Maddox and Marin

Gymnatics and Swimming

2011-07-25T21:06:00.000-04:00

July 4th

2011-07-05T13:44:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend enjoying each others company. On Saturday, we went swimming and then out to a nice dinner at this great Italian place called Pacino's. And they literally have 200 pictures of Al Pacino on the walls! :) On Sunday, we made the trip to Bakersfield for some pre-vacation shopping. Monday was a pretty stress-free day. We stayed in Tehachapi and went to their annual Hot Dog Festival. The kiddos enjoyed some time in the bounce house and then their first experiences with sno-cones and funnel cake. Maddox made a series of faces while I was taking some photos that are quite silly. Such a ham!

Baseball Game

2011-06-20T14:32:00.000-04:00

We ventured down to Lancaster, CA to take in a minor league baseball game this past weekend! We had a good time, though everyone's allergies were bothering them. I'm convinced I'll never get a normal photo out of Maddox again! :)

Some Silly Pictures!

2011-06-12T14:47:00.001-04:00

We're in California!

2011-06-08T12:12:00.005-04:00

After a long hiatus, I've decided to return to blogging here on Maddox and Marin's blog.

Luke and I made it to California on May 28, 2011, after 3 long days of driving with our 3 dogs. I really should have taken some photos of the Soph, Lo, and Dexi all passed out in the back b/c of the sedatives I had given them.

Maddox and Marin followed, with my mom and sister, on June 1. We picked them up at LAX where they caught their first glimpse of "Hollywood" out of the car window at midnight. Thank goodness my mom and Kellie were here to help unpack and get us settled. 2 adults, one with a tremendous addiction to jewelry supplies, 2 kiddos, and 3 dogs have a lot of sh**. I could have easily become overwhelmed.

So after getting stuff put away, we enjoyed the California sunshine with a few road trips. While Luke was at work last Thursday, my mom, Kellie and I decided to make the first Costco trip in our new home state. We also needed to make a stop at Target. Bakersfield and Lancaster are about equidistant from the small town we live in, so I chose Bakersfield with only my GPS to guide me. Interesting trip to say the least! Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the GPS lady? Suggesting U-turns at every opportunity? Being so specific about lanes sometimes, but then just completely ignoring the fact you have to be 3 lanes over when you're supposed to be merging in 350 feet?

Anyway, we also made a trip to a semi-local fruit farm. We got to pick all of our own fruit, including donut peaches, blackberries, apricots, and blueberries. We're still trying to get through all of the fresh fruit we brought home. I'm pretty sure Marin has eaten her weight in blueberries.

The next day it was time to return my mom and Kellie to the Burbank airport for their return flight to Indy. After a sad departure, Luke and I decided to take the kids down to Santa Monica, where we hadn't been since before we were married. We had lunch at Bubba Gump's and enjoyed the rest of the Santa Monica Pier, as it wasn't quite warm enough to fully experience the beach and Pacific Ocean. We rode the carousel and the famous Ferris Wheel, a good time was had by all.

Enjoy the photos of our rental house and our views and from our road trips...

It's About Time

2010-11-10T09:04:00.003-05:00

I realized today that I haven't been updating the blog we have for the kiddos. I do a lot of posting on Facebook, but not everyone uses that. So here is a little of what we've been doing lately.

Maddox and Marin's Birthdays:

This year we had their party at BounceU in Fishers. I think everyone had a good time.

Kindergarten:

Maddox started going to all-day kindergarten a few weeks ago. His best friend, Nick, started to go all-day, so that really motivated him to want to go too. Everyday, he comes home and says school is great. His teacher is excellent! She challenges his little brain and appreciates all of the information he has to offer.

Marin:

Marin and I have been going through a little adjustment period since Maddox is gone for most of the day. She is getting used to playing by herself while I get work done. She is quite ornery though and sometimes does naughty things to get attention. For example, she dumps water all over the floor, throws my cell phone, colors on inappropriate objects, etc. This is new for me since Maddox has always been perfectly content to do his own thing. It is getting better with time.

Daddy Gone:

All of us have also been adjusting to Luke moving out of state. We Skype most nights. The kiddos don't really enjoy that much. They don't really get it.

Things have been going better than expected. We have a nice schedule now which helps. Although, when Luke does come home, the kids find it difficult becasue Daddy doesn't follow our schedule. We'll get it eventually. Practice, practice. Luke will be home again for several days at Thanksgiving, so not too much longer before another visit.

Our Latest Trip to the Children's Museum

2010-02-16T09:28:00.003-05:00

We took the kiddos to the Museum on 1/23. Ever since, all Marin has talked about is "dinosaurs and Barbies". Every time we left the house, she would ask, "Dinosaurs and Barbies?". I would sadly say no, we actually had to go to Walmart or the like. So we finally took them back this past Sunday. It wasn't nearly as crowded as last time, so M&M got their time on the Barbie Runway, basking in the warm glow of the spotlights. Marin has on a lovely costume, but you have to look closely at Maddox to notice his sparkly belt, which "matched his outfit" he said.

Bob the Builder is back, after 3 years. We have a picture of Maddox with Bob when he was about 6 months younger than Marin is now. It is so amazing that he's grown up so fast!

We're currently working on where we're sending Maddox to kindergarten next year. We've seen several schools and are currently trying to decide between St. Michael's and Weston. It has been a very difficult task and I'm looking forward to getting it done!

My Fairy Princesses!

2010-02-10T10:25:00.001-05:00

Santa....

2009-12-08T19:19:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, we took the kids ro see Santa at the Children's Museum. Here's what happened!

Disney On Ice

2009-12-07T12:46:00.005-05:00

My mom and I took the kids to see Disney On Ice last week. I haven't been to anything like that since I was pretty young, so I had no expectations. Maddox wasn't too excited about going. He thought it would be all about princesses and such. When Marin saw the commercial on TV, would squeal with delight!

So...we go to Conseco. We get there and we have pretty excellent seats. We were on the lower level and were close enough to see all of the characters faces with clarity. As soon as the show started, Marin instantly clamped my hands over her eyes! She had a death grip on my hands and would not let me move. I was trying to talk her through it, pointing out her favorite characters. I eventually got my hands down, but she then put her own hands over eyes. I passed her to Mom, didn't help for a good 20 minutes. I told Mom to hold her arms down so they wouldn't cramp after being held up for the hour and a half show. That didn't work, but shortly after is when the princesses came out!!! She turned into a different child. My mom was shocked that she knew all of their names, even though she hasn't seen the less popular movies and the ones we don't have.

Maddox got into it during the villains part. He loved Jack Skellington!! He was entertained, but not mesmerized. As expected.

Birthdays!

2009-11-08T17:03:00.004-05:00

This year we decided to keep the birthdays low key. Wednesday, Maddox's birthday, we decided to take the kids to the Children's Museum as part of their celebration. That night, we met Kellie at a Texas Roadhouse and had dinner. We then had cake and Maddox opened presents at Granny and Hampy's house. His birthday surprises included Bionicles and Transformers.

On Friday, we celebrated Marin's birthday a day early. She had her own party theme and opened her presents. I really didn't capture the excitement emanating from her on my camera, but it was definitely felt in the room. She's crazy about Tink, so the tent was an excellent choice by her dad and I. Marin also got a Cinderella barbie and a PINK doctor's kit, among other things.

They enjoyed their days and we enjoyed watching them!

A Crisp Autumn Day

2009-10-19T12:16:00.004-04:00

I finally had a day off from running MadrinDesigns and could go outside with the kids and enjoy the day. Maddox dressed himself for the "weather". Marin decided to take her stroller out with no baby in it. I captured their quirkiness on camera this time. Next time you think your child is weird, just take a look at this picture of Maddox. :) And yes, those are his Monday underpants and socks on his hands.

Aunt Carol and Uncle John's House 8/24/09

2009-09-18T10:13:00.007-04:00

The whole fam got together at my aunt and uncle's in Valparaiso in August. Luke and I went to see Pearl Jam on Sunday at the United Center, while the kids stayed and played with their cousin, Bryalyn. On Monday, they had a great time on the beach. Maddox was kicking sand with cousin Lauren while Marin was in the water with Aunt Carol and cousin Lesley. Occasionally, Daddy went by on skis or in the tube behind Uncle John's boat. I managed to get burned/red because of my crazy light sensitivity, but it went away about 2 weeks later. All in all, a great time had by all!

Hampy's B-Day

2009-08-18T10:13:00.002-04:00

We went out for dinner for our Hampy's birthday! It was fun and they brought him a HUGE piece of chocolate cake a la mode! We all shared. I got more than Marin!

-Maddox

Painting Pictures for Mama

2009-07-15T12:01:00.004-04:00

While I was gone doing an art show, it was arts and crafts day at home. It still hasn't been explained how paint ended up in the mouth, but she's still alive and kicking, so no worries! Marin began to sing and dance months ago, but has a favorite song now: The SpongeBob SquarePants theme song.

Maddox is completely self-sufficient in reading now. It is unfortunate for me though. I used to be able to trick him or spell words I didn't want him to hear, but no more! He is currently quite obsessed with Transformers. He's saving his money to try and accumulate all of the action figures! He has 8 or 10, but that barely scratched the surface of Transformers merchandise. My cousin Josh was kind enough to send an old VCR tape of the original, animated Transformers movie. Luckily, I saved a VCR after replacing with DVD players.

Having Fun In The Pool!!

2009-06-23T10:32:00.004-04:00

We went swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's last Saturday and Sunday. The kids had a blast. Marin is already kicking her legs and trying to swim. Maddox had a scare going under water a few times, so now he wants like 5 flotation devices. Before that happened, he was swimming very well. We'll get there again.

They both have a blast with their Auntie Kellie. She lets them get away with everything!

Last Thursday and Friday, Luke and I made a trip to Nashville, TN. We saw Eddie Vedder solo at the famous Ryman Auditorium. The best part was that we were in the FRONT ROW!! We didn't know until we got there. It was a fabulous surprise! We couldn't have any cameras or cell phones out during the show, so no pics. We had a great time and enjoyed walking around downtown Nashville. We did take photos at the only replica of the Parthenon.

2009-04-28T10:11:00.000-04:00

Easter and Putting Out Fires

2009-04-28T10:08:00.000-04:00

Check it Out!

2009-04-06T13:32:00.004-04:00

Check out my MadrinDesigns blog for an interview with none other than Mr. Maddox.

April Fun!

2009-04-04T19:27:00.005-04:00

We spent Friday with Grandma Beth, Hank, and Katie at the Newport Aquarium in Cincinnati. Saturday, Granny and Auntie Kellie took us to the park to enjoy the nice spring day!

Maddox's Spring School Picture

2009-04-02T17:49:00.003-04:00

Another Beautiful Spring Day!

2009-03-23T14:19:00.002-04:00

Maddox and Marin enjoying the sunshine in our backyard!

At Gymboree and Playing Ballerina

2009-03-18T12:54:00.003-04:00

We recently went to our friend Nicholas' 1st Birthday Party at Gymboree. Marin and I had a good time! Marin is also finally into wearing the tutu Auntie Kellie got her for Christmas this year! Too bad she had eaten spaghetti for dinner and ended up with it all over her!

Maddox as a Dinosaur in FL

2009-03-17T13:31:00.002-04:00

Spring Is Here??

2009-03-10T12:25:00.005-04:00

We were enjoying the 60 degree temps over the weekend. Marin was all smiles aboard her red car! Maddox looked like such a big boy in his bike.

Our Vacation!

2009-02-19T11:51:00.004-05:00

We just got back from Florida yesterday. We stayed 8 days with Grandma and Grandpa Breese at their house on Fort Myers Beach. Marin and I had a great time!

We went sailing on Grandpa's boat and we went to Naples Zoo! I was closer to a lion and a pelican than I will probably ever be again in my life. I saw a zookeeper hand feed the alligators and a mysterious animal from Madagascar, called the Fosa (pronounced foose).

My favorite thing we did was telling Grandma and Grandpa all of the dinosaur knowledge I've acquired since they left for FL in the fall. They were a captive audience, so it was great!

Marin didn't like the sand too much, but she loved the zoo! She also loved going for walks on the beach as long as she was being carried, so that she could spot all of the dogs that people were taking for walks. She calls all dogs "Lola"! Marin is so silly! Anyway, Mom is trying to unpack and get everything back to normal for us. The satellite TV guys have already been to the house this morning. We had some wind damage to the satellite and to our roof while we were gone. Anyway, enjoy our pictures of our trip!

Love,

Maddox

My Little Rotten Girl!

2009-01-08T11:24:00.003-05:00

Her first popsicle! (Sugar-free of course) And she ate the WHOLE thing!

She puts this hat on all the time by herself!

2009-01-04T18:50:00.003-05:00

Forgot this one!

2009-01-01T18:31:00.000-05:00

Kellie, Maddox, and Tiny!

Her eyes LIT UP when she unwrapped Christmas Barbie. We're keeping her in the box until she's old enough not to eat her!

I promise he's happier than this sometimes. :(

Christmas At Our House

2009-01-01T18:21:00.001-05:00

Kellie and Marin opening the Tutu!

Daddy with the Tutu on his head!

Maddox with one of his many "dino" presents!

Christmas Morning

My Attempt at a Christmas Eve Photo!

2009-01-01T18:14:00.004-05:00

Monkey See Monkey Do!

ElfYourself

2008-12-22T08:58:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Borrowed from our friend, Steph :)

Birthday Party!

2008-11-23T14:11:00.005-05:00

Well, it was officially a "dinosaur" birthday for Maddox this year. Everything was dinosaurs: gifts, cake, tablecloth, etc. Here he is posing with hid new friend Veloci, the velociraptor.
Marin's 1st birthday was Elmo themed. Every time Elmo comes on the TV at our house, she stops and won't take her eyes off of him until its over. She didn't get too messy with her cake as most do. Just a little on her fingers at a time.

Preschool Halloween Party

2008-11-02T14:54:00.002-05:00

Uncooperative Halloween!

2008-11-02T14:52:00.001-05:00

fotowonder Portrait Session

2008-10-25T08:59:00.002-04:00

We finally had our family portraits done last weekend. The lovely Anne Anderson of fotoWonder took some absolutely gorgeous photographs. You can view them on her website, fotoWonder.com. Go to Clients and type in password-johnson. Enjoy! I did!

Tuttle's-Preschool Field Trip

2008-10-21T14:25:00.002-04:00

Mama, Marin, and I got to go to Tuttle's again yesterday. This time my whole preschool was there too! I had a good time picking my own apples and pumpkins! Mama took more pictures. When will she stop??

By the way, Mama gets to be on TV on Thursday the 23rd. Fox59 has asked her to be on to talk about her photography and how she sells it on Etsy. She wants me to go on for her, but I think she'll do just fine. Her segment is supposed to air at 7:50 AM. I've set the Tivo!

Maddox's School Picture

2008-10-21T14:21:00.004-04:00

This year's or last year's? Can't decide which is cuter!

Annual Tuttle's Trip

2008-10-14T10:36:00.003-04:00

Mama, Daddy, Granny, Kellie, Marin, and I all went to Tuttle's Orchard over the weekend. It was a super nice day, so we had a good time. The photos Mama took last year show me with mittens and a hat. We were freezing. It was about 80 degrees this year!

Marin got her first pumpkin and had a really good time in the swing in the play area. She keeps doing this weird thing with her tongue whenever we're outside and the wind is blowing. It looks like she's tasting the air!

Marin and I are really looking forward to our birthdays! This year we're having a dual party. Mama says we may not be able to do that once Marin knows what's going on. Kellie and Mama sometimes had to share birthdays (Jan. 31st and Feb. 11, respectively) and Aunt Kellie hated it! I probably won't care either way!

-Maddox

Let Go of the Spoon!

2008-09-16T10:17:00.001-04:00

School Starts!

2008-09-15T09:13:00.007-04:00

Well, summer is over for us. But that's okay because I love school this year! My teachers, Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Vahle, are really nice and appreciate my very active imagination. Last week, they asked me about the bump on my head. I told them that I fell off my motorcycle during a race and then I had to sell my motorcycle. Mom said I actually hit my head on the headboard of her bed when I was jumping. I remember it differently, but Mama is usually right about these things.

Marin has been extremely busy. She has a strange fascination with electrical outlets and finds them wherever we go. She also LOVES any little thing she can find on the floor. Marin puts lots of yucky stuff in her mouth until Mama pulls it all out. Mama says she's not used to this. I never went for outlets or put anything in my mouth as a baby.

I've been enjoying having my Auntie Kellie home. She's just a big kid herself, so we have fun playing. Kellie doesn't believe in rules, so I can't wait to spend the night at her new apartment. I'll never have to go to bed!

I've been riding my bike a lot lately. Granny and Hamp bought me a new Tonka bike that's just my size. Its bright yellow!

That's all for now!

-Maddox

2008-08-12T16:00:00.001-04:00

Long Time

2008-08-12T14:20:00.004-04:00

Its been awhile since our last post. We've been unusually busy. We were supposed to go on vacation to Minneapolis to visit our friend Allison last weekend, but Mommy's doctor said it wasn't a good idea. Mommy has venous reflux and has to take diuretics. She has to "go" more than me and Marin!

We did spend the weekend doing lots of fun stuff! On Friday, we went to the Children's Museum. I really enjoyed playing in ScienceWorks. Daddy has fun in there too! Marin had a blast in Playscape, where she and Mama did Silly Sing-Along Songs. Marin learned to clap last week, so she enjoyed clapping to the music. Marin also learned to crawl. She went across the room on Saturday. And today, she pulled up to standing on a diaper box. I missed is but Mom said it was neat! She looks too little to be standing up or walking. Marin is also getting 6 teeth right now, 4 across the top and two more on bottom, for a total of 8 teeth. She got her first 2 in June, so she's going to be ready to bite me very soon!

We went to our friend Sophie's birthday party on Saturday. That was a lot of fun too. I even wore a party hat! On Sunday, Granny and Kellie went with us on our first trip to Chuck E. Cheese. Its okay as long as you get there when it opens. Nobody else was there. I played a bunch of games with Daddy and Mama had fun playing Skee-ball!

On Monday, we met Grandma Beth and Daddy's brother and sister, Hank and Katie, at the zoo. Aunt Lindsey was there with Zach too. We went to the dolphin show. I saw my favorite thing at the zoo: the snakes!! Mama and Daddy petted an elephant, but I didn't want to. Mama also fell in love with a donkey. She wanted to bring it home with us!

I start preschool on Sept. 3rd, so our summer fun is coming to an end. I'll have lots of stories to share about year 2 of preschool though. Check back soon!

Love,
Maddox and Marin

4th of July

2008-07-10T08:25:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, Mama, Daddy, Marin, and I has a busy weekend. On Thursday, we went to the concert on the plaza in Greenfield and ate at my favorite restaurant, besides Old McDonald's, Jim Dandy. Then I spent the night at Granny's. I learned a new trick, jumping on Granny's exercise ball. Very fun! I also discovered a new flavor of ice cream, Neopolitan!! Delicious!!

On Friday, we watched fireworks from the Weston school playground. I didn't like them very much. Mom got a bunch of pictures though.

Saturday, we drove up to Hartford City to see Grandma and Grandpa Johnson. I had a blast! I really liked playing with my cousin, Mark. I went fishing for the first time and caught a fish!! Lost interest after that. Aunt Lori, Uncle Tony, Krista, and Mark were nice enough to let us use their pond. I saw albino catfish!!

This Weekend!

2008-07-03T11:43:00.004-04:00

Sorry Marin and I haven't posted recently. We've been sort of busy. Mama did her first two art fairs last weekend, so Daddy was in charge. Actually, I was in charge, just don't tell my dad. Marin and I were so happy because Daddy doesn't make us take those silly naps or follow any rules. So we were CRAZY when Mom got home. We had a lot of fun with Daddy and Mama says that's all that really matters.

This weekend I'm doing some fun stuff! I'm spending the night at my Granny's on Thursday night. I haven't stayed overnight anywhere since Marin was born! I've already packed my bag! I get to watch fireworks in Friday. And Saturday we're going to Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's in Hartford City. I'm sure Mama will make us go on some photography field trip again. Here's some pics of Marin and I. More later!

-Maddox

Marin's First Swim

2008-06-16T13:18:00.003-04:00

Well...Marin finally decided to join the fun! She saw me swimming for the last few weeks and chose to bite the bullet. Mama took pictures of her in her swimsuit, but then forgot the camera at Granny's house when we went to Grandma and Grandpa Breese's to swim. I'm sure she won't forget it next time.

Meanwhile, I'm getting pretty good at swimming myself. I wear arm bands, but I'm not afraid to go under water or jump off of the side. This year I'm not drinking half of the pool. I finally listened when everybody told me to keep my mouth closed. Hard for me to do. I'm a talker! Time for my nap, gotta go!

Maddox

Our First Blog!

2008-06-14T08:22:00.000-04:00

This is our first blog post. Last weekend Mama, Daddy, Granny, and Grandma Breese all went to the Indianapolis Zoo with us. We saw the dolphin show. I (Maddox) sat very still and stoic throughout, even though I said that was my "number 1" thing I wanted to do. Marin liked everything we saw. She enjoyed the dolphin show and was actually boucing to the music. Mama took about 250 pictures, like always.

We got to see the newest members of the zoo, The Koalas. Mama got a picture of one sleeping.

We also saw and heard the lions. I don't know if anyone else has heard a lion roar when you're standing 30 feet away, but its pretty cool. The Daddy Lion kept talking and roaring to the Mommy. Crazy! We saw the meerkats, some cool lizards, and some turtles.

It was a lot of fun!! See pics below of us having fun!