The Greifzu Gossip

2010-09-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

I have heard from several peeps that I am ignoring my blog and asking if I'm okay. Yes we are all fine and dandy here just keeping busy as I will happily post soon. Updating this blog is on my list of things to get done asap.

So thank you to those of you who do check on this blog and check on me.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

Hannah Montana in the house!! Actually Madi Montana!

Madi has decided that she thinks Hannah Montana is the best so what better to be for halloween than her! I really think she was more excited to be wearing a long haired wig...she has since informed me that she wants to have her hair as long as her HM wig. Nice.

The past couple years we have been blessed to have such wonderful friends who host a "Halloween party". We all go over and have some yummy food then get all the kiddos ready...attempt to take a group picture...then head out for some massive trick or treating. Below is the attempted group photo.

So many kids, so much fun and so many different costumes = all really great!

I felt bad for some of the very nice people handing out candy...there were moments of craziness when all the kids rushed the doors and driveways at the same time. But seemed that everyone survived and all the parents and kiddos were very happy and tired at the nights end.

Madi was so excited to check out all her loot! As we were driving home that night she said, "Mom, do you think if I dressed up again tomorrow, rang door bells and said trick or treat, would the people who live there give me their left over candy?" Really.....what a great thought I told her but with all the kids around I just don't think there are many leftovers and Halloween only is one day. Her response, "maybe I can try that next year" I hope she forgets.

State Fair

2009-10-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the Arizona State Fair....my dad use to take me every October when I was kid and I cherish those fair memories. I have forced that fair love on Brady and Madi, however Madi seems to really be excited year after year. She is completely unfazed by most of the rides. She'll go on all of them. Last year she was just a few inches too short for lots of them and all year long she kept asking if she was tall enough...so sure enough she was!! She can go on pretty much all the rides...she even wanted to go on the death drop ride...thankfully she wasn't tall enough for that one this year.

Since the State Fair usually comes around my birthday, that's what we did for it...birthday at the State Fair, my cake....Funnel Cake. I know it's super bad for me but I only have it once a year so I think it's fine :) Thanks for a fun day and Happy Birthday to me!!

Schnepf Farms

2009-10-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Is there a funner place to visit during the fall? We don't think so!! We have made going to Schnepf Farms our family tradition (this is year 2:) to go each October. We did sooo many fun things there that by the time we got home we all crashed. Here are a few of the activities we partook in: watched the dog show, almost was talked into a new puppy (me more so than Brady), roller coaster, swings, long tunnel slide, big bike path, kiddie bike maze, face painting, haystack climbing, bee riding, tree house climbing, shaved ice, and of course picking out our family pumpkin for Halloween.

Now we are really ready for Halloween!!

Amy & Geoff's Wedding

2009-10-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

My sweet sister-in-law is now Mrs. Geoff Marincovich (just like it's spelled). Yipeeee!! Amy and Geoff are such a cute couple and had an absolutely beautiful wedding. They were married in a Catholic Church in Scottsdale and then had a reception at the georgeous Villa Sienna in Gilbert.....it was a gem of a place.

This first picture is of the 3 cutest flower girls ever!! :) They were all very excited to learn what their jobs were for their Auntie Amy's special day and they did a fabulous job.

Above is Madi getting a little blush and lip gloss from the MAC makeup artist whom we both loved and she did a fabulous job on some of us bridesmaides.

Unfortunately since Brady, Madi and I were all blessed to be in the wedding there wasn't lots of opportunities for me to take my own pics so I had to ask around (if I get more I will post them). The photographers did a wonderful job and took many many great pictures. I thought the picture with the little kids sitting on the "red carpet" with the new bride is adorable. They were all just chillin' waiting for all the pictures to be over so they could go in and party!! Which it was....a great big fun party.

Congrats Geoff and Amy!! We love you both!

Alexa's Party

2009-09-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

Party party party....that's what we like to do! Now it was Alexa's birthday party we were able to attend. There was a castle bounce house, cute finger foods, jewelery decorating for the girls, and monster coloring for the boys, a pinata, and of course a cute and yummy castle cake.

There were lots and lots of friends there so it really was so much fun. Happy Birthday Alexa and thank you for such a great day!

7 lucky years!

2009-09-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to say Happy Anniversary Brady!! 7 great years we've had so far!! I still remember the day we met, our first date (with Bobby Burke), how I thought it took you forever to kiss me - which ended up being underwater (funny story really), your proposal, our wedding day, finding out we were expecting our first blessing, Madi being born!! These are just some things we've shared together. I love you more and more each day and I am truely blessed and thankful that God brought us together. I think we make a great pair!! We have so many more adventures to go on....I'm glad I get to go with you! I love you always and forever hun!!

Skate land Party

2009-09-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

One of Madi's cute friends Addie had her birthday party at Skate land!! I was so excited to go to this party myself....seeing as how I use to go there every weekend when I was in elementary school and now Madi could go. (I forgot it was there since I don't drive that way much)

All the kids were giving a little coaching before they could get out on the actual rink. They were taught how to stand up from the floor and hold their balance and even how to fall the correct way, I guess they want to try and minimize broken wrists and rolled over fingers. Here is Miss Madi practicing on the carpet....she did really good once I got her the right skate size.
She proved to the coach that she could hold her own and was able to get out on the rink. By the way, it is really slippery out there. But Madi did great and had so much fun on the skating rink.

Here's Madi and Addie (I know cute right) taking a little break from all the skating!

This was a few of the kids there having a blast! And you have to check out the cake!!

Addie's mom, Monica, is the best as making cakes...after all she is a professional!! It was absolutely delicious too...and she make really cute skate shaped cookies as party favors!! Oh if I could bake like her.

Happy Birthday Addie!! Thank you for inviting Madi!! We all had a super fun time!

End of Summer Swimming

2009-08-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

It is officially the end of the summer and swimming season will shortly be over. We have had so much fun swimming nearly every moment we possibly could fit in the water. We are very lucky that Nana and Papa live only a few miles away and have a really great pool!!
Madi is officially a fish too. She absolutely loves to be in the water and can swim then length of the pool correctly and take breaths as needed. She had been taking swim lessons for a few sessions and asked if she could take a little break....I really think she thinks shes an expert now. Don't they all at 5?!? Madi loves to play any and all water games too.

I'm glad to see that she loves the water as much as I do. I would love to own a home with a pool someday...when I can afford a pool-boy too :) I guess when Brady wins the lottery :) Oh and yes....I love water photos.

tooth #3....gone

2009-08-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Seriously.....she is the only one in her Kindergarten class who has lost any teeth....not just one but this is #3!!! Her dentist said she'll just go thru her "ugly stage" sooner. Not really something a mom wants to hear.....I really don't think my princess will ever have an ugly stage and that's the truth!
I think her tooth fairy will be broke before she's done with Kindergarten at this rate!! Now Madi will tell me that she thinks another one is going to be falling out soon.....this growing up stuff is just too much, I need her to stay little for just a while longer

Bye Willo....

2009-08-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

I have to say that it has not been the greatest year as far as dogs in our family go.....earlier this year my first dog Wiket had to be put down and now his side-kick little (big) brother had to be put down. Willo was known as my mom's dog....he was always so sweet and very loyal and will be missed.

He had the softest look in his eyes every day and was always happy to see everyone. I'll miss his little bull legs and happy look. Say hi to Wiket for me little guy.

Madi sure has learned lots about death and dying over the course of this year....I hope we are done for a while now.

First day of KINDERGARTEN!!!

2009-08-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

I may just bawl through this post....my little princess is in Kindergarten....FULL day Kindergarten. As you can see above with her "you are special" plate and her smiley face pancakes, Madi is very excited for her first day. We've all heard it a million times about how quickly our kids grow up and we are always asking ourselves "where did the time go?" but seriously I can not believe she has started her school career. Okay okay she did to 3 and 4 year old preschool but that was just the fun stuff, at the time I didn't think it really counted - kind of like 2 practice runs for me :)

We actually bought her back pack last year and when she put it on with her lunch attached and water bottle it was so heavy she could hardly stand up straight. So since the first day we've purchased a more suitable light weight one for her.

We are very lucky to live right across the street from Madi's elementary school so we are able to save some gas and walk (when it's not scorching hot.....we do drive on those days). So here we are walking Madi to her first day. I didn't want a picture of my face because I was trying so hard to hold back the tears so don't be jealous of the backside picture :) There were a zillion kids and parents watching their kids and taking pictures so we decided to join in...we got to watch Madi play on the little Kindergarten playground.

When the bell rang and teacher blew the whistle all the little kiddos got their backpacks off the fence and lined up as best they could and followed their teachers into school.

Here she is (sorry it's blurry) waving and saying bye. And that was it....well except for me crying all the way home.

She had a blast the first day. She did come home hot and exhausted but very excited to go back the next day.

Happy Birthday Maggie!

2009-08-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

It was also Madi sweet friend Maggie's 5th birthday on the first day of school so we decided to surprise her and bring the kids ice cream cones and have a cool treat with her. They have been good friends for about 3 years now and they are so cute together and have loads and loads of fun!
When Maggie opened the door we started singing happy birthday to her. She had the cutest expression the whole time. It was so much fun!!

Jesse was watching some other kids that day too so they all sat around the table and ate the yummy ice cream together. The weekend before Maggie had her first birthday sleepover and Madi was invited. I thought for sure all the girls would be up all night but Jesse said they were out by 9pm I believe. And ever since then Madi has been asking for Maggie to come have a sleepover at our house. Is this too young to be starting a normal routine of weekend sleepovers? They are building such wonderful memories!

Our 2 dog family

2009-08-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

One night before bed Madi came running to me and said, "Mom, lets take some family pictures. We even have to have the dogs in the pictures too!" So here are just some fun pics we took one night (don't mind me in all my glory...scrowngy clothes and no make up)

We had fun trying to get everyone (dogs included) looking at the camera. It never worked that Brady and I could be in at the same time so we took turns behind the camera.

Madi loves hugging Simba so I had to get a cute picture of that. He's so good - he just stands or sits there while she loves on him - he even looks like he's smiling when she does it. They are turning out to be good pals.

The Happiest Place on Earth!!

2009-08-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

We had originally planned on going to Disneyworld in Florida to see my brother and his family, along with my Dad and Darrin, but since my dad's kidney surgery was only 10 days prior to our flight we changed plans and decided to drive up do Disneyland.

When we told Madi that we would take her to Disneyland, that was all she could talk about, think about and dream about. She would ask every morning, "How many days until we leave Mom?" Then the day would be filled with a variety of questions like how long will we be in the car, who will we see there, what kinds of rides do they have, what will our hotel be like, how many days are we there, where will we eat, is it a big place or a small place....etc. And the questions went on and on until we actually arrived at our hotel in Disneyland. So grab a snack, sit back, relax and if you dare to read it all and gaze at all the pictures, enjoy our Disneyland Adventure. Seriously.....it's really long.

FRIDAY, June 26th

We headed out of town in the late morning...decided after a couple hours of driving to stop and get some lunch, to Madi's surprise we were still in Arizona. But we ate at Johnny Rockets (a fav of hers) so I think we were able to buy a few more hours with that surprise. Madi really did fantastic on her first road trip (i know sad that she's 5 and never really been away from town). She had snacks, listened to music, told stories, slept, watched High School Musical (all 3). I would have to say it really was lots of fun for the 3 of us. The highlight of our drive there were these - they were everywhere for a bit and actually a bit creepy too, Madi and I thought they were a bit alien-ish. They had all sizes but non the less they were super huge!!

We finally get to Paradise Pier, our new home for the next 3 days. For those of you who don't know...one of my guilty pleasures is hotels - I love staying in hotels :) It is pretty clear that I have passed that fun one on to Madi. She was so excited to get in and see what our room was like she could hardly wait for the door to open. This was the view from our room - we loved it since we could see right into California Adventure. It was dinner time and we didn't want to get to crazy the first night so we ate at the restaurant in our hotel, PCH Grill. Madi chose the 'make your own pizza' and she loved making it. I thought for sure she would be exhausted but what was I thinking - after she was done eating she decided to jump up on the little stage in the place and dance it up, very entertaining and cute.

Saturday, June 27th

We were up and ready and heading over to the park by 7:30am. I have to plug http://www.ridemax.com/ really quick - my Aunt had let me in on this delicious little secret. If you are heading to Disneyland or Disneyworld I would highly highly recommend this site. We just plugged in what rides when wanted to go on and when, how often we wanted a break like for eating and/or napping and it shot us out a plan so we wouldn't be having to wait in any ride line. Sure enough we never waited longer than 5 minutes at the most - it was crazy, we couldn't believe it!!.....okay so back to the day...

We walked into the park and who was standing right around the corner - Mickey Mouse!!! I think I was visibly jumping with excitement...Madi on the other hand was a little more cautious. There was only one family getting their pictures with him so we hurried right over and waited. Mean while Brady and I were trying to tell Madi how great this was that Mickey was her first character to see here and this and that, but she really wasn't buying any of it. She actually said she didn't want to get her picture with him but of course I made her :) Then off to the rides: Peter Pan then Dumbo, the Madderhorn Bobsled (fun water log ride). Madi had been telling us from the very beginning that she wanted to make sure and go on the teacup ride so she and Brady headed there next while I went off to get our fast passes for Splash Mountain (the teacups make me dizzy), then we met at Pirates of the Caribbean....Madi was scared when she went inside to get on the boats because it was so dark and she didn't know what to expect so her and I opted out and waited for Brady on the other side. He said it was a good thing she didn't go. Then to Splash Mountain, Madi seemed a little hesitant and first, she was really quite and holding tightly to my hand. After the ride she did say she was a little scared but wanted to do the water ride and ended up really liking it.

We decided to do a little exploring on Pirates Island. The tree house and all the little caves were a big hit. That was a nice little break to just be at our own pace and cool down a little. Now back to the main land :) and we headed for Winnie the Pooh's adventure ride. Madi seemed to like this ride, slower paced and not too dark inside. We did climb up and go through Tarzan's Tree house but wasn't quite as much fun. Then on to It's a Small World, Madi was so very excited to see because my mom had informed her prior to our trip that it was my favorite ride when I was a little girl. Afterwards, Madi told us that it was her favorite ride thus far on the trip too.
We went up to Toon Town and toured the whole area where Madi was able to get some more character autographs and pics. Madi and I went on Donald's rollercoaster. It was very short but we had fun going on it together while Brady was waiting by the exit. We then realized we were starving and decided to eat in Downtown Disney @ LaBrea (they have yummy bread in grocery stores :) After lunch we were exhausted and extremely hot so we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and ride the water slide there. After swimming we all took a short nap, well Brady some how go a longer one. Then we had to get ready for dinner, Madi had to get all glamorized in her new Cinderella dress for dinner @ Ariel's Grotto with the princesses.

It was such a fun dinner, where all the princesses walked around to each table, talked to the kids, signed autographs and took pictures with them. And the food was pretty good too. On our way back to the hotel to change we hoped on the golden zeplen boats for a nice breezy ride. We got changed and headed back over to Disneyland to find a seat for the Electrical Light Parade - and this was absolutely amazing! We loved it and Madi seemed to get lots of attention from all the characters - Prince Charming even asked her if the glass slipper he was holding was hers!!

Madi and I decided that we were beat and headed back to our room to get some much anticipated sleep/rest after our very long and exciting 1st day. However Brady decided that since he got a pretty good nap he wasn't too tired and wanted to go on a few more 'grown-up' rides so off he went and hit Indiana Jones Adventure, Star tours, Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. He helped close the park down and was forced to retire back and go to sleep at about 12:30 am.

Sunday, June 28th

We actually were able to sleep in a little since it was Sunday and the parks didn't open their gates until a little later. We waited very impatiently at this little bistro on Main St. in Disneyland, we had passed by it the day before and it looked fun. When we finally got seated and got our food we were more than satisfied with the food but the service was very poor and we wouldn't recommend it (i'll find the name). Then we headed over to California Adventure: Brady went off to get our fast passes to Grizzly River Run while Madi and I went searching for the Aladdin show, on our way we saw so many characters and were lucky that their lines were very small and were able to get some more great autographs and pictures. We had preferred seating for the Aladdin show and so we were able to get magnificent seats inside. I think out of the 3 of us I was actually the most excited as Aladdin is my favorite Disney movie. We sat 4th row right in the middle - and it was wonderful! The genie was absolutely hilarious - even Madi was laughing her socks off!

Enough sitting in a nice cool auditorium and back to the heat outside - We rode on Soaring over California - this was very cool. Madi had no fear on this ride and I have to say that I was a little nervous with my feet not touch the ground, just dangling....I found myself holding them very stiff and still for the first couple minutes. Madi was leaning forward and pointing and saying how cool it would be if could really fly in the sky like this as I'm thinking to myself ,"seems like we've been on here for a while, I hope it's almost over" But it really was a different experience. Right next to the ride was the Hanger restaurant and we ate lunch there and then headed over to scope out a great spot for the High School Musical 3 singing show. Madi was wearing her HSM shirt so she go high 5's, waves, pointed and and winks from the cast members and they sang and danced by her. Yes even 'Troy' came up to her - she may have even blushed.

We decided that since it was so blazing hot we would get some ice cream. Bad idea....it did taste good, but melted way too fast all over everything, but since it wasn't too far from where the HSM show was going past we got to see it again and Madi was really excited about that. We then headed over to use our fast passes for the Grizzly River. I just need to say that fast passes are the way to go when you can get them, because we walked right in and only waited about 3 minutes to get on our raft. The waiting line was forever long and we were so grateful not to be standing in it. As we were about 1/2 way through the ride, Madi leaned over and whispered to me that she doesn't think she would like to go on this ride again, but then we went down the steep river drop and we all screamed and I got soaked, Madi then leaned over and said, "I would definitely go on this ride again!" We had to head back to the hotel and changed since we all were wet, well I was drenched.

Then back out again, this time off to Disneyland. We rode the train around the park, that was nice and relaxing and we could check everything out. We decided popcorn sounded like a good dinner, rode tea cups again, Fantasmic show (this one I actually remembered from when I was little and still just as awesome as I remembered).

Madi had the best spot in the house, on Brady's shoulders, it was all standing room and quite crowded. We tried to beat the crowds back tot he exit gates - there were a zillion more people watching the fireworks over the castle - we actually ran out of the park. As soon as we were in our room we all 3 dove into bed.

These two pictures are of our everyday occurances. Each time we walked to Downtown Disney to get to either of the parks we walked passed this window with these beautiful wedding dresses on display advertising a Disney wedding and one of Madi's most favorite things to do was push the walk button to cross the street. Simple things but fun!

Monday, June 29th

We had no time schedule today so we slept in and get ready leisurely then headed down to Newport Beach. When we got out of the car it was very cold, windy, overcast and foggy - this was 11:30 in the morning. We were greatly disappointed but kept walking up the pier. Since we were there around lunch time we decided to eat at the little restaurant at the end of the pier - pretty good food. By the time we had finished up eating it had cleared up a bit and warmed up some too so we decided to go down to the beach and let Madi walk and play around for a while since it was her first time at the beach. I know, no fun parents for not taking her sooner. She absolutely loved it. She was having a blast running in the water, finding sea shells, then burring them, then running all along the shore, she also like standing in one place while the water went back and forth and made her feel like she was sinking in the sand - she called it the sinking game. I was able to take some really cute pictures (or at least I think so).

After we returned to our hotel from the beach, Brady and Madi went down to the pool while I was able to stay back and relax for about 30 minutes and read - awwww quite. My little mini vacation during our vacation. :)When they were back we all had to get ready for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen over at the Disneyland Hotel. Madi was able to get more autographs and pictures with the characters.

It was very good food and even better desserts, I actually think there were more desserts to choose from than any of the other food, and of course since we were on vacation I let Madi choose as many as she wanted to try.

After we were stuffed we decided to go do a little shopping in Downtown Disney. We found some really fun souvenirs and then headed back to our hotel for our last fireworks show. We liked it so much fir the first time that we wanted to capture it on video. After the spectacular show we headed back to the room, packed up our clothes and such then off to bed. Our hotel tv had these really cute 'bedtime stories' on around bedtime. Madi loved watching them, they were stories told by a different princess each night. Pretty cute.

Tuesday, June 30th

This was our travel day home but we weren't quite finished with Disneyland yet. We packed up the car and then walked over to the Grand Californian Hotel for a Critter Breakfast in the Storyland Cafe. Madi was able to get a few more autographs and pics there too. It was a wonderful breakfast and a really nice ending to our 1st trip as a family to the happiest place on earth. We all were very very happy!

Back on the road headed home....we had passed the outlets on the way in so I begged Brady to stop on our way home and what a sweetie - he did. That was really fun, we ended up staying for 2 hours which wasn't what we had originally planned but we got some really great deals for all of us. Shortly after we were back on the road again, we were stuck in a 36 mile back up for a couple hours. Ended up that it was a dump truck had turned over, uggggg.....that wasn't so fun but we survived got passed it and sailed on home.

I really don't think we could have fit anymore into our trip and we wouldn't have changed a thing (except it being so hot). We all had a great time and made memories to last forever...well at least long enough until we head back to Disneyland again!

American Idol Concert 2009

2009-07-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

I am just going to say right up front that I love Kris Allen!!! I was so happy to get tickets to the concert that I could hardly contain myself on the car ride there. Brady wasn't quite as excited but I think he endured because he loves me so much ;) (see below.....who do you think is more enthusiastic)
It was crazy L-O-U-D the entire time!! But I loved every second of it!! I thought pretty much all the performers did a great job!! This is Kris rocken' out playing his guitar!! Loved it!!!
I would have to say that the most inspirational moment for me what when Danny Goeke sang "My Wish." Before he sang he kind of gave a little devotional if you will about how sometimes tough things happen in our life but that doesn't have to define us, we can look to God for support and help to get us through life. And not matter what you are never alone, and we can always wish and dream.
Above is Danny while he was singing Pretty Young Thing. And then here is Adam doing his thing. I would say that Adam had the most visiually stimulating stage off all, it was just awsome and totally fit his on stage personality. His make-up was fabulous - went along great with his voice!!

Overall, we had a fun night together kiddo free. We missed Madi bunches but she had a really fun time spending the night with her Auntie Amy.

2nd tooth!!

2009-07-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

Seriously.....Madi has lost another tooth!! Please tell me there are other of you fellow bloggers who have kids who are 5 not even in Kindergarten yet that have lost 2 teeth!!??! Her dentist says it's normal, but I just can't wrap my head around it. Maybe it's denial....she's growing up too quickly.

I think she's really liking this whole loosing your teeth gig....she's so excited right after it comes out that she can't wait to put it in her tooth fairy pillow and see what the little fairy leaves for her.

Cancer & Father's

2009-06-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

(I have been so behind on my blog because doing this particular one was so hard for me....going back and thinking through such raw emotions was hard for me, but I HAD to have this documented) *warning - it is long*

Yes you are right...those two words shouldn't be used in the same title. But unfortunately this year for my family it was. My dad was diagnosed with renal cancer on Madi's 5th birthday, May 22, 2009. I didn't actually find out until the following Sunday as I sat on the couch next to my dad and he hands me his CT scan results and all I can really focus on is seeing my dad's name as the patient and the word 'carcinoma', Then as I looked at my dad in shock and scared to death I could see in his eyes that he was scared too. So I asked what does this mean???? He said well I have cancer and it needs to be removed. And that was that. He went over all the details with when, who, were, and what....but of course the why was only known by one...by God. Which I seemed to ask Him why constantly over the next few weeks of hearing this dreaded news. I just didn't want this to happen to my dad....it couldn't be happening to my dad - he's invinceable. Right? That's what I have always thought until this day.

I know there are many people out there who have been diagnosed with cancer, lived it, living it now and others who haven't survived. My mind seemed to constantly be worried and thinking the worst. This was such a hard time for me. I was so afraid of losing my dad....a special person in my life who loves me unconditionally and is always always there, no matter what. And even considering that he may not be here for me now was just unbareable - I know he was still here and I should be living in the moment and thankful but all I could do was worry. I really tried to not let my worry show. I wanted my dad and mom to be worry free....was it possible?? Probably not, but I tried.

On Monday, June 15, 2009 my mom and brother took my dad to Mayo Hospital to have his cancer removed laprascopically. After waiting...not so patiently....which by the way, no wonder there are so many smokers outside the hospitals trying to calm themselves....this waiting game is very unnerveing-not that I condone smoking let alone outside hospitals...i'm just saying :)
So anyhoo.....the surgeon comes out (who freakishly looked like he could be my dad's twin) with a big grin on and said, "We're all done. I am very confident that we got all the cancer." I almost fell to my knees right there thanking God for His blessing. The doc continued to inform us of the procedure and all he did and that my dad was in recovery and another great part..."I took less than 1% of his kidney." Wow we were all amazed and so very thankful!

So what to do while you wait (besides those smoking outside)......there was lots of sleeping or more like resting here and there, talking on the cell phones, playing on the computer, and playing hide-and-go-seek behind Aunt Barbs chair....these are a few of the captured fun waiting games.

We all had our cell phones and the people we were assigned to call to inform. By the way, thank you all so much for the many many prayers and blessings. I know God is great and He was there with the surgeon, nurses, us and mostly my dad!!

It was tough seeing my dad all out of it and in a hospital bed. He just wasn't himself....why would he be he just had all kinds of scopes and such in him and part of his kidney taken out!?! But it was great to see him there, alive and on the road to recovery! By that evening he was sitting up and having a little to eat. By the next day he was looking even better. And each day since then he has looked better and better and worked hard to get back to himself. It has taken a while but I saw my dad yesterday (8/16) and I can honestly say he's back and he looks great!! And he is cancer free!!

Thank you to all those who gave their love and support!! You have blessed our family in ways you may never know. Thank you from us all! But mostly thank you mom for stepping up and being our rock through all of this. You are amazing!! I love you both!

Just 6 days after my dad's surgery was Father's Day. This Father's Day seemed to mean more to me than anyother year! I love my dad so much and am so very thankful he is in my life and continues to show his love and support for me. I couldn't have been blessed with a more perfect dad!! I love you dad!!

During Bible school Madi painted a rock and put eyes on it so Brady would have a rock pet for Father's Day. It is so cute...and went along with her adorable special card she painted for him too.

I love this picture!! And Madi really loves her daddy!

Visitors from Chicago

2009-06-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

We just love it when out-of-towners come and visit. This time we were graced by the presence of Brady's cousin's cute little family. They are Jenny, Dan and adorable little Addison.

Madi was especially excited because she just loves babies and even more so loves to be a teacher to any baby. And she's good and patient too. Before Addie was here she made a little list of things she wanted to teach Addie to do while she was here visiting. Madi wanted to help her learn how to drink from a sippy cup, use a spoon, read to her, teach her some songs and help her play with the toys at Nana's house. They had a great time together. Jenny and Dan spent most of their time outside and in the pool-it was a fabulous weather change for them coming from Chicago. It was so fun to see them and meet their little princess Addie for the first time!! Thanks for visiting guys and we can't wait to see you again, hopefully soon.

Celebrations Dinner

2009-06-05T23:29:00.000-07:00

Since Madi and I didn't get to go to Canada to see Brady get his Eagle award we decided to take him out to dinner and what a better place than his favorite-Famous Dave's!! We invited both our families and thought it would be fun to celebrate Darrin's birthday at the same time!

the two honorees

For Darrin's birthday our waitress brought out this big ice cream, chocolate and whip cream concoction-we all sang and Madi and Darrin dug in....now that I think about it Madi did place herself right next to this yummy desert, I noticed that Darrin had a few bites and then Madi just took it over. What a stinker....but the girl loves whip cream and ice cream.

Congrats to my Hubby

2009-06-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

Brady was nominated to recieve an Eagle award from GE. They flew him to Canada along with some of the other nominees to recieve his award. I was super bummed that I wasn't invited to go along but that's business I guess??!! But none the less we are very excited and proud of him for working so hard. He is an excellent businessman and excels in his career. I was so happy to hear that he won this award and GE is really taking notice of his leadership abilities!! He is fantastic at what he does and works so hard to provide for his girls.

We love you bunches babe and congrats on a job well done!! Keep it up :)

A glimps of my 5 year old

2009-06-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of Madi's 5 year old pictures. How did I get so lucky to have such a sweet little girl?!? I just love her to pieces!!

She is full of personality, spunk and sweetness!! I just don't think she could be any cuter!!

She Lost One

2009-05-31T21:50:00.000-07:00

Madi lost her 1st tooth!!

It has been loose for a while now so the night before when she was eating corn on the cob really seemed to do the trick. She was wiggling it with her tongue and it was practically out, just hanging on by a thread. I asked her if she wanted to pull it out or me.....she went in the bathroom tried a couple times then said she was ready for me to try. I just gave it a little tug and out it came. Madi said she thought it would hurt and bleed a lot but was glad it didn't when it was out.
What does a 5 year old do when she looses her first tooth? She calls Grandma & Grandpa and Nana & Papa to share the news that the Tooth Fairy will be coming to her house tonight. It was so cute when she brought me the phone and said," I really need to call them and tell them what's going to happen tonight!"

While she was settling down and finding just the right spot for her special pillow I was telling her how exciting it is that she will be getting her permanent teeth in and now it's even more important that ever to floss and brush her teeth. She leaned over in my ear and whispered, "I don't want to grow any more teeth." And off she drifted to sleep.

All Cut Off

2009-05-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

Madi has been talking about donating her hair for about a year now....seriously. We saw pictures of kids with their cut off pony tails in "her salon" (as she says) and she asked what they were doing with their hair. I explained to her about donating her hair and showed her some more pictures on the Internet. She was sold instantly....she asked when could she donate hers to a little girl for a wig. Well for her last hair cut 6 months ago I asked her if she was ready and she said , "not just yet mom, maybe next time." Which was fine with me because Madi has really great hair (she didn't get that from me) and I love creating new hairstyles and of course putting lots of bows in her hair.

It was time for another hair cut just before summer so I asked her again if she was ready to donate her hair. Surprisingly she said, "yep, let's go to my salon." Off we went.

I let her get the works since she made such a special decision....she deserved special treatment.

Now for the before (not usually wavy but we'd just taken braids out) and ever shocking after:

She definitely looks like a 5 year old, but isn't it so cute?! When we were done at the salon I couldn't help but constantly touch it and feel how soft it was. After a few strokes Madi turned around, took my hand off her hair and said very bluntly, "Don't ruin the poof." I think I will have my hands full here in a few years!

I Can't Believe our baby is 5!!

2009-05-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

I bet if you ask any mother what one of the best moments of her life was, I believe without hesitation she would tell you the birth of her child. I will be the first to tell you that when my precious little Madi was born-it topped the charts for me on my best moments. Today she turned 5 and I cried....yes it's true, just the day made me cry...and she wasn't even out of bed yet! I can still remember my water breaking, riding in the car to the hospital, pushing for 4 1/2 hours, then ending up with her being born via c-section (not what i had planned but that's how life goes), coming home and finding out my incision was infected, having a colicy baby for days and days that turned into 6 months, awww then she finally slept. And now she's 5!! I wouldn't trade the past 5 years of her life for anything!!

She went from this wide-eyed little bundle of heaven..........

.....to this magnificant, loving 5 year old piece of heaven (still wide-eyed)

Here are 5 reasons why we love you so much Madilyn Nikole....

1. You still love to snuggle

2. You have a thirst for knowlegde and love to share your thoughts

3. You have such a tender heart and are so loving to your family and friends

4. You light up the room with your big blue eyes and sweet smile

5. Your sense of humor gets everyone laughing...even your silly knock knock jokes

But above all else we love you because you are you and we thank the Lord every single day that we have you to love forever and always!! Happy 5th Birthday Madi!

Madi's 5th Birthday Party

2009-05-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

Madi is really into gymnastics right now. She takes classes at Desert Devils and just loves it. We found out that they do birthday parties there and Madi was all over it. She was so excited for her party and for her friends to come and see where she has so much fun. We had her party on a Sunday so there wasn't anybody else around except for our group. The coach that was helping with the party's name was Maddie too...which put a huge grin on Madi's face when she found out.

The kids were able to do everything in the gym....and really I mean everything. There was lots of jumping, stretching, tumbling, bar swinging, rock climbing, bouncing, sliding, balance beaming, ring spinning, obstacle course doing and pit jumping!! I'm sure I missed a few but sheesh it was a blast. I think the adults had as much fun watching all the kids doing their gymnastics and the kids had doing it.

After an hour 1/2 of doing all of the above we went upstairs for cupcakes and presents. I really think that the kiddos ate as fast as they could and helped Madi open her presents quickly so they could go back out on the floor for a few minutes before they left. We really had such a fun time with the friends and family that were there. Thank you everyone for coming and helping make this a very memorable birthday for our princess!

AMAZING JAKES

We have a tradition in our family to let the birthday person choose where they would like to go eat for their birthday. Madi chose Amazing Jakes for her birthday dinner...which shouldn't come as a surprise that she tries to make her birthday celebration last as long as possible (i think she gets it from me). We invited Madi's cousins that live in town since they weren't able to make it to her gymnastics party. They all had such a great time. If you've never been there I highly recommend it as a fun family activity!

They went on every ride they could and ate lots and lots of the self serve ice cream in the little cones that was just the right size. Madi was so excited for the bumper cars that she didn't even mind waiting in line for 45 minutes. It seemed to be worth the wait. She had a perma-smile on her face after. I tried to get a picture while they were going around the track but they were too fast for my camera. If you look at the blurry picture above, Madi and Brady are in the blue bumper car, just about to pass Nana and Bella in the black car.

After hours of fun it was time to go home and of course you couldn't leave without another kid size ice cream cone!!

Answers from Madilyn

2009-05-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

I saw these questions on a friends blog so I decided to write them down and ask Madi when she wasn't jumping or climbing on the furniture. I think I'd like to ask her again in a few years and see what her answers are then. So enjoy.

1. What is something mom says to you?

*YES!

(does this mean she's spoiled??)

2. What makes mom happy?

*ME!

3. What makes mom sad?

*scary things

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

*when her hair is silly

5. What was your mom like as a child?

*she had light blond curly hair

(i think she said this because she was looking at an old school picture and

my hair had curls in it-but defiantly light blond)

6. How old is your mom?

*31

7. How tall is your mom?

*70 inches? no just 70

(I always wanted to be a little taller)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

*play with me

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

*go shopping

(unfortunately it's usually grocery shopping-not too exciting)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

*for doing a party

(I do like to throw a nice party)

11. What is your mom really good at?

*dessing up herself

12. What is your mom not very good at?

*not so good at scaring me

13. What does your mom do for a job?

*homework

(hmmmm....)

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

*soup

(i have no idea where she got this from)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

*hugs

(as she is jumping on me to give me a hug)

16. If your mom was a cartoon character, who would she be?
*Dora because the signing time kids are real

(very smart girl and we do like Siging Time)

17. What do you & your mom do together?

*get Starbucks

(yes I started her early)

18.How are you & your mom the same?

*we both have light hair & blue eyes

19. How are you & your mom different?

*she has more freckles than me

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

*because she tells me all the time

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?

*that he's silly

(which he tries to be often)

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

*Starbucks!

(she knows me)

First Swim of the Season

2009-05-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

Madi has been taking swimming lessons for a couple months now and she thought it was time to finally be able to get into Nana and Papa's pool since it has been hot for a few days in a row. She's is a very good swimmer and absolutely loves the water...just like her mom. We took the plunge and decided to let her give it a try (and try out Nana and Papa's new pebble tech). As you can see she loved it....who'd a thought!

She loves to swim, float, jump, dive.....you name it....as long as she's in the pool she loves it!
We are very excited for a great summer and many more trips to the pool!

1st Swim of the Season

2009-05-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

We are so happy that Nana and Papa have a pool and that they live so close!! This was Madi's first swim of the season and she had such a blast. She has become quite the little fish and just loves the water. Which makes me so happy because I am a big fan of water myself ;)

I'm sure Madi would be very content being a mermaid and never having to get out of the water! Every summer we consider getting a pool ourselves....we start talking about what it would take to maintain it all year round....we reconsider and are very content going to Nana and Papas for a good swim. Maybe next year...

All my kiddos

2009-04-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

Who are all these cute kiddos you ask?? They are mine!! Yep....at least for a couple days each week they are mine!! And one is mine 24/7 ;) For those of you who don't know I do in-home childcare and I am lucky enough to have all these cuties! We have (from L to R) Lily, Riley, Madi and Nathan.
Madi is such a great helper and she loves them as much as I do. We definitely have our hands full but I have to admit that it sure is nice to have babies in our house again. They each are so wonderful and have super cute personalities to match! It has been so much fun watching them grow and change and see all their milestones.

Lily loves playing with little Riley....very motherly already and Riley just soaks up all the attention. Then we have Nathan....look at that face-I think he was telling me no more pictures!! He does lots of sign language and for me, it is the cutest to see him learning as many signs as he can...since I went to school for ASL.

I have to say a big thank you to these kids' parents for blessing me with watching their wonderful adorable children.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year and Easter is especially wonderful, remembering our Savior and ALL that He has done for us. The colors, flowers in bloom....who doesn't love the smell of orange blossoms-delicious!! Just everything about this time of year is wonderful! Madi loves Easter the best she says because she gets to find eggs. And boy did she ever have a blast. Grandpa took her to and Easter egg hunt on Saturday, then our house Sunday morning and then one last hunt at Nana and Papas house. She was so excited about all her loot she could barely sleep that night...or it may have been all the sweets, but regardless we all had a wonderful day and she really makes it even that much more special.

She informed me that this was her favorite egg hiding spot. She was so thrilled to be climbing up her swing set in search for eggs....she got all the way to the top with no help.

This is just her loot from our house....I think she ended up with 2 big buckets FULL of candy and goodies! I'm so glad that she hasn't figured out that she could climb to the top of the refridgerator yet.
I just love my little princess to pieces and I thank God everyday that she is in my life.

Decorating Easter Eggs

2009-04-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

We had such a blast decorating eggs this year. I hard boiled 2 dozen eggs and Madi still wanted to do more! She loves any kind of craft so this was right up her alley. We each got to dye and decorate our very own egg (well Madi did more than one) then we all tried to think where the Easter Bunny might hide the eggs we just did. Madi is very clever and came up with some good spots were eggs might be hidden....she was definitely thinking about every good hiding spot inside and out.

Cousin Time

2009-04-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

We were so excited when Bella and Sophia came over to play for the day!! We all went out to lunch then came home and I think the girls spent almost the entire day outside. It was a really nice day and they wanted to take full advantage of it!! They jumped and swung on the swings, rode on the toys, sidewalk chalk and blew bubbles!! They had such a great time together! Brady is always out numbered by the girls!! :)

When it was time for them to go home Madi asked them if they will come again and there was a resounding yes yes yes!! And little Sophia asked me if she could come back the next day!! :) I just love them to pieces!

Madi the Make-up Artist

2009-03-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

What girl doesn't love make-up, especially two 4 year olds!! I think it's safe to say that Madi is a creative little girl!! (which I am going to take credit for) Maggie gave Madi a makeover then Madi worked her make-up magic on Maggie too! It really was so cute to watch them. After they were done Madi asked me to take their pictures so here they are!
And of course who wouldn't be playing dress up while they were doing make-up too!! I'm not sure what Madi was thinking by adding the bunny ears but she sure looks cute!!

Flower Girl Party

2009-03-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

After Geoff and Amy were engaged, Amy wasted no time letting her 3 adorable nieces in on the action and asking them to be their flower girls at the wedding. All three of them were so excited to hear the news.....very very excited for new dresses and being able to throw flower peddles in the isle that their Auntie will be walking on.

Amy had a cute idea and asked all the girls over to Nana's for a little Flower Girl Party. They had lunch together (McDonald's was the special choice). Amy also got them these very cute flower girl books that she read to them. The book is so sweet, it talks about this little flower girl and all that she gets to do at the wedding.

Then the girls tried on some of the little dresses for the wedding. They had so much fun being involved in such a special time with their Auntie and can't wait for the wedding to come!!

Grammy & Amy's Engagement

2009-03-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Grammy also had a birthday this month-she is the Greifzu's "Irish Princess". Unfortunately she was in hospice for her birthday so we all decided to go visit her and celebrate so she knew we loved her and were praying for her health.

Madi, Bella, and Sophia had lots of fun playing with the shamrock confetti on the table.

The day before we went to visit Grammy there was some exciting news!! Geoff proposed to Amy...and she said YES!! I know I posted about her wedding dress shopping before they were engaged....when you know you know! :) We are all very excited for the both of them. Geoff is such a wonderful man and he fits in well with all these Greifzu's :) Congrats to the both of you!! There is so much excitement and precious moments ahead!

Amy was extremely happy to show off her beautiful ring! (you did good Geoff) It really is quite stunning. Since all of us were making such a fuss over Amy's new bling, Madi wanted to be apart of it so she tried it on herself.

I have to admit that it did bring a tear to my eye thinking that one day (long from now) my little girl will be getting married. They really grow up so quickly. I know that she's almost 5 and it blows me away to think about all the exciting things and accomplishments she's had thus far. So for this I hope she is always as close to me and her daddy as she is today.

Sophia's 3rd B-day Party

2009-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

My cute niece turned 3 this month (on St. Patty's Day) and had a super fun bounce party.

There were lots of kids and adults there. I really think when the adults are playing...they are having more fun than the kids. Madi absolutely loves going to the different bounce places, she's very good at getting up all the slides and is always excited to slide down as fast as she can. She also likes to race up and down the slides.

As you can see in the above pictures she was racing Auntie Amy up and down and she beat her down the slide. She always has a great time.

Now this picture really shows "like father like son"!! I love it!! Brady and his dad Rich were having a blast going down the big bouncy slides!!

I have noticed that when somebody tells Madi a "rule" she will do her best to make sure that everyone knows the rule and shouldn't be getting away with it otherwise. She was told that the big chair was for the birthday girl when she opened her presents and they didn't want the kiddos sitting it in. So Madi was eating her pizza and saw Papa sitting in the big chair so she took it upon herself to go and tell him that he wasn't allowed to sit in the chair-it was for Sophia. I thought it was a cute picture.

We all has such a wonderful time celebrating Sophia's 3rd birthday!!

Madi's 1st Crush

2009-02-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

It happened.....and I can't believe it. I guess I should believe it since I'm helping her indulge in it....Madi is in love with High School Musical!! Even more so with Troy and Gabriella (she pretends to be Gabriella and Brady even gets to be Troy sometimes, which he seems to love. She would watch all 3 of the DVD's if I'd let her. So I was at the store a bit ago and saw the Gabriella barbie doll on clearance so I took the plunge and bought it for her. Well little did I know that inside was a poster of Troy....which she had to hang up right away. There was also a littel necklace for her to wear that is just like the one that Troy gives Gabriella in the movie...for those of you who've seen it you know what I'm talking about.

Madi holding her new Gabriella doll

Madi and her Troy poster!

Madi's immitation of what they look like jumping at the end of the movie

Just incase you missed it....her jammie shirt also has a picture of Troy in a heart with his name on it. She loves to wear this to sleep!!

Dress Shopping with Amy

2009-02-28T16:49:00.000-08:00

This wasn't any ordinary dress shopping trip with my sister-in-law Amy....we went wedding dress shopping!! Yippeeeee for her. I was so happy that she let me come with me on her first dress trip. It was so exciting to see her try on each dress and the excitment in her face was priceless!!

I had so much fun looking through the hundreds of wedding dresses at the shop and helping her choose which ones to try on. It brought back memories of my own wedding dress shopping trips. However I wasn't quite as lucky as Amy was to find her perfect dress on the first trip and the first shop.

Now of course I didn't put a picture of the actual dress that she chose...you never know who might look at the blog.

She really did choose a dress that is absolutely perfect for her and she looks like a million bucks in it too!! I can't wait to see her walking down the isle in it.

Valentine's Day Fun

2009-02-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

My niece turned 6 today and had the cutest party. All of the girls dressed up and got their hair done, did their own make-up....they got all fancied out and did a little runway show!! It was so cute and fun for all of them. This is Madi checking her cute self out in the mirror and putting make-up on! She started making all these funny faces after a few minutes-it was pretty funny to see her doing it then laughing at herself.

I think she's a natural at putting make up on. She did pretty good for doing it ALL by herself. She really enjoyed it and took her time, making sure she put it all on just like the hostest was telling them too. And as you can see she was pretty proud of the end result. They all were able to keep the makeup and Madi has been putting in on almost everyday since (much to my dismay but at least it washes off easily).After the cute runway show they all did, they went back into the party room and had juice and cupcakes. The store made the cupcakes and they were so cute...the faces where the characters for the shop....lots of frosting which I think all the little girls really enjoyed! Happy Birthday Bella and thank you for inviting us to such a fun birthday party!!

After Bella's party, we headed over to a dear friends house for another fun party - a Valentine's Party for the kiddos. The kids decorated bags to collect all of the cute Valentine's in.

They also decorated heart shaped cookies, with frosting and sprinkles!! So much fun!

Then they got to eat them up!! I think this was Madi's favorite part....eating the cookies!
It was really so much fun to see all these kids playing and having such a great time!! Thank you Jesse for hosting such a great time!

Happy Birthday Brady

2009-02-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

Brady is not big into his own birthday...which I just can't seem to wrap my brain around because I absolutely LOVE my birthday!! I know i know.....but I do, I always have-and it seems I have passed that LOVE down to Madi-which works out great for me....because I don't mind celebrating at all!! Anyhoo....so when I asked Brady what he'd like to do for his birthday his usual response came, "I don't really want to do anything, maybe go out to eat or have dinner at my parents is good." SERIOUSLY??? But if that's what makes him happy-we did get to go eat at Famous Daves. Gotta love the BBQ!
Madi was so excited for him to open his presents-she was whispering what was wrapped up and he was pretending he didn't hear. It was so cute I had to capture it.

Dog sitting Sophie

2009-02-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky that Sophie's family asked us to watch her again....this time we got to have her for a full week!! We just love Sophie, she is such a great dog, and mostly Madi just thinks that Sophie is one of her pals. I told Madi that Sophie sleeps in her room at night, but Madi never actually saw her so one night when Madi was going to bed she asked me to take a picture of Sophie sleeping in her room. So cute!!

Superbowl

2009-02-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

Madi and I before the game decked out in support of the Cardinals.

Here are a few pics from Superbowl Sunday!! I married one of the biggest AZ Cardinals fans I've known, well besides is father. So this was such a huge game and the Greifzu's hosted!! We had a great time...until the Cardinals lost...and no we don't think they should have lost. None the less it was a fun day and congrats to the Cards for making it this far!! Maybe next year?!?

Goodbye Wiket

2009-01-30T18:51:00.000-08:00

Today I made the tough decision to put Wiket down. It was awful really.....having to say okay it's time to go. Wiket has been sick for some time and he was really hanging on the best he could. I couldn't take his suffering any longer, I had to let him go. He was a great companion and so happy and full of life. He was 9 years old and lived a really great life.

When Brady and I went to check Wiket out at the owners house, he was the last one left and the smallest they said. We scooped him up and brought him home that day. I was living at my parents house at the time and my mom had specifically told me not to bring a dog home (growing up we always had outside dogs). But I couldn't leave without him, so we bought him-well Brady bought him as an early birthday present. We took him over to Brady's parents house and weighed him because he was so very little....turns out he was only 1.5 lbs and a few days later when we took him to the vet, he told me that Wiket was probably only 4 weeks old and too young to be away from his mom, but what could I do....Wikets mom was in Prescott. So back to the day we brought him home, we were petting and holding him and noticed he was actually covered in ticks-we spent the next several hours picking them off of the little guy. Eventually that nice September evening I took him home with me. My mom was taken by him right away, but told me I had to take care of him. The next several weeks were filled with lots of puppy time-see I had to wake up every 2 hours in the night to feed him since he was so young. Eventually he slept through the night (i know sounds just like a child).

When I moved out of my parents house I couldn't take him with me so there he stayed. When Brady and I were getting married, my dad bought a dog for my mom (she had become attached to having Wiket around) and Wiket and Willo became inseperable. So I made the decision to leave him at my parents house. I still would see him as much as I wanted. That is were Wiket lived, with my parents, Darrin and Willo.

I will never forget my furry friend!! I loved him to pieces. Rest in peace Wikeysticks.

January 2009

2009-01-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

The pictures pretty much tell how we spent most of our January, outside on the trampoline with friends and family. It has been such great weather....how could you possibly pass it up! This is Madi with her cousins Bella, Sophia and her Auntie Amy bouncing around.

Uncle Bobby didn't last long just watching in the wings. The trampoline really is so much fun, you don't stay watching for long.

Madi is always up for learning fun new games on the trampoline so here is her Auntie showing her how to play log roll....she caught on really quick, Sophia is waiting to take her jump next.

Anytime we have friends over they head right outside to the tramp so here is Madi and her sweet friend Maggie having a blast. I showed them how to bounce each other and they did that forever, they just don't seem to get enough jumping in (which is fine with me, makes bedtime go very fast:)

After about an hour of being outside I caught them laying down on the tramp so I brought them out some water and asked them if they were tired and ready to come in....Madi's response, "No mom, we were just waiting for you to take our picture again." So I told them to pose and the picture above is what the two cuties did! Then they got up and jumped some more!! Where do they get all there energy from?!?

We also like to dog-sit from time to time. Yes we do love dogs :) So Brady's brothers family was going out of the country for a week and asked if we could watch their little dog Dessa and we were very excited when she came to stay. She was such a good dog and especially took a special love to Madi. She slept with Madi at night....which Madi absolutely LOVED!!

And when Madi came home from school one day, she went in her room to take her shoes off and Dessa was taking a nap on her bed so Madi ran to find me and said, "Mom, quick come take a picture of Dessa, she's so cute on my bed taking a nap."

All of the dogs got along great so having an extra dog for a week really wasn't a big deal at all (hint hint to my hubby....I really would love a Cavalier King Charles) !! So Bobby and family, anytime you guys need a dogsitter please think of us, we'd love to have Dessa for a visit!:)

Our Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas this past year (yes I know I'm behind...it happens). We were so blessed to be able to spend time with Brady's family on Christmas Eve and have our family traditions for Christmas morning and then go to my parents for brunch and spend some fun time with them as well. As we were packing up to leave Nana and Papa's house Madi was pushing in one of their bar stools from the bottom and it got stuck or something and it came tumbling down on her, the top is metal and it hit her right on the top bridge of her nose and she started to swell and bruise instantly (of course screaming and crying too), then the blood came. I tried not to panic....I was just praying that her cute little button nose wasn't broken. We hurried in the car and I called my dad. Thank goodness for my hero...my dad...he had come to my rescue more than once and I just know this will not be the last :) (thanks dad I love ya to pieces) Thankfully he came and checked her out and said she was a lucky little girl with no broken nose.

Here Madi had just set out Santa's cookies and his milk. She made his cookies with love she told me (I wonder if she was hoping he was listening). If you look close you can see her poor swollen nose and her black eyes with her "bar stool fight".

She went to bed so easy that night and didn't wake up until 9:30 the next morning...the girl likes her sleep. Brady had to go in and whisper that he thought Santa came to get her moving otherwise I think she would've kept on sleeping. Anyhoo, here she is happily opening her presents.

Madi told Santa that she wanted a new bike for Christmas with 4 wheels and so she received, happily. It was a Barbie bike that even came with a bike attached to it just the right size for a barbie to ride along with her too, at the time Madi seemed more excited to put a barbie on the bike than herself. She is still a little skeptical about riding it but keeps trying each day and is getting better.
By far I think one of the her favorite gifts was the trampoline!! (and mine too) I didn't get a picture of her out there on Christmas day becuase it had rained and she didn't want to get on it wet (i know come summer she'll change her mind) so she actually waited a couple days before she jumped on it....now it seems there isn't a day that goes by that she's not out there jumping away and doing new tricks. She is loving it!!

Then after our Christmas morning we were off to my parents house for brunch....which is always yummy...and more presents!! We missed you Brett, Sheri and Kaia!!

My parents got Madi a kid camera and she loved it....she was taking pictures non-stop!! Then she would turn around and show you your picture and asked how you liked it, it was pretty cute! Maybe a little photographer....??

We are so thankful to be surrounded by such wondeful family members who love us so much and we love them!! Thank you mom and dad for such a great Christmas Brinkerhoff Brunch!!

Christmas Eve at the Greifzu's

2008-12-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

We spend every Christmas Eve at Brady's parents house. We have a wonderful spaghetti and meatball dinner with all the fixings you could imagine, salad, bread, and everything inbetween!! You will not leave the table hungry! It was a wonderful evening spent with family and we really enjoyed each others company. It is always fun watching the girls play together. Madi, Bella and Sophia are at the ages now where they have so much fun all night long and they just seem to keep going and going.

Madi really had fun opening all of her wonderful presents from everyone, they were all so generous. Thank you to everyone for spoiling our princess-she is loved a million times over!

I had to post this cute picture of Grammy...let me explain. Nana and Papa put all of the grandkids' prensents in this adorable extra-large Santa sack, well Grammy wanted to make sure that there wasn't a present left in there so she turned it upside down and was shaking it, well that's just how big the sack and how small our little Grammy is...you can only see her head. ;)

I think the girls could have played all night with all of the fun toys that they so thankfully recieved from everyone. I know Madi had such a wonderful Christmas Eve at her Nana & Papas house. Aren't they so cute playing together??

And here are our wonderful hosts!! Thank you Rich and Karen!! It was truely a wonderful Christmas-thank you for everything!! May God continue to bless you in 2009!

Preschool Christmas Party

2008-12-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

At Madi's Preschool party for Christmas this year she got to decorate cookies, there was suppose to be one for her and one for me but some how she gobbled both of them right up :) I guess that's what happens when I'm taking the pictures and she's just "tasting them" as she told me.

She was consentrating so much on getting just the right amount of frosting on each cooking then she would take them to the decorating table where she would put sprinkles on each one and bring them back to show me how cute they were.

These 2 are the end result before she ate them up, she did say they were delicious!! All her hard work paid off :) Yum Yumm!

After her little cookie snack they opened their little gifts which were stickers to and from each other and they used them to decorate their green wreaths-very cute!! As soon as she came home she hung hers up in her play area so she could enjoy it for the rest of the holiday season!

Madi also made a cute little gift for me to open-it is an angel made from her feet and handprints. Her teacher put in on some frabric and said that we could make in into a pillow or something like that if we'd like....I figure I could aleast to that to keep it and cherish it for years to come, it is so precious and I absolutely love it!

Happy 2nd Birthday Mia!

2008-12-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

Our sweet friend Mia turned 2 in December and we went to her party to celebrate!! Madi just loves her little friend Mia and also loved her little "rollercoaster" in her backyard. She couldn't get enough of it! You can see in her face how excited she was every single time she went down it and yes she was on the bigger side-I don't think she'll be able to ride it again but she did enjoy it at the party!I told Madi that she had to let the other kiddos have a turn and she was really good and got off and did then she came in and told me that Brian was stuck on the car so I had my camera ready...sure enough Mia's daddy wanted to take a turn....after that Madi said she definately wasn't too big for it :) Brian had to get help getting out!! Good times :)
Here's the birthday girl blowing out her #2 candle!! She was so happy to listen to everyone sing happy birthday to her and right on cue she blew out the candle after we stopped singing. What a cutie!After she was done opening all of her wonderful fun presents, her uncle and aunt said there was one more gift out front and we all got to go see her new Dora bike! She loved it!!

Before we left Madi asked if she could go out back on go down the "rollercoaster" one last time. I told her that would be fine but to make it a good one. And she sure did...
...she decided to go down backwards!! We had a great time at your party Mia thank you so much for having us!!

Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-29T11:51:00.000-08:00

The morning that Madi's preschool class was having their Thanksgiving feast Madi was so excited for me to come to her classroom and see all of the things they had been making in preparation for this fun day. This is all of the cute kiddos in her class. They all made fun vests and necklaces to wear. You could tell on each of their faces that they were all so proud to be wearing each piece that they had made themselves.

This was the kids getting ready to march from the classroom to the dinning room where the feast was to be held. Madi could hardly wait to get going! She has the biggest smile on her face just waiting to march, march, march!After Madi got into the feast and all of the food was served and eaten, she looked at me and said, "I think I need to be done now mom." I am so thankful that Madi has such a wonderful preschool teacher and the fun children in her class that she gets to see each week. She just loves going to school and is even more excited when she gets to go all day, as she tells me.
When we were in the car riding home I asked Madi what she was most thankful for, thinking her answer would probably be something reflective of her day, but to my surprise she said, "I'm so thankful for God and my parties. Mom I love my parties-maybe for my 5 year old party God can come and see how fun they are." All I could say was "I'm sure He is smiling right now Madi." I hope you are too!

Trick or Treating with Minnie

2008-11-02T19:42:00.001-08:00

Here is our adorable little Minnie Mouse (this was actually taken before Halloween)

I have to let you all know that the first time this season I asked Madi what she wanted to dress up as for Halloween and her reply...a potato. Yep you read right a potato. At first I have to admit I was a little heart broken my little princess wanted to be an ol' dirty potato...yes I know there are lots of ideas out there but that was all I could think at first. Then some how we ended up at the Disney store :) and she saw this cute Minnie Mouse costume and said she had changed her mind and would rather be Minnie Mouse with the pink dress just like the one from Mickey Mouse Club House. I have to shamefully say that I was a bit happier.

I have to say thank you so much to the Moores for hosting such a fun Halloween night!! This was the group of kids that all went trick or treating together!!

They were all so cute and had so much energy they could've kept going all night I'm sure. They went from house to house like they've been doing this trick or treating thing form years and years....Madi is only 4 so she hasn't
been doing it that long, but I guess kids catch on quickly when they go to houses say a couple words and people drop candy in their baskets.

Eventually this is how our fun night ended....with Madi saying, "Mom, my bag is just too heavy for me to carry, pleeeeease will you carry it for me?" And in the next breath she turned around and said, "Daddy I can't walk anymore carry me back please." Sure enough he scooped her right up. It was so much fun walking around with all the cute kiddos and adults too.

Madi was so tired when we came home that she took out 2 tootsie rolls put them on the piano and said she would eat them in the morning and went straight to bed.

Schnepf Farms

2008-10-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Warning....lots of fun pictures to see!!

We went to Schnepf Farms this year and drug Brady's parents along with us. Can you believe that being a native from Arizona that this was my first time there?? I can't...it was such a blast that we will definately be return customers.

Nana & Madi on the Bee ride.

Our little pilot-I think she rode this ride a dozen times.

And this was Madi's first more "real" rollercoaster experience besides the little kid one at the fair and she wanted to sit by Papa, not Daddy, Papa was sitting in the very front. Madi got off the ride and said is was a little too fast and kind of scary but said she might go on it again and was ready for the corn maze (she's a big fan of mazes but usually only gets to do them on paper)

Madi wanted to be the leader so off she went and all of us followed along as she zigged and zagged her way through the maze and she eventually found her way out and was so excited! It was so cute to see the excitement on her face when she saw the opening. What a cutie. Then off for some more fun. There is just so much to do and see on this great big farm.
After some time had passed Madi asked Papa if he would take her on the rollercoaster again and he jumped at the chance and off they went (but didn't sit up front the second time which was probably a wise choice). She was much happier the second time and this is them skipping back to where the rest of us where sitting.
We did so many more things but I do think I won't post all the pictures I have. But we did have so much fun and we were happy that Nana and Papa were able to come too!! Thanks guys it was so much fun with you!! At the very end we went to their pumpkin patch so Madi could pick out our family pumpkin like she gets to each year and she walked along each little path and found her perfect not so little pumpkin and this is how I found our pumpkin princess....
When I walked up to her she said, "Momma, I LOVE the crinkely one....it's perfect." She is right...it is the perfect pumpkin.

FAIR time!!

2008-10-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yes I LoVe lOve the Arizona State Fair!! And I know some of you are thinking, gross, dirty, disguisting, just plain trashy place to be but you are soooo wrong!! If you think that then let me know and next year I will show you a great time at the fair-I promise you WILL NOT be disappointed.

And to be honest, I haven't asked Brady if he really likes going to the fair I just tell him the day that we are going and he goes....just like the dutiful husband should :) Madi on the other hand is as big of a fan as me. She is absolutely fearless!! Her favorite thing to do at the fair is the rides!

If you look really close you can see Madi's little hand sticking out of the farris wheel waving at me taking the picture! Brady said that when they were at the top she got right up on her knees and started looking down and asking where I was so she could wave, he was scared for her but she didn't even think twice about it. On the cobra ride, Brady told her that all the good riders didn't need to hold on and they put both their hands up on roller coaster so sure enough the entire ride her little hands were in the air. There were a few rides in between all of these but we saved the best for last and I'm so glad we did because it ended up being her very favorite-the LOG ride!! A little background first....last year she wanted to go on this ride so badly but wasn't tall enough by alot and they wouldn't let her go so we've just been praying that she'd be tall enought for the log ride so sure enough she was just the right height 42"!! (can you believe it my baby is that tall-yikes)

So after lots of fun crazy rides we finally got to eat some fun fair food! My favorite (that I only get once a year) is Indian Fry Bread (bean and cheese) and Funnel Cake. Madi likes to eat the fry bread plain and definately eats most of the funnel cake. Brady usually is daring and trys something new like the past couple years he's dared to try the infamous Turkey Leg, didn't like it....then last year he tried the fried snickers bar and didn't like it either...go figure. Whoever thought you could fry chololate and it'd taste good.

Then we went to the animals. We all loved this part. For me it reminds me of Wyoming and how much I miss visiting my family up there (love & miss you guys oodles!!). Madi just loves animals period no matter what kind so it's fun for her to see them up close and personal.

We thought my dad would get a kick out of the picture with Madi and the tractor since he seems to have this funny passion for tractors (he must have been a farmer in his previous life). So that one's for you dad!! Madi just stood there staring at the cows grazing...well grazing in the pen for quite a while and I noticed one was staring back at her while she was sipping on her icee. It's that cute!! I wonder what they are both thinking about???

So that was our terrific day at the fair!! For those of you who haven't made it out yet don't fret....still one more weekend-it's open until Nov 2nd!! Like I said before if you want to have a great time next year let me know because we will definately be there a year from now!!

Happy Birthday Big Brother!!

2008-10-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

Today is my sweet brother Bretts birthday!! So I wanted to shout out happy birthday to him all the way over there in Florida!! As you can see October is full of birthdays for our family (mine is on the 21st)

You have such a cute family! And we miss you guys bunches!! BTW I loved that shirt you wore for this family picture!

Happy Birthday Kaia!

2008-10-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Kaia! We wish that we could be in Florida to celebrate with you. My brother Brett brought his cute little family down to AZ this past July and the girls had a blast together. Madi was so sad to see her cousin leave that she cried all the way home from my parents. We miss you guys bunches!!

The Cutest Sleeper

2008-10-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite times of the night is when I'm heading off to sleep myself and I go into check on my little princess. Almost every night she has something in her bed (usually a book) or she arranged something on her floor. I just love to go in and see what she looks like!! Here are some pics to show what I'm talking about.

She usually has her hand on her little face, wierd cuz I do that too :) Madi loves to make little roads and bridges with anything she can. (please excuse the messyness, her room doesn't start off that way when she goes to bed)
And she also likes to take wierd things to bed with her like that pink balloon. I think she knew it was going to be deflated in the morning she didn't want to let it go.

And we can't forget what a little mommy she is to her dolls, stuffed animals, etc. So this particular night she decided that Mickey Mouse was cold, so she bundled him all up and kept him close to her all night. The next morning I asked her how Mickey slept and she said, "he was crying forever so I had to let him sleep with my momma and I didn't want him to get cold so I let him use one of my blankets"

Isn't she the cutest Madi you've ever seen?!? I sure think so :)

Happy Birthday Ava!

2008-10-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Madi was able to go to another birthday party!! It was for her sweet friend Ava who turned 4!! All Madi could talk about the Friday before was going to Ava's party at Chucky Cheese and all the fun she would have there. And she was right-it was a blast!

I think she would've played every game a million times and ride every possible little ride there a million more times if there was enough hours in the day (and enough coins). Thank you Ava for inviting us to your party. It was so much fun!!

And here is Brady's new little pal, Brec...he came right up to Brady like they've been friends forever!! What a cutie-pie!!

PARTY WEEKEND!!

2008-09-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun weekend, well on Saturday it was a full fun day of birthday parties. Madi was invited to 2 in one day. That was very exciting for her (and for her mom)!

First we went to Alexa's party at Glitter Girls for a cute ballet themed party. They wore leotards and tutus and got their hair all done up with glitter and all. The girls and boys got to dance on stage, eat cute little flower sandwiches, have cupckes and watch the birthday girl open her fun presents. It was lots of fun. Thank you so much Alexa for a wonderful time.

Then we jumped in the car and headed off to the other side of town to Madi's other little friend Julia's house for her birthday party. We were a little late, sorry Julia, but Madi was very excited to jump right in on the party action. First she got to do the stick the heart on the necklace game blindfolded. I was a little surprised that she was so eager to put the blindfold on but she really like that game. After we got home she asked if we could get a game like that for our house. Then the girls got to decorate foam princess hats. And then came Madi's favorite part, the balloon popping game, where you sit on the balloon and try and pop it. Once Madi figured that out she was on a roll, until she jumped too high and the balloon moved and she hurt her back. She rested and was ready for more balloons after a few minutes. She loved that game.

Then they were off for cake and icecream and after they watched cutie Julia open her fun gifts. She has just a great time, thanks for so much fun Julia!

By this time of day we both we exhausted and ready to go home and rest for a bit before we had to get ready for church and dinner with some friends afterwards. Madi is so blessed to have such wonderful friends! Happy birthday once more to Alexa and Julia!!

6 years.....really???

2008-09-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

So, I have to say that 6 years really doesn't seem that long. Maybe that it's because Brady and I actually dated for almost 5 years before we got married and to me then, it seemed like a long time because I thought I was sooooo ready to get married. If I'd only known how much work all this was!!! Just kidding, I wouldn't trade any of it and I'd do it all over again. I love you forever and always Brady (and madi too)!

1st day of Preschool

2008-09-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Madi woke up around 7:30 this morning, which if you don't know is quite early for her. She is definately not an early riser (she gets it from her dad). And she came in my room and asked what time school started. I told her at 9am so we had some time to eat breakfast and get ready. We had a great time getting ready....she already chose her 1st day of school outfit the night before (so I could make a bow to match).....deciding how to fix her hair. And more than anything I think she was happy to finally get to wear her new Princess light-up shoes.

Needless to say the morning couldn't go fast enough for her. Once she got to school, she was very excited to find her cubby with her new froggy name tag. Madi was also so happy to see her best friend Maggie finding her cubby too. And shortly after we arrived, her new teacher opened the door and told the kiddos to come on in. Madi ran over to me for one last hug and kiss and she was off.....walked right in and didn't look back.

When I went to pick her up...

She already had her sunglasses in hand and was grabbing her backpack. So when I saw her I asked her what new things she learned and she just said, "I don't know mom, we mostly played today. I think we'll learn something on Friday." And then her next words were, "So can we go get Jamba Juice now?" Her daddy told her last night that she could get Jamba Juice after her 1st day of school and our little elephant doesn't forget a thing. She wanted to call daddy just to make sure that we could go right now and didn't have to wait for him to get home from work....poor daddy missed out, but we brought him one home and stuck it in the fridge until he came home.

I think this was actually one of her favorite parts of the day!!!

Madi's playdate

2008-08-16T22:28:00.000-07:00

We love having playdates!! Especially with one of our favorite friends who has been gone all summer. We missed you bunches Maggie and are so happy you are home!

So the girls had a playdate on Friday and boy it never ceases to amaze me just how much they can do in a short time.

They played DRESS UP......after they played dress up with their dolls and bears.....and got all of the doll stuff they could find. And lets not forget the make-up, a princess needs her make-up!

They played DOCTOR. Each one took turns being the doctor and the patient, with a tempature, blood pressure readings, listening to their hearts beating and last but not least a shot!! (dad, I know this makes you proud)

And I think one of the best things the girls did was.......

Yup!! JUMP ON THE COUCH. They were actually climbing onto the end table then jumping off that onto the couch. I'm sure there are some of you gasping but I don't seem to mind it so much....the smiles on their faces and the giggles, like they are getting away with something, is priceless. Plus I catch Madi jumping from couch to couch and she just loves it!!

Thanks for coming over and playing Maggie!!

Birthday Girl!!

2008-08-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY SANDEE!!!

I just love this girl!! This pic of us was taken when we were baptized together in Oct 2004!! This is a very special memory for me with the two of us, of course who can forget all our fun high school memories too!!

I want you to know that you mean so much to me and I'm so thankful to have you in my life San!! You are such a fabulous mom, wife, friend, etc You always fill the room with smiling faces when you walk in!! Thank you for being you!!

Congrats on another year older and wiser!!
(please don't kill me)

Prima Ballerina

2008-08-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Madi just finished her ballet recital the end of July so I thought I'd show how cute she and her little friends looked. She got up on stage and danced her little heart out, well as much as you can when you're trying to keep an eye on your teacher whose dancing off to the side of the stage. They were all really cute and did a great job!

Way to go Madi!! We are so proud of you!

Here is the whole class! Aren't they adorable!

First Post!

2008-08-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Yay! So I've finally decided to join the blogging world. Enough blog browsing for me. Please don't expect anything too fancy. I really just wanted to do this as a keepsake journal and so our family and friends could keep tabs on us.