A Good Day

Loading up on parade candy...



Dancing by Aunt Teena...


Sparkler spinning...


First time watching fireworks...


Celebrating Grandpa's birthday...


All make for a fabulous Fourth of July. Happy Independence Day to all!

Our Summer Checklist

I was inspired by another blog, which I can't find at the moment, to create a summer checklist. I tried to keep our checklist reasonable in hopes that we can accomplish everything on the list. I'll be honest; I think I'm the most excited to see Toy Story in the family. I wonder how long it will take to get to the dollar theaters???

What's on your to do list this summer

The Two Best Dads

I apologize for the first picture; it's the only one I have of my dad saved on my computer. The second is just adorable. Casey received a card from Maddie today which listed her favorite things to do with Dad. Toe nail painting ranked very high. Happy Father's Day to all those hard working men in the world; especially my dad and my husband. I love you guys!

2010 Family Shoot

Family fun! I've been wanting to get some family photos done since Maddie turned 2, so I coaxed my sister into coming out and snapping a few for us. Didn't she do great for a total non-professional? Especially since Maddie was not a cooperative poser, but who expects a 2 year old to be? I'm happy we got a few with her smiling and looking at the camera for a few shots. I just wish she would have cooperated in a couple of my favorite locations. The grass shot is definitely the one going in the frame. It fits our family perfectly. I'm still planning to take Maddie out for some single shots. Any suggestions for a good location?

The Cuteness that is Maddie

Above is a full display of adorable outfits Maddie received for her birthday. The Minnie Mouse dress is by far her favorite outfit ever! You'll see her sporting it anytime she gets a chance. I love little girls. I will admit; I'm not a huge fan of her very opinionated wardrobe choices. If it's not a dress or doesn't have some sort of cartoon character displayed, she doesn't want to wear it. We fight too often over my pleas to get her to wear her cute board shorts or new tank top etc. I have a strong feeling this is only the beginning of many more battles as she grows older. Are there any training programs available?

May Book

So I'm embarrassed to admit that I had no clue that Agatha Christie was a mystery writer. I've heard her name a lot, but in my mind I assumed she wrote of the hardships of prairie life. (I have no idea where this idea came into my mind; I think the name Agatha threw me). So when I typed in "best mystery novels" in google, I was surprised to see her name EVERYWHERE. I went to the library and chose this book at random; Five Little Pigs. It's a story of a detective trying to solve a 20 year old murder mystery. He interviews the 5 people who were there when the murder occurred. It was a fun read; reminded me of my Mary Higgins Clark days. Gotta love mystery.

Next month I'm going to attempt to read a horror. I've read Dracula, Frankenstein, Hyde and Jekyll and the Invisible Man. I don't know if those are considered horror, but I'm going to attempt something a little more modern. Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is my current choice, so if you'd like to read along, please feel free.

Maddie's 2!

Today is Maddie's birthday. We've enjoyed her cuteness for two years now; it's so hard to believe. Last night we celebrated with family and had such a fun time. Maddie loves everyone in our family and was so excited to have them all in one place just for her entertainment. We had a Madeline themed party (Mom's choice) complete with balloons, goodie bags and a Madeline dress. Maddie was spoiled with merchandise from the Disney Store, art supplies, cute clothes, movies and lots of new toys.
Now to end with praises to my daughter, who truly is the cutest and smartest two year old I know. I'm so proud of the sweet enjoyable girl she has become. She gives out hugs and kisses on demand, loves to get dressed in girly attire, eats Rice Crispies any chance she gets, free falls into our arms, dances and sings with her crazy parents and is all I could ask for in a child. Happy Birthday Maddie!