Madilyn's 1st BUBBLE BATH

Madilyn has been talking about bubble baths ever since she saw an episode of Curious George where he takes a bubble bath. Johnson's Baby just came out with new baby bath soap that is also bubble bath and safe to use everyday, so it was the perfect time for Madilyn to experience her very own bubble bath. She loved it! It brought back so many memories for me about taking bubble baths when I was little. For some reason those bubbles make baths so much better. We taught her how to do bubble beards, bubble hair, and bubble outfits.

My Dad the {GIMP}...and I say that with love :)

Gimpy Grandpa Dan and Cowen. His leg is in atrophy mode, so we decided it looks like a hockey stick, or as my dad puts it...a 10-year-old boy mummy leg. It looks tiny.

Good thing he has this new recliner to aid in his recovery.

For those of you who aren't familiar with my dad's foot/heel/ankle story, here it is....in 1995 my dad was doing something with the hideous swamp cooler on our roof and on his way back down, he fell off the roof...foot first...onto the deck...horrible moment. I remember sitting inside the house in the dining room and seeing it from the window.....it turned out that he shattered his heel. He had it put back together, but he has pretty much been in pain ever since. He limped around and after a day of golfing or just walking normally, he would be in excruciating pain. Finally, 14 years later, he decided to have it looked at again. They found a specialist that could fix it (again) and promised to have it be pain free after 3 months or so of recovery from surgery. He decided to go for it and had his surgery on Sept. 4th. The surgeon said it was one of the worst brakes that he had seen in his career. He is doing really well. Here are a few pics of him in recovery mode...Grandma Sims, this is especially for you!! I thought you would like to see your son holding my son as well :)

OKTOBERFEST

Madilyn and Grandma Joan watching people ride the mechanical bull "Blackjack"

Madilyn and her daddy riding the chairlift up to get on the alpine slide. How beautiful is that view? Amazing. As soon as Madilyn spotted the slide she said "ride this" and just had to try it out.

It was everything she thought it would be so she pouted for a little while after it was over. When she got off the first thing she said was "more"....this girl is so adventurous and we love it!

Cowen hanging out with his daddy on the lawn. He had fun watching his sister play!

Last Sunday we spent the afternoon with Paul's parents up at Snowbird. We love this time of year up the canyon and always go to the Oktoberfest. Paul and his dad enjoyed some great microbrew beer, we all enjoyed the slightly cool weather and watching Madilyn go down the alpine slide for the first time. Madilyn especially loved that part and also watching all the silly people on the mechanical bull. She sat and watched that for a good hour. It was a great way to spend a fall afternoon in the mountains.

Madilyn's first photographs..can you tell she took them herself?

Madilyn is so interested in the camera. Every time we have it out, she wants to get her picture taken and then see it on the screen. She especially loves pictures of her and her favorite blanket "snuggle"....it is too cute. The other day, she wanted to take some pictures all by herself, so Paul and I let her go for it. I am always up for creative expression...even if it means a huge mess, minor destruction, or trusting a 2-year-old with my camera. These are pretty great for a 2-year-old if I do say so myself.

Cowen is [TWO] Months old!

It is so hard to believe that Cowen is already 2 months old!! He is getting so big! He is already wearing 3-6 month clothes...clothes that I remember Madilyn wearing when she was 5 and 6 months. Here are a few pics of him at 2 months old. Enjoying the fresh Fall air out on the front porch. Madilyn and I spend a lot of time out on the porch enjoying popsicles and creating chalk art. Now, little man is spending a lot of time out on the porch as well. He loves it already.
One of the fun things about having a little guy is the fun baseball hats. I love them and he is so cute in them..just like his dad. I am a sucker for a guy in a hat!
Cowen's hair has been falling out since he was born...here is what is left of his hair that he was born with....his new hair is coming in just as dark, so we will see what his new hair will be like :)

Playing Together

Now that Cowen is a little older, it has been so fun to incorporate him into play time. Today, we had a great time playing on his play mat. Madilyn wanted to lay down with Cowen and it was adorable. They both had a great time. It was a great moment and so fun to see them interact in such a fun way. We have been struggling a little bit lately, as Madilyn wants to hit her brother or throw things at him. This generally occurs when I am nursing Cowen. I know that it is just a little jealousy, but it really makes me crazy!! Luckily, she loves her brother most of the time and wants to show him everything ("see Cowen" is one of her favorite things to say), but there are at least a couple of moments a day which land Madilyn in "time out"....so I want to remember these sweet moments!

A typical day in our lives this summer

Making beautiful art on the front steps with our neighbor Caden.
The chalk was a pretty color, so she thought she would taste it...hmm...doesn't taste as good as it looks.
adding water to make a chalk plaster. The kids were fascinated at how water made the chalk color brighter.
playing in the dirt with her Tonka trucks. I love that she is in her girly dress while playing in the dirt...awesome.

We have been having a lot of fun this summer. We play outside almost everyday. We have a family next door that have 3 boys: ages 4 1/2, 3, and 1 1/2. Most mornings are spent playing together and the kids love to play in the dirt, water, and also write on our front steps with chalk. This is when they aren't riding bikes and playing in the wagon. I carry Cowen in the baby bjorn carrier and we all have fun. Madilyn would rather be outside than anywhere else, which is awesome.

A new truck

Madilyn LOVES trucks, cars, trains, all heavy equipment, etc etc etc. She is so much like me when I was little. She would rather play with these things anyday over dolls, or the more "girl" type toys. She discovered this truck at Grandma Joan's house last week and didn't want to give it up when it was time to come home. We brought it home with us and she is in heaven! We play with this truck everywhere. We still have a dirt lot next to us, where a house will eventually be built, but for now is Madilyn's playland...this truck can be found out there most days. She is getting protective of this truck, as the boys next door are always trying to steal it from her!

Cowen at 5-6 weeks old

Hanging out in his swing. He loves to nap in his swing during the day.
Smiling and cooing!
Sporting his double chin!

He is such a great baby! He is so content with the exception of if he is hungry or overtired. He is starting to love watching toys and is trying to "talk" to us. He loves to coo and smile. He is doing pretty well at night. He can sleep for 5 hours straight with out getting up to eat, but most nights he wants to eat about every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. He is such a natural addition to our family!

How I am spending a lot of my time these days....

but I absolutely love it :) and I am a lot more comfortable with the whole process this time around, which makes it amazing. I feel so very lucky and blessed to have my 2 wonderful babies.

TRAINS!

Madilyn has been talking about, and asking about trains for a long time now. She brings it up almost everyday and asks to take a ride with mommy and daddy and baby brother almost everyday. So we decided to take her on Frontrunner on a little journey to downtown Salt Lake City. We have a station about 5 minutes from our house, so we packed up and met the train. It took about 40 minutes to get downtown (as there are a few stops along the way). It was such a great way to get downtown with the kids though! It was comfortable and fast. Then it was just a quick walk to the Gateway mall. We ate a great lunch and just walked around and enjoyed the afternoon before getting back on the train to make our way back home. Madilyn was thrilled and we all had a great day!
We saw a lot of other trains along the way as well, which made Madilyn's day. She loved looking out the window and seeing other trains so close by.
Our "little man" who is not so little...look at that chubby face!! He is too cute.

Hiking with Daddy

A couple weekends ago, Paul went hiking with his friend and decided to take Madilyn along. Madilyn LOVES hiking and has been going since she learned to walk. I have been "out of commission" as I was pregnant and then in recovery mode, so I missed out. I can't wait to get out there this fall! They had a great time! Madilyn is still talking about it...especially the "special drink" she got from 7-11 on the way home (a blue gatorade).

Boots

Madilyn has finally come the age of choosing what she wants to wear. Most days, I pick a few things and then let her choose, but lately, she is wanting just a little more control over it :) I love seeing the things she picks out! Last week, it was these great froggy boots..everyday with every outfit. This week, it seems to be her brown jacket...I can't wait to see what she picks out next!