Enjoying My Baby Girl

Yesterday I had Madison all to myself. We had a great day of playing and getting things done around the house. I swear Madison grows up every couple of weeks. Lately she is doing something new every day!! She has such a cheesy fun loving personality.

She loves using the kitchen table as a jungle gym! She's getting really good at pulling up. I don't know why her hair is a little crazy! Poor girl. Thats what happens when you

don't go any where all day!
If only I could stand up!

I have tried several times to get a picture of Madison crawling, but every time she see's the flash of the camera she turns around!

On luck again!

Since Madison has learned how to crawl I have been comparing her to a cat. A cat you might ask? I remember when I was younger and we lived in the country we always had a cat. And everytime you hung laundry or did anything outside. The cat always showed up at your feet snuggling and climbing at your legs. This happened a lot yesterday. I would be in another room and all of a sudden Madison would show up and her head would be looking up at me between my legs or her hands slapping my legs!!! I love it!!!!

On Friday before Mark left for work he put Madison in bed with me. She was talking a mile a minute and having so much fun!

She's such a cutie!!

Happy Birthday Grandma Wendy!

On Friday, August 21, was my step-mom Wendy's birthday. We celebrated with a cookout and it was a wonderful evening to sit around a camp fire!! Mark and I really miss sitting around a camp fire since we live in town!! Especally the lovly sounds that come from my brother Josh. It's never a dual moment with him around! He also informed us that Mars is going to the closest to the Earth this week until many years from now, I forget when! We will see if he is right?

Happy Birthday Grandma Wendy!!!

Fun hair-do's at Grandpa and Grandma Kuhl's!! Madison's hair is getting really long on top. When I say long, I mean three or four inches.........the little things I get excited about!

We also went home this past weekend for a family wedding. Madison look really cute in her dress. She finally filled out one of her 6 month old dresses!!

Latest family picture. Madison was getting tired at the wedding dance so

she is already in her jammies.

She was realllly tired! This is the first time she has ever fell asleep in Mark's arms. Madison is the type of baby who has to be in her bed to fall asleep. She is extremely noisy and will fight sleep till the end. She couldn't even give up her glow stick!!

She's on the move!!

That's right!!! Madison starting crawling today!! Madison wanted to get a closer look at her new friend, Allie Hermann, at day care. I guess Allie's not a new friend, but a new face at day care everyday. Ruth said Allie was in her Bumbo seat and Madison took right off across the room to go see her. Mark was so excited he called me at work right when he picked Madison up from Ruth's. Ruth even emailed me to let me know at 11:00 a.m. Of course I didn't check my email today over lunch!! Any way, it is very exciting news for Mark and I. We thought she would be rolling to everything till she was 10!! No pictures or video yet.......our hard drive is maxed out, we really need to clean up the computer!

Four Generations

Last Sunday my Mom, Madison, and I headed to the nursing home where my Grandma Mary Iffert lives. I had been thinking about going there to get a four generation picture for a while when my mom asked if it was o.k. if we took Madison to the picture. I haven't seen my Grandma in about three years and going there is the hardest thing I have had to do in a really long time. I feel very bad about myself for not visiting her, but I did not want to remember her this way. She is suffering from Alzheimer's. The visit was extremly hard and emotional for me. She never once opened her eyes and mumbled jibberish. I know she was there in spirit and I will always remember the Grandma Mary I know.......

I will always cherish this moment and picture forever.

I had to get a picture of this sign on my Grandma's door to her room. It says Mary loves Leo. Leo is my Grandpa who pasted away last October a couple of weeks before Madison was born.

I think the sign is too cute for words!!!

Madison did lighten the mood a little that day. She kept wanting to grab her Great Grandma's hair that was especially "done up" for the occasion! I also put Madison in one of my old outfits that my Grandma Mary had bought for me. I thought Grandma would appreciate that!

9 Month Pictures

Last Tuesday we had Madison's 9 month pictures taken. She is getting to be such a big girl. It was nice getting to be with her all last week. She learned how to give a high five, wave bye-bye, and is getting soooooooo close to crawling!! She's got the army crawl down but just won't take the leap! I think it's driving Mark crazy!!! I guess she will do it in her own time. It's hard to beleive my baby is going to be a year old in three months........how time has flown!

I love you Madison!

More Vacation Fun!

Here are some more random pictures from our week vacation. Two Sundays ago we went to the Wendelin Picnic and stayed with my Dad and Wendy so we would not have to drive back to Edwardsville so late. Madison kept staring at the deers my dad had on the wall. She liked them until you got her real close, then she got a little scared! I'm really surprised she touched them!! I can't wait till she gets a hold of my Dad's stuffed turkey on the floor. Madison might not be Grandpa's favorite any more!!!

Josh and Madison playing on the floor. Thank you Uncle Josh for the raffle tickets!! She won $250 and a camo hat from Josh's tickets at the picnic!!! She must be a lucky charm....

This one's too funny......Madison has really learned to drink from her sippy! And I mean really chug!!! We went out to eat at the Olive Garden and Mark and I could help but laugh at her. And yes, we brought our own Bumbo seat into the restaurant. I felt like an idiot.....but Mark was right, it was much easier!

This past Saturday we headed back to Newton to see some of Mark family that came in from Texas. It was good company and good food!

Mark's Grandpa and Grandma Ritz with their great grand children and their newest grand child. I don't think any of the babies were happy, but it looks like Grandpa and Grandma Ritz were!!

All the new Dads and their children. Since Brian has two, Grandpa Steve had to help out!
Mark's uncle Joe Ritz with his new baby Joey (in from Texas). Mark and Maddie.
Brain and Grace. Steve and Adam.

Madison and Grandpa Keller enjoying a good book. Farm Animals to be exact. It is her favorite book so far. She loves the puppies. She gives them a kiss when you turn to that page. It was wonderful weather that day. It finally felt like summer!


Madison ready to hit the pool. We have only been able to get in twice this whole summer because of the crummy weather.


Some new pictures of the Schmacher cousins.......Adam

and Grace.....she is such a chunker! Look at all those rolls on her arms!!

I also found some time to take a few more lessons on my sewing machine last week. I successfully completed two more burp cloths!!!

Time flies when your having fun!

I can't believe it has been two and a half weeks since I have blogged the lives of the Keller family! Madison's baby sitter has been on vacation for two weeks so our schedule has been a bit out of sorts. The first week off we had Mark's parents and my mom come out to watch Madison for a few days. It was great having the grandparents around......even though there was a pooping incident with Grandpa Keller!! It was a nice break not having to take or pick Madison up from daycare. The second week Mark and I were on vacation!! It was awesome hanging out together and having some family time. We sure didn't want to go back to work on Monday. We both said, why couldn't we just be rich and not have to work!! But I think everyone wishes they could do that. We did lots of fun things around St. Louis on our vacation and got some things done around the house. Mark did have to keep reminding me we were on vacation!! But me being the woman I am, I though we could get some projects done........not so much!! Even blogging got put on hold!! It was a nice break from the daily grind!

Here are some pictures from our bike ride around Forest Park in St. Louis on Friday. We never knew how many neat things were there and really regret not going sooner. We will definitely go back! And Madison did so well on the bike.

Here we are at the World's Fair Pavilion. Mark had never been to the pavilion before. I had attended a wedding there last August for a friend from college. Mark did not go due to a "guys" weekend. I showed him the million stairs I had to climb in heels, in the heat of August and being hugely pregnant!!! I think he felt a little bad.......maybe? The pavilion was build back in the early 1900's. It also has these beautiful fountains in front.

We stopped for a picnic in the grass. Madison loved getting out of the seat for a little while.

She loves her Cheerios lately!

Here is the History Museum building. It really was great scenery.


We also went to the St. Louis Zoo on Wednesday. We were there for 4 hours. Just enough time to see every thing and long enough for a 9 month old!

Madison and I in the penguin exhibit. It was a nice place to cool down from the heat!

Madison and the gorillas.

The monkeys and the gorillas would come up to her stroller and stare at her.

Mark and Madison looking at the giraffes. They are such graceful animals.

We had so much fun at the Zoo and Forest Park I think we will go

back again before the end on the summer!

I feel like we did so many more things the past two weeks......I will catch up on the next post!