Trip to Exeter

Madison, Adam, Jamie, Kelli and I took a trip to Exeter to witness the dedication of a town mural depicting our Grandfather/Great Grandfather in WWII. Almost the entire Crosson Family was there but the five of us travelled in one car. The trip was full of a lot of "mines" and "nos" with crying in between by little miss Madison. Adam slept the whole way. Needless to say, we were all happy to be out of the car when we arrived. Madison started asking "Are we there yet?" which I thought was so funny - not sure where she picked that up at two years old. Thursday evening was the mural dedication downtown followed by a large family gathering and Friday was Madison's 2nd birthday. Because Aunt Carol also had a birthday on the 24th (Wednesday) before we arrived, we celebrated hers and Madison together. It was so much fun and I think both birthday girls LOVED it as much as the rest of us did. Natalie was so great with Madison - the best cousin ever. We went on a walk together around the ranch and the girls crushed fallen oranges with their feet, had a rock throwing contest, looked at the pond and the water pump, and just ran through the ranch exploring. It was a blast. I didn't take the camera on our walk but it was so fun! Here are some photos from the trip.


Uncle Greg Tries to give Madi Hugs after the dedication on Thursday


Kelli and I had the privilege of watching the sunrise on Friday thanks to the kids


An hour later - Kelli and Adam passed out


Girls Eating Breakfast


Jamie took this pic of Adam - Funny


Grandma holds her newest great grandchild


At Grandma Crosson's



Madi joins Adam for tummy time

Birthday Girls... they looked so cute and had such a good time dressing up

Natalie and her cousin Adam

Adam turns 60? Well he looks like an old man sometimes but that's pushing it...

Grandma Hug-a-Bug and Adam

Grandma Crosson was cracking Madison up. They were so cute together

Grandma Hug-a-Bug with all of her grandkids and her mom (Grandma Crosson)

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to...

Birthday girls with their cake

Madi plays the piano

Adam's First Bottle

Ryan and Madi give mommy a break and feed Adam for the first time. Of course, Madi loved to help.

A Few Photos of the Kids

Madi loves holding her little brother

Mornings in Pacific Beach

The weather was so warm last week and I couldn't stand being trapped in the house so Adam and I spent a couple mornings in a row in PB with Auntie Kelli. The first morning we walked around the bay and up the beach to World Famous for lunch and then back to Kelli's where we hung out for a while. We went back the next day and did the same walk to coffee down on the beach. We had such a good time and it was nice to get the exercise too! Here are some photos from our walks.



Kelli pushes Adam

Thankfully he slept the first day while we ate. The second day he fussed for most of the time.

This little dog lived at one of the houses along the beach and was sitting outside looking at the waves every day when we walked by. He'd come great us.

Such a little cutie.

Put Me In The Zoo

Oh the zoo... we gave up our zoo passes a year ago because Madison was too young to enjoy the experience. This year we decided to renew our passes. On Valentine's Day, Ryan, Auntie Jamie, and I headed out with the kids and let me tell you - it was a literal nightmare of an experience. Again, the photos make it look like a causal day at the zoo but it was anything but that. It took us about 30-45 minutes to park and then another 30-45 minutes to wait in line for passes. Once we got in the park, I fed Adam while Jamie and Ryan took Madi to the petting zoo. Ryan hates the petting zoo because he says it's nothing but farm animals but Madi had a good time at least. Afterward, we walked by the Flamingos and the primates on our way to see the Pandas. While Ryan and Madi fought through the crowds to take a look at the animals, Jamie and I decided to go ahead and wait in line for the pandas. Problem was that we got lost for about a half hour and then Ryan and Madi also got lost in the same spot. At least we were together but it took us a while to find out way back on the path. When we finally got to the Pandas, the line was 35-40 minutes long so we decided to pass and instead took the kids to the bathroom for diaper changes. That probably took as long as it would have taken to wait in line. We were all starving at that point and went in search of food but the place we ended up at was shut down. We decided to head through the Elephant exhibit which took way longer than expected and when we finally found a place to eat, that line was another 40 minutes or so. We left the zoo after eating, and despite the fact that we'd only seen maybe 5 animals, we'd been there for 5 hours or so. At least Madi had a good time!!

Our First Dinner Out

Ryan and I decided to give ourselves a break and take the kids out to dinner. I had to blog about this because the pictures make the experience look deceptively relaxing. In reality, the experience was anything but relaxing. Madison kept standing up in her booster seat so we threw her in a high chair and, again, she kept standing up in that. Food was everywhere all over the table, Adam eventually woke up and was crying and then when we finally got the check and Ryan was paying the bill, we realized that Madison was coloring on the glass of the window with a crayon over his shoulder. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. We will brave it again at some point but for now, take out is now the likely solution on days we need a break.

Madison Has Soccer Practice

Madison started soccer a few weeks ago. She and Ryan go every Saturday morning and then get donuts afterward. I went to the first soccer session but Madison kept running over to Adam and I during the program so we haven't gone since. From what Ryan says, she still tends to get distracted and take off across the field half way through the drills but we love that she gets out of the house. Plus when she gets home, after lunch and a bath she tends to take a good long nap since she's so tired out. That means a nice break for mom and dad!



Madi sports her Addidas Track Suit


Boy all this exercise can make a girl pretty darn thirsty



There she is - our little soccer star




Madi with her classmates

They use these big balls for some of the drills

Madi's School Has a Mommy & Daddy Breakfast

In celebration of Valentine's Day, Madison's school also had a parent's breakfast that Ryan and I were invited to join. It was really fun to see all the kids and get to chat with the parents for a little while. We were lucky that the breakfast happened while Ryan was still on leave so that we could both go. We brought Adam in the stroller, closed it up, and parked it by the classroom door. A little girl went up to peak inside at one point and Madison started yelling "NO!!" at her from across the room. Apparently she is already being protective of her little brother.

Madison and Mommy

Good sharing!



Madi and Daddy

Our little girl

Madi and Mommy Make Cupcakes

Madison's classroom had a Valentine's Day potluck for the kids. Madi and I made cupcakes to bring to the potluck and she absolutely LOVED helping in the kitchen. She was a bit scared of the mixer but otherwise had a blast. I think her favorite part was licking the bowl.

Coffee Shop Walk

We managed to walk to the coffee shop only once before Ryan went back to work. After Madi was born we walked several times but while Ryan was off this time we spent more time decorating the nursery (since we didn't know Adam was going to be a boy) and running other errands. Here are a few photos from the one chance we did have to walk there.