20 Months Old

Hello. . .

It has been quite awhile since I have had the opportunity to sit down and update the blog. Today marks 20 months for Miss Maddie. Once again, this month is filled with new tricks, words, and food!

Weight - 25lbs

Height - 33in

New foods - grapes (lots of them), popcorn, alfredo, and on and on and on

New sayings - "how cool!" "ok" "I'll get you!" "whats up?" "Its a ghost. . .boooo"

We spend our day doing the following:

1) Singing, and lots of it

2) Dancing

3) Coloring PICTURES - she would do it all day if we let her

4) "Side". . . .OUTSIDE MOM!

5) Playing at the Y
6) Counting to 10

7) Working on our colors and words

8) Potty training

It is interesting to see how Maddie will push her limits with Pat and I. I hate having to yell at her, but I feel as if it is so important right now to set limits for her. When I have to raise my voice at her she knows I mean business and will bury her head on the couch. After about 30 seconds she will run over and give me a hug and a kiss - she's no dummy! Stinker is already trying to soften me up!!!

With Pat gone as much as he has been, Maddie and I have spent a lot of time at the Y. It gives her and I both a chance to enjoy ourselves. It is funny to see her when we get there because she walks in like she owns the place. She will bop from office to office saying hi to people and usually getting snacks out of it too. Like I said earlier. . . .she is no dummy!

As we are starting to approach the end of the year, schedules seem to tighten up, and free time seems less and less for us. Pat has a packed tight schedule for November which means we will do everything we can to enjoy our weekend time together. Over the past few months we have been reminded over and over how important life is, and that you need to take the time for each other. A good friend of mine blogged a few months back that she would vow not to feel guilty about a decision she makes for her family. That is something that I plan to take on as well. Making the best life for my family is #1 in my life no matter what the sacrifice is.

Mommy and Maddie at the pumpkin patch

Maddie being. . . .well, Maddie!

Being her normal fish self in the tub

Waving to mama during swim class

A Badger Cheerleader for the Y's Halloween Party

Happy 20 month birthday sweet girl!!

Watch Out Picasso!!!!

Watch out Pablo! Maddie is going to be the next Artist (said with a french accent)!!!! This girl loves to color. She would sit there all day and color if she could. The nice thing about it is she is learning how to color better each time she does it! Pretty soon we will have abstract pieces hanging from the walls signed by Madeline Liz (that's her artist name)...

Cousins Day at the Zoo!!!

We finally got to get all the Froh Girls together for a nice brisk day at the Zoo. All three girls had a great time playing together and seeing the different animals. It was a blast to see them interact with each other. A few pictures from the day below.

All three girls holding hands running to see the next cage of animals. They are so happy!

Off they go! They never quit running. The only problem we had was a couple of them kept trying to crawl into the cages by the animals. They got so excited they wanted to go pet them!

We finished the trip at the Zoo with a train ride and a carousel ride. All had a good time even though it was a little chilly! After the zoo 2 out of the 3 girls took a nap which made corralling the little ones a lot easier for a while.
Thanks again for joining us at the Zoo Uncle Court, Aunt Shari, Ceanna & Briella. See you soon.

Maddie at 19 months

Here she is. . .another month older! She is a ball of energy and continues to learn and grow! Here are some of Maddies stats at 19 months . . .

Favorite Foods - Pizza, yogurt, Crackers (imagine that), apple slices, hot dog

Words - My goodness, this flood gate opened this month for sure. Everything you say, she will say. A few of my favorite at the moment would be: chip, yellow, dress, mess, share, hippo

New friends/activities - In LOVE with her doll, Elmo, Big Bird, and an oldie but a goodie - Hippo! She is quite the singer now too! Her and I take a class as the Y and she loves singing the songs!

All along we have known that she was a tomboy, but it is nice to see her soft side as well. She will

take the time to snuggle, hug, and kiss when she can tell you need it!

I love her sense of curiosity and adventure . . .she isnt afraid of anything!

With Pat being gone so much lately, she has become quite a daddy's girl when he is home. He is eating it up every second!

Outside helping daddy!

Goodbye Sept, Hello October!

September has been the busiest month by far for me and I couldnt be happier to see it go! With Pat's massive amount of travel, the wedding, and extra hours for me, I am eager to welcome October with open arms! I am sad that the wedding is done and over with, but now we are able to focus on some personal goals!! Im taking 4 workout classes at the Y right now and I couldnt feel better. It is the hour in my day that is all about me! Plus, Maddie is happy to be running around with other kids and playing with toys. It is a win win for all.

Ryan and Karis wedding was a beautiful day and I am so honored to be apart of it! I could go on and on for pages writing about it, but I will let the pictures tell the story!

Kari and I before the ceremony

Ryan giving Maddie kisses after church

Grandma and Maddie

Kari and I in the limo on our way to the Chula

Cute picture!

A walk with Mama and Auntie!

Dancing with Daddy!

It was a great time had by all! A special thank you to my mother-in-law Cindy for watching her for us, especially with her coming down with the flu - we appreciate it so much. Knowing that she was in good hands allowed us to enjoy the wedding and spend time with family and friends! THANK YOU!

As a reward for all of the madness in Sept, we were able to enjoy ourselves this weekend with tickets to the Badger game with some of our best friends! Maddie got to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa Tamminga!

2 of my oldest and dearest friends!

Jill and I at the game

Goodbye September. . . .

Dah Dum Da Dum, Dah Dum da Dum..... Wedding Time!

Well this weekend is a big weekend for the Tamminga family! Jamie's little brother Ryan is getting married to his fiance Kari. We have all been waiting for this day for roughly 3 years now!!! It is funny as we have all told Ryan more than once you better not screw this up. We like her a lot. Like her?? Heck we love Kari. It is going to be a great celebration of family and love!

We are so happy for you two! Congratz ahead of time! We love you!
And about time!!!!!!

Hooo Hooo Hoooo Hooo Hooo
(cheer done with the Tammi Tamminga arm punching motion)

Time is running out!

Busy few weeks here as Pat has been traveling, I've been working, and Maddie is running circles around us both! She did have her official 18 month check up and she is measuring up nicely!

Weight - 23.2lbs (30th percentile)

Height - 32.5in (70th percentile)

Her new recent love - Elmo and her "dolly"

The last few weekends have been filled with some family fun! Cookouts, a fish fry, a baptism, and so on and so on. We just continue to pack things up and pop to the next destination!!

And. . .our next destination. . . . . .THE WEDDING!

We are now smack dab in the middle of September and it is hard to believe that in less than a week my brother is going to be a husband to Kari - yikes!! The time leading up to this wedding has gone by so quickly! We have been busy getting our last minute items ready to head to the Dells later this week. There is one thing that I am still trying to finish. . .my speech! I dont mind getting up in front of people and talking, but I am having a hard time coming up with the words I want to say. On one hand I have Ryan. . . .him and I have been in each others lives for 24 years! Where do you even begin to summarize that one up? Im sorting through the millions of stories I have trying to figure out which ones I want to use. Then. . .there is Kari. . . .my sister-in-law to be! Her are I are like twins separated at birth and she means more to me than she will EVER know! Im in a jam. . . .I think I have thrown away about 6 speeches already and time is not slowing down for me to write 6 more! I cannot wait for this weekend to begin, it will be fun bringing family and friends together to celebrate with the bride and groom!

Here are a few shots over the past 2 weekends!

Doesnt she look like a nerd! This has Pat written all over it!

She thinks her daddy is pretty cool


Cookout with grandma and grandpa!

A day at the park enjoying the swing!

Down the slide all by herself!