The Smell of Summer is Upon Us

There are two smells that immediately make me think of summer.....Sunscreen and Chlorine!!! Maddox and I spent the day playing in his new swimming pool in the back yard (although there was no chlorine, just good old fashion water hose water, but there was plenty of sunscreen)! We had a great time, PopPop and Nanny stopped by to play as well. I think we will be spending many afternoons splashing in the water!!

I long to create fun memories for Maddox to remember when he gets older and looks back at his childhood...I want summer time to be filled with laughter, love, lots of family moments, and of course a TON of sunscreen!!!!

Thanks Vodas

Happy belated Memorial Day!!! Hope you all had a great time whatever you did. Brad and I had a wonderful weekend....we left Friday morning for Boerne, Tx to attend the wedding of our friends, Adam and Ami (Brad and Adam were great college friends and Ami is my best friend Sarah's sister...Sarah and I actually met because of Adam and Ami) The wedding was beautiful and we had a wonderful time hanging out with friends and having very little responsibilities. Thanks again G-mom and G-pop Voda for watching Maddox for us....we needed the time away and you made that so stress free for us....thank you thank you thank you!!
Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures from the weekend to post.
Maddox is doing well...it always takes him a few days to adjust back to me being home....he never cries when I leave, but when I return, I cannot walk out of the room for a second without him crying and trying to chase after me....(while it feels good to know I was missed, it makes it breaks my heart to see him upset and scared that I am going to leave again.)
He is talking up a storm...still in his own language....but it is hilarious...I love to hear the new "words" he comes up with everyday...I need to get it on video, because I do not know how to spell what he is saying...oh its so funny.

American Idol

After an astonishing 14 Billion votes, you at home have decided who will become the next American Idol ......Dim the lights......Drum Roll Please........The next American Idol is........*insert long dramatic pause here*

Maddox Bradley Kalivoda

Momma Said There'd Be Days Like This.....

Have you ever had one of those days that just seem to drag on and you wonder if at the end of the day if you will have a single strand of hair on your head?? Well today was one of those days. I do believe the terrible twos have entered our household early (now, I am not opposed to Maddox being "advanced" in any development, but I sure could have waited a lot longer to experience these "glorious" events on such a regular occurrence) God must have known we were going to have our hands full with our little man, because the sermon series at church right now is on "Raising Hellions" (it's about what we are called to do as parents and how disciplining our children is required of us) Gosh, it gets so hard to be consistent and to not let the little things slide by the end of the day, but luckily, with the help of my wonderful husband, we are standing strong, being consistent and hopefully we will begin to see better behavior soon (keeping our fingers crossed)We have begun the dreaded Time-Outs for one minute and those seem to work well.....I use that one minute with Maddox in the corner to pray for him and his behavior and for wisdom as a mommy (I had a LOT of one minute prayers today....poor baby, he was having a tough day, but he has to learn right from wrong and God placed us in charge of that task)

If you think about it today, please pray for Brad and I and our parenting....please pray we will continue to seek guidance from our Lord and that we will raise Maddox to be a kind, respectful, God-fearing young man who does NOT hit!!!

Happiness Is....

Happiness is:

Hearing Maddox laugh first thing in the morning

Watching Maddox get so excited to see his daddy and stop his feet saying "dadda, dadda, dadda" over and over again until Brad makes it IN the front door


Hearing Maddox say "momma" in the kindest most gentle voice I have ever heard...absolutely melts my heart and makes any tough day better!


Hearing the Madd-man say "DOGGG" at any four legged furry creature he sees....oh the association!! Precious


A freshly vacuumed floor

Playing with the new camera Brad got me for Mother's Day...so much fun and so overwhelming

Walking in to the bedroom and seeing the bed made and no junk on the floor

A long chat on the phone with a good friend

Frozen Yogurt on a nice hot summer day

Late night talks with my hubby

Watching Maddox discover EVERYTHING

NAP TIME (can I get an amen on this one!! hahah)



Hope you all had a great weekend

Thankful Thursday

Well, lets see....what am I thankful for today??? Well, to start off with, I am thankful for my Kalivoda family that I was so blessed to see this past weekend and celebrate mothers day with! I am thankful for their love and welcoming arms every time I am around them. I am thankful for my brother-in-law, Brandon and his constant humor...gosh that boy is funny and he keeps everyone on their toes (especially his mom and dad with his purchase of a very fast, b-e-a-utiful corvette.) I am thankful for my sis-in-law Kimberly and her sweet spirit. She may be small in size, but her heart is bigger than anyone I know. I know I mentioned this last week, but I am thankful for my mom and dad-in-law. Gosh, God sure blessed me with amazing in-laws. Dennis and Murlon, we are so excited to see you next week and thank you so much in advance for your help with Maddox while Brad and I go to a wedding!!

I am thankful that Maddox is feeling better! Oh my goodness, I think while he was sick he stored up all his energy and now he is letting it all go. He can run, turn in circles, play hide-and-seek, climb, giggle, and babble, NON STOP!!!

Three things that are not important, but I am thankful for:

Taco Villa Dr.Pepper (gosh I love it on a hot afternoon)

Bubble Baths..oh so relaxing

My favorite pillow...so comforting

What are YOU thankful for today??

We're Back from Oklahoma

unfortunatley blogger will not let me upload pictures this evening; therefore, I will just leave you with this:


Top Five Ways Traveling Changes When You Have a Child


1. It does not matter if your eyes are turning yellow because you have to pee so badly, you absolutely NEVER stop the car if you have a sleeping baby (even if the next decent restroom is over 90 miles away.

2. A crazy transformation occurs and I become a singer/song writer entertainer extraordinaire.

3. The rear view mirror transforms from a "mirror, such as one attached to a motor vehicle, that provides a view of what is behind" to a covert spying device to see if the "beast" has finally given up and is asleep.

4. The trunk is no longer filled with suitcases of clothes and various shoes for the trip, it is now loaded down with a pack-n-play, a stroller, more sugar free, organic snacks than you can imagine and a tricycle (all for a 2 day visit)

5. What was once a relaxing drive in the car has now become a full workout with bending from side to side, using my "go-go gadget" arms to reach for lost toys, snacks and drinks.

Thankful Thursday

What am I thankful for here on this beautiful and HOTT Thursday afternoon??? Well, to top the list I am for my amazing husband!! Bradley, you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, you are so patient and understanding with me, you work harder than anyone I know, and you love your precious little boy more than words can describe.

I am also super thankful for our precious little man, Maddox, (who is currently fighting his nap in his bedroom at the moment..hahha) I am thankful for his health (especially since we found out this morning that he has his first ear infection....gosh, we have been so blessed with a healthy little boy and I pray these antibiotics work quickly and he can feel better for our trip to Oklahoma this weekend)

I am thankful for my mom!! Mom, thank you so so much for your constant love and support. I always know you are there for me if I need ANYTHING. Thank you for being such an amazing grandma (GeGe) and for all the fun memories you are creating with Maddox everyday (for example, today you stripped him down to his diaper and sandals, slathered him in sun screen and let him rule the back yard. Laughing, playing, blowing bubbles and soon, playing in the kiddy pool) Thank you for being such a wonderful mother-in-law to Brad. Thank you mom for being my best friend. You are so great to all of us and I cannot fully describe how much we love you!

I am thankful for my Brother, Sister-in-law, sweet little Mollie Michelle and my sister Carol! Thank you guys for your friendship. I know you guys are always a phone call away and I am so thankful to live so close to you all!

I am thankful for my dad and Kelly! Thank you for your love towards Maddox and your support for Brad and I! Thank you for working so hard to get us all together for dinner every now and then and thank you for always being willing to watch Maddox for us!!!

I am thankful for my in-laws!!! Dennis and Murlon, you guys are absolutely amazing and you have made me so proud to be a Kalivoda! Thank you for raising such an amazing son that I am honored to call my husband. Thank you for loving Maddox with all of your hearts. You guys are so much fun to be with and I love that you are my family!! Thank you for making me feel like your own daughter, for that I will be eternally grateful! Kimberly and Brandon, I was super blessed when I married your brother and as a bonus I got you guys as my sister and brother !

I am thankful for my friends. Sarah, thank you for loving my family so much and for being such an amazing friend to us. You have helped me so much in adapting to my new roles as a mother and stay at home wife/mommy. We sure will miss you when you're no longer 22 seconds away.

Anna, thank you for your amazing friendship reaching back all the way to the eight grade!!! You are so amazing and I look up to you in so many ways. I wish we lived closer so we could hang out more (good thing for Facebook/Myspace so we can gab all we want) I was so honored to be a part of your wedding almost a year ago (happy Anniversary on the 10th) and I cannot wait to see you again soon. Thank you for your humor, all the laughs and love help me through the week!!

Oh my sweet Trish, my soul sister!!! I am so thankful to have you in my life and to look back at all the fun memories we had working together! I think it was totally a blessing from God that our children are only a month apart in age and I'm so excited to share in this crazy child rearing with you!!! I love you so much!!

There is so much more that I am thankful for, but I will leave the list to these for this week!!!

What are YOU thankful for on this HOTT Thursday afternoon???

Sorry I have not been as good at updating this blog lately. I have just had a hard time finding things to write about.....there has not been a whole lot going on, out of the ordinary, just living life, chasing Maddox, doing laundry, cooking dinner (sometimes..hahah, I am getting better at cooking most nights) going to the gym, cleaning bathrooms, wiping Maddox's runny nose for the 10,000th time, vacuuming the floor (I love the look of a freshly vacuumed house, something about it is so relaxing to me), watering the plants, feeding the dog, taking the dog to the groomer.....I guess you get the picture....our days are full from beginning to end, but there usually isn't much to write about that would be very interesting....oh but what a glorious life it is. I wouldn't change a thing about it....I love it all (well, maybe not the changing poopy diapers part..lol)

I guess the most interesting thing going on in our house is what Brad and I have been learning at church and attempting to apply to our lives. This past Sunday the sermon was about doubting God. Pastor Chris put everything into perspective for me when he said "I don't doubt that God exists or that Jesus rose from the grave, all those are pretty obvious. But sometimes I doubt that God can handle the future. Do you know what that is called? WORRY."

Worry is simply that, Doubting that God can handle the future. What a simple statement and yet how powerful and life changing it can be. Brad and I both are trying everyday to lay our worries about the future down at HIS feet and trust that He is in complete control. We are remembering all the things God has said through scripture and remembering all the things that God has DONE in the past.

As far as Maddox news goes, everything is peachy! He is teething like crazy (finally has all four molars for the most part) and has a little bit of a cough but the pedi seems to think he just has allergies so hopefully the allergy meds will help with that a little bit. We went to dinner this evening with my dad and Maddox just was not happy...we hurried to eat and got home (the car ride home was the loudest I have heard it in a while...poor baby was so tired and just didn't feel good) When we got home I checked his temperature and sure enough he had a little bit of a fever, nothing too high or anything, but you can just tell his little body is fighting something off right now! I am praying he sleeps well and wakes up in a great mood for our family day tomorrow!!! (Brad has been taking half days on wednedays!!!)

BIG prayer request! There is a link on the to the right on my blog at the bottom that says "Pray For Keith" Please check this out for me. He is a friend of our family that fell from a 7 story building several weeks ago, his wife is due with their first baby in 2 weeks and he is still in a coma and they are asking specific prayers for his brain swelling to go down and for Keith to wake up. Please pray that God heals this man completely. God has been so faithful to them and there have already been a multitude of miracles preformed through his life. Please check out their web site and keep him in your prayers!!!

Now for a trip down memory lane.......here is a picture our our precious boy one year ago today!!! WOW how much he has changed!!! I put a current picture below just so you can compare!!! Thank you Jesus for this blessing....our lives are forever changed and we are so thankful!!!