05.25.09 - Road trip 3

Since Christmas is Angie's favorite holiday - and since Maddie is a Christmas Eve baby! - we took a few extra minutes to drive through Santa Claus, Ind., on the way back home from Cincinnati. That gave Maddie a chance to get out of her car seat for awhile, which she appreciated until we had to put her back in it!

05.24.09 - Pretty Good Uncle Chuck

This trip to Cincinnati was really all about seeing Uncle Chuck and Aunt Dee. Sure, we saw a Reds game, hung out with Aaron and went to the zoo. But Uncle Chuck is my dad's older - and only - brother and it was important to me the he get to meet Maddie no matter how little she still is. He treated us to breakfast yesterday morning and tonight had us over to his place where I got to catch up with my cousin Scott and his three girls: Libby, Chloe and Carly. Aaron is now more than six feet tall, Libby is turning into a beautiful young woman and the twins are as rambunctious and hilarious as ever at nine years old. It's amazing how much people change when you only see them every few years.

As we left his condo tonight, I held Maddie up and told her to say goodbye to her Great Uncle Chuck.

"I don't know about great," he said, reaching out to touch her hand. "But pretty good's OK."

05.23.09 - Rally caps

It was free cap night at the Reds game tonight. Unfortunately, we needed to use them as rally caps, which didn't work, in the Reds' 7-6 loss to the Indians. It was special, nevertheless, as I saw my first Major League game in Cincinnati in 1988 and one day Maddie can say the same about 2009!

05.22.09 - Road trip 2

Hey, Dad! Let me know when you want me to drive for awhile!

Unfortunately, not only can Maddie not reach the pedals she also can't see over the steering wheel. So for those of you counting the mileage at home ...

Mike 950.4
Ladies 0

05.21.09 - Road trip 1

We set out this afternoon for Cincinnati and we're learning what it's like traveling with small children. We stopped four times before we made it to Columbia, including the El Dorado rest area which is less than 30 miles from where we started.

And no, Nan, Maddie didn't get any Chicken McNuggets.