07.31.09 - Bustin' out

I'm bustin' out of this joint if someone doesn't get in here quick and pick me up!

07.30.09 - Playin' toys

Maddie really likes to play toys when we get home in the evenings. She usually gets about an hour between dinner and bedtime. Tonight was a special treat as she got to explore a few new toys we picked up last night at Erin's garage sale.

07.29.09 - Vroom! Vroom!

We've been looking to upgrade one of our cars to a roomier SUV but haven't done any real serious looking until tonight when this little beauty caught our eye. It's an oh-seven Little Tikes hard top and it's only been driven on carpet. And to church on Sundays. Looks like it will continue to be a low mileage auto as Maddie can neither see over the steering wheel nor reach the pedals.

Thanks, Erin and Dustin, for having us over to your place for a pre-garage-sale sale!

07.28.09 - Upside down

Step one is learning to hold the cup with both hands. Step two is holding it right side up.

07.27.09 - Big Q, little q

What begins with Q? The quick Queen of Quincy and her quacking quacker-oos!

07.26.09 - Bark in the Park

Today was a special treat. Not only did we go to a baseball game but Harley got to go, too! The Wingnuts hosted a Bark in the Park event and with the donation of one unopened dog food item to a local rescue group you could bring your pooch to the park. The teams combined to score 13 runs in the first two innings but even in the shade the heat started to get to all of us. Nonetheless, with both my girls on my lap, I was one happy baseball dad!

No Harleys were harmed in the making of this photo.

07.25.09 - Picnic

Maddie examines the crowd at the Fitness Bootcamp picnic in Riverside Park today.

07.24.09 - Nan's gonna getchya!

You can't see Maddie's expression here but it's about as priceless as Nan's.

Happy seven month birthday, Maddie!

07.23.09 - Bedtime snuggle

Maddie was a little hyped up before bedtime tonight so Angie had to give her some special cuddles as she drank her bedtime bottle. She talked to herself in her crib for awhile before falling asleep on her own. She's so cute! I can't wait to see her again first thing in the morning.

07.22.09 - Playtime with Harley

Harley joined in play time tonight. It went pretty well until Maddie tried to chew on her bone!

07.21.09 - Mommy's little helper

Maddie was a big help at the grocery store tonight!

07.20.09 - Basket

Maddie's latest favorite toy is an orange basket we use to keep her five collectible Winnie the Pooh characters. Occasionally, she plays with them, too!

07.19.09 - Ready, Set ...

Go! C'mon, Maddie! You can do it! Go!

No, not yet, but we think she's getting close to crawling.

07.18.09 - Puppy kisses

Maddie is on the receiving end of some puppy kisses.

07.17.09 - My Mommy and Me

I picked up Maddie's six-month photos from Kelsy today and they are fantastic! There are quite a few good ones but I've chosen this one for today's photo. I'm sure within a few short weeks we'll have some new photos on display in our house! Thanks, again, Kelsy for the session!

07.16.09 - Binkers

Maddie uses all fours to get her binkie to go where she wants it!

07.15.09 - Bedtime stories

Maddie's been falling asleep on her own lately so we've had to start reading books to her a little bit earlier in the evening. You'll notice it's still plenty bright outside and I'm still wearing my work clothes but Maddie's got her PJs on and is about to settle in the for the night.

07.14.09 - Another hat

Angie's been eyeing this hat at Target for some time. It finally went on clearance for $1.48 so we picked it up even though it's considerably oversized. It doesn't look too bad in this photo but it falls over her eyes very easily. No worries. We'll have it for next spring.

07.13.09 - Everything else goes in your mouth ...

Why not these?

We're introducing puffs to Maddie but so far the results are mixed. Harley sure likes 'em, though!

07.12.09 - Cayden

Brian and Emily's son Cayden shares one of his toys with Maddie this morning before we hit the road back home. If there's one thing we miss about living in Manhattan (or Topeka, for that matter) it's the Swearingens. Brian is Maddie's godfather and we don't see them nearly often enough. Thanks for hosting us, guys, on Maddie's first trip to Manhattan!

07.11.09 - Anderson Hall

We're in Manhattan this weekend visiting our good friends Brian and Emily and their son Cayden. We ate at a couple of our favorite Aggieville establishments and made a quick trip through campus, where Maddie posed with her new pal Willie Duck, whom we found reasonably overpriced at Varney's but adopted anyway, in front of Anderson Hall, K-State's iconic administration building. In all my time at K-State, I don't think I ever made a feature of anything happening - disc golf, students studying or relaxing, on Anderson lawn. Not too bad that my first Anderson lawn feature is of my very own Maddie girl, who is and will be a Wildcat!

Fight, you K-State Wildcats,
For alma mater fight, fight, fight!
Glory in the combat
For the purple and the white.
Faithful to our colors
We will ever be
Fighting, ever fighting
For a Wildcat victory. Go State!

07.10.09 - Boppy buddies

Harley likes Maddie's boppy as much as she does!

07.09.09 - Quit your belly achin'

We were recently asked how Maddie is doing with tummy time. Well, we're tryin' but she's still not likin' it although she'll go a few minutes before she realizes what she's doing!

07.08.09 - That face

Yup, we're pretty sure there isn't a cuter face out there!

07.07.09 - You spin me right round, baby, right round

Angie awoke this morning to find Maddie completely spun around in her crib. She was also completely covered by her blankie (but we removed it before snapping this photo). So instead of "no more monkeys jumpin' on the bed," it's gonna be "no more blankie to snuggle with in bed!"

Makes me wonder what other things she's going to do to scare the crap out of us!

07.06.09 - Silly girl

Angie makes Maddie laugh as she kicks back in her boppy pillow during evening playtime.

07.05.09 - Maddie's first birthday party

No, not her own birthday! Maddie was invited to Dylan and Jackson's birthday party today. There were a lot of people there including a few other babies and toddlers. Maddie was very curious and well-behaved. We're looking forward to Maddie's first birthday in about six months! (Where does the time go!??) We're hoping that Dylan and Jackson will be back in town for the holidays (they live in Chicago) so they can join us.

07.04.09 - Fourth of July

Our All-American girl!

07.03.09 - Picture day

We swung by Kelsy's studio for Maddie's six-month photos and an updated family photo. Aren't mommy and baby so cute? As the cliché goes, "we can't wait to see the photos," which should be in a couple of weeks. There's going to be some good ones!

07.02.09 - Hey, Maddie!

Hey, Maddie ... Look at me! I'm over here! ... Hi!

Maddie's been sitting up on the sofa a lot lately. When I call her name, she turns around and flashes her million-dollar smile. She definitely a daddy's girl and I'm alright with that!

07.01.09 - Rubber ducky, you're the one ...

You make bath time so much fun!

$15 well spent if you ask me. ;)