Middleton Preschool

I went in to help at MJ's preschool and snapped a few shots of her in her element. She loves MPS! When I picked her up this same day, the kids were running around in a pack on the playground. I asked her what they were playing and she excitedly said, "We were all superheroes!" Love it.

Scott and his Crazy Legs

Congrats to Scotty on completing his first 8k -- Madison's Crazylegs Classic! Crazylegs is a great race through downtown Madison and the UW campus that ends at Camp Randall with kegs of beer (only in Wisconsin), food and music. Runner's World rated Crazylegs as one of America's top 100 events. Scott and two of his buddies ran together. He was pretty proud of himself, as he should be. Another friend of his, who's a marathon runner, was at our house today and -- mark these words -- Scott told him he'd like to train for some more races. So, Daddy, keep running!

Dino Love

Mary Jane is fascinated with dinosaurs. Thanks to her aunts, uncles and grandparents, she is building quite a collection of these ancient creatures. Scott told her that he was taking her to this amazing dinosaur show (where they have life-sized robotic dinos roaming a huge arena -- sounds scary to me!), MJ immediately set up her own dino village. Of course, she's not all boy -- she always dresses her dinos in appropriate attire. :)

Make Way for Ducklings?

This is the second year we've seen a pair of ducks nest in our neighbors' yard. They've fed them each year for a long time and have watched several duck families emerge and wander to one of the two ponds within walking distance of our house. Some years they actually accompanied the duck family to the pond since they have to cross a few streets. We did see cute fuzzy babes last year and hope we can "Make Way for Ducklings" again! (Be sure to read that book if you haven't already.)

Toothless Friends

I get a kick out of seeing all the first graders and their gap-toothed grins. Two of Anna's good friends have both front teeth missing. This is our buddy Nicole with Anna, the one-toothed wonder.

Meeting Charlotte

Charlotte ... what can I say ... She's a cute-as-a-button girl who likes to cuddle and EAT. She sleeps like a champ and when I was in Maryland to meet her, the crying was minimal. Her longest sustained cry was maybe 4 minutes during a diaper change. (She did not like that, or her baths.) It was so cute to see her big eyes checking out the world. She's SO alert for her age. And it was most fun to see her mom and dad interact with her. They are loving parents who don't seem like first-timers. Heather is nursing like a pro. I am so proud of her. Heather and Chuck, thanks for letting me share in Charlotte's first few weeks!

More Annapolis

These are scenes from Heather and Chuck's neighborhood where they're renting a very cute house until they can find a place to buy. The neighborhood, Arundel-on-the-Bay, is a mix of mini-mansions and old cottages. Great for walking. There are several public piers and lots of water views.