Maddie and Daddy

I love to see Dad's interacting with their children. I guess there's just something special about the look Mike gets in his eyes when he's playing with Maddie and the fun she has! Here are some pictures of Maddie Daddy time from the past few weeks.

This one cracks me up. I'm not sure who is having more fun.

A Day in the Life of...

You may be wondering what a stay-at-home mom does all day. Here it is:

It starts with a cute outfit...


And continues on with a "photo shoot" complete with a great accessory; Mommy's extremely large sun hat.

And ends with the cutest little picture. I dare anyone to tell me my "job" isn't great!

Easter Day

Our Easter was nothing but a day of relaxation. We woke up, went to Church and hung out around the house all day. And in case there aren't enough pictures of Maddie floating around out there, here are some more.

Vacation Pictures

Palm Springs, March 2009

This little ladybug was lovin' life in the water

In the pool with Daddy

What a cutie in her hat and surfer girl swimsuit!

What vacation would be complete without a nap?

Jeff, Leah, Erin, Mike, and I took a tram ride up a mountain. It's the world's longest (i think)rotating tram. The floor spun as we went up. The earth was still moving when we got to the top.

Everytime I look at this picture a caveman voice enters my head... "Me, big man climb big rock, be king of world!!!"

Leah and I hanging out on at the top of the mountain. Who knew there would be snow in Palm Springs!?!

Like the taking naps, no vacation would be complete without beer; lots of beer! This whole menu you're looking at is beer. They had over 160 beers on tap! I think I was in heaven.

This was just one of the sides of their beer taps. They went all the way around; and if you can believe it, there is another one just like it to the left. Like I said, beer heaven!

Erin, Jeff and I went for a hike and found this; a waterfall in the desert!

After our fun in Palm Springs, we took some time to see the sights in LA. We drove around Rodeo Dr and Hollywood then stopped at the Santa Monica pier.

I completely forgot to put some warm clothes on Madison, so Daddy zipped her up in his jacket.


Some other things that happened on our trip (no pictures were taken):

Mike golfed and golfed and golfed and golfed and golfed... (you get the picture)

I hung out around the pool with Maddie.

Our normally very happy baby was super cranky. Come to find out, it's like a DeVries family tradition to teethe while you're on vacation.

Mike went for a hike with Jeff and Erin.

Mike, Jeff, Erin, and I went out for a night on the town. Had too much fun. Went to a place called the Barn; strange. Mike thought he was the lead singer of the band there. That's all I'm going to say about that!

TomTom took us to the ghetto instead of to our hotel in LA. All I have to say is, ladies next time you're going somewhere with a man or men and you're using GPS, make sure they find the street in the correct city. ;-) I guess it made for a lot of fun and a good story.

And, we shopped!!!

I haven't blogged in how long?

For the two of you who actually read my blog...are you still there? I just looked and realized I haven't blogged in almost four months.

So, in an effor to catch up:

At less than three months Maddie was rolling over. To my dismay I couldn't put her down to sleep on her back without a minute or two passing by before she rolled onto her stomach. I learned quickly to place her on her stomach to avoid the hassle of crying and fussing.

At around four months Maddie was getting on all fours and "rocking." I was surpised it took her as long as it did to crawl.

Right around six months she was finally crawling. I say finally with excitement and sorrow. Gone are the days where I left her on the floor to play while I ran around the house picking up and/or doing anything else.

On March 17th, Maddie got her first tooth. Of course she'd have to do it on vacation. How else could she make life interesting. After walking around the vacation home for a day with my relatives saying how happy she is; Maddie reared her cranky little head and all hell broke loose. Her toothe broke and I was thanking God that there was finally a reason for the happiest baby in the world (or so she seems to me) to be so cranky. I don't know how all the moms with colichy or cranky babies survived!!!!

Now I'm back home without cousins or aunts and uncles to entertain the baby, and I'm afraid another tooth is breaking through. Please...make the madness stop!!!

The Most Relaxing Day

The day started off as usual - wake up at 7:30, make a bottle, pee quickly, and rush into the room of a now wide-eyed baby girl.

For some reason, the morning's tasks went by effortlessly. No real crying or spitting up to speak of. Maddie played by herself for the most part, happy as a clam. I made my strong pot of coffee (thank God for Starbucks, I don't think I'd survive without it) then it was off to give Maddie a bath. Daddy helped out, taking off her clothes and diaper while I got the bath ready.



Maddie, all clean now, and I read a book and a half. She's learned how to shut the book now, so instead of crying and squirming to let me know she's had enough, she just closes the book repeatedly till I get the hint.

While all of the morning's activities were going on, a beautiful day was making it's appearance. After I put Maddie down for her first nap, I decided to take a page from Julie Hylland's book.



So, now I sit with coffee cup, Bible, and paper and pen in hand, on my deck, looking at God's beautiful creation. As the fog rolls off the lake and the sun shines through, I'm thanking my lucky stars I've been so blessed. I've just had the most relaxing morning in almost 4 and a half months.

So, I say in good old Mexicali fashion - Dios les bendiga!

The Grass is Always Greener...January 9

So, I have to apologize in advance for the long blog that's about to come out. I wrote this over a week ago...and completely forgot to post it!

It's already been four months...Most days I can't believe it. Time has flown and my baby is no longer a newborn! Maddie isn't that small baby she used to be. She smiles more often, rolls over constantly, and has even started on the basics of what may very soon become crawling!

This morning I was just feeling sorry for myself. I keep thinking, "Poor me, always at someone else's beck and call. What was it like when I only had myself to worry about?" My thoughts continued to grow from there, "Mike's so lucky he gets to come home and relax, only taking on some of the responsibilities of Madison's needs."

But this afternoon, at exactly 11:45, I remembered why I'm so lucky! I walked into Maddie's room (after her 2 hour nap, woo-hoo) with a smile on my face! Laying in her crib, face down (I can't hardly set her down before she's flipped over) was the cutest baby I'd ever seen! I couldn't help grinning from ear to ear. I picked her up and she nuzzled up against me, I walked to the living room to feed her. God has blessed Mike and I with this precious child! She depends on me to feed her and keep her warm. This child who I love so much will no longer feel like a job (at least I hope not).


I have been given the most important job in the world, and if my job description includes losing my brain and doing the not so fun tasks like changing a stinky diaper or trying (and I mean trying) to keep the house clean, or always wearing spit-up-laden clothes, I will do it with Joy. I will do it proudly, and I will be thankful God has blessed me with a family I love very much I will no longer look at everyone else's grass thinking theirs is greener.


MY GRASS IS AS GREEN AS IT CAN BE!!!