Happy Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween! Madelyn (18months) dons an adorable chicken costume this year!



 

This was really simple to make and it only took me a few hours.  I put one onesie inside of a onesie turtleneck and sewed them together - leaving an open hole to stuff batting into.  I hand stitched two, white boas to the exterior.  For the legs, I bought white cotton tights and rubber banded them (tyedye technique) then dyed them orange.  That's pretty much it!  I found a feathery clip for her hair and added elastic to orange cut-outs of chicken feet.  Super easy. Super cute.

Madelyn Turns 1!

Hard to believe our little bean is a whole year old already! What a wonderful first year we've had! As a one-year-old, Maddie is walking and sometimes running (nothing cuter than watching her little legs try to run!), she's down to one bottle before bed and night, she can point out her eyes, ears, nose, and tongue, she loves to clap along to "if you're happy and you know it", and so much more! We've enrolled her in a tumble class and a swim class through the YMCA - gotta keep this busy baby busy!

Say Cheese!

For those of you who haven't already heard, Mike has been offered a GM position at a Hilton Garden Inn in Oshkosh, WI - and it should go without saying that he has graciously accepted their invitation.  That's right! We're moving to Wisconsin! This is a big career-step for Mike because the property is bigger than any hotel he has operated before and it will provide new and exciting challenges that he is really looking forward to (including a restaurant/lounge, a banquet hall that seats 400, and even a parking lot that accommodates aircraft!).  Check out the website to further satisfy your curiosity!  http://www.hiltongardeninn.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=OSHGIGI 

We will surely miss New Orleans.  We've lived here a year-and-a-half and we've grown very fond of calling it home.  And although we're leaving behind some lifelong friends, we'll be taking with us a lot of unforgetable memories. Mike will miss hot sausage Po'Boys, fresh oysters, Abita beer, Tom Fitzmorris, and golfing in January.  I will miss palm trees, roast beef Po'Boys, the first house Madelyn called home, drive-thru daiquiris, and my friends.  Neither one of us will miss cockroaches, "Who dat", 8.5% state tax, 8.5% parish tax, or sweltering hot summers.  Maddie says she'll miss Emma, powdered sugar from Cafe DuMonde, and her bedroom.

But this isn't all sad!  This is a great move!  Not only for Mike's career but for us as a family too!  We'll live so much closer to friends and family in Michigan!  Our drive to Grand Rapids is being reduced from 17hours to 6hours!  Perfect!  And Chicago, one of our favorite cities, is a short 3hour road trip away.  We couldn't be more excited!