A Day with Family!

Maddie got to meet lots of extended family this weekend. We had a good time visiting!

Well, as Maddie gets older, and we visit the zoo more often, she becomes more and more involved in our trips. On our last excursion, she decided she was ready to get out and see the animals, instead of being confined to just her stroller. I thought I'd share a few of her adventures.


The Beaver, for the first time in a LONG time, was out in the water, swimming. Normally he's just in his little lodge sleeping, where you can't see him. But Maddie was SO fascinated with him. He swam up to the glass, I think because deep down inside, he wanted to attack us. And Maddie would just reach up to try to grab him. She really likes animals. She was just glued to him as he swam up and down the glass, scratching away at it.










She also got out to look at some of the fish and turtles. She wasn't as excited about them, but it was still a fun and new experience for her.






And of course, she had a lot of fun playing in her stroller as well. She was so happy and content, just to be out in the nice sunny weather. Made that trip a lot of fun. We're planning another trip coming up this Thursday. Can't wait! I love having a zoo pass!

Maddie's 1st Fourth of July

This year we celebrated Maddie's first Fourth of July by attending the Hillsboro parade.


With all the floats going by, the music, and the occasional loud sounds, she actually did quite amazing and had a good time. She got a few toys to play with, her favorite being a little flag that they were handing out. She wore her best red, white and blue, and had a wonderful time. She lasted all the way until the end of the parade, when it started to get so unbelievably hot, and she just couldn't take it anymore. We're hoping to make this a family tradition, considering we've gone every year since Ethan was born. Fingers crossed!!!

Happy Father's Day

I know it's a little late, but Maddie wanted to share her wonderful Father's Day adventure. She had a busy Father's Day weekend, with a trip to Woodburn on Saturday, and Salem on Sunday. But she broke out her best Father's Day shirt to celebrate her dad, whom she loves so much.

Because Allan wanted to spend Father's Day with his family at Enchanted Forrest, she was able to have her first trip at such a young age. Though there wasn't much for her to do, she was in such a good mood, and was so happy to just be out in the fresh air, even if it was a little chilly.

Me and My Big Brother!

Here's Maddie and her big brother!

It is so funny to me, how they can look so much alike, yet look so completely different. I'm realizing at this point, how I remembered Ethan having so much hair when he was a little guy, but truth is, he had nothing compared to his sister, who can already have her hair pulled back in to ponytails. But I'm thankful for how different they are! They are two wonderful kiddos to have.

My baby is 6 months old...

So we're here... Maddie turned 6 months old on May 18th - - I can't believe how fast things seem to be going by. Overnight she got SO big. She's fitting in to all of her 6 month clothes, she's eating cereal and fruits and veggies, and occasionally a cracker here and there. And her head is just FULL of beautiful brown hair. She's still rolling over like crazy, and is fighting as hard as she can to get as little tummy time as possible. (We're hopeful she won't fall in her brother's footsteps of scooting all over the place on her bottom!)
We decided to take the kiddos in to get their pictures taken, since it worked out perfectly that her 6 month fell right when Ethan was turning 3. She had SO much fun, watching them throw toys around and making noise, just to get her to smile.
She got in to a couple of different outfits, and had a few different back drops...
She loved all of the props used, and made sure that each one was appropriately introduced to her mouth! Even if she couldn't pick it up, she'd bring her mouth down to it.
She has a wonderful and infectious smile and I am so grateful to have such a beautiful baby girl!
At her 6 month appointment, we learned that she is doing just fine! Still no teeth broke through yet, but they are sure she is teething. She has moved in to the 65th percentile for height, and the 75th for weight, so she's broken out of that "tiny" phase. We're excited for the months ahead, as she moves in to getting teeth, to eating more solid foods, to using her hands more, and of course, crawling, and on to walking, and so forth. She's such a great baby girl!

Maddie on the Moo-ve!

Well... since the sun has come out, we've found it more and more difficult to sit still. And of course, there's a lot more community activities to take part in once that big yellow ball in the sky starts to show it's face!

So we decided to take Maddie and Ethan to the Saturday Farmer's Market in Hillsboro! Maddie was just basking in the sights, sounds, and temperatures that surrounded her. We also decided to stop by and see the county building where dad is going to start working on June 1st. And while there, we decided to stop by the BIG Sequoia trees that were once planted by Maddie and Ethan's great-great-great... grandpa?? John Ramsey Porter. They are right next to the Courthouse. It's amazing how much of their heritage surrounds them. What with having an entire street named for them just off of Hwy 47 in Forest Grove, and another giant Sequoia that stands on the corner of B street and Pacific Ave in Forest Grove.