Memorial Day

Mitchell had the day off yesterday so we made some fun plans for the long weekend. Saturday we met up with our friends Jordan and Jessica who just moved to Madison. We headed over to the World's Largest Bratfest! (pronounced braht) It was so fun! We enjoyed the sunshine, good friends, good food and activities. Brats are a really iconic food around here and so good. Imagine a hot dog on steroids- way way better.

A whole tent dedicated to the condiments.

Audrey really enjoyed the corn off the cob. She was eating it as fast as I could bite it off the cob. Mmmm.

A fun little play area they had set up.

It has been FOREVER since I've been on a carnival ride! I am an adrenaline junkie so I didn't let this opportunity pass me up. The rides were $5 each so I chose the most intense and scariest one. It was definitely intense but so fun! I was shaking as I walked off!

This was before they suspended me upside-down repeatedly. :)

Audrey will have to wait until she's taller to join her momma on the scary rides!

Yesterday we decided to check out the Cave of the Mounds which is about 30 minutes away. It is a REALLY old (we're talking millions of years) cave that was discovered by accident in 1939. The area was being mined for iron and after a routine dynamite blast the miners found the large cavity with it's intricate formations inside. We learned that stalactites and stalagmites 'grow' one cubic inch every 100 years. This particular cave is known for it's variety of colors inside the cave. We enjoyed the tour and even Audrey was really good considering that she couldn't get down and walk at all. We weren't allowed to touch anything inside the cave because the natural oils from our skin would prevent the minerals from continuing to form deposits.

Here is a view of some of the beautiful stalactites.

Audrey even got to go on an archeological dig afterward!

After the cave tour we enjoyed the lovely park and had a picnic lunch. It was a really fun day!

Paparazzi

There are some days when I just follow my adorable little girl around with the camera. She is a fun and interesting subject. Here are some highlights from the last week or so. I know her grandmas and great grandmas will enjoy seeing these.

Takes after her momma, solar powered!

Aunt Jessinna made this adorable little apron. Audrey was so pleased!

She has learned how to really climb and it's making me nervous! Reminds me of my brother! :)

She knows if she were just a little taller she could see out the window.

Little Twins

This is one of Audrey's best friends, Jenna. They had so much fun playing together today while Jenna's mom had some free time. They were so cute and entertained and I just followed them around with the camera!

One Year

Wow. The year has flown by. I loved the baby stage but boy are toddlers FUN! Audrey has so much personality and adds so much joy to our family. In the last couple of days I have really felt like I should record what she is like right now. Since this is basically my journal, here goes.

Audrey had a Dr. appointment yesterday and here are the stats:

Weight: 18lb 8oz, 11th percentile

Height: 30", 79th percentile

Head Circ: 43.9cm, 17th percentile

What she's up to these days:

She walks more and more all the time! She probably walks 80% of the time but yesterday I would have said 75%. There have been a lot of bumps and bruises and tears but she is determined to get around. She has figured out that she can carry stuff around now that she isn't crawling. She loves to get random things and bring them to me...or put them in other random places. I actually had to go out and buy a new trash can with a lid because one day she spent quite some time picking up items from the pantry and putting them in the trash. And the other evening Mitchell was unloading the dishwasher and Audrey took all of the silverware out one by one and put it in our bed. We both agree that leaving the car keys within reach could be disastrous!

She is a good little eater too! She loves spaghetti, beans, lentil stew, fruit smoothies, broccoli, raisins and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches just to name a few.

She has started pointing at everything. She points and says "this." She can say: mama, dada, yum yum, no no no, Jesus, fish, and cheese.

She has become so much more independent in some things. For instance, when we put her to bed now she wants to be put in her bed sitting down. She grabs her little bear and her blanket and spends a few minutes talking and playing then puts herself to sleep. It's so great!

She loves her Daddy! They like to play soccer, wrestling and hide and seek. Occasionally she is in the mood and will offer sweet little kisses too.

She is a joy and we love her a lot! (One of these days I'll try to post about something besides Audrey)

Just for the sake of reminiscence.

Audrey's Birthday Party!

Audrey turned 1 yesterday! I can't believe how fast time flies! We now have a toddler. She just keeps getting more and more fun though so we love it! She has such a little personality; she is curious and loves to make us laugh. Mitchell and I decided to throw a little party in her honor. It started out just inviting several of our friends over for dinner on the grill but it turned in to a full fledged party! It was pretty silly but totally fun. Here are the pictures. Happy Birthday Audrey!

Mitchell and I made this pinata. It was a fun and easy little project.

Birthday Girl!

So we had planned on having the whole party in our large, spacious backyard. It ended up raining all day so we had to move everyone inside where we were quite a bit more cramped. We had to make some obvious modifications to the pinata smashing since we were inside. This was a pinata head butt.

Pinata Karate Chop

Pinata Kick

Another Head Butt

Pin the bow on Audrey

Not bad!

Audrey was pretty overwhelmed with all of the people and being the center of attention.

Her own cake!

She was very dainty as she tasted her cake.

Audrey and her friend Jenna cleaning up the spoils of the pinata.

I made this cake and I have to say I love the way it turned out! It tasted good too! Bonus!

Boast Post

For the last couple of months I have been clipping coupons to save $$ on our grocery budget. I have been amazed at how quickly I've seen results! Already I am able to stay under budget (something I really struggled with and often did not succeed) AND our cupboards and pantry are stocked up! It's a fun little hobby. :) Here's today's haul. Retail price before sales and coupons is $37.73.....I paid $10.16! Woo!

Glass Half Full

One could look at their lawn and think: weed infestation or beautiful field of wild flowers. I think the dandelions are kind of pretty, especially since I'm not in charge of lawn care. ;)

Helper

Audrey has been such a big helper lately! *Insert sarcasm here* Although she doesn't make the daily tasks any easier with her "help" it sure is fun watching her explore new things!

Helping Daddy load the dishwasher

Helping with the garden

Helping with the laundry

She was loving the dirt!

...until she ate some, then she wasn't so sure

In other news I made mozzarella cheese Thursday with the help of a friend. The mozzarella turned out pretty well. Not much to look at but it tastes good. Then I made ricotta with the leftover whey. It turned out really good! Fun little experiment!

Little Gymnast

This morning Audrey and I joined our friends Michelle and Jenna at a toddler gymnastics class! It was really fun! We practiced somersaults, walking and running while holding a hula hoop, sitting and standing on the balance beam, jumping, climbing, hanging on to a monkey bar and playing with bubbles! It was really fun!

Getting excited about bubbles!

Running!

Hi Jenna! You sure are cute!

Doesn't she look WAY too grown up!?!?

Audrey always likes to stay informed on current events. :)