A swim in a pool and a night in a hotel...

We decided around 11 am on Wednesday that we were going to go to Eastern Washington with my parents and brothers to visit the ranch and see Annie and Jeff. We had a blast! There was snow the whole way from Snoqualmie Pass to Connell. Troy was in heaven. I didn't get any pictures of Madison with the cattle because it was so darn cold. We'll be back over in a few months so maybe I'll get some pictures then. We stayed in a hotel with a swimming pool. We were so excited to take Mad swimming for the first time. The water was a little cold so she didn't last long, but it was fun while it lasted. We then went and had some take out Chinese in my parent's room or as Eva put it "Party in Room 134!!!". Mad didn't got to bed until almost midnight. She sure loves to party. ha!

Christmas 2009

We had a great Christmas! We spent Christmas Eve at my parent's house with a bunch of our family. Lucy and Shawn even joined us for the evening. Mad loved opening presents. Well really I should say she loved opening one present and then she would ignore all the rest and play with whatever the toy she opened was. Her cousin Noah did a great job of helping her open the rest. Christmas Day was spent at our house. We woke up and open presents together and then had my parents and brothers and Lucy and Shawn come over for brunch and more presents. All in all a great holiday. We are so grateful for all that we are blessed with!

(No he wasn't neutered. He got a flea bite, which we found out later he is allergic to, and chewed his fur to the skin. So he has to wear this cone until it's healed. Poor Kaiser.)

My attempt at Christmas pictures with Mad...

Troy was away this evening so I decided to try to take pictures of Madison in her Christmas dress that Granny Eva bought her. It was a disaster. Maddie was hyper and easily distracted and my camera is slow. I tried all different poses and even added Kaiser to the mix. Nothing worked. But I had to share the results. Sometimes the best pictures aren't the prettiest. haha!

California girl?

Santa Madison at Molbak's

Our first Christmas together, Troy and I decided that we wanted to start a family tradition of going to Molbak's in Woodinville to look at all the poinsettias, pick out a decoration, and hot chocolate from Starbuck's. Maddie loved all the lights and pretty things to look at. She loves to people watch, so Molbak's on a Saturday was a favorite for her. By the time we left, she was exhausted!

Christmas Cookies with Granny Lucy

We spent the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Lucy and Shawn's house. Lucy has the tradition of making Christmas cookies all day. So being that we love cookies and we love Lucy, Maddie and I decided to help out. We had a great time and Mad even got her first taste of a cookie. She wasn't sure about it at first but ended up loving it. She really is my daughter. haha!

Help Support Robin!!

A few weeks ago Troy's cousin Robin lost her sweet baby girl Georgia Mae due to congestive heart failure. It was devastating to us on so many levels. I am so proud of the strength and courage that Robin has shown through this tragedy. She has decided to run a half marathon in February in honor of Georgia Mae to support the March of Dimes. The March of Dimes an organization dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. I wasn't going to blog about this because it is a very private matter, but I wanted to spread the word to as many people as I could to support Robin and this cause. If you are interested in learning more about the March of Dimes go the their website www.marchofdimes.com or want to sponsor Robin go to http://fundraising.marathonguide.com/rmeguire.