Aloha

We had a BLAST during our week in Hawaii. Thanks Dad for letting your kids invite ourselves on your work trip!

Cutest picture ever taken of the Madster.

Mom & Maddie at our hotel

Uncle Kyle (the greatest....manny....uh, I mean nanny....I have ever seen) telling Maddie the most elaborate and fantastical stories of make believe.

Our family helicopter ride

Maddie is ready to go.

Literally, within 60 seconds after take off, Maddie was asleep and slept the entire ride! She missed the amazing waterfalls, cliffs, mountains, and whales.

Our family submarine ride.

Maddie was FURIOUS that we didn't see any mermaids. We saw a sunken ship, lots of beautiful fish, and a freaky eel.

Maddie's brave slide ride.

Josh's brave slide ride.

The cutest little hula girl, Lucy! She was such a doll and made the trip so fun!

Maddie felt like a princess in our amazing hotel.

Ice cream break.

Family boat ride. I definitely highly recommend visiting the islands during whale season.

At the top of Maui's Haleakala volcano.

The very cool downhill bike ride.

Grandpa Dale & Baby Lucy

I totally hogged little Lucy the whole week. I don't think Jamie minded too much though.  :o)

Maddie the Mermaid

Josh's tradition: sleeping through the ENTIRE first day of vacation.

Uncle Kyle being wonderful again. (Little did he know that Maddie had a "turtle head" inside of that swimsuit when I took it off later that night. He - he)

Whenever you ask Maddie what she wants to do at the beach, she is guaranteed to say: Make sand castles! Well, she got her wish!

Maddie loved the slides at the hotel.

Josh & Rod enjoying their room service breakfast/tea party.

A Happy Day.....

We needed a happy family vacation, so where did we go? The Happiest Place on Earth, of course!

We carried on the Stucki family tradition of going on the Pirate ride first. That smile on Maddie's face didn't last long once we got on this "scary" ride. You could hear her saying the following things: "I don't like this at all." "I want to go home." "Why did we come here?" Maybe we will wait until she is a little older to continue this tradition?

We immediately tried to cheer Maddie up by going to the only place that really matters to her.

One of my favorite rides!

Maddie loved the Dumbo ride because we all squished onto one elephant and she got to do the controller all by herself.

For anyone who doesn't know, there is a new Disney area near the It's a Small World ride. The little girls can choose what Princess they want to be, and then they get the complete outfit and their hair and makeup done....

....then they get to go to the ball and learn how to dance with a handsome prince and curtsy......

.....And if you shell out enough money, they even get one on one time 

with princesses in a private room! Maddie was in Princess Heaven!

And of course, the teacups. (Which make me vomit, so I offered to take pictures instead.) We had a very magical time together!

A Sad Day....

It turns out that I am no longer pregnant...... I was so excited about the positive pregnancy test that I wanted to tell everyone! Unfortunately, little 1, 3 and 9 just went through too much (they WERE frozen for four years) and weren't strong enough.

Poor little Maddie took it hard. She had affectionately named the little guys, "Jack, Sophie & Sophia." They had to be named in that order and counted on your fingers, or she would make you repeat it. I tried my best not to cry in front of her, but I know she could tell how sad I was. I bought her a silly little purple wand at the dirty Barstow Main Street Station this weekend, and she came up to me waving her wand so excited: "Mommy, now I can make you pregnant again with my wand!"

What a sweet little miracle Maddie has been in my life.

I'm officially pregnant!!! :o)

(And I owe it ALL to the fertility statue from the Canary Islands - thanks Leavitts!)

Getting Pregnant (Not as graphic as it sounds)

I'd like to introduce to you the newest members of the family: Embryos #1, 3 & 9. All three were implanted last week (yes, ALL THREE!!!!), and I will find out on Friday if it worked. Getting pregnant this way truly stinks, but Josh and I are SO EXCITED for another little one. Please keep your fingers crossed!  (Don't you think the one in the middle looks like Josh?)

I'd like to....um.....thank Curry & Lindsay Leavitt for their.....um.....well wishes. They were.....um....kind enough to give me this.....um....beautiful fertility statue. Wow......thanks? (Actually, I really love it and it is sitting right next to my computer so that I can benefit from all of the fertility vibes that it is giving off.)

Why would I go through this nightmare pregnancy experience again, you ask? Look at this adorable little princess that we were blessed with three years ago! (Posing here with King Grandpa Stan. And, yes, that is a wig. Maddie's, not Stan's!)

And here is my almost 30 year old rock star husband playing Rock Band with his friends, Joe & Chad. Why would I NOT want to continue his blessed genes?

Fun in DC

Kelsey, Maddie & I went back to Washington DC for some of my doctor's appointments and monitoring for my upcoming in-vitro. We had a great time together!

Me & Maddie at the National Zoo. (If you look extra close, you might see the Mama Lion).

Maddie LOVED Kelsey being there because she is a walking, talking, interacting, life-size Barbie Doll. They did each other's hair and make up the WHOLE time!

Kelsey & Maddie at Build A Bear.

Maddie's finished product: "The Real Cinderella." Doesn't that name sound kind of gangsta?

Taking a city tour bus ride.

I made Kelsey & Maddie walk miles and miles in DC to try out their famous seafood restaurant. When they brought out my lobster and shrimp, I almost ran in fear. Somehow I stomached a few bites of the tail.

Maddie, on the other hand, did not like the look of my lobster dinner at ALL!

Thanks for your help Kelsey!

Ways that Maddie brings joy to me everyday...

Maddie found a new use for Jamie's Postpartum bum donut.

Maddie "helped" Grandma Karen make Christmas treats. (I think Karen gets the prize for most patient Grandma ever for allowing this!)

Maddie wanted her hair curly for Christmas. Isn't this a cute picture?

Maddie's carrot for Rudolph.

Maddie dressed herself to do errands. I battle being a lenient mother who allows her daughter to express her style creatively and looking like a crackhead, neglectful mother. What would you think I was if you saw her walking around like this?

Trip to Utah

I am SO VERY LATE posting these pictures. My blog has been lame lately, but I am hoping to be better at it. These pictures were from just before Christmas when we went up to meet Baby Lucy (my sister, Jamie's, little girl) and spend some time with my family.

Checking out the crown jewel of Vernal, Utah: The dinosaur museum! Actually, the girls were pretty scared of everything there.

World's Most experienced Uncle: Kyle

Grandpa Santa taking the kids to Walmart to pick out their Christmas presents.

Can you pick out the Grandma Linda in the group? She is still cool enough to ride in the back row with the kids.

Josh was so excited to practice with Baby Lucy! She was a pleasure to hold and had squishy cheeks!