Schwing!

New swing for Maggie, new FlipVideo to capture it, and relief from the 90+ degree heat here in Raleigh. Good times! Notice the tools on the ground in the background, this is an authentic just-installed-swing video not to be missed!

Peas and Carrots in Action

Fun with Peas & Carrots at the Marbles Kids Museum

The East Coast findleys get a visit from the Louisiana Findleys!

Jean is through crazy tax season and we were fortunate enough to be first on the list for Grandbaby visits!!!! So much good food and good times were had in a too short weekend. We hit "Marbles" the kids museum of Raleigh, the State Fair grounds (a giant flea market with endless people-watching and stuff you know you never needed from 1918, awesome...we must say). Lunch at a great NC BBQ place, CPK and food, food, food at home...good times and we were all sappy sad when they left. We must say we had concerns on the impending visit due to Mag's current phase of not warming to "strangers"... worries unfounded when she smiled and crawled her way right to Grandma and Grandpa...she knows the good stuff when she sees it!

Maggie Kate and Sister Sadie Part 2

Sadie and the Magpie are like "peas and carrots"...and peas and carrots are just what Sadie was looking for... BFFs

Beans!

Untold dollars spent on toys, but current favorites include empty breadcrumb cylinder filled with rice, paper bag, and today's newest entry.... a bowlful of dried beans! After a few attempts we discovered a pacifier kept the beans from making their way directly into her mouth and instead they became a source of sensory amusement. Go beans! We are learning to take it back to when everything was new.

Beatin' the North Kackalacki heat

Yet another day of 95 + degree heat means Mom and Dad must find a cool way to entertain Miss Maggie. We opted for the Museum of Natural History downtown where we, and many other stroller wielding parents, found admission free refuge from the heat and plenty of space to walk with baby. Mags loved the fish tanks and bugs (especially the slimy salamander and...(ick) hissing cockroaches. We followed up the trip with lunch which she, nicely, slept through :) There is a kidz specific museum just down the street that we will head out to next..watch out for pics of that trip!

Finally.... Fence

Almost 1.5 years after moving in, we finally have the fence we wanted for our backyard here in Raleigh. The small dog-run chain link fence is gone, and now we can enjoy the whole yard with Sadie and Maggie. There's still a lot of cleanup and landscaping to do, but we have a clean slate to start with.

I had contemplated the idea of doing the work myself, but after seeing some pros in action I'm glad I decided against it. Removing the old dog-run took two guys almost 3 hours, and they had a giant drill to help. I was going to do it all by hand.

Laughing/Funny noise contest

Maggie was obviously the winner of this contest because her creative use of the razberry with and without pacifier. Make sure sound is on for this one.



This video was taken pre-strabimus surgery, so eyes are still crossed a bit. She's recovering well and we hope to have some new pictures or video of her freshly aligned eyes soon.