The roundest head you ever saw!

Geoffrey completed his helmet treatment on the same day that Maddie started preschool - exciting day in our household?  Absolutely!

15 weeks have finally come and gone (well, that was the case a few weeks ago, anyway :) ).  The world seems to think, and they are sure to tell me, that the "time just flew by!"  Ha. I don't ever recall a moment during those 15 weeks where I felt that time was flying by.  Regardless, however you look at it, we made it. And for that, we are overjoyed!

Getting ready for his final head scan.

Waiting for the doctor to give us the results from the scan.  Look at those baby blues!

What a good lookin' noggin!

Doc says we're all done!

Goodbye old friend.

Check me out, Mommy!  I don't have a helmet on!!

Ha Ha Ha!  See ya!!!  :) :) :) :) :)

Maddie's First Day of Preschool!

Maddie started preschool the day after Labor Day, and it couldn't be a better fit for all of us!  We have her enrolled in a co-op preschool called Altadena Nursery School, where she attends Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, from 9-12.  It is a perfect amount of time for all of us! :)

The first day of school (and every one thereafter) was a smashing success!  Unlike several of the other children, Maddie had zero problem branching off on her own, away from Mommy and Daddy.  We were not surprised and very pleased that she transitioned so well into her new environment.  That was a big day for us, as the first half was filled with preschool excitement, and the second half was filled with excitement for Little G (more on that in my next post!).

On our way!  Yes, this is what it looks like each and every day that I take these three kids anywhere... oi!

We picked up Daddy on the way to school so he could be a part of such a special morning, too!

I'm going to PRESCHOOL!!

She was so excited to finally be here.

Maddie, showing her backpack to her teacher, Miss Dianna.  She was very proud of it, and Miss Dianna was "very interested!" :)

We didn't get a picture before preschool, so we settled for taking one after the morning was over.  I love that Maddie was still just as happy. :)

Maddie and her favorite teacher, Miss Dianna.  She talks about Miss Dianna throughout each and every day!

Here's to a great year!

Auntie Amber comes for a visit

At the end of July, Brant's sister, Amber, was in town for a conference, which meant she was also in town for a special visit!  It was a short weekend, but wonderful nonetheless.  We enjoyed going to the Rainforest Cafe with her (which was a first for all of us), spending an afternoon at the Santa Monica Beach, and playing at the local park with the kids.  It was a refreshing time of visiting and relaxing, albeit too short - but that's always the case when we have visitors!  We can't wait to have her come back for another visit!

Excited to be together!

Posing like monkeys...because, you know, we were at The Rainforest Cafe. I'm not sure Maddie knows how to pose like a monkey... :)

Hooray for being buried in the sand!

My little beach bum.

Happy family...no matter that it's slightly posed.  :)

:)

Amber is our super talented crocheter (is that even a word?), and made these little animals for the kids - Maddie has a monkey and Geoffrey has a giraffe.  Aren't they so cute?

PJ Love

Because I'm catching up on my picture blog posts, I have to include this set, too.  I know most of you faithful blog readers are also Facebook friends of mine, so you've probably already seen these.  Thanks for being interested to see them again. :)  But its not all that surprising...they are so cute!!

Nothing like cute new pajamas to make a boy feel good!

Nothing like cute new pajamas to make a big sister feel good, too!

She found herself in the mirror.

PJ Love.

Laundry basket fun!

Isn't it funny how the most ordinary household items can turn into something so fun and silly? :)

Geoffrey has had his helmet on for 9 weeks in this picture (and as I write this post, he has had it for 15 total).

Haha!  His little grin brings me much joy!

It's like they are communicating with their eyes - I love siblings!

This is what happens when mommy brings in the tickle monster!

Love.

Maddie still wants to pose and love on her brother, while he is starting to re-think this arrangement.

The "moose ears" was the final straw for Little G.  He's done. :)

Just a day at the beach!

A few months ago, we came across a great deal on beach gear at Cost Plus.  The funny thing was, everything was significantly on sale because beach season was passing (what?!?).  I didn't know a day where it wasn't beach season in southern California!  Regardless, we snatched up two cute beach chairs and an umbrella, and headed down to Huntington Beach with our new gear.  We've actually made it to the beach several times this summer because we had been blocked off on our Disneyland passes - we had to come up with something to do on our spare weekend days! :)

A boy after my own heart.

Happy to be at the beach!

Cuties

Maddie also had some new beach toys to play with - we were all enjoying ourselves!

Our snazzy new set-up.

Fake smiles can still be cute. :)

Me and Little G.

Maddie insisted on going into the ocean with her big shovel.

Like most kids, she tenses up and gets ready to dart away when she sees a wave coming (that wasn't always the case!).

Beach buds.

Tall like a mountain!

Maddie is now 3 years, and 2 months old, officially categorizing her under the term, "preschooler."  Good thing, too, because she will be starting preschool on Tuesday!!!  We've enrolled Maddie into the Altadena Nursery School in Pasadena, which is a co-op preschool about 2 miles away from us.  She will be attending on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 9-12.  It will be a fantastic thing for each of us :), and we are all really excited for her to start!  She has been to the school a few times and last week met her teacher, Miss Dianna, picked out her cubby, and showcased all of her charm for the teachers to gush over. I was so proud. :)

In preparation for preschool to begin, Maddie had her 3 year physical exam last week.  Although she is technically 2 months past her 3rd birthday, her stats were 37.9 lbs (95%), and 42 inches tall..wait for it...100th percentile!! (Are you really that surprised?)  In her words, "Mommy, I'm going to be tall like a mountain!"  And I reply with a big smile, "You sure are, baby girl! You are going to be tall and beautiful!"  I love her carefree cheerfulness with this fact, and I only want to foster it and instill more confidence in her with each day. We'll see if we can beat feelings of insecurity in regards to her height in her preteen years...keeping our fingers crossed!  In the meantime, we are just so blessed to watch how she is growing and blossoming into a beautiful little girl.  Onto preschool!