First Date

Matt took Madison on her first date the other day. The two of them have excitedly been watching the previews for the new 'Winnie The Pooh' movie for awhile now. Matt remembers watching these often when he was little and we were excited to see that it looked like it was going to be an old-fashioned Winnie The Pooh! I was given a whole collection of Winnie The Pooh books and this is what Madison and I read before she lays down for every nap and every bed time. She knows them all front to back! When you ask her, who loves honey, she knows the answer. Knowing that it was only an hour long, we thought it would be the perfect first movie for Madison to go and see. So, the other day, Madison woke up from her nap saying "Winnie The Pooh" movie!? I told her to go tell her Dad (who was trying to finish up the bathroom that had recently been gutted). He hadn't planned on going that day, but we got online and found one at 4:50 and Matt said he would make that one work. So... Madison got dressedup, hair brushed, snacks loaded, and off they went. Eliott and I hung out, awaiting their arrival. I was excited to see them come through the door. When I asked Madison how it was, she got her funny smile/raised eyebrow look on and she liked it. Matt said it was very fun... he said that they got their 'very large' tub of popcorn and headed in. Madison crawled up on a seat, sat down, and when Matt looked over at her, she was folded in half with her feet up by her head. He asked her if she wanted to sit on his lap... she shook her head, yes. So they both watched while they ate popcorn (Madison - one kernel at a time). Matt said that every now and then she would take out a kernel and put hold it up towards Matt and say, "Here ya go, Dad". Matt told me that when they had eaten all the popcorn, fruit snacks, and gold fish, Madison looked up at Matt and said, "Go home, Dad". They watched the last ten minutes of the movie and headed for home. I look forward to watching many more Daddy/daughter dates in the future.

Eliott's 8th month!

You are so fun... as we were driving in the car today, I looked back to your seat to see what I often do - you're huge blue eyes peeking around your seat looking back at me. I had to remind myself that I needed to keep my eyes. You are such a sweet little man! You are on the move... you have taken many 'crawl' steps up on your knees, well you usually do one knee and one foot, but as soon as you see something that you really want, you drop to your belly and revert to your army crawl (which is impressively fast). It makes me, and everyone watching, laugh to see how fast you move! You are officially a fan of feeding yourself. It's a chore to try and get a spoon into your mouth as you aggressively try and grab it and 'feed yourself'. Usually I use two spoons and switch on and off, or just give in and find some finger food for you to 'do-it-yourself'. Your sister is still totally in love with you and is very in tune to where you are and what you are doing. She is very protective of her stuff, although, and quickly snatches away anything that she thinks belongs to her, replacing it with an 'exciting' toy for you to play with saying, "El-tee-tee play with that, Mom". It's usually something like a shoe or a plastic plate or something like that :). She is very good at watching you, though. The other day she came and told me when you had one of her hair clips in your mouth and watches to make sure you don't head down the stairs if the door is left open. I often pray that you two with have incredible love for each other (amidst the 'challenges' :)). You officially got moved into the same room as your sister. It's going pretty well. She doesn't wake up when you fuss, but you are pretty sensitive to her noises. Madison does have a hard time settling down in bed when you are not in there with her. She likes to know you're near! You are still very go-with-the-flow and very fun to have around. We watch in awe as you figure out the world around you. Sometimes you fall and hit your head hard on the floor. You just look up at us with a 'what just happened - look', then smile and continue on with your business. We look at each other with raised eye-brows awaiting a scream, but you usually impress us with your toughness. You are an incredibly wonderful addition to our family. We love love love you so so so much!!!

potty training update...

Potty training went wonderfully... we actually haven't had a full 'accident' since day two of putting on the underwear (or 'underwearths' as Madison calls it). But she did something quite interesting yesterday. Matt's wonderful mother came over to watch the kids yesterday so Matt and I could head to Menards and get some bathroom supplies (Matt is gutting the bathroom - which is another post). When we got home, Madison was stripped down to her underwear. This wasn't too weird since she is a fan of being naked. But as Matt and I walked in the door, Madison walked out the door. She proceeds to take off her underwear and pee on the driveway... then come in and tell us that she just peed outside. I would have thought she did it accidentally if she wouldn't have taken her underwear off and flung it to the side. Not sure where that came from.

Second potty story... like I said earlier, Madison loves to be naked. We usually don't give her an M&M until she has fully clothed herself after going potty. After the kids had taken a bath, I was rocking Eliott before he fell asleep. She was running around naked. I asked her to put on her underwear. In perfect two-year-old fashion... of doing the opposite of whatever Mom tells her, she picked her 'underwearths' off the floor and flung them in the air. They landed right on my head... hence the picture. She thought it was hillarious... I laughed at how hard she laughed. Another day in the Hoffert household... wouldn't trade it for anything.

Officially pulls up!

A couple of days before Eliott turned the big 8 months, he discovered how to pull himself up... mainly just in his crib since it's easy to grab the rails. Then a couple of days later he did it on the furniture. He isn't great, and not incredibly balanced, but he's doing it!

Fishing Trip

Our first fishing trip as a family of four. Madison was so excited... we didn't catch the biggest fish but I don't think anyone cared. Much fun with good friends (somehow Karen and I didn't get in a single pic. We were there!).

Our little frog and monster