Just because....

....I love this picture :)

La Jolla

This weekend Megan and I took an impromptu trip to La Jolla! We left on Saturday morning and returned on Sunday evening. We had a great time!

After checking in to our hotel, we decided to head out for a walk and catch lunch at Islands. Boy, I have missed this place! They have the best burgers!!! After lunch, we had our nails done. I sure love a good pedicure!

By the time we were done getting pampered, we thought we would head to downtown La Jolla and wander around the shops. What a cute area. It was lots of fun browsing through the little stores and people watching. As dinner time appraoched, we decided on a fun Mexican bar. We sat outside, enjoyed great food, and watched the people go by and the waves crashing. Finally, it was time for desert! Melody had mentioned we should try Apple Green for some frozen yogurt. We took her up on her suggestion, and we are SO glad we did! If you are ever in La Jolla, you've got to try it too!

Sunday morning we ventured out to the La Jolla farmers market. I'm always a sucker for a good farmers market. We had some tasty crepes for breakfast and picked up some wonderful fresh produce. Nothing quite like local produce. This place is also a must if you are in the area on a Sunday morning.

Before heading home we went to the beach for a bit and just enjoyed the water. La Jolla is a great little town. I'm sure we'll be back!

My parents were happy to report the Madilyn was a perfect angel while we were away on out 36 hour mini vacation :)

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Yesterday while out to dinner with our friend Heather, Madilyn was getting a bit impatient. To try and distract her for a bit until the check came, I started singing the isty bitsy spider. Now, I've been singing this to her for a while, and she usually just stares me down. Yesterday she actually tried to sing along AND do the hand motions! When the song was over she kept on clapping and telling herself, "good girl"! Then she'll say, "again, again"! I swear she's more and more fun every day :)

Labor Day Weekend

What a great weekend! Saturday it cooled down to an unheard of low 80's here in Phoenix! We packed up are stuff and took off for the park. We couldn't help but enjoy the awesome weather!!!!






Today, after a nice BBQ, I pulled out Madi's sprinkler for the first time. Too fun! She was a little apprehensive at first, but ended up having a great time.

After sprinklers, it was time to jump in the water! Madilyn loves to be tossed up in the water! She's becoming quite the little fish :)

MyGym

Looking for activities to keep a very busy toddler entertained can be quite the challenge! Luckily, we found a great place nearby! It's called MyGym, and Madilyn loves it. They have all kinds of activities for the kids. The rearrange the place and set up new obstacles and challenges each week. This means there is always something new and exciting each week! They sing songs, do group activities and have special "stations" set up during the course of each class. Of course, right now Madilyn's favorite things include the swing, trampoline, double bars, balance beams, and anything with a ball!

Don and Sandy took her to a make-up class on Saturday and were able to get some pictures! This is great because I'm usually by myself and it is nearly impossible to get a good picture while my toddler is running in 20 different directions!

Time with Grandma and Grandpa Merritt

On Friday morning, Madilyn got to go go play with Grandpa Don and Grandma Sandy! It was only the beginning of her sleepover. She stayed until Saturday evening. Don and Sandy have graciously shared some pictures of their fun time with Madilyn, and I wanted to share them with everyone too! Enjoy:)

I think she likes it....

Yesterday I was able to find this great climber for Madilyn on Cragslist! It was too good of a deal to pass up, and I think she loves it! We have it inside for now. Once it cools off we'll move it out to the backyard. She woke up this morning screaming "more wheeeeeeee!" which is Madilyn for "I want to go play on the slide again"! Too cute.

Brianna's Off to College!

I can't believe my little sister is already in college. Where do the years go?

This weekend Madilyn ad I went up to Northern Arizona University to help my sister get settled in her dorm and celebrate her birthday (which was yesterday.....the big 18!). We enjoyed seeing her new place and of course cooling off. Just 2.5 short hours away, but the weather is sooooo much nicer than it is here in Phoenix. Lucky girl!

She says she'll be back at Thanksgiving, but I hope she'll visit us again a bit sooner than that :)

Here are a few pictures my mom took. Madilyn and I left flag before the family picture.


Good luck on your first day of classes today, Brianna! We love you!

Keeping Daddy Close

Madilyn has grown quite fond of any pictures of Matt. She holds them close and carries them around the house, talking to Daddy. She has since ruined a couple of pictures with all of her loving, and we decided to get her something she could take with her everywhere. this way she can always keep her Daddy close. Operation Hug-a-Hero makes items for children with their deployed parents' picture on it! As I browsed the site, I decided a taggie blanket would be perfect for our little girl. It came in the mail tonight and I can't wait to show it to Madilyn tomorrow. Here's a sneak peak!

Madilyn will be staying with her Grandma and Grandpa Merritt this weekend while I help Brianna move in up north, so I'll be sure to ask them to get a few pictures of Madilyn and Daddy while I am away :)

"New" Chair

Recently, while talking to my Grandma about Madilyn's love for finding things just her size to sit on, she remembered she had a little chair of mine from when I was a kid. I brought it out for Madilyn today and she loves it! She sits in it for a while and reads to herself, then hops down puts the books in the chair and pushes them all around the house. When she's done walking around, she grabs the books and starts the process all over again. She's just so darned cute I had to put up this picture!