Chair Update

Every year we take a picture of Madelyn in the same chair to show how much she's grown. We are always amazed at the difference between these pictures. When I look at the close ups side-by-side, Madelyn still looks like a baby when she was two, but I could swear I thought she looked so grown up then. I must have blinked somewhere along the way.

Click an image to see a larger version.

First Visit to the Dentist

I feel like it's been a while since I've posted a "first" of something for Madelyn. Today was her first visit to the dentist.

After some deliberation, we decided to bring her to my dentist, Dr. Jeff Alexander, instead of a "pediatric" dentist. After talking with one of my besties, Zona, I realized it probably wasn't that big of a deal. Once she told me how much her daughters LOVED going to see Dr. Alexander, I was in. I mean, really. Who LOVES going to the dentist?

For some reason, when I made the appointment six months ago, I was under the impression that this appointment would pretty much be a "meet-n-greet." But, as it turned out, she had a full cleaning today, and I was quite impressed with how well she did.

After we got signed in, they took Madelyn back for x-rays all by her big girl self. She didn't even turn around to see what I was doing. So, here I am, thinking to myself, "Wait a minute. How am I supposed to document this event if I can't see or hear what's going on?" Then I got a little sad because it hit me that there were likely to be many more of these events as she gets older. All in all, I decided it was a blessing that she didn't care too much that I wasn't by her side. I'd rather have that than a screaming kid who can't do it alone. Then I was proud. :)

The dental hygenist said she did a perfect job helping to get the x-rays. YAY! Then they went to the check-up room, where apparently Madelyn asked if her Mommy would be coming. YAY! ;) The hygentist was kind enough to come and get me, and I sat and watched as Madelyn got her teeth cleaned... the whole works... the scaler, the electric toothbrush, the "squirt gun" and "thirsty straw" (my favorite). They even flossed her teeth! And she sat still, and even smiled when they told her how perfect she was.

Unfortunately, today was one of the rare days that I didn't have my phone, which means I didn't have a camera. Fortunately, the gals were kind enough to take a snapshot for me, and email it right away. I was a little embarrssed to ask, but they reassured me that some parents actually bring a video camera. I felt better knowing there are people just like me. :)

 

Birthday Celebration

We had great ideas for Madelyn's third birthday. Here's the plan:

#1- Help Grammy with birthday desserts. Check.

Thursday night Madelyn helped Grammy put the finishing touches on her birthday cake and cupcakes. (Yes, Zona, that was a Kitchen Aid mixer in the kitchen that you saw in a previous post... Who does that, right? Grammy does! She brought it all the way out from Phoenix so she could finish the birthday treats!)

#2- Decorate the condo to surprise Madelyn. Check.

Mommy, Daddy, & Grammy all stayed up late to decorate the condo with balloons and streamers, and we even set the breakfast table with monkey-themed plates and napkins. Chris and I were so impressed with the employees at the resort who helped us get helium into all the balloons we brought. We were worried that we might not be able to find a place late at night to do it, so they saved that day!

#3- Have a special birthday breakfast and then open presents. Check.

We made Madelyn's favorite breakfast... scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and toast. Everyone enjoyed sitting at the decorated table together. Then we spent some time opening the gifts that Madelyn didn't sucker us into opening previously in the week. (Fortunately, there were still a couple left.)

#4- Go see Gnomeo & Juliet. Check.

Although we were disappointed that it was in 3-D, we got to see Gnomeo & Juliet on opening day. We told Madelyn she was one of the few kids who got to see the very first showing of this movie. I don't think she really got what that meant, but she was excited nonetheless. :) The last 3-D movie we saw (Tangled) didn't really work out too well, so we were worried that Madelyn would only make it half way through again. But, not this time! She watched the whole movie from beginning to end, although she wasn't acting quite herself, and tried to nod off a couple times. This had us a little worried.

#5- Go to Norte's for lunch by the beach. No check. :(

By the time the movie was over, Madelyn was feeling a little warm, and could hardly keep her eyes open. We certainly weren't going to bring her to lunch until she had a nap. She has been going nonstop all week, and her poor little body was starting to wear out. She fought it for a little bit because she really wanted to be by the beach, but after about two minutes in the car, she was out like a light. We took a detour back to the condo and got her down for nap.

#6-Go to the beach. No check. :(

Once Madelyn woke up from her nap, she was still feeling warm. We gave her some Tylenol and hoped it would help reduce the fever and perk her back up. She was so sad because she had been looking forward to playing on the beach all week, and today was finally a day warm enough to go. We promised her we'd be back again and we'd make time for the beach.

#7- Have cake and ice cream. Check (well, mostly check.)

We ended up ordering in from Norte, and had a delicious Mexican dinner. Then, to Madelyn's delight, we had cake (minus the ice cream)! Our intention was to pick up some ice cream while we were out to lunch, but that didn't happen. And, quite honestly, NO ONE wanted to spend 30 minutes making it with Madelyn's new ice cream maker. ;) So cake and cupcakes it was all around. And as usual, it was all delicious!

 

Happy Birthday, Peanut!

We can't believe Madelyn is three! It seems like just yesterday that she was learning to walk. Time sure does fly, and it flies faster with each passing year. We continue to feel blessed, even amongst all the tantrums, that we have the most amazing daughter who fills every day with love and laughter.

We love you Miss Madelyn!

Here are some pictures we had taken during our visit in California. This is the first time we went to JCPenny, but it was the perfect plan because we ended up having the best photographer! Of course, Madelyn is quite the "ham" and doesn't make it very difficult to get a great shot (or three).

A special thank you goes out to Grammy for this adorable birthday outfit! Madelyn absolutely loves her "twirly whirly" skirt!

Another Day at Legoland

 Lego Mommy, Lego Madelyn, & Lego Daddy

We spent another day at Legoland, but this time we got to bring Grammy and Grandma Louise! We went back to some of our favorite attractions, but we also made it to a few new areas as well.

We learned something new during this visit to Legoland. If you bring someone in a wheelchair, you actually get to go up to the Exit and get right on the rides! How cool is that?! Thanks, Grandma Louise!

Can you believe we got Grammy to go on the roller coaster ride? Well, we did, and she loved it!

We also took everyone on the Fairy Tale boat ride.  It was fun showing the grandmas all the different storybook characters.

Then, not only did Madelyn insist on taking everyone on the safari ride, she was quite particular about who she rode with... Grandma Louise, of course! It was on this ride that I noticed something wonderful. On Monday, Chris and I commented on how neat it was to watch the excitement in Madelyn's eyes as she explored the theme park. Well, on this trip, we decided that it was just as wonderful to watch it through the eyes of an 83-year-old. What a great adventure we were taking together!

Madelyn drove Grandma Louise around the "jungle," and when they got to the end, she asked the lady if they could go one. more. time. She was very nice and sent them on through again. :)

Grammy came on the safari, too!

Then it was off to the Sky Cruiser. Grandma Louise didn't realize she would be up so high, but she loved it! (Click the picture below to zoom in to see her expression. Too cute!)

There was so much to do, but we managed to take in everything else we wanted to see...

One of Madelyn's favorite parts of the day was running around in the water. I am certain she could have done this ALL day long, but thankfully we had a couple other "treats" in store, so we were able to convince her, eventually, that we needed to move on...

We convinced Madelyn that they made this Lego chef and cake just to celebrate her birthday!

This sweet little face was most definitely the highlight of Madelyn's day. She had been waiting since Monday, and we kept using it as a bribe for her to get through the day with no meltdowns. Although, I must say, I think we could have done it earlier because she had a great day! She sat perfectly still while the girl painted her face, and was so excited to show everoyne when it was finished. I won't go into detail on the ordeal we went through when trying to get her to let us wash her face that night, but I
will say that it had Daddy in tears. :'(

Then we spent some time in Miniland...

 
Oh, what a fantastic time we had! This is definitely a place we hope to visit again real soon!