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Category: Maddie

Final Christmas Celebration

Posted on January 15, 2014January 14, 2014 by Andi

We had our final Christmas celebration last week while Chuck’s mom was back in town from Florida. We had a great time…

Our niece, Amira, was handing out presents.

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Maddie sat with all her presents and had a blast opening them!

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Amira got a bunch of art stuff.

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Her face cracks me up in this picture!

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Maddie and Dannie playing with one of Dannie’s presents.

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Awe…family photo.

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Dannie was throwing a tantrum while Chuck was trying to help Maddie with a present.

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A view of the card table houses that Linda made Maddie and Amira.

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The house has been a huge hit around here. The girls play in it all the time and Linda’s crafting abilities always amaze me!

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Paige having some fun with Dannie. Being upside down is one of Dannie’s favorite things.

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Paige and Linda are so crafty. They always made the most amazing presents.

Here is a color matching board using paint chips, a canvas and clothespins.

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A memory game using note cards and a bunch of family photos.

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Little dolls for matching colors. And yes, Linda hand painted these! (There’s a pink one, too, but Maddie has claimed that one for herself.)

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Paige made a “Guess Who” game for Dannie with family photos.

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Linda made some baby baskets for the girls. She has a couple of them at her house for the girls to play with when they come over. They come with a matching pillow and blanket!

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Paige made a wipes container and a doll diaper. So stinking cute…no pun intended. Smile

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Linda also made Paige and I picnic blankets and made Brian and Chuck frames pictures using all of our names with scrabble pieces. Genius! (Of course I forgot to take pictures of these two things.)

We also had a tasty lunch. Chuck made some veggie lasagna with half of it the regular (meaty) way. Paige brought bread and fruit and Linda made pumpkin and apple pies. The food was so good!

We had a fabulous Christmas this year. I hope yours was wonderful, too!

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Favorite Books For Kids

Posted on January 14, 2014January 14, 2014 by Andi

We do a lot of reading around here and there’s a good chance when you ask Maddie what she wants to do, her answer will be “go to the library”. And since I write about the books I read, I figured I should write about some I read to the girls, too.

A while back, I did a post about a series of books I love…Mommy Calls Me Monkeypants. Maddie (ok…really it’s me) has some new favorites.

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Won’t You Be My Kissaroo? is such a cute book. I was so excited when I found this next one.

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Won’t You Be My Hugaroo? I just love reading these to Dannie right now and she loves to turn the pages and look at the pictures.

The next two we just got at the library and they were adorable.

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If Animals Kissed Good Night is my current favorite book. It just makes me giggle.

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And Maddie did pick out a Halloween book, Goodnight Goon, but I loved it. I will have to remember this one and get it again next year during Halloween.

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I read The Going To Bed Book to Dannie every night before bed. I picked it up at a consignment store when Maddie was a baby and it is still one of my very favorites. I love everything by Sandra Boynton, though!

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We have gotten The Napping House from the library before, but Maddie got it for her birthday. We read it most nights at bedtime. Maddie is really good at reading along with me.

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We have 4 of these Cheerios books. My mom picked them up for Maddie. When you open the pages, there are spots to put cheerios. Sometimes it’s noses or hats or buttons, but both the girls love these books and what could be more fun than reading and eating?? No, seriously? Smile

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I adore all of the Llama Llama books, but Llama Llama Mad At Mama is my current favorite. The girls have this exact same scowl and I love the story. Maddie tells me all the time that she’s mad at me (toddlers are so full of emotion) and this one is a good book for her right now. Smile

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All of the Fancy Nancy books are great. They are such cute stories and I love the pictures and the creative words she uses. I love that she helps teach kids new words and expand their vocabulary. Plus it doesn’t hurt that Maddie is adorable when she says “Fancy Nancy.”

I am sure there are many other books for kids that I love, but these are the few that stick out in my head right now. I have given the Cheerios book and the Monkeypants series as gifts before. I know any of these would make a great gift for a baby shower or even a birthday. Or maybe you just have some new ideas of books to read to your kids.

What are some of your favorite books for kids? Favorites from your childhood? Favorites that you read to your kids?

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Cheesy

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Andi

One night at dinner we were laughing at Dannie. She was sitting there with loads of cheese hanging out of her mouth.

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Maddie thought it was funny, too and tried to make cheese hang out of her mouth.

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She wasn’t very successful, but she was really cute trying.

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Cupcake

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Andi

A new Cupcake store opened and MOMS Club went there one morning so we could check it out and eat cupcakes. The girls picked out cupcakes to eat. They were very pretty and very yummy!

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Some friends and I also went there for dinner one night. They have a restaurant attached called “The Mason Jar”. The food was really good and I can’t wait to go back for more food and more cupcakes! If you are in the area, I highly recommend checking it out.

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Snow Fun

Posted on January 10, 2014January 10, 2014 by Andi

Last year, Maddie was not a fan of the snow. She would cry when we set her even near snow. This year is very different and she even asks to go out with Chuck when he snow blows the driveway and sidewalk. This is her snow blowing outfit.

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I bought Maddie a shovel and sled at Target earlier this winter and then put her to work on shoveling the steps for me. Smile 

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And since she enjoyed shoveling so much, Chuck had her shovel the deck, too.

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This girl loves her shovel!

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Saying “hi” to her sister.

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Then Maddie thought it would be funny to start a snowball fight with dad.

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Dad won.

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Next it was time to try out the new sled.

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Hey guys….this hat keeps falling over my eyes.

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“Oh, dats no pobwem.” I’m still cute!

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And because Chuck is the best dad, he took her to the park to play on the playground in the snow.

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The even went sledding at the small hill at the park. Maddie thought it was lots of fun. Apparently on the way home, she wanted to shovel the whole sidewalk. The walk home from the park took a while.

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Snow is definitely a hit with this girl. She even asks me to bring some inside for her to play with. Which I am happy to do because it makes her smile this cute little smile!

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So Many Pictures….

Posted on January 8, 2014January 8, 2014 by Andi

I have a bunch of pictures that have piled up that don’t deserve their own post. So here’s a big random blog post full of pictures….of the girls. Since I’m not doing monthly posts for the girls anymore, a lot of these pictures get forgotten. This probably should have been two posts with all of these pictures. But, oh well! Enjoy….or leave now. Smile

Dannie loves blowing kisses. She makes the best smacking noise when she does it!

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This girl gives the biggest smiles!

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We went to Pizza Ranch one night for dinner. Dannie thought her own piece of pizza was the best thing ever!

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Dannie playing peek-a-boo with the curtains.

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She thought she was pretty funny trying to stand on this stool. She even brought it into the living room all by herself.

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We went to my friend’s house for a morning playdate. She was carrying Dannie around and her twins decided they needed to be held, too. This picture makes me giggle.

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Dannie has really enjoyed playing with her Lego lately. She was so proud of herself for building this train.

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One morning before we left the house, the girls were walking around the house in their hats and jackets. They looked so cute, I just had to stop and snap a picture of them.

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Maddie has been loving muffins lately. One evening she wanted to make them. She did most of the stirring and insisted on putting the batter in the muffin tins.

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…and she thought she was being sneaky licking the batter. She would tell me “it’s otay, mama. I not mean to. Me do it again? That’s no problem.” This girls cracks me up.

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My friend Kelly bought these outfits for the girls when she sent them a bunch of presents a couple months back. The morning of breakfast with Santa, Maddie wanted to wear her dress. So I dressed Dannie in her gifted outfit. They looked so cute in their dresses!

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Dannie loves playing with an old keyboard in Chuck’s office.

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When Maddie gets upset, she likes to hide behind the bean bag chair. The funny thing is that she gets stuck. Smile

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Maddie likes to “help” Chuck when he is working on the basement. She also likes to wear decorations on her head. Smile

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…and my headphones coupled with some pvc bracelets.

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The girls love their books and it melts my heart when they sit and “read” together. Maddie will sometimes read to Dannie pointing out all the pictures and sometimes even make up a story.

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Maddie wanted to wear my glasses. She just looks so darn grown up!

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Just because she’s cute.

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Dannie fell asleep in the car…holding a paint sample. Smile We had been making lots of trips to Home Depot when I was picking colors to paint the house.

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I gave Dannie a taste of the iPad one day when her teeth hurt. It made her happy, but now she wants it whenever she sees it. Oopsy. Smile

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Working on the basement (and me painting), the were lots of trips to Home Depot, as I mentioned. They girls love wandering around looking at things. They also like walking around holding hands. It is so sweet!

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One day we went to a local library. They have so many fun things to play with there. Maddie loves doing puppet shows.

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And Dannie? Well she likes to eat the puppets.

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One lazy morning, we all stayed in our jammies and had some fun with sticks. Dannie is really good at putting the sticks in the small hole (although she much preferred the game with the cap off the cup).

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The girls then learned that yelling into the cups was WAY more fun that using their fine motor skills.

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We also made some snowflake ornaments and Maddie went to town painting them for family. She did a great job and of course panicked a little if she got ANY paint on her fingers.

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I tried the painting thing with Dannie and she cries and throws a fit. She doesn’t like it at all. So we did some coloring instead. This picture was right before she tested the flavor on the crayons. As usual, she just prefers to eat the crayons instead of coloring with them.

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I had been trying for the longest time to get a good picture of Dannie standing on her head. She does this all the time. We were in the store picking up our new glasses and there was Dannie…standing on her head. I took the girls to the MOA and Dannie just stops in the hallway to stand on her head. She is a nut!

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My mom got Maddie some Rudolph slippers for Christmas. Maddie was so excited to show Dannie that the nose lights up.

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I took our tree down shortly after Christmas, but didn’t quite get around to putting the totes away for a couple more days. This was just long enough for Maddie to figure out that she could leap off them!

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On one of our many trips to the MOA, I let Dannie wander around (which is her favorite thing….also running from me is high on that list). She just looks so tiny walking the halls of the mall.

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There you have it. A bunch of random pictures. I am sure there are more, but I’ll try to hold off on those until they accumulate a little more. Why? Because I like to torture you with pictures of my kids. Smile

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Winter Playdate

Posted on January 7, 2014January 7, 2014 by Andi

My friend Tricia hosted a MOMS Club playdate early in December. She always makes the most adorable snacks for playdates! Check out these cute snowmen.

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The kids enjoyed eating them. Maddie liked the chocolate chip eyes and the M&Ms the best. Dannie was all over the donut! Smile

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Norling Christmas

Posted on January 6, 2014January 6, 2014 by Andi

The weekend after Christmas we celebrated with my dad, stepmom, brother and his wife.

We opened presents and hung out. The girls had a bunch of fun….and so did my brother and sister-in-law!

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After presents, we ate Wild Rice Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries. It was a little unorthodox for a Christmas meal, but it was so very delicious!

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Christmas Day

Posted on January 5, 2014January 4, 2014 by Andi

The weekend before Christmas my mom and her crew came over to bake cookies and take a family photo for her holiday card. My mom also helped me paint while the kids were sleeping, which is why I am wearing painting clothes. Smile

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When we got home from our Christmas Eve celebration, we helped Maddie put out cookies she made and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. She was very excited!

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Then Chuck and I finished wrapping presents. Maddie asked Santa for pink presents, pink candy canes and a doll. So Maddie got her pink Christmas that she wanted. We filled her stocking (which is pink) with pink goodies, too.

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My mom and her family came over Christmas morning. And there is never a shortage of gifts when my mom comes!

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Then we hung out, opened presents and had brunch.

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Dannie wasn’t very interested in presents so Maddie got to open most of them. She was pretty excited about that. She was really good to understand that some gifts were hers and others were Dannie’s.

My mom got Maddie a vanity. She thought she was getting play makeup, but it turned out it was real (well, kid makeup) and Maddie had a blast putting it on!

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After the craziness of the morning, the girls took naps and we cleaned up a bit. When they woke up, we headed to my aunt and uncle’s house. They always have people over Christmas evening and it’s nice to see family and eat lots of food!

We had a great Christmas and the girls were seemed to have a fun, exciting and exhausting day…just the way it should be!

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Breakfast With Santa

Posted on January 4, 2014January 2, 2014 by Andi

We took the girls to see Santa at our local Community Center. They have a bunch of games and activities for the kids and a breakfast with Santa. It’s a cute little activity and it’s basically across the street.

A couple of my friends from MOMS Club went this year as well. One of my friends, Tricia’s daughter is one of Maddie’s best friends, Leighton. They play together all the time and giggle and hold hands while doing so!

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Maddie also loves Leighton’s brother, Cole.

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I spent the morning chasing Dannie around. She just wanted to wander around the gym. (And I’m wearing Maddie’s headband in this picture…hence the pink bow in my hair. Smile)

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And here is our picture with Santa. Needless to say, it didn’t go very well. Dannie had her mouth full of food when she freaked out and Maddie wanted to see Santa until she was next to him…then she got shy. And Chuck is not wearing suspenders as some of my friends thought. That is just the strap to the camera. Smile

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minihays

⛸️❤️
#hayskidsyearlyphotos #hayskidsyearlyphotos 📸
10 Alex turned double digits () ❇️10❇️ 

Alex turned double digits (😧) a little over a week ago and celebrated with some friends over the weekend. He is the happiest guy around and we hope he never changes! 💚💙🎉
12 I’m almost two weeks late posting abo ✨12✨ 

I’m almost two weeks late posting about Dannie’s bday, but she had a fabulous day celebrating various times with friends and family She was thoroughly spoiled and is so very loved! 💗🎉

minihaysreads

Anyone else use @loopearplugs? I got a pair last y Anyone else use @loopearplugs? I got a pair last year and I love them so much. They are wonderful in so many situations and really help me focus when there are lots of noises around.
Books & Bracelets! My new favorite activity has be Books & Bracelets! My new favorite activity has been creating bracelets to go with some of my favorite books. This was my first little and I loved these books and their little wrist friends so much. 🤩😍

More little creations are being added to @technicallyscattered.
When you volunteer at the book fair, you’re obvi When you volunteer at the book fair, you’re obviously going to come home with some new books! I think there was only one I regret not buying. Next time!
My youngest might have found our new favorite way My youngest might have found our new favorite way to read together! Under a blanket with a reading light!💡

haysonthelake

The new dock stacks so nicely on the shore! The le The new dock stacks so nicely on the shore! The legs even store inside. So smart!
Chuck’s dad came to help us take out the dock an Chuck’s dad came to help us take out the dock and Alex wanted in on the fun, too. It was so cute to watch three generations of Hays men hard at work. 😁 (Don’t worry…I helped, too!)
#the jet ski lift has been so helpful for moving around the dock sections and it turns out it’s fun for rides, too! 💦
Cleaned up the space under the porch and deck a fe Cleaned up the space under the porch and deck a few weeks ago for the winter. I love the kayak hanger Chuck found!
It’s spooky outside…Mother Nature sent us tric It’s spooky outside…Mother Nature sent us tricks today. Hopefully the neighbors are giving out treats tonight! 🎃❄️

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