MADELINE!
Here are some pics of our first child, Madeline Nicole Ray, born February 17, 2006 at 06:19pm. She was 8lb-6oz and 21-1/2 inches long.
Back to Madeline's Current Page
Check out this webpage of Madeline that Sus put together
February 17, 2008 -- 2 years old! Here are the pics from Maddie's birthday party at her Grandma & Grandpa Roy's house, and a couple pictures of her "truck" that Grandma and Grandpa Ray got for her.
March 16, 2008 -- Helping her old man blow out candles for B-Day #31... riding her tricycle... loving on her ducky chair... riding the "horsey" at Wal Mart and the "racin car" at K-Mart... passed out on Quackie... and last but not least, the NRAO Easter Party.
March 26, 2008 -- Some Easter weekend pics.... Easter basket and Grandma & Grandpa Roy's house.... Easter basket at our house (pardon the "Tornado Maddie" carnage in the background!).... Easter egg hunting.... and finally some shots from our Harrisonburg trip.
April 13, 2008 -- Maddie has really taken a liking to the 50 cent rides you see at Wal Mart and such... this time it was the merry go round at K-Mart. Then some outside pics at home, now that the weather's finally breaking. If you look real close you'll spot some pigtails in that last pic.
May 8, 2008 -- Playing playdoh with Popaw Ray, passed out on Quackie (again), and having fun at Lowes. Then four pics of fun on the Ray playground. Then two pics of the day she had her lead test and a shot (note the bandaid on the finger and the lollipop) and finally, more fun on the Ray playground.
June 1, 2008 -- I figured I'd put up a few recent pics before what will probably be a big update after our Carlisle/Hershey trip next week. Four pictures from the Sparks Family Reunion 2008 with her Grandma Roy and her cousins Catlyn and T.D. Then some more swing set and K-Mart merry go round action.
June 2008 -- Carlisle & Hershey Trip!
As usual, the car show at Carlisle wasn't nearly as exciting for Maddie as the Hershey trip. But, here's a few pics from Carlisle anyway. She's rocking out in her pink hat and Dora shades... then passed out at the hotel. I also threw in a picture of the photo op at the AACA Museum in Hershey.
Now on to the fun part... Hersheypark!
One of my main priorities was to get a picture of her at the ride height measurement area, so I could compare it with last year's pic. Below is last year's pic and this year's. Wow, major height and hair increase! She was still a Hershey's Miniature by about 1/2 inch. Yes, that did keep her off a few rides, and yes it did tick her off.
She rode all kinds of rides this year. Some by herself, some with me or Sus, and some with Maw Maw and Paw Paw Ray. In total she rode: Skyview (ski lift kinda ride), Kissing Tower, The Carousel (aka the BIIIIIIG Merry Go Round), Lady Bugs, Bizzy Bees, Tiny Timbers (log water ride), Mini Train, Pony Parade, Granny Bugs, Speedway Race Cars, Convoy, Frog Hopper, Space Age, Traffic Jam, Mini Himalaya, Dinosaur Go Round, Tiny Tracks, the Monorail, and the Dry Gulch Railroad. Whew.
The Carousel was a big hit. She was used to the 50cent ride at K Mart in the above pics. This Merry Go Round was a little overwhelming compared to that one.
Bizzy Bees, Convoy, Dinosaur Go Round....
Feeding the ducks, Frog Hopper, Granny Bugs....
Ladybugs, Miniature Train....
Mini Himalaya, Pony Parade, Space Age, Sunoco Speedway Cars....
Tiny Timbers... twice with Sus & I, then once with Maw Maw and Paw Paw Ray.
Tiny Tracks, and Traffic Jam.
07/13/08 -- Not as exciting as the Hershey update last month but here ya go....
Climbing the ladder, driving Daddy's truck, picking PawPaw's Cherries, and swimming in the kiddie pool.
A picture with most of her ducky collection, swinging with Quackie, and the first time ever playing in a mud puddle!
And finally, the Durbin Days baby pageant. Maddie got 1st runner up. It was the judge's opinion that she came in 2nd instead of 1st and, to quote a very wise man, "its ok with me if they're wrong" :-)
August 2008 -- Myrtle Beach Trip!
This year we made another trip to Myrtle Beach. We stopped again in Asheboro, NC on the way down to break the ~8hr trip up and so we could take her back to the NC Zoo. Being another year older made a huge difference in how much she enjoyed the trip and how much stuff she could do.
Here's a few shots of her checking out the lions and some meerkats. Then a pic of zookeeper Maddie.
They had a carousel at the zoo so of course Maddie had to take a few rides on it. They also had a Spongebob 4D ride and I had the ride op turn off our seat and she sat in my lap & watched it. Sus & Maddie ended the day by chasing a goose.
Myrtle Beach
She had a REALLY good time playing on the beach this year. We spent a lot more time at the beach which was good. That's Susan and Madeline (waving at me) in the long range shot.
We took Maddie to Alligator Adventure a.k.a the "Alligator Zoo". She got to pet a gator and a tortoise and of course feeding the duckys was a good time.
We also took her to Ripley's Aquarium. She was all about petting the wild animals on this trip, so there she is with a horseshoe crab and trying to pet a stingray.
We spent a day at Broadway at the Beach and we ended up in the Build a Bear workshop. She was too little last year but this year she was ready to build a...... bunny :-) The pics below show the process... pick out an empty animal, fill it up with stuffing, pick out a little heart, kiss it, and put it in the bunny, then give it an air bath. Then pick out some clothes, get its birth certificate, give up some $$, and you have your own bunny. Pretty cool process actually.
The Pavilion Amusement Park that used to be on Ocean Blvd was closed and tore down back in 2006. However, they saved a few of the rides and moved them to Broadway at the Beach and called it the "Pavilion Nostalgia Park". Anyhow, Maddie had to hit those rides! She rode the boats, dune buggies, motorcycles, teacups, and of course, the carousel. There's also a random shot of Maddie & Quackie riding an elephant in a Wal Mart that didn't fit anywhere else in this report so there ya go :-)
September 2008 -- Amanda & Cole's Wedding in Staunton, VA. Susan was a bridesmaid and Maddie was having a good time as usual.
October 20, 2008 -- Hersheypark in the Dark! We went back up to Hershey to check out their Halloween activities. It was a little cool and the crowd was heavy, but still fun. Maddie knocked out that last 1/2 inch and rode her first roller coaster: Trailblazer. They rename all their rides for Halloween so her first roller coaster was actually Boo Blazer :-)
We'll start with the typical height measurement pic and then how she measured up to a big pumpkin. She's finally "Hershey's Kisses"!
Then a few rides - Tricky Tracks, Frog Boo Bouncers, Howling Himalaya (note Maddie has her arms up!), Monster Macks, and Balloon Fright.
Hersheypark had "Treatville", a trick-or-treating area, setup for the kiddies. With, you guessed it, all sorts of Hershey candy.
And finally, her first roller coaster! In the following pics you will see anxiety, concern, relief, and happiness on her Daddy's face. She loved it though!
HALLOWEEN 2008!
Maddie's been looking forward to Halloween for a couple months now. She's been telling everyone how she's going to be a ducky and she's going to say "trick or treat, quack!". Well, she did exactly that and had a great time.
First a few shots of carving the pumpkin
Now for the trick or treating. Sus dressed up as a witch and I dressed up as the "Dad who just got off work and was the chauffer for trick or treating" :-)
CHRISTMAS 2008!
Well, its been a while since I've put up any new pictures so lets see what's happened since Halloween...
We've had a little bit of snow and Maddie has graduated from her crib to a toddler bed, and she is officially potty trained! (no pics of that LOL)
Getting ready for Christmas included putting up our tree, sitting on Santa's lap, and baking cookies with Mommy.
She said she wanted to grow a beard so she could be Santa so PawPaw Ray made her a beard out of a dust mask. Then she became Maddie Claus and asked Quackie what he wanted for Christmas.
Finally, the big day! At home, at MawMaw & PawPaw Ray's house, and at Grandma & Pappy Roy's house. No encouragement was required during present opening this year :-)
Here's a comparison shot of Maddie's first three years of Christmas.
More pics to come...