Air Show at Andrew's Air Force Base

A few weekends ago we were able to go to Andrew's Air Force Base close to DC and see their annual Air Show. We were parked at the Redskin's Football Statium and were taxed in on buses after we went through a military security screening. We spent the entire day on base watching the planes and different shows they put on.

Madi loved see all the planes and when she would hear one she would look into the sky and point and say "dat dat". And then when it would go by low she would say "ohhh".

This was one of Madi's favorite spots. She had a ball sitting in the seats on the sides of the big cargo planes. She even buckled herself in and was ready to go. There were lots of tears when we had to leave. But we found several planes with seats on the side she could sit on.

This is the inside of one of the smaller cargo planes. The big one could fit an entire house inside. It reminded me of the move that they take an elephant to a village in Africa and have to drop it out the back of a big plane like this.

The crowning jewel of the entire show, at least for Rick. His favorite plane, the P51-D Mustang. He has an RC model of this plane and he was so excited they had it displayed. He was also surprised when they decided to fly it in the show. It was so fast and nimble and really neat to see doing all the manuvers. They had lots of planes and jets flying and doing tricks. And they also has parichuters and other odds and end displays. Rick would be a better person to tell you all the things that were there. But at the end of the day we were dead tired, sunburned and ready to come home. But it was a very neat and fun day! Hopefully we will be able to do it again next year.

All is Well

After months of transition we are settling into life. We made it to Pennsylvania safely and have hit the road running. I started my new job and I love it. I am doing a lot of the accounting and admin stuff. I am the direct assistant to the owner of the company so I have lots to keep me busy. Rick started school last week and he is really enjoying his classes. He has already determined some things about what he does and doesn't want to do after school.

Since it has been a while since I have posted anything I thought I would back track a little. We spend Easter with Rick's family. We visited his grandparents and had an egg hunt at his sister's house. I was also asked to sing a solo in church a week after we moved into the ward. I guess word gets around fast in a small town about talent. But it was really nice to be able to do that again and hopefully I will get more oportunities.


Madi wasn't sure what all the fuss was when we were showing her the eggs and told her to pick them up. So Rick had so show her what was in them. After she discovered that she filled up her basket pretty quick.


She also hid a few of her own eggs. If she saw her basket was getting full she would put an egg from her basket next to an egg that was hiding.

She was also a very good sharer. She would open an egg and then eat a piece of candy and then give one to me or Rick. She liked her basket so much she still carries it around on her shoulder like a purse. We also had to get her some bigger eggs that she couldn't put in her mouth to play with after Easter. She loves to put all sorts of treasures in her eggs. This weekend she was putting plastic animals in them from her friend's house.

We have done some other fun things but I will put it in a different post so this one isn't too long.

The Windows of Heaven

When you pray miracles really do happen. Especially when you are doing all that you can do to follow the Lord's plan. This past week Rick and I found out that Rick was accepted into the assistantship program for grad school so his entire education will be paid for and the University will also give him a paycheck on top of that to do some web development and other research for the Geography Department while he is attending school. We never thought that the University would pay Rick to go back to school. That has relieved so much stress and is a huge blessing.

Now we just have to get through the big move next week. Yikes! How does Madi have so much stuff? How do WE have so much stuff?!?! Where has it all been hiding for the past 2.5 years?!?!

Leap of Faith

Rick and I have thought long and hard about where we want to end up in life and what matters most. We have goals that we want to achieve and things we want to do for our family and for ourselves. The past few years we have been so blessed with work and being able to have everything we need and a little extra. But as far as the future hold, we didn't see much there. So we are taking a leap of faith. Rick is leaving his job at the Police Department and pursuing a Master's Degree in Geoenvironmental Science at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania.

I am also quiting my part time job and going full time to provide for Rick and Madi while Rick completes his education. I have been blessed to find a job quickly that is only 10 minutes from where we are going to be living. Rick's parents have offered a rental that they have available to us at a very reduced rate along with helping us watch Madi when Rick needs to be in class. Things are falling into place quickly and smoothly. We will be moving from the urban DC metro to the quiet rural Pennsylvania mountains at the end of this month. I think we are looking forward to the quiet more than anything. I start work in April and Rick starts class the beginning of June. Hopefully I can keep you updated on how things progress the next few months but with how crazy things are going to be, no promises...but I will try.

My New Favorite Blog

As a mom you always try to do cool things for your kids and for you to decorate the house with on a budget. You also try to have fun activities for them so they don't get bored and drive you crazy at home, at church, on the road, at the doctor's office etc.

Madi is growing out of that baby stage and getting into that toddler stage. I am not used to it yet so when we are at church and she is restless I will pull out a toy and she will look at me like

"Mom! Are you serious?! I am not a baby anymore!"

So I am trying to think of ways to keep her entertained while we are in Church. Right now Rick teaches Sunday school and I teach Sunbeams so Madi is my buddy in Sunbeams. It can get a little tricky but I think I have come up with a solution thanks to this amazing blog. I have spent so much time on it and I can't get enough ideas. And the best part about it, these sisters are LDS! This is the kind of mom I want to be someday. A cool mom that comes up with crazy awesome ideas off the top of her head. But for now, this is the plan. Quiet book here I come! Thanks Ladies for the idea!

You Talkin' to Me?

Madi wants to be just like her dad. He wears hats so she wears hats. Her favorite time to wear them is when he is at work. I think she does it because she misses him and it is something that reminds her of him. It is so cute to see her walking around with one of his hats on or her "lucky fishing hat" on. But I will say, she has this little attitude when she has a hat on that she doesn't normally have otherwise.

But how can you resist a face like this even if there is a little attitude behind it?

Snow and Cookies

We finally got a big snow storm here and Rick was so excited because he got to drive his new monster truck through the snow. While we were outside Rick wanted me to record him driving through the snow. So I put Madi down thinking she would stay close since it was snowing and it was cold. I recorded for a minute and then turned the camera off and looked down to find Madi had decided to go on her own adventure through the snow. She was not afraid of the snow and the cold didn't really seem to bother her too much. I ran and picked her up and set her back down next to me and she started off again through the snow. She is just like her daddy, they both love the snow.


Of course with all the snow and cold the best thing to do is to make cookies. And Madi loves to help with anything mommy is doing, especially cookies! She tested the sugar to make sure it was sweet enough. She licked the peanut butter jar clean. And she even checked the chocolate chips to make sure the passed the "girl test". And as you can see, she loved every minute of it.

Dancing to Tarzan

We bought Tarzan the other night and we put it on for Madi last night to watch. When it got to the 'Trashin' the Camp' song Madi started dancing and it was so funny, so I had to record it and post it so you could see it. It is so cute! She loves music and she loves to dance! She will even start to hum or sing a little song she made up every once in a while too.

Baking Already?

Madi wanted to help mommy bake cookies for daddy on Friday night. She watched very intently from mommy's hip while mommy tried very hard to blend the butter and sugar. Then she wanted to see just how to get that flour all smoothed in just right. She wouldn't stand to be put on the ground because she didn't want to miss one second of the process. She even had to taste test the chocolate chips to make sure they were "Madi approved" so daddy won't be disappointed with the cookies. Then once they went in the oven she had to keep a close eye on them so they won't burn. Every few seconds they had to be checked until they were perfect. Then came the real test...did they past the taste test? Sure enough, Madi approved them even with all the little lumps that got left in them because mommy wasn't able to smooth the batter out with Madi on her hip. But they were still good. And Madi was an excellent helper!

Christmas at Last

We finally made it to Christmas. Rick and I had so much fun this year buying gift for Madi. We took her to the store with us and walked down the isles with her. When she saw something she liked she pointed to it. Rick worked until 7am Christmas morning and when he got home he helped me finish wrapping Madi's gifts. After that we woke Madi up and showed her all her presents. She was so excited but wasn't sure what to think of them all. But then we showed her what to do and she got really excited.


She didn't like the fact that she had to finish up with one toy and move on to opening another o fast. She liked taking her time with each new toy and figuring out how each of them worked before she moved on. But we helped her move on at a little faster of a pace because otherwise we never would have made it through in one day. She had so much fun with all her new toys. We let her play for a little while and then we packed a few of her favorites and then headed up to Pennsylvania for the rest of the weekend.

This is me on Christmas. I don't have a picture of it on here, but Rick got me a really nice sewing table for Christmas. I had been using the kitchen table since we got married to sew on so it has been really nice to have my own place to sew and keep my things. Now we can actually have dinner there which hasn't really happened since we were married, so we are still trying to get used to it. Usually we eat floor or couch style.

And here is Rick after his 10 hour all night shift. What a trooper! He even stayed up to drive up to Pennsylvania that day and have lunch with the family. He finally couldn't stand it any longer by mid-afternoon so he crashed. I was able to get him his very first RC boat for Christmas. He was so excited. The only problem is all the places that he could drive it are frozen over right now so he can't use it and so he is going crazy with it sitting in the box. But he will have fun when the spring comes around.

Happy Birthday Madi!!!

Has it really been a year? Wow that went fast! Our little pumpkin is growing up so fast. She has been such a joy to have in our home and we are so blessed to have her. We started her birthday celebration by going to the DC temple to see a violin performance of Jenny Oaks Baker with Rick's parents and his sister Becky's family. Afterwards we looked at the lights and then piled in the car and cranked up the heat. Then Nana, Pappy and Aunt Beaky and Uncle Greg gave Madi her Birthday gifts and she made out like a bandit. She got a singing and talking pony she could ride, a ladybug pillow pet, a frosty movie, a new cell phone and a little-people carriage and pony. She couldn't wait to get home so she could play!

She was so excited to be able to ride her pony that she started to ride everything, even her new pillow pet. She has even attempted to ride the cats several times and succeeded once.

Look at that smile! She loves her new pony. And she has even figured out how to make it sing on her own by pressing the ears.

This cake was mommy's fun thing to do for Madi's birthday. I always got special cakes on my birthday as a kid so I wanted to make a special cake for Madi on her birthday. It was so much fun to make and Madi loved it. If you look close you will see her hand coming in the picture. I wasn't fast enough to stop her so she got a handful of frosting and I had to fix the cake before daddy saw it so it would be ready for the big moment.

Mommy and Madi getting ready to blow out the candle.

The things you get to do on your birthday that you couldn't get away with any other day of the year. Mom even got a slap of frosting to the face during a picture, and Madi still got away with it.

Madi's big Birthday gift. She fell in love with this 4 and a half foot caterpillar the moment she saw it in the store. She loves him so much and was so excited when she opened the box and he was inside.

This is a normal position for her to put him in or for us to find her in when we give her a bottle or sippy cup. She will also randomly walk over and hug his head when she is playing and then go back to whatever she is doing. It is so sweet! Happy Birthday Madi! We love you and can't wait to see what this coming year has in store for us!

December Happenings

December was a very busy month for us. We were able to go out to Utah for a week and and see the family. My sister Jodie got married for time and all eternity to Brian Scruggs. He is a really great guy and they both seem very happy together. We haven't had the opportunity we would like to get to know him real well being out in Virginia but we are glad that he is apart of our family and look forward to many years of "family bonding time" with him. Welcome to the fam Brian....

It was a COLD day with LOTS of coatless pictures but it will be a moment they will never forget...and a cold it took a month to get over. But it's worth it right...well for them it is, because I still have a cough. But for them I would do it again but I would request a warmer dress.

After the wedding we headed down to see Rick's sister Kathy and her family. I don't know who got attacked worse, Madi or the dog. They had so much fun together. Madi had someone to play with that was her size and the dog had someone who never got tired of playing. I think that was the first time the dog actually got worn out.

First time playing in the snow. Madi loves the snow. She was walking all over in it. We didn't get that much this year and I think winter might be over. We only got about 2-3 inches but the whole city shut down for two days. (Sad I know) But we enjoyed what we got. And if you look close in the background you will see that Rick is driving an RC car through the snow but stopped long enough to take a picture. I actually let him drive my truck because it is 4x4 and he hasn't gotten his Christmas present yet...

....more to come soon.

Madi's Adventures

Madi has been growing so fast and she has become little miss personality. She has a "look out world here I come" attitude and, heaven help us, she has already reached her "terrible twos" stage. But we love her to pieces and wouldn't trade her for anything. She is our whole world and life is so much more enjoyable with her being our spice of life. But it isn't uncommon for us to find her in very unusual places doing really wierd things. These are just a few pictures where we have been able to "catch her in the act".

Madi and her night-light man

I have no idea what she was doing here other then playing with my brush. She was studying my brush very intently and I wanted to get a picture but she looked up at the last second and this is what the picture came out as. And I love it!

This is a regular accurance at our house. My kitchen floor is always a mess. My tuperware cabinet is always empty and my floor is always full. The other day I came in and she was sitting in my crockpot and the cat was on the shelf behind her.

Madi loves our fish! If you ask her where the fish are she will point at the aquarium. About a month and a half ago she managed to figure out a way to see into the aquarium without mommy's help. This week she has figured out how to climb onto the couch to look at them. But now she wants on top of the aquarium so we may have to adjust a few things to keep her and the fish safe.

Way Behind!!!

So the Kaisers are still back in July and can't believe that Madi is going to be a year old on Friday and that Christmas is on Saturday and 2011 will be here the following week. What in the world?!?! Where have we been? I guess between Rick's night shifts, my day shifts, Madi, trying to keep the house in a semi-orderly state, and keeping up with church responsibilities and life in general life has rushed past and we are still back in July. Well, actually more like March. But I will try and get some pictures off our camera to post on here because we have lots for you to see and Madi has grow up tons. But for now the only one I have is from Halloween. We were able to go up to Renfrew Park in Pennsylvania with Rick's family and had a fun filled day of pumpkins and homemade soup and cider.


I promise, more pictures will follow shortly. We have had lots of adventures with Madi and she has had lots of little discoveries. So check back after Christmas for more updates....

Summer Vacation in Utah...Continued

We had to see the T-Rex before we left Thanksgiving Point.

After the Dinosaur Museum Rick took the boys to Cabela's. They saw all sorts of things from the fish tanks to all the animals on the rocks. It was so much fun to be able to see Kathy and her boys. We miss them so much and wish that we could have spent more time with them.

Next we headed up to Mendon to see the Gudmundson family. We spent a whole day shopping the first day. It was a lot of fun...for the girls anyways. But Rick was a very good sport. After a day of shopping, Rick needed something manly to do. So him and Jenni spent some time putting together a potato canon. It took them a while to do plus a trip into town to the hardware store but it was a success. We shot the potatoes straight up into the air and they went so high we had a hard time seeing where they were coming down.

The next day was Pioneer Day and Mendon Day. There was lots of things to do. In the morning there was a 5K that my dad and sisters did. Then there was a book sale, a parade, a cooking contest and loads of other things. Then that night after a game of human battleship there was a huge waterfight between the cousins. Needless to say, Rick's team won. Hands down, dispite what rumors you may hear from Shawn and Jason. After the waterfight there was a fireworks display. We were concerned about Madi and her ears because the fireworks were being shot off about two blocks away. But Madi loves them! She was in awe over them and didn't even flinch when they would go off.

While we were there Jenni had her birthday. Since we were going to be flying out on her actual birthday we decided to celebrate it a few days early. There was a little pie fight between Jenni, mom and dad. (No idea how that happened) And no, I didn't push Jenni's head in the pie when she wasn't looking...or maybe I did. But at least dad got the pie in the face because she thought it was him. Madi also enjoyed trying pie. I think it's a new favorite.

Monday we went up to Tony Grove for some fishing. If you look really close at the back ground you will see the thunderstorm moving in. Rick and I got caught out on the lake during that. It was a down pour and we almost got rained out. But after a while it eased up and Rick and Sarah had so much success fishing afterwards.

It's a good thing we stayed for more fishing after the storm.

The Gudmundson tradition: Kong cones at Macey's.

We took Madi to Willow Zoo while were in Logan. She loved all the animals!

But the birds were by far her favorite.

We had a lot of fun while we were in Utah. That was our first real vacation in over two years and it was wonderful to be able to finally do it. While we were out there Madi had lots of firsts. She had her first plane ride, she got her first two teeth, she started crawling on all fours, she pulled herself into a standing position, she started saying mama and dada and associated the words with me and Rick. We are happy to be home but sad we had to leave everyone. We look forward to the next time we can go out and visit. We miss you and love you all!

Summer Vacation in Utah

It was a blast! We did so much while we were out there and took so many pictures. I will probably have to do this in two posts so I can get it all on there. I will try and make it as short as I can but it is still going to be long. We flew into Salt Lake on the 18th. Madi was a jewel on the plane. He ears didn't bother her one bit and she either played or slept most of the time. It was a huge blessing for her and for us. One of the first things we did was spend a few days with Rick's sister Kathy and her family. Her boys wanted us to play baseball with them because there baseball season had just ended. And let me tell ya, those boys are hardcore. Tyler and Luke both struck their uncle Rick out. Good Job! Here is a picture of Rick being struck out. You can see the ball right behind him as he tried for a grand slam. Better luck next time Rick.

The boys had so much fun playing with their uncle Rick. I even ran a few races with them but with all the energy those kids have it was hard to keep up after a while.

Madi loved being with her cousins. Her favorite part was being outside watching them run around.

The next morning we went to Deer Creek. We didn't have tons of success but Rick was able to pull in a bass before we left.

After fishing we stopped into Macey's for their famous Kong cones. The kid's eyes were so big when they saw the size of their ice cream cone.

That night Rick and I had dinner with some of our friends. It was so good to see them after two years.

The next morning Kathy took us to the Payson Pool. It was Madi's first time at the pool so she was a little nervous at first, but it didn't take long before she didn't want to leave the water. She splashed every kid that went by and when she got splashed she would just start doing raspberries and then start laughing.

It was so much fun to go swimming. We were all worn out by the time we were done, but it was worth it. Madi fell asleep pretty fast after all the fun in the sun. She made it to the towels for a bottle and didn't even get very many sips in before she was out.

After the pool and a little nap, Rick wanted to take the boys to Redmond Lake for some pike fishing. We didn't catch any pike, but he did catch this pretty big cat fish. We weren't able to stay as long as we had hoped because there was a pretty crazy lightening storm.

The next morning the boys showed us their skills on their dirt bikes. I am scared of motorcycles and dirt bikes but these boys showed no fear. We didn't get a chance to see them ride on the track but they do all the crazy jumps and turns and stuff. They are very good with those bikes so it was a treat to be able to see them ride.

Then we headed up to Thanksgiving Point to the Dinosaur Museum. Uncle Rick bought the boys a fossil to carve out of the rock and here they are proudly displaying their newly carved fish fossil.