So I thought I'd better do a post before we leave for the Zmoos Family Reunion. That way I don't have a write a ginormous post (well, more ginormous than usual) that you'll give up reading because you have a life and can't spend all day on the computer.

As you may know Maddy loves Dora and has picked up a little spanish. Here's her latest spanish achievements!

Maddy has really been into dancing and singing. She loves to sing her primary songs and dance to music. She's very opinionated as to what she will listen and dance to. She'll take my iphone and select specific songs and if a song comes on she doesn't like she says, "No, no music. Different music."

Well, we gave potty training another brief try... third times a charm right?! Nope! Before Maddy turned two, for a few weeks she'd ask to go potty and go. Then she lost interest. So the potty went up in the closet. Then a few months later, Maddy saw it and asked to go potty. Same deal, used it here and there then lost interest. So it's a few months later and Maddy's asked to use the potty again, but still could care less if she pees her pants. So it looks like we'll try again in a few months. Here's Maddy and her potty activities... reading and playing on my iphone.

Maddy is a girl in love with her puppy dog! She'll follow Lola around, hug her, tickle her, give her treats, etc. We had to stop her when she started saying, "Ride Lola!"

In attempts to keep Maddy entertained at Grandma Zmoos' house, we gave her a magnifying lense. She loved it! We had to take a pic, she was too cute. She'd look at toes through the magnifying glass and say, "Wow, big toes!"

So we lucked out and had some humidity free beautiful weather and took Maddy for free music in the park! In between chasing Maddy down when she'd run away, we rocked out to the music. She'd dance and shout, "Rock n' Roll! Dance Party!" She didn't quite understand the meat on a stick, she tried to lick it. And she even showed off that she can now close her eyes without using her fingers.

Ever since swimming lessons Maddy's been living it up in the bath. She lays on her back, tummy, kick, and blow bubbles. Here she is chill-laxing.

With the crazy summer heat and the thunderstorms, we've been trying to hit the parks, indoor play places, and we even tried painting. Maddy enjoyed painting until she realized she started getting messy. Her first master piece was a crocodile.

Lastly, Ethan's been dying to take Maddy fishing. While she liked fishing and touched the blue gill Eth caught, she was way more interested in throwing rocks in the pond. That was until she fell in... she did not like having a wet bottom! Oh and she's in love with her summer hat. She asks to wear it every day now.

We did it.... we finally got Maddy "singing" on camera. She can sing/speak a lot of songs, but the funniest is one called ABCD Medley. It's just a medley of kid songs and in between each song is a "chorus" of "ba ba da daaa, ba ba da daaaa." So one day during a spaghetti dinner she broke out in song. We we laughing during the first take and messed her up... but luckily she did it again...




She didn't do the whole song this time, I just have to keep my camera handy!

It's turning out to be quite and Iowa summer. The days are either hot and humid or rainy. Maddy finding herself bored on a rainy day decided to cuddle up on the couch with my iphone and play. She can't use the potty, but she can navigate my phone to play her favorite songs, videos, and games. Hmmmmm....



Recently we also celebrated Kylea's birthday. Hooray! We were going to go to the water park, but since the stupid weather man said it was supposed to thunderstorm, we went to the Aquarium instead. It turned out to be a sunny hot day... Thanks a lot weather guy!

Anyway, we picnicked out side along the Mississipi River and strolled through the exhibits. Maddy loved it, she'd put her face right up to the glass. She got really excited about seeing a shark... she said, "Look at the shark... There it is... Big shark." Too cute.


Besides the aquariums we took Maddy to her first 3D movie. She really liked it until she got sick of sitting and wearing the glasses. She'd laugh and tried to reach out and grab the 3D fish. At one point she reached out so far she fell out of her chair!!! So hilarious! They also had a kids water exhibit which Maddy practically tried to climb into and a learning touch pond where Maddy touched a cray fish.


In the lizard room Maddy saw a Gila Monster and loved it. She'd gasp and say, "Look at the big lizard." When Eth took her in a observation dome to see other lizards she freaked. Maddy's not a fan of small spaces. But the highlight of the lizard room was the lizard cut outs. We all took turns taking pictures and Maddy would just laugh and run sticking her face in and out of the hole.


By the end, Maddy started to get a little nutty, mostly due to lack of nap. So thanks to Kylea (and Mike and Karen) for a crazy, fun trip to the aquarium.


As mentioned on FB and I think the previous blog, Maddy took 3 weeks of "swim lessons." AKA blowing bubbles, jumping into the water and trying to float. She loved them when daddy was in the water with her, but every time I took her to swim lessons she cried and screamed. I tried not to take it personal. She took the class with her neighbor friend Charlie. Here they are high five-ing on graduation day. Too cute. She had so much fun the last day she ran back into the pool after she was all dry, Eth had to run and retrieve her!


So birthdays and baby gifts have come early this year. My parents got us this totally awesome stroller. It's practically a Transformer! I really like it because the back seat can be removed and turned into a jump seat or platform for Maddy to stand on. Totally awesome!


For a while Eth and I have said someday we'll put cabinets in our laundry room. So for my birthday I mentioned that we talked to our parents about putting them in. Then as luck would have it... not only did my sister Dianna put some up, but Eth's Dad Mike did too. So since Mike was in the handyman groove... he went ahead and put them up. They are great and already full! All that's left is picking hardware and putting a hanger bar between the cabinets. Maybe this will help me get the ironing done. :) Thanks to all for my early, awesome birthday gift!!!


Well Ethan was the absolute best husband ever and we had an actual date night!!! Eth's parents took Maddy over night (THANK YOU!!!) and we ate at my favorite restaurant. It was soooo good. I called it the perfect pregnancy dinner... big burger with cheese and bacon and loaded waffle fries. Eth had to take a pic...

We then watched Bounty Hunter, the movie not the show :) and enjoyed a Maddy free evening. Hallelujah we even slept in the next morning, meaning I woke up at 8 and I woke up Eth at 10:00 so we could get ready and get Maddy. That was a much needed date.

We've made it to the last trimester and all is well. I'm feeling great... as in feeling good and feeling huge with child! Here's documentation of my greatness...


On funny yet sad note, I was at the mall returning a few things and the man helping me at the counter asked if Maddy was an only child. I then informed him that in a couple months she'd have a little brother. He then said in a surprised tone "Oh, well that's great. Congratulations." Really... you couldn't tell that I'm over 7 months pregnant!? Ugh, way to boost the self esteem. Thanks Dillards guy. When I told Eth he laughed and just said... Well, Iowans are fat, better not assume and be safe. Hooray for fat Iowans!

Happy Fourth of July!

We decided this Fourth of July to go all out and cram as much as we could into one long weekend. It was very fun and exhausting!

First we went to the Balloon Glow at Brucemore Mansion. In the huge open lawn there were vendors, live music (note the super cheesey rocker), and about 5 hot air balloons. When the sun finally set they would light up the balloons it was really pretty. Unfortunately, we couldn't enjoy the full effect because we had to take Maddy home since it was so late. Maddy was a super trooper and did great. Her favorite part was probably the ride we took in a school bus over to the event. She's been saying, "Ride school bus" ever since.

The next day we went to the Kernals minor league baseball game. Maddy really enjoyed the melty icecream Ethan got, which she refused to eat with a spoon. So she just dug in with her fingers. For some reason no one else wanted to eat the icecream. Hummm... While Maddy mostly ignored the game, she loved it when the crowd got up and cheered and clapped. After the game we also got to enjoy some fireworks. Maddy loved them. She would occasionally clap and cheer, but mostly just stared at them wide eyed, mouth open.



Earlier we took Maddy to Old Mac Donalds farm. A mostly lame "zoo" where kids can look at farm animals. It's right in town, but I always forget it exists (probably due to it's lameness). The last time we were there was a little over a year ago. So we decided to take pics similar to the ones we took last year. My how Maddy has grown!!!



By the time the 4th actually came we were exhausted, but what kind of 4th of July is it with out eating some fried chicken and watching stuff blow up. We'd be unamerican if we didn't celebrate. So leading up to the 4th we had absolutely beautiful weather. Maddy and I both have farmer tans from our trips to the park to prove it.


So even though the weather report said 70% chance of rain, we went downtown to "camp out" and wait for the show. We enjoyed cloudy skies for long enough to sit and picnic... then some cops patroling the area told us that we maybe had 20 min before a serious storm was coming. Accepting defeat, we started to pack up. We felt some sprinkles and looked over the river to see a literal wall of water heading for us. 20 min quickly turned into 3 min. I threw Maddy in the stroller and booked it to the car. It was so rainy and windy Kylea's umbrella blew inside out and ripped, it was seriously like what you see in the movies. When we finally got in the car we were literally soaked... I could wring the water out of my clothes. The rain eventually stopped and the firework show went on as scheduled, but we gave up. We went home dried off and enjoyed the Macy's Fireworks and the illegal fireworks set off by our surrounding neighbors.


Before all the 4th of July craziness, we celebrated Karen's birthday. Maddy was very excited to eat the icecream cake!


Not only have all the celebrating been keeping us busy, but Maddy has been keeping us on our toes with her usual antics. Her newest catch phrase is, "No, No, I don't want too." She doesn't yell it, she just is stating her opinion. Right now find it cute and funny, I'm sure it's going to drive us insane soon enough. We've been enforcing time outs more and more, now anytime we tell her no to something, she puts herself in a time out... here she is facing the wall telling her self, "time out!"


Ever since we took Maddy to Toy Story 3, she's been in love with as she says, "Buzz-y, Whoody, and Cowgirl." She takes cowgirl everywhere.

Maddy's always enjoyed counting things. Lately, for some reason, she's really into counting her toes. One day she did it the whole ride home, then in the bathtub, and even as she lay in bed falling asleep.



Probably the most difficult thing of late, is weaning Maddy off of her binky. We've endured periods of over an hour of crying, cuddling in her bed until she sleeps, singing lullaby's for what seems like eternity and so forth. I just got her a new doll that is only for bed time and we are hoping it will help with the transition. Today was day one, nap one with the doll and it looks like it might work. Cross your fingers!!!!!