The Madsen Family

Kayli is 6

Noel — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:33:41 +0000

I don’t know why but 6 seems so much older than 5, I feel like its all happening too fast! Kayli has been cheating and telling people she is 6 since Christmas and every time I hear her say it, it stings and I correct her. I tried convincing her to be 5 for another year, but she told me that was a crazy idea, you cant stay the same age for 2 years. So I suggested that she be 4 again and that sent her off laughing, but I was serious!!

How did my baby girl go from this…

to this?

She had her party a few days before her birthday so on her actual birth day she woke up to a few presents from us and Grandma and Grandpa Madsen. She took donut holes to school to share with her class and then she got to pick where we ate dinner and dessert that night. In N Out and Cold Stone, smart girl!

She loves her American Girl dolls Molly and Emily! Emily’s hair color is almost identical to Kayli’s which she thinks is pretty cool since she never sees dolls or barbies with her hair color.

She is such a big girl now. It has been so much fun to watch her grow and learn. She absolutely LOVES school, riding her bike, and playing with her cousins and friends. She brings so much joy to our lives and I cannot imagine life without her. She is a great big sister and cannot wait to have a newborn in our home again! We love you Kayli!!

Rainbow Birthday Party

Noel — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:11:35 +0000

Kayli really wanted to have a big party this year. She requested two things, a rainbow theme and a slide bouncer. The party was a lot of fun and despite my initial thoughts, the rainbow theme was fun too! Here are her invitations, they turned out so cute!

I had a lot of fun with the decorations, and the cake! Pete blew up 72 balloons the night before the party while I was making the cake, so that we could have a balloon rainbow leading to the backyard. I really liked the way it turned out!

The kids loved the table centerpieces, vases filled with rainbow bubblegum and a pinwheel.

The cake was a hit as well! It was a lot of fun playing with colors and making this 6 layer beauty! it was really yummy too!! =)

My sister Jena made these adorable and delicious cake pops! I didn’t snap a picture of the inside, but it was like biting into the rainbow. They were so cute!

Kayli and all 23 kids had a blast! They ate pizza, played on the slide bouncer, jumped on the trampoline, and played on the swing set. There certainly wasn’t a shortage of fun things to do. The weather was perfect! The pinata didn’t bust until the last person was swinging, and Kayli got lots of fun presents from her friends!

So much fun! Thanks for letting us party at your house Sunny! Thanks for coming friends and family! =)

Schnepf Farms

Noel — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:42:42 +0000

Such a fun place. We went to the pumpkin festival a few years ago, but the kids (Caiden mostly) were too little and it didn’t seem like we got our moneys worth. This year was a totally different story, they have added a lot to the farm since the last time we were there and the kids were big enough to ride all of the rides. We had a blast for the four and half hours we were there and we could have been there longer, but it was 10:30 pm and the kids were ready to crash!

The hayride was my favorite. We got to see the baby deer and the kids fed them peach leaves off the nearby trees, so cool! I had never fed a deer before have you?

The kids and Pete loved the roller coaster. It was a slow night so they would get off and get right back on, I lost count of how many times they rode.

I LOVE that they can ride some rides together now and we dont have to ride with them! I was never a fan of the up, down, round, and round rides.=)

Caiden even rode this one alone. He was the only kid who could figure out how to make the airplane “fly high”.

Waiting for the pig races. Look at those grins, Think those two are related?

Of course we had to ride the 100 year old carousel.

And pick some pumpkins from the Patch.

Goldie

Noel — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:03:10 +0000

A few weeks ago I took the kids to meet Goddess’ new horse Goldie. She is a Belgium Draft horse, she is beautiful, and HUGE! The kids both just loved being around all of the horses, and helping to brush, feed and walk them. Kayli wanted to get up on Goldie just to sit on her, but we figured out that she is just too big to even get Kayli up there. I think we need a pony and riding lessons for this girl, she keeps telling me she wants to be the Queen Creek Rodeo Princess.

Kayli watching one of the colts

They had a blast in the mud puddle too. Kayli was pretty hesitant on getting dirty, but finally decided to go for it. She stood next to the puddle, took a deep breath and a big jump. Little did she know that her boots would sink in, get stuck and she would end up on her bum in the cool muddy water. It was hilarious.

I love watching my kids run and play and have fun, even when it means driving home with 2 kiddos in their underwear! =)

Kindergarten Here She Comes

Noel — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:08:14 +0000

Kayli started Kindergarten last Thursday and she absolutely LOVES it!! She still gets excited to go every morning. Yesterday after school she told me that her teacher, Mrs. Bono, is the best teacher ever, it was so cute. I got sick with the stomach flu the night before Kindergarten started and Pete had to be in Tucson that day, so thankfully my Mom was able to come help me get the kids (and myself) going that morning and get Kayli off to school. Thanks Mom!!

Before we headed out the door

At School, just outside the playground

With Goddess

With Eli (they are in separate classrooms, but right across the hall and they see each other at recess)

“Bye Mom”

I didn’t shed a tear, I dont think I had the energy to and I knew she would be fine and do GREAT! I cannot believe we have a Kindergartener, I am so proud of her.

Caiden Turns 3

Noel — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:00:51 +0000

I cannot believe that our “baby brother” is 3 years old! Where does the time go? Caiden was really sick on his birthday so sadly we didn’t do a thing to actually celebrate it for a week. He didn’t want it to be his birthday, anytime anyone called or mentioned it was his birthday he got mad and told them it wasn’t his birthday. It was pretty sad, but I guess he just wasn’t in the mood to turn 3! He didn’t even have any interest in opening the presents that came for him that day.

A week later when he was feeling much better we had a combined family party with his cousin Kayla who turned 8. Everyone had a lot of fun. This year I decided to make Caiden a themed cake which I had not done for him before because I worried he would be the kid that freaks out when you cut up his cake and eat it. He was pretty apprehensive about eating Rocket (from The Little Einsteins) at first, but all day we talked about how it was a cake and not a toy and that it would be yummy and he ended up digging right in with his fork once the candles were out.

The cake Aftermath

We did have one little mishap with the candle I bought. For some strange reason as soon as I put it on top of the cake Caiden stood up in his chair leaned over the cake and took a big bite out of the candle. I had no idea that is what he was doing, but we all got a good laugh out of it. He wasnt too pleased with the waxy taste, but he survived.

Caiden is such a sweet little guy and we feel blessed to have him in our family. He loves to give kisses and hugs and will talk to anyone and everyone. He is one of those kids that would go home with anyone, which totally makes me nervous and I watch him like a hawk no matter where we are. He loves to go to church and see his teacher and his friends in nursery. He gets along really well with other kids and is usually the peacemaker, he will give up whatever toy the other kids want. He still loves to sleep in Kayli’s bed at night and I often find them cuddled up together, he is such a cuddler. He has no fear when it comes to climbing, playing and even swimming. He is a brave little guy and rarely cries when he falls down or gets hurt, he asks for a quick kiss and then says “All better, thanks Mom.” He is such a talker, especially when he is tired, he will talk your ear off trying to keep himself awake. He is growing up way too fast! We love you Caiden!

Gateway Discovery Museum

Noel — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:46:14 +0000

While we were in Utah for the Madsen Family Reunion we spent a day in Salt Lake at the Discovery Museum. The kids have never really been to a museum like this and boy did they LOVE it. There was so much to do and we could have spent an entire day there without them getting bored. They had a blast with their cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

The ball area was so much fun, Caiden’s favorite part was the tubes that sucked the balls up and then you could watch the balls travel to the pit where they dropped down for more fun. It was hard to get him pass the balls (its right up front) and into the museum to see other things. We got stuck at the balls on our way out too.

Kayli and Logan were such buddies

Cant go wrong with water and kids

The Mini Market was a HIT! WE had to wait for like 20 minutes for a shopping cart and apron because all of the kids love this little area.

Climbing and Building

Out on the roof was a helicopter that the kids loved

So much fun! I hear our “hands on” museum here in AZ isn’t great, but we may just have to check it out and see for ourselves!

This Is The Place

Noel — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:30:17 +0000

This place is so much more than a monument. When I went to the U I lived just minutes from it for years and never once went and checked it out. There is actually a lot to do there. We spent the afternoon there and the kids had a lot of fun. They loved riding the horses, riding the train around the park, playing on the ship, panning for gold, and riding the small train around the lake. The view of the Valley from way up there was breathtaking. I couldn’t help but think of what the Pioneers must have felt as they looked out over the beautiful land.

4th of July Parade

Noel — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:40:19 +0000

While we were in Utah I ran my first 5K at the Provo Freedom Festival. I couldn’t convince anyone to run it with me unfortunately, but we ran along the parade route where thousands of people had camped out over night and thousands more were setting up their spot for the parade. Pete, Gramdma Madsen, and the kids dropped me off at registration and then went to find a spot on the parade route while I went to run my race. They were hoping to see me run by, but they were just a few blocks north of where my race headed south so they missed me. There were plenty of other people cheering the runners on though and it was a good time. I am used to running on pretty flat, low sea level land, so the hills and the altitude affected me a bit, but I finished the race and swore Id never do another one. We will see! =)

After my race I met up with the kids, Grandma, and Pete on the parade route and we sat and watched the parade. I think it was the first time the kids have been to a parade, and they both enjoyed it.

“Awesome Mom”

Yup, those are the LDS Missionaries. I kept saying “Only in Provo”.

4th of July Fun

Noel — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:00:26 +0000

We were in Utah for the 4th of July and got to see so many fireworks. On the 2nd we went with all of the Madsens to the lawn just below the Provo temple to watch the fireworks from the “Stadium of Fire” annual event at the BYU stadium. We spent a few hours eating pizza, licorice, and ice cream, playing games, running around with the kids and hanging out and chatting with the family. It was a nice relaxing evening that ended with a great fireworks show. The kids had so much fun running around in the cooler weather playing with all of their cousins. They dont get to see each other very often so it was fun to watch them run around and play together.

We all had a lot of fun holding Ryan, he is such a cute boy

Im not sure how much of the fireworks Caiden actually watched, every time I looked over he was glow stick sword fighting with Spencer and Leanne,

Im still trying to erase the memory of the drive out of Provo and back to Jeff and Beth’s in Pleasant Grove. It was a MESS!! Let’s just say I could have walked faster. But Im sure if we are ever in town for the holiday again we will find ourselves back on the lawn watching those fireworks. We will just stay and hang out for a while afterwards inside of rushing to the car to “beat the traffic” which we learned was impossible to do.