What we've been up to lately...

So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on our family blog. I feel horrible for not updating this darn thing, especially considering it’s basically the scrapbook of our lives. I’ve always loved scrapbooking and putting together photo albums, but I honestly have had no time to do so since our precious little Madeline made her arrival. As a kid, I always loved digging out my old baby book and looking at pictures of myself and my brothers when we were little. I love doing so even more now, because there is such a resemblance between me and Madeline. Some of her expressions and mannerisms are identical to mine and if it weren’t for my mom diligently taking photos and assembling them in my baby book, I would probably just agree with everyone else that Madeline looks exactly like her dad and nothing like me.

Those photos are proof that she is my mini me =]

Soooo, here I am (almost two months after my last post) trying to piece together all of the photos on my camera in an organized manner to display our activities over the past two months. Things have been hectic. We found out at the end of February that Madeline would be a big sister! We are elated and can’t wait to have another little addition to our family. Mommy has been horribly sick (which has contributed a great deal to my neglect of this blog). I feel like the morning sickness started months ago and has not eased up a bit. I’m not sure if it is actually worse this time around or if it just seems that way because I have a rambunctious two year old to chase around this time. Probably a little bit of both. Madeline (bless her heart) has tried to be a big help. For at least the past month, she has not had more than a couple of accidents (even overnight) and actually uses the big girl potty ALL BY HERSELF! Halleluiah! If mommy was still changing dirty diapers, this would be one million times more difficult.

If we could only get her to sleep in her big girl bed all night long with no interruptions…


With mommy being so sick and daddy working a bit more overtime than usual, Madeline and mommy have spent quite a bit of time down at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We were lucky enough to make a visit on the weekend of the Swallows Day Parade in San Juan Capistrano, which Grandpa’s school had a float in. We planned on riding on the float with the students, but opted to walk around and eat nachos, kettle corn, and snow cones instead (mama was in heaven)! After the parade, we made a stop at this awesome park in San Juan. Madeline had a blast sliding, swinging and riding these awesome “horsies”. They reminded me of something my grandpa would have built for me in his backyard =]








Madeline also had her two year checkup with Dr. Webb. Dr. Webb was very impressed with Madeline’s vocabulary. She (Madeline) happened to have a dinosaur tattoo on her hand, which she proudly advised Dr. Webb was not just a dinosaur, but a Triceratops. Her Uncle Jess would be so proud! Madeline weighed 27 lbs and was a whopping 36.5 inches long! According to the double-their-height-at-two method, our doctor estimates that Madeline will be about 6’1”. Such a big girl! She did have to get one shot, but my brave little girl didn’t shed a tear and actually thanked the nurse when all was finished. We went out for slurpees after her appointment =]



We’ve also been busy doing a lot more indoor activities. Mommy never seems to have the energy to leave the house anymore, so I’ve had to be a little more creative (and lenient) with our indoor activities. We’ve had several dance parties and have done a lot of finger painting. Madeline doesn’t seem to mind…





Unfortunately, our family also suffered a tragic loss. Our beloved Holly was laid to rest on Good Friday. The poor girl lived a long, happy and healthy life. Madeline was probably her biggest fan. It has been difficult trying to explain to a two year old why Holly isn’t around anymore.

We have told her that Holly now lives in Heaven with Jesus. She seems satisfied with this answer, but asks frequently about Holly and if she can see her tomorrow. She has a framed picture of Holly on her dresser and has grown a bit more attached to her stuffed Holly dog over the past few weeks.


Easter was a blast this year. Despite battling morning sickness and a horrible cold, mommy managed to do some holiday baking and Madeline was a big help (as always). We finally got to use the matching aprons Nanna had made for us for Valentine’s Day. Madeline also loved dying the Easter eggs…she actually loved eating them too (which was kind of a shocker…she loves eggs, but I was doubtful she’d like them hard boiled). The kid never ceases to amaze me.







A few days before Easter, Madeline’s beloved Polly Pocket fell apart…the result of a horrendous windsurfing accident. We tried to repair her with super glue, but the poor thing just wouldn’t stay together. It was a sad day in the Randolph house. However, being the smart cookie that she is, Madeline recalled that when she visited Santa Claus and asked for a baby for Christmas, she found a brand new Cabbage Patch Kid under the tree on Christmas morning. Could she have the same luck with the Easter Bunny? We made a trip to the local mall to visit the giant bunny in person. Madeline couldn’t wait to get up close and personal. As soon as it was her turn, she ran right up to the bunny, climbed in his lap, and asked him for a new “Pocky Pocky”. She was kind enough to pose for a few pictures as well. As we were leaving, she shouted across the mall, “Remember my Pocky Pocky. Pocky Pocky is broken.”


The Easter Bunny didn’t disappoint. Madeline awoke Easter Sunday to a trail of jelly beans and bunny prints from her bedroom door, down the stairs, and into the living room…where she found a ladybug tent and a basket of candy and goodies. She swiftly dug through the basked and found…a brand new Polly Pocket!!! She was thrilled.




We spent the afternoon at Nanna’s house. Grandma and Grandpa even came by for lunch. Madeline had a HUGE Easter egg hunt all to herself. She ran through the backyard endlessly scooping up eggs and opening them to see what treasures hid inside. She actually had to take a couple of breaks because there were SO many eggs. She had a great day!






Now we are anxiously awaiting tomorrow’s ultrasound appointment where we will find out whether Madeline will have a baby brother or baby sister! I’ll be sure to post the big news. After all, this will be new baby’s scrapbook too!

Madeline is TWO!!!

We celebrated Madeline’s 2nd Birthday with almost a week long of birthday festivities! On the morning of her second birthday (March 10th) she woke up to her favorite...a yummy sprinkle donut with two candles lit just for her! Mommy and Daddy sang her “Happy Birthday” and she was so excited. She knew that we had big plans for the day and had been counting down the days until her birthday for almost a month =] After breakfast, we met Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Andrew at Disneyland! Madeline had a blast. She got to see all of her favorite characters, rode her favorite rides, and had yummy ice cream after lunch! She even got to bring home a giant Minnie Mouse balloon (which is still floating around the living room!). We were all exhausted after the long day, and had a simple dinner of pizza at home that night. On Friday, we took Madeline to her favorite restaurant for dinner...Red Robin! Nanna and Poppy met us there and we all were thrilled when the waiters sang Madeline “Happy Birthday” restaurant style for the very first time. The smile on Madeline’s face was priceless (and, of course, Mommy forgot the camera)! Madeline’s Grandpa Mark flew in from Colorado the next morning and she was so excited to see him. He took us to dinner at Chilis that night…Madeline asked if it could be her birthday again…she wanted another “Happy Birthday” sundae! Yesterday was the big birthday party day. We had a fabulous carnival party planned for Madeline and all of her friends came to celebrate with her. She was so excited! The party was great. We had hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, face painting and even a petting zoo! The big hit was the bounce house, which was so much fun. Madeline had a blast playing with all of her very best friends. She certainly spent this past week surrounded by people who love her. I can honestly say we will never forget her second birthday!

These past two years have simply flown by…I can’t believe that my little baby is TWO YEARS OLD! It honestly seems like just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. Now here we are two years later with a beautiful little lady who is wise beyond her years. She is such a very special little girl and sometimes I forget that she is only two years old. The things she says and her ability to “read” the people around her is simply astonishing. She is very perceptive, sensitive and loving. She is also one of the funniest people I have ever known. This girl seriously knows how to keep us laughing. Over the past two months, we have successfully ditched the binky and have become fully potty trained...hooray!!! She can be a challenge at times and I think we started the “terrible twos” and few months ago, but she is definitely worth the occasional struggle.

Madeline – you are Mommy and Daddy’s little love bug. We are so proud of what a big girl you have become. No more binkies and no more diapers…hooray!!! You are the sweetest little girl and the best daughter that anyone could ever ask for. Thank you for being our little girl and making us so happy. We LOVE you!

Best Buds

Hillary and I took the girls out to dinner at Red Robin the other day. They had so much fun eating their pizza, corndogs, fruit and ICE CREAM! After dinner, we went back to Hillary's to attempt the girls' first sleepover. They had so much fun playing and taking baths. The sleepover ended being a bust though. Madeline is still having some anxiety about the recent disappearance of her beloved binky, so we ended up heading home around 10:00 when she STILL wouldn't settle down for the night. All in all, it was a fun night for everyone. Once Maddie gets over this binky thing, we'll for sure be doing this again!

Skater Girl

Nanna got Madeline this awesome pair of skates on Monday. She is crazy about them and is actually a pretty good skater. She loves skating around the neighborhood. It's great exercise for her too! By the way, this BIG girl is officially done with her binky!!! Hooray!!!

Snow Day!!!

Madeline and I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning! She was so excited to see it snowing in her own backyard and just couldn't wait to get her snow boots on to check it out. I bundled her up over her jammies and we headed out to have some fun! We made two snowmen and she had a blast using her sand toys to play in the snow. It has only snowed in Yucaipa a couple of times since we have lived here and I was so happy that Madeline was able to go outside and enjoy the snow at her own house this morning. Such a treat!

Sure, it was a little slushy, but we had a blast nonetheless! Hopefully, we'll get some more tonight so daddy can play with us when he gets home tomorrow morning =]

Big Bear

Mommy and Madeline getting ready to tube down the big hill.

Maddie heading down the bunny hill all by herself!

Att the bottom of the big hill. This girl was so brave! She squeeled the entire way down the hill while mommy screamed like a baby :)

Racing Owen down the bunny hill...he took a little head start.

Owen and Chris going down the big hill. We thought Owen would never want to go again, but he loved it and ended up going about 15 times!

Terror! Chris did a great job taking pictures while tubing down the hill. It was totally icy and we were going so fast I was too afraid to let go even for a second.

These kids are buddies! The boys are so sweet with Madeline. They look after her like big brothers and she is crazy about both of them. Thanks to Josh & Katie for inviting us up to the cabin. It was a wonderful trip!