Playdoh Fun and Conversations

Since we introduced Madigan to the wonder that is Playdoh, she has been hooked. She especially likes playing Playdoh with Daddy since his creations are so much cooler than Mommy's. For example, I make a snowman out of three rolled up balls of Playdoh; he makes an igloo complete with Eskimos and penguins. I make a flat flower; he makes a 3D floral bouquet. You get the picture. But, I'm not at all bitter... Anyway, for Christmas Madigan got some new Playdoh sets (an ice cream shoppe, Dora/Diego activity mats and games, etc) and has had a lot of fun playing with them.
Showing off her Playdoh fingernails..."Eating" a Playdoh ice cream cone (with the fingernails still on, mind you)...The best part has been the conversations that have come out of these play times. She's quite imaginative when it comes to her Playdoh creations. Last March, I posted this video with the header "I think we have a talker"


10 months later, I'm pretty certain of it...
(Excuse her crazy hair - she got to stay home with Daddy for another "ice day" yesterday and it was a relaxed, stay-in-your-pajamas-all-day kind of day. Yes, I am jealous.)

That's a lot of information, huh? I can already hear the phone conversations between her and her buddies when she's 13. Wow...

No kid?!

This past Friday night, my parents came to our house. Then early Saturday morning, they left to go on to my brother's house in Tennessee...WITH MADIGAN! That left Ted and I childless for a full day and a half. So, what does approximately 30 hours of not being a mommy look like for me? Here's my list...
1. Sleep in
2. Get up and check email/blogs
3. Make an omelet, toast and hot chocolate for breakfast
4. Take a bath
5. Go clothes shopping with some of my gift cards from Christmas
6. Get a hair cut
7. Get ready for a hot date with my wonderful husband
8. Overeat at Outback
9. Go to a movie...at the THEATER!
10. Sleep ALL night long
11. Wake up and get ready for church at a leisurely pace.
12. Walk out of the door carrying...NOTHING :)
13. Attend church service with no shushing, potty breaks or the "activity bag" shuffle

Whew... and after all of that, know what I wanted to do more than anything else? Get my baby back! It's crazy how much I missed her in just a day and a half and while I enjoyed a short break (thanks Mom and Dad!), I wouldn't trade all of the freedom in the world for the time I have with my little girl.
So, what did Madigan do while she was away? Cry because she missed Mommy and Daddy so much? Not exactly. Madigan was so entertained by GeeGee, Pa, her aunt, uncle and cool cousins that she didn't even want to talk to me on the phone! To be fair though, would you want to talk to me if you got to...

knock towers down with Pa,

perform in a live concert,

dress up like a princess in a fashion show,

try on more lip gloss than Mom would ever consider letting in the house,

girl talk with Avery,

and play school with Ella?

Yeah, I probably wouldn't want to talk to me either. But, I'm glad she had such a good time. On Saturday night, she took a bubble bath with the cousins and they colored with bath crayons on the walls. Mom left them for a minute and came back to find this.

Yes, that says "Cousins (Cusins) Forever- Ella, Madi (Maddie) and Avery". Avery had written that on the wall. How cute is that?!

It was obviously a good weekend for everyone involved. Thanks to Pa and Gee Gee for including Madigan in your trip, to Matt and Susie for welcoming her into your home and to Avery and Ella for being so good to your little cousin. I'll leave you with this picture of Madigan in her princess dress - I think she's looking wistfully for her Prince Charming :)

Our newest hobby

For Christmas, Ted gave me something I didn't ask for and wouldn't have guessed in a million years...an electric guitar!! Why, you might ask? Is Ted really a glutton for punishment? That remains to be determined, but, the actual reason was because it was autographed by all of the members of the band Daughtry (who I LOVE). And while I love it for all of it's Daughtryness, there just seemed something wrong with letting such a great gift just hang on the wall. So... I have decided to learn how to play the guitar. Go ahead and laugh. One day I'll probably look back at this post and laugh as well. But, for now, I'm determined and have learned how to play the chords A, C, D, E, and G. I'm struggling a bit with B and F. My fingers just don't bend that way...
Beyond the benefit of me bettering myself musically is that we also have something new to do as a family. I play the electric guitar, Ted plays his acoustic guitar and Madigan plays her Backyardigans guitar. We're considering starting a band.
I mean don't you just think of hard-core rockers when you think of the Bowsmans? (Check out Madigan's rocker hairdo!)
I'll keep you posted and let you know when we go on tour :)

Why we support good dental hygiene

I was actually laughing so hard I was crying. Amazing what fun some fake teeth can bring you...So go - enjoy your Saturday and brush your teeth!!