Is this what we sound like?

Madison sounds like she is speaking a foreign language whenever she reads "mommy and daddy" books. This must be what she sometimes hears when we talk:) Any big book with lots of words she thinks is the scriptures and so as she is reading you can hear the phrase "be nice to people". Often when we read the scriptures together I summarize it by saying the scriptures teach us to be nice to people. She definitely caught on to that phrase. The room was kind of dark so the picture isn't the greatest but what she is saying is pretty funny.

Cute Sisters!

The girls were being so cute in their matching outfits from grandma! Here is a little video of them that was interrupted by Emmie's spit up, yucky:)

Apple Picking!

Last week we went apple picking. It was a lot of fun and not as stressful as I thought it would be with two little ones! Madison loved picking the apples off the trees and baby Emerie was a little angel. We had a lot of fun on the hayride and Madison loved eating the apples we picked on the ride. I had never given Madison an entire apple to chow down on. Usually with even just a slice of apple she would end up spitting it out either because of the taste or texture??? I was very surprise when she ate the entire apple almost to the core. So grown up!

Shoe Tragedy

This last week Madison's heart was broken when her Snow White shoes snapped in half. She loved wearing these shoes and we often had to keep her from wearing them to the park, to church and other places where they would be hard to get around in. She walked surprisingly well in them and could even run in these little plastic heels. I am so glad she didn't hurt her foot when they broke as you can see from the sharp edges.
Madison loves shoes! Ever since she could walk she would go into her closet and ask me to put on her different shoes. She was very particular about what shoes she wanted to wear. She likes to go into our closets, pull out our shoes and clomp around the house in them. It's fun to watch!

End of Summer

Madison loved swimming in her monkey pool! We bought it in the middle of July so it was like 75% off and by the time we were able to blow it up and find a good time to use it the summer was pretty much over. Hopefully we will get more use out of it next summer:)

Serious Football Fans!

One thing we have discovered living out here in Ohio is that there are some die hard football fans in the Midwest. You haven't experienced intense football until you have seen a game out here. A few weeks ago we got a flyer on our door offering daycare for the football game! I guess that was just unheard of when I lived in Utah. Daycare for a football game! It advertised two hours before the game, during the game, and two hours after. The cost was $60 per child or $100 for two. If you add that in with the cost of game tickets out here, you are paying a pretty penny for a game. I guess I am not that serious about sports! I do love the tailgating and parties that go along with football season but I think I would rather turn the game on fourth quarter:) Jake is still helping me to learn more about football so I can appreciate the game. I am still waiting for that power point presentation he started making for me when we were dating!

This last Saturday you could hear what was going on in the game even if you didn't have it on because the neighborhood roared with each good play the buckeyes made. We had organized a pre-game breakfast potluck with our street so we could get to know our neighbors. We had a great turnout and ate some yummy food! Jake made sure to deck Emerie out in pre-game football gear. He was so excited to put these little tattoos on the girls cheeks. Madison refused to have one on her cheek and cried when he put one on my check. She is very territorial when it comes to her mommy:) Oh, and for future reference, don't put these stickers on babies cheeks, I warned Jake that Emerie's skin was too sensitive and he probably shouldn't put in on...too late. She still has a little red mark and hopefully it will go away in the next few days. Sometimes mommies know more than Dr's;)

Madison Loves Water!

As you can see from the pictures Madison loves water! Anytime we are driving by water she says I want to touch the water. We went to this really fun park with an awesome playground area and they also have this fun water area. The cows udder squirts water and they have lots of little spouts all over the place that kids can turn on. There is also a big fort area with built in water guns. Jake had fun squirting Madison and mommy with the squirt guns. I didn't think it was fair for just us to get wet so I told all the little kids at the other stations to get the big man wet! Jake was just to fast, maybe next time.
It wasn't even that warm outside since it was almost dusk but Madison was laughing, running around, and having a great time playing in the water. Luckily I had an extra change of clothes for her for the ride home.

Nothing like a box!

There's nothing like a good old box for some great playtime. Madison had a lot of fun playing in her makeshift playhouse with her friends. A good thing about moving, you have a lot of boxes!

Emmie, the Alligators are coming...

For a little over a month now, as we are driving in the car, Madison's eyes get really big and she uses her "scary" voice to tell Emmie that the Alligators are coming to see her. Sometimes she just says the Alligators are coming and when I ask her who they are coming to see she says Emmie. Should I be worried? Madison really does love her sister and her time outs for being mean to Emmie are getting fewer and father in between (depending on the week).
Oh and, it was amazing Madison sat on this alligator statue. The first time she saw the alligators at the zoo she wanted to climb the fence to go see them. I told her that if she climbed the fence they would come over and bite her. I didn't want her to be terrified of alligators but she needed to know they aren't for petting. When she saw the statue of the alligator at the aquarium she wouldn't go near it. Makes sense! It took a few visits for her to be reassured it wasn't real.

Family Camping Trip

A few weeks ago we went camping at Hocking Hills with some friends. It was our first experience camping with kids and in Ohio. We went once when I was pregnant with Madison but we have never attempted it with the two and it actually went really well! I imagined I would be up all night with sad little girls but they slept great! Madison slept in the pack and play and we spread some blankets out next to me where Emerie slept. Madison loved looked at the stars at night and watching the campfire glow. She also spent a lot of time digging in the dirt and playing with all the kids. The other day she asked if we could go camping again. Of course!
The next morning Jake cooked some pancakes with his make shift cardboard spatula and then we went hiking at some nearby caves. It was a really cool place. It actually feels like you are in the mountains even though it's Ohio:)