Friday Night Lights and a Chance to Help Our School!

It's high school football time again! While I am not a huge football fan, I do enjoy some high school football. I think it's because it's fun to see the students, the parents and feel the excitement in the air. It's not quite "hot chocolate and cool temps" football weather yet, but knowing Nebraska, that's not too far off. Maddy and I went to the first game last Friday evening ... and our team won -- in double OT!! Woohoo! Go Bolts!!

For Maddy, it was more of a social event than a sporting event. She watched like a hawk for her friends to arrive and then spent most of her time with them on the sidelines, chatting and doing some of those hand-clapping things that little girls do.

And here's where your chance comes in to help our school out. I'm not one to ask for favors -- at least not very often -- but I'm asking for one now. Would you, could you, go on FB and vote for our local high school in the Kohl's Cares campaign. It is still in the top 20, but losing a bit a ground as the campaign nears an end on Sept. 3.

Have you heard of the Kohl's Cares campaign? Twenty schools around the country will win $500,000 from the Kohl's Cares campaign! Isn't that incredible! Both of my sons graduated from Pius X and received incredible educations. Maddy will be there too when her turn comes. More than 90% of their graduates go on to college and graduate from college! That's a great statistic for any school!

Plus, for all you Nebraska people, Pius X is the only Nebraska school in the running that has a chance of winning! We need everyone who is at least 13 years old to vote!

Anyway, here's how to help. Go to www.facebook.com/kohls. Click on "Vote Now -Find My School. When prompted, click "Allow" to the Kohl's link. On the drop-down menu, enter Pius X High School Lincoln (Lancaster) NE. Select our school and then click "Case a Vote." Click "Like" and then click on the x in the top right-hand corner. Cast your vote 5 times (the vote counter will keep track and your vote will go from 20 votes to 15 votes left). You will see a facebook share link underneath where you case your vote. Click on this and then in the box say "Vote for Pius X for a new kitchen." Select publish to share with your FB friends and hopefully find some more votes for Pius!

Thank you for helping!

B&W Wednesday - A Hint of Fall!

Just last week, there was a little hint of fall to come.

Maddy and I went for a run . . . well, I ran, she biked.

It was a cooler day and leaves were falling (probably fainting due to the

really hot temps we've had the past month!)

But yesterday, yesterday was another day like that.

After some extremely hot and humid days, we have been blessed with

cooler temps, a lovely breeze and lower humidity!

While I really hate to see summer end (and it's not really over until

after Labor Day, right?), the hint of fall in the air is heavenly.

Do I smell pumpkin pie??

Since we're not exactly there yet, I'm revisiting some photos from last year

to remind me of how much I love fall

(it's winter that makes me crazy)!

A "Down" Slip!

[Digging through grass clippings and chewing on mulch is fun!]

Oh dear -- guess who got a down slip a/k/a naughty report from daycare?

It might help if you know it was from puppy daycare!

That naughty little Muffy!

Evidently, she is a bit too friendly with her buddies at puppy daycare

and it has been suggested that she see a trainer.

Maddy and I are already taking her to weekly appointments with the

local "dog-whisperer." Guess whispering isn't working and

we need to speak a little louder!

The First Day of School

[ 3rd Grade - 2010 - 8 years old]

Maddy's school started today.

What happy and excited faces I saw this morning --

and I mean the students too, not just the parents! :) Tee hee hee!

[Maddy and Mr. Tennis for the obligatory 1st day photo]

Maddy has been looking forward to the start of school and seeing her friends, but a little bit nervous about being a 3rd grader! She got a letter in the mail the other day from her teacher! Wow -- that meant a lot and she was thrilled to get it!

When we got to school this morning, one of her friends that we haven't seen all summer said "Oh Maddy, I need a hug!"

The girls gave each other big hugs [so sweet]!

And then her friend said, "You shrunk!" YIKES!!!

I thought it would be fun to see some flashbacks from previous

first days of school!

2006 - Preschool (4 years old)

2007 -- Kindergarten (5 years old)

2008 -- 1st Grade (6 years old)

2009 --2nd grade (7 years old)


Wasn't that a fun trip down memory lane?? It was for me too! :)

Look, I managed to get in one photo today!! :)

Summer Party Fun

[Maddy loved their swingset!]

It's not quite the end of summer, but it sure seems like it with the start of school

coming up this week!

[Gotta love a little motion blur!]

The law firm I work for has had a summer party the last two years and families are invited. It's so much fun and so nice of one of the lawyers to host it at her lovely home! Great weather, a waterslide, bounce house, swingset, bubbles and chalk + yummy food and drink = perfection on a Friday evening!!

Did you know that Jodee and I work together?? Yes, we do! So, Jodee and Chef Daddy helped a lot with the party -- bringing their water slide and some of Cory's yummy food over too!

Thanks Jodee and Chef Daddy!

[Such a sweet slide!]

While there were definitely more kids there than just Maddy (who do you spy there at the pool's edge watching Maddy on the slide??? If you guessed, Kamree, you're right)! Anyway, I'm not comfortable taking photos of or posting pics of other people's kids (well, Kamree did sneak into that one photo) , so that's why Maddy is the only one you can see at the party!

Believe me, there were a lot of kids and there was a lot of fun going on!

[Sidewalk chalk is cool!]

What a great way to say goodbye to summer and hello to the school year!

The Zoo -- Revisited!

In our efforts to squeeeze the last bit of summer fun into our schedule, we made a quick trip to our children's zoo recently.

I sometimes forget what a great zoo it is, but I do love it!

Part of what I love is that it is relatively small and doesn't take an entire day to visit.

Plus, it's not a very smelly zoo -- you know how some zoos can be that way!

This is about as close to a cow as Maddy wants to get!

Yep, she's a city girl!

This lovely, though hungry, peacock followed us around begging for fries and popcorn!!!

Of course, we gave him some -- do you see the beak on that guy!!!

It was our first time there this summer since the butterfly pavillion opened.

That is one of Maddy's favorite spots!

Every single year, she tries and tries and tries to get a butterfly to land on her finger.

Usually, the butterflies do not cooperate.

This year, however,

one landed immediately and probably would have stayed on her finger all day long,

but we didn't want to hog the one kid-friendly butterfly!

We do like to share, you know.

Can you tell, Maddy was beyond thrilled!

Ever since then, whenever she sees a butterfly in our yard, she takes off running after it

-- never catches it and one never lands on her finger -- but she gets "A" for effort!

Blooming Tuesday!

Just because I think these flowers of my neighbors are so incredibly beautiful this year -- I thought I'd share them with you.

Yes, I'm nice like that!

Actually, my neighbor is even nicer since she has the beautiful flowers.

Unfortunately, weeds have taken over at my house!

Oh well, at least they're green!! :)

Tee hee hee!

Pool Time --- Marco . . . Polo!!

Last week as July slinked away and August sneaked up on us, Maddy and I realized that she only had about three weeks until school started!!

Just how did summer zoom by so fast???

We decided then and there that we had not been to the pool nearly enough and vowed to visit at least three times a week, weather permitting!

The weather surely did permit as one afternoon last week, it was 99 degrees with a

103+ heat index!

That's a day just begging for some pool time, isn't it!

So, I left work early, surprised Maddy and off we went to the swimming pool.

Unbelievably, it was not crowded! I'm guessing that the kids that go right at

1 PM had already left and the after-work crowd was not there yet.

No matter, it was perfect -- no crowds, cool water and a silly girl!

What a combination for summer fun!

Maddy usually never wears her hair in piggies.

She rarely wants it pulled back or up, but on this particular day, she agreed to piggies so that it wouldn't all be stuck in her face when swimming! I think it is most adorable!

Generally, I like her hair a bit shorter, like just at chin length as she has a little face, and I love it when her hair gently frames that sweetness!

And then, before we headed out to pick up Muffy at puppy daycare

(where she also enjoyed some pool time),

Maddy was able to chow down on her all-time fave meal -- chicken strips and fries.

I'd call that one perfect summer afternoon! Yum yum!

Sunday Snapshot

My little Miss Maddy- 8 and 1/2 years old this summer! She's getting taller, sweeter and more beautiful every day. Of course, I may be a tad bit biased! :)

This was one of the very first photos we ever saw of her -- she was probably about 11 or12 months old.

Do you see the determined spirit in her eyes? I do -- such a determined and brave baby!

Here she was at 3 years old with one of her first fave stuffed animals -- Pooh Bear!

She loves to hear that we had three extra Pooh Bears stashed here and there, so we would never be without one close at hand! Over the years, Pooh was replaced first by Barney and later Mickey.

In some ways, it seems like she is growing up so fast! Pierced ears already! In many ways, she's still my little bitty girl. I love that big gap-toothed smile of hers, twinkly eyes and beautiful black hair.

It makes me so happy that she still likes to play with her stuffed animals. Of course, Mickey is her best buddy and generally goes everywhere with her. But on any given day, she could be carting around a different one and doing the talking for it. Sometimes her stuffed animal does something naughty and gets put in timeout by her or even me -- she is so funny!

During a break in the action in Chicago, she and I played a rousing game of SkipBo (I'm still not sure how that card game is played), but after I lost repeatedly, she rounded up some other friends to play with her. Yay -- Pooh resurfaced in Chicago!! :)

She loves to dance and does some of the sweetest, funniest moves.

If we go into a store and music is playing, she's moving to the beat. I love that she dances without noticing or caring if anyone is watching! I'm pretty sure she has brightened the day of so many salesclerks with her dancing --

she has certainly brightened mine!

I suggested that we check out some dance classes for fall, but she thinks they might stifle her originality -- hmmm -- hard to argue with that, eh!

She's absolutely the best girl when we visit my elderly parents.

Visits to their house are special to me, but I can understand how it might be very boring for an 8-year old. But, she loves going to see them and taking care of their dog -- walking him around the house, around the yard, anywhere and everywhere. She never complains that she's bored or asks to go somewhere else when we visit there.

It makes my heart happy that she is so sweet -- they love her so much!

I love that she cares and lets it show.