From management...

Just a quick update from the "management of Madeline."

We are in the process of building a family website. Hopefully soon (within 2 years) we will have an up and running website where blogs will be kept. When that occurs, Madeline will update this blog to notify you of the new web address.

The benefits to a family website, for us, will be ease of uploading photos and maintaining content. There will also be a recipe section. We love cooking and would like to share some of our newfound recipes.

That's all, nothing else new here. If you have an ideas how to get the "little one" to sleep better we would GREATLY appreciate your thoughts. No a sip of wine or borrbon are not acceptable suggestions.

Thanks - Management of Madeline

Sporting the goods...

...my new favorite shirt courtesy of Uncle John and Aunt Jan....I think it looks pretty good.

Love - Madeline Rose

Professional Golfer in Training.....

It's been a busy month. I've been improving my golf swing and finally think I'm at a point to share with you. Now I realize you'll start recommending agents for me after seeing my swing, but hold tight, I figure I should wait until I'm 14 months old before getting my professional rating. I realize Tiger Woods started early and perhaps I'll follow in his foot steps.....but only on the golf course. He's not much of a role model off the course. For that, I'll follow mom and dad's example. ha ha Enjoy!

Happy 1st Birthday to Me....

....Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Madeline (that's me), Happy Birthday to Me! I'm 1 year old today!!!!



It's been a really great year. I've trained Mom and Dad to respond when I call...even at 2 AM. They're pretty nice and have passed the "new parent test" throughout the first 12 months. Congratulations you two; you're now grown ups and certified parents.

I've trained the dogs to let me climb on them and inspect their hair, ears, eyes, etc. My only complaint is they all have bad breath and Dibs has sharp teeth. I think in time Dibs will really like me, especially when I have a toddler bed and he can cuddle up with me or maybe when I start playing dress-up with him. He'll be my buddy in time.

I now have 5 teeth....I'm working on 1 more right now....Mom and Dad say they'll be happy when they all appear.

I gave up crawling because my knees were getting sore. I don't know why Mom and Dad never told me to just use my feet. I sure get around faster and into things quicker now. Speaking of getting into things, I found the tupperware cupboard this weekend and have helped Mom and Dad reorganize multiple times.


I'm a good eater....I found out this weekend at my birthday party I really like strawberry cupcakes with frosting and pink sprinkles! Did you know on your birthday you get present?! It was really tough (not sarcasm) turning 1....I got a stroller and a baby doll and an indoor riding toy that plays music....and some books and a puzzle. It was great!


All in all, it was a great first year. I got to travel a ton to see family and friends and learn what life is all about. I can only hope the years to come are just as much fun.

Until later -
Madeline

Busy Bee.....

I sure have been a busy bee lately.

The past 2 weeks have been kind of crazy around here.
I got the flu for the very first time in my entire life....I'm not sure if I should feel special because it wasn't very fun. But, I did get to stay home with mom and dad for an entire week and a half until I was all better. We played quite a bit and mom did lots of laundry.

When I was sick Dad had to travel a little bit, but Mom said "no problem, I can handle it." That was before she got the stomach flu....while Dad was gone...and while I was still sick. It was less than plesant for both of us. But heck, we are all better now!!!

Moving on...so Dad got to go to Minnesota (when mom and I were sick). He went to Uncle Michael's graduation for his Masters degree. It sure sounds like they had a great time. He saw Uncle Michael, Aunt Jodi, Cousin AJ, Aunt Sue and Uncle Don. They had a hoot! He sure is happy he made the trip and took the time to reconnect with everyone.



So, back to me....let's focus on me, the kiddo about to turn the big number 1!!! I've been a bit of a grouch this past week. Getting up at least 3-4 times/night and resorting back to only eating baby food. Mom and Dad didn't pick up on the hint, but I was getting another tooth....yup, #4 finally came through today. Thank heavens....I really had to work for this one and it hurt!!! (the reason I kept waking Mom and Dad up at night was because I wanted orajel and tylenol...they didn't pick up on the hint)

Also, I have another big, Big, BIG announcement.....I can walk now! Yup, I decided the past 2 weeks to take it up and athough I don't go super far or fast, I sure can move my little legs. I'll show you soon enough!

I have another trip coming up. I'm going back to the lake cabin in Minnesota to catch the big one. Mom calls the fish "Walter" like from the movie, The Great Outdoors. It should be a good trip.

That's about it for now. Have a fun-filled week and I hope you don't get the flu or cut any new teeth....neither is fun.

Love - Madeline

It's been that kind of month....

....sorry for the delay in my posts, it's been that kind of month.

Our adventures from CO to Ames, IA to Northern MN to Davenport, IA and back to Colorado....totally 2,800 miles....went well. I don't mean to brag, but I really am a great traveler. Seriously, I like to read my books, take naps, stop for breaks at random parks and see the road, all while riding backwards because I'm not 20 lbs. yet. (I hope by my 2nd birthday to finally be 20 lbs. so I can experience the joy of looking out the front window). Anyway, the trip was great. It was really rushed though because we had so many people to see and things to do.

I experienced some firsts again though. My first trip to the lake, my first time wearing a "boat coat," my first boat ride (I kinda fell asleep but that had nothing to do with Uncle Brian's driving) and my first princess fishing pole.



Mom and dad had fun too I think. They went fishing and came back aweful wet one night. I don't think they used any fishing poles, I think they fell in the lake and tried to catch the fish with their bare hands. Mom claims they got caught in the middle of a big rainstorm and she was catching fish, but I think that's just a fish tale. Oh well, we had fun.



I completed my first Bix race. It was tough, I had to crawl 10 feet on a carpet with all these other kids. Oh course I didn't take off when they said "GO" I waited to see if any of the boy crawlers had cute buns (you know what I mean) and then I took off and finished. My number on my bib was "A3." Mom says that stands for ankle biter #3 since I was crawling. Oh well, I got a medal and it was awesome. Mom didn't get a medal when she did her race the next day.....did I mention she ran the entire thing in the rain...no one went to watch her. Grandpa dropped her off and picked her up, but I think she was nuts and should have stayed home.



Since getting back to Colorado it's been crazy around here. You would have thought it would slow down, but nope, not in this household. Dad got sick right after we got back and missed work for a few days (that never happens). Then mom got sick (I think it's from running 7 miles in the rain storm, but what do I know, I'm just a kid) and she missed work for part of a week as well. Then last night, well this morning, at 1 AM I got the stomach flu and was up until 6. Now, mom won't let me eat anything fun today expect crackers, water, toast, etc. How boring is that?! Mom keeps drinking coffee and doing laundry....I'm not sure why? I think she likes to clean.

Other than that, not much new. (I will add some more photos later but I'm tummy doesn't want to wait for them to upload on this slow computer)

Until later - Madeline

PS. I'm getting a new cousin on February 4....I'm pretty pumped to have a new friend. Congrats Tom and Mary and cousins Katelyn and Caleb!

PSS. If you ask me how old I'll be in 1 month, I will hold 1 finger up and show you....no, it's not my middle finger people, get you head out of the gutter.

It's all about Mom.....

...at least that's what the guy at the store said today....don't worry, it was about his wife. Now I understand what he meant, because today was all about Mom and I was the "test subject."

I'm told there are "special firsts" for a baby. I think it's more special for the Mom who is just eager to take photos, much to the dismay of her child. Seriously, it was traumatic and I might never go to sleep now that I know the potential of scissors.

Today, I got my first hair cut. I call it a butch. Seriously, you remember my dark black hair I was born with that fell out a few months after I was born? Well, since then I have been working hard, really hard to grow my hair into a sandy brown/blondish color. All was going well, sure I had a few "crazy woman" hair dos but that is to be expected when you're finding your "style." I thought it was creative, but apparently Mom did not agree.

So, it started out okay. We went to Lollilocks...just for kids. There were all these awesome chairs; one looked like a dinosaur, another a car and one was for a princess. What did I get? A generic chair with booster on it!!!! Can you believe it?!



So, I tried to explain to the lady I wanted just a little snip here and maybe one there. What did she do? She cut off a big piece, I think she wanted to shave my head. To help express myself I pulled out the tears, yes I broke out the big ones. It helped a little.





Then, she had the nerve to put a bow in my hair!!! Yes, a pink one. Mom said it was adorable, Dad just smiled and I, yes I cried.....until Mom picked me up. Then the hair cut lady wanted to take my picture. Can you belive that?! So, I didn't smile. I was stubborn.




Here's my new "do." I'm now going to grow it to my rear. Mom says No, but we'll see who wins this battle.

Love -
Madeline




PS. On a side note, I now can climb all the way up the stairs by myself and really fast. Also, I can say MaMa. It's pretty cool, I feel like the big kid on the block.

PSS. There will be a 2 week break from the blog. We're going on vacation! Should be fun.

I don't like Dibs....

...he's not my friend anymore.

Last night I decided to pet him and then I thought I should inspect his teeth. It seemed like a good idea at the time.....but Dibs disagreed with me on that. He bit my hand and then went and hid under the end table by the couch.

Mom made us make-up but gosh, I'm not too sure about him. His teeth are sharp, just like mine. Dibs was shivering when mom helped me pet him and I kept crying because my pinky hurt, alot!!! I'm surprised I didn't lose it really.

Today I sort of forgot how mad I was with Dibs and decided to throw him my Cheerios. He likes me again, so I guess everything worked out fine.

Just so you know, I don't want to be a dentist anymore!!! If all my patients are going to bite my fingers off I want nothing to do with it.

Love - Madeline

I'm a mountain chick-a-dee....

well, I'm a mountain chick-a-dee!!!!!

It's sure has been busy, and yet fun around here.

Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa Kiefer came to play with me....I guess they had fun with mom and dad too, but the primary reason for their visit was to spoil ME! We kept busy when they were here. First, I supervised everyone with staining the fence in the backyard. It took a really long time and I only let them use 4 inch rollers for the 4 inch wide boards.....it took 2 days with 4 people working on it...can you believe they fell for the "only use a 4 inch roller line" versus a bigger roller?! ha ha....I sure fooled them!











We also got Daddy's jeep all cleaned up and posted it on Craigslist.....we had 4 people contact us withing 3 hours wanting to buy it....but then, Mom got this great idea to trade the Jeep for another Jeep, but a way better one....this one has 4-doors and only 60,000 miles (or so they thought)....anyway, that's all I can say about that "new" jeep for now....maybe later this week I can tell you more....but let me just say Mom and Dad bought another vehicle yesterday. 2 new cars in 1 week....I'm just as confused as you!







Anyway, life is great now. This weekend Mom, Dad and I went to the mountains. Can you believe I had never been there?! We went to Keystone for breakfast and then to the Continential Divide. That's 11,990 feet elevation! It sure was chilly up there, so we only stayed for a little bit. But we got to hike around the mountains some. It was a blast and a nice break from the city and our vehicle craziness!!!



Until later, Madeline!

I'm a busy bee...

....I've been a busy bee lately.
I'm not sure where to begin, so I'm going to make a highlight list for you.

1. Mom had her annual "Girl's Weekend" in Colorado this year....which meant I got to have a Daddy/Daughter weekend. I'm not sure who had more fun, Mom or Me?! Mom and her friends went to a Colorado Rockies game, White Water rafting (she said it was really cold since the water was only 38 degrees, whimp) and then they ran the Bolder Boulder! Dad and I went to the race to cheer on Melissa and Mom.....don't tell them but I really couldn't find them in the mass of 55,000+ runners. After the race we went to Morrison Inn and Melissa and Mom had a celebratory Margaritas...can you believe they wouldn't share?!




2. I was a big girl and had surgery on my ear. Heck, I didn't even cry when the nurses took me back for my surgery. I think Mom and Dad were surprised I was so brave. Someone had to be tough though since they were both nervous. Anyway, surgery went really well. I was lucky, since I'm so small (not quite 15 lbs) they didn't have to use all the medical procedures they thought might be necessary such as the IV or breathing tube....I'm not sure what either of those are but they don't sound like a ton of fun.



Since I had surgery Mom and Dad stayed home with me. It didn't take me long to bounce back to my regular self.....since I had so much quality time with Mom and Dad at home I decided to learn a new talent.....CRAWLING!!!!...yup, I'm fully mobile. Now I keep Mom and Dad on their toes. One second I'm here and the next second I'm over there. It's great. Did you know how many drawers and cupboards I can get into now? Dad is babyproofing like a mad-man....fun-hater. By the way, the dogs are having a tough time hiding from me now that I'm on all-fours like them....ha ha..

3. Grandma and Grandpa G came to visit me!!! It's tough being loved. I got plenty of lovin' while they were here. I had no idea they would like my toys so much!! They played with me and read books, it sure was fun! Grandpa and Daddy kept busy fixing the deck, the grill and the sprinkler. They worked so hard they had to go golfing on Sunday to relax. Since the boys did that, Grandma, Mom and I went shopping and out to lunch....gosh it was tough, not!






4. I'm moving up in the world. Before when I was thirsty I would "tip the bottle" and now that I'm a big girl I can drink from a cup. It's really fun and I think it's funny when it runs down my neck.

5. I like eating peas....the real deal, not the baby food. Because I'm a big girl I can feed myself and gosh, I can't shove them in fast enough.

6. Because I'm a big girl I'm in charge of watering the flowers and veggies/herbs....I must be pretty good at it because tonight Mom sent Daddy and I to pick the basil because it was growing TOO FAST. Who knew my first year managing the garden would be so effective. Watch out Bobby Flay....I'm taking cooking up next and am ready for a "Throw Down."

7. I went swimming for the first time....it was pretty much a bath outside with less water. Mom and Dad thought it was pretty exciting and took lots of pictures....I sure hope they take me to the real pool soon...



What are you up to now? Anything fun in your life?

Love - Madeline

Crawling....

Wow, this crawling thing sure let's me get around alot faster than sitting. Check me out....I can almost catch the dogs and I think they really like me now.

"F" in drivers education...

....Mom and Dad think I failed driver's education.
What do you think? Obviously I got a little stuck....well, really stuck. It took alot of talent to get this way. Does it remind you of a scene from Austin Powers?

Driving my car

First time parents...

....mom and dad have so much to learn!

We had a pretty good weekend. We sure were busy working around the house since it was nice outside on Sunday.

Dad was working on a deck seating area so I made myself the project manager. I offered to help cut the boards, but then I decided to take a nap and gosh, I missed out on all the building. Oh well, maybe next time.

Anyway, let's get to the point of this update. I decided the building environment was a perfect opportunity to see how Mom and Dad would react to an "emergency" situation. They failed.....

A splinter flew into my eye when mom was taking a picture of Dad and I by the new bench. Well, after a minute (can you believe it took that long???) mom looked at my eye because I kept trying to rub it. Anyway, there was a nice splinter floating in my eye and every now and then it was pointed directly outward. Mom and Dad FREAKED OUT (ha ha - you can start laughing now) because obviously I was going to rub it into my eye and do serious damage (still laughing, right?). Anyway, they brought me inside quickly and started stripping me down with the idea of setting me in the sink and starting to run water over my face/eye in hopes the splinter would come out.....
Failure #1 - FREAKING Out
Failure #2 - taking the time to strip me down, if it was that serious they should have started pouring the water over my face eye with clothes on....geez, they value my clothes more than me....

Anyway, in the midst of them stripping me down I continued blinking since mom pinned my arms down so I couldn't rub my eye (bonus point mom) and then the splinter came out enough that mom was able to get it. Wow, I missed out on a bath.....I should have kept them going for a little longer.

After all that Mom and Dad said I wasn't allowed to building the seating area anymore.

Oh well, I guess Mom and Dad have a lot to learn still. Oh well, the joys of first time parenting. ha ha

PS. It's apparent we do not have eye wash at the house for emergencies like this....give dad a few days and he'll probably pick some up.


That's all - Love Madeline

Life in the fast lane....

I have 2 speeds, stop and go....there is no inbetween. Really, life in a fast lane makes a girl my age super tired.

It's been awhile since I've updated. No reason for that really other than I've been busy as the weather has improved. I've been taking Mom, Dad, Elvis, Sadie and Dibs on lots of walks and I've also been teaching mom the art of pushing me on the swing...she's getting pretty good at it. She has mastered multi-tasking while I swing; she pushes me and then throws the ball for Sadie to fetch. We do this nightly unless the weather is bad.



I have been practicing driving my jeep. It's tough work really and I prefer looking over my shoulder and going backwards, mom claims I'm learning to parallel park early in life.



I finally got fed up of mom and dad shoving food in my mouth all the time and have taken control of the situation. My new favorite foods are, toast with grape jelly....I really like the jelly but mom says the toast comes with it....anyway, I also like my cheerios, puffs (banana, apple cinnamon and sweet potato flavored) and yogurt bites.....they're all pretty yummy! I still like my cereal (apple flavored of course) and pretty much everything else....with the exception of green beans.

I have two teeth! Mom and Dad call them my chompers......something about them being sharp. I'm pretty proud of them though and am now working on a third tooth. I know I mentioned my teeth before but I really am excited about them.

I've been practicing standing a ton and figuring out this walking thing. I like to look out the front window but I have a difficult time seeing over the ledge.....don't tell Mom but I put my fingers all over the window right after she washed them the other day....I thought they needed my personal touch.



I'm going to help Mom and Dad out with some projects pretty soon. Dad is definitely going to need my help fixing our deck and Mom will need my guidance when planting flowers.....speaking of flowers it's a good thing we have held off planting them so far because it's supposed to snow tonight.

A couple weeks ago I went to the airport....no I didn't go anywhere. I met Rita. We got to have breakfast together while she had a layover on her way to South Carolina.....I've never been there but Mom say's well go someday to visit Uncle Matt and his family.



Well, I gotta run. Mom says it's way past my bedtime.

Love - Madeline

I'm Free.....

We have a chomper!!!

It's been crazy around the house the past 2 weeks.

I've had mom and dad on the edge of their seat thinking I was getting a cold. Maybe I was...I mean, I did have a fever for 2 days and a stuffy nose. To top it off I've been extra fussy. Did I mention I've been drooling up a storm???.....heck, I've been able to drench a shirt in 2 min. with slobber (mom and dad love my wet kisses) Tonight, I finally showed mom why I had been on an emotional roller coaster the past 2 weeks....I GOT A TOOTH!!! It's a sharp little devil too....do you want to feel it? I'll clamp down and chew on your hand. I'm quite proud of it though.



In addition to my tooth I've been working on walking. Yes, that correct. Although crawling may be fun for some, I am opting to walk so I don't get my clothes dirty crawling on the floor. It's lots of hard work, but it sure is fun.

I'm an offical Jeep owner now. Since I like walking so much, mom and dad finally bought me a Jeep walker. I spend a ton of time walking and looking at myself in the side mirrors....don't I look pretty in my photo below...heck, yesterday I was in it for almost 1 hour straight.....Look out boys, I'm a girl on the run now and have a set of wheels to drive you around (dad says no passengers for now, but it will be our little secret)



Other than that not alot has changed. I love vegetables and prunes. Prunes really are my favorite food. Mom and Dad say they really "get things moving"....I'm not sure what they are talking about.

Have a great week!

Love - Madeline Rose

Look at me....

...I sure am growing fast. Yesterday was Easter and it sure was fun. We went to church, came home a played and then we went to some friend's house for dinner....they also have a little boy, Colin, who I like to flirt with but shhh, don't tell mom and dad.

I've been a busy girl lately. I can crawl....mom and dad call it a modified crawl since I only go in circles, but that allows me to reach what I want. Going forward and backwards would be like meeting societies expectations so I'm doing it my own way and being slightly stubborn. ha ha...

Here are a few video clips of me in action. I thinking of becoming a professional actress since mom and dad like to video record me in action so much.

Enjoy!!!

Love - Madeline