The first time.....

I will pass the century mark in Aggie Football game attendance this year, but I did something on Saturday that I've never done before......I sat on the Former Student side of the stadium. This was a pretty big step for me. I really enjoy standing with the 12th Man during the game, doing the yells, soaking up the atmosphere, etc. I had a nice seat on the 2nd row of the 3rd deck (45 yard line), so I had a nice view of the game. It was interesting to hear how loud the students yelled throughout the game and it was pretty cool to see all of those 12th Man towels waving when the Texas Aggies were on defense. It was a fun game to watch. The Aggies won 38-30. For those wondering when I attended my first Aggie football game, well that was September 14, 1991. The Aggies beat a certain Louisiana school 45-7 (also the 1st victory to begin a streak of 5 straight wins). Freshman Greg Hill rushed for 212 yards in that game. Hill was inducted into the Texas A&M Hall of Fame this past weekend.....pretty wild!

.....now on to the other events of the evening



As you can see in the above picture, Kyle Field was taken over by winged insects at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. I have never seen so many insects in my life! There were crickets all over the place (see below picture) and bugs trying to whisper sweet nothings in my ear! When I told Bethany about it the following morning.....she said that the radio guys mentioned that they had never seen something like that at Kyle Field. I guess the bugs were welcoming me to the other side of Kyle Field.

Ok Madelyn go ahead.....

I am so excited to finally tell everyone!



I am gonna be a big sister!!!



Mommy and I went shopping to buy me a "Big Sister" shirt to surprise Daddy with the good news. This is when Daddy found out!

Today, Mommy and Daddy got to peak at my new sibling at the Doctor's office while I stayed with Gram. With a good report, they told me we could tell everyone!!! BTW, the picture looks like a blob to me! I also found out we will be sharing a birthday in the same month. Mommy says the baby is due April 17, 2010.

Snack time.......

Bethany and I bought a package of plastic bowls about two years ago with the thought that we would use them for dips or something (impulse buy......but that's another blog). Over that time period, we never used these wonderful dipping devices. A few weeks ago Madelyn wanted a snack, so I cut up the fruit and placed it in the bowl pictured above. She loved the idea that she could carry her food around and hasn't stopped using them. She now actually starts looking for one of the bowls when she is ready for a little snack.

Madelyn's First Frio Trip....

Over the years, Bethany and I have made many trips to the Frio River. It's one of those places where you can sit back and relax......and just take some time off. We have been looking forward to the opportunity to show our little girl a place where she will likely spend some time at each summer. We figured, what better way to celebrate Madelyn's "Sweet Sixteen" (month) than a little trip?!?!? Speaking of "Sweet Sixteen"......sad to hear about the passing of John Hughes........I spent way too much time watching his movies. Back to the blog....

We were a little worried that Madelyn wouldn't care for the "chilly" water. Boy were we wrong! She had a blast.....floating, splashing, swimming (with a little help), throwing rocks, looking for little fish, etc.

A little story....the morning we were supposed to head back to home, Madelyn decided to have an "early" morning wake up call.....around 5:30am. We didn't want to awaken everyone in the cabin, so I took Madelyn outside. Bethany told me to take her for a little walk by the river. I took her advice and began the short trek. What I didn't realize was that at 5:30 in the morning, there isn't much "light" in Concan, TX.....I didn't want to go back inside the cabin for a flashlight, so I switched to my "night vision" viewing mode. While hanging out by the river, we saw a few deer drinking water, heard the water flowing, saw a couple cars passing by the low-water bridge........and after a few minutes began to smell a "unique" odor. It wasn't an early morning surprise from Madelyn.......that's right, about 30 or so feet from us was a skunk! We quickly made our way back to the cabin and hung out in the screened porch area until there was better lighting. It was great to hang out with Madelyn for a few hours before everyone woke up......almost like our own special father/daughter time.

Below are a few pics from the trip...
Madelyn helping load the groceries for the trip.

Madelyn having some yogurt prior to leaving. As you can see, she doesn't need the spoon(which means it gets everywhere......there is another story that I am sure Bethany would love to share).

Heading off for our float trip...we actually walked/swam since the river was so low.

Madelyn taking a break after a little swim...

I cannot tell you how much she loves spaghetti.....always fun to clean up! BTW, she does a nice little trick with the olives.

Playing with the tube....

A family pic at Garner State Park

Madelyn hanging out at The Pavilion at GSP.....maybe next time she can dance with her Dad?!?!

Madelyn & me

Madelyn running around the 'rock beach'.....she had a blast!

Madelyn doing a little early morning bird watching...

Madelyn and her cousin

Heading back home.....taking a little nap

Bobby Boucher would be so proud.....

A few days ago, we decided it would be a good time to go out and play on the splash pad for a little while. After a few minutes of hanging out, Madelyn decides that she was a little thirsty....so she walks over to one of the sprinklers and begins to drink. After quenching her thirst, she goes back to playing for a few minutes....then heads back over to the sprinkler. This goes on a few times. Crazy kid!!!

Below are a few pics of Madelyn hangin' out in the backyard....

Madelyn sitting in her lawn chair

Looking cool with her hat backwards....not sure who she learned that from?!?!

Madelyn running around


BTW, Aggie Football is less than 40 days away.....Whoop!

Madelyn and her "baby"

A few weeks ago, Madelyn took on the responsibility of taking care of her "baby". I had no idea that she would be so attached and would make sure it was taken almost everywhere she went. We had to buy a matching "baby" so that she could take care of it over at Bethany's parents house.

Below are a few pics we took of Madelyn and her new addition...

Eating...


Hanging out...


Climbing the ladder (you can tell Madelyn knows she shouldn't be on it)...


Sitting in the chair...


Taking a bath (Yes, it was fun trying to take it away from her after the bath was complete)...

Happy Birthday Bethany!

You've been around for 10,593 days (and 3,924 of those days hanging out with me for some reason).

About a month ago, your mom and I came up with a plan to surprise you on your birthday. It took a little bit of planning, but I have a little more free time nowadays (for those keeping score.....today is the 2 month anniversary). We thought it would be a good idea to have Madelyn wish you a happy birthday at work. Since Madelyn couldn't drive.....we decided that we would all hope in the truck.

A little background...ever since I've known Bethany, I've tried to give her a few "surprises" from time-to-time. Sending random cards on "unique" holidays, delivering broccoli-cheese soup and cheesecake on her window seal at her dorm while she was studying, delivering flowers for no reason.....you get the picture.

Below are a few pics of the visit....



Madelyn heading to the clinic for the "appointment"


Madelyn studing the "Chaz" breeds (for those that don't know.....every cat right now is 'Chaz')


Bethany walking into the appointment...Seeing Bethany's face when she opened the door to see Madelyn in her "A&M scrubs" was pretty cool. Bethany was glad to see us. It was nice to take a few minutes out of her busy morning to say "Happy Birthday."


Bethany & Madelyn


Madelyn posing for a pic by the tree