Traveling Tips?

All is well in the Voda house....Maddox has entered into such a fun stage and I am loving it. He laughs and runs and plays ALL day. He has been napping really well and just seems relatively satisfied. He is learning more and more words and communicating his needs which makes things much easier for all of us. He still lets us know that the terrible twos are fast upon us by throwing a few fits from time to time, but they have not been nearly as frequent.

We are getting ready to go on our second annual Malone Family Reunion (my mom's side of the family)...I am getting so excited.

Here are a few pics from last year's family reunion in Dallas, TX

It will be a pretty long drive with an 18 month old..we are going to Pagosa Springs, CO, but it will all be worth it to have a week to spend with my family....I can't wait to see them and I hope Maddox continues to be in the fun, playful, spirited mood he has been in!!

Does anyone have any tips on how to entertain a toddler for and 9 hour car drive??? Also, we will be gone for a week, so if you have any packing tips for us, please let me know!!!

I DO

Four years ago was a day that has forever changed my life....the day I married my prince, my best friend! Bradley, With those two words, "I do" I will never be the same. I Do promise to love you with all that I can, for the rest of my life. I DO promise to try to lift you up and encourage you every day. I DO promise to let you have the remote at least half of the time (hahha) and I DO promise to laugh with you throughout this journey we call life and marriage!!! Thank you Bradley for loving me and being an amazing husband and my very best friend...thank you for being patient with me when I am emotional, laughing with me when I'm silly, and listening to me when I need a friend. God has blessed us beyond our greatest imagination these past four years and I look forward to a lifetime with you!!! Thank you for taking me as your bride!!

18 Months

Today my little man turned 18 months old....WOW, he is already half way to 2 years old. I literally cannot believe it...it seems like just yesterday I was wondering if he would EVER sleep through the night..hahha!!! He is getting so big and absolutely hilarious!! He has such a fun spirit and goes full force at everything he does....including running though the house to bump into me and laugh hysterically....I LOVE IT!!!!!

18 things we Love these days

1. I love that he sleeps though the night, bottom in the air and all

2. He loves to climb on the couch (we are "learning" that couches are for sitting, NOT for standing, hahah)

3. He LOVES his cousin Mollie....oh so sweet

4. He loves to play with balls or anything that will bounce

5. He loves to drag everything out of my the drawers in the kitchen while I am cooking

6. I LOVE the way he says "Momma"

7. I love to loyalty he has towards his daddy (but he will ALWAYS need his momma..hahha)

8. Its so funny how he knows when we are on our way to GiGi's house....he sees the street and starts saying "GiGi??"

9. He LOVES fish.....we stop by the fish tanks every time we go to walmart and he is mesmerized (and he loved the aquarium in Oklahoma...it was such a JOY to watch him get so excited and laugh and talk to all of the fish)

10. He still enjoys his books and will not go to sleep unless you read him at least one story (currently the bed time story has been given by daddy from his little Bible)

11. His vocabulary is growing tremendously....yesterday he learned how to say "yummy" and "yucky" (its more like "ummy" and "ucky" but we are getting there)

12. I love his sweet little hugs and kisses.....nothing gets better than that

13. He loves to help me around the house...he will carry socks to the dresser and carry his dirty clothes to the laundry room (of course, I have to follow behind him and pick up dropped objects)

14. He loves to sit in Brad's lap and listen and drum to music

15. He loves to be outside, he watches the birds and bugs and giggles at them

16. I am having a super hard time getting him off the pacifier (the "um" as maddox calls it) because he LOVES it so much

17. He loves to try to fasten any buckle he can see (car seat, high chair, stroller, you name it, if it has a strap, he will try to buckle it, and if he can't he will make sure you know how frustrated that makes him)

18. I love my Maddox

Look at how big he is getting

Playing with his new fishing pole from grandma and grandpa voda

Brad and I think he looks super tall in this picture....what do you think?

Good day Mate

Wearing Daddy's shoes.....He has some big shoes to fill

Precious Moments

Well, let me just tell ya, God has an amazing way of using a child to teach you patience and how to stay calm when you just don't feel like you can. These past few weeks have had a few bumps in the road with Maddox's temperament and his ability to get super frustrated when he can't communicate his need. He just wants to do EVERYTHING and gets super frustrated when he can't and gets even more "spirited" when you try to help him. However, God can use the simplest of situations to remind you of how sweet life with a spirited toddler is......yesterday, Maddox was having a rough morning into the afternoon and evening, he woke up from his nap extremely upset and seemed to remain in a constant frustrated mood; however, while I was cooking dinner, he came walking into the kitchen, grabbed my leg and said "momma" in the sweetest voice, as though to just make sure I was still in there, then he ran out of the kitchen squealing in excitement and just talking away...it was at that moment when I realized that life just doesn't get much better than that.....here I am making dinner for my sweet, hardworking husband and my precious 17 month old son, and listening to the joyful chatter of my "spirited" little man!! Ahhh, PERFECTION!!! Thank you God for the tougher days because they make the sweet moments unforgettable!!!

We took Maddox and Mollie to get their pictures taken today, sporting their 4th of July outfits that GiGi (my mom) bought them. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure: