Big Girl Room- The Baby is Gone!

Last nap with binky.
January 2nd Madison got rid of all things baby in her life. She had her last day with her binky and last night in her crib. For those of you who are not aware, Madison was very attached to her binkies. They have been her comfort when sad, hurt, sick, for snuggle time, or just because. There was even a period of time where she would fall down just so she could cry and ask for her binky. I think I was probaby just as attached to it. It was an easy solution to a crying girl in the car or public place. We started 3days before by cutting the tips of of her binkies one at a time. She would just look at it and say binky broken and throw it in the bathroom garbage. I was quite stunned at how easy it was. The last one was her prized Fufly(Butterfly) binky. That one she held a second longer, took one last suck and away it went. She talked about her broken binky for a few more days but she never even really cried that night. Mom on the other hand held her over her crib one last time and prayed over her with tears running down my face. It was a bittersweet moment as my baby girl was growing up. That night seemed to mark a big turning point towards 2 new babies joining our family and Madison becoming a big sister.



The next day Madison spent her nap at Nana and Poppy's while we put her new big girl room together. She was so excited when she walked in. She has slept great in her new bed although she has fallen off the bottom 2 times. We have a rail on the long side but somehow she manages to get upside down an roll off. The floor is now padded with pillows.
Below are pictures of her new room. Starting by looking in the door and moving left.

Here are a few more fun pictures of our big girl.

Christmas Morning

She loves to wear sunglasses.

On our first walk of '09. She was so glad to get outside.

Snugglin with Milo.

Favorite hat from Jason and Nicole. She has worn it for a week straight everywhere.

4th Folder, 4th Picture- Kephart Blessings!

Several of my friends have done this so I thought I would join in.
Look through your pictures and open your 4th folder and the 4th picture in that folder is what your blog entry will be about.



I was excited to see the smiling faces of our dear friends Jason and Nicole. This was New Years Eve '05. Just hours before '06. The thing I loved about this night is that this was our last big party before any kids joined our lives. We all had no clue how much our lives would change in the near future.

Madison calls them Uncle Jason and Auntie Cole. They are some of her favorite people. Jason has helped out a bit by bringing her little treats(her fave Chocolate Raisens) when he comes to visit.

This is also a great way to introduce them to the blogging world. They just recently started a blog called Kephart Blessings. Check it out. We love you guys! You are definitely a blessing to us.

We would like to introduce...

Micah John & Mason Russell

Thank you all so much for the overwhelming number of votes. It was fun to see everyone's opinions come through. The names we chose ended up being the first combination we came up with. And one of the top 2 voted on.
Both babies are measuring right on track and weight about 8oz each. I am starting to feel much better but getting a bit more uncomfortable. The fun part is that the babies are both starting to move much more.
This week we bought the babies crib bedding. Madison is moving into a big girl bed tomorrow and the nursery set up can begin. Watch for pictures of both rooms sometime soon.

Here I am at 3months




And looking a bit more exhausted after traveling at 4months.


Just for comparison. With Madison at 4months. Definitely bigger this time. :)

BOYS!

The official results are in and we are having 2 boys! It was confirmed yesterday in another Ultrasound. We are thrilled. I am so excited to finally be able to go shopping.

Right now the debate is on for names. With Madison we knew right away what her name was but have always had a harder time with boys. I posted a new poll on the side with a few name combinations just for fun. Make a vote or choose other and make a suggestion in comments.

More ultrasound and Christmas pictures will be coming soon.
We hope you all had a blessed Christmas Season!

Merry Christmas Greetings!

I didn't get a chance to include a letter in our Christmas cards this year so here it is. For those of you whom I don't have addresses for please consider this a Christmas card from our family to yours.

Dear Friends & Family
I hope this letter finds you all well. 2008 has been a very busy and exciting year for us. We started the year with our house in Banks on the market. Many house showings and 2 offers later we sold our first home. The last week in April we spent 5 days in Disneyland with Melissa’s family. We had a great time experiencing such a magical place as parents. Madison loved watching all the people and parades but wasn’t sure of the characters.

One week later we finished packing our home and moved into Hillsboro. It was a sad but exciting move. We love our new home and being so much closer to so many of you. While we settled in and unpacked our new home we also enjoyed many family weekends. We spent Memorial Day in Seattle with Matt’s family, camping trips, weekends at the beach, and many trips to the zoo.

In September we found out that we would be adding to our family with the new addition to arrive June 3rd. We went to our first appt in October and had an ultrasound. Much to our surprise there were not one but two babies. We were shocked, overwhelmed, but of course thrilled. They will most likely join our family sometime in May. Madison tells anyone who will listen, “Two babies Mommy tummy”. We are preparing her as much as we can already for the arrival of these two little bundles.

Madison has been such a blast this year growing and changing so much. She is now 2 and talks in full sentences. She counts to 12, knows all her colors, many shapes, loves to draw, read, play with her friends, and play outside. She is becoming such a big girl. She is fully potty trained and moving into a big girl bed next week. I cannot believe how fast the last 2 years have gone. We are so thankful for our fun, energetic little girl.

Matt is still working for Wells Fargo in Portland as a Compliance Manager. He recently bought a new Ford truck, enjoys working on his Chevelle (still in progress), golfing, and is taking up fly fishing.

I, Melissa, am working part time for my mom at www.MyPreciousKid.com. We opened a new store front location in Hillsboro this summer. I am loving the time I get to spend at home with Madison. We attend a Mom’s groups one morning a week and keep plenty busy. I will be home full time once the babies arrive. I know that life as I know it will change completely. It will be a big adjustment for our family, but we cannot wait.


Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May 2009 be full of many blessings for you and your families.

The Marteney’s

Birthday and Birthday again!

The other excuse for my lack of posting has been the abundance of birthday celebration in our house. Last weekend we started the festivities by having a joint party for Sydney and Madison. It was a Veggie Tales theme attended by several of the kids from our Mommy to Mommy class the same age (all boys). It was fairly laid back with lots of play time, cake (made by Dara and I), and presents. The girls had a great time.

The second was a family party yesterday. Some of our extended family were planning on attending but the snow kept them home. Instead my family, Matt's parents, and our good friends the Kephart's and Wills' helped us celebrate. It was Minnie Mouse themed due to Madison's love of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Minnie in general. After a rush to clean once again in the midst of finishing her cake an hour before we had a great party. I felt so blessed to have so many our our favorite people come even in the snow to honor Madison. Madison had a great time and knew just what to do when it came time to open gifts and blow our her candles. She even got to enjoy the snow for a little while.

Saturday, as I posted earlier, was Madison's actual birthday. I included some way to cute pics of Madison enjoying her very own ice cream Sunday and Christmas lights. Enjoy!

Christmas is in the air!

I know I am a bit behind in my posting. The last few weeks have been quite busy. The week before Thanksgiving we became the first house of our neighborhood to have a holiday glow. Yes MY husband put up Christmas lights BEFORE Thanksgiving. This was a first. He claimed it was due t the beautiful weather and possibly only chance to not hang them in the rain. I think I am rubbing off a bit in my excitement for the holiday season. A week later the rest of the neighbors followed in their holiday cheer displays.
We spent Thanksgiving dinner with the Marteney's in Lebanon and then traveled to both sets of my grandparents for the evening. Friday morning my mom, grandma, aunt, and myself set out at 5:30 on our traditional hunt for the perfect Christmas gifts. I will admit I was exhausted by the end of the day, but surprisingly had plenty of energy to get through my needed gift hunting.
Matt stayed with his parents overnight Friday and went to the Civil War game Saturday covered in Orange and Black attire. Of course the DUCKS kicked some Beaver butt! Madison and I were cheering along to the tv from home.
Sunday was another very important hunt and annual tradition. The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. And now several weeks later our house has been fully decorated for quite some time with presents under the tree. Our holidays festivities start this coming weekend with 2 celebrations with extended family weather permitting. I love this time of year and the chance to spend so much time with family.

Happy Birthday My Sweet Girl!

Today my little girl turned 2 years old. 2 years ago right now I was being moved to my postpartum room, just staring at her. Amazed that I had something to do with creating that little miracle. I cannot believe how much she has changed and grown. She is such a joy to our lives. Her energy and excitement make every day fun. We spent today getting ready for her family birthday party and then going to dinner and seeing Christmas lights with my family. She really noticed the lights this year and even knew who many of the characters were. It is so fun to see the holidays through her eyes.
I cannot wait to continue to see her grow and learn. There are so many fun memories yet to be made.
Madison, you are my miracle baby and I am so blessed to be your mommy! I love you so much!

1day old

1 year old

Black Friday Discount at My Precious Kid

Thursday through Sunday you can get 25% off your first online order at My Precious Kid. Those of you with new babies there are lots of great items just for you. See the Baby AuLait Nursing Cover, Sound Machine, Sleep Positioners, and more. There are lots of Child Safety products and baby proofing as well. If you miss out on the sale this weekend check the front page for another special offer on Monday.


Go to My Precious Kid to get the coupon code and see other online store discounts.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving Holiday and Happy Shopping!

It's a ...& a ...!

We had our US today and got a good glimpse of what looks like 2...

BOYS!

Now we have to come up with 2 boy names. We got a fairly clear shot of both babies but I wont be going shopping crazy until after our next appointment on the 22nd. Matt of course is thrilled. Enjoy some new pics. There are a few of Madison as well. She has been telling me she is going to hold and rock the babies and give them a binky and bottle.

Baby A

Baby B

TWINS!

BOY!

Feet

Go Ducks, Bad Beavers!

Last weekend we got to attend another Ducks game. It was the last home game of the season. We ran into several friends and tailgated with some of Matt's bosses. Madison somehow came up with Go Ducks, Bad Beavers. And I promise she came up with the last part all on her own. She would tell anyone who would listen. All of Matt's bosses are die hard Ducks and give him lots of grief about being the only Beaver. They were loving Madison's chanting and rewarded her with Duck sugar cookies and Duck lips.


The hard part of the day was that tailgating started right at nap time. So of course the last 10minutes of our drive Madison was finally ready to sleep. She did great even without her much needed sleep. She snuggled with Daddy and played with my hair while we were in our seats and enjoyed playing with Sydney at half time. She crashed not 10 min into our car ride home. It was a fun day.

Gender Poll

We have an Ultrasound on Monday morning. I will not quite be 13 weeks so finding out the gender is not likely. Although I do know of someone else having twins who was able to find out the gender of one baby at 12 1/2 weeks. I am not sure I will trust it 100% that early though. Our official BIG US is Mon Dec 22nd. I have posted a gender to poll to the right of our blog. Please make your vote. Voting ends on the morning of the 22nd. We will post pics of our US next week as soon as possible. I would love to know who voted what, so if you want to leave a comment that would be great as well.

On a side note: Please be praying for my grandpa. He had 2 heart attacks today. He had a stint put in and seems to be doing fine. He is going home Sunday. We will be heading down to see him tomorrow.
3years ago he had a big heart attack and open heart surgery. We are so thankful this seems to be on a much smaller scale.

October Come and Gone

This month seems to have flown by. It has been full of many surprises(TWINS) and fun events. Unfortunately my nausea and exhaustion have kept me from keeping the blog up to date. Any free time I have has been spent either playing with Madison or sleeping. I am finally regaining a bit of energy.

We started the month celebrating our 5th Anniversary with a weekend Downtown. We stayed at the Embassy Suites and had a wonderful dinner at The Melting Pot. The room was pretty tiny with no view, but the great breakfast made it worth it. We also visited Saturday Market on our way home. It was fun to have a weekend just for us. Madison had a blast at Nana and Poppy's. She did not want to come home.

Later that week our Mommy to Mommy group went to the Pumpkin Patch. Unfortunately I was fighting a stomach flu on top of morning sickness. Luckily Nana lives close by and took Madison for me. I was sad to miss the event but we got some great pictures and she is still talking about the Punkin Patch.

Madison has been loving fall. She has fun pointing out all the colors of leaves as we drive in the car. She thinks they are great fun to run in and throw as well. We have been ejoying indoor playtime to its fullest. Daddy has been getting in on the fun.

Dara had a Halloween Girl's Night last week. We all dressed up. It was so much fun to see everyone's creativity.


On Halloween we went to the churches Harvest Party with Madison as Tinkerbell. She quickly figured out that she got chocolate(candy) from the games for her bucket. She had a blast and loved seeing everyone all dressed up. After the party we went out to our old neighborhood to Tacker Treat (Tricker Treat). Unfortlunately because of the over 400 kids who arrive at that neighborhood by 8pm lots of lights were out already and we only go to see one neighbor. It was still fun to go back to visit. Last but not least we went to Nana and Poppy's. Madison knocked on the door where Poppy greeted her with Raisenets. Her favorite! The night ended late to bed but full of fun.

I know this was a long post but I hope you enjoyed catching up with us. I am hoping to be much more on top of things for the month of November. We have a Dr. appointment on November 13th. I am hoping to learn much more about what to expect during this pregnancy.