End of January

January has been a slow month on the blog. We have had a lot of illness in our family this month and I am really hoping the new month will be much healthier. It is hard to believe but Hadley is going to be one in two weeks. She is very close to walking and cruises all around. She now waves, blows kisses, plays patty cake and peek-a-boo. She also loves playing with Gracie. I think the feeling is mutual. Gracie is a big fan of when Hadley decides she is finished eating and starts throwing all of her food off her tray. Madeleine turned 2 1/2 this month and is really a big girl now. She told me the other night that "I was such a big girl." Apparently we say that to her a lot. She loves to play dress up and doctor. She also has entered the "why" phase. Everything is why?, why?, why? Here are a few recent pics.

Madeleine celebrating her 1/2 birthday with a M&M cookie.
Hadley loves to snuggle with blankets, stuffed animals and even dirty laundry.

The McDonalds drive thru

Hadley planning a trip to Wyoming.

Hadley and the ribbon box. Madeleiene could spend hours with this thing.

Madeleine's Day at School

Today was a dream day for Madeleine at school. It started with riding bikes (Madeleine is in the green coat).

Then she got to dress up as a bride. I saw these pictures on her classroom's site and knew she had a great day. Her teachers said she thought the dress was beautiful. She told me when I got home that she needed to go back to school :) She also told me she got to wear a wedding hat.

Christmas Break

Erin had 11 days off for Christmas and I had almost the same, so the last couple of weeks have been a ton of fun. We spent Christmas Eve at Erin's parents, Christmas Day at mine, and headed down to the Lake for 5 days that carried us into the New Year. I can't remember how many parties were scattered in between. Uncle Dave took the same time off as Erin so we got to see a bunch of him, and Aunt Amy and Uncle Seth flew in as well.

I am now fat, lazy, and still recovering. I don't have much energy to write, so here are the pics:

Hadley hanging her first ornament:



Madeleine helping decorate the tree:



Hadley being Hadley:



Christmas Eve:



Hadley with her hand in her new cookie jar (she takes after her Dad):



Erin and I need a new kitchen but the girls got one first:



Ready for bed in their new Christmas pajamas:



Christmas morning:



Say cheese!:



Wow!:



"No Hadley!" (commonly heard around these parts):



In our new Christmas dresses:



At Butch and D's:



Uncle Dave at the mill, getting ready to unload the SKS on some produce:



Seth doing the same, Dirty Harry style:



Bob teaching Seth how to fire "The Judge":



Uncle Todd makes an apple disappear:



Tunnel Dam and Lake Niangua:

* I read about this place in one of the Lake visitor guides a few years ago and have wanted to make the trip ever since, so we all loaded up and went to check it out. The whole place was spectacular and the hills amazing. You can see a small part of the road we came in on (just barely) on the far right. What you can't see is the fact that it was muddy, badly rutted, and required 4 Lo. None of which would have been a big deal had there not been a barb wire fence running directly along the east side. Fun times! Dave and I can't wait to go back this summer to fish and maybe paddle, or both.



Uncle Dave at the dam:



Up high on one of the dam roads:

* I looked at the GPS shortly after we started going up and clocked over 250' of rise in well less than a half mile. Now I just need to figure out how to put together a ride...



Uncle Dave and Hadley at the Lake:



Hadley, happy as always:



The End:

Santa 2009

Visiting Santa on a Monday night at 5:30 more than 2 weeks prior to Christmas is much easier than 2 days before. No wait at all, even for the best Santa in town. Madeleine's reaction was no suprise (I should add she was very excited on the way there), but Hadley? She smiles at everything. Oh well, at least no one was crying.

25 Days Left

2009 is accelerating to a close. Lots happening and lots to write about but I'll keep it short and post a bunch of pics instead.

Thursday night we bundled the girls up and took them for a walk around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. Madeleine is really into the lights this year, so that was a lot of fun. Hadley was so bundled up she couldn't move.

We're going to see lights!:



Uh, Hadley, are you cold?:



Friday night Madeleine (on my shoulders) and I walked up to Glendale City Hall to watch the tree lighting and meet Santa. The latter took forever.

No pics from this event.

Saturday we went and got a tree and then later that night Saint Nick came and left the girls their ornament, books, and Christmas pajamas.

I can stand, even in a fleece cocoon:



Cheese!:



See Hadley, Christmas time is fun! (I was tempted to title this "Deer in headlights"):



Cool, a new book!"



Madeleine, I'm going to eat that book when you're not looking:




Tomorrow is the opening of the second and final stretch of the massive 2 year Highway 40 project. For those not in St. Louis, ~8 (?) miles of the main artery running through the center of town was closed in 2 sections for 2 years while they redid the entire thing (roadway, ramps, bridges, etc.). The new stretch opens tomorrow and, like last year, MODOT allowed walkers (on westbound lanes) and bicyclists (on eastbound lanes) to enjoy it before the motorists. Also like last year, they held a Time Trial early in the AM. I've never done any sort of road race, but that was tempting. Would have made a good story years from now.

Today's even was pretty crowded, which was good to see. Madeleine and I saw everything from the standard runners and cyclists, to teenage BMX'ers ramping off the dividers to a woman on roller blades running her pair of whippets. Tomorrow's cars and trucks probably won't have as much fun.

One pushed, one pulled:



Heading west down the Bellevue exit ramp:



Hanley (not Hadley) in background:



Photo op:



Madeleine wanted to walk, for real:



Hadley had fun too. Mom was somewhere around. Also, note GORC Prez BA out checking to see if the new I-64 is up to IMBA specs:



It was pretty smooth:



So smooth it put Madeleine to sleep:



Family portrait. Note Madeleine's head is being propped up:



Hadley can someday tease Madeleine that she stayed awake the whole time and remembers it well:



Awake:



Yes Madeleine, people get to act weird when the highway is closed:



The festivities at Tamm Ave:



Later the same night, "Dr. Madeleine" giving Dr. Frank his shots: