07.31.11 - "Good job, Suzie!"

Gramma Karen dropped off a new play mat for Tommy tonight. Maddie overheard her tell Tommy "good job" more than once. So as soon as Tommy was done with it, Maddie raced to her room, got a baby and a changing pad. She played for awhile, reassuring her baby doll by saying, "Good job, Suzie! Good job!"

07.27.11 - Pedi

Maddie got her toe nails painted for the very first time! She chose pink over blue sparkles.

07.10.11 - Pouting

This photograph is dedicated to all the grandparents who think Little Miss Maddie is always a ray of sunshine. And speaking of sunshine, this photo was made this morning before the temperature reached eleventy billion* degrees.

*Actually, today's record high was 111.

06.26.11 - Tea Party

Today we cleaned Maddie's room and set up her table with her tea set and fruit. Maddie and Nate were very excited to see it all set up and had to have a tea party right away.


Maddie cheesing for the camera. That's my silly girl!

06.19.11 - Dancing queen

Maddie tore up the dance floor at Mac and Amanda's wedding last night in Erie. With a couple of self-described wallflowers as parents, it's unclear where the lack of inhibition comes from.


The wedding was at a golf course in Erie. They sat (mostly) still for 20 minutes then we let them run free before hitting the reception.


Golf carts provided a lift to the parking lot for those interested. :)


Hold on!


At first, Maddie wasn't sure what to do. She just kinda walked around playing with the balloons.

But, she's very observant and figured it out pretty quickly.


Then she showed her brother.


They chased each other all night.


She kept saying, "I want my Nater-Tater," even when he didn't want to play anymore.


At times she was the only one on the dance floor. We're going to have to find a wedding to crash soon so we can let Maddie dance again!

06.18.11 - When you got to go, you got to go. Or not.

On the road to Mac's wedding this weekend we decided it would be a good idea to take Maddie's baseball potty with us. It fits in the back of the Pilot just fine and I knew we'd be able to find a dirt road a lot more easily than a bathroom on our way. Unfortunately, we had a couple of false alarms. But, she did finally manage to go once or twice and never went in her pants.

This photo was taken on K-39 near Benedict. Click here to see just how in the middle of nowhere we were. I'm glad we packed the potty.

06.17.11 - Arteest

Maddie is becoming quite the arteest. She prefers to work in crayon but occasionally dabbles with washable water colors.

06.14.11 - It's potty time!

Maddie has been actively potty training since Friday. She's amassed quite the collection of stickers on her bathroom chart.


And today, at daycare, she went on the potty 12 times without once messing her pants! Lisa made her a separate sticker chart for her house.

We're so proud of her and a bit relieved (no pun intended), too, as every time she goes on the potty, that's a diaper saved and 14 cents back in our pocket.

06.02.11 - "It's raining!"

That's what Maddie kept saying as she chased Nate with the garden hose. To his credit, Nate didn't mind a bit. He actually thought it was quite funny, which is good because Maddie wasn't about to share it.

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.