Maddie got the Wiggles!

Here I am, thinking about all of my recertification stuff. I need TONS of CEUs to renew my CCRN and RN license, and I need to take the ACLS renewal class. What am I actually doing? Playing with Maddie and posting pictures of the cute results. :)
So FINALLY, here's a picture of Maddie getting her groove on! This is her favorite song to dance to (don't judge me). I was going to post this video muted so that you couldn't hear what I was singing, but my sister gave me so much grief about it that I'm posting the video as is. Enjoy...I sure did!

P.S.- I edited a significant portion of this where I was jumping around and dancing with her (it made the video quality very Blair Witch-ish.) Anyway, that's why I sound winded. :)

California is Dangerous

Most notably, Southern California is dangerous. I say that because I don't really know much about the middle or northern parts of this state, but I will tell you this: the state is tricky. It lures you out here with sensuously beautiful weather reports, and shimmering seas with diamond-capped waves that sparkle in the afternoon sun. Any street worth it's name is silhouetted in perfectly manicured palm trees. If all of this isn't enough for you, Southern California keeps a warm desert snuggled within its bosom. The desert is covered in an intricate system of trails all crocheted together so that you can enter a trail in one spot, bike for 3 hours, and finish your ride at the same place you started without ever passing the same speck of sand twice.
Or, if you're like me, you can try for something a little more complex. Be careful though, California doesn't like to be taken lightly.
And so I find myself pulling up to the Rancho Bernardo Senior Center with my bike strapped to the back of my car, and a big grin glued on my face. I am meeting 2 other bikers for a ride coordinated by me (through meetup.com). To be fair, I did disclosed to the other 2 that I have never ridden this trail before. Did I mention though that it has been 8 months since I've ridden? Hmmmm....
As I am unstrapping my bike from my car, I notice an intense burning sensation on the back of my head. Curious, I turn around to see 3 rather elderly gentlemen pausing from their tennis game to watch me unload my bike. I smile and nod (as I am currently lugging 30 lbs of unbalanced metal off the rack), but my smile and nod are unrequited. Ah well. I guess smiles aren't for everyone.
I then put the front wheel on my bike, and notice that the sun is suddenly blocked out by some massive object, perhaps the moon during a spontaneous eclipse. No such phenomenon though, it is just Ricky (one of my fellow riders) pulling up in his enormous F150 on lifts. Why anyone needs a truck that big is beyond me, but I can tell you that all the plants beside his truck were happily shaded for the morning! The plants were the only happy things at that Senior Center though, as the 3 gentlemen, joined now by their 4th, were in a huddle and casting unhappy glances our way. It was about that time that Tonya pulled up and unloaded her bike. Now we were ready to go.
As we started out, Ricky was kind enough to inform Tonya and myself that, "Not to scare you, but this is where Chelsea King was abducted and murdered". Now I ask you, reader: HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT WHEN PLANNING THIS RIDE?! There are literally hundreds of trails in SoCal, and I managed to pick the one blackened by kidnapping and murder. Not a single website review of the trail mentioned, "Hey guys, word of caution..." It's o.k. though. I'm a duck, and this is water off my back. Just like the angry old tennis men.
So again, we're off! We have a lot of happy chatter getting to know each other, and we're happy to discover that we're all about the same ability level. Sure, it's been a long time since I've ridden, but I'm like an elephant, right? I remember everything.
Our first technical area is about a quarter of the way into the ride when we need to jump a log to get onto a bridge. Luckily, I'm in the back of the pack, so no one sees my concern. "Be the rabbit, be the rabbit. Front, then back, weight in the back, smile, and land." It's so easy in my head. Actual series of events: "Front then back, weight in the back, smile, and then WHAM!" I managed the rabbit part, but then slammed into the side of the bridge. Apparently, this rabbit was a little tipsy before making her jumping debut.
No worries though. One minor setback, and no one saw because I was so far behind. I pedal fast to catch up, and even exchange pleasantries while laughing off the dirt residue on my leg, "Haha, I made such a dust cloud from pedaling so fast that some of it must have stuck to me" I may be in the back, but I can always have good humor about things.
The next leg of the ride takes us down along the lake. It is strange to see a lake tossed out into the middle of a desert, but it sure is pretty. There is a lot of green lushness around the lake, and then a lot of sandy sparsity in the surrounding desert. Add to this the regrowth from the forest fires 7 years ago, and you have enough scenery to get distracted. And I think I mentioned, California doesn't like to be taken lightly.
So here we go dropping in on a hill that runs right along the lake. The path is overgrown so that we are being kissed by branches with mustard-colored flowers, and occasionally there is a rocky outgrowth that snaps us back to attention: "Watch out" it says, "or I will pitch you into the water faster than you can admire that flower." So we get to the end of the trail. I am quite proud of myself for keeping up and not letting the rocks get the best of me. I dreamily announce that this trail is beautiful and I love riding through the flowery bushes. It is at this point that Ricky tells me that the overgrowth is a perfect place for rattlesnakes to be hiding out. Ricky seems to be the bearer of bad news, and I wonder to myself why Ricky didn't mention this earlier. I keep the thought to myself though, as he is a new friend.
We are officially halfway now, and the next leg of the trailwork is closed for conservation. I imagine that they are de-rattlering the next bit of the trail, and I think for a second that maybe I can just hitch a ride back with the conservationists. The thought passes, and I reconcile myself to the fact that we are now doing an out-and-back.
Ricky dives happily into the bushes on his way back towards the cranky old men and his behemouth truck awaiting us at the end of the trail. I am less enthusiastic about the newly revealed rattler's lair that we will be riding through.
"Be the lion, Jenny. You are brave like lion" So I plunge into the overgrowth, suddenly seeing every flowered branch as a snake lunging out to bite me. This view of California's botanics proves to be more dangerous that my previous admiration, as the rocks got the better of me on the way back. When I approached the first rocky hill, I managed to slam on the brakes just in time to avoid hitting the tree that marked the turn in the trail.
*I fear that I am not properly describing the situation. I remain shrouded in bushes, on a singletrack trail, with a slight hill-into-lake on my right side, and uphill on my left side. So the only way to go if I stumble is down*
Anyway, I caught myself before the tree got me on this turn. Unfortunately, Tonya, who was behind me, did not. She hit the tree and then me. Luckily (using this term loosely) her bike became entangled with mine, and she was saved (at the expense of a chunk of my leg) from a splash in the lake. I am willing to sacrifice this leg chunk for my new mountain biking friend. Female mountain bikers are few and far between. We ride on. For some reason, I'm still in front.
I pedal harder, deciding that if I pedal fast enough, I can be past the rattlesnake before it decides to strike. Too bad for Tonya behind me, but she doesn't seem worried.
As I am thinking of this, I hear all too late the sinister cry of the rocks, "Watch out, or we will pitch you into the water." Before I have even told my fingers to squeeze my brakes, I hit the rocks and am tumbling off the path, through a bush, and into the water. It takes a minute to register what just happened. This is about enough time for a nearby man, who was throwing a ball for his dog, to come help me lug my bike out of the water. I can't get out of the lake fast enough, as I am now in a near frenzy over the threat of snakes. He takes the bike, and I get myself out, using a lush-leaved, reddish-green flowering bush to heft myself back onto the path. Tonya sees that I am o.k. and rides on. I thank the man, who then politely points out that I have just fallen into a poison oak bush, which I then used to pull myself out of the lake.
I give up, California. You win.
I quickly realize that I am not the duck, the elephant, the lion, or (most certainly) the rabbit. I am, in fact, the snake. Just trying to find a safe route through and clearly toxic to everything in my path. Oh, the irony.
I take a quick assessment, note that my ankle is sore but that is all, and get back on the trail. Weirdly, I am back at the Senior Center in about 5 minutes. It doesn't take long to feel completely cut off from civilization around here!
The men are playing their game of doubles now, but of course they take a quick break to scowl at us. This time, I look right at them and scowl back which makes one of them smile and wave. I don't understand anything anymore.
We all load our bikes up, and I announce what the man told me about the poison oak bush. "Oh yeah." says Ricky, "It makes a thick line along the coast of the lake almost the whole way around." I start to think that Ricky is intentionally trying to hurt me, but I still have some good humor and manners left, so I keep this thought to myself. Again.
Five days later, I am covered in poison oak from head to ankle. This includes my face as well as all areas covered by my shirt, shorts, and sports bra. I don't know how it managed it, but the poison oak actually got through my clothes. Each day I have found a fun, new area that itches, and I have blistering welts all over.
Well played, California. But you haven't seen the last of me.

Just got her first car!

Mike and I talked it over, and we decided that we might as well just go ahead and get Maddie a car now so we wouldn't have to do it later. This one should be good right up until college, I think. It was advertised as "Grows with your baby!", so we just have to make the crucial decision on when to take the foot plate out. That is what turns the toy from 'Step 1' to 'Step 2'. I don't want her jumping in over her head. Twelve years old I think. That should be a perfect time. Right before puberty, so she will love me because I am allowing her a right of passage. Yeah, I think we've got it all planned out...

Forgot One!

I forgot to add this video to the mix, but it's so cute I had to put it up on it's own. :)

She's Walking!

I finally got it together and spliced some more video together! I've had a lot of requests for Maddie walking, so I put some walking, jogging, rocking, and tooth-brushing in this one! The only thing missing is dancing, which I don't have on tape yet. The clip in there of the tooth brushing is actually her first time. I thought she did quite well with it!
Maddie has gotten very cuddly in her old age too. In the clip where Mike is asking for a kiss, Maddie now offers kisses freely...ESPECIALLY to her Daddy! It is a different side of Mike that comes out when he is around Maddie - a side of him that would be secret forever if not for his daughter. Mike walks through the front door, sees Maddie in her high chair, and is instantly transformed from serious law enforcer to whatever it takes to make Maddie smile. Tonight, it was a high-pitched, balancing-on-one-leg-while-hopping picture of sillyness. Wen Maddie finished her dinner, they were wallowing around on the ground together - BOTH of them having fun building teetering towers of pink and green blocks. It's amazing and beautiful what a baby inspires in her Dad.
O.K. Enough of the mush! In other news, Mike and I have been learning to surf. Mike is learning a bit faster than me, but I'm o.k. with that. Maddie and I get lots of sand-castle-building time! (which actually translates into Maddie stuffing sand in her diaper every time I turn my head)
Other than these things, there is not too much new going on. We had a great visit from the Edster (Ed), a friend from Maryland. So much fun! Like everyone else that I know, I've started in on trying to convince Ed to move out here. :) Next will be my cousin, Dee, and her boyfriend, AND THEN....

KEN AND MICHELLE'S WEDDING!!!

See you soon!

Finally! An Update! :)

It was recently pointed out to me by SEVERAL people that I have fallen gravely behind on my blog updates. Alas, Maddie is now not only walking, but RUNNING from one sharp object to the next. She is so much fun, and at the same time she is two full handfulls!
So now for the story-by-picture. :)
Maddie has recently been working on feeding herself. Can you tell that she likes eating?

Being new to the whole big people foods thing, she sometimes gets herself into a bind...

And then there is the complicated issue of spoons. Spoonwork is much easier if you sort of shovel the yogurt into your mouth...with your tongue as a bridge in case any cheerios try to escape.

And once you get the hang of that technique, you'll graduate to the really-wide-open-mouth technique:

She ate that entire bowl of yogurt! I didn't get any pictures of the final project though. I hear you, Readers. You are saying, "I don't believe you, Jenny. Maddie is toothless. There is no way she chewed Cheerios and chomped on apples!" Well, think again! Maddie is now the proud owner of SIX sparkly white teeth:

What else can she do with those teeth, you might be asking (but you probably aren't, since you, having your own teeth, know what they're good for. Humor me though, I was making a transition) Those teeth are good for word-making (aka-talking)! Maddie likes to read to me:

First though, she needs to bring me the book:

Then, she has to get comfy:

Then, she can start the reading:

When she is done, she has to thank all the fans who came to listen to her read. Generally, this includes myself and Sparkles:

Finally, Maddie is free to reach for her trusty sippy cup to wet her whistle after a long and intensive public speaking session:

And that is the end of the McDonald's Story-by-Pictures! Hope you enjoyed, and hopefully I'll be able to get back on my monthly updating schedule. :)

PS- For the record, I love that you all care enough to check the blog, despite the lapse in updates. You are awesome!

Playtime!

Although Maddie seems to be able to make a supercool toy out of ANYTHING (see picture above), I decided to take her to a baby gym today. I'm so glad I did. We had a blast! Mike was feeling a little under the weather, so he didn't get to come. I took enough pictures so he'd feel like he was there though!
First, Maddie had to inspect the place for quality construction:

Once she was satisfied, she jumped right in! Who says you have to be 16 to drive?

Did I mention that this place was AWESOME? There were tons of toys for Maddie in a special toddler/crawler area, and then she could play on the big kids' stuff too.

The best part was...I got to go with her in the jungle gym area! (she never would have made it without me - those 8 yr olds were maniacs!) This is a picture of Maddie climbing the "stairs" to the slide. She can climb our stairs at home no problem, but these were farther apart, so I had to give her a little incentive by putting the camera on top of each step. :)

She got to the top though, and when she did, we went down a huge slide together! By the way, for being a kid's playgym, that slide was pretty darn fast! Maddie l-o-v-e-d it though! She doesn't really care one way or the other about the slide outside our house, but she giggled all the way down this one and at the bottom. We went down twice. It took about a half an hour to do the stair climb-to-slide rotation. :)

There was a lot of other stuff too, but I don't want to overload on the pictures. We had a really good time, and the best part is, when we got back, half of our downstairs was painted! (Not by Mike - we finally got someone to come and finish the painting for us) I'll post pictures of that when it's done.

Part Deux...After the Movie

Look out! There's an almost 1-year-old on the stairs! :) Maddie has so much fun climbing the stairs that every once in a while (actually, about twice a day), we let her "sneak" past the baby gate and climb the stairs. Her favorite game is pretending that we are trying to catch her but she's to fast for us. The only problem is that she starts laughing so hard that when she turns around to make sure we're chasing her, she loses her balance and tips backwards. Good thing we're always part of that game, huh?
Well, in adult news, Mike had a birthday today. We went to a casino where we pretty much only played roulette. Every single hand, we put at least one chip on the number that was Mike's age, and it didn't win a SINGLE time! Luckily, our other picks did, and we ended up positive $30 and two free buffets (I scored those from a worker named Jesus who was telling me to stop taking pictures in the casino. I took that opportunity to first apologize, and next proudly announce that it was Mike's birthday while pointing out his youthful looks.) Mike loves me for my talent in drawing attention to him. Needless to say, we had a really great time, and ended the night fondly remembering how fun dates are. Hopefully we'll get some more of those. :)
Sadly, we also watched U of South Carolina lose their bowl game while we were at the casino. Luckily, we did not bet on that game. ;-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!

Maddie's New Toy

This is Maddie dancing with one of her new toys. This darn kiddo of ours seems to get cuter every day. She has started sprinting between the furniture, and she has really been developing her personality.

Christmas was conspicuously absent of most of our family, but it was good just the same. Sean, Mike's brother, came down from LA, and a friend of mine came over with her two kids, so we filled up the house anyway. :) I have another video to post for your viewing pleasure, but Mike is forcing me to end this blog so that we can watch Adventureland. So.....

TO BE CONTINUED!

Imaginary Mashed Potatoes

Suddenly, I'm a blogging fool! I got this picture today of Maddie while I was making Christmas care packages for some friends (this involved baking). Maddie wanted to make her own care packages for her friends, so I set her up on the floor for a little "cold cooking". :)
She just melts my heart! I was thinking today about how un-self conscious babies are, and wondering when they learn embarrassment. I was wondering this after watching Maddie pee and then spit up for the third time in the bath water. (Don't worry, I drained the tub!) My thoughts continued on, but I'm not really that kind of blogger, and I'm guessing you're not really that kind of reader. :)

Sooo, back to the photo: Please note that she would not be kind enough to remove her vehicle from the cooking space. She parked it neatly, but I guess she wanted a quick getaway handy in case she needed it!

No Sleep For Mommy

Well, this post does not have any pictures. Just a little whining. :) I have been having the WORST nightmares about horrible, freak accidents happening to Maddie! In my dreams, it's usually my fault too. It's really bad. I wake up with that sinking feeling in my stomach, convince myself it was a dream, and then have to go stare at my sleeping baby until I am convinced she is breathing. Occassionally, I accidentally wake her up, and then I have to deal with getting her back to sleep. (She sees me and thinks it's playtime because Mommy snuck into her room!)
Anyway, that's about the extent of this post. Just wondering if this happens to all you other parents out there. All these nighttime hysterics are really cutting into my beauty sleep!
O.k. I can't post a blog without a picture. I thought this one was funny. She's making her really-excited-breathing face. Rarely captured by media of any form. :)

Maddie Walks (In a Cheating Sort of Way)!

Well, as usual, it's been a really long time since I've updated this! So I thought I'd do a little compilation of Maddie's efforts towards walking, and end the video with Maddie just walking around being herself. I realized when going through the videos just how much footage I have of Maddie just being Maddie. Ha! I feel like the paparazzi!
Things here have been very busy lately! I started work at the hospital I'm at, and that means Maddie is in daycare 1-2 days a week. This was a tough decision, but in the end, we think it's the best. She seems to like the other kids, and I really like the daycare. Although I walked in the other day just in time to see another little girl pull the binky right out of Maddie's mouth and throw it at her head! It was actually kind of funny because she had a hard time getting it out of Maddie's mouth. Maddie gets a tight suction on those binkys! She started waving to Mike a few days ago, and for about 48 hours would ONLY wave to Mike! Now she she has graciously decided to wave to everyone. :) She also really likes climbing up the stairs. We walk right behind her (of course), and she barrel rolls the whole way down! Just kidding. Just seeing if you're actually reading. She giggles the whole way up, not barrel rolls down. :) I'll work on getting a video of these two latest accomplishments.
Mike is still liking his job and still not talking much about it unless I pump him for info. He had a really great time decorating for the holidays (so did I!)
I have decided to apply for anesthesia school, and I've been working on making my application for that complete. It's a competitive field though, and a really hard program, so I'll let you know what the final word ends up being. To start, I'm just applying to USC (the one in CA), and if I don't get in I'll apply elsewhere.
Here's the video:


I hope this blog finds all of you enjoying your Christmas Season!!

The Cutest Halloweener in California

Well, I hope everyone out there had a Happy Halloween! We had Maddie's first one, as well as having our first here in California. Here is a picture of Maddie in her costume:

We dressed her up and took out for community fun. Weirdly (and I'm guessing this is going to be an on-going theme for San Diego) the weather was 90ish degrees on Halloween, so Maddie got a little hot! We got lots of smiles walking around with her, but most of the activities going on were a little too old for her. The kids in those bounce houses were candy-fueled maniacs!

Here is a picture of Maddie earlier in the week, just getting into the spirit of the season! :)

One of the coolest parts of Halloween was getting trick-or-treaters. I've never lived anywhere that was a trick-or-treat hotspot before, so it was especially fun to see all the kids coming around in costume. There were some HILARIOUS costumes (think 15 year old wearing only speedos and big ears, walking around with his little sister, around 7 yrs, who was wearing an inflatable sumo wrestler costume) And then there was our own little cutie(nice transition, huh):

Maddie didn't make it up late enough to help hand out any of the candy, but she did get her first taste of chocolate chip cookie, and she LOVED it! For a toothless little kid, she can mash her food with the best of us! :)
Here's one more cute picture, just because I like it:

Random Acts of Cuteness

These are just some cute pictures that I've gotten over the past few weeks. As Maddie starts doing new things, she gets into the funniest predicaments! Here she is after figuring out how to manipulate the baby gate, and then accidentally closing herself and the dogs on the wrong side of it! (neither she nor the dogs were very happy about the situation)

The next two pictures are of what is quite possibly my favorite new Maddie trick. She goes to the kitchen table and grabs a chair. Then she gets underneath it and does acrobatic tricks over the foot rests. Here's a picture of the beginning of the trick:

And here's how it ends:

And for the final cute picture, Maddie loves playing with Deacon, and Deacon's favorite toy is this ratty, disgusting snake. So, of course, Maddie loves the snake. Here is a picture of her playing tug of war under the baby gate with it and Deacon. Sometimes she will also wrap herself in the snake and then try to crawl away with it, giggling like a maniac the whole time, while Deacon holds onto one end of it. I don't have a picture of that because I can't stand to see that gross toy wrapped around her for long enough to snap the picture! (yes, I wash it, but it only stays clean for about a day. It's a losing battle!)

And that's it for now! Happy November!

Another Blog?? So Soon??

I know it's out of character for me to post TWO blogs within a week of each other, but I wanted to get the word out about a competition that I entered! I made a video for ConAgra foods and got picked to be one of 16 finalists!!! Woohoo! So now my video is up for voting here. I am currently in 8th place (last time I checked) so I really need your votes! My video is the thumbnail with me pushing Maddie in a swing (it says 'submitted by Jenny McDonald'). You can only vote once, so throw your vote my way!
The grand prize is a family vacation for $10,000, so you can imagine that I really want to win...and so does everyone else. :)

I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

Also, if you could repost my link on twitter, facebook, e-mails, your blogs, or anywhere else that people might see it, I'd really appreciate it!

http://apps.facebook.com/delicious-moments/ (it's the one of me pushing Maddie in the swing). Thanks!!!

And Now For Something Completely Different!

**The video that was supposed to upload would not load. :( I'll try again later**

Like....ravioli!! Maddie is eating big-people food now (kind of), and she shovels it right in! Here is a video of her eating puffs, but her favorite is the raviolis. I only give her those for dinner, and the only one who might like them more than her is Deacon! (He catches what she drops before they hit the floor!) She drains the sippy cup faster than I can refill it, and she gets 3 "bottles" a day. She's getting big! I can't believe how fast she's growing. It's weird to look over and see a shorty little person wobbling along the couch edge.

Maddie is walking along the furniture now. She still has not done belly-off-the-floor crawling, and I think she's going to be walking soon. ha! She's apparently got places to go!
Maddie got invited to a Halloween Party, and she'll be wearing a cute little flower costume (don't worry - I'll get pictures). Given my rate of posting, the pictures should be posted around Christmas time! ;)

In our life, Mike and I just did our first adventure race last weekend, and hopefully we'll be doing more soon. Mike's job is going well, but it's very time-consuming. I just took a job at a nearby hospital on day shift, and I'm excited about that. Otherwise, things are just the same! It's been beautiful weather here as Fall starts to break through...."Fall"....it's been 80-87 degrees.
Hope you're all doing well and Happy Halloween!

UPDATE: I thought this blog was sent about a week ago (really!). Maddie has since started crawling with her tummy off the floor. Apparently, she just wanted to show me what she could do! :)

Maddie's 1st Six Months! - update!

I have updated the video, after some constructive criticism from the viewers! :) So, anyway, the lowdown is that Sara and I have started a business called Divine Designs Media. We make custom, high-quality original photobooks, holiday cards, and videos (like the one above) created from your own home videos. We can convert your VHS or digital media and give you back all your original media on a dvd or HD-dvd as well as the edited compilation that will be your video! :)

In other news, Maddie is pulling up on things now! She can pull to standing, but has not gotten the courage to take a first step yet...which is o.k. with me! I'm working on baby-proofing the house for this new stage, and I don't want her moving faster than me. :) I put a picture below of her exploring the toy basket. (A whole world of fun!)
Hope you are all having a great weekend - I'll update more later!

And she's crawling! (kinda)

Maddie has mastered the fine art of the army crawl! Here is a little crawling clip:

I had a better one (or so I thought), but apparently the intricacies of the camcorder still elude me. :)

I did manage to get some good pictures lately though! I keep deciding that Maddie is teething (based on nothing except some drooling), so I bought some teething biscuits for her. This is what she did with them:

Which led directly into the post teething biscuit bath!

Baths always tucker Maddie out. And when Maddie sleeps, Daddy sleeps!

And finally, here is a shot of me and a sleepy Maddie. It doesn't fit into the storyline I've been following, but I want to be in the blog too! :)

Actually, I have one more thing to add: CONGRATS TO THE LOCAL LITTLE LEAGUE WHO JUST BEAT CHINA TO WIN THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES!!!
Now I'm done typing for real.

Visiting Texas

Maddie and I have recently returned from a trip back home, and we had so much fun! It was great to see all the family, and Maddie had an awesome time showing off her new tricks. :)
We started in Texas. Unfortunately, I have no Texas pictures because I stupidly forgot to take a camera. :( I have a sneaky feeling though, that I may get some in my e-mail, and if I do, I'll pop em in! I know everyone likes pictures, so I'm throwing in a few recent, random ones!
Alright, we had a blast in TX! Maddie got to see her first horse, and I'm sure she would have reached her chubby little arm out to pet it if her Mom weren't so afraid that the horse would suddenly become carnivorous and take a bite out of her. It was okay though, because Maddie, true to child form, was much more impressed with the cat that was stalking around the house than the horses. I'm o.k. with cat s, as I'm bigger than they are.
We also went to the BIGGEST used book store that I've ever seen/been inside. It had half a million books (literally), plus videos, dvds, and various forms of music. It was amazing. I picked an educational book series for Maddie that I had seen on TV (Your Baby Can Read) and bought it, only to get it home and realize that it was missing the accompanying dvds. It figures that, having a 1 in 500,000 chance to purchase a quality used book for Maddie, I chose the incomplete one. :) (I did get 3 good books for me though!)
Finally, we went with Gloria to her work and found a gigantic Clifford dog that Maddie thought was hilarious. She loves dogs, and her favorite color is red, so this was a double whammy for her. She had the whole store laughing along with her as she giggled contagiously at the stuffed animal. That includes me. I have been witness to several of Maddie's giggling fits, and I still can't help but laugh right along with her - usually at nothing at all!
Soon after the Clifford festivities, Gloria fell ill. Pat took this opportunity to pamper her when he could. When all else failed, he invoked some good old fashioned rib bing to pull some laughs out of her. It is always very sweet to see a couple laughing at/with each other, and Pat and Gloria are like a couple of flirting kids when they get going. Aside from being sweet, it's also just funny!
Soooo...Pat, Maddie and I hung out the next day, and the day after that I drove the biggest vehicle I have ever driven into Ft Worth to meet a friend. I think it was a Ford Navigator. Compared to my little Mazda 3, this thing was a monster! In fact, on the first exit ramp I thought that I was going to flip over. I didn't though, and I went to Ft Worth and back in one piece! I even confessed the near-flippage to Pat when I got back. (As far as I can tell, it is near impossible to disturb Pat. He is a picture of cool collectedness no matter what is going on. Admittedly, I haven't tried very hard to upset him because...well, why would I ?)
And this brings the Texas trip to a close. We hopped on a flight to SC the next day.
Isn't there something missing, you ask? Why yes there is! I have failed to mention that in just 7 short months I have been able to completely block from my memory the horror that is humidity. This left me a gasping, red-faced mess when I bravely decided to take myself for a run at Pat and Gloria's. "No problem", I thought. "A quick, flat 5-miler will feel great after that plane ride". Well, I don't know where the hills on that run came from because it sure looked flat when we drove it! Then there were all the road bikers sailing by me at 20 mph, all smiles and waves with their cute outfits and lungs full of air. I did manage at least a friendly nod to everyone though, and, on the bright side of the run, I don't think I have ever been so excited to see a pheasant-studded mailbox in my life! (that was my start and stop point)
Until next time, Texas - sionara, my friend!

Here is a quick picture of Maddie lounging at the pool!

Visiting Walhalla, Charlotte, and Seneca!

The final leg of the trip was a visit to my hometown, Walhalla. I love coming back here because I get to see family and old friends, and for the best part: Ken and Michelle were in town at the same time! We had big, family dinners every night, so Maddie got lots of time with everyone. Here is a picture of her with her Great-grandparents:



One of Maddie's most exciting times was the time she spent with her cousin Ely - finally a kid about the same size as her. Unfortunately, he is 3 months younger than her, so their "playtime" was actually mostly Maddie manhandling Ely. :) They sure were cute together though! (Maddie's on the left)



Here is Maddie with Ava, her other cousin. Ava is SO BIG now, and just adorable! She is learning to talk, and it's so cute to listen to her. She is also a little tumbleweed of energy and laughs rolling around the house!



And here is my awesome sister, Sara, with Maddie. She got lots of good, quality time with Maddie on this trip. Sara somehow has the ability to make Maddie laugh, no matter what. It was really great to see them together.



And here is Ken, my big brother, with Maddie. On first glance, Ken strikes you as a big bear of a man, with broad, muscly shoulders, thick arms, and large paws of hands. Then, Ken will swoop down on a crying baby, and before you know what happened, he is tossing the kid in the air, making funny little noises, and that crying baby is laughing! It was amazing to watch!
One of the funniest parts of seeing Ken with the babies though, was how SMALL they all looked in his arms. Ha! Here is Maddie helping Ken check his law school schedule online.


And Michelle is here with Maddie in an incredibly photogenic picture. They had a good time playing together, and doing pretty much everything together except eating. :) Maddie likes to eat by swallowing 3/4 of the food and spitting out 1/4 of the food. Then she does a big stretch and somehow manages to scrape all of the food that's around her mouth up into her hair, over her eyes, and around her neck. I think it's her babyfood version of a facial. :)


And that's the end of the pictures. There are more of Mom and Dad, but they are currently trapped inside their digital camera. Once we figure out how to free them, I'll download them and get some up here! The same goes for the pictures of Lauren and Philip with Maddie, Ely, Sara and me. Stay tuned!!! Thanks for reading!