What a woman!

My Grandma Virginia passed away this past Sunday. Although I will miss her presence on earth, I am relieved to know that she is happily enjoying the presence of her eternal companion, Grandpa Dean. I learned so much from this woman. She was incredibly loving. She set such a wonderful example. I hope that I can be half the mother and Grandmother she is! Madden and I visited her frequently while she was in the nursing home these past few years. He loved to visit her. We had some very special moments with her. She didn't always say much, but she smiled! She loved to be around all of the sweet little children in her life. They brought her so much joy.

We love you Grandma. Thanks for all the slumber parties, pancakes and shopping trips. But most of all, Thank you for your example!

Madden ... the big brother!

For those of you who don't already know, we're having a baby! I'm due Christmas day! My niece Emily is a Christmas baby and is hoping to have someone to share the day with. We find out in August whether it's a boy or girl. Madden says it's a "gwerl" baby. I wasn't sick at all with Madden but I have been this time so maybe it is a girl. At my doctors appointment on Monday, we were listening to the heart beat and Madden got so excited because he thought it was time for the baby to come out and play. I reminded him that the baby (and grandma) will come after his birthday.

By the way, I'm not sure how I feel about this countdown on my blog. 161 days seems like a really long time to be pregnant. I might have to find a new one that counts by weeks or something. Let me know if you've seen any other cute countdowns.

while I was gone

I was in Los Angeles all weekend long for work and got back this morning. I picked Madden up from church early and came home. Matt's been at church all afternoon in meetings. When I got home, I checked my email and there was an email from my sister Rebecca. She heard on NPR that there were some fires in Spokane Valley and asked if it was near me. I didn't know there were even fires. Then I looked out my back window and saw this.

A field full of tents and fire trucks. Hmmm...that's strange. I didn't really think anything of it. We live behind the middle school and high school and I thought that maybe they were having some kind of convention or something there. Then my home teacher comes over and I ask him if he knows why there are people camped in my back yard. He said, "Didn't you hear about the fires?"
No, I've been in LA all weekend. What fires? I looked at the mountain behind my house and saw the burnt trees. See below.

It's kind of hard to see in the picture but the left side of the mountain is green and the right side is brown and burnt. I guess that hundreds of people were evacuated, including my home teacher. Most have been able to go back to their homes but quite a few homes severely damaged. I'm hope everyone else from my ward was ok! I guess I'll find out when Matt comes home.

Just a side note, on my drive home from the airport today, I saw a mobile home on fire. It was completely in flames and the fire department had not yet arrived, they were zooming down the freeway. I've never seen a fire that big, and I hope I never see one again.

The moral of my stories, fire season is here. Be Careful!

Spokane Indian's Baseball Game

Over the 4th of July weekend, Matt got some tickets to the Spokane Indians game. They are a minor league baseball team. They were front row, box seats! The stadium is teeny tiny compared to Royals stadium but we still had a good time. Madden enjoyed the chololate, the mascot, and the multiple trips to the bathroom.

mail for Madden

Madden got a package in the mail from Grandma Cindy and Papa Bob last week. He was one excited little kid! The box was filled with is favorite Disney charaters, candy, and Cars underwear. The new underwear has sparked a new interest in potty training. Madden successfully went potty at least 10 times yesterday. He went twice while we were at church. While we were playing outside, he took a little trip inside and took himself potty. The first thing he said to me this morning was, "I need to go potty!" We've been dry all morning too. We'll see how the rest of the day goes.

Yummy!

Madden discoved how yummy it is to lick the beater and spoon when Mommy is baking. He liked them completely clean and loved every minute of it!

Madden and the zebra

Madden got the bounce and spin zebra for Christmas 2 years ago and still loves it. Most days, he spins on it for at least 3-4 10 minute sessions. I don't know how he does it without throwing up but he loves it. Most of the time he almost falls off or hits his head on the dresser or wall. He has learned to not stand up right away. He usually sits on it for a while after he is done waiting for the room to stop spinning. It really is a fun toy, all of his friends love it too. The music can give you a headache. I let the batteries run down one time and he was very upset so I gave in and put new batteries in.