Sweet Annie Kisses

Here are a few pictures of some spring shots we did a couple of weeks ago... my camera is still in the Nikon shop. I'm having some serious withdrawl!! Maddie really wasn't in the mood for smiling - which doesn't happen too often. She would always beam though when "Sweet Annie" arrived on the scene. Annie was my childhood dog and still lives at my parents house... I was so in love with this dog, It's amazing how things change, or should I say priorities change once you have a baby.

I scream... You scream... We all scream for ice cream!!

Today was a great day to head on over the Dairy Queen... Maddie had her first experience with her very own "baby cone". At first she didn't really know what to think of the cold treat in front of her... but once it touched her lips she knew it was a good thing. She maybe ended up eating only a 1/4 of the tiny cone, but she loved it!! Surprisingly she never tried to grab it and was very content with mommy holding it... It's so fun to see all the "firsts" in Maddie's life and we look forward to many more baby cones... as does she, I'm sure :)

just chillin' with dada

Mmmmm


Let me at it...

"Oh, mommy!! That bite was cold".

YUM-O!!

sunny with clear skies... yahoo!!

Maddie and I were both so excited when Kristin and her two boys, Gilbert and Patrick came to visit us in Murray. Kristin and I were best friends in high school and even roomed together our first semester at Murray State. It was so fun to see them and the kids really did have a good time playing together... Maddie even shared and everything :) It was such a beautiful day that we decided to get an all time favorite, Matt B's pizza and head to the park. Here are a few(hundred) pics of the day.

precious... precious... precious

of course I am a little biased :)

Multi-tasking... swinging and clapping

"Mommy, why isn't this moving... I think it must be broken"

Patrick and his momma

Mr. Gilbert

We love to swing!!

Broken hearted!!!!!!!!!!

My beloved camera(aka - right arm) is BROKEN!!! I am seriously in distress... I have need to take pictures that is on a parallel to the need to breath air. So what I am I to do? I assessed the situation... my flash is not working(it stopped working mid-maddie photo session) and I have pushed and reset every option I can possibly think of with no change :( So my darling hubby went online and googled flash problems associated with the Nikon D40 and came up with a plan of attack that required some "fixing" with screw drivers and what not... still no FLASH!! I think my only option is to send it in to the Nikon doctors and hopefully they can show it some love?! Does anyone have any suggestions as to what might be wrong with it??? Anyone who has one that might know a trick to try?? I'm assuming the flash bulb must have hit the skids, but I have no idea... it's just a guess. I really-really don't want to send it off especially with Easter on the horizon... who knows how long it might take to fix :( At least thankfully it has been sunny the past couple of days so I could take some outdoor pics!! HELP... Sleepless in Murray

Maddie has been here

We certainly don't have one of those dainty little babes that likes to calmly sit and look out the window or hang out in mom's lap all day... no, Maddie is definitely cut from a different cloth. She is on the go from the second she wakes up(usually around 8) until the last few seconds before bed(about 10-11). Destruction definitely follows in her path... she has to tip over, empty out, drag, pull, throw, kick and carry absolutely everything in the house. After many months of pulling up on the coat "tree" and playing with the dangling scarfs... she finally pulled it over, she was thrilled(not so thrilled at the time when it clunked her in the head mind you - however that only lasted about 30 seconds). I decided to leave it on the ground for a day or two to see if it would loose it's allure and hopefully she might forget about it and it's gravitational pull to the ground. One day she wandered in there(the entryway) and I couldn't see her but I could hear that she was doing fine from the constant babbling(she's always quiet when she's getting into something she's not supposed to have)... then all the sudden there was silence, never a good sign. By the time I ran into the room all I could see were little buns crawling into the next room away from me as fast as possible with a scarf dragging on the floor behind. She had wrapped it around herself about 4 times... it was soooooo cute :) So, naturally... I had to get my camera, what a little stinker!!

The Victim

The offender

The escape

Two peas in a pod...

Maddie loves to "help" out whenever she can... Here she is helping dada take out the diapers(a job that mommy is only too happy to let them do).

Big britches and little britches

Daddy... let me show you how this is done.

Just like that... your getting the hang of it.

Seems to be in good working order... I may let you help next time too, daddy.

Spring is in the air...

Here is Maddie's first experience with a flower... I didn't exactly know how she would react to holding her very own daffodil, either A.) she would try to eat it(naturally), B.) it would be destroyed in mere seconds or C.) she would try to share it(her new trick). Well, she thought about eating it while giving it a lick, then... picked off one petal... she definitely wasn't interested in sharing... to my surprise she just held and looked at it. Seriously?? This is not how my child acts... she was being so careful and acting like such a little lady, I almost expected to see her pinky point out. What a nice change of pace... so glad to see that she can be calm and gentle!!

Easter goodies...

I am so excited about Maddie's first Easter this year!! I recently got a Pottery Barn Kids magazine in the mail(never a good thing for Kevin) and on the cover were these beautiful Easter baskets. So, of course Maddie will be needing one of them :) I love the idea of getting something special for the very first holiday and then using it every year after... Building childhood memories and traditions that will last and be remembered forever.

Go Racers!!

When we got our season tickets to the Murray State Racers, I never thought I would enjoy going to the games as much as I do... I like playing sports, I'm just not a huge fan of watching them. It has been a blast and something we will definitely do again next year. We have met some truly wonderful people and loved being able to go to the games as a family. My parents came up for a game recently and got to enjoy the racers at their best... pulling out a win in overtime against Eastern Kentucky. Here are a few shots from the evening...

Maddie learned how to clap last fall during one of the games... now she has perfected it!!

Seeing "Dunker" is always a big treat at the games. He comes down our aisle and stops to see Maddie every game.

This is one place where Maddie and be as loud as she wants... She is so vocal. Of course with a nickname of "Chatty Maddie" what do you expect? :)

Maddie with her "BaBa"

Three Generations