Christmas Snowglobes

We are so excited about Christmas! Madelyn loved wearing her new sweater dress from Grammy & Papaw and posing in front of our tree. She has been such a help with placing (and moving) the ornaments and putting out Christmas decorations!

We had some fun at the mall when we went for our Santa visit.

She stopped for a quick pose in front of the water fountains. She loves throwing coins in the water!

We were able to go inside a giant snowglobe where it was "snowing" the entire time. She thought that was pretty neat!

Trying to catch some snowflakes inside the snowglobe.

A Visit with Santa Claus

Today we visited Santa Claus! Madelyn was very excited to tell him what she wants for Christmas - a Christmas puppy. (stuffed, not real) It's still the only thing she has asked for, which we think is so sweet. We were excited that she sat beside him without much hesitation. She promised that next year she would even sit on his lap!

Unexpected Entertainment

We awoke yesterday morning to the loud sounds of street repair in front of our house. Madelyn was VERY intrigued! She immediately pulled her little chair to the window and made herself comfortable to watch the men at work.

She stayed put until the first phase of work was done. If only the workers knew what an exciting job they had from the perspective of a three year old!

Carving the Turkey

This year we cooked our first turkey, and Madelyn was anxious to help! It turned out well and tasted delicious. We had turkey leftovers for days.

Madelyn and Daddy surveyed the work to be done. What was the best way to slice Mr. Turkey?

"Here Daddy, I can show you exactly what to do."

"This is fun!"

"YUMMMMMY!"

Thanksgiving Feast

Madelyn helped Mom make turkey cookies for her Thanksgiving party/feast.

Here she is enjoying her turkey cookie with a surprise guest at the feast - Daddy!

The children were SO cute wearing their turkey hats and enjoying their special lunch.

The Dallas Half Marathon

A few weeks ago, Madelyn was at the finish line when Daddy finished the Dallas Half Marathon. He was excited to see us there to celebrate his 13.1 mile run!

Madelyn loves playing with all Dad's medals from his races, so she was excited to see that now she has a new one to wear! We were so proud of him!

Trick or Treat!

Such a pretty kitty! Madelyn was thrilled to dress like a white kitty for Halloween.

Ready to get some treats! (Her pumpkin basket is almost as big as she is!)

Princess Ava and Kitty Madelyn enjoyed trick-or-treating together. Aren't they sweet?!

Ariel (Sydnie) and Madelyn joined together for a bit to collect more candy!

Halloween Party

Madelyn helped Mom make spider cookies (oreos and pretzel sticks) and pumpkin cookies for her Halloween party. She was excited to help and was proud of the final result!

Party time!

Yum! The spider cookies were definitely the favorite snack.


Such a sweet class of 3 year olds! They were so calm and well behaved for their party.

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Our little school girl was SO excited to be going on her first ever field trip! The three-year old classes went to a pumpkin patch about a mile from the school. Each child had to have a parent transport them and stay with them during the visit. So, Mommy got to join in on the fun!

A good field trip always starts with a special snack. Here she is laughing so hard with some of her friends as they were all being a bit silly.

Then they played lots of games that involved running around and jumping over pumpkins. She loved it!


What a cute scarecrow!



At the end of the visit, the children went on a scavenger hunt among the pumpkins to find candy. She filled her bag very quickly!



Time to check out all the goodies! On the way out each child got to choose a pumpkin to take home. What a wonderful day!

Pumpkin Patch

We enjoyed our annual trip to the pumpkin patch at the Dallas Arboretum, and it was a fantastic morning to see the pumpkins and fall flowers!

Six months pregnant in this photo, but the jacket somewhat hides the growing tummy!

I think it's obvious in this picture just how much fun Madelyn had seeing all the pumpkins. As always, she was a happy and delightful girl.


We even got some good poses from her this year. Although she was anxious to run around and explore, she stopped long enough to give us some good shots!



Our sweet little pumpkin!




Having fun with Daddy. They found a ladybug, rescued a worm from the water, and explored some paths away from the main areas. It was a special day!



She couldn't resist reaching into this small fountain to touch the concrete fish underneath the water.



We asked her to take a picture of us, and she got one that was perfectly centered on the first try! Too bad we forgot to get a family photo!


Notice the "Please Stay Off Rocks" sign next to the rock she's standing on! Oh well, no harm done.

Mr. Pumpkin

Last weekend Madelyn helped carve her very first pumpkin! She was very excited to see it turn into a jack-o-lantern, which she named Mr. Pumpkin.

She was so curious when Daddy removed the lid . . . what could be inside?



"Hmmm, I think I need a closer look."




She rolled her sleeves up to help scoop everything out, but she quickly changed her mind after touching the icky pumpkin pulp.


She put his "hat" back on when the face was finished.




She gave Mr. Pumpkin a special hug and insisted that he sit in a chair beside her. What a fun afternoon!

Arkansas Fun!

Cousins Ivy, Garrett, and Aunt Amy came in from California for a brief visit to see new Baby Emma. They flew into Dallas and spent the night before everyone headed to Arkansas.

Madelyn and Ivy slept together on the pull-out sofa their first night together. What a treat to sleep in the living room!! We were all shocked that they both stayed there all night!

A huge milestone happened while we were there - Madelyn rode a bike (with training wheels) for the first time!! Daddy helped her gain confidence, and within a few minutes she was having the time of her life riding up and down the driveway.

She felt a HUGE sense of accomplishment! She was thrilled!



Proud Papaw with new granddaughter Emma, who was two weeks old that day. She is such a sweet, precious baby!



The four grandchildren with Papaw as everyone celebrated his birthday. What cuties!




Hairstylist Ivy made Uncle Terry pretty with LOTS of mousse!




Garrett is quite the pro on video games, and he was patient enough to let Madelyn feel as though she was playing along. She thought she was making the action happen by pressing keys on the keyboard (which wasn't hooked up). She loved it!



Enjoying some drawing and painting time together.