Of course nobody can resist Maddie's kisses so Auntie Pam, Papa, Grandma Lena and Mommy all came down with sore throats and our own boogies, in various degrees. Sorry! The Outbreak Monkey strikes again. I blame Gymboree this time... new kids, new germs.
With kleenex in tow, we did lots of stuff together while daddy worked. I had a few doctor's appointments while they were visiting so I was able to take advantage of the free babysitting. Loved that! :)
We did a lot of berry picking... first we went to Underwood Farms in Moorpark and picked strawberries.. Auntie Alyx was able to join us. We all ate so many berries in the field (shhhh, don't tell). They have lots of animals and things to see at that location so we were there for a few hours. Maddie also enjoyed her second pony ride.. she's a real pro now.
Auntie Alyx and Maddie horsing around!
Notice the outfit change.. we had to get rid of the berry evidence!
Saturday before heading to Simi Valley, Matt and I took Maddie to the Touch a Truck event in Thousand Oaks. I had never heard of it before but Maddie loves "Big Trucks" and calls them out even when walked by a pickup on the street. She was a little timid and didn't really want to get into many of the trucks but really enjoyed seeing them and the helicopter. There were LOTS of people there but once we found parking it wasn't too bad. Everything was free including a train ride. As a bonus, The food was reasonably priced. It's a really nice event that the county puts on.. we'll be sure to go again next year.
Even with all the stuff going on around her, Maddie begged to go on the swings and cried when we made her get off. It's her favorite thing to do and she's such a big girl she yells "really high" as she swings all by herself!
The rescue helicopter was impressive.
Saturday night we saw an Eagles tribute band play at a concert in the park in Simi. Again, a great free event that our cities put on.. Maddie loved the music as much as the older folks did.. My highlight of the evening was a seeing a woman in line for the porta-potty with no shoes on! EW! Hello Brittany! Mostly I liked watching Maddie dance.. right now I think she's getting her moves from a dance called "The Flap" on The Wiggles and Bert from Sesame Street.. she looks a bit like she's doing the pigeon.
That's Maddie's new Elmo doll from Grandma Lena.. Matt pointed out it looks like someone blew his brains out.. never fear, he's not dead, just a puppet!
Sunday was Father's Day... we grilled zucchini, potatoes and onions, ribs and filet mignon. Yummy! Actually the boys grilled while us ladies relaxed! We were stuffed!
Check out this zucchini! That's some potent steer manure, Farmer Matt!
That night (and the next) we played Trivia Pursuit - Bet You Know It... it's a new game that was so much fun. They still have some tough questions but we actually knew quite a few answers and the best part is you bet whether someone knows the question or not. You can also buy your pies! Finally, a game that works like the real world.. if you don't know the answer, you can always throw money at it and you'll still win! Papa and Grandma Lena cleaned house but odds were good a 'Dimino' was going to win. :)
Before it was time to head back to Denver, we went berry picking one more time. This time at Underwood Farms in Somis, blueberry picking. It was quite hot out in the field and it wasn't until we were on our way back that someone gave us the hot tip that lots of berries are on the tops of the bushes but it was fun. Maddie was a berry eating machine.. she's still pooping blue! :) Wow, Papa couldn't pick fast enough, then she went to see what Grandma Lena had to offer. We picked half a pound but technically we should have weighed Maddie before and after!
One last berry for the road! I'm surprised she didn't turn blue and round!
I know Maddie and I had a great time visiting with Grandma Lena and Papa.. Even though it's only been three months or so since their last visit, Maddie has completely changed.. she really shows her smarts by talking non-stop (she's counting up to 20 now!) and makes everyone around her laugh. She gets dizzy on purpose by twirling in circles, and repeats everything her little ears hear. She even crinkled up her nose and asked her auntie Pam if her new shoes were too big "Are theeese too beeeg?"
When it's time to leave the house, she puts on her necklaces and gets her purse before saying goodbye to the kitty.. such a doll! But of course, along with all these new developments come ones that aren't so pretty. We're talking major fits that last at least 15-20 minutes and I can't quite figure out what sets them off yet. She will cry and go into hysterics over seemingly nothing. It's frustrating because I know she can actually tell me what she's upset about but she's beyond being rational.. are toddlers ever rational?
I know she still has those two teeth that are trying to pop through so I'm trying to cut her some slack. My mommy instincts are telling me to hold strong because I don't want to create a monster. She was gnawing at her hands and drooling a lot today but it's been happening almost once a day for the past few days. I just have to remind myself that 'this too shall pass'. She also got way off her sleep schedule while we had the grandparents here.. either no nap or an hour, then up really early in the morning. While for a few weeks she was sleeping until 8am, she's now back to getting up around 6.. just when I started getting up early to work out before she got up. I thought I'd be all slick and take a shower even before she woke but when I got home from my very first run, there she was enjoying breakfast in the living room with daddy. Today she took a really long nap so maybe things will turn around again. *cross your fingers!*
She must be going through a growth spurt (goodness knows she needs one!).. she's been eating so much food lately, it's like a teenage boy just moved in! ha!
Anyhow, I really enjoyed having Papa and Grandma Lena here to visit. It was nice for Maddie to get to know her grandparents and put faces to the voices she hears on the phone. Thanks for making the trip.. can't wait to see you again.
Today I gave canning Dilly Green Beans a try.. my aunt Mary from northern WI made then when I was younger. My grandparents always had a jar in their fridge and despite them being spicy, I LOVED them! I asked her for her recipe and she was kind enough to share.
I won a House Party sponsored by Ball (just like the Ziploc and DiGiorno pizza we won the past). They wanted me to have a party with 10-15 friends and make salsa. Seems like since schools been out, everyone's weekend schedules have been crazy and with all the supplies given to me (except the food) I really wanted to give this a try. We headed to the local farmer's market to find out what looked good and bought fresh dill and green beans.
There's a lot of preparing.. washing all the jars, keeping them in simmering water, boiling a ginormous pot of water and then of course preparing the food but (again, cross your fingers) I'm hoping they turn out great.. I may have added a bit more cayenne pepper than it called for so hopefully they aren't too spicy but we like hot things. Matt practically drowns all his food in hot sauce if that tells you how much heat he likes.
Anyhow, my mom canned foods when I was younger and I always wanted to try it but didn't know where to start.. Now I can say I did it! Next I'm going to try a pepper-onion relish. Harry and David sells it for like $8 a jar.. yikes! I'm going to wait until the peppers are in season.. can't wait! I'll post a final picture of the finished jars after we try them out (2-6 weeks).. if they're horrible, they'll be in the trash and you'll never hear me speak of such canning nonsense again! ;)
I was trying to be cheesy but what's wrong with my thumb?!
Pam's brother Tommy is so sweet.. he's always giving Maddie a Disney toy. While I'm really "over" the stuffed animals that fill up the toy box, it's really so nice for him to think of her and I hope it helps her get super excited when we go to Disney this fall. This time Pam brought over Lotso from the new Toy Story movie. His stomach smells like strawberries! We decided to put in the original movie for Maddie to see.. she loved it.. until the scary shaved head doll with robot legs came on the screen.. oops! Time for bed!
Maddie's 1st Bubble Bath! We all loved them as a kid and she had a great time! At first she was excited but didn't know what to do with all the bubbles sticking to her.. how fun to see it through her big blue eyes.
For those of you that noticed, yes, I cut my hair again.. I'm not loving it, but need to work at styling it a bit more... sorry Lovie! I know you like long hair, but I REALLY needed a change.. my butt wasn't getting smaller so thought I'd make my hair shorter. :) It's just hair and it grows back! :)
