night!

Punta Cana!

Trip to the Children's Museum of Oak Lawn