Afternoon picnic and yard work

On Sunday, the weather was too perfect not to get outside. Eric had some yard work to do, so I thought I'd lay a blanket in the backyard and let Maddie "help" Eric and have lunch outside too.

Thanks to all of Eric's efforts the last few weeks, our yard is looking better and better and Maddie was able to burn off some energy and spend time with Daddy too.

The Summer heat is creeping up on us, so will continue to get outside during these 70degree days as much as possible.

Lunch Time!

Maddie Finds the perfect leaf:

Helping Daddy:

Party Time

On Saturday, we took Maddie to Fain's 1st birthday party. It's official: all the babies are now one. Amazing how much they've all grown into such fun and smart little toddlers.

Thanks to the Mollo family for being such great hosts. Maddie had a BLAST!

Lunch with Daddy

Today, we met Daddy for lunch at Hula Hut and sat outside on the deck to enjoy the lovey Spring weather. Maddie showed Daddy how to color with BOTH hands.

It's always nice when we meet Daddy for lunch.

New Shoes

At the recommendation of several friends, I took Maddie to a local kid shoe store, Sandy's, for some new shoes. I wanted her to get comfy sandles for the coming hot summer months. It's a very baby-friendly and fun store so we had a nice time and ended up with new shoes for Maddie.

Maddie gets fitted:

Town Lake Bridge with Friends

Maddie and I met a couple of Mommies and babies Thursday morning at the Town Lake pedestrian bridge. We had originally planned to let the girls run around a park but the sprinklers were on, so we took the girls to the bridge nearby. Oh boy, did they have FUN. It was another beautiful Spring morning. A bit chilly but clear and sunny.

Babies on a bench:

Maddie spots a boat in the lake:

Cute dog = baby magnet!

As soon as we arrived, the girls were ready to run: (Note that Maddie has a head-start!)

Maddie Conquers Stairs

For several months, Maddie has been able to climb up the flight of stair in our home. The stairs are a bit steep so we have been teaching Maddie to go down them by herself with us close by.

This morning, Maddie went down the entire flight of stairs by herself. Don't worry, we were still right by her making sure she didn't slip.

She knows that she has to turn around and go down the stairs on her hands and knees, slowly, and she likes to slide too.

Maddie is such a big girl these days.

2010 Austin Kite Festival

This morning, we met some friends at Zilker Park for the annual Spring kite festival. We had a wonderful time sitting on our picnic blankets under the shade of a tree, watching all the kites, people and dogs. The babies had a blast as they were able to run around the park as much as they wanted.

The kite festival is just another reason we love Austin.

Austin Zoo

I took Maddie to the Austin Zoo for the first time and met a couple of other Mommies and babies there too. It was another beautiful 70 degree day in Austin so being outside was a must.

Although Maddie loves to read about animals and gets excited by animals that are close to her, it was hard for her to see or enjoy the animals in cages. I'd try to point out bobcats or monkeys or lions but Maddie was more interested in running and picking up rocks and sticks. She's a funny girl. At least there were some chickens roaming around free that Maddie got to chase.

Running at the Zoo!

Snack Time:

Baby Bobcats:

Collecting rocks and sticks (and ignoring the animals) :-)

Friendship Means . . .

(1) Watching a friend learn to play a maraca in a unique way.


(2) Helping to coordinate a handbag and Easter-bunny ears with a friend's cute outfit.
(Maddie 14 months, Erica 13 months)

Big Girl Pillow

Tonight, I put a regular-sized pillow in Maddie's crib for the first time. I probably should have done it sooner since Maddie loves hugging pillows so much but it's there now.

I checked on her several times after she'd gone to sleep for the night and she chose not to put her head on it. I think it will take some getting used to but I think she'll like it. At least she can cuddle it before she falls to sleep.