Russells Roost

Madi's 4th Birthday

2011-04-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

For Madi's birthday we decided to take her to the bowling alley. She had never been bowling before and we thought it would be a fun thing to do. She loved it and Mya loved cheering and clapping for her. Mya even got to bowl a few balls for her. Their favorite part was running over to the ball return and watching it spit the ball back out. They thought it was great!!

The bowling alley also had a huge arcade so we let the girls "play" the games (we didn't put any money in). The manager saw us "playing" in there for about 30min and decided (since we were the only people in there) that he would put a few games on a game card for us and let us play a few for real! Madi had lots of fun. Her favorites were air hockey, and a game that her and I got to sit in a Jeep and shoot at giant bugs before they attacked us. Mya spent most of her time on the dancing game shaking her booty to the music.

After the bowling alley, we took her over to the Rainforest Cafe at the Arizona Mills Mall. We walked through the fun gift shop and ate lunch right next to the monkeys and elephants. The girls loved it!

Later that evening we had a few people over for cake and ice cream. Since I didn't let her be Robin from Teen Titians for Halloween, I decided to make her a Robin birthday cake. The kids thought it was pretty cool!

Enjoying her cake with cousin Cameron.I can't believe that Madi is already 4! She told me that she didn't want to be 4 because she liked being 3. She wanted to stay 3 forever. I wish she could too! But, then she decided she was okay with being 4 when she discovered that it meant she gets 2 gummy vitamins instead of 1. hahah!! Kids are so funny!! I love my Madi girl so much! I love spending my days with her and Mya. I had a great day with my family!

Halloween 2010

2011-04-01T01:14:00.000-07:00

This year Madi really wanted to be a superhero for Halloween (big surprise). She kept going back and forth trying to decide who she would be. So I finally made her pick one (that would be not too hard to make) and then I decided to have Mya go as a superhero too! I thought they looked so cute!! Even though Mya got called a boy most of the night. We had a lot of fun at our ward Halloween Trunk-or-Treat. The girls especially loved the cake walk!

This is Madi with her boyfriend Owen. They are such cute little buddies!!

I did a really bad job at taking pictures this Halloween. These are the only 2 pictures I got of actual Halloween night. We had our good friends Brandon and Alyssa over and my brother Cody was in town that weekend too. So, I made us all a yummy dinner and then we walked the kids around the neighborhood. I love Halloween in AZ, the weather is perfect for a night walk!! While we were trick-or-treating, Madi made sure to correct everyone who would call her little sister a boy! She was so funny! We all had a really fun night.

Mother Natures Farm

2011-04-01T00:43:00.000-07:00

We love going to Mother Natures Farm every year before Halloween. They have so many fun things to do.

Bounce houses

You get to pick a pumpkin and then decorate it (or yourself) and take it home!

They have the tractor ride, and the farm animals. And this year the momma pig was nursing about 10 little piglets. It was really cute to hear them all oinking and watch them trying to get their turn to eat.

They also have this fun little play house that Mya loved!! We always have a fun time here!

Girls Trip!! Woohoo!!

2011-04-01T00:24:00.000-07:00

So, just a little explanation before I go on with the trip. At the end of our stay at my parents house, my Mom and I shaved Mya's head because one side of her hair looked like the above picture and the other side looked like the picture below. She had a habit of pulling her hair out on one side of her head. She liked to have it wrapped around her thumb while she was sucking her thumb. So, we had to do something to help her stop.

The girls and I went on a girls trip to CA for my little brother Corys missionary farewell. Seth had to work so he didn't get to come with us. I was a little worried to drive all that way without Seth but, the girls did great all the way there.

Here is what Mya looked like when we got out of the car. This is what happens when you keep handing back red vines to the kids while you are driving! :)

We had lots of fun playing with Grandma, Grandpa, and Cory. The girls always love playing in the pool and then sitting on the back porch eating Popsicles.

Here is what Mya looked like right after we shaved her head! Poor girl. But it did work and she doesn't pull her hair out anymore!

Saying goodbye to Cory.

Alaska Girl

2011-03-31T23:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I have ever mentioned this before or not but, Madi LOVES superheros!!! Almost everyday she asks me, "Guess who I am!" and I have a long list of superheros to go through before I get the right one. There's Spiderman, Dash, Violet, Elastigirl, Batman, Robin, Starfire, Raven, Wolverine (who she refers to as Walgreen's..hahaha) Shera, Word Girl, just to name a few. So I wasn't surprised when she made up her very own superhero ALASKA GIRL! I have no idea why she picked that name. She didn't know (until I told her) that Alaska was a place. But I thought it was pretty funny. She likes to dress up as a superhero whenever she has a chance. She will ask me to clip a dish towel around her neck with a chip clip for a cape whenever she gets her hands on one. This time we were doing the laundry and she thought that her Dads red shirt looked like the perfect Alaska Girl cape. Because "Alaska Girl wears red, and she has spiky things in her bones that will hurt you if you touch her. So don't touch her." We had fun putting together a little costume with what we had laying around. She is such a funny girl!

4th of July

2011-03-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Mya driving us to Grandma and Grandpas house!

The girls hang'n with their dogs!

Madi and Grandma enjoying the patio

I some how only managed to take a few pictures of our trip to Ramona, CA to be with my family for the 4th of July. But, this awesome video that my brother Austin made while we were all together says it all!! WE HAD A BLAST!

http://www.vimeo.com/13136259

Dripping Springs

2011-03-30T16:22:00.001-07:00

We went out to my grandparents winter home here in AZ. It is less then a 2 hour drive for us, so it is a fun day trip! The girls had a blast playing out in the desert. Madi loves looking for rocks with Grandpa. They both loved riding on the 4 wheeler! It is always nice to visit them!

Mya's 1st Brithday

2011-03-30T15:45:00.001-07:00

We had a really fun day playing at the park. She loves to swing!! While she was napping, Madi and I made her a Chocolate Doggy Cake! She loved it and made a big mess of herself! We love our little Mya!

Catch up

2011-03-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

It is going to take me a while, and I am sure it is going to be old news for most of you, but I am going to try and catch up a little. I am sad that I stopped blogging because I love to go back and look at my old blog posts. I kind of use it as a journal of our family. I left off in May 2010!!! So, here we go!!

Red Head

2010-05-03T22:43:00.000-07:00

I Think it is safe to say that Mya is going to be a red head! I have been trying not to get my hopes up, because I have seen kids hair color change from red to blond. But, I think her color is here to stay! And it is really curly too. I will have to post a better picture of it when I get it wet because it is so cute! And she has the temper to go with it!

See what I mean! Those pictures where seriously taken 10 seconds apart. She wanted to hold the camera and I wouldn't let her! So she let me know it!

No More Helmet!

2010-02-08T20:28:00.001-08:00

Monday was Mya's last day with her helmet!! We are all so happy to be done with it! It was a lot less of a hassle then I thought it would be, so it really wasn't bad. She only had it on for 3 months and she is now in the normal range! It took a lot less time then they thought it would. She was so good about it. She never seemed to mind that she had it on unless she got sweaty and her head started to itch. So, I would take it off for a few minutes and let her rub her head on things. It was funny to watch her rub her head on the couch and on the carpet during her 1 hr of freedom everyday. It must have felt so nice! I also decided that it was perfect to have on during those months while she was learning to stand. It has saved her a lot of head bumps! And Madi got very used to saying " It's okay. Because of course she has her helmet on." every time she would accidentally hit Mya on the head. All in all, I am glad we did it.

Totally Bummed!

2009-12-22T12:18:00.000-08:00

My little brother Cody and his wife Stacey welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world yesterday afternoon. They named her Preslie Jane and she is oh so cute! Now, why would I be totally bummed about such good news? Well, we were supposed to be leaving today for California to spend Christmas with my my parents, my youngest brother Cory, and my brother Cody and his family but it looks like we will be staying here. Madi got croup on Friday and she has been sick every since. I thought she was getting better but last night she got worse! So, instead of going to California and getting everyone out there sick, we decided it would be best to stay here. That is why I am totally bummed!! Not only do we not get to be with everyone for Christmas, but I don't get to meet our new little Preslie. They will be moving up to Idaho in 2 weeks so we probably won't get to see them again for a little while. So, I guess I better go figure out what I will be making for Christmas dinner...

Hello Helmet Goodbye Plagio!

2009-11-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

If you have talked to me at all in the last few months then you probably know that I have been going back and forth about weather or not to put a helmet on my little Mya. She has Plagiocephaly. Here is a quick lesson on Plagio that I found online.

What is Plagiocephaly?

Plagiocephaly often results from external forces applied to the soft infant skull.
There are actually three different types of misshapen heads. As causes of plagiocephaly are combined, it’s not uncommon to see heads that illustrate two of the deformities.

A parent’s first instinct is to wonder “what did I do to my baby to cause this?” Guilt is common, but there are many factors that can contribute to plagiocephaly and chances are, it was nothing you did intentionally. A baby’s skull is so soft and malleable until the sutures fuse around two years of age. For this reason, any external forces, whether during the pregnancy or in the infant’s daily life, can contribute to the head shape.

So, hopefully that filled you in a little bit on what is going on with her head. Of course all of those pictures are worse case pictures. Her plagio isn't as bad as the picture. You wouldn't notice it if I didn't point it out to you. We have been working on repositioning her while she sleeps since she was 3 months old. It just hasn't helped the front of her head as much as we would have liked it to so, she has some asymmetry in her face now. If the bones in your head aren't aligned then the bones in your face and jaw won't be. That is my main concern. Because, lets face it, she is going to have lots of red hair that will cover her head shape anyway right (fingers crossed). So we finally decided to just get the helmet and get it over with. The helmet holds her head in place where it sticks out, and leaves room for growth where it needs to fill in. They digitally scanned her head and made a Styrofoam head that they poured a mold on to make the helmet fit just perfect. It was pretty cool to see the scan come up on the computer while they scanned her head. She has to wear it 23 hours a day. I only take it off for cleanings 1 hour a day and to let her head breath. The Dr. said she will most likely have to wear it for 4-6 months. She just got it yesterday and she has been so good with it! It doesn't seem to bother her at all. We slowly make our way up to the 23hrs a day. Today she has to have it on 2hrs, off 1hr repeted all day. And then she gets it off while she sleeps through the night. By day 7 she will be wearing it full time. I am so happy that we finally decided to get her in the helmet, so I can stop worrying about it and we can just get it fixed already! Our insurance doesn't cover it and it is a $1,600 helmet!!! But, I am sure that most parents would pay anything to help their child. I would hate for her to notice it when she was a teenager and then find out that I could have fixed it! Talk about a guilt trip for the rest of your life! I think she looks cute in it. Next on my list is to decorate it so she looks extra cute!! We are so grateful that we have the opportunity to fix it! I'll keep you all posted on how it goes!

Happy Birthday Madi

2009-11-08T13:58:00.001-08:00

So, Madi's Birthday was on a Sunday this year. We decided to just have a low key birthday. We went to church and then came home, had some lunch, and went on a walk because it was a beautiful day!

Madi had lots of fun chasing Seths car all around her favorite place in the basin behind our house. Mya just watched in her stroller while munching on a piece of watermelon.

We all had a good time enjoying our nice weather! After that, we headed home to put the girls down for a nap so I could get started on Madi's birthday cake. It was a lot of fun! We decided to have all of Seths family come over for birthday cake and presents after dinner. Madi was so excited to have all her cousins come over! Madi had a great time with everyone! Here are a few pictures!

I thought I would ask Madi this year what kind of birthday cake she wanted but I just kept getting answers like, a bath cake, a light cake, a mommy cake (pretty much whatever she was looking at at the time). So I gave up on that and just looked online until I found something that I thought she would like. I surprised her with it when she woke up from her nap. She really liked it, and all the kids had fun eating the cupcake cones.

She got lots of fun presents! Here is Seth putting together her new scooter!

We love our little Madi Buns so much! She is such a cutie pie! I can not believe that she is 3 already! How the heck did that happen?? She is starting to test us more and more as she gets older. Just reminding Mom and Dad that we need to step up our game ;) She is getting too smart! She loves to play outside and get dirty! She loves drawing on the side walk with her chalk, playing hide and seek (or "hide the sink" as she would say), playing "Not It" (tag) and playing school. She is so much fun to have in our family. Thanks to everyone who came over, sent birthday gifts, and called Madi on her birthday! She had such an awesome day! We love you all!

Halloween

2009-11-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

I love Halloween time!! I love decorating my house, especially now that Madi can help, and I love picking what I get to dress my girls up as. I know that won't last too much longer with Madi getting older. I decided to make the girls costumes this year. My mom always made ours so I thought I would give it a try. One little problem with that is that I don't sew! I have a sewing machine and my mom showed me how to use it when she gave it to me, but I almost never use it. So, I had to watch a YouTube video and call my mom 3 times to figure out how to thread the bobbin and the machine. After that, it wasn't too bad. I sewed Madi a little Tinkerbell dress and Madi her and Mya some wings. I already had made Myas tutu. So this is what they ended up with.

I had fun making them, and I was glad that they looked different then all the other Tinkerbells, and lady bugs we came across. We got a lot of use out of them. First we had our ward fall festival at a park. It was freezing cold!! So they had there costumes on for about 5 min and they were both crying so I ended up layering every piece of clothing in my bag on them. I ended up having to go back to the house to get a few more jackets and hats once Seth got there. Madi had fun trick-or-treating around every ones blankets, so it ended up being a good time.

The next day Madi had a Halloween party with some of her friends. We all planned a game or an activity for the kids and brought a spooky treat! It was a lot of fun.

On Halloween day it warmed up (thank goodness) so Madi didn't freeze in her little costume. We made it through our little neighborhood and she was done. So we came home and she had fun handing out our candy to the kids.

The next day was Madis 3rd birthday! So I will post about that soon!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

So...here are a bunch pictures from our wonderful trip to California for the Labor Day weekend! We had so much fun playing with everyone! It was so nice to spend a whole day outside and not get too hot. I forgot how nice it is out there in September.

Madi enjoyed playing in the different tide pools. The guys went off and jumped and snorkeled by jump rock while we played with the girls in the water and under the umbrella. It was so nice!

They were pooped on the way home!! On Monday morning we took the kids to the Golden View farm to feed the animals. They have ducks, bunnies, goats, a pig, roosters, and chickens. There was a play ground next to the farm and Madi kept asking the whole time if she could go play on that. So after we saw all the animals we let her go play. It wasn't long before she had us all up in her "castle". She didn't want to leave!Chloe, being the older one, was nice enough to read some books to her little cousin Mya. They are too cute!!

Madi had so much fun playing with the side walk chalk with grandpa in the backyard. They played hop scotch and drew lots of blueberry cookies!! They had so much fun together.

My Mom and Dad were nice enough to watch all the girls while Cody, Stacey, Seth and I all went to the beach so we could play in the water on Monday. We had a lot of fun! Even though the waves were pretty lame. The guys had fun jumping into them from the shore, trying to do flips over them, while Stacey and I visited. We even watched some dolphins jumping around. We had such a fun time with you guys! Can't wait to do it again.

Tutu cute!!

2009-08-27T15:15:00.001-07:00

Just some pictures I wanted to share of Mya in her little tutu!

She doesn't really know how to sit up on her own, so she tipped back and her bald head ended up in the grass. She wasn't a fan!

Birthday Weekend

2009-08-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

This past Friday was Seth's 30th Birthday! We had such a fun day (even though Seth had to work) Since it was his big day I decided to be a good wife and get up and make him some breakfast. I totally would do this everyday, but he isn't much of a breakfast person, he would rather sleep 5 more min. then eat breakfast (I am the opposite... I live for breakfast) so, I don't know if this was more for me or him, but whatever, he liked it. Then after the girls got up and around, we went and got him some birthday balloons and a cute pink cupcake (Madi picked it out) from the bakery and headed out to his work to surprise him. Madi was so excited to give him the balloons, she did a good job and carried both the balloons and the cupcake in, without loosing either one, then yelled a super cute and excited "Happy Birthday Daddy" when she saw Seth! It was too cute! Then we kidnapped him from work and took him to Joe's BBQ for some free birthday lunch (can't pass that up). Later that evening our good friends Rachel and Levi came over and we ordered pizza and waited for my parents to arrive from CA. When they got there we visited and got the girls all situated so my parents could watched the girls while we (Rachel, Levi, Seth and I) went to Sun Splash for their "Night Splash" It was so much fun hanging out with just the adults. This is the first time, since we had Mya, that we have gotten to do something fun like that without them. We had such a good time!! And the girls had so much fun playing with Grandma and Grandpa (For the full story of the water park, go to Rachel's blog http://teamsugden.blogspot.com/) After the park closed we came home and had birthday cake and watched Seth open his presents! It turned out to be a really fun day. We love you Seth!!!

The next day was my Moms Birthday!! So we partied all day Saturday too. We started off her big day by going out to breakfast at the Cracker Cafe (best breakfast place ever!!). After that, we came home and Madi played a little game of living room baseball with Grandma and Grandpa.

Then we got all suited up to go up to Water Wheel in Payson. It was only 95 degrees there, as opposed to our 110 in the valley, so it made it really nice for hiking and swimming in the water! We had lots of fun swimming and exploring around the different rock, waterfalls and pools.

Dad taking a cat nap on the rocks

While we were there, I discovered Mya's FIRST TOOTH! I can't believe that my baby already is big enough to have a tooth!!..... It was so nice and relaxing up there that we stayed until the mosquitoes came out. On our way home we stopped for some Mexican food. Madi slept on the restaurant bench the whole time while we all ate (except Mya, she was too busy spitting raspberries and giggling at Grandma and Grandpa ) and then we headed home. Not without stopping at Nelson's Frozen Custard for some desert ;) We all were so tired when we got home but still had it in us to sing happy birthday to Mom and watch her open her gifts. It was such a wonderful weekend!!! Thanks for driving out to spend time with our little family Mom and Dad! We love you guys!

Rats Nest

2009-07-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Every morning when Madi wakes up, she has the biggest rats nest in the back of her hair! It is so awesome! Until I have to brush it out. Then its not so cool. I guess I could just brush some smooth hair over it and pretend like I meant for it to be that way. :) The girl does need a little volume!

Mya doesn't share Madis morning hair problem, she has her own hair issues! Or lack there of!

Idaho Trip

2009-07-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

We decided to ditch the heat and make our way up to Idaho last week. We wanted to be there for the 4th of July. We drove all the way there :( Not my favorite thing to do with a new baby. It took us 13 hrs to get to Orem thanks to the Hoover Dam (a picture of the new bridge incase you haven't been there in a while.)
Not to mention the frequent stops for feedings and potty breaks!

We ended up stopping to feed the baby next to an Indian art shop. So, Seth and Madi got out to stretch their legs and check out the shop. Behind the shop there was a really cool koi pond with a grass area and a bunch of peacocks walking around. Madi had a blast chasing them all around.

We stopped in Orem for the night with Seths Grandma Rush and then left as soon as we got up the next morning. Just 3 1/2 hours to Idaho Falls

It would take forever if I were to tell you everything that we did, but Madi sure had fun getting reacquainted with all of her cousins out there. They had only seen her once when she was 9 months old.

Playing in Jareds backyard!

Twinkies at Rigby Lake!!

Building sand castles with Jasmin at Rigby Lake

Swinging at Rigby Lake

Sand wedgies at Rigby Lake

4th of July parade in Rexburg

My brother Cody and his cutie pie Chloe!
Mya wishing she could eat the candy Madi kept putting at her feet

We had such a good time visiting with all of our family!! We got to do so much in the short week that we were there!

We had a bonfire at the sand dunes, played at lots of parks, Rigby Lake, Fire works, Parade, Played with JD (Garrisons dog), Went to Craigos (twice), Stayed up until 2:30 am talking, hung out with old friends. The weather was so beautiful! We even got a rain storm! We love you all. Thanks for a fun week!

The latest

2009-05-18T22:07:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess that I should post a few pictures or something so that you know that we are still alive over here. I have been so busy and I have nothing to really show for it. My house is always a mess ( I should be cleaning right now) and I don't have time to do my hair anymore. I don't know where my days go but they seem to be going by faster then ever! Anywho... here is what we have been up to lately.

We got a new car last week!!! I have been wanting a new car since we moved here 5 years ago. Seths sister Chelsea was nice enough to give us her old car right when we moved here and I have been driving that for quite a while, but we finally had enough money to get something more reliable for our little family. So, now we don't have to rent a car when we go on road trips!! YEAH! It is a 2006 Accord and I really like it! I also potty trained Madi last week ( I won't add a picture for that one) and she has been doing really well. I had been putting it off because I thought it would be harder then it was. Maybe it was good that I put it off because then she was really ready when I finally did it. So ...less diapers to buy and change!!! Other then those 2 things I really haven't been up to much. Just hanging out with the girls. Here are a few of the latest pics of Mya. She is such a big girl and is in the 90% for her weight and height and all that stuff. We had her 2 month check up last month. She is such a cutie! She loves to smile at us now and it is so much fun.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mya July

2009-03-19T15:43:00.001-07:00

Just wanted everyone to know that she finally came. She weighed 9lbs 9oz. She is a big girl and she is so much fun! So far she is a very happy baby. We all love her so much! Madi is starting to interact with her more now. I don't think she knew what to think about her at first. But we are all doing well. Thanks Mom for all of your help this last week! You are a life saver! I will try to post more later when we get this whole sleeping thing figured out.

Still no baby!!

2009-03-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am still pregnant! I did have an appointment today and they scheduled me to be induced on Wed morning. So hopefully I will have some pictures to share with all of you by this weekend!

It's Almost Time!

2009-02-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post about my pregnancy one last time before our little baby girl comes. I can't believe that it is less then 2 weeks away! I am SO excited to have another little girl, and to see what her personality brings to our family. I have been busy this week getting all of Madi's old newborn clothes out of the attic and washing all the burp rags and things in the baby laundry soap. It has been fun looking at all of the newborn stuff. It brings back lots of good memories. Yesterday I spent just about 2 hours on the computer looking at old pictures and videos of Madi as a newborn. Our computer has been broken forever and thanks to Levi, (our good friend) it is working again so I was able to see all of our old pictures. Needless to say, it is all I can do to not think about having this baby.

I am so happy to say that we have come to an agreement on what her name will be. After months and months of switching back and forth. We have decided to name her Mya July Russell. Madi calls her "baby July" and Seth calls her Mya when he is talking to me and July when he is talking to Madi. So, I am curious to see which one sticks when she finally gets here.

I also just wanted to say how much I LOVE being pregnant. Even though it is hard to sleep at night towards the end, there is nothing like feeling your baby move inside of your tummy. I am always putting my hands on my stomach when she is rolling around because I can't get enough of it. It is the strangest feeling. Sure, I could do without her punching me in the bladder, the constant pain in my pelvis, and the crazy leg cramps that about take me to the ground. But other then that, I am very blessed with easy pregnancies. I have even been able to workout during this whole pregnancy, which was a goal of mine this time. I don't even get winded walking up the stairs in my house, which was my work out at the end of my last pregnancy.

Well, I guess keep watching for the big day, I will definitely post some pictures up when she comes. Hopefully she won't decide to wait until 10 days after her due date like Madi!