Celebrating . . .

Look -- she and McKenna dressed alike --
 Maddy's top found at Target*

10-1/2!!

Not really her birthday,

but it was her half-year birthday!!!  

Maddy has always wished she had a summer birthday celebration –

So this year she did!! 

 It was a totally complete and sweet surprise for my

 totally sweet 10-1/2 year old! J

A spicy gift --a new swim bag filled with Sour Cream and BBQ chips! :)

Hello Summer!

Well, hello there summer!!
Happy 1st official day of summer!

Chicken nuggets, fries and a root beer please!

Hello to dinner at the pool!

Playing at the [empty] school playground.

Tossing some toys to Muffy!

Doing the pool "Egyptian" dance!

Dear Summer:

We LOVE you!

An Interview ABout Mr. Tennis - Weekend Update

Weekend Update -- it was Father's Day!!! 

 I made my own sweet Dad, a/k/a Al, some of his most very

favorite chocolate chip cookies!! 

He loves them -- or at least I keep telling myself that! :)

My Mom and Dad with me and my twin! 
Adorable, right!!

Mr. Tennis hit the jackpot this year with gifts of socks,

 boxers, a shirt, s'mores foodstuffs and

 a well-deserved nap or two -- probably his favorite of all!

Maddy's re-adoption day -- November, 2003

My friend Jodee passed along this "Meet My Dad" interview form,

so I interviewed Miss Maddy and her responses are below:

What is Daddy's Name?

Maddy:   Rick

What does Daddy do for fun?

Maddy:  Horseback riding.

What does Daddy do at work?

Maddy:  He's a lawyer.

What are his favorite things to eat?

Maddy:  Burnt toast!!

What does he like to drink?

Maddy:   Water

How old is Daddy?

Maddy:  50s

How tall is Daddy?

Maddy:  6 feet

What is Daddy's hair like?

Maddy:  The "Justin Bieber" look sometimes!

How much does he weigh?

Maddy:  Over 100

What makes Daddy the best?

Maddy:  His sweetness, but he's sometimes bossy.

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?

Maddy:  Visit the horse.

How long have you known Daddy?

Maddy:  10 Years

Where did you and Daddy meet?

Maddy:  China

Although we didn't get to see him for Father's Day,

I'm sure my son (the Doctor) had a wonderful day with his sweet wife and kiddos!

  I'm not surprised that he's a great Dad, he's been a wonderful son!

The Summer Bucket List

One of the things on my "summer bucket list" to do

with Miss M is to ride bicycles more! 

"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
~John F. Kennedy - U.S. President

I love to ride my bike --

if you recall, I am a previous bicycle champion!

  Yes, it's true! 

 Anyhoooo -- Maddy got a new bicycle recently

and we hadn't really been out riding much

 as pool time and horse-back riding seem to be interfering a tad bit.

Safety first -- helmet on -- almost ready!

But, we did get out for a ride last night and. . .

It

Was

 Wonderful!

Next up on the list --

 ride the bicycle to DQ or Goodrich

 for a root beer float!!

Makeover in the Works!

Yes, we are doing a little makeover at our casa. 

 Philip's old room

 (will I ever stop calling it "Philip's room" even though he hasn't lived

 at home for many years??)

is being made over to a sweet little guest room. 

Bed - photo from Overstock.com --
Love its clean and simple lines!

Some of the monstrously large furniture he had since he was in 7th grade

has been given away already with the rest to head to

our local Catholic Social Services next week. 

A "before" shot. 
Note to self -  must find new home for vacuum and "Twister!"

And then ...

New paint!

New carpet!

New furniture!

And it will be all done by the time my sister and her sweet daughter

 come to visit July 5th

Cross your fingers!!

Stay tuned!

Fun in the Sun At the Pool!

She's not too happy that school is out, summer is here
and the pool is open, is she??

We were among the many who hit the pool

 on its first weekend open!! 

 The extremely hot and humid conditions

were perfect for some pool time!

Even though it was very hot, Maddy reported (and my toes confirmed)

 that the water was very cold!!

Besides fun in the sun and at the pool, guess who loves the little snack shop?? 

Miss M! 

Her treat of choice on the first day  . . . chilled puppy chow!! 

Oh yum!!

We love summer!

 

Ready Boots . . . Start Walking

These boots weren't made for walking . . . no,

 they were made for horse-back riding!

Mr. Tennis has been taking Maddy to horse-back riding lessons weekly. 

 And, it was time for some boots -- her sneakers just weren't going to keep her safe when the horse started trotting! 

Maddy picked these boots out all by herself! 

I think she made a great selection!!! 

The cowgirls at the store tried to steer her toward plainer boots,

 but she held firm! 

Once she spied these boots, there was no turning back!!!

Heck, if I had cute boots like that,

I might even ride a horse!!! :)