We're Back

Well hello all!! We are back on dry land and attempting to get our "land-legs" under us!!! We had a wonderful cruise and enjoyed the great time with our friends and each other!!! Our favorite part was not HAVING to do anything! We went scuba diving in Grand-Cayman, swam with dolphins in Cozumel and enjoyed many fancy dinners with more forks than we knew what to do with. Thank you hurricane Faye for not heading our way while we were cruising on the open ocean....the water was great and we had a very relaxing time!!!
Thank you Brad, Sarah, Dusty, Shae and Andrea for a trip I will never forget!!
Thank you Mom, Jason, Carol, Granny and Paul for taking such great care of Maddox for us while we were away basking in the sun. We were definitely able to sit back and relax knowing that our little man was in wonderful hands!!! (We missed him more than we knew was physically possible, but we were never once worried about him....Thank you guys for your kindness and your love you have for the Mad-man)

This week has been good....just adjusting back to the "real-world" and getting our routine figured out once again. Maddox has not been a huge fan of napping or sleeping at night...but I simply chalk it up to the fact that he missed me so much and he just wants to see me more..hehee!!! We have officially named this week, the week we get Maddox to sleep through the night...no more night-time feedings (this technically should have been done months ago) We are having to do the cry-it-out method and let him discover a way to self-soothe himself back to sleep. Goodness, it is so hard for me to hear him cry like that...he gets so worked up and I desperately want to give into him; however, I know in the long run it will definitely be worth it (we will ALL sleep better once he sleeps through the night)

Well, there is the quick update for ya...Brad's parents are in town this weekend!! We are super excited to spend time with them!! I will post pictures later!!!

Safe and Sound

Dear Maddox,

Can’t believe you’re here now, tiny dream come true! The answer to a prayer now, I'm so in love with you. Couldn't wait to meet you, hope you like your name. I get the funny feeling life will never be the same. Safe and sound, you're here with me now...like I hoped you'd be. Safe and sound, you're here with me now...and that's all I'll ever need.
The world's a scary place here, but Maddox, it's alright. I'll make sure the coast is clear, so you can just sleep tight. But if you're afraid of monsters (like everybody is) I'll be right beside you, closer than a kiss. Safe and sound, I'm here with you now. And you'll always be safe and sound. I'm here with you now and that's all you'll ever need.
Someday I'm gonna teach you, the reason why we pray. So that heaven's love may reach you every single day. So, Maddox close your eyes now and say a prayer with me. Lord, I lay me down to sleep now.
But I know I will be safe and sound. YOU'RE here with us now, and we will always be safe and sound. You're here with us now and that's all we'll ever, all we'll ever need. YOU'RE all we'll ever need!!!
(a song by Matthew West)





That is my hearts desire to create a place for Maddox to live that he knows he is always safe, loved and prayed for. I pray for the day when Maddox knows our God as his Lord and Savior.






Maddox watching the pretty rain storm!!

"Hey mom!!!"

Grammy reading to Maddox

Auntie Sarah loving on Maddox and reading him his bedtime story!!! (thank you Sarah for loving Maddox as if he were your own. You are such a blessing to the Kalivoda's)

Maddox playing in his bed like a big boy

Wow...we have a 7 month old!! I cannot believe he is already so big....I just want to freeze time and remember every ounce of life right now. It is amazing to watch Maddox grow and discover this strange world around him.....my squirmy, vocal, into everything little man!!!
Some statistics on our little (big) man
Weight: 22 pounds 15 ounces (97th percentile)
Height: 28 inches (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19 inches (off the chart...for all those brains)
We have a BIG boy in the house....which cracks us up everyday because for those of you who know Brad and I you know we are not "big" people...we are short and petite... Oh the arm muscles I am getting!!!

Today was a monumental day....Maddox said "DADA" for the first time...AND Brad was home for lunch when it happened!!! Maddox is so funny when he starts babbling because he squints his little eyes and gets the funniest facial expressions!!! Brad and I were laughing so hard we both had tears in our eyes!!!

Here is the video:

more to come

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Oh how blessed we are! I am in awe everyday that the Lord would bless us with such an amazing child. His smile brightens my day and lifts my spirits each and every time! His sweet giggle melts my heart and I constantly try anything and attempt even the most goofiest of faces to make the little-man laugh!

Just a little update on the Madd-man, he is teething like crazy, but we are still toothless and have very swollen gums!! He is trying harder and harder everyday to learn to crawl, he is getting so close (I am scared that Brad and I will be on our cruise when our little one learns to "cruse" I so don't want to miss that milestone in his life....) I love to watch the determination in his eyes, he tries and tries and tries again to reach for things and wiggle his way to whatever he thinks he needs at the moment. I do wish that I had half of the determination he has, and I pray I can find a way to encourage that determination with everything he attempts in life!

My favorite time of day is still the 5am feeding...(as crazy as that sounds because a full nights sleep sounds heavenly) but at 5am he eats and cuddles with me!!! I just love to watch him finish that bottle and then bury his head on my chest. Melts my heart.

These next two weeks are going to be a bit crazy in the 'Voda house. Next Monday Maddox has a doctors appointment accompanied by more shots, so that should make that week very "fun" for all of us...poor baby. While that is going on I will be packing for Brad and I to go on our cruise and packing for the Madd-man to stay with family for 9 days (OH MY GOSH, I cannot believe I am leaving him for that long....I am very excited to have a "grown-up" trip, but we are sure going to miss those chubby cheeks)

So, last night, during our usually night time routine, I was reading Maddox a book "On the Night You Were Born" and the first page has the Bible verse "For you are fearfully and wonderfully made..." I have heard this Bible verse thousands of times, but last night it really got me thinking about how perfectly planned God had Maddox. Maddox was fearfully, delicately, perfectly and wonderfully made by our GOD!!! There was no accident, it didn't just "happen" God planned out every tiny detail of our sweet baby boy and he gently and perfectly created him in HIS image to grow to Love and serve the Lord with all of his heart and soul. I am just so thankful that God took so much time in creating our little boy.

Tribute to the Swing

Thank you for always being there, rocking me, soothing my tummy, playing "great" music for me, growing with me, comforting me, letting me sleep with you and providing an ease to my aching body.....thank you my ever so faithful, lifesaving, nap giving, sleep providing, tummy soothing SWING!!! You provided me with 26 weeks, 182 days, 2,184 hours, 131,040 minutes, 7,862, 400 seconds of comfort!! I grew through 3 head rests and wore out 2 motors! Thank you beloved swing for always being with us, even from the very beginning!

The first picture below is the day we brought Maddox home from the hospital. (Can anyone believe he was ever that little, and look at the hair on his head, crazy!)

We have officially transitioned from the swing, all sleeping is done in the bed. All naps, and the entire night! The Madd-man was 7 pounds away from being "kicked" out of the swing for safety reasons and the time was right to make the switch. After we got back home from Oklahoma I told Maddox he had one full week left in the swing (I wanted to get him regulated back on his schedule since we were out of town for two weekends in a row) therefore, last Sunday marked our first day on our new bed sleeping adventure! We have had some long nights and making adjustments to our napping, but over all he has taken the change like a champ! Way to go Maddox! I am so proud of you!!!

On July 9th, Brad and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary!! I cannot believe it has been 3 years already (however, this year in itself has felt like a life time...hahah) There are so many things I love about my amazing husband and the bond that we share!!

I love his smile and his since of humor! He is always making me laugh

I love his gorgeous blue eyes and the way they can calm my spirit with just a simple glance

I love his work ethic! He honestly is the hardest worker I know (at everything he attempts)

I love watching him turn into a Daddy!

I love sharing things with him....shampoo, toothpaste, sodas from Sonic, etc.

I love his ability to figure things out (like laying tile and our new wood floor...he does such an amazing job!)

I love how he always makes sure Maddox and I are taken care of

I love how he loves his family and takes great pride in his parents

I love his passion for life and making sure he finds things to enjoy about every single day

I love that he works hard so he can play harder

I love my sweet husband and I am so blessed to have him in my life!!!

Happy 4th of July

Happy belated Independence day to everyone!! Hope you all enjoyed some time with your families. Brad, Maddox, and I traveled to Oklahoma City for the holiday weekend and spent some time with Brad's family. It was a well needed trip and we enjoyed being able to see everyone (although, it was not nearly enough time, but we take what we can get at this point). Maddox traveled really well and I discovered new and unusual ways to "entertain" him in the car. It cracks me up the things that will amuse him and the things that he just looks blankly at you as if to say "are you serious? Did you really think that was funny?" Oh my sweet sweet boy!


We enjoyed a nice scorching hot picnic at Grandma Jo's and then spent some time in the hotel pool (thanks Kim, Austin and Brandon for joining us for a swim, we enjoyed the company!!)


From our hotel window we could see all the wonderful fireworks shows and it was great. Maddox was sleeping away in his swing (yes we packed it and brought it with us everywhere, Dennis and Murlon's house, Grandma Jo's and the hotel, it was a life saver!!) and we were watching the fireworks from our balcony window with Brandon. We had a wonderful time!! What did everyone else do for the holiday???


Moving on, today is Maddox's 6th month birthday....I know, I can't believe it either. He is getting so big so fast!! Not a day goes by that someone doesn't comment on my "lack" of feeding the poor baby...hahahah...everyone is amazed by how big he is!! I am too!!! I am anxious to see how much he weighs and how tall he is (we don't go back to the doctor until August).


I am amazed at all the new things my little one is able to do. He is eating stage one and stage two Gerber baby foods. He can have juice (we have attempted a Sippy cup, he is not fond of the idea of him having to hold the cup. He believes that is MY job...hahaha) He sits up all by himself. He talks and smiles. He knows his name and responds when it is spoken to him. He rolls over (he is still not fond of his tummy, so he remains on his back, but at least we know he can do it if he ever wanted to). He is amazed at other people's hands, he loves to hold them and watch how each finger moves, it is precious to watch him discover new things. I could go on and on but I don't want to bore all of you will my rambling, so I will move on to the important part....PICTURES!!

Please get me out of this car!!! Are we there YET???

Happy 4th of July everyone! I sure am pooped!!!

Maddox and his sweet Aunt Kim!!!

Loving the cool water and his car floaty! He is way too cool, he drives his car backwards!!!

Getting all warmed up after the swim!

Maddox grandma and great-grandma, telling stories!!

Maddox and Grandpa going for a walk!

Baby Sitter

We have a baby sitter, no, not someone to watch our child, we have a baby who sits!!! Maddox can sit up on his own and he LOVES it! One day the Madd-man decided he would sit up by himself and he has done it ever since. He reaches for things and is trying so hard to find a way to move on his little bottom (I do believe we will have a scooter soon).




















This past weekend we had the opportunity to travel to Arlington, TX for our first annual Malone Family Reunion (my mom's side) It was a lot of fun and it was great getting to see the family! I wish we could have stayed longer, but we enjoyed the time we had! Maddox traveled well, he was definitely ready to get out of the car when we arrived at the Macaroni Grill in Louisville. (I was tempted to start crying like he does because I too was ready to get out of the car; however, it is frowned upon to see a 25 year old woman throwing a fit simply because I am antsy. Something about being a mature adult or something...overrated...hahahah)





















The big secret is finally out...drum roll please.....Jason and Kameron (my bro and sis-in-law) are expecting their first baby!!! Yippee...I will be an aunt, Brad will be an uncle, and Maddox will be and will have a cousin!!! Congrats you two!!! I pray that we will be as great to your little bundle of joy as you are to our little Maddox!! Thank you for your love and support and if there is anything we can do for the two of you, please let us know!!!


The vacation was fun fun. We were able to go to Hurricane Harbor on Saturday while my mom kept Maddox. He went swimming loved his car floaty so much he almost feel asleep in it!!! Saturday evening we went to a Texas Rangers baseball game. We had a wonderful time, despite the rainy weather, Maddox was bored about the 3rd inning, but everything turned out fine. I was able to have some good cuddle time with the little man in the Baby Bjorn frontal carrier. We had a wonderful time seeing our family. We are now doing laundry and preparing to hit the road again. We are going to Oklahoma City to visit Brad's family for the 4th of July.
On the way home from Dallas, I was reading the billboards and there was one that said "Relax, I am in charge-God." This simple statement has hit my heart at its core. I get so worked up, over analyze and allow myself to be consumed with things that don't even matter. I need to step back and RELAX and realize, I am not in charge and I never will be. The Lord will provide and take care of everything, I simply need to be obedient and allow Him to take the lead!!! What an amazing feeling!