Maddy is 28 months old

April has been unseasonably cold and snowy. We were very lucky that Easter was later this year because we had some sunshine to warm things up that day. Even as we complete this blog entry, the temperatures are in the 40s and it is raining. We haven't been able to do as much as we would've liked to get the campground ready, but hopefully we will be ready to open on Friday, May 6th. Our biggest concern is turning on the water and having the pipes freeze in the ground.

Maddy had a wonderful Easter! She colored eggs for the first time. Maddy loved finding the eggs and her Easter basket on Easter morning. We enjoyed lunch at Grandma Huseby's place along with a candy hunt. Then Grandma and Grandpa Escherich hosted supper where she was blessed with another egg hunt, Easter basket and a classic Coupe car. Both sets of Godparents also spoiled Maddy with Easter baskets. She is such a lucky girl!

Madeline's height and weight continue to climb at a steady pace. She is 36 1/8 inches tall and weighs 31.6 pounds. She has inherited Debbie's wide feet and wears a size 8 wide shoe so we purchase shoes at StrideRite. It is one of the only shoe stores with a selection of wide width shoes. Maddy is also continuing to cut her 3 year molars as was mentioned last month.

Maddy is trying to master her RadioFlyer trike that her cousin passed down to her. A newly acquired skill this week is climbing the rock wall on the Rainbow playset. She and Matt have been practicing and she can finally do it all by herself. Her independence continues to amaze and frighten us at the same time. We'll cross our fingers for all the warm weather and May flowers to come quickly! Happy Spring everyone!

Sleeping Beauty - Ta Daa!

First ride on the Tricycle - Playing Hide and Go Seek

Princess Madeline

We finished the Make a Bear Worshop present from Christmas.

Pajama time - Sitting pretty.

Easter Baskets

Huseby Easter candy hunt.

Easter present - Easter dress

Maddy is 27 months old

It has been the 3rd "snowiest" winter in our region's history. Needless to say, we are yearning for warmer temps and brighter days. In the meantime, we are immersed in a living room project. We had water issues in our living room last year that are hopefully fixed now, but we still need to rebuild walls, insulate, drywall, paint and lay carpet. Oh, and if the weather ever cooperates, we need to get the campground ready to open on May 6th. Maddy is the same height as last month at 36" tall, but she gained 1.5 lbs so she's now 30.5 pounds. She has been eating non-stop so we assume she is in a growth spurt or just bored to tears being cooped up inside. Her first 3rd year molar broke through on the bottom left side of her mouth this month. Just when the teething stops and gives her a break for a couple years, BAM!, they will all start to fall out. LOL St. Patrick's Day was celebrated with a traditional feast of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and Irish Soda bread. Like a true Irish Lass, Maddy enjoyed it all. She is already asking daily to "color" Easter eggs so I'm sure that activity will be enjoyed later in April. Easter seems so late this year, but we'll update everyone on any Easter Bunny sightings next month. Until then, THINK WARM!!!

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New glitzy hat.

Notice all the carefully placed on items on the Sit N Spin...

Hmm...evil plan, evil plan to torture parents?

YES, I've got it! Mauhaahaa!

Cheese! I'm not tired - nope not at all.

Cowgirl wearing cheetah print? Smiles 'til next time!

Maddy is 26 months old

Maddy is still growing at a rapid rate. She gained a pound and an inch this past month. She is now 36 inches tall and 29 pounds. Maddy and Debbie did some baking together this month. We made heart shaped cookies with pink royal icing on them. Then we had fun baking and decorating cupcakes for Valentines Day. Madeline is such a good helper in the kitchen. She even helps unload the dishwasher already! Her favorite task is "mixing" eggs. If a recipe needs a whisked egg, she will always be ready with whisk in hand.

Maddy keeps trying to ride her trike from Grandma Huseby, but still can't quite push the pedals hard enough to move herself. She had "Ants on a Log" for snack for the first time this month and loved them. She also received a new toy this month. We bought her a "Bounce a Lean" which is an inflatable trampoline with walls. She has really been enthralled with it. It is so good for her to exercise on and release some energy. It has been a much needed source of entertainment in late winter. As an additional note from last month, Maddy still loves her twin bed. She has adapted wonderfully to it and is content to stay in it which is a huge relief to us.

We hope the luck of the Irish comes to your household in the form of whatever you wish for the most. We are still hoping for warmer weather and a sale of the house that Grandma Huseby vacated. The market here is slowly recovering and sales usually increase as the spring weather brings the snowbirds back to our area. Happy St. Patrick's Day from the O'Huseby's!

Valentines day gifts.

Learning to ride the trike. Maddy using her ball like an exercise ball.

New toy - the Bounce O Lean! (AKA safe trampoline)

Ants on a log - Yummy!

Grandma at the door.

Somersault...

Madeline is 25 months old

Maddy is now 35" tall and 28 pounds. She can get into many new things vertically that were challenging before her growth spurt. On New Year's Eve, Maddy stayed up until midnight to bring in 2011. She had her own fancy glass filled with apple juice and toasted with everyone yelling Happy New Year! She also helped Grandpa celebrate his birthday. Anytime she sees a lit candle she has to blow it out and Grandpa's birthday cake was no exception. One thing is for sure; the girl LOVES chocolate! She ate a huge slice of birthday cake. On another day, she tried chocolate mousse for the 1st time and licked the bowl clean. Wow! I guess apples really don't "fall too far from the tree". Tee hee. Besides singing "Happy Birthday", she serenades us often with favorites like, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Rock a by Baby", "Where is Thumbkin", and the quintessential, "Alphabet Song". She even knows the Edelweiss song from the "Sound of Music". The big news this month is that Maddy moved from her crib to a twin sized bed on Sunday, January 30th. She calls it her big girl bed. She hasn't tried to get out of it yet, but we placed a baby gate at her doorway so she can't roam around the house at night. She jumps on it and laughs when we tell her, no more monkeys jumping on the bed. The move has been a really positive experience for her so fingers crossed that it stays that way.

We are busy getting our Valentines ready for Valentine's Day. We hope you have a happy heart day and can feel the love we send to you. XOXO's too!

Maddy's high fashion moments.

PlayDoh is the newest fascination. "Maddy in the box"

Maddy showing off her pigtails and her new chair.

The bay window provides opportunities to "rabbit watch".

Maddy tried chocolate mousse for the 1st time and loved it!

Ready to bake cookies.

Madeline helped Grandpa blow out his candles. Maddy in her "big girl bed".

December 2010

We tried to see how many pictures this website would let us upload. It was too many and we got tired! Let's just say we went a little crazy with the pictures this month. It has been an extremely snowy month here. Before the last 2 storms, freezing rain put a layer of ice on the roads that has yet to be thawed. Mother Nature takes Minnesota winters very seriously and, apparently, doesn't want to disappoint us.

We started a new tradition this year. We adopted a scout elf and named him Ollie. This elf arrived at our home the day after Thanksgiving. It would fly to the North Pole every night to report on Maddy's daily efforts to be nice. Every morning when Maddy woke up Ollie was in a new location inside our home. She delighted in finding Ollie every morning, but woke up on Christmas to find that Ollie had not returned from the North Pole. We assured her that Ollie would return next year before Christmas after spending time with Santa.

Speaking of Santa, Maddy's Uncle Byron plays Santa to many area children. On one of his many outings, he made a special trip to our house to see Maddy. She didn't cry and was happy to show "Santa" her playroom. They played in her tent and had a wonderful time.

Honestly, Christmas was less jolly than we had hoped for because Maddy was sick. She ended up with both ears infected. This was a first. She has been feeling much better after 10 days on amoxicillian. She even stayed up until midnight to celebrate the new year. She had her own little fancy plastic glass and toasted to a happy 2011 with the rest of us.

Cheers to you and yours for a healthy and happy new year!


Getting ready for bed.

Smiling during meatloaf? Snow bunny.

Tea time. Daddy makes Mickey Mouse pancakes.

Maddy cuddling with Grandpa. Thank you for the Zoobie Jerry & Donna!

Waffles at our house! Maddy crawling through her new tunnel.

BlakeLynn may never forgive us.

Maddy at Huseby party. Uncle Byron, A.K.A. Santa Claus, visits Maddy.

Redneck Retirement fund (scratch off tickets). Maddy with her new doll and bottles.

Maddy & Debbie sporting the newest holiday fashion.

Cookies for Santa.

Maddy didn't touch the cookies, but kept eating the carrots. Auntie Renee playing with Maddy.

Happy New Year!