Fire in the Sky

A few weeks ago Rob and I decided that this year's fourth of July was going to be AWESOME. Ironically, it rained that day - and we went out for Japanese food. Not exactly what we had planned. But in accordance with our original idea, we took a road trip to Wyoming to purchase some "not quite legal" fireworks. I picked out a few cheesy sparklers, and some noisemakers. Rob on the other hand had a cart full of HUGE boxes. Being the fireworks idiot that I am - I just thought, "well, we came all this way - and it is buy one get one free..." Needless to say we ended up with a RIDICULOUS amout of fireworks that were much more illegal than I originally had planned. So last Saturday we had a 45 minute light show in our back yard: roman candles, artillery shells, M150s, and tons of multi colored - seen only at baseball games - fireworks. I literally winced after every explosion just waiting for the police to show up. I had no idea that you could purchase such HUGE fireworks...I thought they were only sold to dealers and firefighters.
The 45 minute show was only the first half of the fireworks, and the police never came. The second half were lit at my brother Derek's block party - where the police DID show up. Luckily, it was right after we had done the grand finale, and just as Rob and I were driving away. The cop asked Derek if they had any illegal fireworks, and if they were finished. Derek's answer was "we're finished." Derek's next door neighbor then joined in the conversation and said, "Sir, I can honestly tell you that no one here owns any illegal fireworks." I must say it was the best Saturday night we have had in a long time.

It's all Fun and Games Until...

Madelyn has decided that her favorite thing to do in the tub is drink the bath water. Rob and I try to stop her - but she's REALLY determined. Here she is taking a gulp.

This is when she stood up, and peed in the bath water.

And this is when she sat back down and started drinking again. I wanted to vomit...that is, right after I took a picture!

A Day With Chuck

Maddie, Abby, and Sydney enjoyed a day of over priced pizza, horrific singing gorillas, and broken skee-ball. They had a gay old time.

Day of Milestones

Although Madelyn can practically sprint along side the couches, she doesn't seem to want to walk on her own. So yesterday (only FIVE months after pulling herself up) she took her first steps. We knew that she could, so Rob put her in the middle of the room - and she took about five steps to him. She's taken a few more today, so hopefully she'll be full on walking by the time she's six.
Rob and I also had our first doctor visit for the new baby. He quickly found the heartbeat, and said we have an incredibly active and healthy child. He also said that the baby's heartbeat was high, and according to "baby mumbo jumbo" that would mean we're having another girl. Although nothing has been proven just yet, I've been saying "girl" all along. We'll let everyone know when we find out!

Happy 1st Birthday Madelyn

Madelyn did not appreciate all the effort that I put into her first birthday cake. She cried, wiped it all over Abby's shirt, and threw it on the floor. Not one bite entered her mouth!



We then moved on to opening presents - another chore. She was mad that we wouldn't let her go off and play, and by the time we were done, she only wanted a plastic tube that she found on the floor.

But things finally turned around when we got home. We opened up all her toys - and she was thrilled with them. She did the typical toy introductions (they all met eachother), and then she played for over an hour. She took her first bike ride, and also had her first accident. Overall, a good day for pictures. One day she'll appreciate it all!