Those Who Matter Most. Period.

More Photos of Beautiful Maya

My friend Gwen took these photos of Maya for us - it was nice just being the mommy and not the photographer too! Simply beautiful. We are LOVING her! Thank you Gwen, for these precious memories!

Little Known Fact

Wise men, shepherds and a drummer boy weren't the ONLY ones there.

(You'd think that one of my kids would have placed Godzilla in the Nativity, right? Nope. It was my hubby. Yet another reason why I truly LOVE this man.)

Merry Christmas!

ThE HaPpIeSt PlAcE oN eArTh

Hooray for Disneyland! Matt and I decided to take the kiddos plus Zack's best bud Ryan to Disneyland last week for two days of memory-making. Mission accomplished.

Here they are, waiting in line to get into the park. They are a TAD bit excited, in case you can't tell. Even Matt!


All the boys, just after going on our first ride, Pirates of the Caribbean. I loved how they added Jack Sparrow to everything. He looked so real that it was slightly freaky.


Z and D at California Adventure near the enormous ferris wheel. I like this picture. Pure HAPPINESS.


Dylan was chosen for Jedi Training! Awesome! He was TOTALLY into it and VERY serious about learning all the moves and fighting Darth Maul. Such a cool show!

Graduate of the Jedi Academy. Happy.

Dylan, Zack and Ryan waiting in line to go on the Toy Story ride in California Adventure. It was WAY better than I expected! Loved it!

Dad and Dyl waiting in line for Grizzly Rapids. We got SOAKED.

Dylan saw this on the trash can and said to me, "Why does it say waste please? They want us to WASTE? You're not supposed to waste. Wasting is bad!"

Proof that I was there.

We survived!

The Madsen Family Invades Newport Beach or Family Vacation 2009

Ahh, the fun of a family vacation!! We all descended upon Newport Beach, and Newport Beach survived. Good times. We had a lovely stay at the Marriott Newport Coast Resort (highly recommended!) and the eight day getaway was over all too quickly.


Some of the Madsen boys, playing in the waves. We went to the beach for 6 days in a row, and it NEVER got old. Never.



This is one of my favortie shots. Dylan pondering the waves. Deep thoughts, I'm sure.



Matt's brothers, Rick and Josh. Still competitive after all these years!



My little family. I like this shot! Check out my spectacular tan. I swear it makes me look 10 pounds thinner. I fell off the 'no tan from anything but a bottle' wagon in a big way. The tanning gods welcomed me back with open arms. Welcome home, Nicole the mighty sun worshipper...welcome home. Ahh, it felt good to be back.



The whole crew! Believe me, it was NO small feat getting everyone together and (mostly) smiling for this picture. Whew! Pretty cute bunch, eh?

I'm Blog-Weary

Forgive me. I love blogging, and I love reading your blogs. But I am fresh outta creativity lately. Blogging will be sporadic throughout the summer. Please don't give up on me, and continue to check back! Matt will contribute to the blog as well, which is always a treat. I'm sure I'll be back, fresh and fabulous, soon.

Plannin' on spending a little less time on the computer, and a little more time lovin' up on my husband.

Nothing wrong with that.

In Praise of Matt: How I Know He REALLY Loves Me

Does he buy me flowers?

Mmmm - only once in a while.

Does he buy me chocolates?

Nope. Not often.

Does he buy me expensive perfume?

Well yes, but that's not how I know he really, really, REALLY loves me.

Did he buy me 4 collectible Star Trek glasses from Burger King for $6.99?

OH YES HE DID.

He loves me, and better than that, he totally 'gets' me.

Priceless.

Why My Husband is Better Than Yours

Because last night he took me out for some of this:

Then he surprised me with tickets to see THIS BAND that I love:
(Paramore)

And even better, THIS BAND that I really love:

(No Doubt!!)

And because he arranged for the babysitter ALL BY HIMSELF.

Awesome night of unexpected fun.

He rocks.

The end.

Things to Do in a Small Town While on Vacation

Fly a man-eating kite (seriously. This kite was out for BLOOD) at the Sand Dunes.

Matt and Mia

Swing really high on the BEST tire swing in the world.

niece Kelly

Oooo and Ahhhh over 1,000 year old pottery found by some strange man (allegedly) that I definitely DO NOT know.

(Ooooo.....Ahhhhhh....)

Admire and be slightly jealous over sister-in-law's crafty Easter skills.

Giggle every time you pass by THIS police car parked along side the road that keeps people from speeding through this small town. Why do I giggle, you ask?


Because THIS guy is driving the car.

(Take a close look. I am sure they replace him with the real thing every once in a while, just to mess with smart-alecks like me who think they know it all.)

Where's Waldo?

Wouldn't you just love to be a part of this crazy crew? I adore these people.

Can you find me?

Whose Quirk is This? Mine or Matt's?

Whenever we go out to eat, I always offer Matt a bite of my food.

He never accepts.

This is more likely to be my dinner than Matt's. Shrimp is my thing.

Admittedly, the main reason I offer him a bite is because I want a bite (or two) of whatever HE is eating.

He never offers.

Any insight?

(Hi honey!)

Need Help!!

My husband is addicted to buying plastic ware. This is the third set in 4 years.

Is there some sort of intervention for this?

Hey, look how clean my counter is!!

Flashback Friday: Old Friends Are the Best Friends

"It takes a long time to grow an old friend."
- by John Leonard

Rich and Matt. A long history together. Still the best of friends.

Track stars. I think Rich has a blue ribbon in there! Nice.




Scouts! (If you can name some of the others in the picture, please leave a comment!)
Matt is in the red jacket in the middle, and Richard is just above him with the yellow stripe on his hat. Wayne Dill is on the top left in the gray sweater - I think he was one of the leaders. Looks like trouble to me!


The famous "Utah summer." Previously blogged about them living in Utah over the summer. Took the bus to Utah, Matt's Dad bought them a car to use all summer that RICH drove, since Matt was only 15 and Rich was 16. I am digging Matt's hat in this picture. Cool. Is that a Members Only jacket??

Weren't they adorable? They still are :)

"Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you."
- Elbert Hubard

Thank goodness.

Our New Little Family and Everyone Should Have a Husband Like Mine

Meet the newest little additions to our family. Webkinz.

L to R: Bearydare, Leo, MattKong, Maggie Moo and JoJo.

I am not sure how the initial Webkinz craze passed us by, but it has caught up to us thanks to Aunt Tishele and her flawless Christmas gift giving. She gave Webkinz to Zack and Dylan, and then Zack wanted to buy one for Matt for Christmas, so he got one. Then I didn't want to be left out of it all, so I got the little cow for myself. It's great fun.

Next, I neglected to get a picture of the beautiful tulips (my favs) that Matt had sent to me before Christmas, but I did snap a picture of the note. He's a pretty darn good guy.

From All of Us...

The gentle genius,


the creative one,


the thinker,


and the dreamer.


May 2009 bring you ALL GOOD THINGS. Happy New Year!

Ahh, Christmas.

What a great Christmas! Lots of fun gifts, and it has been great spending time with friends and family. Here are a few of our favorite things...

Matt came through for me, as always! He is the BEST gift giver. This is a Kenneth Cole watch. This picture does NOT do it justice. It is simply beautiful. I love it. And him.


Wahoo! Lego Batman for Dylan! Can you see the twinkle in his eye?


A DS game for the Zackster. Happiness.


Dylan, caught in mid-howl after opening the new Star Wars Leapster game. Yea - he pretty much did this after opening EVERY gift. He is quite enthusiastic!


Zack got Matt a Webkin! He loves it. It is a silver-backed gorilla, and I think it looks JUST like Matt :) Only Matt isn't that hairy. Not even close.


I am a trekkie and I'm proud. Don't be a hater.


Santa Claus ate his cookies, but he always seems to leave a few crumbs for me to clean up.


How the Grinch Stole Christmas - for the DS! Who knew they even MADE that game??


Happy, happy children in robes from Poppi and Gigi.


Zack loves comics! Being the brainiac he is, these encyclopedias will be great for him.


We are enjoying spending time together while we are all off work for a couple of weeks. It has been a good time to reflect on the year, laugh together, snuggle up and love each other, enjoy being with friends, and to be thankful for all of our many blessings. Bring on 2009!