This past week, Maddie has developed a crazy laugh. Whenever she hears us laugh or whenever she's having a fun time, she forces laughter and she shakes because she's trying to laugh so hard. This makes me and Brandon laugh which creates a never ending circle of laughing. What a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
We have to secretly record her doing the funny things she does all day, because as soon as she sees the camera, she turns into Serious Maddie. Watch her immediately shut off the laughing as soon as she sees the camera. What a stinker.
She got really good at punching out little hearts, until she realized how tasty the dough was. Notice the hand prints where she grabbed handfuls of dough while I was turned around. And she looks so innocent. 
We also made a heart shaped cake. It turned out a little larger than expected and settled a bit before I took the picture, but we shared it with our good friends the May family up the street. It's always good to share the love, especially when it comes in the form of a cake.
For our Valentine's Day breakfast, we celebrated with heart shaped pancakes, strawberries, and whipped cream. Yum!
After we ate our lovely breakfast, we decided it was so beautiful outside, it would be a crime to not enjoy it. We went on a family hike near our home. Maddie was a good little hiker. She stayed on the path for the most part, unless there was a cactus or some other dangerous thing she was drawn to. She wore her little legs out and had a good nap before church started later that afternoon. 
If there is an airplane within 100 miles, Maddie will point it out. Guaranteed.
We hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's Day - we love you all!
Maddie and Daddy exploring the desert.
Maddie being her tomboy, adventurous self. She loves dirt and rocks, so the wide open desert was full of fun for her.
On Sunday, we had a house full of people over for the Super Bowl. Brandon and I are self-admitted fair weather fans. We don't watch sports unless our friends are over. Then, we root for the popular team and act like we know what's going on.
As the sun came up, we found the snow. Snow makes everything so beautiful and clean.
Doesn't this look like a postcard? This was in the middle of nowhere. We found wild horses grazing in a winter wonderland.
Sunrise Ski Resort
Going snowboarding on a Monday was the best idea ever. There were 5 other cars in the parking lot and we had one side of the mountain to ourselves. It was so peaceful and quiet! It also took a lot of stress off me since I am awful at snowboarding and spend more time falling off the lift and on my butt in the snow instead of snowboarding. 
Brandon and I borrowed snowboarding clothes from friends and ended up being camo buddies. Yay! We never lost each other! :) Brandon was so patient with his uncoordinated wife. He would snowboard aways down the hill and then sit in the snow and watch me fall my way down. I was tired, frustrated, and irritated and he kept brushing the snow off me and helping me back up. Over and over again, I told him to just go and I would make it down. He wouldn't leave. It was kind of embarrasing, but comforting to know if I got stuck in a snow drift, Brandon would come save me. I love my Brandon. And I love our matching camo jackets. 
Derrick and Rachel came with us and had lots of fun too. Don't they look like they're straight out of a snowboarding magazine? So cute.
If you look in the background, you can see her little pink armchair with white polka dots. Lovey Bear is sitting in her chair in a basket. Sidenote - Maddie LOVES baskets. This basket is her Easter basket from last year and carries lots of things during the day... Cheez-Its, her sippy cup, toys, Lovey Bear, raisins, etc. Whenever she leaves to go to another room, she makes sure to gather all of her belongings, put them in her basket, and take the basket with her. 