Shane ended February finally feeling better! He is loving painting! Here is a masterpiece he created for one of his lucky relatives!
Madison also started to sit up on her own! Here she is showing off her skills on our kitchen table. Before you tell me how she should not be alone on the table - trust me she is not! Dan is next to her in case of a fall. His arm is actually in the picture! She is sitting on her own though.
Madison also turned 6 months old on February 29th. Here are her 6 month Notre Dame pictures.
And here are all 6 months together - look how my baby has grown!!!
Madison - 1 Month -
Madison - 2 Months -
Madison - 3 Months -
Madison - 4 Months -
Madison - 5 Months -
Madison - 6 Months
And here are her two teeth - they are still the only ones she has! Sorry it is so off center - I was holding her mouth open and holding the camera!
Madison is doing great! She is loving her baby food, which I am making for her. She has loved everything except avocado - we still try, but she still hates it. It is the only food she will not eat. She loves carrots, peas, squash, zucchini, apples, pears, green beans, and bananas so far! SHe is eating oatmeal cereal as well. Nothing tops a bottle in Maddie's book, though. We try and not let her see them until her food is gone. She usually eats fruit, cereal & a bottle (6 oz. before I pour out an ounce for cereal) in the morning, either fruit or a vegetable for lunch followed by a 4 ounce bottle, a vegetable and cereal (plus a bottle (4 ounces before I pour an ounce out for cereal) for dinner. Before bed she gets a 6 ounce bottle. She is still sleeping up a storm! Maddie sleeps from about 8:30 PM until about 10 AM and then she naps from about 2 PM until 4:00 or 4:30 PM. She is the best baby!
Here are some of the pictures from her 6 month photo shoot - we also did some more 3 year pictures of Shane (we took most at Maddie's 5 month picture appointment)
Shane's great friend Alex was not able to attend his party this year - they were in Colorado on vacation. Shane and Alex got together before Alex left. They spent the morning bouncing, but I forgot my camera in the car so I only took a few pictures as we were leaving the restaurant for lunch. Alex and Shane are really great friends! Here they are shaking hands and hugging!
we celebrated Papa Bob's birthday on March 2nd (his birthday was March 1st) and I made the cake. I had decided to make Shane's cake this year so I practiced on Papa Bob! :-) Here is how his cake turned out.
And here are some pictures of Papa Bob & Papa Carolyn with Madison. She loves her Papas!
Shane decided to relax for a bit & then show Papa carolyn how much he loves his sister!
Next it was time for presents! Shane made Papa Bob his handprint out of clay & then painted it. He decided to help Papa Bob open it!
Shane had a blast playing with Aunt Jeanne!
Daddy relaxed with his favorite girl! She adores her dad!!!!
Next it was time for cake! Happy birthday, Papa Bob!
The week leading up to Shane's birthday was filled with excitement! Presents kept coming! A teacher Dan works with send a book, my dear friend Carrie in Maine sent an outfit & activity set, and Aunt Joan & Uncle Cy sent a tool box that Shane uses to fix everything - including Maddie's bouncy seat! He is so lucky to be so loved!
One of the things Shane likes the most about his birthday season is the start of the lawn inflatables! We put up the leprechaun for St Patrick's Day and Tigger in a bunny suit for Easter. Well, one morning in the week leading up to Shane's birthday, the leprechaun did not inflate! We could not wait for Daddy to get home to fix it! Shane wanted to help. Thankfully it was only a fuse and Dan & Shane had the leprechaun up and running in no time!
The week was not all fun and games for Shane though. He also had a monumental event - his first EVER haircut! I mean who makes it to 3 years without ever needing a haircut??? Only my bald boy! Anyways, the time had come - it was not bad, but he was starting to grow a mullet and we could not have that! Dan had wanted to take Shane for his first hair cut & I was more than willing to let him because I knew it would not be pretty! Dan and Shane set out for the big cut on Pulaski Day (March 5th), but once they got there Shane had a major meltdown! Dan called about 45 minutes later to tell me it was not going to happen that day. Instead, they sat & watched others get their hair cut and Shane promised he would be ready to go "tomorrow." Sure he would. He also tells me he will use the potty "tomorrow", but tomorrow never comes. Anyways, as expected he was hysterical on March 6th so I gave him a pass. On March 7th, I was determined. He again told me, "tomorrow." I said, "Tomorrow is today - you are going!" We were using Kid Snips a kid designed hair cut place where the kids can sit in car themed chairs and get to pick a prize from the treasure box as they leave. Each station has a tv and you can bring your own movie. Shane chose Curious George and we were off. He actually cried the whole way there. Once we got inside he was again crying and only wanted to sit on my lap. So no cute car chair for Shane. The funny part was that all of the crying happened before the cut! Once it got started he was OK. Here are the pictures!
With the hair cut out of the way, it was time to turn our attention to the big party! After exhausting every Sesame Street cake from local bakeries (they all use the same cake kit and have the same cakes) over the past 2 years, I decided to make shane's cake. He chose an Elmo & Abby park cake. I ordered a figuring of Elmo & Abby on a seesaw and bought some sheet pans, cans of airbrush frosting, lots of color gels, and had at it. Shane stood over me as I decorated his cake. He says "we" made the cake. It was pretty cute! The end result was not too bad! Some of the airbrushed areas cracked in transport - the second pictures were taken at the party, but overall I think it turned out great! The cake was not the only thing I wound up making. I ordered Shane his custom Elmo shirt from Etsy, but the woman who made it messed up. It was supposed to have a number 3 on it. She also wound up shipping it late & therefore did not have to remake it. At the very last minute I bought a red shirt for him to wear under the Elmo shirt and stenciled the number 3 - using Shane's bathtub puzzle - on each arm. It turned out pretty cute!
Having Shane's party at a park district gym seemed like such a good idea at the time, but it was a pain We had to transport everything there & back. Set up all of the tables, chairs, decorations, etc in under an hour and break everything down in even less time. It did allow a lot more space for Super Stolie, Elmo, games, and running around! we also learned that Maddie is not the party animal that her brother was. She did not like all of the crowds and was really only happy when either Dan or I was holding her - she had no interest in being passed around like a hot potato. Hmmm... When I type it like that I can sympathize with her! Shane was the opposite of that. he was always happiest in crowds. I guess just because she looks like a girl version of him does not make her him! Anyways, Maddie cried a lot at the party. Normally I would only share the happy smiling pictures of her, but I am pretty sure she did not smile at all that day! Here she is with some of her great Aunts - Sue, Gerry, & Margaret!
Shane had a blast! We started out the party with pin the nose on Elmo! Thanks to Jorie, Jack, & Erin for manning the game & handing out medals! While they did that, I set up the parachute for the babies!
Next, it was time for Super Stolie! Aunt Jorie & Uncle Jason decided to give Shane an awesome birthday present this year! They paid for Stolie to perform! It was an amazing present and he LOVED it! Super Stolie was great! She had instruments & bubbles & of course, her famous songs!
Towards the end of Super Stolie's set, she introduced a very special guest - ELMO!!!! Here is Shane when he saw Elmo walking in!
And here are a few of the pictures of Shane and Elmo and all of Shane's friends and Elmo!
Here are some more of the party guests! Shane's new cousin's Shauna (6 weeks older than Maddie) & Asher (3 months younger than Maddie) made it to the big party! We were so happy to have them there, though you can't tell by the expression on Madison's face! Like I said, she had a hard day!
Next came the cake - Shane LOVES cake - correction, Shane LOVES icing! Here is my little man loving being the center of attention! I LOVE the pictures of him attempting to blow out the candles! He cracks me up! Mommy may have blown from the side to help those candles blow out!
After cake it was time to open presents & hang out - notice this great picture of Madelynn (Madison's friend & Isabelle's - Shane's friend's sister & her daddy Tom) & the great picture of a VERY tired Shane & Super Stolie.
Our final act was the breaking of the Elmo Pinata - we really got our money's worth out of it since it was the same one from last year. The kids never really damaged it & it is a pull string pinata, not one that you hit. It had several strings and each kid pulls and one persons string opens the trap door. Other than the strings being gone, the pinata was fine. I just refilled it and glued on new ribbon & we were good to go. It was destroyed this year. The kids loved it. Here are a few pictures! Thanks to kristine for holding it up for us!
The weeks after Shane's party were some of the warmest EVER! We were outside a ton! We did not know it was going to get into the 80's so as soon as the temperature broke a bit, we rushed out. Maddie got her first ride in a swing at the park so we took a TON of pictures! We waited until Dan got home from work to go so he could see Maddie's first swing ride! Dan and Shane also had a great time playing, but Shane spent the majority of his time taking pictures with his new camera! He got his own camera for his birthday from us and he uses it all of the time!
Shane's friend Ryan was not able to come to Shane's party because he was having his own party that day - the boys are 2 days apart. We met up for lunch at the Choo Choo restaurant to celebrate both birthdays! Here are the pictures! The boys loved getting ice cream with a candle!
Shane got a big wheel from my parents for his birthday and he loved it! At least until we realized he can't peddle it yet... He can reach the pedals, but not when they extend around. We have some solutions in the works. Here he is on his big wheel! Thanks to Aunt Gerry & Uncle Jerry for the helmet & knee pads (not on in this picture.)
I really enjoyed getting the kids out in the sun and showing Madison grass! She loved laying on it & Shane joined her for a mini photo shoot! I so love my kids!!!! They are so in love with each other! Madison lights up when Shane comes near and he runs as fast as he can to see her in the morning. He races up the stairs yelling, "YAY!!!! MADDIE IS AWAKE!!! YAYYY!" Then when he sees her he calls her "pretty girl" and asks her how she slept - precious!
Shane got another fun present from Connor for his birthday - a coaster car! I actually put it together and then both Dan & Shane had a blast trying it out!
We took full advantage of the 80 degree plus days, even though I was working crazy hours. We were always at the park or in the yard with Shane's new bubble machine - he got that from his friend Isabelle! Here are some more park/yard pictures!
St Patrick's day is no minor holiday in this house! As you know, we celebrated Shane's 1st by stuffing him in the large green hat and have had him wear it every year since. He no longer fits in it, but wears it each year. Here is his hat progression!
At 1 week old - 2009
At 1 year and 1 week - 2010
At 2 years and 1 week - 2011 (The last time we could attempt to shove him in the hat!
At 3 years and 1 week - 2012 (He was not willing to attempt being stuffed in the hat this year!)
Maddie on the other hand, was fine with being stuffed in the hat for her 1st St. Patrick's day! The tradition continues! Madison's chunky thighs did not allow her to fit completely in the hat, but here are her pictures! She is a very good sport! Her she is at 6 1/2 months.
And here are both kids on St Patrick's day. I have no idea why I seated them right in front of the glaring stainless steel dishwasher, but I did. I finally moved them for the last picture! Here are my little leprechauns!
OK, the rest of the update will follow within a week! I promise Passover & Easter pictures soon!
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