12.13.11 - Feed us now!

At dinner tonight, Maddie, Nate and Ellie started banging on the kids table. They were just playing but some nights at dinner it sure seems like we can't feed them fast enough!

09.11.11 - Why the long face?

I took Maddie and Nate to the Law Enforcement Expo this morning. We enjoyed looking at the different police vehicles but Maddie turned shy when she had the chance to meet C.J., a member of the WPD's mounted patrol. But the highlight of the day came when we bumped into Wichita Eagle photographer and friend Travis Heying, who snapped this photo of us and put it in the paper. It's below the fold on the front page of Section B or attached to this story at Kansas.com.

Special thanks to Travis - who's keeping a daily photo blog of his daughter Helen, link over there on the right - for sharing the photo with us to use on Maddie's blog!

05.31.11 - Scenes from the "bay ball dame"

Maddie's been asking to go to a baseball game all spring so when Uncle Tim called today offering us some free Wingnuts tickets that were given to him, we gladly took them off his hands. We even invited our next door neighbors who have a daughter a year younger than Maddie. Her name is Kenleigh and they're good friends. Maddie calls her "Kennel."


Some golden rim lighting highlights Nate's crazy hair.


The carnival is setting up in the stadium parking lot for the River Festival, which kicks off this weekend. Maddie is fascinated with big trucks and wanted to have her photo taken in front of one. Even though she's dwarfed by this 18-wheeler, she seems so big.

10.15.10 - Wildcat foofiness

Maddie models a K-State tutu made by our neighbor, Tori, who runs a home-based business called Cutie Pie Boutique, which specializes in infant and toddler fashion accessories. She wore a similar tutu for her first birthday but is otherwise not exposed to anything foofy or princess.

On the contrary to this headline, K-State was anything BUT foofy in pounding KU 59-7 yesterday. Go State!

08.06.10 - Royals with the Swearingens

Our friends Brian and Emily, and their boys Cayden and Carter, met up with us in Kansas City last weekend for a Royals game. Here are a few snaps from our seats in the upper deck and hotel. Be sure to check out this photo of Nate watching the fireworks after the game. Check back soon and I'll share some photos of Maddie swimming at the family reunion.

04.13.10 - M-a-d-d-i-e

Maddie's penmanship is coming along quite nicely. ;) She even remembered to dot her "I."

Thanks to our neighbors, Tori and Andrew, for letting us use their driveway as a canvas.

12.22.09 - Oochy, ouchy, oh!

Maddie tried to break Brian and Brandi's end table with her forehead after dinner at their house tonight. The table won. That's a pretty impressive goose egg for her first one!

Thanks, Brandi and Brian, for having us over. Dinner was delicious!

11.18.09 - Smiles

Maddie flashes a little smile for our friends Brian and Brandi tonight during dinner.

11.14.09 - Bunco Babes (again!)

It's that time of year again when Angie (and Maddie!) plays host to the Bunco Babes. They don't really play Bunco anymore instead just having dinner and enjoying the conversation. She was a big hit with Nichole. Or was Nichole a big hit with Maddie?!!

10.03.09 - Oh. Brother.

We had a great time hanging out with Heather and Dennis and their kids Braden and Taylor tonight. Taylor is about six weeks older than Maddie and while we used to see them all the time before the girls were born we haven't seen much of each other in the months since. After our reconnection tonight, I'm hopeful that will change! Maddie might not be so sure if Braden keeps picking on her, though. Better get used to it girlie ... you're gettin' a brother!

09.05.09 - Pilot's pilot

We returned from our quick jaunt to KC today after having breakfast with Brian, Emily and Cayden, shopping at Legends and visiting our friends Kent and Amy at their new house in Gardner. Angie and Maddie slept for a good portion of the drive back and were feeling quite rested so Maddie offered to take over the helm at our potty stop on the turnpike to give her Daddy a break from driving.

If we let her drive like that we'd be bad parents like Britney Spears!

08.12.09 - Jarie

Our friend Tamika and her two kids came over for dinner tonight. After we ate the kids played on the floor. Jarie started making funny noises and Maddie didn't know what to think of it! It was great to see Maddie interact with some new friends. We hope they can come back and play again!

06.22.09 - Chad and Liz!

Our friends Chad and Liz are visiting tonight before catching a flight back to Florida tomorrow. Maddie likes visitors and Chad loves a cute photo opp!

Thanks, Chad, for sharing this photo with us!

06.19.09 - Bunco Babes and Bunco Babies

Maddie went with Angie to her monthly Bunco group tonight and she posed for a photo with some of the other Bunco Babes including Nichole, Erin and Krissy. The other Bunco Babies are Matthew and Hank (he's the pug).

If Maddie looks uncomfortable, it's because she's objecting to Matthew's bib.

05.07.09 - Whatta face!

Our friends Matt and Amy came over for dinner tonight and brought their two girls, including their youngest, Chloe, who is just a couple of weeks older than Maddie. As the moms traded babies for a few minutes, Maddie made this face. I'm sure she was saying something but I have no idea what she was trying to tell me!

03.05.09 - Hey, neighbors!

Our neighbors, Andrew and Tori, dropped by unexpectedly tonight for a short visit. They were returning a platter on which Angie had supplied Andrew full of chocolate chip cookies after helping me move some furniture downstairs. But really they wanted to see Maddie and Harley! Tori held Maddie the entire time they were here and Andrew got her to smile pretty big a few times. I think they'll make fine potential babysitters. And, as Andrew pointed out, "we're only 25 feet away."

02.23.09 - First day at daycare

Angie returned to work today and so we took Maddie to daycare for the first time. It wasn't as traumatic an experience as we were anticipating. It helps that our sister-in-law, Tori, has a licensed in-home daycare and had one open infant spot! We're excited that Maddie will have some interaction with other kiddos. Those social skills will be invaluable as she gets older. As we picked her up, Cody reached up to say goodbye. I thought it was a rather sweet gesture.

12.31.08 - Visitors!

Maddie smiles while being held by Amy. She and her husband, Kent, came by while in town from Chicago visiting family for the holidays. Later, Grandpa Greg and family came with dinner.