Happily Ever Madsens

Milestone Pictures, Nora

EIGHT MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

EIGHT MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

Nora is already eight months old!! It’s unreal, honestly. I can feel 12 months creeping up and it makes me super sad. I just want her to stay little a little bit longer. 🥲

This month Nora:

  • Tried lots of new foods: peanut butter, toast, bagel, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, granola, pizza, chicken enchiladas, quesadilla, fries, ice cream, guacamole, rice, spaghetti, eggs, sausage, peppers, pears, Mac and cheese, waffle, steak.
  • Is army crawling everywhere and is pretty dang fast at it too! Especially if she’s motivated by something to get to, she can cruise!
  • Started saying “hi”
  • Is getting on her knees more and more!
  • Loves sleeping on her tummy just like her brothers!
  • Is a little copy-cat and mimics sounds and movements!
  • LOVES her big brothers so much. She thinks everything they do is so funny and could watch them all day. They love her so much too and it’s the sweetest. Everett is her biggest fan and Clyde wants us to think he’s wrapped up in his own world but then LIGHTS up when she smiles at him or “makes him laugh!”
  • Started using the Jolly Jumper and she is a huge fan! The boys love to try and jump with her and it’s just really cute!

This month we:

  • Celebrated mama turning 28! Basically 30. 🫠 The boys sang to me and were so sweet suprising me with balloons and pictures they drew! Caden made me breakfast, painted my nails, and took me to a movie and dinner. It was a perfect day with my favorite people!
  • Met our cute new friend Bentley! She’s so sweet and so tiny next to Nora, it’s crazy!
  • Celebrated the end of pumping! Wahoo! Haha. It’s been a journey for sure but I’m happy to be done.
  • The kids partied with dad for a weekend while mom went on a girls trip with my friends I met while living in China! This was my first time away from the kids without Caden AND the longest I’ve ever been away from Caden or my kids (3 nights) but it was SO much fun and so needed to reset. We’re thinking it needs to be a new tradition for sure! We went to Waco & Austin Texas and laughed til we cried!

Here’s this month in pictures..

Milestone Pictures, Nora

SEVEN MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

SEVEN MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

Nora is seven months old!! Goodness.. time needs to slow down.

This month Nora:

  • Started sitting unassisted! Yay Nor! She is doing great and has only had a fall or two. 😅
  • Said her second word “dada!” So cute! She still says Mama more though.. 😂
  • Loves knocking over block towers and taking all of the boys toys as her own. She’s real into Paw Patrol pups at the moment and chooses those over her toys every time! Haha
  • LOVES when we actually let her eat food.
  • Has tried: chicken, broccoli, noodles, rice, a roll, veggie straws, Mac and cheese, applesauce, banana, and puffs. Once she started sitting up we were ready to start baby led weaning with her but then she got sick and so we held off since her gag reflux was extra strong with all the mucous she had. So, she’s a bit behind all of the foods the boys had tried their first month of eating but she is always eager to try whatever we give her!
  • Has started pulling up on her knees a few times! Little girl just wants to grow right on up!
  • Finally consistently holds her bottle and it is so nice. Haha. We also moved her to a size 2 nipple after our friends pointed out how long it took her to eat.. oops. Poor girl was using a preemie and size 1 nipples this whole time but really never complained. Just took foreverrrrrr to eat.
  • Is in 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers
  • Moved to her own room!! She did really good with the adjustment and I have loved using her nursery annnnnnd being able to have my light on while I get ready for bed. Haha!
  • Has her hair growing in fuller and redder by the day! It’s getting fluffy in spots and it’s so cute! Can’t believe I have two red-headed children!
  • Had her first ear infection and another cold! Dang it! She handled it like a champ and was so patient with all of the nose sucking and medicines.
  • Drank through a straw! She did pretty dang good with our weighted straw cup which is NOT easy. We also tried the honey bear cup and she liked that too!

This month we:

  • Celebrated Christmas! Nora’s first, Ev’s third, and Clyde’s fourth!! We had so much fun doing all of the holiday things. We had a couple friend parties, Clyde’s preschool program, decorated a gingerbread truck, went and visited Santa’s house, went to Hale and saw Little Mermaid with Gaga, made our traditional caramel pretzels and spent lots of time with family!
  • Went to the cabin after Christmas! We almost got stuck in all of the snow up there but my grandparents helped our little van out and we had a wonderful time with family! The kids especially loved playing in the snow and sledding together!
  • Had a little scare with Clyder. He ended up at Primary’s with a crazy viral reaction/anaphylaxis.. they’re still not entirely sure what happened. But it was scary and sad and all the things. He is doing much better now thankfully, so now we just need to continue weaning him off the medicine regimen they set up for him and get him into an allergist.

Here’s this month in pictures..

Milestone Pictures, Nora

SIX MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

SIX MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

Nora is SIX months!! How in the world.. The past six months have truly flown and it makes me really sad that she is already half way to one. I wish I could memorize every little detail about her right now and keep her little forever. Turns out the more kids you have, the faster they each grow up and it’s quite devastating and so much fun all at the same time!

This month Nora:

  •  Started scooting! Last month I considered what she was doing as a scoot but now she really gets to where she wants to be and pulls her body there quickly!
  • Is obsessed with her toes! She is constantly grabbing them and putting them to her mouth. Also her most ticklish spot for sure and she lives for it!
  • Loves having her head rubbed. Haha!
  • Finally started to **sometimes** hold her bottle.. better than at the beginning of the month where she tried to hold it with her feet!!
  • Started reaching for people and things!
  • Is soo interested in food. Haha. Maybe she will be a baby foodie like her brothers! We haven’t started feeding her yet since she can’t quite sit unassisted but she is getting there and I’m sure we will be able to start soon! I’m not ready.. haha! In the mean time, she likes to sit in the high chair and be a part of the action!
  • Says “Mama” all the time. Especially when she is sad though! She said it a couple months ago but now she says it often and Clyde is always so impressed with her and makes sure that I hear her!
  • Can get her binky in and out on her own and likes to switch them out for a fresh one. She still hardly takes a binky so it’s more of a crib game than anything.
  • Much more observant and loving being more a part of the fun!
  • Is 15.92 pounds which is the same exact size as Everett at this age, however, she is an inch taller than he was at 26 inches!
  • Transitioned out of her bassinet and into the pack and play, still in our room next to our bed. We will move her into her room soon.. I just need to get back out curtains up.
  • Was blessed by her daddy!
  • Is soooo loved by everyone but especially her brothers. They ADORE her. Clyde loves to talk to her and lay with her in her bed or his and Everett just wants to be riiiiiight next to her at all times! He claps for her every time she rolls over (which is a lot) and makes sure that we all stop to acknowledge her accomplishments. Haha! Seeing the boys with her melts my mama heart.

This month we:

  • Did Thanksgiving Heroes for the second year! Such a fun tradition and so easy to let the kids be a part of it. They loved carrying the food up to the doors and telling them “happy thanksgiving!”
  • Got COVID at our house right before Thanksgiving so we had an impromptu dinner at our house together complete with traditional family foods that my parents delivered to us. I was super sad about it at first, but honestly it turned out to be really fun to just be the five of us.
  • Started celebrating Christmas with a family party, going to the Christmas in Color light show, and visiting Santa!
  • Were sick. A lot! Basically all of November, at least one kid was sick and even a couple days into December. It was quite awful but we made it through and are praying for healthier days to come!
  • Caden and I were to LA for his company’s Holiday party! The kids stayed home with my parents and were spoiled and had so much fun making gingerbread houses, arts and crafts and spending time with Nana and Papa! We had a blast getting all dressed up for the party and also just relaxing and having some time together!

Here’s this month in pictures..

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Nora

Nora’s Blessing Day

Yesterday we blessed our sweet baby girl Nora Ann Madsen! We were surrounded by our closest family and friends and felt so much love! We did a hot chocolate bar and made the yummiest cinnamon rolls and it was super easy and perfect!

Caden gave Nora the sweetest blessing! The parts that stood out to me the most were that Nora would have great faith, the ability to recenter herself and find humor when times are tough, and seek out JOY and pass that onto others! I also loved that he blessed her to be strong, stand up for herself and know that nothing is impossible because she can do hard things. We have no doubt that Nora will be able to do just that and we are so blessed to have her in our family and be able to be there to watch her grow into the amazing person she will become!

Story time.. while Caden was still on his mission, cute little McKayla ordered a custom wedding dress while living in China. It didn’t actually show up until almost a year later, two weeks before my wedding, and it was unfinished. 😫 I was devastated but by some miracle found a rental just a few days before my wedding of basically exactly what my custom dress was supposed to look like. I held onto that beautiful unfinished dress in hopes that one day I’d have a daughter and be able to turn it into a blessing dress for her. My sweet grandma turned that dream into a reality and that China dress finally got to be worn. 😘 She did an amazing job and Nora looked so beautiful!

It was funny to reflect on that dress and all the meaning behind it. I was so sure about Caden that even though he had six months left of his mission I spent the rest of the money I had on that dress, because I pictured the life we’d share together and seeing her in it yesterday, made that dream come full circle. This family we’ve made together is my entire world! It made it even more special because she was coincidentally blessed on the 9th anniversary of when Caden left on his mission. We really are so blessed! ❤️

Milestone Pictures, Nora

FIVE MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

FIVE MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

Nora is 5 months!! Time is continuing to fly and I can’t even keep up.. we just love this little girl so much though, and she brings so much joy to our home!

This month Nora:

  • Has started bringing things to her mouth! She especially loves to have her fingers (or anyone elses) but also loves toys and tries to get her bottle into her mouth on her own as well.
  • Held her own bottle a couple times! She always wants to but typically she drops it pretty quickly.. haha. Guess she has to stay little for a little longer. (; The girl loves her milk and will try and grab the bottle of milk as I’m pumping. Haha
  • Is making all sorts of new noises. One time she was going off and Clyde goes “Nora sounds like my sound machine!” He’s right.. haha
  • Always rubs her right eye with her tiny little fist when she gets tired.. it’s honestly the cutest thing ever.
  • Starting to scoot around the floor and always ends up with her bum under our couch!
  • LOVES looking at daddy. Does NOT love when daddy feeds her. Haha!
  • Has started to put her own binky in and will look around her bassinet for it when it falls out!
  • Fascinated with her feet and loves to hold them and try to eat them!
  • Sleeps mostly on her side. Still an angel sleeper!
  • Had her first real sickness. Not sure if it was RSV or some other virus but it was so sad. Her breathing got pretty bad but we put onions in her socks while she slept and she woke up doing way better!! So crazy!
  • Constantly blows bubbles and it is our favorite thing! She will copy you if you do it and man.. it’s just so cute. She will babble for a sec and then close her lips, puff her cheeks and blow allllll day long.

This month we:

  • Went to the zoo with Gaga, Papa and cousins! The kiddos had tons of fun as always and Nora loved hanging out in the carrier and sleeping. Haha
  • Did all the Fall things that we love like: Cornbellys, cookie decorating, pumpkin carving with Nana and Papa, painting pumpkins, pumpkin pizza night, and looking at different Halloween light shows!
  • Celebrated Halloween! We dressed up as Toy Story characters and it might have been my favorite family costume yet! So much fun! Nora was Jessie, Clyde was Woody, Everett was Buzz, Caden was Rex and I was Bo Peep! My parents even dressed as potato heads and it was a blast!
  • Watched Clyde play his first sport– soccer! Unfortunately, he missed 3 out of 5 games from being sick.. BUT we loved watching him play when he did. He was hilarious and such an entertainer as per usual.

Here’s this month in pictures..

Halloween, The Madsens

Halloween 2022 | Toy Story Family Costumes

The boys are obsessed with Toy Story and have been for years and honestly.. we’ve waited til we had a girl to do this family costume so Nora came just in time! 😂 It was SO much fun to put together and to see the boys be in total character mode! They’ve been talking about each of our costumes for MONTHS and felt like celebrities when everyone called them “Buzz and Woody!” And of course, we did our traditional pumpkins to coordinate with our costumes! Those might just be my favorite pumpkins yet!

This year will be tough to beat, mostly just because the boys loved it SO much. ❤️

Here is our Halloween 2022 family costumes! Love this family of mine to Infinity and Beyond!!

Birthday Parties, Everett

TWO The Rescue | Superhero Birthday Party | Two Year Old Birthday Party

Everett is TWO!! I can’t even believe it. He is SUPER into superheroes and has been for a while.. so a superhero themed party was the perfect fit! Caden had the idea of “Two The Rescue” and I loved how unique and creative that was! I’m a sucker for a good theme and this was such a fun one!!

Compared to his first birthday party this was pretty simple to throw together and thanks to my Batman obsessed husband, we already had tons of stuff to decorate with. Haha! The weather was AMAZING at like 75 degrees which was the best thing ever because it meant we could be outside.. and with all the friends and family we wanted to invite that made it much easier to accommodate! We rented a little bounce house and it was the easiest activity ever, and the kids were so cute with their little capes and masks bouncing around! It kept them entertained for hours!

We also had a coloring station complete with custom Spiderman crayons, a photobooth, a piñata, and lots of fun party favors! I made little goody bags to put in the piñata and that was definitely the way to go with this age group! No fighting and everyone was happy! We included a little customized coloring book, stickers, fruit snacks and a superhero slap bracelet in each one, along with superhero face mask stickers, nail stickers and stick on earrings for all of the kids as well!

We kept the food super simple with pizza, a veggie tray and then cake and cupcakes! I ordered the pizza from Papa Murphys designed to look like superhero symbols and they were so nice to go along with my idea! Once it was cut, I’m sure no one even noticed but it was a fun idea! Haha! The cake was perfect for the theme, especially with the fun cake toppers, and tasted absolutely delicious!! Everyone loved it! Oh.. and of course I added fun themed names for the veggie tray because why not! I also got some green Hawaiian “Hulk Punch” and had custom capri suns and water bottles for drinks!

Everett was overwhelmed with love and support from all of his friends and family and it was truly sweet to see him so excited about the littlest of things. He loved all of the superhero action figures, hitting the piñata a million times, jumping in the bounce house and mostly.. eating cake!

“TWO The Rescue” was truly the perfect theme for our little superhero boy and I’m so obsessed with how it all turned out! Planning these parties is SO much fun and such a creative outlet for me! It’s no secret that it’s also a ton of work and I’m so lucky and so grateful to be able to work with so many amazing creatives to help bring my vision to life! Each small (and large) business I partnered with was so incredibly helpful and easy to work with and I would HIGHLY recommend reaching out to them if you’re thinking of throwing a superhero (or ANY themed) party too! I will leave all of their info at the bottom of this post with links to their sites!

Now for my favorite part.. The pictures!

We had such a good time and I’m so happy that I have all of these fun photos to look back on and remember his special day! Special thanks again to all those that helped make this happen!!

Thank you so much for being here! If you have any questions about anything at all or need any advice before throwing your next party, definitely send me a message or comment below! I’d love to help!

Here’s where everything is from:

Milestone Pictures, Nora

FOUR MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

FOUR MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

Nora is 4 months!! She is changing so much every day I can hardly keep up!

This month Nora:

  • Has officially graduated from her swaddle! The day after she turned 3 months she started rolling from her back to her tummy constantly so we had to make the switch! I was worried how she would do without her swaddle and favorite sleep sacks but she adjusted quickly and loves her new poofy sleep suit so much!
  • Is wearing 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers! She is growing so much and so fast! She’s still a petite little thing at 12.7 pounds and 24 inches but she’s just perfect and I’m so glad I don’t get in my head about her size like I used to with the boys!
  • Is taking a binky **more** than she was but still isn’t a fan. She will take her Dr. Brown binky after I lay her down to sleep but it’s out in a couple seconds. Haha. Oh well, she’s a happy happy girl without it!
  • Has been finding her hands and feet! She LOVES sucking on her fingers and fists and looking at her toes any chance she gets! It’s so fun to watch her discover new things!
  • Started babbling more and we love her tiny voice! She especially loves to do it while she’s pressed up against me while being burped! She will just ramble and it’s so funny!
  • Always tries to hold her own bottle! She isn’t there yet but she loves to try.
  • Blows bubbles all the time but especially when she’s getting her diaper changed.
  • Said her first word.. “mom” It was clear as day and then she repeated it again once Clyde ran over to hear it! So so so cute!!
  • Got her first little cold and had the tiniest, saddest cough! Luckily she was totally fine and it passed quickly but it was both adorable and sad!
  • Loves to smile while drinking her bottle and never likes to finish the last tiiiiiny bit.. just like her mama!
  • Still sleeping like an angel. Caden asked me the other day if we’d still have to sleep train her and I don’t think so.. She puts herself to sleep probably 85% of the time and still sleeps all through the night. We’re so lucky!!
  • Started occasionally sitting up in the bumbo and the loves being part of the action and the boys love having her close by while we eat dinner!

This month we:

  • Had lots of fun doing fall activities! It has been such a warm fall season so it’s been fun to be outside! We went to the sunflower festival with friends, went on Clyde’s first field trip to a fall festival, went on a walk around Silverlake with Nana and Papa, went to our nephew’s football games, and went to the aquarium with family!
  • Got our Cornbelly’s season passes! This is our favorite fall tradition that we’ve been doing for years before Clyde was even born. Even with new babies, we have always spent lots of time there and made so many fun memories! Nora has loved going and sleeps most of the time wrapped on me and does SO good!
  • Celebrated Everett turning 2! We had a whole week of birthday fun with two birthday parties, build a bear, a Red Robin date and the curiosity museum with the fam!

Here’s this month in pictures..

Milestone Pictures, Nora

THREE MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

THREE MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

These months go by way too fast and it honestly breaks my heart knowing Nora is already 3 months old!

This month Nora:

  • Has been rolling over from her back to her tummy during her sleep! Ahh! Neither of us are ready to graduate from the swaddle yet 😬She hasn’t done it while she’s been awake but she does get really close so it’s only a matter of time! This girl is STRONG and determined. Haha! For now she likes to chill on her side.
  • Is definitely looking like she will stay a red head! As time goes on we are more and more convinced she will take after Clyder and be a red head and of course we love it 😍
  • Has started cooing and loves to “talk” to you.
  • LOVES her brothers. Caden says I’m still her favorite but they’re definitely the most entertaining. They talk to her and check on her all day long and it’s quite honestly the sweetest little thing in the world. I love their love for eachother!
  • LOVES to suck on her hands and does so often.. not a huge fan of her binky unfortunately. Haha
  • Has started to giggle! It’s not often that she will, but when she does we sure melt!
  • Is the most patient little baby ever! She rolls with the punches of having two toddler brothers and we really couldn’t be more grateful for how easy going she is!
  • Tries to sit up and stand! She’s not much of a snuggler anymore. She needs to see the action and will move her body however she needs to to do so. Haha. She will basically do a crunch out of your arms or off of her boppy pillow to try and sit up! Especially if she wants whoever is talking to her at the time.
  • Still loves to sleep! She sleeps about 12 hours straight each night and naps like a champ too! Clyde says “Nora loves her nest!!” Haha! He’s not wrong.. she sure does love her bassinet.😘

This month we:

  • Had a lot of fun family outings! We went to the dinosaur island (again) for the last time of the season, went to the aquarium light show with friends and had a fun dance party, had dinner in the canyon with my family and had fun on adventure walks, and picked pumpkins at Aunt Kylee’s house!
  • Met little baby Hazel! She’s so sweet and we’re excited to have her grow up so close in age to Nora!
  • Had a last minute weekend trip to the cabin with grandma and grandpa Sheriff! We all had so much fun just spending time together and getting away. The boys especially loved riding their bikes around the deck and looking for critters!
  • Clyde started preschool! It’s been such a big change for all of us but it has been amazing! He loves every single minute of it and asks about going every day. The time he’s at school has been fun for me to have one on one time with Ev as Nora sleeps. ☺️

Here’s this month in pictures..

Milestone Pictures, Nora

TWO MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

TWO MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

Nora is already two months!! I think this month went even faster than the last. I’ve had to remind myself that she still has plenty of time left as a baby because some days it just makes me so sad how fast it’s going. This month has gone much smoother than last and I’m very grateful!

This month Nora:

  • Started sleeping through the night!! Basically all month long she has slept anywhere from 9-12+ hours through the night and it has been amazing. We’ve been lucky to have such great sleepers. She is a rockstar and I’m so grateful.. 🙏🏻
  • Has been such a good eater!! We’re still doing pumping and then bottle feeding and she has done soooo much better. She went from taking an hour + to finish a 2-3 ounce bottle to now taking 5 ounce bottles in like 20 minutes. It’s been a life changer for sure.
  • Started going to the chiropractor! She has only gone three times.. but, she did start sleeping better after her first time so I guess I’m a believer! Haha
  • Went swimming for the first time! She did really good and didn’t mind the water at all. 😊
  • Is into lots of 0-3 month clothes. Especially rompers and such because she is super long!
  • Isn’t so sure about the car.. she’s had plenty of drives with lots of tears this month. 🙃
  • Has started to love her binky more and more, or will try to suck on her fists if she can’t find it.
  • Started smiling more and we’re obsessed. 😍 She doesn’t quite smile on demand yet but when she does smile it melts us. Basically anytime she wakes up you can expect a big smile but especially first thing in the morning!
  • Is rolling over pretty much every time she’s on her tummy! She is the strongest little girl ever and not a fan of tummy time.. the boys love to roll all over her tummy time mat once she’s over it. Haha
  • Is changing SO fast! I swear every time I look at her she looks different. It’s crazy! Haha

This month we:

  • Spent lots more time outside! Once I was cleared with my 6 week checkup, we went swimming several times! We went to the Rec Center pool where the boys had so much fun on the slides, went swimming with Caden’s family, and went to a water park with some friends!
  • Went camping!! The past couple years we have done a friend campout and we weren’t about to skip out this year. Haha. We felt pretty crazy going but it was so much fun for all of us and Nora did so good! We all had a blast!
  • Saw Thomas Rhett in concert with our friends! We had such a fun time dancing and singing and just enjoying an adult only night!

Here’s this month in pictures..