Madeline's 1st smile

This made my day! What a precious gift from God. We are so blessed.

Fun-filled adventures of Motherhood

Matt left today for Oceana. He will be landing on the aircraft carrier all this week. In efforts to keep my mind off of that, Sarah Geyer (another lonely wife who's husband is on the ground in Afghanistan) and I decided to take a day trip to Savannah with 3 kids to "kill" a Saturday! We braved the Mall and did a little "retail therapy" while the kids were on their best behavior. (meaning we made it through one store! HA!) Sarah wanted to give Alison a special treat by taking her to Build-a-Bear. I am sad to admit that this was mine and Alison's 1st trip ever to Build A Bear! We loved it! Alison immediately went for the pink kitten ( the closest she will get to owning one) and named it Tinkerbell. It was so much fun watching her stuff, bath and register her very own kitty. Thanks Sarah for taking us there and getting Alison her Tinkerbell.

Alison with SarahMadeline and her buddy Vance
Then, we were very brave (or nuts) and took a 3 yr old, 10 month old and 2 month old to Chuck E Cheese! Alison took off for the playland area and we didn't see her for about 30 minutes. Then she played several games and ate pizza. Her favorite part was the tokens. She didn't understand that she just needed one per game and often asked me for "more money please". We were tired and had hungry babies by the end and somehow Sarah and I convinced her to settle for a lollipop instead of redeeming her 129 tickets in a long line of hateful people! (whew!) By the time we got home it was way past bedtime and a day full of no naps so I am worn out and ready for bed! Here are some pictures from our outings today! Until our next adventure....
Monster truck style
she really got the hang of this game

Our lil baby turned 3!

This one is for sweet Alison....Happy Birthday Alison! Born on October 27th 2005, seems like yesterday. Every birthday has been special but this one was extra special for 3 reasons.

1) Your Daddy and Mommy were both able to celebrate with you

2) You could tell us exactly what you wanted your birthday to look and feel like, not to mention exactly what you wanted to find when you opened up your presents!

3) You donned the title "big sister" just one month prior to turning 3!

It seems like you have been talking forever but your true personality really starting to shine over the last year. It has been fun watching you complete sentences and repeat the cutest sayings. There are several that I will always cherish:
-I so nice to meet you

-I NEED it ( you never want something, you always NEED it)

-want to cuddle with me?

-can I have a POC-is-el (popsicle)

-is that what I did when I was bor-ing (meaning born)

-I SO SICK (a pocisel will make it better)

-I la you so much ( I love you so much)

-I so proud you are here ( she tells her daddy this often)

-Goodmorning sunshine

-you come back!

- in 1 more day? (countdown could be 10 but it is always in 1 more day til she sees family/etc)

You learn and explore something new everyday. It is such a joy being your Mommy and I will always cherish each year of your life.

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

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Saying Grace!

Alison attends a Christian preschool MWF. We are so impressed at how much she already knows about our God and the bible. She has really cool songs that she recites daily. We are having fun watching her grow in Christ. We have been working on saying Grace at the table for a long time and she was not interested. However, they say it before their snack time daily so now it is cool for her! Here she is...

Madeline hung out on her changing pad on the kitchen table as all of this was going on. She wanted in on the action.