What a Wonderful World

All of us on Christmas Eve.. notice my pretty hair?


Not so much the next morning! lol (I do love Maddie's Piggy Jammies!)


We had a fantastic Christmas and hope you did too! This year was so much fun. It really makes me look forward to next year and new traditions for the Dimino Family. I plan on decorating more and putting out cookies for Santa next year!

On Christmas Eve we went to visit with Matt's local family at Pam and Alyx's house. Pam made a wonderful turkey dinner.. so yummy. We celebrated with Grandma Phyllis, Aunt Lainie, Cousin Brian and Brian's dad Richie. Maddie had a great time doing laps around their dining room table and playing with their dog Cobie.

Maddie & Auntie Pamy


Alyx & Pam


We called it an early night as Maddie has been teething (we think) and didn't sleep at all the night before. We were all pretty tired.

Christmas morning we woke up and enjoyed breakfast and got Maddie excited for all her gifts that were to be opened shortly. She didn't try messing with the presents this entire month as they gathered under the tree so we weren't sure if she'd be more interested in the gifts or the wrapping. Well, once she got started, she LOVED the presents. So many fun toys that said her name or helped strengthen her animal noise skills. She got a few new teddy bears, a couple of outfits and lots of cash for her piggy bank.

No snow outside, but we had the Yule Log crackling on the TV to put us in the mood! :)

We hope that everyone had a safe and Happy Christmas. Next time you see Maddie, ask her what Santa says.. she'll tell you "ho-ho-ho"!

Christmas Morning


Activity Cube from "Auntie" MaryAnn


More animals!


Maddie checking out new bath toys from Grandma Doris and Grandpa Frank


A new walker toy from Papa and Grandma Lena that converts to a riding toys.. until she figures it out, Daddy pushes her around the house.. ROAR!


Sitting in her chair loving her new teddy from Grandma Phyllis

Yes Indeed She's Walkin' and Talkin'!

After months of cruising, Maddie is getting up unassisted and taking her very own steps. She's falling quite a bit as she figures out her new feet, but gets right back up each time. How exciting for her. Tonight we caught her in a talking mood. She said her name for the first time.. and shares animal sounds with mom and dad.




We went to look at Christmas lights at a local neighborhood in Camarillo. This is the first time I heard about Gemini street, but it's really cute and may become part of our holiday tradition in future years. Maddie LOVES Christmas lights. So despite it being almost her bedtime, she was enjoying herself.





Maddie is helping with chores.. she likes to load the dishwasher with Daddy. In fact, if she sees it open and she's in her highchair, be prepared for a meltdown.. I need to get this on video and remind her when she's a teenager of how much she enjoyed it when she was young. :)

No Christmas Cards This Year

I was hoping people wouldn't notice I didn't get cards out this year.. not for lack of thought or trying. The thought came to mind the day before Thanksgiving.. must get photo of Maddie for our holiday card this year. Yes, that WAS the plan and I seriously have been trying since then. Ok, we have gotten some cute photos of her in the past month (of course!) but none seemed appropriate for our holiday card.

We tried getting family photos at JC Penneys (I'm about done with that place- they wanted like $37 for cards.. yah right!) and she had a major meltdown when I tried putting her into her pretty dress.. oh boy!

I thought in front of the tree would be nice. So I cleared a path through her toys to get to the tree (an exaggeration, but barely!).. here's how that went.





And it only got better when I tried again...





I thought maybe I could use some recent photos and add a holiday caption.


Fa-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la



Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!



Happy New Rear! (nobody tell her when she's older that I posted this one)


Does your tree need a tune-up?


I couldn't come up with a caption for this one other than "Whatch You Talkin' 'bout?" but that isn't very holiday-like.


I was going for an "artsy" look until I realized there was a dog's butt in the background.. good one!


I thought this was going to work, but Mrs. Claus looks a little nutty!


How about we just use last year's photo?.. AW! I was able to just prop her up then and not worry about her trying to get away!


Santa came early this year... only because the box was too big to put under the tree. We splurged and got Maddie her very own Pottery Barn Kids chair. She LOVES it! She often converses with her koala or teddy bear and enjoys snacks and a cocktail (water in her sippy) while lounging the day away... really it's only a few minutes but she does seem to have fun and it's pretty big so she'll have a it a few years. Hence the washable slipcover. Her name is embroidered on it so no Daddies allowed.





Dancing to the Wiggles


Maddie is now going to "school"! I'm taking a parenting class at Horizon Hills. It's set up like a mommy and me class where we sing, play games and make music. Apparently we'll be going on field trips too. We go Tuesdays from 12-3. That time works out good for now because she still takes a morning nap but by 2:00 she's pretty tired and falls asleep in the car on the way home. The teacher is absolutely wonderful with all the kids and even though we started at the almost end of the semester, the parents are all really friendly. (Mommy clicks can be rough!) Maddie grunts and flips out when she sees the place. She's so excited to see all the toys and kids. So far she's pretty popular. :)





Here's a few misc. funnies from the last couple of weeks.

Not Yet Ready for Mustard


Being Cheesy for the camera at Olive Garden. She's REALLY good at restaurants. She likes to look at everyone around her and try to get them to think she's cute. (not really hard to do)

Yee-haw!

Here's a cute video of Maddie getting on her pony by herself and saying "yee-haw"! Originally it sounded like she was a donkey, but now she's sounding more like the pony. And yes, I do let her watch Little Couple on TV.. she can relate to the wee people in the world. :)



This is a video of Maddie watching a Bronco's game with Daddy. They just scored I touchdown when I heard a commotion going on in the living room.. so funny!



She's been tons of fun, talking up a storm and keeping us busy by walking around the house holding her hands. Oh my aching back! Soon she'll be running circles around me so for now I'll enjoy holding her hands as much as she lets me.

The only good thing about rain in Southern CA is seeing daddy work from home! It's suppose to start up again on Wed/Thursday.. message to all of Maddie's CA fans: Stay warm and dry.. I guess that goes for everyone else who's dealing with SNOW! :)

So Much To Be Thankful For....

We truly have so much to be thankful for this year. As always, we're lucky to have the support and love from our friends and family that we have. It really does take a village to raise a child. My friends have given me such useful advice as Maddie goes through each "stage" in life. Even if it's just to say "that's normal" means the world to me.

I'm thankful for our good health and the fact that we have health insurance. So many have lost their jobs this year and worse than having not enough money is the feeling of hopelessness when you can't take your child to the doctor when you know something is wrong. I may complain about our $35 co-pay but I'm so glad that we have the ability to take our Miss Maddie to the doctor if necessary. Same goes for myself and Matt... so sad that not everyone can say that.

This year as I looked around our dinner table I thought about just how lucky I am. I've loved staying home with Maddie this past year. It's time I'd never get back if I wasn't here.

The three of us spent a wonderfully quiet day playing games, watching football, and enjoying each other. We stuffed ourselves with turkey and all the fixings.. that's right Auntie Alyx, Maddie is finally old enough to enjoy TURKEY! :)

I hope the rest of you were feeling as grateful as I was and had a great Turkey Day!


No stress!

Maddie's First Real Thanksgiving Meal



Having fun in daddy's chair.. this thing rocks!


Touchdown... Broncos! Watching the game with daddy

Mood: Relaxed!

Things have been pretty relaxed around here lately. Maddie is taking her first steps and so every time she tries to walk more than two steps (or heck, even one step) we're very excited! I can feel Matt looking over to see if I'm noticing when it happens. That's been allot of fun, but other than that, not much is going on. She's still mostly crawling and cruising but she's getting much more steady on her feet and the new found confidence is starting to show.

I'm starting to look forward to the upcoming holidays. First is Thanksgiving which I enjoy. I love baking my man a homemade pumpkin pie (he would probably skip the entire meal for the pie). This year we're doing the same as last year, just the three of us at home. We make a turkey, Matt's famous mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a bit of gravy to pour on those potatoes and turkey.. yum, I'm getting hungry just thinking about my meal planning.

The rest of our local family is gathering at Auntie Alyx and Pam's house. They're going to have a full house over there but Pam's family is so wonderful, I'm sure they'll have a great time. I would have loved to see everyone but the best part about being at home, is well, being at HOME! :) No putting Miss Crabby in the car and missing naps because we're at a busy house with so much going on.

Maddie LOVES football. Without saying anything to her, if you turn it on, she claps, and raises her arms as though she's calling a touchdown. I think lots of kids like it because of all the colors and bright movements. I think she loves it because her DADDY loves it, and she LOVES her daddy!

The other other new thing is Maddie now says "Papa" and the sign for it at the same time. At first she said it and smacked herself in the head a few times and I wasn't sure what she was saying, but now it's pretty clear. The sign is holding your thumb with your open hand to your forehead for "dad" and then pumping it away for "grandpa".

Now I have to work on getting her to say Mama and Grandma. She says mama but prefers to call me kitty, baby, or dada. hee hee

She's turning into a parrot already though. Tonight she was riding her little pony toy that she got from her aunties and she said "yee-ha" after her little horsie said it.. so funny! Matt and I thought we heard her and confirmed with each other that she indeed said it.. and earlier today she heard me say "cool" and repeated it. lol .. shoot, now I'll have to start watching my language when I'm driving!

I'm sure I'll post again before then, but incase things get crazy next week, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Cheeky Monkey - Halloween 2009

Maddie's 1st Trick-or-Treating went great! We forgot our camera at home (duh) but Matt's brother just sent us the ones he took. We bought the monkey costume from Kohl's and it rocked! The fur was really soft, slippery in fact, but was super comfortable. I was surprised Maddie put the hood on. I think she was enjoying all the attention from everyone.
We added a pink bow so everyone would know she was a girl.

We got some good candy and one stinky orange! We jokingly asked for a banana for the monkey and even when we explained how we were joking (seriously lady, we're here for the CANDY) she insisted no candy for the baby.. boo on you lady!


A reenactment of Maddie's 1st Trick-or-Treat experience.


How old is Maddie?


The entire monkey family


We've been doing ok since her birthday. The entire family has been sharing a cold so lots of buggers around here. Other than that, all is good!

She Turned 1 and We Had So Much Fun!

On Saturday, October 31st we had a great party to celebrate Maddie's very first birthday. In attendance were close friends and family members, every single person there loves her so much and it was a perfect celebration. The theme was "Sweet Tweets" - birdies and yummy treats galore. No orange and black this year.. just pink everywhere!

The kids played 'pin the candle on the cupcake', and guessed the number of Cheerios in a jar (874). They were able to decorate their own cupcakes and enjoy bubbles and sidewalk chalk outside. We had Wiggles and other kid's favorites on the iPod and everyone seemed to enjoy the ginormous cupcakes, and croissant sandwiches.

Maddie was in a wonderful mood after taking nap and looked oh so adorable in her cupcake birthday dress. We were so excited to see her little friends make it and they all played on the floor together.. chowing down on Gerber Puffs. Even her BFF Isabella was in attendance despite having to get ready for her own birthday party later that afternoon!

It was a whirlwind two hours that both went by very fast, and seemed to last much longer all at the same time. We didn't open gifts with everyone in attendance but spent Sunday afternoon doing so. Everyone was so generous! She received beautiful clothes, and some pretty amazing toys and books. It's a bit ridiculous how many toys we have in our living room. Thankfully Papa Dimino and Grandma Lena bought her a toy box to store some of her new loot.

We enjoyed visiting with them this week as they, along with Maddie's Uncle Erik and Auntie Sarah left a snowstorm in Denver and flew into town for the celebration. Here are some photos from our pumpkin season, party details and a few photos from their trip. It was a bit like planning my wedding all over again. What will I ever do with all my free time now?

I know Maddie won't remember it, but it's one I'll never forget. It's bittersweet as our little one grows up. We want her to grow big and start walking but those sleepless nights I never thought would end are now fading from my memory and it makes me sad to think she won't ever sleep across my stomach or nurse for hours on end.. ok, maybe I won't miss that much but you get the idea! Our cheeky monkey will always be our baby, whether she likes it or not! :)

Here are the photos you've all been waiting for. Unfortunately I forgot my camera at home (DUH) when we went to Auntie Pam and Alyx's house for trick or treating. I'm waiting for photos from Uncle Erik and then I'll post. She made a cute monkey and if you ask her what a monkey says (on a good day) she'll respond with "hee hee hee" and curl her arms into her armpit. What a cutie!

There's Something About Maddie... Is that Hair Gel? This is a few days before her birthday and she woke up with this awesome Bob's Big Boy curl



A gift arrived during the week for Maddie from Grandma Doris and Grandpa Frank. A new walker to get around the house.



The weekend before we went to Pete's Pumpkin Patch to get Maddie's first pumpkin



She LOVED the wagon!


This is the pumpkin we carved and were going to bring it to the party but it became rotten within 12 hours... just can't get a pumpkin to keep like you used to!


My MOMS club went back to Pete's Pumpkin Patch the Wednesday before her birthday. All the kids played in the pumpkins and had a great time despite the wind and cold weather that morning. Maddie had fun collecting pumpkins on her lap


Maddie got another pumpkin the Friday before her birthday at the First Five Fall Festival



Party details

This is the invitation I designed and printed.. it's showing up funky..it's actually dark brown and pink like the signs I made. I used elements from her room and I think they turned out pretty cute.


Gift Bag for the kids and her guestbook


Table with photo slideshow







A cake as big as her head.. no cake smash.. just a tasting of the frosting is all


Maddie and her Daddy

The winner of Pin the Candle on the Cupcake.. he may have peeked a little

Cupcake decorating

Shane enjoying his cupcake

Party People

We thought of betting on the baby races but then decided against it....I think baby Peighton won


Gift Table


Maddie's BFF Isabella (aka the other birthday girl!)

Babies enjoying snacks on the floor

Crista and Hannah

Just before all the guests arrived


Maddie opening her gifts the next afternoon





A girl and her pony... a gift from Auntie Alyx and Pam. So cool, it interacts with the TV like Wii for babies!



Monday, November 2nd (Happy 80th to my Grandma B!)
Rebel yell at the Janss Marketplace

Not so happy to ride in the ice cream truck





Vocabulary update- soon I won't be able to do this because she'll be talking too much.. she's now signing and saying "more". So we're up to: baby, kitty, mama, dada, uh-oh, balloon, more and she whispered papa and sang "meow-meow". Baby and Dada are still her all-time favorite words. Even though she signs "all done" and "more" she only does it after you say the word and not because she is all done or wants more. :) Give us a week, you never know these days what's going to happen. WHEW!

Are you as tired reading this long post as I am writing it? After such a whirlwind weekend, Miss Maddie now has a little cold and isn't sleeping well. Here's to hoping all our friends and family that are under the weather get better soon!