More fall fun

Here are a few pictures from Otterbein's homecoming and our trip to the apple orchard with Janna, Jeff, Carson and Caden.

Daddy and Maddie headed to the parade.

Hanging out with Carson an playing with the beads the sorority girls were throwing out.

Ah.....how cute do  I look?

At Lynd's apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Maddie would walk to the end of the earth, as long as Carson was there holding her hand.

All the little pumpkins. We'll see how big they get next year at this time. The only way we could get Carson to get his picture taken was to let him take a picture of me taking a picture of him! 

Playing corn hole while we wait for Baby Caden to finish his lunch.

Uncle Jeff......you are too silly.

Maddie found her first pumpkin. However someone forgot to tell her that you can't pick up something that is literally 1/2 of your weight........but she tried.

Trying to find the perfect pumpkin is easier when you have friends along to help.

Headed back to the car with Mommy.

Two tired little ones waiting for moms and dads to load up the car.

The first of many family photos at the pumpkin patch.

A tired little girl crashed on the way home.

Halloween 2010

What fun we had this year! Maddie had her first official trick or treat night. We just went to 2 houses in the subdivision and spent the rest of our evening passing out candy at the house. Maddie did a great job. She loved putting the treats into the kid's bags. However, she did not like any army costume or zombie. But who can blame her?

Here is our little skunk getting ready to pass out the treats.....or just swiping some for herself.

Practicing with Uncle Dom.

Family picture before the fun begins.

Maddie helping pass out candy to her possible boyfriend in 15 years.

Going back to get more supplies for the troops.



Maddie in her 'other' costume at the Cleveland Zoo.....more pics to come.



It's been a while

Well it's been a while since we have posted. Time just doesn't seem to be on our side. We have had a busy and wonderful fall. I'm going to try to get as many of the pictures that we have up here so that you can see what we have been up to, but I'm going to warn you it may take a while. I have found that while I LOVE staying home with Maddie, at the end of the night once she goes to bed I just want to sit and relax for a few minutes. That means catching up with Mike, watching a TV show or two and just unwinding from the day. Sometimes I get over to the computer and other times it's the last thing on my mind. So....I'll do my best to get everyone caught up on our adventures, it jsut might take me a few days.

We were able to head back to the Coshocton County Fair this year. We actually went two days. Once with Mike and then Maddie and I went back during the week. We had a great time. It was nice to catch up with family and friends when we went on the weekend and to eat some delicous fair food. But we had an equally great time on Thursday getting to take Maddie through the barns with out the crowds and the drizzle we had on the weekend....the bees we could have done with out.

Here are a few of the pictures from the fair, both days. I'll try to get a few more of our family ones on later.

Maddie riding the tractor.

Maddie on a tractor more her size.

Going for a ride on the Merry Go Round. (Minus her shoe) Madison LOVED the horse and would smile and giggle as it went up and down. No fear of rides for this little one.

Maddie getting to ride on a REAL pony. Thanks to Papa Joe and cousin JD for letting us play with Tucker.

A trip to the fari wouldn't be complete without a visit to the gourd barn. A highlight it always the giant pumpkins. This one was the perfect size for a toddler chair.

A year in review

Where has the year gone? It is a hard to believe that over a year ago little Miss Maddie made her arrival into the world. This past year has been filled with ups and down, highs and lows but most of all amazing memories and adventures that I hope we don't soon forget. Our computer is filled with snapshots of the past year....all divided up over each month. Here are just a few of our Maddie Memories from the past year.

Maddie and Daddy at the hospital....only a few hours old. You forget how tiny they are.

Sleeping soundly during our first few weeks home......resting up for all the months to come I guess.

Our little pumpkin in October. Almost 2 months old and such a peanut. It's hard to believe that she barely fits in her car seat anymore.

Thanksgiving time. 3 months old and holding her self up and wanting to crawl.

The best Christmas present of the year. Love them big eyes.

At the end of the month of December at Maddie's baptism at Church of the Master. We were blessed to have our whole family there with us.

Month 4....our first snowfall. Yes Mike actually is the one feeding her the snow.

Mommy's little shopper. 5th months old. Notice we still are sporting the bib due to massive reflux issues.

The weather has changed and Miss Smiley is out to play. Month 6 was lots of fun.

Month 7 is crawling/cruising and getting into everything.

Month 8 we went and got professional pictures taken. Such a little ham for the camera. At this point we was walking. The photographer kept telling us to have her 'sit' here and smile for the camera......yeah sitting wasn't happening.

In June we went to the zoo. Maddie loved petting the animals...much to Daddy's dismay. Can you guess which one of us took her into the zoo and which one was armed with the Purell when she came out?

Playing with our favorite older cousin while getting to visit our new littlest cousin.

Month 11 brought more pictures and our personality really starting to develop. We did solve the 'sitting' issue at the photographers.....just put her in a bag so she can't get out!

A new year brings new friends and new toys. We can't wait to see what year 2 has in store!

Birthday Fun

I can't believe that it has been a year since we first welcomed our little girl into this world. This past year has been an emotional roller coaster full of joys, tears and wonderful memories. Madison is such a blessing to our lives. It's hard to remember what life was like before her. We always felt like our life was complete, but she adds a new joy to it.

I'm not saying there aren't days/nights of frustation. We all 3 have our days when we reach our limit and just need a break. Luckily those days are far and few between and are surrounded by days of new experiences and special memories. We are also blessed to have an AMAZING group of family and friends that love Maddie as much as we do. This past weekend we all got to celebrate Madison's first year. It was a great time and we can't wait to see what the upcoming years have in store for us.

My first birthday dinner. Mommy made some of my favorites...watermelon, corn, and hotdogs.

Opening a BIG doggie from Grandma Mary. I love dogs. 'Doggie" was one of my first words and I say it every time I see a dog when we are out taking walks. Sometimes I get upset because my Mommy doesn't let me run over and pet them right away. She says I have to ask first. So I do and then I get to pet them.....so fun!

Reading a new book. about can you guess........DOGS!

My special butterfly cake and the cupcakes Mommy made formy party.

Ummmmm.....cake is good!

After I ate with my hands for a while, Mommy gave me a fork to use. I am really good at using a fork when I eat and get so excited when I 'jab' something.

Opening presents and eating cake can wear a girl out. Luckily I can take a break here with my cousin Carson.......I love that boy.

OMG!!! Can you believe I am one?

Our little musician

While it's not a tuba or a brass instrument....it's a start. Now to work on our buzzing so we can be ready for any and all future brass band gigs.

Maddie has always enjoyed 'playing' the piano. However it is usually just walking over to the piano and reaching up and banging at the keys.....usually when I am trying to give a voice or piano lesson. Now she likes to sit up at the bench and actually 'play'. If we are lucky we will even get some singing along with our song. I have to admit....I LOVE IT!

As Maddie is becoming more and more independent meal time has become more and more of an adventure. There are day that she seems to eat EVERYTHING in the frig and other days she wants nothing to do with her 'favorite' foods. While it has been a while since we have actually eaten jarred baby food she is become more and more adventurous with her food choices.

We can usually get her to eat 'baby food' if it is some kind of fruit. Veggies that come in the jar are a no go. She loves olives and cheese (can you tell that she might have a little Italian in her?) and can't get enough pasta with sauce. We have recently tried scrambled eggs which seems to enjoy if I leave them in big enough chunks for her to grab. Another morning favorite....besides the no fail cheerios....is yogurt. She loves to have a gogurt and usually eats 1 1/2 to 2 along with her cheerios.

Here Maddie is trying out some of Daddy's pizza at whole foods. She did pretty well biting into it. Having 7 teeth help with tearing off a big hunk of the cheese.

Here is one of our first attempts at eggs. Maddie is getting very good at using her fork. However I made one of I'm sure many Mommy mistakes and gave her the bowl of eggs. It stayed on her tray for about 5 minutes. Then the bowl was flipped over...not to bad...and then thrown onto the floor with the rest of the eggs. Oh well, that's what a broom and mop are for!

Speaking of sweeping. Maddie is a big help sweeping up the kitchen floor after eating. We used to sweep the floor once a week or so...now it seems like we are doing it 3-4 times a day. Luckily we have a good little helper.

As I said before, Maddie is getting very good at using her fork. We are still working on the spoon. She thinks that she can just stab at things like her fork, but that isn't working as well. The other night however she found another utensil....her finger. She was eating olives and realized that a pointer finger was far more effective at getting the olives then her fork.

We have started kissing everything as well. Mommy and Daddy get kisses before bed. Maddie loves to give herself kisses in the mirror. However we usually get a single kiss. At dinner the other night we started getting multiple kisses. Hope you enjoy.