Updates from the Creek

Hello Everyone,

I know it has been awhile and it is a little unlikely that anyone is still checking this but I thought I'd post some fun updates from Murphy's Creek.

Jeffrey and I went on a fabulous vacation to Central and South America a few weeks ago. We first spent a week relaxing in Belize and then went to our friends', Bob and Joyce, wedding in Venezuela. Both countries were beautiful!

Here we are when we first arrived in Belize, very white you can see.

We worked on our tans a bit (or I did and Jeff worked on his burn) and then we headed to Venezuela to a fun wedding in the river town, Puerto Ordaz.

The happily married couple, Bob and Joyce.

Here is our hotel view from Puerto Ordaz. We were right on the major river, Orinoco, where there were endless waterfalls.

And here is a little thief who visited me at the pool!

Madeleine stayed with Nana Gretchen and Grandpa Bob most of the time spending her weekends with Grandaddy John and Grandma Susan. She also had a great time. We were very happy to see her when we got back. When we left she was nearly walking, just taking a few steps, so we thought that she would be running around when we returned but we should know by now that she likes to take these things slow. She is just really getting the hang of walking now. Here is Madeleine, walking with her friend Zoe, at the Brat Fest this Memorial Day weekend.










Madeleine had a great time with Nana and Grandaddy and we had a wonderful time in S.&C. America but we are all happy to be home.

Journey's End

Halloween Update

We had our 9 month check up on 10/27 and Madeleine is doing great.

Here are her stats:

• Height: 28.5 inches (80th percentile)


• Weight: 22.3 lbs (93rd percentile)

In summary, she's a big girl. "Sooo big!"

She is now also saying both "Mama" and "Dada" and working on "Dog" and "Teddy." She has learned how to wave "hello" and this is generally accompanied by "ahhh" which we think means "Hi." She loves all sorts of foods and does not seem adverse to spice. The other night she ate spicy lamb curry with her parents and the Alcala family. She also gets around now quite well on her own with a sort of improvised land swim. She is fascinated by the whole world around her and wants to know how everything works, especially buckles, cords, and doors.

We are having so much fun as parents and love our new place. There is plenty of room for the family and we finally built a fence in our backyard so now the dogs are happy too. Madeleine provides endless entertainment and we couldn't love her more.

Here are some fun Halloween pics:

Life has been pretty busy the last few months...

We are still settling into our new home and trying to sell the last one, our friends Bob and Joyce just got married which was exciting, Jeff and I just had our 4 year anniversary, and we are working on keeping up with our quickly growing little girl.

Madeleine seems to get bigger everyday and has just about outgrown her infant car seat. She now weighs-in over 20 pounds and is eager to start walking but has yet to crawl. She is still a lot of fun though it is clear that she is working on growing some teeth which has made her uncomfortable at times.

The family is planning a vacation to Venezuela and Central America to see Bob and Joyce get married again. We're very excited to get away and the fact that this vacation is mostly covered as part of Epic's 5 year anniversary gift for Melanie only adds to the excitement. Who would have believed I'd still be working at the same place after 5 years? I guess I've finally grown up. Epic has been great for our family and giving us this vacation is just frosting on the cake.

Nice doggy

Madeleine has learned that petting (or grabbing) the dog is a fun thing to do.

Yum, more mush please!

Madeleine took her first taste of solid foods this past Monday and thoroughly enjoyed it. The puppies also enjoyed the clean-up! She has been eating rice cereal for dinner every day since.

Creek Life

The Haywards recently relocated and no longer live under a flowery bluff. We are now along side a rather full creek.

The move has been tough, as they always are but we are enjoying our new house and all the fun around us. We face the park and are near a dog park which the pups have enjoyed. We're still settling in but when we do, I'll post some house pics.

Madeleine is growing fast. We've been busy the past few months; Melanie is back at work and Jeff will be returning in two weeks then Madeleine will be spending the summer with her grandma Susan (pictured).

She has grown a ton. At her 4 month visit (over a month ago), she weighed in at 13 lbs. and measured 24"! The doctor says she is doing fantastic! She is smiling and giggling all the time and has a lot to say.