It's Official

Madison, Tony and I are expecting a new addition to the family in late January. Last week I had my second doctor's appointment and they couldn't find the baby's heartbeat, so elected to do an ultrasound. Everything is fine and the baby is healthy, and we were lucky enough to get the first official photo. I am officially 10 1/2 weeks along and feeling fine, no morning sickness, but more tired than ever before. I'm realizing that the second pregnancy is harder than the first...it's hard to keep up with a three year old while trying to rest, luckily Tony has been helping to keep Madison occupied.

Madison is excited and anxious about the baby and has been telling everyone a 'baby is growing in Mommy's tummy and it will be here after Christmas.' I think she is most excited about the prospect of all of the shopping we will get to do. Every time we go to the store we have to look at the bottles, pacifiers, etc. so she can see what she can buy her new baby. I think the only thing she hasn't realized is that she is going to have to share Mommy and Daddy, which could be an adjustment to us all :)

What a Brave Girl!

For several months, Madison has been talking about getting her ear's pierced. Every time she asks to have it done, I will take her to the mall and she always changes her mind. Well last weekend, my Mom and Jeana were in Columbia for a shopping marathon and Madison told me that she wanted to get her ears pierced. Again, I told her that she could. As soon as we walked into Claire's, there was a little girl, around 10 years old, getting her ears pierced. For some reason, they were only doing one ear at a time, and after the first ear, the little girl was screaming and crying begging them not to finish the other ear. Her little sister, who was apparently next in line, was also screaming and begging her mom not to make her get her ears pierced. After this scene, I just assumed that there was no way Madison would go through with the procedure. But I was wrong...As soon as it was her turn she hopped up into the chair without another thought. She got to hold a teddy bear to squeeze, my mom grabbed her hand and I was holding onto both of her legs. As soon as the guns were pulled to pierce the ears, Madison just sat there, not a single peep out of her, but soon her eyes filled up with water, not spilling over, but just sitting there calmly. I asked her if it hurt, but she said 'no not at all.' Somehow I find that hard to believe, but all the same she was very brave and has been proudly showing off her new earrings ever since.

Calmly watching the worker getting her new earrings ready.

The proud owner of new 'real' earrings.

Cousins - Best Friends

A couple of weeks ago, my two oldest nieces had softball games in Columbia, so Madison, Tony and I were lucky enough to have my three year old niece, Avery, to visit with us for the weekend. It's always amazing to see how great Madison and Avery get along, usually within minutes they are the best of friends. A whole weekend and not a single fight, they played so well, that I even got a few minutes of rest. What a great weekend!

The only pictures I took over the whole weekend were of Madison and Avery playing on the slip and slide, which proved to be their favorite activity of the weekend...

Boating Fun

Earlier last month, Tony had an event scheduled with 20 or so kids to go bowfishing. Due to the event, he brought his grandpa's boat home. For two weeks he worked day and night doing something, I have no idea what, to get the boat ready for the event. Finally, it was time to take the boat for a test ride and Madison was happy to be the one to test the waters.

Very quickly she was happy to be between the wheel.

Showing off her new Dora lifejacket and Daddy's sunglasses.

Vacation Day #6 - Homeward Bound

On our final day, we left Houston bright and early with the hopes of being home before the middle of night. About an hour into the trip I drifted off for a short nap and awoke to signs stating we were within about an hour from Louisiana and an hour and a half or so from Texarkana. This information led me to the assumption that we were driving up the eastern border of Texas. I calmly asked Tony why we would be going through Louisiana and Arkansas on our way to Missouri and he looked at me like I must be crazy. With a quick glance of the map, it became apparent that Tony took the wrong route. Luckily, the different route didn't add much time to arriving at our final destination, home sweet home. We still made it home in a little over 15 hours, plus the added bonus of Madison getting to visit additional states. Once again, Madison was a complete angel for the whole drive and I only had to read, "I Wish I Had Duck Feet" a few hundred times :)

Leaving Texas.

Welcome to Louisiana??



At the Louisiana/Arkansas border in the middle of nowhere.

Vacation Day #5 - Houston

It appears I have fallen a bit behind on my blogging - so watch out, my goal for the long weekend is to catch up so be prepared for many postings...

On Day 5 of our vacation back at the end of May (yes, a distant memory) Madison and I stayed with Houston to spend time with my Aunt Terri, and got to see cousins Joe, Chelsey, and Matt (we missed you Chris and uncle Mike). While Madison and I stayed in Houston, Tony headed north to go bowfishing with a few 'friends' he met on the internet. Apparently, bowfishing is one of the newest fads in outdoor life with Texas being the most sought after location, hence the destination for our family vacation :)

To begin the day in Houston, Terri indulged Madison in one of her favorite past times, shopping. We headed to the Sam Moon trading post, home to thousands of purses for sale, Madison was in purse heaven for the morning and was eventually able to pick out her favorite for purchase. Next, we headed to an area with fountains that kids, and I would guess the occasional adult, could play in. Considering the steamy Houston weather, this was the perfect relief for Madison to cool off...too bad we left the swimming suit at home. Within moments she was soaked, but didn't seem to care as she was having too much fun. Afterwards, we headed to the local mall to purchase a dry outfit and then off to lunch. Following lunch, we went to a lake where Madison was able to feed the ducks, then we headed back to the McGhee home thinking that Madison might lay her head down for at least a brief nap, unfortunately no such luck. So instead we relaxed and soon Joe, Matt, and Chelsey came for dinner with Tony close behind returning home for a night/day of fishing.

It was a great day and perfect opportunity to see family that we unfortunately do not get to see as often as we would like. I'm always intrigued to watch Madison with family members that she rarely gets to see. It's amazing how quickly she warms up to them as if she knows there is a deeper connection.

Vacation Day #4 - Galveston

On Thursday afternoon we had plans to travel from San Antonio to Houston to visit my aunt and family, while Tony had plans to go bowfishing with several guys. As a detour, prior to heading to Houston, Tony and I decided to take Madison to Galveston so she could catch a glimpse of the ocean.

It was a beautiful, bright sunny day. While in Galveston, we took a boat ride and were able to see many dolphins throughout the trip. Unfortunately about five minutes into the ride, our camera went dead...so pictures are a bit limited ):

Patiently waiting for our turn on the boat...

One of the many dolphins we saw (technically not a picture of the dolphin, not quite quick enough to catch it on camera, just it's lingering splash)

Following our brief visit to Galveston, we headed north towards Houston. Upon arrival, Tony dropped Madison and I off at my aunt Terri's house and he headed farther north to meet friends for a quick bowfishing trip.