Summer's end...welcome Fall!...the prettiest time of year in Utah!

At the end of August, Mike and I went to a Blossom Valley Ward reunion (that was our ward in San Jose, CA when we lived there). A lot of us have ended up in Utah, so we all got together and it was really fun to see old friends. This is Mike with one of the few people we know who's taller than him - Jake Langlois - BYU volleyball - 6'10." He was one of the young men when Mike was a leader in the YM program in CA. Great kid!

Abby loves to brush Elsie's hair and play with her like she's a little doll.

Snuggling a chubby, naked baby...."can life get better...I submit that it cannot!" B.R.

(End of Sept.) 5 months and growing so fast

My shirt says it all!

Just watching me work in the sewing room. She's my little buddy.

Those cheeks are heavenly!

Elsie surrounded by Ivy's toys and ready to go for a walk. Abby and Ivy sure love their baby cousin!

Bath time:

Just chillin with my cousins Kallie and Aubrey, watching a little Disney Channel. Girls night in!

We finally finished the basement and got carpet down their. Elsie seems to be quite comfortable on it!

Always the one leg up and out of the carrier while she sleeps in church. So funny!

Good morning. I'm just waking up and watching a little Baby Einstein...it's my favorite...esp the sign language episode.

My little dancer. She often looks like she's posing and kind of points her toes too. So cute. She loves to come snuggle and grab Mom and Dad's faces in our bed in the morning.

6 year Anniversary trip up to Park City...first trip without Elsie. It was hard, but we did have fun. Maxwell's Pizza in Park City is amazing! New York style...so yummy!

We enjoyed lots of yummy food and pampering (spa, massages, etc.). I had the most delicious halibut I've ever eaten at Zoom in Park City..MMMMmmmmm! and I'm not a seafood person.

The Slichta's love watching Elsie now and then when I'm working. It's so cool to have the kids I babysat now babysitting my baby. They are so cute with her:

Addy and Elsie practicing the piano...tied together.

Elsie went to Emmy's harp recital while we were in Park City. She absolutely loves music!

And Aunty Stephy was her little mother for the 2 nights, 2 days we were away. So nice to have her here. She and Elsie are besties!

Teague has a huge soft spot for her too...and loves putting her to sleep. So cute!

End of August/September means lots peaches around here. Our tree gave so much fruit this year! I made peach crisp, peach/raspberry jam, canned about 28 jars of peaches, pureed peach baby food and smoothy packets for the freezer and still had lots of fresh peaches left over for eating and giving away. So delicious!

More cute pictures of my growing little beauty. She's the star of this blog now, if you haven't noticed. Get used to it!

Bumbo time

I love fat babies in summer onsies and rompers...so fun to see all those rolls!

We call this her "Mimi doll" because it has blonde hair and blue eyes just like her beautiful Aunty Mimi.

Playing on the ground and taking selfies...one of our favorite things to do.

This never gets old:

The many faces of little Elsie

We love to match for church:

Elsie's first BYU football game. She loved how much there was to look at everywhere!

This happy girl is now 6 months and becoming even more sweet and full of personality!

Almost the whole Madsen clan was together in Utah for the end of September (minus Josh and Jude who stayed home in Michigan with Grandma Snow). Elsie and Adele had a fun reunion and loved jabbering to each other and grabbing at each other's faces. These two are going to be best cousins... so fun! I just love little girls!

Grandma and Grandpa love this more than anything! Baby time!

I found her like this. Loose diaper! Baby butt cleavage...cutest little bottom in the world!

"I'm tired and I just want to veg and watch TV till I fall asleep in like 5 minutes." 

She just zones out when she's really tired sometimes...it's really cute!

August

Elsie's personality is really developing quickly in the past few weeks. I'm writing this post today, August 25th, Elsie's 4 month Birthday. I've posted the last 3 months all today and it's amazing to see how much she's grown and how quickly it all happened. Slow down Girl!

...and yes, she can fit her whole fist in her mouth....she's amazing!

We started the month of August with a trip to Moore Park, CA for a Madsen reunion.

 We stayed at my Aunt and Uncle Hilton's. They have a beautiful home with a balcony that goes all around the upstairs and doors out of every room. There's orchards surrounding so there's a 360 degree view that's amazing! And it fit the whole family very nicely.

 Sleeping in with this girl is the best.

Being held by cousin Natelie

Grandma doesn't let being 98 stop her from enjoying a ride on the Rhino and shooting paint ball guns

 

Silly Elsie, wearing mommy's glasses

She's got Daddy wrapped around her fingers, literally

We stopped in St George for a couple days on our way back - visited Grandma Clark and sat by the pool at the country club one day. Elsie went for a swim with me and actually loved it this time. So fun!

More cute pictures of Elsie:

 She can kind of sit up on her own when she's in her bumbo chair - it's so cute!

 She started laughing recently. She makes us work for it still, but it's so cute when she does it....best sound in the world!

 Aunt Stephy is Elsie's biggest fan! She loves dressing her in tight little onesies and carrying her around everywhere.

 

Picture day at the Madsen reunion - she was the cutest one in the picture of course!

 Beach day with Grandma Sara - She teaches them young how to get a good tan.

 Grandma Elsie loves her little name sake and always wants to know where she is and if she can hold her when she's around. She's so cute with her!

 Elsie's usual sleeping position - hands and/or blanket over her eyes and a pacifier in her mouth.

 

 Angry face:

 Time for a walk around the Bloomington circle with Grandma Sara.

Great Grandma TuTu (Clark) with her two babies watching some TV.

Mike's teaching her to love technology already

She fell asleep like that...haha!

My high school friends Leah, Natalie and Holly stopped by for a visit one day since Nat was in town from Texas. So fun to see them all and just pick up where we left off. 

I love these tight little PJ's on her!

 

So cute in her little tennis outfit from Aunt Marsha

Aunt Julia came out for 2 weeks: EFY and a week of Silvan ACT classes. We took her friend E for a quick tour of Temple Square before dropping her at the airport after EFY. She loved it!

Mike and Elsie and I went to have dinner at my college rommate Mindy's a few Sundays ago in Santaquin, UT.  She's expecting her first baby, boy, very soon. Wish they lived closer. Love her and Jorge - they're gonna make great parents!

Birthday party for this little guy (Nephew, Camden)! Cutest little carrot-top! I can't believe he's 3 already!

 Cutest little behind around!

Playing with new camera app on my phone - so funny!

 Uncle Steven thought it was funny to strip Elsie down to just bottoms like him and pretend she was a boy for the day - I did not think it was so funny...she still looks like a girl to me, hair bow or not!

Pretending to be bigger than she really is - I can't handle the cuteness!

I love when her hair is wet and kind of curls!

 Costco with Grandma - she wants a onsie made that says, "Grandma's favorite toy."

All dressed up for church

Steven loves both his babies (Buck and Elsie)

Stephanie giving Elsie her bi-weekly pedicure while she snoozes....this girl is spoiled!

She loves cuddling with Daddy:

Yay for baby leggings!

My mom came out for Education Week at BYU and I got to go to a few hours of classes with her on Monday - so great! Steph and I also got to go to the William Joseph piano concert on Tuesday night - he was wonderful! and we even took Usies (selfies with more than just yourself) with him...Eeek!

 More random cute pictures of Elsie....I warned you, I'm obsessed!

She started grabbing her toes this past week!

   

We like to match - yay for pink pants!

 Hanging with cousins Kallie and Aubrey at Grandma Parker's after she got knee surgery. Elsie is good medicine for anyone!                                                            Elsie loved watching football with Gma.

More baby leggings - I made these ones
out of some old socks.

                   

 and I made that head band (not the flower - clip on)...I love sparkles!

4 month picture and growing so fast!

 Mike rode 50 miles on his bike the other day (part of which was in the rain), from the Salt Lake temple to the new Ogden temple (shown here). So beautiful!

Today, August 26th, I took Elsie to her 4 month pediatric appt and she had to get 3 shots :(  It was so sad I cried a little. My poor little angel - I hate to see her suffer.
We then went to Costco where I managed to lock myself out of our car with Elsie inside (car not running)! Luckily, my neighbor drove by right then and I used her phone to get Mike to the scene within less than 10 min and got my sweaty sleeping baby out ASAP. I was about ready to break a window I was so scared. I grabbed her as soon as Mike unlocked the car and I put water on her head and made her drink a little and she was just fine...smiling even. I sobbed when I finally got her out. I will NEVER do that again!!!! Ahhhh! Worst thing ever!