6 Months Has Gone So Fast!

This is Ridge and Rilley-Lance's first cousin Ashley's 3 yr old twins. I don't know if that makes them 1st cousins once removed, or second cousins. If someone knows, please explain the difference to me. As Madeline has been staying with her Gigi in T-town while I work, the twins and their sister Taylor have been helping take care of Maddie too!
As you can see Maddie is sitting up unassisted now.
This is how she sleeps-hands behind her head. It's too cute!
Helping Mommy with the Laundry
She has been particularly fussy lately. I assume from teething.

We took Maddie for her 6 month check up today. 18 1/2 lbs. and 27 1/2 inches long! She is still in the 90% tile for both height and weight.

Funny story-Lance generally gets Madeline undressed while I prepare her bath. I've always felt that he took a little too long getting her from her room to the bath. So the other night, he was slowly carrying her to the bath, and took the time to turn on the radio. When he finally put her in, he noticed that he was completely wet, all the way down to his toes! I laughed and laughed!

Trip to Cincinnati

My Great Aunt Faye with Madeline
"Grandpa's Baby" That's how my dad refers to her at least!
My mom and my Aunt Terry with Maddie
My Uncle Gary and my dad, Garry (too bad my brother Garry was at work. Its lots of fun around my house when the three of them are there)
Mom and Dad at Bucca di Beppo (Me and Lance love it there, though the closest one to us is Nashville).
My Grandma Schloemer
Our friends Nick and Tammy's daughter Abby and son Caleb. I hope Madeline's hair will look like Abby's someday.
Maddie and Caleb
This sign reads "OPEN ALL WEEK CEPT 4 DA HOLIDAY" loved it!
Garry and Sarah at the Reds vs. Giants baseball game. Lance had to take a picture because I drank a beer (well, what you see in the picture is about as far as I could get on it. Lance's dream is for us to split a pitcher of beer so I'm trying to acquire the taste for our 25th wedding anniversary).
The two most eventful parts of the game were my brother enjoyed heckling some Barry Bonds fans that were sitting in front of us by screaming "I can't wait to teach my kids how to do steroids too" every time they walked by. And then my dad got up to use the restroom at the beginning of the 6th inning and then didn't return until the top of the 9th. I sent Lance to the bathroom to make sure he hadn't had a coronary or something. Turns out he just was being squashed by my brother and found a better seat a couple of sections over. Sarah and I walked around the stadium to look for him too! So much for quality time!
I think this is the only picture that Lance was in the whole trip

The best end of Barry Bonds. He was supposed to have been close to hitting the record for home runs by this time but he was still at 752 (3 shy I think) at this game and never hit one either. Not that I think he deserves it, but it would have been nice to see one.

We had a great time in Cincy. Got to see all my family and my aunt Terry and Uncle Gary who came up as well. Madeline did okay in the car. She just got tired of being stuck in her car seat and let us know it too. We decided it would be better to fly until she is old enough to be amused by TV. No more traveling for a little while. Back to back trips was hard on us all.

I am going back to work two days a week for the rest of the month to help train my replacement. I have a new found respect for working moms. I have a longer commute than most, but it was very tolling on me physically and mentally to work and do all my normal stuff at home those two days. I am so thankful that I am able to stay at home with Madeline. I would literally never spend any time with her expect to feed, bath and put her to bed during the week.

I was telling a friend the other day that I have already started saying things that I swore I wouldn't when I became a mom. 1-using the royal "we." For example, "I think we are starting to teethe!" 2-referring to myself in the third person-"Mommy loves you!" 3-when speaking to Lance, calling him 'daddy.' This is the one I despise the most. I am hoping this is just a stage in my life and one day return to normal.

Denver

Lance had a conference in Denver last week so me and Maddie decided to tag along and visit my sister Tonya. My cousin Jessica (pictured above) lives in Denver also, so we got to visit with her as well, which was a double blessing. Madeline was wonderful on the flights there and back. No troubles (other than the added inconvenience of traveling with a small child who requires a ton of stuff!). Tonya and I painted her front and back porches, watched movies, got pedicures and got to even go running one day. Lance and I both felt the effects of running at that altitude. My lungs were burning!

We went to Boulder for church on Sunday at the recommendation of one of our pastors whose friend had started a church there. The crazy thing was that the worship leader was Shane Wilson, a friend of ours from college! Needless to say we were both very surprised to see one another. The PCA is a very small world! The closest we got to the mountains was Boulder, but we are planning a ski trip with my family later this year. It got to 100 degrees 2 days and then dropped to the low 80's. Of course there was no humidity so 100 felt totally different there than here in hot and humid Alabama. We are headed to Cincy tomorrow by car. Hopefully all will go well.

Friends, Father's Day, Rice Cereal, and Chocoholic

Sweet Baby!

Our friends Seth and Mary were in town for the month from Scotland. These are their sweet boys Sam(right) and Owen (left). Maddie is playing these brothers against each other-she's got her hands out for both of them, but Sam's playing hard to get!
Sam finally concedes and wins Maddie's hand (for now!)
Daddy giving his girl a bath. I know everyone says this, but Madeline has the best daddy! Lance is so loving and attentive to her. It is such a blessing to watch them together, and to see her begin to smile when he comes home each day.
On Father's Day
Her first taste of rice cereal. Not a big hit, but she took to it by the 3rd day and now eats it with ease.
So Lance and I were having a little Publix Chocolate Yogurt (on a side note I highly recommend this because it tastes just like a Frosty) while Maddie was sitting in my lap. She was watching very intently and reached out for my spoon so I gave her a taste. She LOVED it and wanted more. When I took it away she started hysterically crying (which this baby hardly ever cries). We felt bad but could not stop laughing. We have a little chocoholic on our hands!