Thanks Mom!

A HUGE thanks!!!
Ryan and I wanted to thank Mom for coming up and staying with us last week. It was so good to see her and hang out! We wanted to thank her for all the help in getting Madi potty trained! Ryan and I were running low on patience with it all then you showed up and rescued us! Thanks for all the laughs, the breakfast out, and the craft board we did together! I love how it turned out! We did some fine work mom! ;) (and we want to thank Grandma Gilmore for the dressers!). Mom is so pateince and she has taught us so much! We honestly couldn't have done it without you Mom!! We love you!

Mom with her new haircut! Love the new do! You're looking good mom!!

My craft board we made together! It turned out so cute!

The Moores to the Rescue!

My Near Death Experience...

Ok not really, not even close, but I got your attention, didn't I?

Late last night after the kids had gone to bed, I went in and grudgingly sat at the computer to finish up a final paper for class that was due today. I had been working on it for a few hours already and was getting tired of it, so instead I decided to do some blogging!YA! It was getting pretty cold outside again...(will spring ever come!)the wind was blowing pretty hard and making all sorts of noises.

This home is an older home and as it is with older homes, the floor boards seem to have their own personalities as they spontanelously crack and buckle even when you are not walking on them. Last night I felt the floor boards were especially sensitive to the howling winds that were going on outside. With each loud and disturbing noise I would freeze in place and listen intently for anything out of the ordinary, which last night it seemed like every noise was! I would jump every once in awhile, scaring myself mostly. I am sure if someone saw me from a sound-proof glass without knowing the noises I was hearing, they would have thought I needed to be in a psych ward...

I decided I needed to get up, stretch my legs and go search for a snack that would keep me occupied for awhile. As I went into the kitchen, I immediately frooze in place, my eyes becoming wide opened (not that that is going to help me see any better...) as I saw that the side door was half way opened!!! My heart instantly started pounding, I forgot how to breath as my whole body went into convulsions! My mind began to race as to what to do first...run, scream, or pee!(Those of you that don't know me very well, I am deathly afraid of well...many things, but being in a big dark house with creepy noises that makes a haunted house seem like a carnival, tops the list!)I had locked all the doors earlier so my mind was racing as to whether I had missed locking this door... or did the wind blow it opened?? Or was there someone inside??!!

Frozen in place for a few short terrorizing minutes, (it felt like eternity) with eyes locked into the dark shadows of the kitchen, I eventually calmed down just enough to get some air to my starving lungs and pressed the speed dial botton on my cell to call Ryan, (which happened to be in my hand at the time...phew!) After talking with Ryan and deciding whether or not I should call someone to come check the house out for any intruders or weirdos... I decided to call Aaron and Amy Moore from our old ward. They were still awake luckily and Aaron came right over as Amy stayed on the phone with me the whole time!

With our kitchen broom in hand, Aaron did a top to bottom sweep(haha) throughout the entire house (don't know what a broom would do, maybe clean the intruder off??) We found nothing luckily, just my wild imagination making me panic.

Anyway the lesson of the story is make sure your doors are completely shut, have your cell phone on hand at all times and have good friends that will always be there for you! Thanks Aaron and Amy for risking your life for me!!! (Maybe I should add you to speed dial as well!?)You guys are great friends. Thanks for rescuing me! Love you guys!

"Splish Splash I was taking a Bath..."

Last night I put Madi in the bath, she didn't quite make it to the potty and had an accident, so in she went! Curious Avery soon followed us in, as she always has to know the latest gossip of what's going on and why all the loud noise...as her mommy and sister were talking and the bath water was going. After I put Madi in the tub I went in to the kitchen to clean up dinner that was left by two very messy eaters. I knew that Avery was in the bathroom with Madi and that she couldn't get in the tub herself so I didn't worry about it. I heard them both just laughing away so I continued cleaning. Madi was laughing extremely loud in between snorts and Avery was laughing at first too, but then in between laughs I could also hear her whimpering some. So as it is with two little ones always getting into something or doing something they are not suppose to, I went in to have a peek...(kids sure do keep you on your toes!)
Avery was standing up by the side of the tub while Madi had poured water all down the front of her and she was soaked! HAHA!! Pretty funny! But of course I felt so bad for Avery that I got upset with Madi. I felt really bad later and had to apologize to Madi for yelling at her! (I lack in the patience department, can't you tell?)
I guess this was Madi's way of telling me that Avery also needed a bath! Duh! Why didn't I think of that!? So in Avery went too!I love Avery's face in this one- you can see her little teeth!
Madi always with a bandaid...I swear we are good parents-we don't beat our kids that often! haha, jk! Ryan was giving her a piggy back ride on his shoulders and forgot how low one of the entries was and Madi hit her head. Luckily she didn't cry at all, but of course she wanted a bandaid!

So Much to Splash...not enough time!

I should have known that Avery wanted in on the fun too! I usually give them a bath together, it's just easier to do in one round, but with Madi potty training I didn't even think about it.HAHA!!! They just crack me up!Avery was splashing so much her eyes were all red!

Mommy and Madi's new friends

Today Quinn's wife, Emily called me and asked if I wanted to take the girls for a stroller ride with her and her kids. Emily and Quinn have two kids, a little girl named Maylee (such a pretty name and she is such a cute little girl!) and a three month old baby boy, MacKay(sp?). Another cutie! We met up and took our kids down to the high school track. Our little girls have already become such good friends! Madi and Maylee are also only two months apart in age. I thought these pictures of them are just darling!

So sweet!! I love it!

Friends

Hi to all our friends from our old ward(s) and new ward! Ryan and I love our old ward so much and there are many great families that we will miss, and we hope to continue many of those friendships! Coming to this new ward, we already feel at home and have felt welcomed by so many! Everyone is strong in the church and so sweet! We truly feel so blessed to be surrounded by many wonderful people and families.

We just met the nicest family the other day! Ryan had actually met Quinn a few months ago while taking his trash out… Ryan has said, “You can learn a lot about a person by his trash”…lol. (Ryan is one of the janitors at ISU until he starts the PA Program). A few months later we moved into the ward!

Extreme Makeover -Madi Addition

Sunday night the girls were playing in the spare room, (this room is where all my makeup, blow dryer curling irons, etc. is so when I am getting ready for school I don’t wake Ryan up) and I didn’t think much of it because Madi likes to play in there sometimes. I am puzzled to why she prefers that room over her play room or bedroom, but anyhow Madi was in the room for awhile playing, and as Avery tends to follow Madi around the house she went in there too. (It’s so fun to watch them together). It became pretty quiet for a while so Ryan decided to go in and check on them and to our horror and amusement this is what we found….

Avery’s new look….

Madi's new look...she almost got the lipstick on her lips…?? Haha!

We laughed and got upset at the same time. It’s sometimes impossible not to laugh when things like that happen! But yet we don’t want to give her the impression that it’s alright and that it’s funny to do that. So being the mean parents that we are, we had to give Madi a stern warning not to play in mommy’s makeup again. It could have been a lot worse; I mean she only got to the lipstick (which I never wear liptick, so I don’t know why I have it) and the mascara. And really the important thing is at least Madi shared some with Avery, right? ;)

Ambushed by Two Little Monkeys

Hey, this is Ryan with my first ever post on our blog. So there I was sleeping on a warm, lazy Sundy afternoon, when I was ambushed out of the blue by two little hairless howler monkeys! The littlest one popped up out of nowhere and crawled on my face. I was like Whoah! and she was like Wussup now, fool! I gritted my teeth as her diapered bottom scooted across my forehead. Suddenly, the larger monkey leapt from a hidden perch and landed right on my stomach! This one tickled me until I just about passed out. If it wasn't for a sudden flash of light from a camera, I would have been a goner!

Ok, so maybe things didn't happen quite like I described above, but it sure felt like it as I was jarred awake from my Sunday slumber. It's fun having kids that are so rambunctious and fun to play with. Sometimes I wonder how I could have been so happy before I had them. It's strange to think that I didn't have them just three short years ago. Well, maybe having a full diaper pressed up against your face isn't your idea of having a good time, but trust me, it is strangely fun to those of us with kids.

Vaccuum-FREEZE!!

So everytime I vaccuum, (which lately has been everyday if not more than once, because this carpet shows seriously every little crumb!) Avery and Madi go into a freeze position, literary! Madi has a fear of vaccuums, it's probably just the loud noise that scares her, but before I even mention the word vaccuum, she has already jumped up on the couch! Madi would probably stay on the couch for hours (if it took that long to vaccuum) before she would step foot on the floor while the vaccuum was still going. It's funny how kids become afraid of certain things.

Here's Avery's FREEZE pose! She laid on the floor until I finished. To get this picture I had to take it while the vaccuum was still going.

Speaking of Vaccuums... this last week we had to buy a new vaccuum, because our old one decided to well, suck at sucking. haha...ok bad joke but after getting this new vaccuum, vaccuuming has never been so fun! I love our new vaccuum! It's seriously awesome! And it comes with a duster! whoohoo! So I took a picture of our new vaccuum, I felt it has been doing such a good job it was worthy of a picture. ;)

Stroller Rides

The weather has been way too cold, windy, rainy and just plain freezing to go on stroller rides. We have had one or two days out of a dozen that have been not too terrible, so we took advantage of it and went for a stroller ride the other day!

When Avery was born Ryan's mom had bought a double stroller that I could run with and take both girls. I LOVE it! I am so spoiled! Thank you mom! I am so excited to use it this summer and hopefully(cross your fingers!) loose the rest of this baby weight! AHH!

Madisen loves to go for stroller rides and is constantly asking to go and if the stroller is out in the living room she climbs up and sits in it, pretending that she is going for a ride!

We were all pretty excited! Yippee!

Madisen is 3 years old!!!

Happy Birthday Madisen!!! :)

This is what we did to celebrate Madisen's 3rd Birthday today...

opened a few presents,

ate lots and lots of chocolate (don't worry Avery just ate the wrappers),

rode horses around the house,

and grilled steaks on the grill...(a favorite at the Hodges house)...and take a look at that Pro griller! Holy Smokes he is HOT!!!

...SO Hot! ;)

(Ryan's mom bought us a whole grill set to go along with the grill we had. It came with all the utensils and a fire proof apron and mit, as a house warming gift. Thanks mom we love it!)

After a long fun-filled day, Madi was exhausted and fell asleep on the couch with her horses...

Madisen got spoiled this year! The swing-set and playhouse was her b-day present from us and all her grandparents and great-grandparents! Thanks everyone!!

We love Madisen so much!! She is such a special little girl and has brought so much joy to our lives. We couldn't imgaine life without her, she is a shining example to us of compassion and selflessness. She is a sensitive sweet girl and we are so proud of her! Happy Birthday Madi!

Here she comes!

Avery started crawling almost three weeks ago and ever since then, she has this incredible detemination to try and grab and get to everything... Avery has an intense little stare, she will spot something on the ground and once she has made up her mind to get to it, nothing can stand in her way!

Watch out here she comes to take on the world...or at least our house!

And just last night she pulled herself up to a stand, holding onto the couch and also the toy box! Today Ryan went upstairs and there Avery was standing tall in her crib! Yikes! In a blink of an eye they learn something new and as parents we get so excited, but sometimes I wonder, why do we all want our kids to learn things so fast??...It's like they say, "You spend the first few years trying to get them to talk and walk, and then 18 years trying to get them to be quite and sit down..." So true... haha!!

Bare Naked Baby!

I just love these pictures of Avery!! She will probably kill me when she is older for sharing them across the internet on our blog! But doesn’t she have the cutest little tush?! haha! :)

Layers of Sand

We have all been enjoying our new back yard so much, especially Madi! The past two weeks, she has changed in so many positive ways! She has become more independent, talkative and more confident in herself that she can do things by herself! We are so excited as parents to see her growing in these ways. Being a premature baby she has always been somewhat smaller to the kids her age, and she has struggled a little bit with social skills. We have had a few of friends over since we have moved in, so it is just great to see her learning and playing with friends so well!

We kind of went crazy buying so many play toys for the backyard, but we wanted to give her a place to just 'let her hair down' and have fun!! She has spent many hours playing the dirt and I think it has become her second home! By the time she is ready to come in she is covered in dirt from head to toe, but I love it!

Grandma Graf came up yesterday to be with us for Madi's Birthday (which is on the 21st) and to have some fun! Madisen took grandma outside to show her the sandbox. Grandma loves to play with Madi and as you can tell hasn't grown up herself! ;) This sandbox is for young and old!

Diagnosed with Torticollis and Metatarsus Adductus

For the last several months, Avery has been titling her head mainly to the left side, at first I just thought it was no big deal that she just slept on it wrong or that she just preferred that side, I even thought it was pretty cute that she always posed that way…but after a week or so of her tilting her head to one side, I got a little more concerned by it and even asked the mothers at play group what they thought about it. After I got home I wanted to see if there was anything on the internet about infant’s head tilting.

What I found was called Torticollis. Torticollis is a twisted neck, referring to the head being tipped to one side, while the chin is turned to the other. Congenital torticollis (present at birth) may be caused by malpositioning of the head in the uterus, or by prenatal injury of the muscles or blood supply in the neck.

Symptoms:
Enlargement of the neck muscles (possibly present at birth)
Asymmetry of an infant's head from sleeping on the affected side
Elevation of the shoulder on the affected side
Stiffness of neck muscles
Limited range of motion
Headache
Neck pain
Head tremor

In many pictures, Avery is tilting her head.

Here, see for yourself! (Napoleon)

After reading about this, I just knew that was what Avery had. It is nothing severe or anything to be worried about, but something needed to get done about it the sooner the better. I called her doctor’s office right away, but I decided to just wait until Avery’s next appointment which was just a week or so later. During her appointment her doctor said she looks fine, and he felt her neck and it seemed just fine. He told me some babies just prefer one side to the other but it will correct itself and if it gets worse then will be treated. So I left the office feeling somewhat glad that he said Avery didn’t have Torticollis, but still in the back of my head I was still feeling that something was not right.

Now a few months later she is still tilting her head to just one the side, so I took her in this morning to see the doctor (which I really do like her doctor he is pretty good and very nice!) and he examined her again and found that sure enough, she has Torticollis. Nothing to be really worried about like I said, but she has to go to a Physical Therapist so they can work on her neck and shoulder area for a little awhile to stretch those muscles. He also showed me a few techniques to do from home. Avery did not enjoy that however!

Today she was also diagnosed with Metatarsus adductus, which is that her right foot turns inward. She doesn’t need a brace for her leg or foot, but she has to also have Physical Therapy on her foot to train and stretch the muscles to turn out.

Poor Avery! My baby is all twisted up!! She will be fine in the end but she has to go through a little bit of Therapy which she is not going to be too happy about! Luckily, she is so young that she won’t remember any of it!