Cake and Ferry

We enjoyed having some friends and family over on Saturday night to celebrate my birthday and show off the basement (I still need to get some pictures to post on here of the basement). Maddy had a blast with her daycare pal Ben--and even stayed up way past her bedtime--thankfully she slept late on Sunday! The cake was yummy!

It was such a beautiful weekend, we had to get out and enjoy the fall colors. On Sunday, we went across the Merrimac Ferry. I hadn't been there in years and Nick had never been there. Maddy had fun checking out the Wisconsin River while we waited to board. The drive to and back was gorgeous! Such vibrant colors! I wish I had gotten pictures of the trees.

Happy 1st Anniversary, Liz and Dave!

Obama Baby

Here is our future Democrat...or Independent (depending on if she follows Mama's or Daddy's party). But either way, she's all for Obama! We knew it way back during the winter primaries when Maddy told us to vote for "baba mama." She's a smart cookie. The sign is now in our front yard...despite Nick's resistance ("I don't advertise my political views")...but I had to do something about the opposition's signs down the street! It's all I wanted for my (30th) birthday! I thought it wasn't much to ask for. Now, if I was asking for something big, I'd want Obama written out with hay bales like my Uncle Tom!

Pumpkins!

We went with Grammy Mary to meet Uncle Joe and Aunt Michele at Heck's today so Maddy could pick out a pumpkin. She wanted the really big ones--but settled on a smaller one that she could carry. There were also animals for Madelyn to ooh over. She wasn't sure about the goats--but liked the pig.

Go Brewers!

They're heading to the play-offs for the first time in 26 years! Needless to say, Nick is excited! All those nights of watching them--he is a true fan!

Two Nuks!

So, we've known for awhile that Madelyn loves her nuks. We must have several in her bedroom, always one in the diaper bag, usually at least one in the car, and numerous scattered around the house. But we didn't realize how much she loved her nuks until she showed us this...
Double the pleasure! It will be interesting when we try to wean her from her beloved nuks. And she's so picky about her nuks, we had to order them from the internet when we could no longer find them in any stores. But, whatever makes her happy...simple pleasures in life!

Random Pictures

Here are some recent pictures of our crazy one!

Grampa Dave's Birthday

Sunday we celebrated Grampa Dave's birthday at my brother Joe and sister-in-law Michele's house. We ate Packer cake and Maddy played in the little pool. She still won't sit down!

Matt's Birthday

We got together with Nick's family at his Mom's on Sunday to celebrate his brother Matt's birthday. It was a beautiful day. We enjoyed good food and outside fun. It was a nice last day before heading back to school and daycare on Monday.

Jail Bird

We were a bit worried when Maddy learned how to climb out of her pack n' play two weeks ago. But we said to ourselves that at least she hadn't learned how to get out of her crib. Well, that didn't take much longer. Saturday morning at 3:45--she woke up crying--Nick went to check on her and caught her just as she was climbing out of her crib. All day Saturday we tried to figure out what we were going to do--knowing she was too young to move to her toddler bed--she's only 16 months old! Finally we decided to purchase a crib tent to keep her in. I had to drive to Madison to find the nearest one in stock knowing we couldn't wait for one to be shipped. Needless to say, she's not too fond of being in her new jail cell. But at least we know she's safe and we can sleep a bit better (at least until she figures how to get out of that)!

Babygarten

Madelyn enjoyed Babygarten on Monday mornings at the Public Library through the summer. This morning was her last one since we start back to school next week. She loved the songs, books, and especially playtime with the other babies and children. Her favorite songs are Baby Shark, Tick Tock, and the Choo Choo Train song. Mama and Daddy also enjoyed socializing with the other adults. Grammy Mary went once too--and she may take Maddy to Storytime on Wednesdays through the school year. I didn't get any pics at Babygarten--I never remembered to take the camera. But I did take a picture at home singing some of the songs--she insisted on riding her car at the same time.

Illinois Visitors

Grampa Dave, Maureen, and her three-year-old grandson Sam visited us. Sam and Maddy had fun playing together, visiting Oschner's Park, and eating pizza at Moosejaw. On the way home, Maddy decided to eat her toes for dessert!

Ames Trip

We spent a few days in Ames, Iowa visiting my Uncle Jim and Aunt Joyce. My Grandma K and Mom joined us too. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing trip. We toured the Iowa State University Campus (Maddy's first campus visit--maybe she'll be a Cyclone someday), rode a carousel in Story City, and checked out the flowers and butterflies at Reiman Gardens. First time around, Maddy wanted to ride on the dogs. Second time around she rode by herself on the rooster (with Daddy's help).

Pretty flowers and butterflies!
Yes, Maddy is holding a Mountain Dew bottle--Daddy's empty bottle, not hers. She has enough of her own energy, she certainly doesn't need a boost! Here she is running away from Uncle Jim and below playing in the water with Aunt Joyce.Maddy also learned a few tricks while on our trip--climbing out of her pack and play, opening doors and getting out of rooms. She also ate her first corn on the cob--we had cut it off the cob before--but this time she wanted to eat it herself!

Cousin Briana

My twelve-year-old cousin Briana spent a few days with us this week. She was a big help with Maddy. They had lots of fun playing, going for walks, and shopping at the outlet mall. I think Maddy is getting bored with us this summer, so it was nice to have someone different around!

Busy Weekend

On Saturday, we visited the Farmer's Market on the Square in Madison with Grammy Mary. Madelyn loved people-watching, as usual. While there we checked out the Capitol, too, and ran into our friends the Wangs!

After we were done in Madison, we headed to Milwaukee. On the way we stopped to visit Nick's Grandma and Grandpa Casey in Eagle. Aunt Mary Jean and Uncle Bob stopped by with their grandson, Lukas, who is Madelyn's third cousin. Madelyn wasn't sure she liked the "meow," Lukas's cat!

We stayed at my Uncle Bill and Aunt Cathy's house that night. Madelyn had fun playing with my cousins Kirsten and Trevor. Who knew a sleeping bag could be so much fun!? On Sunday Nick and I went to the Brewer game with some of the McCabe family. Maddy wasn't feeling well, so we left her with Grammy. And it was a good thing since it was so hot and sunny! We had a good time tailgating and watching the game despite the heat and the Brewer's loss.

Weekend Visitors

We had many visitors this past weekend. On Friday, Uncle Jerry and Alicia visited. Jerry worked on wiring the basement. (Nick's summer project is finishing off our basement--we'll have a bedroom, full bathroom, family room, and play area for Maddy down there!) He came back on Sunday and worked, too. On Saturday, Nana Mary visited. Maddy had fun going for a walk to the park with Nana. On Sunday, Grampa Dave visited. We drove over to the Dells and showed him where Lake Delton used to be. Then we went to Buffalo Phil's for supper.

Fair Time

Nick has been busy at the Sauk County Fair this week. We visited the pigs and all the other animals on Thursday. Madelyn wasn't so sure of the animals. She liked them from a distance, but not too close. She did have fun playing in the soybean and oats box. Maybe we should get one of those since she has started to eat the sand in ours.

Great-Grandma K's Golf Cart

Madelyn had the thrill of her short life this week when we visited Great-Grandma K. My 86-year-old Grandma has a golf cart that she tootles around in on the farm. She says they may take her car keys away, but at least she'll have her riding lawn mower and her golf cart! It was quite a ride of four-generations! Maddy wanted to drive. Maybe next time!

Visiting Nana Mary

On Sunday, we visited Nick's Mom on Lake Petenwell. Maddy enjoyed spending time with Nana Mary, playing in the yard, and eating sweet corn!

Happy Fourth of July!

Pool Fun

We finally had a hot day for water fun last week. However, Madelyn found the water a bit too cold and I had to add buckets of hot water to make it just right. And she still didn't want to sit down! She did have fun running around the yard trying to catch the birds.