another fun visit to grandma and grandads

Maddie got to see her Grandma and Grandad this weekend and had so much fun at their house. She really enjoys it there and just loves her Grandma and Grandad so much. Theyre so much fun to play with and their house is perfect for learning to walk!

Grandad worked with Maddie to practice her walking but she much preferred just sitting on his lap instead.

I love this next picture. She's so happy!!! And I can't believe how long Maddie's hair looks! She will not, I repeat... will NOT let me put a barrette or bow in it. She's going to look a little shaggy until she tolerates barrettes I guess!

Playing peekaboo with Grandma in the kitchen. Grandma is so fun.

Here they are posing in the new sunroom. Maddie loves playing in this room and looking outside at the birds, trees and beautiful landscaping. Its perfect for her.

Maddie misses them already. We're counting the days til our next trip up to Apex.

nc state fair

Maddie had her very first visit to the NC State Fair this weekend and although the weather was cold and rainy - we made the most of it and had a great time! Jim and I have gone 2-3 times in the past and I was so excited to take Maddie. There's just so much to do and see and I was excited for her to see all the animals.

We were lucky enough to get to go with our friends the Linkers. Here's Campbell and mommy. Trust me, Campbell was having a lot more fun than it seems in this picture!

Here we are contemplating the deep fried Snickers bar. And yes, Jamie did get one. And Im pretty sure it was VERY good.


We had to hit the Apex Lions Club booth to see if we knew anyone working. We didnt. Turns out Granddad worked the day before.


And here is Maddie meeting a VERY LARGE GOOSE! She wasn't sure what to make of it but was happy he was behind bars.

Checkin' out the itty bitty baby chickies!

And a trip to the fair just wouldn't be complete without a ride, right? Maddie, Campbell and I took a ride down the Fun Slide. Campbell and I had fun. Im not sure about Maddie. She was pretty stonefaced. I think she'll like it more next year.

We spent the rest of the weekend up at Duke for our Fifth Annual Weekend O Beer, Weekend O Fun (aka: WoB WoF 2008) with friends. Maddie did great tailgating and LOVED the game. Too bad Duke didn't pull out a win... but we still had a good time. Pictures of WoB WoF 2008 to come!

mmm, mmm, mmm...

I guess now that Maddie's one - she feels like she needs to eat like grownups eat. Jim and I had picked up burritos today for lunch and were giving Maddie some bits of tortilla, meat, etc. but she wasn't happy with that. She kept pointing at Jims burrito and making grunting noises... so he eventually gave in and gave it to her. Although a little big, she handled it pretty well.

Glad to see she likes burritos since we get them all the time!

little bits of cuteness

Hey Maddiefans. Just a quick post to say hello! Maddie has been doing some super cute things lately that I just had to capture.

Maddie in a basket
(and don't forget the sippy cup)

Modeling her sweatsuit from Aunt Lorla

Maddie's First Fry
(it went over well to say the least)

Maddie riding her new horse to school

Rockin' a mohawk in the tubby

Brusha brusha brusha...

We're gearing up for Halloween here and Maddie is very excited to show off her Halloween costume. Im tempted to reveal it early on the blog but Im not sure if that will ruin the fun or not. Any thoughts?

Oh! And Maddie is about to have a new baby cousin! Aunt Sarah is on her way to the hospital to have our new little niece! We're so excited and just can't wait to meet her!!

second annual smith house and pumpkin patch trip

On Saturday we did our second annual trip up to the North Georgia mountains for a meal at the Smith House and then pumpkin picking at Burts Pumpkin Patch with our friends. We had a great time. The weather was perfect, the food was yummy, the pumpkins were HUGE and the kids were so much fun. We were missing two of the kids from last year but gained the two Howard babes! Our group is getting bigger and bigger! Sorry we cut off one of the babies in this picture... the guy who took it wasnt exactly technologically inclined. We're lucky we got this one.




Maddie really loved the hayride. She stood up in Jims lap most of the time just staring out at the fields of pumpkins and scarecrows... of course pointing at things and babbling in her own language.

The next few pictures are just 4 of about 20. Its REALLY hard to get three kids under 4 to look at you and smile. Not even smile... just look at you! Got to give those professional photographers a LOT of credit!

Maddie picks her pumpkin... she said this one was just her size...

Carter strikes his most dramatic pose.

playdate!

Maddie and I went for a playdate over our friends the Lopez's last week at their beautiful new home! We had a great time and what a great house for playdates! Lots of room and a huge playroom just for the kids! We can't wait for our next playdate!

the ladies eating lunch

Miss M

Miss Alexia

Mommy Lovin'

Super Mommy Katie with her sleeping girls

Maddie enjoying her "birthday cupcake" from Ms Andria!

wildcat pride

Yes ladies and gentlemen.... thats M watching UNH football beat URI a few weeks ago.

And yes, she's in our house. In Atlanta.

Crazy, isnt it? Jim came into the livingroom a few Saturdays ago and said, "hey... UNH is going to be on TV today. On Fox Sports South." Huh?? You mean... like, on our TV? I was shocked... and then really happy.

Im SURROUNDED by friends and family down here that are VERY into college sports and VERY into their college teams. Its all nice, but it gets to be a little much when you never ever ever get to see your own college team... ever. And UNH football is pretty good! (Shame on all of you UNH alums that live in New England and had no idea they are undefeated this year. Ranked 5th in Div. I-AA)

So let's hope they keep doing well and maybe they'll get another game on the tube down here. If they make it to the Div II finals in Chattanooga... I'M SO THERE!

one year appointment... one month late

Maddie had her one year doctors appt yesterday... just a tad late. Not my fault. Her super popular pediatrician was booked until October (and I might have called a tad late to make the appt) but no big woop... its not like M was dying to get in there and get her vaccinations.

She did great. She had to get lots of mean shots and screamed bloody murder, but managed to pull herself together by the time we left and then conked out in the car and slept for a few hours. She woke up and was her old self... good as new.

So she's doing all the things one year olds should... she's walking with assistance, drinking whole milk from a sippy cup (she picture) like a pro, she's babbling, pointing and everything and anything (she's been doing that for awhile now... she's always been a big pointer), laughing, giggling, dancing to music and ... screaming when she doesn't get her way. Its hard not to laugh because she can turn it on and off like a switch. She makes motor noises when she plays with cars and boats and is giving her baby dolls kisses and hugs. Still loving books and cell phones.

As far as height and weight... she's still a peanut but turns out a long and lean peanut. We tried but she just didnt make the 20lbs mark. She weighed in at 19 lbs 2 oz which puts her in the 10% for weight, but she's 30 inches which is about 75% for height. We're still fitting into 6 and 9 month clothes so we're getting some good use out of them!

The babes awake! Gotta run. More news soon... over and out.

maddie visits the babes

Last week Madelyn and I went to the Howards to check in on Mommy Howard and her sweet girls. Maddie did pretty well- except she was not quite sure why mommy was holding one of the babies and not her. Once mommy figured out how to hold her and a baby... Maddie was ok.

The babies are 6 weeks old now! I can't believe how quickly time flies. I remember that feeling this time last year. It felt like I was in a time warp and weeks just flew by!

Maddie gets up close and personal

Something Rebecca said was funny

Ahhh... that's better. Maddie's favorite spot.

In mommy and daddy news... we've been running on empty the past few weeks. I don't think it made news in most places... but Atlanta has been literally out of gasoline for about two weeks now. Gas stations either have no gas, or they do have gas and the lines are 30, 40, 50 cars deep. One word... CRAZY. There's no other way to describe what its been like. I've been working at home as much as possible and either canceling or limiting unnecessary trips. But it is getting better... you can read more here.