Fun where ever we go!

Brent told me about an open house at a senior citizen complex and nursing home that he's done work at and said there was food and live music. After work tonight, we decided to go check it out. He knows a lot of the people that work there. We got there and had Sara, Mitchell and the girls come over. We took a few tours to see some of the duplexes, which, by the way, are awesome! We ate and heard everyone talking about letting the balloons loose. I assumed they had bunches and bunches of helium balloons. While we were sitting there, a woman made an announcement that the balloons would be taking off very soon because there is a storm coming in a while.

The live music was an orchestra!

We finally saw that they were hot air balloons. Everyone gathered to watch them get ready. Apparently, some people bid on getting these rides. I heard one bid was $300. I think the money is for Alzheimers. There was a woman, who Brent knows, that was making egg rolls and selling them for $1 to benefit Alzheimers research.

As we were watching the balloon comotion, a woman with a cane asked the girls if they would like a picture of a balloon on a card. She walked a long way to her vehicle and brought them back what looks like a trading card with a picture of one of the actual balloons there. On the back was information on getting a ride on it.

Maddison was so in awe of these balloons as they were filling them up. Mackenzee was a little afraid and Brent didn't help because he told her she was going to go for a ride to see the Wizard of Oz. When the balloons finally took off, Mackenzee kept asking me where they are going and Brent kept telling her they are going to Oz. Mackenzee told him she thought he was lying.

It really was a pretty sight to see the balloons take off. When it was all over and we were leaving, Mackenzee started complaining that she wanted to take a ride. I couldn't believe it. I thought she was talking about the balloons. But, alas, she was talking about the golf carts. We had taken a ride earlier. As they were walking to their vehicle, they did get a ride!

I'll tell ya, the girls know how to have fun wherever we go...even if it's a nursing home!

Cookout ~ Mark's Birthday ~ A Visit

Mark and Maddison ~ "Are you really 64 Uncle Mark?"

Mackenzee watching Uncle Mark change the candles so no one

mistakes him for 64!

Happy Birthday!

Maddison
Mackenzee, Maddison, Laurel


Gemma

Yesterday, after the girls left with their mom, Brent called from the 17th hole to see if I wanted to ask Sara, Mitchell and the girls to come over for a cookout. I told him that would work out great since it was my brother's birthday...he and my mom could come over too.

Maddison and Mackenzee absolutely LOVE when we have "cookouts". They love the "party" atmosphere. So I took stock of what I already had, went to the store to get what I still needed, added a New York Style cheescake and a can of cherry pie filling and some candles for Mark's brithday cake.

Mackenzee brought over her newest "best friend", Gemma, a tiny little brown bunny who she carries around constantly. She even uses her teddy bear's front pack carrier to carry the bunny around the house. She called first to see if it was okay, and Brent told her to hang on, he'd see if there was room on the grill. Oh my gosh, I could hear her yelling clear in the other room! But, isn't that what grandpa's do? Try to get a rise out of you? I know my grandpa always did.

So Mackenzee walks in with a little carrier (I think for tiny dogs) holding Gemma. We were all sitting out back while Brent grilled on his new grill. I don't know how the conversation got started, but I heard Sara saying that her father-in-law said that when you find a tiny white feather, it's a spirit. I kid you not......less than five minutes later she said, "Oh my gosh, Mom, look, there's a little white feather". It sure was....I grabbed it and saved it and looked up the meaning this morning. There are all kinds of things out there. It does mean something. I found this:

Supposedly it is an angel's sign to you, they are communicating with you and it can also be a sign or communication from someone you love who has died. It's usually associated with them saying "I'm ok" or "I'm here"

So, of course, we all knew what it meant. This summer, anytime we all get together, we really feel it....my dad not being here. So yesterday, we were all together and even though none of us said it, we all miss him still, especially at gatherings like that. How cool, he is okay and he knows how much we miss him. Now, of course, my brother thinks it was my dad coming to see HIM. Even though the whole famdamily was there.... oh well, to each his own, I guess. But the rest of us know......my dad wanted to let ALL of us know he's okay.

Another Sleepover!

Maddison told her Grandma Great that she doesn't like kisses becuase
they're wet, so Grandma Great told her she'd give her a dry one.
Maddison then took her toungue and LICKED her Grandma Great.
A huge wrestling match took place with Papa helping Grandma Great
and in the end, I do believe Maddison actually won out over the two
adults!!

"Hurry, hurry, don't let Aunt Laurel see me!"

Maddison and Mackenzee were trying to sneak up on Aunt Laurel.

The bag dresses!

Mackenzee always in motion.

"Good Night!"

"Can we have a banana before we go to sleep?"



___________________________________________________________________

Maddison and Mackenzee spent the night with us last night. They sure know how to make every single minute of every single day fun. And they are always so thankful for everything. As soon as we got back to the house, they went next door to see Grandma great who gave them each a little sheet of bubble wrap (poppers, as they call them). They just love that. She also had a little wallet for each of them. They played outside with their Papa for a little while, then came inside to cut and color. They are both really good at cutting with scissors. They can cut into teeny, tiny pieces too. And, boy, don't try to throw any of those pieces away! Those are 100's, or dollars, or tickets, etc....!

When it was time to pick up, I gave them each a garbage bag to put the trash in. Next thing you know, I hear them just a giggling and found them inside the bags, using the drawstring and straps to hold them up and they were hopping around in them. (I know, bad, bad Grandma, kids don't play with plastic bags.) I explained to them how you never, ever put bags on your face or head ("But we're NOT, Grandma"). They had a blast hopping around. Pretty soon, their little feet came through the bottom. When they had to take them off for their bath, they wanted me to save them for tomorrow (yeah, right!).

They also love taking a bath in the big deep tub full of bubbles. They literally swim in it. They went to their room to watch TV and Brent said they could come in with us for a while. Maddison exclaimed how nice he was. They played "get scared" for a while, where Brent would hide and come out and scare them, then they tried it on him a few times.

Brent was the first to go out! The girls and I were watching the Disney World slideshow from this blog (must have the music on....they sing every word over and over and over through 395 pictures!) and we re-lived our whole trip. They can tell me what they were doing and how they were feeling in every picture. Near the end, they were both going fast, so they went to their room and it was a matter of minutes before they were out.

They are always so much fun! Let's do this again soon!

Our Date with Maddison

" Okay.....let's go!"

" This is it...the backpack I've ALWAYS wanted!"

Maddison and Grandma

Maddison and Papa

Maddison modeling one of her new outfits.

Wow, this one is adorable!

Having fun at the Disney Store....hey they don't have school clothes!

Maddison as Captain Jack Sparrow

Waiting for dinner

"I love my Papa!"

Going to get the long awaited dessert.

Zestos!.......YUM YUM!!

"This is really good, Grandma!"

Maddison showing us how she can really tie her shoes now!

Brent and I took Maddison school clothes shopping tonight after work. She's been looking forward to our date for over a week. It was planned that just Maddison would go. Sara has been prepping Mackenzee for over a week. This is only the second time the girls have been separated. The first was when Maddison had orientation at school and Mackenzee stayed with us for a few hours. That was horrible for Maddison, she cried and cried and didn't want to go to orientations. Not so much because she was being separated from Mackenzee, but because Mackenzee got to come to our house and she didn't.

I went to pick her up and she asked me if her daddy had told me what she needs. I told her I thought she needed a new pair of tennis shoes, a backpack and an outfit. I'll tell you what, she didn't forget that list of things either.

I was strapping Maddison into the car seat and Sara came out to tell me that Mackenzee was inside saying how she already missed her Maddi!

Maddison and I went to the house to wait for Brent who was still at work. He was very late, so she and I decided to head out to the new dollar store (her idea). She got out of the car and there was a cart out in the parking lot she asked me if she could push. She said she could do it all by herself and was so surprised that she could actually see over it (I didn't tell her, but the Dollar Tree carts are smaller than a normal grocery cart!). She exclaimed that she could see because she's a big girl now. She pushed that cart up and down the isles. I let her pick a few things and she put them in the bottom of the cart herself. She also took them out and put them on the counter by herself. She was so doggone proud.

By the time we got back to the house, Brent was already waiting for us and he gave Maddison a choice of which car to take. She chose his, so he told her to stay in her car seat and he'd take the whole thing out. He was carrying her and asked if she was okay. She said, "Yeah, I'm just hanging out!" She talked and talked and talked the entire night. I don't think I've heard her talk that much since Mackenzee started talking! When we were getting out at the mall she said, "This is so awesome!" I couldn't believe how extremely excited she was about going shopping alone with us.


She already knew exactly which backpack she wanted and she showed us exactly where in Penny's to find it. She picked out a pair of jeans and a few shirts. She tried everything on and put on a fashion show for her Papa. He tried coming back into the dressing room and she screamed! She kicked him out and said "I'm naked!" She wasn't, but she didn't have her shirt on. Gees oh peets....!! But it's sure okay for her to run around the house here with no clothes on!





After we got the back pack and clothes, she took inventory and said all she needed now were the tennis shoes. We found some really cute ones at the Kid's Footlocker. I realized that the shoes we picked were tie shoes, not velcro or slip ons. I mentioned to Brent that it might be a problem in school because she can't tie. She heard me and said that she can tie, that she learned yesterday. I kind of blew that off because nothing was said to me that she could tie her shoes. After that, she was done. She didn't ask for anything else. But she was hungry so we went to Cebolla's. She ate and asked for ice cream, so we headed back toward's her house and stopped to get her an ice cream cone at Zestos. Actually, she and Brent had one and we got some in a cup to take home to Mackenzee.





She was glad to get home (that usually doesn't happen, either) and show everyone her clothes. And I absolutely couldn't believe it when she put on her shoes....she really can tie....and she really did learn yesterday. Mitchell said he had to show her only twice. Good job, Maddison! Mackenzee almost has it down pat too.




Mackenzee was so good about all of it. She was happy with her ice creaml. She said she knows she'll get to go with us before she starts school too (I don't think she realizes a year is a very long time).

These girls are growing up WAY too fast!







Anyway, we really had fun. Tomorrow night we're having a sleepover with both of them. How fun!