Holiday season

Now is the time of year we get to look back on the year and count our many blessings! I am thankful to have a beautiful family with 21 wonderful girls and a loving husband and an extended family who loves and supports us in all we do. The past 2 weeks have seemed to fly by and I can't believe Christmas is only 5 days away. Our baby Ivie is 2 weeks old today! Madelynn had a wonderful 2nd birthday on the 9th with her party on the 11th (Minnie Mouse Themed) and we had a few pictures taken of the girls at the house. We've also been busy baking for the neighbors, wrapping presents and even went to a baby shower at my office on Thursday. Our bad news of the week - Madelynn started running a fever (102.7-103) over the weekend and had to make a trip to the emergency room yesterday. She is on another round of antibiotics and seems to be feeling a bit better today. We are also working on potty training but are still having quite a few accidents. If anyone has some advice I would love to hear it! Ivie is settling in well. Last Tuesday she was 6lbs 13ozs. She is eating about every 3 hours and waking up about 2 times each night. We are looking forward to the week ahead.

Our blessing

Baby Ivie Adell has arrived. I was to be induced on Monday morning but she decided to make her appearance prior to being induced. Brian and I came into the hospital on Sunday night at around 9:30pm as I was having contractions. She made her debut at 4:40am 12/6/10. She weighed 6lbs 9ozs and is 20 3/4 inches long. Everyone is doing well! Madelynn has visited and seems to be happy with her baby sister. Here are some pictures!

Happy Thanksgiving

Well what a beautiful fall it has been in Missouri! We have had wonderful weather (unseasonably warm weather) until this week and we have been able to enjoy the outdoors. We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with the Snyder/Green/Wolf clan and celebrating Olivia's birthday this week! Sorry that we will be missing the Gould's/Heits' Thanksgiving at Kate and Brad's house though! I had my 39 week appointment at the doctor today and of course we have a stubborn little girl!! She is still positioned quite high with plenty of fluid and I (for the 3rd week in a row) am still 1cm verging on 2cm dilated and my cervix is still not thinning. She also guessed that our little one is around 6lbs and she presumes that I will go beyond my due date and just said, "I'll see you next week" We are all anxiously awaiting baby Ivie's arrival!

In prep for thanksgiving I'll leave you with this:
Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust

September and October with the Heits

Well yet again I am just now finished uploading camera pictures from the past few months. 2am seems to be about the only time during the day I don't feel like sleeping so I guess I will take this time to write about the things we have been up to! Madelynn has successfully transitioned into her big girl room and the nursery/crib has been reconfigured for our new arrival. I am due in 41/2 weeks. YIKES! How quickly the time has flown by! Madelynn, Brian and I have been quite busy these past few weeks. Madelynn took a trip to Shatto Milk and got to see the dairy cows in action. We were able to enjoy the grand opening of the Hamilton Bank in Lathrop. We took a visit to the pumpkin patch where Madelynn enjoyed walking the field and picking her pumpkin, running through the small corn maze and feeding the goats. We have also been able to visit Lynette and baby Elsie (she is soooooo sweet). We also enjoyed the Circus in Hamilton with Danica, Jasper and Aunt Jessi while Brian was away on Work in Florida. This past week Grammy Cherie came to help while Brian was away and I had to work and she was able to go to Madelynn's school fall festival. Madelynn had a blast this year with trunk or treat, monster ball toss, limbo, and alot of other fun activities. She had her Halloween party at school Friday and we also had trunk or treat at the church and she had so much fun! One problem with our homemade costume though -- she wasn't a fan of the mouse tail and kept pulling off her pants in the parking lot of the church - so that accessory came off! I have been busy this weekend with a manual therapy course and I am enjoying the lab. We have a very informative teacher. We are also looking forward to Trick or Treat Tonight!

Big Girl Bed!

Well I have some very exciting news. Madelynn has officially spent her first night in her big girl bed. Last night I was having some trouble getting her to go to bed so I asked if she wanted to sleep in her big girl bed. I am happy to say that it is 7:15 and she is still sleeping and she didn't make a peep all night. The room is bare/no curtains, no decorations, no bedskirt... and we're not finished painting the base boards but the bed is in use. Today is house cleaning day for me as I am home from work and I will make sure that she has her clean sheets and blankets in place. Brian is headed to Nebraska this weekend to watch a friend play football and Madelynn and I are touring the Shatto dairy with our family fun group. We're looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

promises, promises!!

So I promised I would keep everyone up to date with our lives but clearly I am not very good at keeping my word! We have been keeping busy and my cameras have been loaded with pictures. I finally decided it was time to unload and update everyone about the happenings with the Heits family. The last time I wrote was after the 4th of July. We have had a blast the rest of the summer. Baby Girl Heits continues to grow (I am 30 weeks along now and doing fine. Madelynn gets more talkative everyday and we have loved trips and days outside and just lazy weekends at home. In August we took a trip to Pheonix and stopped in Denver to visit cousins Chloe and Olivia. We had so much fun at the zoo and at the butterfly pavilion and just hanging with the Snyder clan! We also enjoyed the Lathrop Friendship festival with the Hamilton Bank and Danica and Madelynn had a blast in the parade. A couple of weekends ago we traveled toTarkio and got to take a tractor ride and pick apples and pumpkins and Madelynn got to play with cousin Maddox, Sophie, Claire and Grace. This weekend Jasper and Danica came for a visit to go to garage sales. Brian and I had a garage sale and needless to say we are all worn out but the girls had fun playing together. Yesterday we went to the Tyner houser for Cousin Maya's birthday celebration and Madelynn had so much fun playing on the swingset, playing on the trampoline and playing with peanut their pet guinea pig! Please check out some of our photos from the past few months.

So yet again I am behind on the updates! Brian, Madelynn and I have had a busy past few weeks. We were able to spend the 4th of July with the Green clan and the girls had a blast with the fireworks although the noise proved to be too much at times! Last weekend Mom and Dad came to KC with Danica and we went to the plaza for lunch. We came home and J & K and Jasper joined us. The girls and Jasper went to the pool, Brian worked on the Honey Do list and Kelly and Dad made a run to target! Sunday Shirley and Richard came to town, we went to church and had a great brunch at Granite City with Brad and Maddox! Today was our biggest day of all we had our 20 week ultrasound and everything looks good. We are 90% sure we are having a little girl! She was being very shy today with her legs crossed and flexed for the entire time! She is beautiful. We were able to bring home a CD of some of the ultrasound pictures complete with some short videos of her moving a little bit and even swallowing! they are really neat! We leave this afternoon for the Lake of the Ozarks to spend a relaxing weekend with the Heits clan - - We're excited!

Summer fun!

Well it is 230 in the am and I am wide awake. I guess this is as good a time as ever to update the blog! We have had many great days since our last post. We have enjoyed several weekends in Hamilton. We have taken a trip to Iowa for Solveig's wedding while Madelynn had a weekend with Grammy Cherie and Madelynn and I enjoyed a wonderful zoo-cation with Mimi and Papa and the Green clan. Madelynn really enjoyed the butterflies and the fish and the monkeys! She also loved petting the goats! This past weekend we also enjoyed some time with Mary Boone. We look forward to a mini vacation to the Lake of the Ozarks with Grammy and Papa, Mallory, Brad, Kate and Maddox. This weekend is the 4th and the Green clan and Mimi and Papa are coming to KC to enjoy the evening! Yesterday was Jud's Birthday and I hope the Denver clan had a wonderful day! Happy Birthday you old Goat! We love you! I had my 18 week appointment today and everything is fine. The Heart Rate was 135. My 20 week ultrasound is scheduled for July 15th which is less than 2 weeks away. We are excited!

Enjoying the Spring

Well we are getting ready to hit this unofficial start of summer and what a beautiful weekend we had! Madelynn was able to enjoy some time outside as was the rest of the family. Saturday Madelynn and I ran/walked in the NKC 5K to benefit the school system and just have some fun! We were the first stroller duo to finish and it was a great course! Sunday she got to play in her pool for a little while and also loved that. Daddy also took her for a short walk. She also got a haircut and it is a bit short now but at least it is out of her eyes! If you're curious about how the pregnancy is going it is good. I haven't had any morning sickness and am feeling okay (Just bloated and disgusting-as to be expected at this stage of the game). I have my next appointment next Wednesday!

The latest

Well this has been a crazy time and with my portable computer no longer in use I just have not been able to keep everyone up to date. Madelynn turned 17 months On May 9th and is growing like a weed! She would also like everyone to know that she is going to be a big sister because Mommy is expecting again and is due on December 1st. We had our first appointment with the doctor last week and got to hear the heartbeat. I've been feeling good other than just feeling the normal tired and fat. We added in the photo we used to suprise the family with the news!!!!! It's raining here today and we had a birthday party to go to today for Aiden and Madelynn had alot of fun with Dru, Maya, Aiden, Grace, Sophie, and Claire. Maya has a Guinea Pig which she thoroughly enjoyed. I had to work today but only 1/2 day. Tomorrow. I'm serving coffee and church and working and Uncle Kelly's Birthday is on Monday so we are celebrating in a big way with lunch at Mimi and Papa's house. Madelynn will really have fun with Danica and Jasper.

Promises Promises

Well so much for my plan to update this site with pictures and posts on a regular basis. I am on Cherie's computer so not able to upload pictures right now but wanted to write a bit. We have had a good week with alot of time outdoors - pictures to follow! I was able to run the broadway bridge 5k today and it was fun. Brian's mom and Grandma are in town this weekend so we ate dinner with brad, kate and Maddox so that was also nice! Madelynn gets to stay home from daycare tomorrow with GG Shirley. I am sure she will have alot of fun! Here is my next promise. On Tuesday I will upload some recent pictures as Madelynn is becoming such a big girl!!!!

Lord please bless us with a healthy spring!

Well guess what yet again I have slacked on the blogging! I was sick a couple of weeks ago and then last week Brian and Madelynn were both sick (again). Since I last blogged Brian and I had a wonderful Saturday of volunteering at Hillcrest Ministries with our church (probably where Brian got sick-out in the rain and cold weather) then this past week other than the illnesses we had a wonderful easter weekend. Cherie and Mallory came for the weekend and we were also able to see Brian's Grandma Mary Kay and his aunt Elaine. Madelynn also had a great time at her easter egg hunts! Especially the one on Sunday with Danica even though she had a face plant into the bush while trying to get one of the eggs! I'll have pictures up soon! It was a very memorable easter with both the Snyder and Heits family present to celebrate and a great church service as well! This weekend is Brian's 30th Birthday as well as Mer Mer's so we are meeting the family in Kearney for dinner on Saturday night. Sunday we are joining our church in KC and then have a potluck luncheon. Then Brian is off to the ACDC concert and hanging out with the boys in the evening! I know he will enjoy that!

Spring ahead

Yikes,

It has been a very busy few weeks. I normally have Tuesday's off but work has been very busy with all of our beds full so I have neglected our blog. 3 weekends ago we traveled to Hamilton on Friday and Danica and Madelynn played and I mean really played, laughed and even took their night bath together. Then we drove to Fairfax for Maddox's baptism. Madelynn was a trooper but wasn't able to sit through the entire church service. 2 weekends ago I had a girls weekend in Minneapolis and Daddy and Madelynn went back to Fairfax for Delainee White's 1st birthday party. She was very excited about the red balloon and coloring book/crayons she brought home. Last weekend I had to work and Madelynn and Daddy had some quiet time at home. Last week we were also able to see Jessi, Danica, Jasper and Mimi because we spent the day together shopping. It was such a fun day other than the fact that I was coming down with a cold and not feeling well. Madelynn also had her easter pictures taken and Maddox joined in on that fun. On that evening she also had her 15 month check-up. She of course is healthy and in the 75-90% in weight and 95%+ in height. Wednesday (St. Patricks day) started a bit crazy. I woke up a little late and then when I went to get Madelynn out of bed this horrible odor was coming from her room. She had thrown up all over the place in her sleep and I mean it was everywhere. I had to give her a bath and throw even her stuffed animals and glow worm in the washer. We can only think that she had a small reaction to the shots they gave her at the doctor?? Because she was otherwise fine and did not even wake us in the middle of the night when she threw up! We had Reubens that night with Kate and Maddox. This week has been wonderful so far. We have been able to enjoy the spring weather. Yesterday we took a long walk but realized that our jogging stroller needs a tire fixed as it is not holding air and today Madelynn came home with a diaper full of sand from playing outside with her friends at daycare. Hope all of you are having a wonderful week!

A quiet day at home

Hey all as promised this is my weekly update! There hasn't been much happening around our house. It snowed Sunday evening and Madelynn did get a little time outside yesterday to experience the snow but we really haven't been out in the weather much this season due to all of her illnesses and therefore really didn't have any snow appropriate pants for her. We stayed out about 15 minutes and then it was time to go in! She was bummed but it was just too cold. Today is my normal day off but I went to work for a few hours so she went into her daycare for just a bit and now we are relaxing at home. Brian just got back from a trip to Columbia (again). In a few hours I am headed to the gym for a class and tomorrow I will be going to a spiritual discussion class I signed up for at church. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home!
Talk to you all again soon!

14 months

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful valentines day and is having a wonderful start to the week. Madelynn are enjoying our day off today and looking forward to Brian's return home tonight from Columbia. This weekend we had a wonderful day visiting with Mimi and Papa and Danica,Jessi and Jasper and a nice quiet Valentines day at home. Madelynn turned 14 months this past week. She is really growing and is saying her first real words. Her favorite is Dada but does say Cat and Snack and Hot now occasionally and Mama usually when she is upset and we love listening to her jabber to her self while in her crib! It seems just like yesterday that she was born. How quickly time flys! My goal for the next year is to update much more frequently so please follow along!

Illness

Miss Madelynn went back to the Doctor on Tuesday which derailed our trip to visit Jasper and the rest of the Green clan. She has been one sick puppy - spiking a temp of 103.3 on Tuesday night. She is on Augmentin now and doing much better and was able to return to daycare this morning. She went to bed early tonight but seems to be feeling better. On Monday we were able to spend some quality time with Kate, Brad and baby Maddox Check out the pics of the evening and also the great pic of the Green clan

Welcome to the new additions to the family

We have had a very busy couple of weeks and I am finally getting around to posting a new post. Christmas was wonderful as was new years - Thank you to everyone for their thoughtfullness and the wonderful presents for our anniversary and Christmas. Madelynn and I have been fighting a nasty cold but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Madelynn was diagnosed with Asthma and is to use a nebulizer when wheezing and we are both on our last day of antibiotics! We are also starting a new member class at Good Shepherd Church. I really think we have found a wonderful home at this church. Everyone has been so nice! We also are very excited to welcome 2 new members to our Family
Maddox Brooklynn Heits was born December 30 and is doing well
Jasper Ned Green was born on January 21 and is getting to go home from the hospital today.

Pictures of both will be up very soon!