Easter... Early

Maddy-isms

Maddy sometimes has her own version of the English language, it usually cracks me up!
Cheetos = Cheeebos
Daddy = Miss Daddy (she walks around the house following him... Miss Daddy? um, xcuse me? Miss Daddy?")
Please carry me = cawru me!

I came home from work early today because she has been so sick. Ray was up almost the whole night before and after taking her to the doctor they came home this morning with a strep diagnosis. :( So, I got home and went and laid down with her in her room when she immediately sprouted up and proceeded to tell me all about "the doctor" and how she went "aghhhhh" so he could look in her throat. She gets most of her facts very correct- although I think she told me she went to Papa's doctor!

Little Moments

After washing all the sand out of Maddy's hair tonight during bath time, we did our normal after bath routine. I wrap her in a towel, clean out her ears all while singing "Oh, you must of been a beautiful baby.... Cause baby look at you now!" I always make sure to sing, if I am in a rush or tired Maddy always reminds me to sing the baby song. After that we brush her princess hair (because Daddy says that Auntie Christen use to say you had to brush your hair 100 times to become a true princess. Which helps make sense of Ray's constant hair brushing.) Then we baby lotion her arms and legs and sing You Are My Sunshine, which she is starting to sing along with me to. Tonight it hit me though... She will God willing grow up one day... and there will not be any more baby baths to give out. What will I do without that smell? Maybe I'll just make her always wear baby powder.

As we were driving down to Papa's yesterday I turned around and saw this.

Mimi had given Maddy lipstick.

Princess Maddy

Road Rage

BEEP! BEEP!

Ray's Happy Birthday

This cake is all Papa's doing. Picture it... "Um, excuse me? Cake decorator lady? Can you write Ray Ray on this ice cream cake and put a Dora candle on it? Thanks."

This is literally the best picture of Ray I got all day...


But of course, Maddy was all ready to "cheese" for the camera.

Papa torture...

Be Still

Bedtime has always been a challenge for us. Maddy usually only concedes to it if all the lights stay on and she is allowed to play. I concede to this being called bedtime as long as she stays in bed. Somewhere between her car adventures and dolly diaper changes she konks out, Ray will slip in and pull the toys off the bed and shut out the lights. But, there are nights were she wakes up and probably wonders, "where the heck is all my stuff?!" You will then hear tiny little "mommas and daddas" being called out. I usually go in and check on her and she ALWAYS says "lie down momma." Because I can not hold any ground when I am tired, I give in and lie down. At first my mind is onto the next thing I need to get done today. tomorrow. next week. last week... and then something happens. I am not sure if it is the soft hum of the lullabies playing from her CD player or the tiny glow from her Dora nightlight, but I settle. I am still. She usually tugs your arm at that point, making sure it is wrapped around her. I then remind myself that everything else can wait... that 16 year old Maddy will not need me to lay down with her in order to fall asleep. That 16 year old Maddy will not instantly calm just as long as I am close and I realize -even if just in that moment- to be still. My little girl needs me to cuddle with her... and I probably need it more than she does.

I will one day videotape the tiny baby snores and humiliate 16 year old Maddy though!