Happy Birthday and Happy 5 Month Anniversary Best Good!!!

Albeit slightly late, this post is for my best friend in the whole wide world on her birthday (which was yesterday).

Jenny and I have been friends for something ridiculous like 27 years...we shouldn't even say best friends, we should just call each other what we are...sisters (actually we call each other Best Goods...but that is another story). She was my maid of honor, she is Madelyn's Godmother and I had the distinct honor and privilege to be her matron of honor exactly 5 months ago today. (although I protest being called "matronly").

Patrick was lucky enough to be asked to capture their special day on video and it was very important to him to give them an AWESOME wedding video in the style, grace, and magnitude of our FABULOUS (did I mention FABULOUS?) wedding cinematographers, Paul and Holley Jackson of Four Seasons Films. We continue to watch and cherish our video and love it so much that Patrick spent hours upon hours trying to give Jenny and Graham something even a fraction as good as what Paul and Holley gave to us.

Here is the finished product...I think he succeeded! I do preface this with the site design being shamelessly borrowed from our own site that was designed by Paul and Holley (thank you, thank you, thank you again) but it was so perfect that we just could not improve upon it. Also note that two of the reception videos (if anyone is really watching all of these)...do not have sound. Youtube took it off because of a contract negotiation problem with Warner Music and us using one of their songs...sadly, my speech is muted...darn...but rest assured the sound will be up and running soon!

Without further delay here it is....Jenny and Graham...The Wedding.

To see our wedding trailer masterpiece that Paul and Holley created almost 6 years ago (wow that is a long time!) Click Here. To have your own event captured by Four Seasons Films please see their impressive website Here.

All in all, I think the video turned out pretty great...but when you are videotaping two people as gorgeous as Jenny and Graham then I think it is pretty hard to mess up!! Congratulations to Patrick on a job well done anyhow!

Here are just a few of the 27 years worth of photos of Jenny and I:







Anyways, Happy Belated Birthday and Happy Anniversary Best Good- I love you!

Favorite Thing Friday

Ok- we have never really done a favorite thing Friday but Madelyn had such varied and unusual tastes this week that we thought we should post them...

Our snow hat...she wears it all day, everyday. It doesn't matter whether we are inside or out, in clothes or pajamas, eating dinner, watching TV or sampling some delicious plastic ice cream...she even learned how to put it (and her shoes) on this week all by herself.


Our multi-tasking sippy cup drinking abilities. Miss Alissa took this photo at playgroup this week to demonstrate what a well rounded multi-tasker she is...she can play with trucks, trains and Rubick's cubes all while drinking her juice.



The Pampers Box....we went to BJ's to buy diapers (with another one of our favorite things...Baby Cole...on Tuesday) but I have not been able to use them all week because Madelyn uses the box for EVERYTHING.

She uses it as a stage to sing, dance and perform culinary demonstrations on:



She uses it as a lemonade stand and piggy holder:


She uses it as a seat, to push around the kitchen, a step stool to access things on the counter and a table to drive her "Mater" cars on. All in all, it was almost our favorite toy of the week.

Of course, as usual, the only toy that could surpass the Pampers box for the favorite thing of the week is Messy Piggy. Another photo taken by Miss Alissa, here is "Piggy Love":


Have a great weekend!
Kristin and Madelyn

Musician Yesterday, Architect Today

Apparently our musical phase was fleeting because today we are on to building...lots of building. In fact, so much building that we may become an Architect like Aunt Jenny. Madelyn constructed towers of blocks for almost 45 minutes today. She would not let Mommy play so I just photo-documented the construction process of one of the towers and it's resulting demolition...

4 Blocks

5 Blocks

Adjust the 5th Block Because We Didn't Like How It Looked

6 Blocks

7 Blocks

CRASH!!!!

Happy Weekend Everyone!
Kristin and Frank Lloyd Wright...I mean Madelyn

Madelyn's First Concert

For Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa got Madelyn a bright green recorder. I thought she would have loved this toy since it made noise and was sure to drive Mom and Dad crazy. Apparently I was incorrect in my assessment of the toy because she yanked it out of her stocking and tossed it aside to see what other treasures were to be had in the bottom.

Today, for some unknown reason, Madelyn picked up her recorder and handed it to me and said "music Mama" (side note- Madelyn has every episode of Little Einsteins that she has every watched memorized and can probably tell more people what Fur Elise sounds like than Beethoven himself plus Maddy and I play music together on my flute, piccolo, her drum and keyboard all the time. Given these factors I was pretty proud that between me and Little Einsteins she at least understood that this crazy green thing was meant for music because it must resemble something else she had seen being played).

So I played her a few songs- silly songs like Hot Cross Buns, Jingle Bells and Mary Had a Little Lamb. Obviously my virtuosity inspired some deep musical urge in her because she said "me play" and when I gave the recorder to her that is just what she did. Her musical savant alternate persona then gave her orders to locate her microphone...which she did, and then to dance and sing whilst playing her recorder...which she also did. Here are the results of Madelyn's first musical concert...Juilliard here we come!

(Disclaimer: I cannot be held responsible for any broken glassware or ear drums that may occur as a result of the following video clip)

Enjoy and have a great night!
Kristin, Patrick and Madelyn

Short Version

Madelyn's First Concert from Patrick Barry on Vimeo.

Long Version

Madelyn's First Concert - Long Version from Patrick Barry on Vimeo.

How Much Do I Love You?

Since I get quite delinquent on posting, especially on our busy weekends, I will post our HAPPY VALENTINES DAY post right now while I have time and am thinking about it!

It really is funny how celebrating v-day changes after kids. Patrick and I NEVER celebrated the holiday, we would make dinner or go to dinner sometimes but there were no gifts or flowers or cards (except one year when I was having a mental breakdown during busy season on Duke and I got flowers as a "please don't kill yourself" gift).

This year, however, Madelyn and I have:
1. Picked out the perfect valentines (sparkly princess ones...these only won out over Mickey because they sparkled and came with stamp pads and stamps)
2. Colored these valentines for all of her friends and family

Here is just a sampling

3. Made a big deal about going to mail the valentines for our out-of-towners (she checked the mail box 5 times to make sure they were still in there)
4. Baked cupcakes for Daddy's work (white with chocolate frosting and white with pink buttercream and sprinkles)- Madelyn loved adding things to the mixer and watching it spin...then she loved eating the batter (2 cupcakes worth) and the results (1 whole cupcake with extra frosting)
5. Today we baked cupcakes for Daddy (strawberry with cream cheese frosting)

Got our stuff all ready! Like the valentines day cupcake liners and spatula?

Just a little taste, Daddy won't notice...

Are they done yet?

All done, strawberry with cream cheese frosting- yum!
Maybe we will make some strawberry cream cheese frosting now...

6. Finally we went to the store to buy food for a special valentines dinner for Daddy and a dinner for Daddy, Grandma and Uncle Jeffrey this weekend- we are making a fondue party for Daddy and a tenderloin roast with sides and apple crisp for Grandma/Uncle Jeffrey- yum!

This holiday just got so much more fun with Madelyn. To commemorate this new found enthusiasm I thought I would quote one of Madelyn's favorite books right now...it just says it all...

How Do I Love You?
P.K. Hallinan

How do I love you? Let me count the ways.
I love you on your very best and very worst of days.
I love to see you laughing and dancing in the rain.
And even when you lose your shoes, I love you just the same.
I love to hear you singing, I love to see you smile.
I love the way you take each day in your own unhurried style.
I'm happy when you're happy, I'm sorry when you're sad.
And even though it may not show, I love you when you're bad.
How do I love you? Well now let me see...
I love the way you act so brave when you fall and hurt your knee.
I love to watch you sleeping, tucked away in pleasant dreams.
I love to hear you whisper all your giant plans and schemes.
I love the way you wear your pants, with the front part in the back,
And the way you walk around sometimes with your head inside a sack.
I love to see you deep in thought, I love to watch you play.
And though I'm sure you'll never know, I love you more each day.
How do I love you? It's impossible to say.
For if I had a million days and time enough for all the praise, I couldn't tell you all the ways...
I love you.

Here is Madelyn last year on Valentines Day
Here is Madelyn mixing her Valentines Day cupcakes for Daddy this year...so big!

Happy Valentines Day to everyone and all your Valentines....big and small!

~Kristin, Patrick and Madelyn

Preschool Here We Come!

Today Madelyn and I went to finish the registration process for preschool!!!!

After many weeks of research, looking at schools, getting on wait lists, NOT waiting in line overnight to get on some wait lists and just plain waiting we found out that we have a Monday-Wednesday spot at Sharon Baptist (Hear cheering in the background?? No? Well I do!!!)

In order to confirm this space at the school we had to go fill out paperwork and pay our registration fee, Madelyn was very excited to go to "skooooool" (as she says) and even tried to join the TK class (4 and 5 year olds almost ready for Kindergarten) for their trip to music class by stepping right in line, single file and all, without a backwards glance at me.

We are thrilled to find such a nice school for Maddy and that she really, really loves it there- I don't know if she can wait until September!

Here is a quick picture from our adventure today. The front lobby at the school has tiles with all of the kids hand prints on them (each color is a different "grade"). Madelyn thinks this wall was meant to high five and will not let us leave without doing so to each and every hand!


Have a great week to all!
Kristin and one school-bound Madelyn

How they have changed....

I was just downloading pictures from my camera and was looking at pictures from a fabulous birthday party that we went to this past weekend. Mr. Nick, Madelyn's friend of nearly 18 months, turned 2!!! He had a party at Rolly Pollies (a children's gym) and what a party it was! Looking at the pictures of Nick, Mia and Madelyn I began to wax poetic over how much they have changed in such a short time...here is a small recap:

First Playgroup- 3 Deloitte friends starting stay at home parenthood together!
Maddy 6 weeks

Maddy 8 weeks
There was some propping required here

Mia and Madelyn - First Halloween
So Spooky!
Madelyn - 7 Months
Mia's First Birthday Party (Madelyn 9 Months)
Mia did NOT want to swing!
Madelyn- 10 Months
Give me that chair Mr. Nick!
Madelyn-10 Months
Madelyn is using Nick to stand up...poor Nick!

Madelyn and Mia - Madelyn's 1st Birthday Party
Balloons!!!


Corbin, Mia, Henry Nick and Madelyn at Lazy 5 Ranch
(Madelyn 13 Months)

Henry, Madelyn and Nick - Pumpkin Picking
(Madelyn - 16 Months)

Madelyn, Nick and Mia - Nick's 2nd Birthday Party
(Madelyn - 18 Months)

Lifelong Friends!

Have a great day- this just made mine!!!

Daddy's New Camera

Due to our slew of impending vacations we decided we needed a new camera- so after months of ad nauseum research, Patrick picked a camera...we now own the Panasonic DMC-ZS1. We have been borrowing my mom's really spiffy Canon Rebel but it is now time that we have our own camera. True it is not as spiffy as the big Digital SLR with lenses and flashes and the like but this will suit us just fine for playdates and vacations where we don't want to haul all of that camera paraphenalia. It does have really cool features like baby mode that you set the name of the baby in the picture and in any picture that you associate with that baby it will tell you how old he/she was based on the birthdate you input in setup. So it will say Madelyn is 13 months and 26 days when I took her picture today...pretty cool! You also can tell it the date of your trips and what time zone those are in so it knows when we leave for Maui to not tell us a picture was taken at 9pm when it is full sun outside and actually only 3pm local time...such small things amuse me! I guess it has other cool features too like good picture quality and good warranty but these are mundane details really...

In true Patrick format we had to immediately test our new camera so here are the Maddy action shots in the yard this morning playing with her bubble mower and garden tools-she is such a boy...we need more girls in playgroup, Mia and Madelyn are being turned into tomboys!!!

OK Dad, seriously....this is about enough...

Have a great week everyone!

At Home Fun

For the past week, Madelyn and I have been holed up in the house due to various reasons like Madelyn not sleeping, possible poison ivy, taking 23 lbs. of peaches (thanks Mom) and making every imaginable cannable peach recipe (tart filling, pie filling, preserves, cake filling for Jen's wedding cake, etc.) and getting ready for our numerous traveling expeditions. I leave for San Diego next week for Jen's shower/girls weekend festivities, we leave the day after I return for Mohican, we then leave for Maui 2 weeks after that and then back to San Diego for Jen's wedding 2 weeks after that! That is a lot of packing to do...my one guest room looks like a closet exploded in it due to the myriad of various piles of clothes and accessories dedicated to each of these trips!

Even though we have missed our friends the past few weeks, we have kept very busy in the house...


Playing in an awesome octopus sprinkler- thanks Uncle Travis and Aunt Sarah!


Relaxing with some juice and Disney Channel in our new Mohican Camping Chair-


Doing some light reading with Piggy in our new Maddy-sized chair from Grandma and Grandpa-

We even tried on last year's Halloween costume and would not take it off for a whole day...despite the 99 degree heat and the costume being velvet...peek a boo baby!

Hope everyone else is having a great summer too (but we are obvisouly looking forward to fall!)

~Kristin and Not-So-Spook Witch Madelyn