Maddie went trick or treating for the first time this year. She had a great time! She said "trick or treat" "Happy Halloween" and "thank you" to everyone. She was Minnie Mouse this year since she LOVES Minnie Mouse. Lauren is too small for a costume, even the ones made for infants, so she just had to settle for a onesie and pants.
Home from the hospital. Doug and Maddie were glad to see Kris and Lauren come home. The Hospital kicked Maddie out one day because of the new visitor policy. No visitors under 18 because of the swine flu. Some nurses actually showed a human heart and let Maddie in the first day. Maddie missed her Mommy and she loves her baby sister. Welcome Home!
Saturday turned out to be a very interesting day. When we woke up that morning, we did not think that we would have another child by the time we went to bed that night. But WE DID! Kris was scheduled for a C-section on Oct 28, but Lauren wanted to come out early. Kris had been having contractions all day. She thought she might be going into labor. Her water broke around 3:00. We called the doctor and he said to go to the hospital and they would take a look. Lauren Abigail Smith was born on October 17 and weighed 6 lbs 13 oz and was 18 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing great.
Maddie's 2nd birthday party was on August 8th. On August 9th, Maddie turned 2 years old! We cannot believe how fast the time has gone. Maddie's 2nd birthday party theme was Dora the Explorer. We designed and made Maddie's birthday cake. The cake featured Map and a journey for Dora and Boots (like on the show). This journey was through the butterfly garden, across the duck pond by boat, and finally Maddie's birthday party (see the cake picture). We had a Dora pinata which is always popular with the kids. The kids also got treat bags full of goodies which they really liked. Maddie got a lot of really neat toys. Her favorites so far are her table & chair set, potty doll, doll stroller, and Minnie Mouse doll. She is really into baby dolls and Minnie mouse right now. She started liking Minnie AFTER we started planning her Dora party or we would have done a Minnie Mouse theme. She still likes Dora though, and the party turned out well.
This year, we celebrated with Great-Grandma Betty, Grandma & Grandpa Smith, the Smiths (Joey, Lori, Allison, & Alex), and the Scholls (John, Meg, Caitlyn, and Aiden). We had a great time with everyone and thank them all for coming to Maddie's party. We also thank everyone for all of her gifts. She loves everything she received. There is not one thing she hasn't played with.
Maddie and Caitlyn playing in the sprinkler.
Maddie having a cookie party on her new table with Minnie and her new baby dolls.
Getting ready to go out on her birthday.
Maddie having a blast with her new toys.
Maddie in her new Minnie Mouse nightgown.
The weekend of August 1st, we traveled to Farmington Hills, Michigan for our niece Caitlyn's 4th birthday party. The party was a Spongebob Squarepants theme. Caitlyn got a new jungle gym for her birthday. With the jungle gym, bouncer, kiddie pool, and Spongebob sprinkler, there was a mini kid playland in the backyard! Maddie had a GREAT time. She loved to jump in the pool and run through the sprinkler. She also loved the bouncer. She got on a swing for the first time. She was hesitant at first, but she really enjoyed it once she got going. We had a great time. Happy Birthday Caitlyn!
