new pics, new projects

in addition to my garden project that has yet to commence, we are starting (i should say...steve is starting) work on our patio. as you may remember, we (again...steve and friends) took down the above ground pool in our backyard, shoveled a ton of dirt into the hole, planted grass and left a portion of it with sand so that we could have room to lay a patio. here are pics of the beginnings stages of that project.
one of my very dear (and amazing as i have told her many times) friends from college painted these letters for maddie's room. it was not an easy process either as hobby lobby (equivalent to michaels and/or christmas tree shops) kept running out of E's before she could purchase them. we considered changing the spelling of madElEinE's name but she came through for us (C: thanks again em! look how well they coordinate with her bedding set and the mobile.

i am working to upload all of our pics to kodak gallery but here are some shots for the interim to get you by.

something we can all get excited about (especially those who have endured a long winter)...the first blooms in our backyard


...and the promise of what's to come.  this oak tree was started from an acorn by one of our friends.  we can't wait to plant it in the front yard.
cute pic of the family taken by kara

maddie in her car seatfirst trip on the "T" (that's the subway for those who haven't been here)
trying very hard to enjoy bathtime (look at the lip)
meeting friends for lunch downtown
maddie and mom (i love this picture)

maddie and aunt kara

another bloom in the front yard!
maddie and mr. teddy (we'll let her name it when she gets older)
maddie and felix

that's all for now.  check back for a link to a lot of pics.