Madi's grandparents recently got together for the first time in a while. This is the video from their time together.
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Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Over already?!!
And just like that, Thanksgiving break is over! Now if only we had a week to recover... :) We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed spending time with our family. I'm not sure we'll ever be able to straighten Madigan out from all of the spoiling she received, but we're going to give it a try! I'll try to give you a run-down of our week.
Since we were both able to get the whole week off, we decided it was time to again take the "Tour of Texas" (aka, visiting my family - which means going most of the way across the great state of Texas). We started out on Saturday and went as far as the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex where we stayed the night with Aunt Lexie and Uncle Justin. That evening, the Chism family (some of our friends from Harding) came over and we played games and had fondue (you know, everything does taste better dipped in cheese and chocolate :) ). It was great to see them and our Madi fell in love with the other Maddie (their 6 month old daughter, Madelyn - she is SO cute!!!) On Sunday, we went to church with all of them in Krum and got to see some other friends that we hadn't seen in a long time. It was a lot of fun - the only bad part was that the visit was really short!!
After church on Sunday, we headed out west to where the land is flat and the wind always blows. We arrived in Levelland (30 miles west of Lubbock) around 7 that night and got to spend the next few days with Granddad and the West Texas Marrow bunch. Here are a few pictures from our stay there.
Madigan really bonded with her Great-Granddad. They picked pecans together, played hide and seek between two rooms and played ball together. 
However, Madigan's favorite game by far consisted of her holding onto Granddad's walker while he "shook" her up. It was hysterical! We have a video of it that I'll try to post in the next few days (once Ted shows me how to do that!)
Madigan also got to see some of her great aunts, great uncles, and 2nd and 3rd cousins. Needless to say, she enjoyed the attention!
Also while we were in Levelland, we visited a really neat park. It looked like a castle. There was a special part for the "little" kids that Madigan really enjoyed. I'll try to post a video of her swinging in the next few days (it's complete with some really "girly" squeals...)
One last picture from Levelland. This won't have much meaning for most of you, but it's really special for me. My grandparents have had this chair as long as I can remember and my cousins and I spent many hours in it playing "Santa Claus" (one of my older cousins got to be Santa and ask "Ho ho ho! What do you want for Christmas little girl?" and the rest of us got to make up extravagant gift ideas that we knew better than to ask our parents for.) Silly game, but still brings back good memories of being at Grandma and Granddad's. Anyway, here's Madigan having a good time in that chair (and note how well she matches, Mom!)
But, the trip had to go on! On Wednesday morning, we packed up and headed to Graham to spend Thanksgiving at Mema and Papa's. We went to church in Throckmorton on Wednesday night where Uncle Greg preaches and then spent the day with all of the family (the whole Melton crew and my parents) on Thursday. Madigan sure loved her Mema's turkey and dressing, but couldn't understand why the rest of the day all of the grown ups laid around looking miserable. Is there such a thing as too much food?! We did have a special treat on Thanksgiving day - it snowed!! Madigan wasn't sure about the wet, white stuff hitting her face, but enjoyed being outside!
Make sure you note the difference in the clothes we were wearing from the last pictures to these. The temperatures fell from 75 degrees to 32 degrees in a little over 24 hours! 
We didn't take as many pictures at Mema and Papa's because Gee Gee, Pa, Papa, and Aunt D'Anne were also snapping pictures! But, we'll get some of theirs and post more later. Here's one more special picture though. While were were in Graham, we pulled the toys out from the closet - these were toys that the grandkids (my brother, me and my two cousins) grew up playing with. Included in the toys were a bunch of books that I have memories of Mema spending hours reading to me. Some things don't change...they just get passed on to someone new :)
On Friday, we went to the Walmart in Graham and did a little bit of Christmas shopping (that's as brave as we get on Black Friday!!) Then, we had a wonderful lunch at Uncle Greg and Aunt D'Anne's and then headed east. We made it to Tyler in the early evening and had a great dinner with Auntie (my great-aunt). After dinner, we went back to Auntie's house where Madigan decided that there was no question about it - Auntie had the coolest house she'd ever seen. Especially with all of the (very breakable) glass figurines, jewelry boxes and music boxes. I was worn out by the time we left from being a human barrier between her and anything that had the potential of breaking:). But, we really enjoyed spending some time with Auntie. We left her house after a while and drove 45 more miles until we (FINALLY) arrived at my parents house where we spent the remainder of the weekend. And, as always, Madigan had a blast! She got to ride in a wagon INSIDE the house, eat cookies right before bedtime, and play with toys in stores that we had no intention of buying (none of which would ever have been allowed when we were kids). Plus, she got to ride in the trailer behind Gee Gee's new "yard bug" (is this the start of the "pageant wave"? )
Unfortunately, it was rainy and cold the whole time we were there, so the riding was confined to around the porch. But, she's already looking forward to going back in the spring and riding all around Gee Gee and Pa's land!
Again, we took less pictures here because Pa and Gee Gee had their cameras going full-force! We'll have to get their pictures and will post those later. Anyway, we did some shopping, sat by the fire, ate too much (again) and then went to church with them on Sunday. After lunch, we headed home and arrived safely around 6:30 Sunday night. We were pretty exhausted, but so glad we got to make the trip and see everyone. We're so thankful for our families and what they mean to us. We are constantly reminded how blessed we are to have such amazing people in our lives.
So, that was our week! I'll leave you with one last picture that makes me smile every time I see it. Ted was out of town for most of the week before we left and Madi really missed her Daddy. So, it was even more exciting to her that he was with us the WHOLE week of Thanksgiving (as you can tell from this picture!)
Since we were both able to get the whole week off, we decided it was time to again take the "Tour of Texas" (aka, visiting my family - which means going most of the way across the great state of Texas). We started out on Saturday and went as far as the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex where we stayed the night with Aunt Lexie and Uncle Justin. That evening, the Chism family (some of our friends from Harding) came over and we played games and had fondue (you know, everything does taste better dipped in cheese and chocolate :) ). It was great to see them and our Madi fell in love with the other Maddie (their 6 month old daughter, Madelyn - she is SO cute!!!) On Sunday, we went to church with all of them in Krum and got to see some other friends that we hadn't seen in a long time. It was a lot of fun - the only bad part was that the visit was really short!!
After church on Sunday, we headed out west to where the land is flat and the wind always blows. We arrived in Levelland (30 miles west of Lubbock) around 7 that night and got to spend the next few days with Granddad and the West Texas Marrow bunch. Here are a few pictures from our stay there.
Madigan really bonded with her Great-Granddad. They picked pecans together, played hide and seek between two rooms and played ball together. 
However, Madigan's favorite game by far consisted of her holding onto Granddad's walker while he "shook" her up. It was hysterical! We have a video of it that I'll try to post in the next few days (once Ted shows me how to do that!)
Madigan also got to see some of her great aunts, great uncles, and 2nd and 3rd cousins. Needless to say, she enjoyed the attention!
Also while we were in Levelland, we visited a really neat park. It looked like a castle. There was a special part for the "little" kids that Madigan really enjoyed. I'll try to post a video of her swinging in the next few days (it's complete with some really "girly" squeals...)
One last picture from Levelland. This won't have much meaning for most of you, but it's really special for me. My grandparents have had this chair as long as I can remember and my cousins and I spent many hours in it playing "Santa Claus" (one of my older cousins got to be Santa and ask "Ho ho ho! What do you want for Christmas little girl?" and the rest of us got to make up extravagant gift ideas that we knew better than to ask our parents for.) Silly game, but still brings back good memories of being at Grandma and Granddad's. Anyway, here's Madigan having a good time in that chair (and note how well she matches, Mom!)
But, the trip had to go on! On Wednesday morning, we packed up and headed to Graham to spend Thanksgiving at Mema and Papa's. We went to church in Throckmorton on Wednesday night where Uncle Greg preaches and then spent the day with all of the family (the whole Melton crew and my parents) on Thursday. Madigan sure loved her Mema's turkey and dressing, but couldn't understand why the rest of the day all of the grown ups laid around looking miserable. Is there such a thing as too much food?! We did have a special treat on Thanksgiving day - it snowed!! Madigan wasn't sure about the wet, white stuff hitting her face, but enjoyed being outside!
Make sure you note the difference in the clothes we were wearing from the last pictures to these. The temperatures fell from 75 degrees to 32 degrees in a little over 24 hours! 
We didn't take as many pictures at Mema and Papa's because Gee Gee, Pa, Papa, and Aunt D'Anne were also snapping pictures! But, we'll get some of theirs and post more later. Here's one more special picture though. While were were in Graham, we pulled the toys out from the closet - these were toys that the grandkids (my brother, me and my two cousins) grew up playing with. Included in the toys were a bunch of books that I have memories of Mema spending hours reading to me. Some things don't change...they just get passed on to someone new :)
On Friday, we went to the Walmart in Graham and did a little bit of Christmas shopping (that's as brave as we get on Black Friday!!) Then, we had a wonderful lunch at Uncle Greg and Aunt D'Anne's and then headed east. We made it to Tyler in the early evening and had a great dinner with Auntie (my great-aunt). After dinner, we went back to Auntie's house where Madigan decided that there was no question about it - Auntie had the coolest house she'd ever seen. Especially with all of the (very breakable) glass figurines, jewelry boxes and music boxes. I was worn out by the time we left from being a human barrier between her and anything that had the potential of breaking:). But, we really enjoyed spending some time with Auntie. We left her house after a while and drove 45 more miles until we (FINALLY) arrived at my parents house where we spent the remainder of the weekend. And, as always, Madigan had a blast! She got to ride in a wagon INSIDE the house, eat cookies right before bedtime, and play with toys in stores that we had no intention of buying (none of which would ever have been allowed when we were kids). Plus, she got to ride in the trailer behind Gee Gee's new "yard bug" (is this the start of the "pageant wave"? )
Unfortunately, it was rainy and cold the whole time we were there, so the riding was confined to around the porch. But, she's already looking forward to going back in the spring and riding all around Gee Gee and Pa's land!
Again, we took less pictures here because Pa and Gee Gee had their cameras going full-force! We'll have to get their pictures and will post those later. Anyway, we did some shopping, sat by the fire, ate too much (again) and then went to church with them on Sunday. After lunch, we headed home and arrived safely around 6:30 Sunday night. We were pretty exhausted, but so glad we got to make the trip and see everyone. We're so thankful for our families and what they mean to us. We are constantly reminded how blessed we are to have such amazing people in our lives.So, that was our week! I'll leave you with one last picture that makes me smile every time I see it. Ted was out of town for most of the week before we left and Madi really missed her Daddy. So, it was even more exciting to her that he was with us the WHOLE week of Thanksgiving (as you can tell from this picture!)
Friday, November 16, 2007
Ready to relax...
Well, it's official. The Thanksgiving break is here!! Thanks to some professional development classes I attended over the summer, I get off the whole week! And, it's a good thing. Let me tell you - breaks are not built in the school calendar for the kids. It's for the sanity of the adults working with those kids :). I'm counting on this break to help me gain back the energy that will be needed for the next 4 weeks until Christmas break! And Madigan... well, she's just hoping to get lots of attention and a little bit of spoiling over the break (which I'm sure won't be a problem - we'll be seeing Granddad, Mema, Papa, GeeGee, Pa, and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins!).
I'm going to try to post again sometime next week, but in case I don't - Happy Thanksgiving!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Birthday parties and random pictures
We've spent the last few days partying and finally have a moment to stop and tell about it! Last night, we celebrated Hadyn's 3rd birthday at The Wonder Place. (Hadyn is the little girl I kept the last two summers - we LOVE Hadyn and miss her a lot during the school year!) Madigan had a wonderful time and literally bawled (arms outstretched toward the entrance) when we had to leave. Her favorite place to play was at the water table - her hands turned a little pruny a few times before I could persuade her to move to something else!
Then, we got to celebrate with Jenna this afternoon. Yes, it's true, she now's a big 1 year old!! (For those of you who don't know who I'm talking about - Jenna is one of Madigan's BEST friends. Her mom works part-time like I do, so we switch out watching the girls on our work days. Jenna and Madigan LOVE their time together - they squeal LOUDLY when they see each other...even if it's across the auditorium during church :) ) Anyway, here are a few pictures from Jenna's party:
This is a picture of Madigan giving Jenna her birthday card (which had pictures of the two of them and Madigan paid for with her OWN dollar bill - thanks Mema for her "treat" money!!)
Here's a picture of Madigan "accidentally" knocking the shopping cart over for the 3rd time (make sure you note the expression on Jenna's face - she knows it's no accident!!)
Which leads me into the second part of this blog entry. Some of you seem to have expressed your doubts when we say that as sweet as Madigan is, she has a bit of an ornery streak as well (yes, I'm again talking to the grandparents) AND that she is literally into EVERYTHING these days. So, here is our picture proof...
This first picture was taken while Madigan was "helping" me in the kitchen one day. (Note the look on her face - "What's the problem, Mom?"
This one was taken when she was staying home with Daddy one day. Those M & Ms were on top of the table at one time... ("But Dad, I'm hungry...")
Okay, now that that has been settled, I came across a few other pictures in our photos that might need further explanation.
This is our family picture from Halloween. Madigan and I were giraffes. Ted, contrary to popular belief, was not a nurse - he was the Little Rock Zoo giraffologist. Hope that clears things up. (Sidenote - this was taken at the Albright Halloween party at the Noel house - tons of fun!)
And, last but not least, I thought I should clear up some confusion over the picture of Madigan's fat lip. I know the word on the street is that she got in a fight, but the truth is that she fell into the fireplace. But doesn't she look tough?! (...and you should see the other kid...um, just kidding)
Alright, that's more than enough for today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HADYN AND JENNA!! Thanks for letting us celebrate with you!!
Then, we got to celebrate with Jenna this afternoon. Yes, it's true, she now's a big 1 year old!! (For those of you who don't know who I'm talking about - Jenna is one of Madigan's BEST friends. Her mom works part-time like I do, so we switch out watching the girls on our work days. Jenna and Madigan LOVE their time together - they squeal LOUDLY when they see each other...even if it's across the auditorium during church :) ) Anyway, here are a few pictures from Jenna's party:
This is a picture of Madigan giving Jenna her birthday card (which had pictures of the two of them and Madigan paid for with her OWN dollar bill - thanks Mema for her "treat" money!!)
Here's a picture of Madigan "accidentally" knocking the shopping cart over for the 3rd time (make sure you note the expression on Jenna's face - she knows it's no accident!!)
Which leads me into the second part of this blog entry. Some of you seem to have expressed your doubts when we say that as sweet as Madigan is, she has a bit of an ornery streak as well (yes, I'm again talking to the grandparents) AND that she is literally into EVERYTHING these days. So, here is our picture proof...This first picture was taken while Madigan was "helping" me in the kitchen one day. (Note the look on her face - "What's the problem, Mom?"
This one was taken when she was staying home with Daddy one day. Those M & Ms were on top of the table at one time... ("But Dad, I'm hungry...")
Okay, now that that has been settled, I came across a few other pictures in our photos that might need further explanation.This is our family picture from Halloween. Madigan and I were giraffes. Ted, contrary to popular belief, was not a nurse - he was the Little Rock Zoo giraffologist. Hope that clears things up. (Sidenote - this was taken at the Albright Halloween party at the Noel house - tons of fun!)
And, last but not least, I thought I should clear up some confusion over the picture of Madigan's fat lip. I know the word on the street is that she got in a fight, but the truth is that she fell into the fireplace. But doesn't she look tough?! (...and you should see the other kid...um, just kidding)
Alright, that's more than enough for today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HADYN AND JENNA!! Thanks for letting us celebrate with you!!
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Entering the blogging world...
I guess it had to finally happen. We took the baby step by setting up this blog over a year ago in order to provide a link so that people (mainly grandparents) could view our pictures. Gradually, we learned about adding video clips and have experimented with that. But, the time has finally come - I'm going to take the plunge and "blog". I figure it just makes sense - this way, I can quickly give lots of people (grandparents) updates (funny stories) about what's going on with us (Madigan). Plus, it will be fun for me to look back at and remember what all went on in our lives, since the days seems to be flying by very quickly lately!
So -for a quick family update (consider it an early Christmas card letter :))
Ted is still working for Heifer Int., but took a job in the IT department in April. So, he's officially a "computer dork" now. He really enjoys the work he's doing and stays incredibly busy most of the time. Yes, Saturdays are still devoted to garage sales and the Ebay business (which continues to grow... we're not sure if that's a good or bad thing!) I'm still working in the Conway Public Schools as a School Psychology Specialist. I work three days a week and love my job. I'm assigned to two elementary schools and they keep me very busy! We still attend church at the Levy Church of Christ in North Little Rock and are so blessed by that congregation and the friendships we've made.
Okay, now for the part you actually care about... Madigan is now 14 months old (can you believe it?!!) She's into EVERYTHING and loving it! I tell people that she went from crawling to running - we never got to see the slow, careful walking that is supposed to be part of learning to walk! She amazes us everyday with the things she does and says (even when we can't understand what she says...). Her latest feats - she's learned to walk backward and does it well on command (see video in last entry); she's learning to eat with a spoon and although it's still quite messy, we're making progress; she's learned some of the important "signs" (all done, more, thank you, and help); and she's added "read" to her list of words (which comes in handy since that's her FAVORITE thing to do.)
A couple of funny stories from the last week:
1. We were getting ready to go somewhere last Saturday evening and I told her to go ask Daddy if he would change her diaper (just a wet one, no big deal...). She looked at me like she knew what I was talking about and then walked out of the room. In a few minutes, she returned. I looked down at her and she shook her head and said "no no, no no"! Daddy says she never asked, but I guess she just decided that was going to be the answer! :)
2. We were at the ballpark (home away from home) last week waiting for our games to start and a lady came in with two dogs. Madigan immediately started panting like a dog and went over to "visit". She stood there for a while, so excited that we were letting her play with them. Then, out of nowhere, she started screaming. Ted rushed over to see what was wrong and found out the problem. Madigan had been eating chips when she walked over and apparently one of the dogs decided to have a little nibble. She was FURIOUS! We had to calm her down with some new chips! She had no interest in the dogs after that!
Well, that's probably enough for one entry. Make sure you look at the "Bowsman Family Photos" link on the right and look at the last few folders (Halloween, October, and Aunt Kate's visit). We hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!
So -for a quick family update (consider it an early Christmas card letter :))
Ted is still working for Heifer Int., but took a job in the IT department in April. So, he's officially a "computer dork" now. He really enjoys the work he's doing and stays incredibly busy most of the time. Yes, Saturdays are still devoted to garage sales and the Ebay business (which continues to grow... we're not sure if that's a good or bad thing!) I'm still working in the Conway Public Schools as a School Psychology Specialist. I work three days a week and love my job. I'm assigned to two elementary schools and they keep me very busy! We still attend church at the Levy Church of Christ in North Little Rock and are so blessed by that congregation and the friendships we've made.
Okay, now for the part you actually care about... Madigan is now 14 months old (can you believe it?!!) She's into EVERYTHING and loving it! I tell people that she went from crawling to running - we never got to see the slow, careful walking that is supposed to be part of learning to walk! She amazes us everyday with the things she does and says (even when we can't understand what she says...). Her latest feats - she's learned to walk backward and does it well on command (see video in last entry); she's learning to eat with a spoon and although it's still quite messy, we're making progress; she's learned some of the important "signs" (all done, more, thank you, and help); and she's added "read" to her list of words (which comes in handy since that's her FAVORITE thing to do.)
A couple of funny stories from the last week:
1. We were getting ready to go somewhere last Saturday evening and I told her to go ask Daddy if he would change her diaper (just a wet one, no big deal...). She looked at me like she knew what I was talking about and then walked out of the room. In a few minutes, she returned. I looked down at her and she shook her head and said "no no, no no"! Daddy says she never asked, but I guess she just decided that was going to be the answer! :)
2. We were at the ballpark (home away from home) last week waiting for our games to start and a lady came in with two dogs. Madigan immediately started panting like a dog and went over to "visit". She stood there for a while, so excited that we were letting her play with them. Then, out of nowhere, she started screaming. Ted rushed over to see what was wrong and found out the problem. Madigan had been eating chips when she walked over and apparently one of the dogs decided to have a little nibble. She was FURIOUS! We had to calm her down with some new chips! She had no interest in the dogs after that!
Well, that's probably enough for one entry. Make sure you look at the "Bowsman Family Photos" link on the right and look at the last few folders (Halloween, October, and Aunt Kate's visit). We hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!
Sunday, November 04, 2007
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