(Rein)deer Jammies

Gary usually does our grocery shopping (he takes Madelyn too, so it is a glorious arrangement for me!). I told him that clothing was an additional 70% off clearance prices at Fred Meyer, suggesting he check out the sale if they had time since Madelyn could use some bigger clothes. He came home with plenty of new outifts for about $3 apiece, and I have to admit, almost everything he picked out was really cute! Good job, Honey!

Madelyn got one new pair of jammies from this haul. It's a button-down flannel set, which makes her look so grown up, I think.

We've seen photos like this before; it's one of Madelyn's favorite pastimes.

What you might not be able to see very well is that the jammies are actually covered in little Rudolphs. It doesn't look very "Christmas-y" because of the color scheme (Rudolph's nose is actually pink, not red). Gary claims he didn't even notice they were reindeer until I pointed it out. Madelyn, on the other hand, announced confidently as I was putting them on her, "Deers!" And then she started to count them. There are "sicteen," in case you were wondering.

Fun at the Winkels'

Playing with cousins in the new tunnel that Grandma got for her birthday. Isn't it cool that a good present for Grandma is something the kids can play with?

Eating little cupcakes (ordered from a professional baker) for Grandma Winkel's birthday!

Bryson loves Madelyn, and vice versa.

Madelyn and Jack enjoyed a real treat tonight: they got to jump into Randy and Grandpa's laps from the coffee table to each of their heart's content. Madelyn loved saying, "One, Two, Feee!"

Geronimo!

So much fun. And I love this picture!

The kiddos with "Country Boy" Grandpa.

Girlfriends

We had a busy day with Natalia today!

First we went to "Muffin Morning" at Katelyn's house. Her birthday was just a few days later, so we got to sing and have "happy cake."

Then we went to the library to read stories about animals. The parachute was the big hit again.

We had about 45 minutes before I was supposed to take Natalia home, so instead of going back to our house, we played at the park. Both girls liked the swings and merry-go-round. Madelyn went on the slide, but got her pants all wet because I didn't see the big puddle at the bottom.

Cheese!

Whee!

Later we tried swinging together, and that was pretty cute.

Robe

After our shower, Madelyn has recently been snuggling up in my cozy robe and watching a show while I dry my hair. She likes being in her "warm bobe."

Bowling

We went bowling with John and Bryan after dinner.

While waiting for a lane to open up, Madelyn played some killer air hockey with Daddy and Uncle John.

I let Madelyn take my third or fourth turn. Using the guide, she was better than I was, so I let her play most of my turns from then on.

She even got a couple of strikes!

Later she took off her sweater for some reason. (Her shirt got covered in ice cream at Izzy's and I stupidly had only packed a change of underwear and pants. No bib? No shirt? What was I thinking?)

MORE Ice Cream

While my parents are enjoying a Mexican cruise, we took my little brother to dinner at Izzy's and then bowling. My older brother, Bryan, came too.

Madelyn got some more ice cream at Izzy's.

This time with a spoon.

Which does seem messier than holding a cone.

Candy Necklace

For Valentine's Day, Madelyn received this make-your-own candy necklace kit from Grandma and Grandpa Winkel.

She had such fun creating her own necklace, and we were impressed with her dexterity managing the little candy hearts and threading through their tiny holes.

She touches her lip and says, "Hmmm. Let's see"

Very lovely necklace!

And yummy too!

Ice Cream Cone

We met a friend and her kids for lunch at The Ice Cream Shoppe in our little town. After I told Madelyn of these plans in the morning, she kept repeating, "I seen tome, peas!" I thought it would be easier for her to eat ice cream with a spoon, but since she was so excited to have a cone, I asked for it on top.

But I was wrong, Madelyn did great with the ice cream cone, and probably made less of a mess than she would have with the spoon. How silly of me.

And she ate the entire thing all by herself! Madelyn also played very nicely with my friend's two kids, and ate a big lunch. I'm always pleased with both of those outcomes.

Packing

Madelyn got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Goodno for two nights! (Gary and I enjoyed a little Valentine's Day Snowboarding getaway with Diana and Randy.)

She helped me pack her animals and dolly.

I don't know why she is in her underwear. Probably rebelling against getting dressed at the time; sometimes I have to wait until the mood strikes her to put on pants.

Foamy and Counting

Grandma Bonnie gave Madelyn some nifty "shapeable soap" for Christmas. It is basically like shaving cream, but smells like blueberries. We already exchanged the first canister because after the first few pumps of soap it stopped working. Unfortunately, the replacement has the same problem. But Madelyn enjoyed the bit we were able to get out.

And Madelyn's development is taking leaps recently. It is so delightful to observe. She loves to "count" things. She can count to ten, although she hasn't mastered number conservation yet (once you've counted an object, you don't count it again--to arrive at a total quantity). Her interest in stuffed animals and dolls is expanding to more make-believe play and stronger attachments.

She sleeps with several stuffed animals each night, although not always the same ones. She gets to pick. In this photo she is counting them, which probably sounded something like this: "One, Doo, Fwee, Fow, Fye, Sic, Seyen, Eight, Nye, Eight, Seyen, Fwee, Fye, Seyen, TEN!"

Brownie Batter

One cannot be a brownie-making assistant without staking a claim on licking a beater.

Here's her new "cheeeeeese" smile.

Time to get a better angle on this thing!

Mm Mm Good.

Making Playdough

Before you freak out, let me assure you that the stove is not on in these photos. Not even warm.

Okay, with that out of the way: We made our own playdough today! I called my mom and got the recipe she used to make when I was young and still makes with the grandkids.

Madelyn loved to help stir, and she chose green and yellow food coloring. I don't think I've ever mentioned on the blog that Madelyn is very good with knowing colors!

Madelyn is having tantrums far less frequently these days. After we put in some green and yellow, she wanted red. I told her that we already had enough colors and couldn't add red. She said, "okay," and kept on stirring without giving it a second thought. A few months ago, denying something she wanted like that could have meant finishing the playdough by myself while Madelyn screamed on the floor. Of course, when she's tired, she can still get upset about things like this, but the intensity and duration are diminished. I think it has a great deal to do with being pacifier-free. Whatever the case, it makes doing things together much more fun!

Mmm! I think she assumed it was soup.

Until we got to play with it, that is!

Very intent on making snakes.

Which she prefers to wear as bracelets, since that is what I did with them the very first time she played with Play Doh.

This is the best playdough recipe, it is so soft and easy to make. I got this from my mom, maybe she can write in the comments from where it originates. Enjoy!

PLAYDOUGH

In saucepan, mix together:
1 cup flour
½ cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar

Stir together, then add:
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or baby oil)
A few drops of food coloring

Stir over medium heat until mixture forms a dough ball.
Allow to cool.
Remains soft if kept in an airtight container.

Care Bear Burrito

Madelyn has entered the stuffed animal obsession. Good thing Gary and I find it 100% endearing. Today she asked me to lay her blanket on the floor and wrap her up in a burrito with these two Care Bears. Honestly, it was all her idea.

These are actually vintage Care Bears. They belonged to her father as a child. Cool, huh!

So fun!

Then she carried the bears around in a burrito. She could even walk down the stairs (albeit a bit precariously) holding them. Madelyn points to the plastic Care Bear insignia on their backside and says, "Heart! Bum."