Best Buds

Who says they can't be best buds?

ok, we may need to work on sharing but cute, right?!

Friday Fives

I usually end up reading these questions on Saturday so I never get involved. THIS week however, I saw it early and decided to take part. Go ahead and click on the picture below to read Mama M's blog.

1. If you could, would you go back to high school?
No, I had a great time playing softball, dancing, etc. but for the most part everything beyond high school is so much better! I realize without Senior Prom I wouldn't have ever started dating Justin (thus gotten married) but I loved college and all of the new friends I made from there on out. I still have some friends from HS that I consider lifelong friends but for the most part the friends I have made in the past 5-7 years have been much more influential in my life. (And I like it that way!)

2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying "more wishes".)

1. That Maddox was always taken care of and safe/healthy/secure.
2. Love to have money at my disposal for anything and everything I could need not that I just want!

3. What kids show do you secretly like?
Honestly, I haven't really seen any of late.... Probably will change in the coming months!
4. What is your beverage of choice?
Dr. Pepper or Margarita!

5. What is something that you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)?
The thing I wish I could change most is my weight. (yup typical answer!) and I am working on it. I guess when I realized I didn't want my picture taken with Maddox because I didn't like the way I looked, I knew I needed to do something.
The other thing I would change is my insecurity. I don't know where that came from but it has reared it's ugly head in the past year or 2 and I really need to work on that.... Hopefully since I have said it out loud (and to X number of people who read this) I can make a change!

New Trick

Out of nowhere, Maddox started his new trick of pulling himself up and standing. I caught some of it on video but later he started walking along the basket. My baby is growing a little to fast for this Mama's liking....

Check it out!

Sound of Silence

I had to share this. My sister performed this duet on Sunday night at NIACC in Mason City. I think she sounds fabulous!!! So proud of her!



April is on the right, the guitar players mother video taped this performance so he is the focus.

It's Officially, Official

After some major confusion, (on the schools part) it is official and April will be moving to Mankato in the fall to attend MSU. She had a meeting with the Education Dept. today and got everything worked out so she will be able to attend starting in August. We are all very excited to have her in the same town now and are happy for her to be taking the next step!

Scheels "Kick the Couch" 5K

Over the weekend LEEP was lucky enough to have our local Scheels store and a group of MSU students choose our agency to support in a fundraising effort. $5 of every entry fee went directly to LEEP and in total they raised $1620!!! There was a HUGE turn out (324 to be exact) and the day was a huge success!!

Becky, Inge, and I were there to represent our LEEP office. We were in complete awe at the response to this race and all had a great time.

Becky- Exec.Director

Inge- Special Olympics Coordinator

Me- Asst. Director

Jamie, Lisa, and I all got involved. I SO appreciated them coming and taking part. Both of them have been training and did a great job running the entire 3.1 miles!

Gearing up to get out and get moving!

Lisa pushing her way through the final mile

Carrie (alumni LEEP staff) and Eric supporting the great cause

Go Jamie, GO!

Maddox and Me pushing our way to the finish line.

Receiving our donation

Smiling after the big event finished

The awesome MSU student group, along with the Scheels staff that headed up the event.

Bonding with the Burdorfs

Over the weekend we were lucky enough to have some family visitors come and stay with us! The Burdorfs came so Aunt Jamie could run in the Scheels "Kick the Couch" 5K. I was really worried the weather wouldn't hold out for Saturday but luckily it did!

We were able to do some grilling and the kids got to play outside which was nice. The guys went to MSU's spring football game during the afternoon so the mommies took the kiddos to the park. It was nice to be outside and enjoying the surprisingly great weather!

The kids had a great time at the park!

Brody wanted to pull Jenna and didn't do too shabby!

Saturday night was pretty low key but we did hang out with Scott and Lisa and enjoyed a good meal at Busters here in town. We were all pretty worn out by the end of the day so it was a short night. It was great getting to spend time with them and I know that the kids really had a good time together. Can't wait to do it again soon!

6 Month Well-baby

Today was the big 6 month check up. Unfortunately our pediatrician is no longer working at the clinic so we had to start over with a new one. He is very nice but I am not sure if he is a good fit for us right now.

Anyway, here are Maddox's stats:

• weighed in at 17 lbs, 4 oz (exactly 10 pounds heavier than birth!) and is in the 40th%
• 27.75 inches in the 75%

So take that Dad! Maddox is long and lean quickly moving away from his mommy's short and stocky stature.

Maddox did great during the appt. and even tried to show off his new scooting/crawling/lunging skills but apparently the carpet was not kid friendly and he refused to move. He just got up on his hands and knees rocking back and forth while looking back and grinning. Too cute! They never "perform" when asked, do they?!

Being the ever annoying camera mommy I snapped a few quick shots while we waited for the Dr. to come in. Quite the little poser if you ask me!

Bowl-a-thon Results

First and foremost, thanks you to all of you that helped us raise funds for our team!! The "Rockstar Rookies" had a blast and wouldn't have been able to reach our goal with out your help! We were so excited about our big day we took full advantage and made shirts. Even Maddox got a sweet on that just said Rookie! (Thanks April for getting them put together!)

This was LEEP's first real attempt at a fundraiser so this far exceeded our expectations. We were able to raise approximately $11,000 which is AMAZING!

Here is our teammates: JB, April, Maddox, Me, and JR

JB thought we should just use Maddox as our bowling ball.... wasn't going to happen!

April was a total rockstar and recruited another team from NIACC to come all the way to Mankato and take part in our big day!

Maddox was chill most of the day and enjoyed all of the commotion

Inge (my friend and co-worker) loves Maddox and I am sure the feeling is mutual!

Jana and April spoiling Maddox..... not sure why he was making such a funny face.

Thanks again to all of our supporters! We had a great day!!!

Happy Half Birthday, Maddox!

Wow! Today you are 6 months old Mr. Maddox!! I truly can't believe how fast you are growing and changing day to day. I don't really even remember life before you. The day you were born was the best day of my life (tied with my wedding day of course!). I think back to 6 months ago today and I just remember how complete you made me feel and the overwhelming joy that came along with you. I had yearned for you for so long and you were finally here! What a blessing you are.....

Your new found Independence you have already given me a few minor heart attacks. So far you have face planted in to so many things I can't even count anymore!

One thing you've gotten really good at is "looking innocent" when you know you probably shouldn't be doing things.

Here are some of your latest stats:

• Wearing Size 2 diapers
• You are teetering in the 16- 17 lb range.
• Thankfully you are still a champ and sleeping through the night typically going down around 8:30pm and sleeping till I wake you up around 7:30am.
• 2-3 naps are usually what you need to get through the day with your longest in the afternoon.
• Night night time is still Mommy's favorite. You snuggle right in and have no problem falling asleep.
• What a great eater we have! You have adjusted to the life of baby food very well and there isn't much you won't eat. So far you are still not a fan of applesauce and you will make some pretty funny facial contortions!!
• You are very good about eating your vegetables : carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash (?), sweet peas (not a fan!).
• Fruits, slowly but surely we have introduced you to some yummy stuff! You love Nanas, peaches, pears, and the triple threat apples, bananas, & strawberries.
• You've moved beyond the roly poly Maddox and are scooting everywhere! You've started crawling but aren't steady on that yet.
• You are a little cheese ball now.... Giggling, laughing, and squealing are your way of communicating.
• When you get excited you make sure everyone around you knows about it!
• You're definitely not afraid of talking. You have been babbling for quite some time but now it actually seems like you are having a conversation.
• We've been working on sitting and soon enough you will be able to do it all by yourself.
• Mommy loves to sing to you and your favorite is "Mr. Maddox" which is a sure bet to get a smile on your face!
• You make the funniest (and super annoying) noise with your nose CONSTANTLY. It is a cross between you trying to clear out a stuffy nose and something else I can't pinpoint
• So far you have loved every minute we have spent outside. You love the sun, going on walks, and just sitting in the fresh air. I think you are going to be quite the outdoors man just like Daddy!
• You love to stand and JUMP!
• We've been fighting off a nasty sinus infection for about 2 months.... I feel terrible for you!
• Chew, chew, CHEW is all that you do- your hands, feet, rattles, teething rings, etc. You've had 2 little toofers that have been playing peek-a-boo for a month but still haven't come in completely.
• You've spoiled us with a "perfect baby"! You're so easy going, fun loving, playful, and content. We love you more than you will ever know!

On. The. Move.

As previously mentioned Maddox has had a few milestones in the past week or 2 Last weekend he no only made his Ring Bearer debut..... he started to really SCOOT!

I've almost got it!

He has been working pretty hard on getting around and has finally gotten the hang of it. I realize it isn't a full out crawl but he is pretty close! He weird noise you hear is his new favorite thing that is ANNOYING! but I am not sure how you break bad habits with an almost 6 month old!

I did my best to keep the camera steady but this one woman filming crew isn't that great especially when chasing a moving target! Also, my child is a bit camera shy and will never do anything full out when the video camera is rolling so this is just a taste of his craziness!

He is a pretty tough little dude as he has already bonked his head a few times. Today he took a nasty fall but came out of it with a slobbery smile.

Mordhorst Wedding Maddness

On Saturday, April 10th we were lucky enough to LEGALLY welcome Trent into our family! He and my sister Ali tied the knot in Ringsted where all of us were lucky enough to take part in their big day. Maddox made his first Ring Bearer appearance and was quite adorable if I do say so myself!

Friday morning and afternoon we spent the day decorating the Armstrong Community Center and church in preparation for Saturday. Thankfully we had quite a few helpers on hand so things went pretty smoothly.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to get the fun started. After our hair/make-up appointments the ladies headed to the church to help get the bride ready to walk down the aisle. We had all been waiting to see "the dress" that was handmade specifically for Ali.

Trent's Aunt Maria had Ali show her things she liked about certain dresses and then they came up with the design perfect for her. She got to help build her dress and it was PERFECT for her!

The front of her dress.... Look at all of the beading!

All of us girls anxiously awaiting Trent's reaction to seeing Ali for the first time. It was such a sweet moment.

Quick view of the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G train

Now it is our turn to get ready for all the photos... Maddox was SO tired at this point of the day and he really needed a nap. I know it looks ridiculous that 4 of us are getting him ready but he WAS NOT impressed with that outfit AT ALL! I really didn't know if we would ever get him dressed let alone if he would be able to be part of the ceremony or pictures. Thankfully he cooperated and did take a few cat naps through out the afternoon.

Unfortunately we didn't get any really good shots of Maddox in his little tux on Saturday. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off so that wasn't a high priority which really stinks! Same goes for a family picture :(

The bridesmaids awaiting the gorgeous bride!

Maddox and Justin making their entrance! Maddox was sleeping on JR's should up until April walked up the aisle. I assumed he would be passed out on his way down but he made it!

"Here Comes the Bride". Ali came into a song that her musician had written and sang. It was a beautiful song, she really lucked out as he had been diagnosed with Mono on THURSDAY!!!

During the ceremony I kept having to lean down to try and point the fan at the bride and groom. It was quite hot up in the front and I could see sweat beads dripping from Trent's brown and Ali was a little shaky. Whether it was nerves, or they were really hot, I didn't want to take a chance. I know I looked silly, and people thought I was passing out but, I wasn't! I was just doing the Matron of Honor duty trying to keep everyone feeling good!! :)

During the ceremony Maddox was restless so Justin just let him hang out on the floor which must have worked really well as I never heard a peep!!

Here is a snapshot of the decor at the community center. I thought it all came together quite well in the end!

Hugging after giving my MOH speech

The Lovely Gunderson Girls

Mommy and Maddox at the dance. He was SO hot that I stripped him down and cooled him off so he could hang out a little longer. He loves being a naked baby!

I gonna get you Mommy!

Mommy's bouquet sure does taste good!

(they were fake)

The song "The Stripper" just plays over and over in my head when I see this photo

"THE MAN!"

Mr & Mrs Mordhorst

"Welcome to the family"

Looks like someone will have lots of thank yous to write!

And finally, this pretty much sums up the weekend.... We were all whipped and definitely needed to catch some ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's. I think he was a little tuckered out!

Congrats again to Ali and Trent and best wishes to both of you as you begin your journey as a married couple!!