05.13.12 - Happy Mothers' Day!

09.24.11 - Tree house and Grandma's house

It was the Smithsonian's Museum Day today, so we took advantage of the free admission to checkout Botanica. We'd never been there and we were told its Childrens' Garden was awesome.

And. It. Is.

Here, Angie and Nate stop for a portrait while climbing the tree house.


Nate spent a lot of time watering the flowers outside Grandma's house while Maddie was inside baking cookies with some other girls.


So many watering cans and so many flowers to water. Where to start?


Soon he realized Maddie was somewhere else and he went looking for her. It usually doesn't matter what Maddie's up to, Nate wants to be right there with her. I hope she doesn't mind!


As a result, he likes to play kitchen. Maybe he'll grow up to be a famous chef. Or at least invite his mom and dad over for dinner every now and then.

04.15.11 - Gonna need a bigger kitchen

Nate got to join in on the fun in baking cookies with Mommy and Maddie tonight. Oddly enough, I think he liked playing drums on the canisters more than he liked the cookies! I wonder if there will be room for Tommy on that counter, too? Looks like we're gonna need a bigger kitchen sooner than I thought!

04.09.11 - Trains and sandboxes

Today was a busy day. We had a picnic lunch in Watson Park before taking a train ride around the park. Who's Maddie's friend? We have no idea. That's where Maddie wanted to sit and both the girl and her parents were OK with it.


After naps, which last until almost 5 p.m., Gramma Karen and Grampy Keith came over with dinner, after which Nate and Grampy spent some time in the new sandbox before going on a walk.

We're having a painting party soon. All hands are welcomed! I'm sure the neighbors behind us are getting tired of looking a splotches of primer white. I know we are!

03.20.11 - Not a chance!

Nate, sit still long enough for a photo with your Mommy!

Not a chance, Dad!

03.06.11 - Storytime

Nate laughs as his mommy makes a monkey sound while reading stories with him, Maddie, Harley and Tommy!

01.28.11 - Weeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

Today was the one unseasonably warm winter day that Wichita always seems to get near the end of January. The high reached at least 70 degrees so before dinner we hit the back yard to enjoy some fresh air and a few trips down the slide.

01.18.11 - Bad aim

Mom proved to have bad aim at dinner tonight. To her credit, though, it can be hard to hit a moving target!

01.16.11 - M.V.B.

Nate is his mommy's Most Valuable Boy, for another couple of months or so.

01.08.11 - Peek-a-boo Mommy!

Nate plays peek-a-boo with mommy while daddy is working the weekend away.

Editor's note: He's rather be home playing, too!

12.31.10 - Looking back

As 2010 draws to an end, Nate discovers that he can look back at his Mommy if he throws his head back. Over and over and over again. He must have done this a dozen times!

12.29.10 - Hangin' out

So the story goes, Mom is trying to do some laundry and the kids decide to help. Yeah, you can tell how much laundry got done!

12.19.10 - I love mommy!

And he ain't afraid to show it!

12.15.10 - Dance with me!

Nate dances to a Van Halen song on Pandora with his Mommy!

12.12.10 - Clasen Christmas

After church, we stopped at Gramma Karen's house for a bit. After that, we stopped by the annual Clasen Christmas. It was pushing two o'clock, which is an hour past Nate's nap time, when he finally drifted off to sleep in Angie's arms. He slept on the way home but, as our luck would have it, was wide awake once we actually tried to put him in his crib for another hour of sleep. Not to be outsmarted by a ten-month-old, Angie and I took turns taking naps so that we could all catch some shuteye.

12.07.10 - "Peek-a-boo, Dad!"

Nate likes to play peek-a-boo over the back of the sofa.

12.04.10 - First Christmas gift!

We celebrated Christmas with the Swearingens in Manhattan tonight and Nate got to open his very first Christmas gift - a book about trucks! Getting together with Brian and Emily has become a yearly tradition and every year there seems to be a new kid. Next year will be no different. :)

11.24.10 - Feed The Children

Some days, I swear these kids are going to eat us out of house and home. But, as Angie said recently, "We may struggle with what to make for dinner, but at least we can make dinner." It was a stark reminder for me how fortunate we are, even on days when it's hard to see.

11.21.10 - Weeeeeeeeeee!

It was ... Absolutely. Beautiful. Today.

In fact, Wichita may have set a record high today (eat your heart out, Hawaiian vacationers!) so between lunch and afternoon naps we squeezed in a few minutes at a nearby park. We've been there before and Maddie loves the slides. Today, Nate got to play, too, having a ball on the swings with his Mommy.

10.26.10 - Patty cake

Nate watches his sister "roll 'em up and roll 'em up and throw 'em in the pan!"