Haircut and Play Ball!!

Well...I knew it was coming...Maddux's first haircut...I didn't cry but did feel a bit teary when it happened...He was great and thank goodness his Aunt Susie was there to help;)

On another note, the Fayetteville Baseball Team beat Conway in the State Tournament semi-finals. They will play Rogers next Friday at 4:30 pm at Baunm. I am so excited for Andrew. Getting back to a state title game had been many years in the making. He is so great with the players, despite dealing with some "not so fun" situations in previous positions from which he could have easily become bitter. He chose to persevere and I couldn't be prouder of him for it. No matter what happens next weekend, I'm am just thrilled he has the opportunity to be a part of another team fighting for a title. The coaching staff, players, and Fayetteville School District have been so welcoming to Andrew and our family. We are so grateful for them. Here are a few pictures from this week...

Ready for Spring!!!!

Sorry it has taken a while to post....

Here is a quick summary of the past few weeks at the Glade house:

1. Maddux is now standing 3-5 seconds at a time on his own...no steps yet, but definitely close. Can you believe his 9 month birthday is today??!!!

2. I have started the application process to begin working on a doctorate and may be taking classes next month! Eeeek! Prayers for me to get through stat classes would be much appreciated.

3. I've started working a part time job (yes, in addition to my full time job) as a Speech Pathologist at a few local nursing homes. I was reluctant at first, but really enjoy working with the adults. Prayers for sustained energy and motivation please.

4. Maddux says: baba, dada, wawa, and yaya. Yes, despite significant effort on my part, "mama" is not on the list yet. Andrew is convinced Maddux has said ball a couple times, but I'm not so sure about that..lol!!! Maddux does often sign "more" during meal times.

5. Two weekends ago, my husband informed me that he had an important meeting with his buddies that would last all weekend. I'm not sure what "business" was discussed, but I do know that golfing and a whiffle ball tournament in which my patio table was turned on its side and used as a backstop in my backyard happened. Not sure how productive the "meetings" were...lol!!! It was still fun to see Uncle Drew and Uncle Cody! There is never a dull moment.

6. Last weekend my friend Laura came to visit. (Maddux's Aunt Laura) It was great getting to see her and her family. We did a little shopping, went to the Razorback Red/white game, and most importantly made it for our customary visit to Rick's Bakery! The weekend was great because I was able to have some much needed girl time with Laura and Deedee. Andrew was AWESOME to keep Maddux most of the time too.

7. This weekend has been super busy too. Andrew agreed to drive our family and a couple parents of families I work with to Little Rock for a Board member meeting with Ar Hands&Voices. It was a great meeting and I am really excited to see all the great support this organization is proving families who have children who are deaf or hard of hearing. While I was in meetings all weekend, Andrew took Maddux to go see "Pops" in Hot Springs and took care of Maddux all weekend. Yes, Andrew definitely gets several votes for Dad of the Year (DOTY) today.

All in all, we have been super busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

Look at the curls after bath time!!! Love them!

Pretty serious about his food...

Maddux with Aunt Laura

Maddux pooped after calling the Hogs at the Red/White game

Cheering for the Razorback Baseball team!

He loves standing in his seat and talking with the other people in the area....Hopefully he isn't too much of a distraction:(

Cheering on Fayetteville High School baseball team...State tournament starts soon....Fingers crossed!

Maddux enjoying his first night in a hotel while mommy was in meetings all weekend

Had no trouble sleeping in a new bed at the hotel..lol!

On the way home from Little Rock.....super tired...
Officially 9 months old today!

Smiling and Swinging

Lase week was another busy week at the Glade house, but we had LOTS of fun! To say Maddux is mobile is an UNDERSTATEMENT!! I just hope I am not the only person with a living room that looks like this more often than I would like to admit...

What can I say? Maddux is a fan of Easter eggs..lol!

This past weekend, PeePaw (my dad) and T'Sah (my stepmom) came to visit. They took us out to a wonderful lunch (something Andrew and I rarely get to do these days), and then we went to Cabela's in Rogers. It was the first time Maddux could actually enjoy the huge fish tanks they have in the back of the store. 

 I'm not sure if it was against the rules for him to stand practically against the tank or not, but no one came to stop him. A few tiny fingerprints and drool won't hurt a fish tank, right?! Maddux loved the fish.
Next, Peepaw and T'Sah installed one of Maddux's Christmas presents...
a "Fisher Price" swing!
Ok, so maybe T'Sah did a little more playing with Maddux and Peepaw did most (or let's call it like it is...all) of the installation. Either way Maddux LOVES the swing!

We love that Maddux often wears himself out swinging!


One thing is for sure....Maddux already loves his Peepaw and T'Sah!

Maddux and Peepaw

On Sunday, we went to church and then went to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville to see the Norman Rockwell exhibit. It was amazing and there were lovely trails and small parks around the museum for families to enjoy. Here are a few pics of out fun time there!

What did you do to enjoy the beautiful weekend? Hope you had a chance to enjoy the warmth and sunshine!

Mimi and Easter!

This past week was busy but fun! After much anticipation, Mimi (my mom) was able to come for a visit...In addition to taking care of Maddux for a few days, she cleaned my house, and fixed a few YUMMY meals! Thank you Mimi!

Together at last!

Mimi and Maddux playing

Maddux wasn't so sure about the wagon idea...

Maddux loves his Mimi!

What made the week even better was that Uncle Noah was able to come visit too! He is starting a new job this week that will require quite a bit of traveling. Prayers for safe travel and an easy job transition would be appreciated.

Like my brother, I too am considering a change of pace. I am looking in to pursuing my Ph.D. (in addition to working full time.) This is going to be a very tough decision for me because as much as I want to further my education, I don't want to neglect my husband, my son, my work, or most importantly, God. I am still doing lots of research and meeting with people. Again, prayers or any advice you might have would be much appreciated. I know it is going to be a big commitment and I know the ONLY way I can get through it is for me to keep my priorities in check and try to avoid overloading myself as I often do. I don't want this to be a selfish endeavor, so I am praying for clarity and discernment on this issue at the moment.

On a MUCH lighter note...This past weekend was EASTER!! I LOVE Easter! The only not so great thing about this Easter was that we didn't get to be with extended family. Maddux wasn't sure about the whole egg thing, but loved sleeping in and going to an amazing church service at New Heights in Fayetteville.

This is one of many SUPER cute pictures taken as a fundraiser for TEAMWorks (A non-profit organization that works to help children with special needs in our community and all over the world.) 

Look at my little man! Can you believe how much he has grown???!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!

Sick, Silly, and Spring Break!

The past two weeks have been SUPER busy at the Glade house! After Pops left following the baseball games, we had the pleasure of getting a wonderful visit from Andrew's oldest brother, his wife, and their 3 children. It made for a busy house, but it was great to see everyone and we loved every minute of it! Maddux LOVED getting to play with his cousins...

The following weekend was B-E-A-Utiful weather, so we decided to go for a family jog (my first jog since November...I know...I have been B-A-D about getting in runs). It is always difficult for me to get runs in through the winter. Having winter and lack of sleep as an excuse this year made it especially difficult....With a little prep, Maddux was ready to go.. The good news is, he now loves the jogging stroller and passed out in no time..

Following the family jog, we cleaned up and were ready to cheer on the Hogs! It was a beautiful day for Razorback baseball!

After a few innings of cheering hard, Maddux and I went to go catch up for my friend Lynn for a bit. I was introduced to Lynn by my cousin Jennifer when we first started training for half-marathons a few years ago. Lynn taught us SOOOooooOO much about running. She is an AWESOME person and we are so blessed to have her in our lives! Maddux was soon pooped again...lol!

The Razorbacks won, so it was a GREAT day!....Until about 8pm that night when I came down with the HORRIBLE stomach bug. It lasted about 24 hours and it was awful!!!

To say that Maddux is now mobile is an understatement! He is everywhere!!! My first visit from a caped crusader happened this week. I have a feeling this is the first of many capes that Maddux will be sporting around the house.

Daddy LOVES that Maddux is more active now because that means they can play more.....

 

Our cat "Sadie" is still trying to figure out what is going on....Maddux has been crawling now for about 3 weeks...She is starting to figure out that a good distance is a necessity if she doesn't want some rather rough affection.

Andrew was on Spring Break last week and so were several of our friends. Our friends Jason and Kristen came to visit with Maddux's future prom date/their daughter Peyton who is 2 months older than Maddux. They had to keep a close eye on the kids because Maddux was already trying to put the moves on Peyton in the car seat...See them trying to hold hands below..

I had to work last week while Andrew was able to take Maddux on his first trip to the park. He sent me pictures and I worked hard to not cry about it....I just kept telling myself, "we will go to the park again." It was tough, but I was so glad the boys were finally getting some time together.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long after this that Andrew came down with that same stomach bug I was telling you about earlier. We were blessed that neither Maddux nor Peyton came down with this illness. Unfortunately, our friends Kristen and Jason did come down with the illness. I feel pretty certain that we are going to have to bribe them back to the house ...lol! We did offer to come visit them the next time they are sick so they can even the score..lol! No, I'm sure that will not be needed and I think they already have another trip to visit planned, but we will be sure to SUPER sanitize the house before that visit..lol!

The following weekend, my friends Erin and Tara came to visit myself and Alex for a girls' weekend. I was SOOOooooOOOO in need of a girls' weekend. Andrew was so awesome to take care of Maddux on Friday night and all day Saturday so I could have some time away. He is such a great dad. I'm not really sure how I managed to get so lucky in the "daddy" department with Andrew, but I am so thankful for him. Even though it was super cold, this weekend, we persevered and found lots of great deals. See the picture below. The "Best Shopper" award has to go to my friend Tara who managed to find an amazing pair of boots that were originally $80 for only $10!!! Yes, the shopping was great, but the best part was just getting to hang out with this amazing ladies.

Soooo, all in all, the past couple of weeks have been really busy, but loads of fun. In the coming weeks we have Mimi coming to visit, I have to make some big decisions concerning possibly pursing a doctoral degree (I know...nuts to even think about..., but I would really appreciate some prayer for this decision), Pops coming to visit, more friends coming to visit, and possibly Peepaw and T'Sah coming to visit soon too. Spring and Summer is always busy for us, but we wouldn't have it any other way. We LOVE that we live in a great community and are fortunate enough to be blessed to have the opportunity to house lots of visitors. We love having a busy house and continue to be amazed at how God blesses our family. We are blessed and are so grateful to be blessed by those who visit!

Do you have any fun spring or Easter traditions? I would love to hear about them if you do. I am always looking for neat traditions to start with Maddux and our family. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.