05.31.09 - Green thumb?

Maddie sat under a shade tree this morning as Nan helped Angie and I plant some flowers, tomato plants and a rose bush. Isn't she stinkin' cute?!!

05.30.09 - Uncle Brent

It's no secret that Uncle Brent (Angie's brother) is the last person Maddie wants to see or be left with. Every time he tries to hold her, she screams and cries. He took it hard a few times, too, because he's really good with kids and adores Maddie. But tonight a strange thing happened. Grandpa Greg invited all of us over for dinner and Maddie didn't cry when her "Uncle Brenners" tried to hold her!

Thanks to Shania for snapping this photo and Nancy for sending it to us!

05.29.09 - I scream, you scream ...

... we all scream for ice cream! For the first time since we moved into the Bella Vista house, we had some cash when we heard the ice cream man's music playing in the neighborhood. Angie was quite excited about her bomb pop but I was disappointed that they no longer have the banana fudge sickle I remember getting as a kid.

05.28.09 - Water baby

Aunt Tori lathered on the sunscreen and let Maddie play in the sprinkler at daycare today. She seemed to like it and we're excited for a pool day at Gramma Karen's house next month!

Thanks, Tori, for sharing this photo with us.

05.27.09 - Open mouth ...

... insert food!

05.26.09 - Cousin!

After unpacking the car and resting up a bit, we went over to Brent and Tori's house tonight to meet their new son, Emerson Kenneth. He was born last Thursday, about the time we were heading north on the Kansas Turnpike. We can't believe how big Maddie has gotten in five months! We can hardly remember her being so tiny.

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