Fun at Gymboree

Last night was our final Gymboree "date" -- at least for the summer. It's getting too nice to be playing inside. So, I finally remembered to bring my camera and caught a few cute moments. Madelyn loves climbing all over the equipment, hanging on the bars, climbing UP the slides and playing with "Gymbo" the clown (no fear of clowns at this point!).

Hey mom, I'm going over there to play! (probably to find Maci, her cousin)

Maddy and Maci sliding down the mat slide

The cutest possible photo of any child with Gymbo the clown. So freakin' sweet!

Oh, and one last kiss for Gymbo too.

First Day at the Zoo this Spring

We were excited to take Maddy to the zoo because we knew it would be like a whole new experience for her this time around...especially now that she can walk. She's always liked the "petting zoo" area in our North America exhibit, but now that she can run and explore on her own...well, the photos really speak for themselves.

This was her first look at one of the friendly goats. She's already smiling.

Look mommy & daddy. I'm not afraid!

A BIG KISS for the wonderful goat.

And another kiss for this super cute goat!

She totally made herself right at home with ALL the goats. No fear at all. What a cutie!

She had Gary and I laughing non-stop while we were back here.

It was already past nap time, but we couldn't possibly leave the zoo without a ride on the antique carousel. What a fun day for all of us.

Baby News!!!

We had our "big" ultrasound today and the verdict was very clear..... (drum roll please)

It's A BOY!

Yes! We're having a baby boy...and I'm so excited and still slightly in shock.

Below is a sampling from the 10 ultrasound photos we were given.

Here's a great view from under the baby looking up. Legs spread apart (see chubby thighs). You'll see the umbilical chord up high, and then a very obvious (to me at least!) "boy part" right there in the middle where it belongs. Clearly a boy. We were lucky to get so many great shots of his manly parts. =)

Here's another similar view/angle with his left leg (on your right) bent. Still a very clear and obvious boy part right there...plain as can see (well, once the doctor showed us!) What a cute little bum!


These are 2 "head shot" photos where the baby is lying on his side. Head is on the right and you can see where his eyes and chin are. In this one it looks like his head is floating above his body, but our doctor assured us that he has a very healthy, intact spinal chord.

She kept saying what a "cute little boy" he is. Well, that made mommy and daddy feel great...especially when to us it looked a bit like Skelator from the face shots. But all is well. He's healthy and developing perfectly. And we're all THRILLED for this new adventure. I'm in my 19th week, so almost halfway thru this pregnancy already. I can't believe it. Thank you Jesus for another miracle!

Mother's Day Moments

It was such a special Mother's Day for me. Just watching Madelyn grow and change has been so amazing, and I think just knowing that I have another baby on-the-way made it an extra special day. After church we met my family out for lunch at The Ocean Club (fancy and fun!) and amidst the down pouring rain, we still could sit out on the dry, covered terrace overlooking Easton. We all had a great time. I loved this moment actually caught on camera where Madelyn is asking so nicely for mommy's bag of lip sticks.

Maddy's saying "Please!" in sign language.

Thanks Nana! Burt's Bees is the best stuff!

Nana and her girls. As you can see, Madelyn was disappointed that we took away the lip gloss for the photo!

Maddy and Nana having a grand old time in Starbucks with the tornado sirens blaring outside. What an adventurous day!

Madelyn and her cute daddy in the parking garage after lunch and coffee (she was giving him a special hair-do) Thank goodness for covered parking on days like this!

After long Sunday naps for all of us, we met Gary's family out at Olive Garden for dinner. Here's Grandma Sammons (she'd kill me if she saw this online) with her little Maddy and Maci.

Maddy: 19 months & Maci: 20 months

After dinner we finally came home and I received my special gifts from Madelyn (some beautiful framed photos of the 2 of us together). Here's Maddy is showing off the special card she made and colored for me.

The best gift of all: a super snuggle from my baby girl.

4th Anniversary Date

We just celebrated our 4th Anniversary and had such a fun date nite. The day started out great too when Gary surprised me by leaving 4 beautiful roses on the kitchen table for me (next to the funny sign I wrote for him in the middle of the night!)

I actually had fun planning the date this year, and surprising him with our plans. I picked out a quaint little Italian restaurant in Victorian Villiage (Basi Italia) that you would never know about unless someone told you. It was an old, refurbished home that was turned into a sweet little restaurante. We had a relaxing dinner and then went to the old-timey Drexel Theatre in Bexley to see a foreign film called "Counterfeiters". We highly recommend it. Another interesting thing to note about the night was that it was Madelyn's first full night away from her mommy. Yup, Nana and Papa Vaas watched her for the whole evening. It was kind-of a "test run" for the big Italy trip we have coming up...where we'll be away from her for 10 whole days and nights. Whew. Thankfully, Gary and I had a wonderful date AND Madelyn had a wonderful time too (and slept thru the night!!!) What a milestone for all of us.

I love you Gary Scott. It's been an amazing 4 years, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my years with you. All my love. oxoxoxox

Spring Daze

Last Saturday we spent the morning down at Goodale Park (Short North, Columbus) and volunteered with a group from our church to pass out free bottles of water to strangers walking, running and playing in the park that morning. It was part of the larger effort called "Serve Columbus" our church put on...doing "random acts of kindness" all over the city that morning. About 1500 people participated. Madelyn had lots of fun riding in her Red Flyer wagon and passing out water to all the runners, and petting the doggies. But amidst all that, I thought the real "Kodak Moment" came when Madelyn wanted to explore thru the park and play with the gorgeous flowering trees. Nevermind the fact that these beautiful blossoms (namely their pollen) make me feel miserable right now -- how can you not want to play under these trees? I thought you would enjoy these sweet photos too.

Yup, another fun day in the park.

The Cutest Pigtails Ever!

On Friday morning (April 11th) I got a crazy idea and thought we'd try pigtails in Madelyn's hair for the first time. Well...wouldn't you know it was the cutest hair-do ever! Watching her was half the fun, because after I got the ribbons tied in, she kept going over to the mirror and admiring herself. So darn cute to see a little toddler smiling at her pigtails in the mirror! Needless to say, I took about 50 photos of her that morning (how could I resist?) and as usual, she was a little ham, and loved posing for the camera. I thought you all would enjoy these sweet pics!

The neighborhood landscapers were out front putting mulch around our flower beds, so she was ultra-intrigued by all the action outside. In fact, she so enjoyed watching them that she decided to pull up her rocking chair to the window for a "front row" view!

Our Amazing Madelyn