Go Bulldogs - Game #1

Last weekend we went to our first Louisiana Tech football game this season.  Despite Madeline starting to feel bad about halfway through the first half of the game, we had a good time.  I loved watching all the people, especially the Band of Pride!

Silly Socks Day

School is going really well for me.  I'm really enjoying it a lot!  Mrs. Erin, my teacher, tells Mommy how great I'm doing each time she talks to her.  Each week, we learn a new letter.  Last week's letter was "S".  So, Friday was "Silly Socks Day" at my school!  I think wearing two different silly socks made me look extra silly!  I asked Mommy to take a picture of my socks, but then I didn't want to look at the camera.  I was being silly!

One "Cars" sock... one with stars!

Happy 1st Birthday Madeline!!

It's hard to believe my little sweety is already a year old! Just a short year ago, I fell in love with this little baby. I skipped meals to rush to the hospital so I could feed her. I refused to let anyone else hold her because she was okay with just me. I hugged her and kissed her all over. I just really love her!

And I still do today! I love the little bows she wears in her hair and always make sure she has one (even if it doesn't remotely match her clothes!). I give her my garbage trucks and garbage cans to play with (well, my old ones, not the good ones). I feed her snacks when I have a snack. I love to splash around the bathtub with her, and even let her play with my bath toys. I hold her hand in the car sometimes just because I can reach her now. Sometimes I get a little aggravated with her, but not too much. But I do love her so much!

Happy Birthday, my sweet baby Madeline!

My Baby!

Because, sometimes my baby deserves a little attention, too, here are just some recent pictures of Madeline that Mommy's taken with her phone.

Amazing Portraits!

A few weeks ago, right before their cruise, Mommy and Daddy took us to Kleinpeter Photography to visit our good friend, Mrs. Lindsey.  (Her daughters are Sophie and Izzy, "MY twins" that I love!  She calls me her son-in-law!)  She's a photographer there, so she took our pictures on a steamy and sticky Saturday morning. 

The Kleinpeter Photography studio is, in one word, phenomenal.  Their outdoor studio is literally breath-taking.  It's so meticulously set up and maintained.  There's so much variety!  We started outside. 

After a little while, we went inside to cool off.  Mommy had to blow-dry Madeline's hair to dry the sweat off my poor baby!  But we endured, took some more outside, then went back in to do some with a birthday cake for Madeline.  We thing they turned out great.  Mommy and Daddy are going to be spending  LOT of money to order them all!  (How could they not?  They're fabulous!)

Here are a few of the shots that the nice lady at the studio posted to Facebook for Mommy to share.  Gorgeous.  Love them.  Enjoy!



My 1st Day of School

Today I started preschool at St. Andrews UMC Preschool.  It's a great little preschool with small classes and wonderful staff and curriculum.  My best friend Aiden goes there, even though we aren't in the same class (he's a year behind me in school).  Mommy was really excited a few weeks ago when she found out (right before their cruise) that I was "in" and no longer on a waiting list.  Mommy, Daddy, Grangie, and Paw-Paw have really been talking up this whole school thing with me a lot lately.  And I think it's been working.  


Last Friday, when Mommy and Daddy were somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, Grangie and Paw-Paw took me to meet my teacher and see my classroom.  My teacher, Mrs. Erin, is friends with Mommy and lives down the street from us.  She's really sweet!  And my classroom even has a trash truck toy!  


We spent the weekend getting everything ready for me.  Grangie appliqued a recycling truck on my book sack.  Mommy found me a green trash truck lunch pail at Target, but I wanted it to be a recycle truck, so Grangie appliqued a recycle symbol on it for me.  Last night I helped Mommy get everything together for my book sack and my first lunch.


When I woke up this morning, I was super ready to get dressed and go to school, even though I only admitted to being "a little bit excited."  When it was time, Mommy and Daddy both got to take me.  (Daddy took off work this morning, and Mommy took all day off.)  Mommy walked me up to my classroom, and I was very brave and didn't cry much at all when she left!


Mrs. Erin talked to Mommy tonight and told her I did really well today!  I had a fun day, and made some new friends.  I'm even a little bit more excited about going back tomorrow.  But tomorrow Grangie gets to bring me.  I think she might be a little sad, but I know I'm going to do great!

Madeline has a lot to learn in the kitchen!

A few weeks ago we went to Kleinpeter Photography to take pictures.  Mrs. Lindsey, Izzy's and Sophie's mom, took them.  She's so silly!  Our primary goal was Madeline's one-year pictures, but we took a lot of us together, too!  (If you want to see them, click here, click "view events" at the bottom, then "portraits."  Find Mommy's name and click on it, then enter Mommy's email address, and you can view them!)

In preparation for the pictures, Mommy made Madeline a cake to smash at the end of pictures.  She let Madeline help her (I was busy outside working with Daddy on our new deck, so she had to settle for Madeline's help.)  Madeline did okay, but she has a lot to learn in the kitchen!

But I will admit... She looks pretty cute by the mixer!

Lesson #1:
Madeline, it's really best if you let the mixer STOP spinning 

before you put your hand in there!

Lesson #2:

Sprinkles taste better than the plastic container they come in.  If you ask Mommy nicely, she'll put some sprinkles in a bowl for you and you won't have to break your only front teeth trying to bite the container open.  

Lesson #3:

Licking the spatula and beaters is the best part.  And it's my job!

So if you're going to do it, you need to look a lot happier!

Lesson #4:

See Lesson #1 about letting the mixer STOP.  Really.  It's important.

She's off to a good start, and I'll teach her the best ways to do it!

I'm a fish!

For the past week, everyday after Mommy got home from work, she changed me into my swimsuit and took me to our neighborhood pool for swimming lessons.  My best buddy Aiden was there, too!  At first neither of us was too keen on being dumped left with a strange lady in the giant pool, but as the days went by we whined less and enjoyed it more. 

Today was a make-up day from a rain-out last week.  We got there and I was ready to go straight to the water!  I couldn't wait!  We did really well with our lessons.  For not knowing anything a week ago, it's pretty impressive that we can jump into the pool and swim to either Ms. 'Bekah or the steps pretty much on our own!  Here's some pictures from our last lesson today.  (Anyone who lives nearby and needs lessons - get Ms. Bekah's info from Mommy - she's great!)

Each day, while Mommy and Mrs. Erin waiting for Aiden and me to be finished, they hung out on the playground with Madeline.  She really enjoyed the swings today!