Headed in the Wrong Direction

Madelyn is crawling, but unfortunately - only backwards. She is incredibly frustrated becuase she sees something she wants to get, and gets further and further away from it. She spends most of her time stuck in the corner.

Silly Me

I can not believe that in my previous post I forgot to mention my FAVORITE jeep story. I had planned an entire paragraph for this one - and this person and completely spaced it. For that, forgive me. I dedicate this post to my adorable dad, and his "never-fail" negotiating tactics.
I owe the entire existence of Pepe, the Chili-Peper-Red Wrangler to my Dad. The Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend, 1999, I asked my dad to come and look for a new car with me. Granted, I already had a fine car - one in which I had three months prior almost totalled. It was a black saturn, and it suited me well, but I was really thinking I wanted a Jeep. So I played up the "I'm headed to snowy, mountainous Utah" card - and he gave in. Now, I knew this was only a courtesy/pity trip to explain why I didn't need, and couldn't afford a wrangler - but I was excited to go anyway.
We test drove Pepe, and I was in love. My dad figured he'd humor me and sit down with the dealer. He starts throwing numbers around with the dealer.."I know it costs you this much to make the car, and you deserve a comission - I'll offer you this much"
The dealer says, "I don't think we'll be able to go that low Mr. Kopp - let me talk to my manager."
The sales man walks out of the room, and my dad says to me, " He's going to come back in and tell us that they can't go that low. We'll say 'fine, call us when you can' and walk away."
The sales man walks back in and says, "Okay Mr. Kopp, it looks like we can go ahead and do that."
I literally watched my dads face go blank. A long pause, a deep gulp. Apparently he had misjudged the situation, and had somehow just bought me a brand new jeep. I could tell my dad was trying hard to hide the deep horror he was feeling - but I didn't care at that point. I was SO thrilled.
And so began the legendary Jeep. Thanks, Dad, for allowing me to have such a fine car. I must add you to the list of pepe's favorite people - for all of the camping, guest dj, and rides across the country. You're the best.

We had Joy, We had Fun, We had Seasons in the Sun..

The most bizarre thing happened yesterday. I was out shopping in a city about fifteen miles north of where I live - when I saw two teenage boys riding around in a "chili pepper red" wrangler. I was reminiscing on my wrangler, when I realized that it WAS my wrangler. And even though I have been driving my grand cherokee for nearly two months now, my eyes filled up with tears. I'm sure everyone is wondering how I knew it was mine - but my jeep had a few distinctive characterisitcs about it. First of all - it didn't have running boards, second - it had the 3 inch lift and big tires on it, third - there was a (D) sticker on the bottom right bumper, and fourth -and possibly most disturbing, it had a temporary license taped to the back window.
Rob and I have had the jeep up for sale at a friend's car lot for a few months, and I figured we would be notified when it sold. I guess I wanted to check out the new buyer - or at least say goodbye to an old friend. But as I watched those boys laugh, I knew it was a good sale.
I am going to miss my wrangler SOOOO much. I'm sure that most of you reading this have had the chance to drive me around in it (call me spoiled, but I love to be chauffeured). Thanks to everyone that sang with me, went camping with me, drove me around Lake Maxinkukee, and made Pepe the best car ever.
I'd like to send a special shout out to the car's favorite people: Mary, Tara, Jemison (you WERE the one that sunk it..) Jacqui, and mostly - my darling husband Rob - who took such good care of it when I started driving around a baby. So many memories of such a great friend. May it make some teenage boy as happy as it made me. (Insert Trumpet playing Taps)

Robby Bobby Boo's Birthday

The really sad thing - is that Robby Bobby Boo is not my nickname for Rob - it's my mother's. Anyway, Rob's birthday was Tuesday, so I decided to have a little dinner party for a few friends to celebrate. Good times had by all: Italian Beef, Chips and Queso, Burrito Roll-Ups, Mostaciolli, Chocolate Cake and Texas Hold-em. Does it get any better than that...? Happy Birthday Robby - I love you so so much.

Best Buds

I dance, I sing, I carry, I tickle, I feed. All Rob has to do is walk through the door. Madelyn has become such a Daddy's Girl. She absolutely adores him. I think it all started when she learned to say Da-Da. Most babies will say it, and then move on to something else. Since those two sounds came out of her mouth - she knows exactly what to associate them with. The other night she put her hand on his leg, looked up at him and said "Dad." She smiled and looked away. It's not that I'm jealous - or that I don't think that he deserves all of her love - I just wish she loved me....ONLY ME. I actually love watching them together. I love knowing that they are creating such a tight bond.
She has changed so much over the past month. First of all - she is sitting up on her own. She still doesn't seem too interested in it - but she can do it. She would much rather be on the floor doing the Worm. She is so close to crawling - she gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. Second, she just cut her first tooth, and I swear it could pass as a Ginsu knife. She bit my finger, and almost drew blood. Its no wonder that teething is painful. Other than that she is still the same old chunk (50th percentile for height, and 90th percentile for weight).She is already out of her first carseat, and we're burning out the motor on her swing. We love her more and more every day - which is good, because every day there is more and more of her to love!

The Photo Shoot

I was watching Madelyn sleep yesterday, and seeing as how she looked so cute in the green sweater, I figured I'd snap a few shots. She woke up in the middle of the shoot - and decided she had other business to tak care of. See if you can tell the difference in shots - we'll call it a "one of these things is not like the other" game...

BIG Kisses!

I can't even begin to think about how many times I have given Maddie kisses - and nothing made me happier than when she decided to give me kisses back. Yes, they were wet, and yes they left puddles of drool on my cheek and collar, but they are the greatest thing a mother could ask for! She puts her hands on my cheeks, opens her mouth as WIDE as possible, and rubs her mouth back and forth over my cheeks. It sounds disgusting - but it's heaven!

Happiest Holidays

We were able to go to Chicago this year, and we had so much fun. Madelyn made so many new friends - especially her Uncle Dan. He couldn't get enough of her. Here is a photo montage of a typical Christmas at the Kopp house - opening presents, eating, decorationg the tree, spending time with grandparents, and shooting pellets at the geese.

Christmas - Xango Style

Nothing says Merry Christmas more than give-aways! Rob's company had amazing prizes at the Christmas party: TVs, giftcards, XBOX 360, vacations, flight vouchers, snowmobiles, and many other gifts. And at the end of the night, one of the founders announced that he was giving away one of the other founder's car - unbeknownced to him! I guess he drives two cars, and they thought that was greedy! Sure enough - a girl named Kelly is now the owner! Rob and I didn't win anything big - but we had a great time with our friends.

Peek- A -Boo

Madelyn loves getting lost in our covers. She rolls herself up in blankets and tries to find her way out. Most of the time she ends up rolling over the opening, and trapping herself - which Rob thinks is hillarious. She then gets mad and cries. But when she is able to find her way out, she gets so excited. We played this game for almost an hour today.