Some summer adventures of the Madeline

Petting sting rays at the Shark Reef.

Going to a celebration of Thailand's Queen's birthday with her Grandma Linda and friend.

Off road jeeping with her grandparents and great grandparents.

Starting up ballet again.

I finally took her to Disneyland again where we tried the Tower of Terror ride for the first time. Don't be fooled by how scared Maddie is in this picture. She made us go three more times.

My least favorite ride is Splash Mountain. There is nothing worse than wet jeans. So I tried to be "at peace" on the ride. Can you tell from Maddie's picture that it is her all time favorite!?! Gosh dang she is cute.

And being extra silly on silly hair day at summer camp.

Old School Vegas

Anybody who has been in Vegas a long time (before nasty Dunkin Donuts and Too Sweet Krispy Cream) knows that the best donuts are Winchells. Oh......how I LOVE Winchells! Josh and I used to get a craving and drive all the way across the valley to get them. Well, I just wanted to let everyone know there is now a Winchells at the southeast corner of Sahara & Fort Apache, right across the street from Cafe Rio. And the best part? It's a drive through. :o) Everybody better start going there regularly because if it closes down I will NOT be happy......

My Kindergarten Girl

Maddie is finally an official student. And she is very proud to tell you so. She is so smart and loves school and is a total teacher's pet and is super awesome, just like her mama. :o)

Can you find Maddie being shy when the school introduced the new kindergartners to the rest of the school? What a cutie pie.

A Mother's Heart

My cute nephew B, getting love from me and his Mama. He was born a month before Charlie, so he will be extra spoiled and loved by his Aunt Rachel, while a little part of me will always feel a very deep sadness while watching him grow up. I have a lovely sister who lets me love on this little boy as much as I want to. Unfortunately for B, he is too young to tell me that a little less love wouldn't be so bad. :o)

The other day, Maddie was playing with her Barbies all alone in a very quiet and empty house. I suddenly heard her sweet little voice say, "I just wish I had a brother or sister to play with me so I wouldn't have to play all alone." I had to close the door to hide my sobbing. After ten minutes I put on a happy face and went out and said, "I'll play Barbies with you Maddie! Do you understand that Daddy and I want a brother or sister for you too, and that we have been trying for a very long time?" She innocently replied, "Well maybe if you eat healthier food next time you are pregnant you will have a healthy baby." I said that I had to go to the bathroom and would be right back. I went back in the bathroom and cried a good cry.

My heart is still very tender. It doesn't matter how long you have a child. I only had Evan for five weeks and Charlie for almost three. A mother loves her children equally, and my heart is 2/3 sadness and longing and emptiness from my boys, and 1/3 full of happiness and beauty and sweetness from Maddie. I have figured out a way to keep living and enjoy life, but that doesn't mean the sadness is not still there.

But I picked myself back up, wiped my tears, and went and played Barbies with gusto until bedtime. And a little while later, when Maddie had the chance to go to Utah with her cousins, I jumped on it. Because when there are no siblings around, cousins are the next best thing.....

This is me doing a happy dance!!!

Yahoo!!!! I just got off the phone with the State Bar of California and found out that I passed the baby bar exam!

I didn't talk about it on my blog JUST in case I didn't pass. :o)

In June I went to Ontario and locked myself in a hotel room with school supplies for four days and studied my little heart out. After walking out of the seven hour exam with a cramped hand, I felt very confident that I had passed. But that was two months ago. Two months can make you question stuff. Even though they asked for possible negligence claims, maybe they still wanted me to mention possible intentional claims? Did I remember every single element of burglary? Does ANYbody really, fully understand contract law? The pass rate is only about 20%!

Here are some of the picture I sent Josh of my super exciting study time.

Now I just have to pass second year......

My "Only Child"

Ever since 2003, I have been getting my weekly time magazines. I read it cover to cover and love it because it makes me feel smart and knowledgeable. It comes every Saturday, which I call "Newsy Magazine Day." (That's a "Billy Madison" reference....) Well, a recent issue was titled this:

And it just absolutely made my day! It said that only children are portrayed and believed to be "overprivileged, asocial, royally autonomous...self-centered, aloof and overly intellectual." All of these things are things that I have been worried about since Maddie is an "only child." And everybody loves to tell me so ("when are you having more kids," "you don't want an only child," "she needs a brother or sister...."). The weird part was that she seemed just fine. Top of the class in all subjects, including sociable and friendly. (Of course, I think this might also have to do with the fact that I have a degree in child development and that I work my butt off to be a good mother and happened to marry a man who is a sweet father.)

Well, it turns out that this "only child" worry isn't necessarily true. "Generally, studies showed that singletons aren't measurably different from other kids - except that they score higher in measures of intelligence and achievement....No matter their income or occupation, parents of only children have more time, energy and money to invest in their kid....That attention leads to not just higher SAT scores but also higher self-esteem....Only children tend to do better in school and get more education - college, medical or law degrees - than other kids....Singeltons offer the rich experience of parenting without the consuming efforts that multiple children add: all the wonder and giggles and shampoo mohawks but with leftover energy for sex, conversation, reading and so on..."

This article made me take a huge deep breath...... Although I never intended on having an "only child," it turns out that is what I have. At least for now. And it's good to know that I'm not screwing up her life..... :o)

Wrapping it up in Austria

Our last week in Salzburg, I had to do a lot of reading and studying. Because despite all these fun pictures, I was still trying to pass my final exam. It was perfect timing for my mom to come back and spend some time with us there.

Where she climbed the entire mountain up to the abbey with Maddie on her back.

Here is the abbey where Maria was a nun (in real life, and in the movie.)

And they explored the fortress on the top off the mountain.

We got to watch an adorable marionette show of "The Sound of Music."

Maddie is pointing to the Maria puppet.

And we also found time to do a Sound of Music tour.

Where Maddie was haunted by jetlag.

Her favorite part of the movie is the "I am sixteen going on seventeen" song in the romantic gazebo. (As I'm sure is every young girl's favorite part.) She got to reenact and sing it with her papa.

And we got to see the houses that they used as the Von Tropp homes. This was the house that they used for the backyard only.

Istanbul, not Constantinople.

Next weekend stop....Istanbul, Turkey.

Where we were joined by family, Josh's dad, Rick, and my mom, Linda. Can you see how happy Josh and Maddie are to have their best friends visit? :o)

Our first night, we walked down to a square and ate all kinds of yumminess. It was surreal to keep passing the hundreds of mosques everywhere and to hear the the call to prayer five times a day. It is so loud and you can hear it all over the city.

Maddie was so happy that her Grandma was there that they slept in the same kid bed, where they were giggling and whispering late into the night.

Maddie was all about the local dress:

Dinner with my cousins Kim & Lee. Kim works for the U.S. Consulate's office in Istanbul, so going to visit her was just enough of an excuse to go all the way to Turkey. :o)

Shopping:

River Tour Cruise:

Maddie swimming in our hotel pool, which looks like a palace.

Riding in the back of a sweaty cab, hoping you won't die because the traffic is horrible and there aren't enough seatbelts to go around.

Enjoying the local cuisine:

Touring one of the Mosques:

Touring the palace of the Ottoman Emperors:

Touring the palace's "harem."

Our last night in Turkey:

The airport in Turkey was probably my least favorite time of our trip. Apparently, lines and manners and air conditioning are not a world wide custom.