Super Heroes, Princesses, and Mulch

We had a very busy weekend with birthday parties and yard work. Madelyn's friends Jackson and Tyler had a joint Super Hero birthday party on Saturday morning. Alaina made little capes for all the kids and Madelyn wore her pink cape for about 3 minutes before she wanted it off. It was a very cute idea! The party was a lot of fun and we are so glad the rain held off for the kids to play outside for the fun party games!

On Saturday afternoon, our neighbor had a princess party. Madelyn loved looking at all the decorations and they had a huge spread of food and drinks and it was as much a party for the adults as the kids. Madelyn was completely exhausted after a fun-filled day of birthday parties!

Bill spent most of the weekend aerating, seeding, spreading mulch, and making a new flower bed around the mailbox. Our trees are struggling a bit so the arborist told us to mulch around them. I helped when I could during naptime, but Bill put 2 whole days into our yard. It looks really good, but Bill is super sore and exhausted tonight!

Tonight, we went to El Paso with some friends which was a great end to a busy weekend. I'm starting to have cravings and that big burrito hit the spot!

Madelyn with her super hero pink cape! It matches her bow perfectly..too bad it only stayed on for a couple of minutes!Madelyn playing with her friend, Judah, at the birthday party!These three girls are going to be nothing but trouble in a couple of years! From left to right, Delia, Adeline and Madelyn. Adeline and Madelyn will be in the same grade and Delia is a year behind them. Watch out boys, here they come!!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my!

Today, our Wednesday Stroller Strides playgroup took a field trip to the Richmond Zoo. The Richmond Zoo isn't the best zoo in the world, but it's perfect for Madelyn's age group. We had a great time because the animals came right up to us. Madelyn really enjoyed the first half of our trip to the zoo and walked around with everyone and looked at all the animals. While looking at the tigers, one of them came right up to the glass window and scared Madelyn so she wanted me to hold her going forward which was not very fun for me. Madelyn's favorite animals were the monkeys and giraffes. She's been talking about them all day!

Looking at the birds with her friends, Bennett and Aiden. They were more fascinated with shaking the rope than watching the birds!

Watching the monkeys with the group!

Watching the monkeys some more! They were pretty entertaining!

This is the tiger that scared Madelyn which made the rest of my zoo visit not so enjoyable!

Madelyn and I hanging out with the giraffes!

The picture says it all!

We are very happy to announce that Baby McGuire #2 will be arriving at the end of March. I am a little over 12 weeks along and the due date is 3/29/10. We are very excited about growing our family and Madelyn can't wait to be a big sister. We are trying to explain to her that the baby is in Mommy's tummy. Sometimes the baby is in Madelyn's tummy and sometimes in Daddy's tummy. Hopefully she'll somewhat grasp the concept by March.

I have been feeling pretty good. I was very tired and nauseous up until a couple of weeks ago. Now I pretty much have it under control as long as I eat throughout the day and take a nap in the afternoon. I think I could get used to this afternoon nap!

We'll be finding out the sex of the baby the 2nd week in November. Last time, I had a feeling it was a girl. This time I have a boy feeling, but the heartbeat has been about 155 so I think it's a girl. It's an old wives tale but Madelyn was that range as well. Obviously, we'll be thrilled to have either!

End of Summer Fun at the Beach

We spent last week in Corolla at the Outer Banks with friends. We rented a huge house with two other families. Madelyn had a great time playing with all the kids. September is usually a great time to go to the beach because the rates are lower and the temperature is a little cooler. Unfortunately, we ran into some rain and it rained for half of our vacation. Despite the rain, we had an awesome time spending the last week of summer at the beach.

During the rain, we had to be creative in finding activities to keep all the kids busy. Despite the cooler weather on the rainy days, we were able to go on some walks on the beach as long as we bundled up with sweatshirts. On the day of Jackson's 4th birthday, we went to a mini aquarium, a lighthouse, and the kids painted wild horses. They had a good time and Jackson had a very fun birthday!

Madelyn loved the ocean and the waves, but she hated the sand. She said the the "Sand Hurt" which we know isn't true. She played in the sand as long as she had her water shoes on and I had to constantly clean off her hands when they got dirty. She loved having Bill carry her in the ocean and she leaned down and touched the waves. Madelyn also had a great time hanging out in the pool and hot tub at our beach house. The hot tub was a huge hit and we turned the temperature down to 98 degrees and it was a big bathtub for the kids!

Walking on the beach with Daddy!

Spending an afternoon at the beach on one of the rainy days!

Hanging out at the top of the sand dune with Daddy!

Madelyn is actually playing in the sand!

Catching some rays! Madelyn loved sitting on the beach chair and as you can see, she is wearing her water shoes!

Getting some sun with Daddy!

Getting doughnuts for Jackson's birthday!

Painting a wild horse with the kids!

Looking out at the water in Corolla!

The group eating dinner at the Oceanfront Grill in Corolla Light!

Madelyn loved hanging out at the pier after dinner!
Madelyn obviously loves sitting on chairs and benches!
Our family the last afternoon at the beach!