Madison's 4th Birthday

Happy Birthday to my sweet Madison. She has waited so long to turn 4. We created a count-down chain to help the time go faster. She decorated all her cupcakes by herself too. She is my best helper. We had a bowling party with family and cake and ice cream. It was such a fun day to celebrate. It's hard to believe how fast time goes. We love our little princess.

Strong marriages

In a world full of people that seem to be so concerned about themselves, and what they will get out of life, it makes me take a step back and keep myself in check. It saddens me that so many marriages are falling apart. Not because the relationship can't be fixed, but because one or both parties simply chooses not to make it work. One thing I pride in, is a strong marriage. It is not easy and Matt and I work very hard. Our relationship is not perfect, we will always have things to work on and talk about, but we realize that it does take work and constant communicating. I am very blessed to have the husband I do and hope that I can be the kind of wife that he deserves. I am also very grateful for the father is he. He loves our girls so much and works hard to provide for them, but also so that I can stay home with them. There are many things we can't buy, places we don't go, things we have to save for, because we don't have 2 incomes, but we get to choose and our girls have benefited by me staying home with them. There have been a few times I have thought about going to work, but I always get the feeling that is not what I should do. So far, we are still able to pay our bills and have food on the table. My husband is a hardworking, amazing man. He loves me and I love him. We are happy and work hard to stay married. I am forever grateful for my husband. I love him with all my heart.

Happy Birthday Madison

3 years ago today I became a first time mom. Madison has been such a wonderful gift. Since she joined our family there has not been one day that I haven't smiled or laughed. She has such a great personality. She is always teasing someone and making sure we find her amusing (she must get that from me). I hope today will be a fun, happy day all about her. I look forward to many more years of smiles and laughter. I love you my little Madison!! Happy Birthday from mommy & daddy

The month of Thanks

It's very natural for each of us to think about the things we are greatful for this time of year. I am one of those. However, for the past several months I have been full of gratitude and have been reminded of how incredibly blessed I am. The most obvious blessing are my wonderful husband, beautiful daughters, family (both my immediate family and in-laws). I have a beautiful home. My family is healthy. We are happy. However, today I thought of an additional blessing that we all have, we just don't know it, or pay attention. Personal revelation. Some may call it instinct or vision, however you refer to it, to me it's all the same. What I receive personal revelation about is usually personal and some people won't understand so it's not worth sharing, but I am very greatful that I have that gift. My family is usually the focus of those. They are what I care most about. Many people focus on education, jobs, friends, personal life. None of that is bad. Sometimes I wish I had more friends, but then my sweet Madison randomly yells "Mom, I love you" from across the room and I remember that she's one of my friends. I sometimes think I wish I had a job and then after I am done nursing Mallory and she falls asleep in my arms, or gives me the biggest, sweetest smile while I'm changing her diaper reminds me that I LOVE my job, as a mom. I'm not rich, but when it comes to staying at home with my girls there's nothing I'd rather do.
I try to keep this on my mind, but until my 'Things to complain about' list is longer than my 'Things to be thankful for' list, I have to be thankful and not complain!

Happy Anniversary

On October 14th, Matt and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. I still have so many clear memories from the day we got married. One of the best decisions I ever made. We have been together for 10 years and had plenty of ups and downs, but everything has been worth it to be to where we are today. He is my best friend. I love having him by my side. He is such an amazing person, husband, and father. I am so blessed to have him in my life. I am so excited to grow old together!!

Happy Halloween

This Halloween was so much fun. Madison dressed up as a bumblebee and Mallory a Ladybug. Cutest bugs in town! Madison loved her costume. She never complained putting it on. In fact she got very excited. She was even adorable at 'stinging people.' She would grab her stinger and say "buzzzz" as she backed up toward the person. Hilarious!! This was her 3rd halloween, but the first where she actually understood how the whole trick-or-treating things goes. Once she caught on though...there was no stopping her. :) We ended up with way too much candy. Most will make for great church treats though!!

Mallory Jade Dixon

In November of 2010, Matt and I were getting ready to have company stay at our house for Thanksgiving. I told Matt, "I think I'm pregnant". It was quite a shock since I was on birth control and we weren't planning on another baby at the time, obviously. So we snuck off to Walmart without family and bought a test. Positive!! That same weekend my sister, Kristin, had her first baby boy, Felix. It kind of made me excited, but also really hard to keep my mouth shut. I had only taken a home pregnancy test. For Christmas we told the family. We used onesies from when Madison was a baby and wrote "Coming soon 8/1/2011". They were of course excited. Well, 9 months later we had a beautiful baby girl. We named her Mallory Jade. She weighed 7lbs. and 18 1/2 inches long. She was a BIG surprise in more than one way. We didn't find out her gender, but Matt and I were just sure we were having a boy. In fact we barely thought of girl names (more 'justincase'). So after she was delivered I asked what it was....it was a Girl. I practically jumped up. What???? I was shocked. Now 3 months later of full bliss I am so happy we have 2 girls. They are just so sweet and precious. They sure have a done a number on their daddy. His heart gets bigger everyday for them. Madison is such a good big sister. She just loves "Peanut" (that's the nickname she gave her) :)

Update on our clan

I was re-reading my previous posts. Some were how we were looking for a house. That sure brought back some emotions. That was a very stressful time. Something I am glad I am no longer doing. Matt bought our first home in June of 2010. I can't believe we have already been in it for a year. We love it. I am so grateful for the home we found. I sure put my foot in my mouth a lot though. I remember being so frustrated that other houses didn't work out. Thinking we would never buy a house, etc. The house we ended up in cost less than most we looked at, already had a finished basement, has a great ward/neighbor (which helped me become active in the church again), and we love the area. It helped me remember to be a little more patient with big decisions and let God do his thing :)

Happy Easter

Last weekend was Easter. I think it will be the new favorite holiday. She got to eat candy before breakfast. Who wouldn't love that!? When we first showed her her easter basket, she just smiled. She wouldn't go to it though. She just stared. I had to go sit by it and then she finally came over, and even then she wasn't that interested until she saw stuff inside the basket. She loved opening the plastic eggs and finding surprises inside. She really likes the mini robin eggs. It was such a fun morning. Thanks Easter Bunny for coming to visit.

Walking on sunshine

This has been going on a few weeks now, but Madison is walking everywhere. She won't even crawl anymore, it's that serious. She also has a favorite blanket that drags along with her. It's pink and has monkeys and colored balls on it. When she was a baby, I was not good about putting shoes on her feet, so now it is a struggle to put them on (she curls her toes so it's hard to put them on). I did teach her that when we go outside she has to wear shoes, which she only tolerates because she wants to go outside. Most days she will find her coat and bring it to me. When she has her shoes on though, she will NOT walk or even stand. She turns into a "wet noodle" and flops to the floor and starts whining. It's annoying, but quite hilarious. Someday well get there, we better anyway cause I refuse to always carry my child just because she has shoes on her feet. It's a little backwards.

Madison's Birthday

Wow! I am trying not to get emotional, but I cannot believe how time flies by so quickly. 1 year ago, tomorrow, I finally got to meet my beautiful baby girl. I want my little baby back that loves being held and want to constantly snuggle. However, we traded the snuggling for wiggling and a few other, more exciting things. I have loved hearing Madison laugh, say "mama" "daddy" and "wow" (my new favorite word), blow kisses, starting to stand up on her own, become stubborn and independent when it comes to feeding herself, the list goes on and on. It has been a wonderful year. My happiness grows everyday I get to spend with my little girl. I never knew parenthood would be such a wonderful thing. The tantrums, dirty looks, and dirty diapers don't even matter cause her smile wins my heart everytime. I am very blessed to be Madison's mom and wouldn't trade it for anything. Happy Birthday to my little sweetheart. I love you!

Reflection of the year

I just want to reflect on the year 2009. So much has happened. Probably one of my best years yet...
January - Matt was still working in Burley. I was living with Janae in Idaho Falls until my temp job at United ended. Mid January I was able to reunite with Matt. Patiently waiting for baby "Melvin" to come.
February - I celebrated my 28th birthday. Feb 13th & 14th I worked really hard at getting my baby to come out. Lots of walking and trying out myths that would induce labor (eating pineapple, foot massages, etc.) Madison Gail was born Feb 15th. Fast and easy labor. Went in to labor around 8pm Feb 14th (didn't know I was in labor yet). Arrived at hospital at 3 am and then Madison was born at 3:26, all natural. I am so proud!!!
March - Madison and I were given a wonderful baby shower, with lots of loved ones in attendance. Even Aunt Ang and Ashley were able to attend. Matt went to work in Washington. Madison and I drove to visit him for a little over a week.
April - Matt went to work in Nampa and we got to go with him. Madison was blessed by gramps at their house (the day before Easter). Had Easter in Kuna.
May - Traveled to Utah. (Madison has been more places in her 3 months of life than most people do in a lifetime) :) I got to experience my first Mother's day. Matt and Madison were wonderful. I received beautiful roses and a beautiful heart necklace.
June - Matt experienced his first Father's day. Madison gave him a fist mold. So sweet and tiny. We also had some of my side of the family come camping down in Burley for Father's day weekend. We had lots of fun...but got rained out. 10 year high school reunion. Can't believe how fast time went.
July - Fourth of July was fun. Spent time in Swan Valley. Went camping at Bear Lake. Had a blast on our floating island. Started looking for houses. Long process. No luck yet.
August - Still looking at houses. Took Madison swimming in the rv park pool. Lots of fun.
September - Went camping at Willow Flat. My favorite place to camp. So many memories growing up. Found 3 houses we liked. Left Burley (laid off) to come to Idaho Falls for spud harvest. We also are trying to make our home up here.
October - Celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary. Made an offer on a house & offer accepted. Just waiting for our 5th wheel to sell and trying to find employment.
November - Matt took Madison sledding around nana and papa's yard. She's not a fan. Was not happy when she tipped over. Thanksgiving at the Mathews. Did some black Friday shopping. Pulled an all-nighter. Probably won't happen again anytime soon.
December - Used a sewing machine for the first time. Made holiday aprons for Janae's family. Turned out really cute. Once I have a house I will make some for me :) Had to put our house back on the market. Trailer never sold. Oh well, guess it wasn't meant to be. Had a great Christmas. Family has treated us VERY well. We have wonderful parents and siblings. On Christmas Eve, we received a new nephew. He is a handsome little boy!! We look forward to getting to know him and giving him lots of love.

I really look forward to 2010 and more quality time with Madi. I have been blessed this year to be able to stay at home with her. It's something that is very important to me so I am so greatful that Matt is a hard worker and has been supportive of me not working. I hope that blessing continues. We hope to be able to find a home of our own in '10. Madison will turn 1. We have a lot to look forward too.

Baby's first Christmas

Today has been so wonderful. Christmas is a lot slower with a 10 month old. Around 8am, Madison was still sleeping and everyone else was awake and ready to go so we woke her up. We have a picture with her giving a "leave me alone, I want to sleep" look. **All pictures taken with our new Nikon Coolpix camera** We started opening presents and she wasn't really interested. She just wanted to eat and probably go back to sleep. She helped take off some wrapping paper. We hardly got started and then papa gave her a present. He gave her a pink rocking horse. SO cute!! We put her on that thing and had a huge smile on her face. She was mad when we tried to take her off to open more presents. I guess we should have saved that one for last cause she wasn't interested in anything else. Oh well. She was so cute to watch with her pony. If you press the ears it sings, neighs, etc. She would bounce to the music and just have a good ole time. After an hour or so, everyone else was done and we still had stuff to open so Matt and I just opened our gifts and then opened the rest of Madi's. Maybe she'll be more into unwrapping presents in a couple months for her birthday. She got lots of great things...pink boots, clothes, movies, toys, cabbage patch doll. She was treated very well. So was her mother!!! Matt was amazing and got me my very own bowling ball. Anyone who knows me well, knows that is a good gift :) I'm excited to hit the lanes. Thanks honey!!!

First visit to Santa

Matt and I took Madison to see Santa at the mall yesterday. We were impressed that even though we went on a Saturday afternoon and 6 days before Christmas, it only took about 40 min. from the time we stood in line to the time we were done. I was very curious to see how she would react to Santa. She was happy, but sometimes if mom isn't holding her she gets mad (we're almost past that phase, but you never can tell). I wasn't completely surprised, but she LOVED him. She stared at him and then started touching his gloves, beard, glasses, etc. He was great and let her play with his beard. She would look at us and smile, then go right back to checking out Santa. He asked Madison what she wanted for Christmas, then said "I bet you'll get some diapers and maybe a warmer to warm up your wipes so you won't have a cold bum." I wish I would have had a video of the whole thing it was so sweet. Our camera was lame so we didn't get a great shot either. If I wasn't so cheap I would have paid the $13 to have the mall take it. Oh well. It was a fun experience. I was already very excited to have Madison's first Christmas, but this made me even more excited.

Angel Tree

Today Madison and I went to Sportsmans and picked up a tag from the angel tree to purchase a gift for a child. It makes me so sad to know that some kids don't get anything. Even though Madison doesn't know any better, starting this year we will do an angel tree gift every year so we can help her understand the importance of giving. As she gets older it will be more fun to teach her and have her do the picking out herself. In the same respect I pray that Matt and I will always be able to provide for her so that she won't have to be on the receiving end of angel tree gifts. It will hopefully help her realize the blessings she has.

Anyone need a Kleenex?

So, the other night Madison did not want to go to bed. I was not just being a mean mom and putting her to bed at 6pm. We started at about 9:30. She fell asleep for an hour, but then would not go back to sleep. It was about 1am when she finally fell asleep again. The current issue is we are living with in-laws and Madison is sleeping in the same room with me and Matt. She pulls herself up in her play pen and can see us and she knows we are in there even if she can't see us. Anyway, so she fell asleep at 1, then woke up at 5 and I fed her. She fell back asleep until 7:30 then stayed awake. That means I only got about 5 hrs of sleep. At 7:30 when she wouldn't go back to bed, I pulled her out and let her play on the floor while I layed in bed (I made sure there were no harmful things around). I only dozed off for a minute or two. When I woke up and decided to just get out of bed I found my daughter next to a large pile of kleenex. Madison had pulled one by one out of the box and had a large pile. Luckily she didn't go get them all out, but more than half. I also found a small piece in her mouth (at least it was unused). I could just picture her having a great time. It does make a great game for kids, I just wish they went back in the box as easy as they come out :)

On the move

Where has my little baby gone?? I am still in denial that babies grow up fast. It has only been 8 1/2 months since Madison was born. In my head, I still see an infant and forget that she wants to and tries to be a BIG girl. She wants to be apart of everything and do everything mom & dad does. She started pulling herself up to a standing position (Nov. 3rd). The next day, it was supposed to be nap time, I peeked in the room to check on her and she had pulled herself up and was hanging on the edge. We of course couldn't risk her falling out so we lowered her mattress to the very bottom. She is such a little stinker :) Then on Nov 7th, started crawling. Argh!! I was so excited, but almost started crying. At least she likes cuddling. If I didn't have that then my baby would really be gone. It just all keeps happening so fast. She's up to 8 teeth now, crawls, sits up by herself, sits in high chairs, goes for rides in grocery carts, gives dirty looks, the list goes on and on. She's 8 1/2 months going on 5.

Happy Halloween

Madison experienced her first Halloween. We dressed her up as a spider. She was so cute. She hated the hat and kept pulling it off her head. The night before Halloween, Matt and I carved pumpkins. Matt was a great dad and carved 'MADI' in a pumpkin. We made sure to take lots of pictures with Madison next to it.
We didn't do a whole lot of trick-or-treating, but some how Madison ended up with a bag full of candy, most of which she can't eat, but we gave her a blue sucker for her to enjoy. I got a cute her to stick out her tongue so I could get a good picture of how blue her tongue was.
She was a good sport letting mom dress her up. It was one of my favorite Halloweens!!

June 2009

Our family is currently residing in Burley, ID. We are in the process of finding a home in Idaho Falls. We do get frustrated with trying to get settled. We know that things will fall in to place when and as they should, but it sure is hard to wait and be patient. Right now we're living in our fifth wheel. It is so nice and we've loved it. But now with Madison we need a little more room. I'm sure she'll appreciate not having to sleep under our tv. It does help us to go to bed earlier though.

Setting up

Well, I finally decided to jump on the blogging band wagon. I heard it's a great journal log especially when you have kids. Now that I have one I figured it wouldn't hurt to start blogging.