Cushion Game!

To begin, I am not sure if I have mentioned just how mobile Madi is these days!  She does. not. stop. moving!  She is into everything!  I can set her down in the family room and within seconds she is in the kitchen, opening up the cabinets.  Or her new thing is to make a beeline for the stairs and give mom a heart attack!

Well, since she has this new mobility....... Taylor has a new found interest in her.  They play games "chasing" each other back and forth and our new nightly ritual is bouncing/climbing/acting crazy on the couch cushions.

We take the cushions off the couch and position them so that Madi doesn't fall off the couch when she is catapulted into the air from her sister bouncing next to her.  Every time Madi bounces, she giggles uncontrollably, which is her way of saying.....Do It Again!  Do It Again!

This "play time" that we do every night.......it's really just my secret way of getting some PT in with Madi.  She works so hard to keep up with her big sister!  I can already tell that Taylor is going to be the biggest influence on her......whatever Taylor does, Madi is going to do right along with her!

Madi pulls herself up to stand and then throws herself down....just like big sister does!

It is the funniest thing to watch!!  And they LOVE to do it for as long as I let them or until Madi gets hurt.   Sometimes big sis' doesn't realize that Madi is just a baby and you can jump down next to her but not ON her.

It is so great to watch the two of them!

When Madi was first born and we were processing the prospect of having a child with Down syndrome, I often wondered what Madi and her sister were going to be like together.  What was their relationship going to be like?  How was it going to be affected that Madi has Ds?  Would they play together?

It warms my heart watching the two of them together.  You can truly see the love in each other's eyes.  Madi definitely thinks that Taylor walks on water, that's for sure!

The way they interact and play together now....... I can only imagine what it is going to be like when Madi is walking!  Lord help me!!

Crazy Hair!

Last week at Taylor's dance class, they had a theme of Crazy Hair Week!  (I know, I am just NOW getting around to putting the pictures up and it has been almost a week)

Once a month or so, they have a different theme.  Crazy Hair, Princess, Pajama Day, Crazy Tights.  Taylor loves those days because it usually means a free-for-all at class.  They bounce on trampolines, dance around with scarves and generally act like crazy girlies!

Don't get me wrong.....she loves her dance class.  Right now they are working on their ballet and jazz routines for the recital coming up in June.  But, there is nothing better in a 3-year olds mind than running around and acting silly!

It will be back to the grind this week in class.........can't wait to see their recital performance!!!

Flashback Friday ~ 3 years ago today

Three years ago today........I completed my 2nd round of chemo for breast cancer.  As I write this, at this exact time, I was starting to feel cruddy after the 4-5 hours of infusion I had just received.  The lack of appetite was in full force.  A little nauseous.  No energy.  I had this 5 1/2 month old baby that I desperately wanted to play with.  But, instead I just wanted to go to bed.

And today was the easy day.  Tomorrow would be a little worse.  And then the next 2 days, I would sleep 18-20 hours of a 24 hour period.  I would maybe eat half of a piece of toast in the morning.  A couple of bites at dinner.  I just couldn't eat.

I would force myself to come downstairs and attempt to play with Taylor. But in reality, I usually would just watch whoever was helping me out that week play with her, while I laid on the couch.

It is so crazy how life is.  How so much can change.  Three years is not a whole lot of time that has passed....but those chemo days seem like decades ago.  I struggle to even remember those days.  I have to really think hard about it to remember the details.

Three years ago, I was scared.  I didn't know what the future entailed.  If you would have told me on this day that in three years I would have another baby girl.......I would have told you that you are crazy!  There is NOOOO way!

But, I do!!!!  And I am so excited about the next three years and what they will bring!

I need to try and remember this feeling I have right now.  When I am feeling down and low and stressed about events........I need to remember, " This too shall pass".  It WILL get better!

This picture was taken in the morning.......right before my chemo infusion.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I know I am a few days behind.....but I have been struggling to get a post done these days.  I really don't have time during the day.  And by the time the girls are in bed, I really don't feel too creative.  I just want to watch t.v., read other people's blogs or just go to bed.

So, even though I am a few days late.........Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

It was a busy day, as usual.  Taylor had school at the Rise while Madi had her music therapy class in the morning.

The afternoon was filled with one school party followed by the other school's party for Taylor.

The great thing about these school parties.......it's just sitting back and watching all the kids.  I would love to be a "little fly on the wall" at her school some day, just to see how she acts at school.  I think that she is a very different child from the one that we see at home.  At home, she is a ball of energy and she does.not.stop.talking!  But, the moment we step into either school, she gets really shy and quiet.  At both schools, they say that she relaxes as soon as I leave.  But, I really wonder, to what extent.

It was also kind of interesting to see where some of her new little antics and sayings come from.  She has picked up a few things that I am not so thrilled about and when I was there, I could see which kiddos these things came from.

In raising my girls, I want them to become strong, independent women.  But, when I watched Taylor doing "her thang" with her friends........it kind of scared me.  I am fearful of the day when she no longer needs me.  When I am no longer the "center of her universe"!  I know that I am getting ahead of myself.  She's only 3!  It's just that I have had a few occasions recently that have shown me how fast my girls are growing up and I don't want that to happen.  I want them to stay the ages that they are right now.  I am scared for the day when I take them to school, they don't want to be "seen" with their mom.  "Mom's too embarrassing!!!"

Taylor is at such a fun age right now.  I just don't want it to change.  She's sweet, loving, she tells me she loves me at random times.  She tells me I'm her best friend.  What more could a momma want!!!

Wow!!!  When I first started this post, I wasn't planning on getting all emotional or anything.  Just wanted to post a couple of cute pictures of the girls on Valentine's Day!  That must be my que that I am tired, over-emotional and it's time to go to bed.

Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day......celebrating with the ones you love!!!!

Flashback Friday!!

In honor of Valentine's Day next week........I thought this week I would flashback to last year's Valentine's Day!

Oh, how the girls have changed!!!!

February Blast of Snow!

This past weekend we had a winter storm that dumped 20" of snow on us!  That's right......20" of snow!

It was a doozy of a storm!!

School was cancelled on Friday, along with most businesses.......so what are you to do?!?!

Play in the SNOW!!!

Or should I say......shovel the snow!  It was one of those storms where you barely finish clearing off the driveway and it would be time to start all over again.  It was just coming down so fast!

Taylor got a kick out of helping out daddy with the shoveling!!

And what's better after being in the cold........hot chocolate with colored marshmallows!!!

On Sunday, we found a big hill back behind our house that others had used as a sledding hill.  So, we had to follow suit!

Madi went on her first "official" sledding ride!  We have pulled her around on the sled before but she has never really gone down a hill.  I think she would have enjoyed it a little more......she was getting tired.

I like to eat snow!

Mark walking up to try and go off the jump someone made!

Here I go.......

..........and.......not enough speed!

These next pictures are absolutely hilarious!!!  I decided that I needed to show Mark up a little bit......

I am WOMAN.......hear me roar!!!

And here I go......

Uh, oh.......something doesn't feel right!

Yep!

Over.........

.....and over........

......and over!!!

And, that folks........that's what you get when you decide to get a little too cocky!