Happy Birthday Papa

Happy Birthday to Papa Dimino- Wish we were closer! We love you lots and hope you enjoy your day.

This was Maddie's reaction when I told her how old you were! Wow, was she scared! She stayed frozen for quite some time.


I told her again but she refused to believe me.


Miss Smarty Pants - she's not writing yet but recognizes most of her letters


Admiring her work


When we were done, she was back to bossing me around.. "This Way Mama!"


What have we been up to this month?

MOMS Club field trip to the Painted Pony Farm in Santa Paula
Lots of Goat Love

Look at her little hand!

And Apple Picking- I guess we weren't suppose to eat the green ones..oops!



While on summer vacation, Maddie has taken up photography... she's quite good

"Super Grover" Sells for $500


"Yard Work Daddy's Leg" - Best Offer



She's also a part-time bikini model

Here she is finding her light


Not quite


There we go! An action shot



And of course, her signature smile



Hope everyone has enjoyed their summer! We'll be back to the Horizon Hills campus on September 7th for the 2 year old program.. oh my! Hopefully they show me how to not lose my mind as we go through this "fun" time! :)

Home Sweet Home

Maddie is the proud owner of her very own house! After scrimping and saving and surviving on Mac and Cheese (not that she minded), she was able to afford her own little cottage in the back. It came with a dining room table and chairs (built in high chair for her baby) and a beautiful kitchen. It's very spacious and will hopefully provide hours of fun for a few years.... hopefully because she had to take out a 5/1 ARM to afford it and had to be taken apart and reassembled to get it into the backyard!




Blue Granite Counter Tops



The previous owners also gave her a really good deal on a used car, but....

It turned out to be a lemon! She had to push it all the way home.

Look What Came In The Mail Today



As some of you know, I spend many of Maddie's naps and some evenings on the computer. I take my SAHM job very seriously and feel that saving money comes with the job title. I'm always looking for a great sale or next to free grocery items (can be done easily by pairing manufacturer and store coupons/sales). I found a very old forum post about becoming a product tester for Aveda.. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Aveda but it's very expensive and therefore haven't used it very much for quite some time. Anyhow, I sent an email to tell the company I was interested in their program, it got forwarded to the correct person and the next thing I know, two full size bottles of conditioner and one bottle of shampoo show up in our mailbox.. All I need to do is find some time to wash my hair and fill out a questionnaire about what I thought. They smell soooo good and I can't wait to try them!

Pt. Magu Air Show
Yesterday we went to the Pt. Magu Military Naval Base to watch an air show. I've never been to one and of course that means it was a first for Maddie as well... it was very cool! The best part was that it was free parking and free entry. We were there from 10am-5pm and had a really great time. There were lots of cool trucks and equipment for Miss Maddie to climb on/in. The ThunderBirds performed at the very end. Despite no nap, we had lots of fun watching the air shows and people watching. Great fun.. we'll be back next year.






Technologically advanced hearing protection





Look Out Dragsters...This Girl Has a Need For Speed!






Proof We Were All There



Fun Jumping on Big Trucks







Look Who Saw Her Shadow....Does That Means Six More Weeks Of Summer? (click on video to see it)

Family Photos

I know how you guys love seeing pictures of the cheeky monkey.. Daddy and Maddie were sporting some new "hats" this evening so I thought we'd take some photos to show I'm not the only weird one in this house... then things went a little crazy. Just like the first time I saw the PhotoBooth program on my Mac, Maddie was h-y-s-t-e-r-i-c-a-l looking at herself in a funhouse mirrored image.

Maddie and Daddy in their kitchen "hats"


Identical Twins! Double the Fun!


Conjoined Twins


And a conjoined Daddy




Even Syrah got into the act


She's so smart! Look at the size of her brain!


Somebody may have peed in their diaper when taking this photo


If Maddie has nightmares tonight, we MAY be to blame