New Jobs + Wedding = BUSY!!!!!

I have been at my new job for 2 weeks now and I really like it. For those of you who don't know, I work at the Avenal State Prison. It sounds scary but it's really not that bad. I was originally suppose to work in the medical clinic on facility grounds but I ended up on the other side of the gates. Jon has been at his job for a week and he is adjusting to it. We miss Madison like crazy but she is in good hands with her great-grandparents: Maga & Ampa Meyer. She has all her toys, movies, a bed and her own little room over there. She has a fun time with them. I'm not used to being without her but I'm adjusting. I'm glad I get home early enough to spend alot of time with her. I'm NEVER too busy or tired to play with Maddie. We don't see much of Jon because he works 12-hour shifts and doesn't get home until 11:00pm. His only day off is Sunday.
Well, our Wedding is approaching quickly. I'm so excited and more so because I finished my vows yesterday. I'm so excited that our families will be here to celebrate this special occasion with us. I'm so anxious to find out how Maddie will do as our flower girl. She surprises us everytime. See you all in a few days!

Bowling With My Nina & Jo-Jo

Here's Madison being Mommy's little helper in the kitchen. By the time you know it, the counters and Maddie are full of water but I don't mind. I really appreciate and enjoy her company.

This is one of her "Sneaky- I didn't do it" looks. She was clearly up to no good and thought she could get away with it because her Nina and uncle Jo-Jo were visiting.

All I have to say is that my little brother Joseph is the KING of BOWLERS! He is really good at it and not to mention competitive. He's pretty good for a 7 year old. I sure did have a great time watching him have a blast!!!

Here's Madison with her Nina Victoria.

Our precious little Maddie is quite the bowler. Her favorite ball was the pink one. She would wait patiently until the pink ball was available because she would not use any other ball.

STRIKE!!!!! Yes, that's right, my baby bowled not 1 but 2 strikes. She would gently push the ball and we thought ball would never reach the pins. So we waited and waited,..... and to our surprise Maddie got a strike. She began to clap and gave us all a high five. She and Joseph had quite the audience.

Here's Maddie with her uncle Joseph. He and my sister Victoria came to visit us for the MLK weekend. We were so excited to see each other. The girls went out and did wedding things while the guys went to eat and to the park. We went to dinner for Joseph, Jon's cousin's, birthday and back to his house for pie. After bowling, we went to the Tachi Palace Casino to check it out. I'm not a gambling person so I hung out with the kids while Jon and Vicky explored. I'm glad they came to visit and of course, I was VERY sad when they left. Madison woke from her nap and was not very happy when she couldn't find them anywhere in the house. She cried for about 30 mins. It was so sad. Thanks Vicki and Joseph for visiting us- we had a great time! Also, we want to say Thank you to Ruth Ann for letting them stay with us.

Here Comes Trouble!!!

Here's our sweet little angel trying to get all the dishes so that she can throw them everywhere. She use to push her table into the kitchen which would make a loud noise so we would know what she was up to. Now, she just carries it thinking we don't know what her intentions are. I have to admit she's quite clever. It's just so hard to get mad at such an adorable face!!!! Everytime we catch her in the act, she stops, poses, says cheese and goes about her business. She is so hilarious!!!!!

In this picture, she was ripping through the house like a tornado while Jon and I were getting ready to go the mall. She had just finished emptying her toys in the livingroom, so I stopped her for a quick picture before she headed to the kitchen. But Madison is very good at picking up her mess. She is such a good girl and she knows it.

Maddie loves to brush her teeth. Part of it is that she likes to eat her "Toopaste" a.k.a toothpaste. She likes to do it herself so I have to sing a song and make a funny face in order for her to let me help her.

Madison And Her New Toys

Here's Maddie playing with 1 of her many toys she got for Christmas. Maddie got so many great gifts and we are thankful to everyone who got her something. Maddie got enough clothes to cloth 3-4 kids, a pair of Vans and Jordans, a princess suitcase that was filled with flashcards, stickers, hair clips/scrunchies, and a toothbrush. Madison also got a ton of toys including her first Sleeping Beauty Barbie, ABC learning zoo, stuffed animals, Mega blocks, dolls, personalized Barbie phone, puzzles, books,..... the list will go on forever!!!! She also got money from Great-grandma/pa Arcos and Grandpa Calvin. Madison also got her own frame with a picture of Great-Grandma/pa Meyer for her room. She loves her new bath towel that she got from Aunt Letta and tries to wear her wall hanging that says "Princess" around her neck that was given to her by Auntie Maxine. She's such a character. Overall, she got soooo many wonderful gifts that there wasn't enough room in the car so we had to leave some behind. But my sister is going to bring them when she comes.

After her bath time, Maddie and decided to color. We haven't experienced her coloring on the walls but she does like to color on our sheets. In the background is a yellow blanket that her cousin Kelli Meyer made along with a handwritten storybook. It's really cute.

Bringing In The New Year In The Valley

Here's Maddie with Auntie Angela-la & Aunt Leah (a.k.a Letta). She had so much fun playing with Auntie Angela. This was her second time seeing Angela and Uncle Joe and she warms up to them so well. She would not let Joe out of her sight. It was so nice to see those 3 spend time together and just have a blast!!!

Here's Maddie opening more presents with my family. She just opened a Disney Princess Snow White porcelain doll that I love because I collect them. Maybe Maddie might like collecting them like Mommy.

After a 3 hour car ride and running around, Maddie decides to take a banana break with my aunt Cindy.

Maddie LOVES Santa and would not leave him alone. My grandma has a 4 foot singing/dancing Santa that looks life-like and she would make him sing ALL day long. It was very cute though because she would hymn the Christmas carols and dance with him. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of her with the Santa.

We got to visit with Auntie Maxine and Maddie got more presents. We went to lunch, watched a movie, ran over to our all-time favorite store: Target and went to dinner. We had alot of fun!

Auntie got her this piggy bank that's wearing a princess crown. It's so cute and funny looking!

Here's me, Maddie, my sister Victoria and my little brother Joseph on New Year's Eve. We were on our way to my Nina's for a party. We didn't stay too long because it was really windy and Madison was having trouble with her asthma. She had so much fun in the jumper and playing with her cousin Lexi. Unfortunately, I didn't take too many pictures while I was in L.A. but my sister did so I'll post them when she sends them to me. We got home late New Years Day and both Jon and Maddie came back with a cold. I had a WONDERFUL time and I still get sad when I have to leave my family. Jon and I really don't see too much of our baby girl because she's so busy with everyone else. She LOVES to be with her Nina Vicki, Nana Pappi(my mom) and my 4 brothers: Junior(Ju-Ju), Michael(Caco), Matthew(Boy-Boy) and Jo-Jo(Joseph). She also enjoys being with all my aunts and cousins. My sister is coming to visit us in a few weeks and I'm extremely excited about that. We just want to say Thank you to my grandparents for letting us stay at their house.