Look Who Was Talkin' and Showin' Her Attitude...

I'm still in the midst of tagging and organizing thousands of photographs.  I've decided that no one should have this many photographs!  I have deleted some, and now have my collection of digital photos down to only 12,000! 

I've also discovered that I have more photographs of Madison than most grandparents have of all grandchildren combined!  I have approximately 1500 photos of the child!  I couldn't help myself...she was a great subject--right up until the time she decided that she didn't like having her picture taken! 

I have about half as many photos of Caden, simply because I don't see him as often--and he won't be still long enough to get a picture of him!  We'll have to see how it goes with little boy number three when he arrives. 

In the pile of unorganized mess of my photo gallery, I discovered a couple of cute movie clips of Madison learning to talk.  I laughed when I saw them.  Even a very young Maddie was exerting her independent streak!

A comment was made just yesterday,  about how Brandy and Madison are always battling it out  to see who the boss is.  Maddie's mom quickly replied, "Oh, I already know who the boss it, I'm just waiting for Madison to figure it out!"

Here are the movie clips, rolled into one little movie:

Trying So Hard...To Break This Habit

 It wasn't long into little Maddie's young life before it became evident that she was going to be a "thumb

sucker". 

Well, not actually a thumb sucker--more like a finger sucker, although she did start out sucking her thumb for

a short while.

Of course, one finger just wouldn't do the job, so pretty soon it became evident that Maddie would suck not

one, but two of her fingers!

Thumb and finger sucking has never really bothered us.

All three of our children sucked either their finger or their thumbs, and all of them stopped eventually.

However, lately, Maddie has been sucking her fingers more than ever before.

With the start of preschool right around the corner, Maddie's mom began thinking...about all of those germs

that will be lurking in the classroom.

It's time to give up this comforting habit--for the sake of health and teeth!

Maddie's mom gave her some helpful incentive to stop sucking her fingers.


If Madison can stop sucking her fingers, she will get to go to Disney on Ice in a few weeks.

So far, so good.

Madison is really trying hard.

I hope she's successful...and gets to go to Disney On Ice.

Go Maddie!  MiMi's rooting for ya'!

Sad Eyes...

Last week, Caden's mom posted this picture of him on Facebook--after he'd just finished getting his hair cut!  His eyes are all "sad" from crying during his haircut. 

Yes, it's true, the boy still hates to get his hair cut--after eighteen months of having it done!  Christina says that at least he sat in the chair this time, and agreed to wear the cape--so he's making progress.

Looking at this picture makes me have sad eyes...Gone is our little "babyish-looking" Caden.  He's been replaced by an older, more "boyish-looking" Caden...and believe me, he's all boy! 

Trucks, tractors, trains, tools, rocks, and running...that's what Caden's "into" these days...and growing up, of course!

Taken From MiMi's Photo Files...One Year Ago

Not much to write about today, so I searched back through my photos and came up with this "blast from the past".  It's always fun to look back and see how little my grandbabies used to be.  Both children have grown and changed so much since last summer!

Our Not-So-Tiny Dancer...

 Last year's photo

This year's photo

Yesterday marked the official beginning of the new dance season.  Where did the summer go?  After some back-and-forth, it was decided that Madison would be taking another year of dance lessons.  She enjoys it very much, and it's good exercise, but it's expensive and involves an extra trip to town each week.  Of course, you're only little once, so what the heck?!  Maddie's mom will be making five trips to town each week!

I knew that Madison had grown a lot over the summer, but I didn't realize how much she had changed since last year--until I compared these photos!  Her new dance shoes are two sizes larger than her old ones!  She's grown several inches taller, as well--we have the mark on the wall to prove it!  She seems to have filled out around her waist a bit, too. 

Madison was thrilled to see that some of her friends from last year's "Wee Ones Morning School" are in her dance class this year!  I'm happy about that, because she wouldn't see them otherwise. When the church sponsored pre-K class, "Fabulous Fours" failed to materialize this year, it sent everyone scrambling to different schools for pre-K classes.

So, yesterday began dance for Miss Madison, but she still has three more weeks before school starts at the "Busy Beavers" preschool, where she will soon be making a new group of friends.  I can't wait to see what the new year brings...in dance, and in pre-K!

Another Trip Down Memory Lane...To The Park!

I found another short movie clip of Madison.  This one was taken a couple of years ago, at our local recreation park. 

Watching the movie clip brought back so many memories.  I'd forgotten how long it took Madison to learn how to climb up a slide--then get up the nerve to actually slide down!  I'd also forgotten that Madison enjoyed the "bumpy" slide more than the regular slide! 

When you're an only child, surrounded all day by only adults, sometimes it makes learning a bit harder!  Sometimes one of the adults even has to resort to acting like a child...(see end of movie).  I'm happy to report that Madison has mastered climbing the slide quite well these days!





 

Six Word Saturday..." Caden's Key"

My six words for today are: 

Follow the adventures of "Caden's Key"...

You may be wondering what "Caden's Key" is..."Key" is a tiny, beige, soft blanket, with the upper portion of a monkey's body sewn in the middle of it.  Some people refer to them as "lovies".

Our two-year-old grandson, Caden, has had Key since birth.  He formed an attachment with Key early in life.  Caden especially wants Key with him when he gets tired or sleepy.  When Caden began talking, he couldn't say monkey, so he referred to his friend as, "Key".

It's a good thing that Caden's mother had the foresight to go out and purchase a duplicate "Key" in the early stages of Caden's life--when it became apparent that there was going to be a lasting bond there.  Caden and Key are inseperable, and the two go everywhere together.  As a result, Caden and Key have been on a lot of adventures together--and Key has gotten left behind a time or two!

Key's latest adventure was in our local Alco store.  When Key came up missing, the search was on in Alco!  Christina found Key hiding in the M&M display!  Now how do you suppose he got there???

Caden and Key were at our house for a visit last night--along with Madison and her parents.  It was late when all left to go home.  My husband and I went to bed shortly after everyone left.  This morning when I walked into our pool room, guess what I found on the floor?  You guessed it!  "Key" spent the night with MiMi--again.

Below are a few photos of Caden and Key.  One of them is a picture of Key hiding in the M&M display at Alco!  Aren't camera phones the greatest?  There's no excuse to miss those "Kodak Moments"!

Speaking of Kodak moments, Caden took that first picuture of Key--all by himself!  Not bad for a two-year-old, huh?  I guess he wanted a picture of his best friend...

Thanks to Caden's mom, Christina, for the use of her Facebook photos.  They're all "keepers"!