Dave's birthday

Dave celebrated his birthday! I had been asking him what he wanted for a while leading up to his day and all he wanted was to be with Kyson and me. I got him a bunch of gifts, took him out for Hibachi, went to the lake, played in the sprinklers, and watched a couple Red Box's.

Even though it was his birthday, it was a day we all needed! 

Happy Birthday baby (3 weeks late)!

I love you!

 

that girl is back!

So after a few weeks of me time and pondering the true meaning of blogging, I'm back!! I really had to think back and remember why I even started my blog. It wasn't to get comments and followers or to win the latest giveaways. I started my blog to make an online scrapbook, to document my little family's life together. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the comments and followers but that's just a perk :)

It was important for me to focus on what's really important in life and I'm sorry but blogging just isn't one of those things. It is a hobby though!

So what have we been up to the last couple months? Well, we've kept up on our weekly date nights, we've both been crazy busy at work and Kyson is growing so big and getting so smart! Yes my three year old can count to 100. Isn't that insane?! I like to think he's the next Einstein :)

Summer is just around the corner but if you live in the south, it's already here! Today's high in Texas was 104... I got myself quite the tan going on which is awesome since I sail away into the waters of the Caribbean in 18 days!! Speaking of summer, has anywhere else been invaded by butterflies?? They are EVERYWHERE! And they aren't just any butterflies, they're the kind that dive bomb you and go straight for your face! It's freaky!

We leave for our vacation in a week and a half! If you live in North Dakota or Florida we will be there shortly. Let's play! I can't believe my brother in law is leaving for Africa for two whole years in less than two weeks! I'm going to miss that kid.

Dave celebrated his 25th birthday. Hello insurance discount! 

So that's what been going on with us. We've just been soaking up each other! I'm excited to blog about my break in detail but I need to ease back into this haha :)

Thank you everyone for been so supportive and patient.

 Also I am dying for a new look to my blog but I am not computer savvy.. at all! So please send me in the direction of someone fabulous who will give me a blog makeover!! I'm pretty desperate :)

 (crappy camera phone picture)

Are we Instagram friends?? My username is blondemadsen.

 I've become slightly obsessed with it :)

a quick update

Oh how I miss all my bloggy friends!!

Well it's officially spring and we're taking advantage.. A LOT! I just wanted to stop by and say hello to everyone. Dave and I are doing great and I'm definitely enjoying my "break". I've been slammed at work and so has Dave, we've been very busy! We still go on our weekly date nights, twice this week and it's only Wednesday! Only a MONTH until we cruise away. A 3 week vacation is exactly what we need! 

Let's see what else is going on? I've been doing a lot of shopping lately and it's been fabulous! We found a field full of Blue Bonnets and we just had to stop and take some pictures. Check it out:

Amazing right?

I finally, FINALLY got into Instagram and I need some Instagram friends! Let's follow each other: blondemadsen, I also connect through facebook.

 Dallas was hit with multiple tornadoes yesterday!! I live only two hours away and saw nothing but sunshine all day! But that's Texas weather for ya..

I miss all of you and will be back from my bloggy break soon! I just need some more time to soak up my family. After all, I'll never get this precious time back with them . Life is too short and Kyson is growing up SO fast!

:)

a bloggy break

If you've been following my blog for at least six months you'll probably know that my husband and I had a rough patch in our marriage. We came dangerously close to a divorce. It was terrifying going through that! We both got in counseling, marriage counseling, and a marriage strengthening class. We were very busy trying to get that spark back into our relationship. We succeeded! We have never been happier. We flirt, hold hands, make out, and our day to day relationship is so happy, always! We act like newlyweds again and it's the best feeling in the world! What I'm getting at is we are in such an amazing part in our marriage that I want all my spare time to be focused on Dave and my family, not on the internet. I just can't get enough of my man! :)

I love reading everyone's blogs and fun stories but right now I need to take time to myself, away from blog land and just focus on Dave. He and Kyson are my number one priority and they always will be. I already spend way too much time on the internet. So I've decided to take a break from worrying and trying to come up with my next blog post. It might be for a week, it might be for six months. Who knows? I'll most likely pop in from time to time to say hello :)

Wish me luck!!

A terrible picture but it's the most recent of me.

If you'd like to continue to keep in touch send me a little friend request on facebook

Changing the subject, did anyone else see Colton Dixon's performance on American Idol last night? AMAZING!!

call of duty

I'm sure 100% of you know about the game Call of Duty. It's the housewife's worst enemy, the boyfriends mistress, and it consumes a lot of time by men! My husband loves the game and has the whole collection. I hear of girlfriends/wives complaining all the time that their man spends all his free time sucked in to this game. I didn't want to be a complaining wifey so what did I do? I joined in on the bloody fun, pun intended! Ha! After all, my sweet husband always does everything I want to do!! ALWAYS! So I figured I would switch it up and make the weekend all about him. The entire weekend was spent playing this game haha

And you know what? I actually enjoyed it! I knew my man was a nerd when I married him. I even got so good at this game over the weekend that I can hold my own and even beat Dave! Girl Power :)

I can't wait for March to be over so Dave will shave off that stache!!

We bought a bag full of goodies, moved the chair 4 feet from the TV, and played into the wee hours of the night!

I guess his nerdyness is rubbing off on me.. :)

we got lost...

...in our own city! And what a blast it was!! Dave and I both got off work pretty early on Tuesday so we went downtown, parked the truck in a random parking lot and just started walking! We have lived in this city for a few years now and have never really seen what it has to offer. So we walked, and walked, and walked.. And let me just say.. it's a terrible idea to walk miles in brand new shoes that haven't been broken in yet! My man ended up giving me a piggy back ride half the time. Bless his heart!

Discovering a chocolate factory that makes their chocolate right in front of you.

Dave being SO excited about getting his picture taken!

Signing guest books everywhere we went!

Finding a cute park in the middle of the city.

A Texas Pride sucker!

The many faces of eating the fudge we just bought at the chocolate factory!

Finding some really old, cool buildings and museums.

Accidentally finding the cutest bakery I've ever seen!

It was such a fun time! I have never laughed so hard in my life!! Dave always has me laughing about something. ♥

all about my birthday (finally)

My birthday was over two weeks ago (February 27th) and I'm just now getting around to blogging about how spoiled I was! I had been telling Dave for the past like 3 months that all I wanted to do for my birthday was shop.. And that's exactly what I got!!

Yes this girl shopped til she dropped!! I'm one lucky girl to be married to a man that loves shopping with me! The past 3 birthdays I've spent shopping... I see a pattern here. :)

 

Monday, February 27th at exactly 7:57 A.M. I turned 25 years old!  I am officially half way to 50. *tear*

My husband woke me up with birthday kisses (such a nice way to wake up) :)

He went to work but I took the day off to spoil myself, Ha! We met up for lunch at my favorite BBQ joint here in town. It was just what my tummy wanted!

Brisket!! I had never even heard of brisket before moving to Texas! Now it's my favorite meat :)

 Doesn't this scream delicious??

I love my man in uniform :)

*Ok.. let me just clarify that I was spoiled the whole week of my Birthday, that's why I'm wearing so many different outfits! I swear I don't change my clothes 9 times a day... usually! ;)*

For dinner he took me to Red Robin where I indulged in the best salad ever made, the Crispy Chicken Tender Salad with tons of crispy tortilla strips and the amazing chocolate banana shake!! 

To. Die. For.

I got home from work one day during the week (it's been too long that I can't remember what happened on what day. Ha fail!) and came home to this lovely sight:

I learned that my husband can bake a seriously delicious cake! Yep, my Davey pooh made this cake!!

My ultimate favorite, yellow cake with chocolate frosting! He bought me gorgeous roses and some big balloons. 

Later he took me shopping!! But not just any shopping spree.. Dave has a friend that works at the Buckle. They planned and set up a private fitting for me at the mall with a gazillion different clothing items (all in my size) right there in one giant fitting room! I was treated like a queen, so amazing! They catered to my every need and want!

I told you I was spoiled :)

I walked away with 3 pairs of Miss Me jeans, 2 pairs of colored skinny's, 5 shirts, and a bathing suit! 

 These jeans are my new pride and joy :)

My cute husband also got me some Essie nail polish and two pairs of Toms.

It was a fabulous Birthday! I love my man so much, he really knows how to make me feel special!

A big shout out to those who sent me Birthday cards, it made my birthday so much better knowing I have people that love me, even if we've never met in person. You know who you are :)

Another shout out to everyone that sent me texts, phone calls, messages, emails and of course Facebook love!

 

 

I love you guys all so much, I have met so many awesome people from blog land and cherish every relationship with each of you! You guys made my birthday totally awesome and I will remember it forever! :)

dinner with bestie + another craft

It's been a whole week since I last payed any attention to this here blog. Why? Because I hit a funk all week. A lazy, non creative funk! So I didn't bother blogging even though I had SO. Much. To. Blog. About.

Seriously what a week, or two!

Anyways last week my bestie took me out for a birthday dinner (my birthday was two weeks ago and I still haven't blogged about it! I'm a terrible person!) to Texas Roadhouse! We had so much fun talking and wrestling all the kids. Ha! I was so happy to go out and spent some time with her, she's the best! :)

Just look at the gift she got me!!

She got me the prettiest charm bracelet that I LOVE (this picture does it no justice, it's way better in person)

Seriously, everyone needs a friend like her :)

Of course she told our crappy waiter that it was my birthday and we all know what happens at Texas Roadhouse for your birthday...

 The saddle.. 

See the old man to the very left? He hated us! Probably because we were really loud and our kids were even louder haha bless his heart!

Has anyone else noticed that Kyson is always picking his nose??

 I love us! This girl knows how to spoil her friends :)

I had the best time that night! Even though Kyson's abnormally hyper side presented itself... It was awkward! And our waiter thought we were secret shoppers (we weren't, but wouldn't it be great to get paid to shop? I would thrive at that job!!) 

Later we did a St Patrick's Day craft! Bestie and I do a craft every month so this month green was our inspiration!  She made a coffee filter wreath, I forgot to snap a picture of it, it was CUTE! And I made this:

 This was such a fun project to do! I'm starting to get quite the collection of crafting supplies. My MIL would be so proud!! :)

Sunshine Award

I've been meaning to officially accept these awards and pass them on but I just have not had any time. Today is the day that I actually do it. 

I've been awarded the Sunshine Award by a few different ladies and I'm thrilled! Aren't awards fun??

A big thanks to Crissy, Britt, and Jessica for passing it along to me! Go check out their blogs, they're awesome!

Here are the rules for the Sunshine Award:

1. Include the award’s logo in a post or on your blog.

2. Answer 10 questions about yourself.

3. Nominate 10-12 other fabulous bloggers.

4. Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

5. Share the love and link the person who nominated you.

Here are the 10 Sunshine Award questions:

Favorite color? 
Pink! Any shade, any tone.. just pink anything! 

Favorite animal?
Anything baby! Baby animals are just so cute and fluffy. But... I've always had a soft spot for cheetahs. It's probably the runner in me since cheetahs are known for their speed, but I think they are fascinating animals

Favorite number? 
Lucky number 7!

Favorite non-alcoholic drink? 
Bottled water. Is that too boring? Ok, how about fruity drinks.. pina coladas, strawberry daiquiris, lemonades.. 

Prefer Facebook or Twitter? 
I don't have a Twitter account so Facebook.. I'm just not feeling Twitter! But I'm bored with Facebook. There's just no pleasing me! Ha!

My passion? 
Singing! I love being able to sing along to the radio but also making your own version of your favorite songs? Priceless!

Prefer getting or giving presents? 
Both!! I sure love recieving gifts, especially surprise gifts! But I love seeing people light up when I give them a gift. It makes my day making other peoples day :)

Favorite pattern?
Pattern's in general are fun!

Favorite day of the week? 
Any day hubby and I both have off together! 

Favorite flower? 
  Stargazer lilies! I had them in my wedding flowers and I still melt every time I see them! 

 I'm passing this award onto:

My Beautiful, Crazy Life 

Girls Love Fried Pickles

The Bluths

DVM

Mr Taylor And His Lady

Great Expectations 

Shades of Gray 

Hello. Also, I Love You. 

Monica's Notebook 

Emma Lately 

worst bowler award!

Dave and I have been doing so good at having weekly date nights! But we are running out of ideas (and it's only March) so they are all starting to repeat themselves..

Last week we took the little nugget bowling! Three words:

Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Seriously have you seen toddler bowling shoes? To die for!

Anyways.. we ate a lot of greasy, unhealthy, bowling alley food! You know, it's like ordering a heart attack on a plate? Yes, we did! Kyson was the life of the party entire bowling alley! Everyone kept oo-ing and aw-ing at our little man. Yes, I made him and yes I am old enough to have a child!! :)

The night was going great until the scores were revealed as 'final'..

First of all, I am a terrible bowler. Always have been, always will be. And to make me look even worse, my three year old beat me. Oh yes, he did! By four points!! This is when I put my head down and slowly sank down in my seat.. Ashamed to even be alive..

Proof

I've prepared myself for the laughing at, pointing fingers, and sarcastic comments!

Even though I'm sucky at rolling a 10 pound ball down a wooden floor, I still had fun :)

 Please ignore that my son picks his nose in public.. It's the best family picture we got!

 After my shameful round of bowling, hubs decided to take me to get my favorite Blizzard from Dairy Queen to lift my spirits.. It worked! The way to this girls heart is with a butterfinger blizzard.  While waiting for our deliciousness, I had a strong urge to have an old school Mariah Carey karaoke session.. Right there in the drive thru!

Proof

I love old Mariah!

 

We jammed out to Mariah and Celine all the way home haha poor Dave! Not his proudest moment. Once we got home, we turned our jam out session in to a driveway/headlight dance party! Our neighbors love us :)

dancing white girl style

dancing white boy style 
(ignore the water that was spilled on him.. I promise my man doesn't wet himself... often :)

If you ever want to have a good time or just a good laugh, look us up! We'll show you how to partay!