BOO!

What's brown and furry with a tail and floppy ears? Why me - a puppy dog! (The ears come later, but check out that tail)

My bud Jacob was a knight...we were fearsome!

I didn't even mind the ears on my head and I despise hats. But this got me candy, so I cooperated.

I wondered what this witch was brewing...maybe something good to eat? I doubt it could be better than the mini Oreos I got in my treat basket.

Ah, look at all my goodies!! Why does this happen only once a year? I want to be a puppy and get loads of candy all year long! -maddox

HALLOWEEN PLAYDATE

I got excited when Jacob came over on Halloween.

It's fun having another boy to play with! Of course, sometimes we hit each other, but as they say...boys will be boys. -maddox

BIG WHEELS

This is what I call some big wheels! When I was a little baby, the 4-wheeler scared me.

But Papa keeps me safe on it and boy do I love it now! -maddox

THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS

What have I been up to, you ask? Why, sniffing everything outside of course...

...and trying to run off with the CD player plug, among my many other sneaky endeavors. -maddox

THE DEEP SOUTH

You could say my first time on a plane and out of state was a success! Our flights got delayed and we didn't touch down in Mississippi until midnight, so naturally I was a little cranky, but I slept a lot too. I woke up in Biloxi to the sound of everyone on the plane clapping...apparently they were glad to be alive because we went through some terrible weather and turbulence. Luckily I slept through it like a little baby!

I warmed up to my daddy pretty fast. The first night I sat in bed and stared at him for about 30 min. I had to make sure he was my daddy. And he was! We played together, he introduced me to the yummy taste of Fruit Loops and he showed me how to get a gumball out of a machine. My daddy is the best!

He took Mom and I to the beach and we watched the birds.

This beach was weird though. It didn't have any waves like the beach I went to in South Carolina! And it started getting chilly, so we went back to the car.

On Saturday we went all the way to New Orleans, Louisiana to the Audubon Zoo.

It was huge! I loved watching the animals and all the other "little kids." One part of the zoo had a petting zoo. I got to touch sheep, goats and even an African hedgehog!

It was a great day with my parents.

Dad took me on the carousel and I rode a gator. I know - I am pretty brave! But I felt safe because Dad was by my side.

Dad shared his strawberry snowcone with me too. I even had my own spoon.

This place is a little boy's dream! I loved it.

I slept the entire drive back to Biloxi. I was exhausted!

On Sunday we had to tell Dad bye-bye. It was so sad. Mom and Dad cried like babies. Earlier that day Dad showed us where he lives for right now. I can't wait til we can all live together again!

I miss my dad. But pretty soon I can see him every day! I can't wait. -maddox

DADDY, HERE I COME!

It has been 3 1/2 months since I've seen my daddy. But that all changes today! I am flying in a REAL airplane all the way to Biloxi, Mississippi. It's my first plane ride and my first time out of state. Wow, the things I am going to see! Of course, the best thing I am going to see is my daddy!!!! I bet he is pretty excited too. -maddox

MY "ALMOST" 1ST EMERGENCY

Sunday started out great. I was wearing my new blue jeans and feeling pretty cool.

I even got a rare treat: a tasty blue blowpop. But, the tables turned when I scratched my eye. It watered all day and at times I couldn't even open it. It looked funny, too. And you can imagine that I was VERY upset over this and let everyone know it. NaNa and Mom almost took me to the ER (it was Sunday, so nothing else was open) but called the pediatrician on call first. She called me in some special drops. Thankfully, I woke up this morning and my eye is just fine. Phew, that was a close one! I was scared I'd have to wear an eye patch. -maddox

CIAO

I tried Italian cuisine today. Well, it was just breadsticks, chocolate-covered mints and something called "fagioli" soup at the Olive Garden, but I think it still counts as Italian food. I could spend a whole day tasting food from all around the world. Yummy! -maddox

THROWIN' ROCKS

I was taking my usual route along the backyard when I spotted something amazing! How had I missed this?

I cut a trail and headed toward this newfound wonder....
...a walkway covered in hundreds of ROCKS!

I threw some, dropped some, gave some to Mom and NaNa, and of course, tried to eat some.

But I don't need the extra calories. Look at that tummy!

I must have spent 45 minutes digging in those rocks and getting dirty...but nothing a good bath can't fix! -maddox

MR. SMILEY

Grandpa and MiMi brought me a balloon today.

MiMi tied it to my toy.

And my "king" chair. It smiled a lot.

I decided it should be set free, so...I untied it.

Then I cracked a big smile, just like the balloon.

I thought about that balloon outside. I wondered if it could touch the sky. I'm still wondering about that.

I even thought about it over snacktime. Hmm...maybe in a few days I will give it a try and find out. -maddox

LOOKING IN

Today I was on the outside looking in.

Hey Mom!

Hey NaNa!

p.s. Don't notice my mismatched pj's. -maddox

THE MILKSHAKE

Don't be jealous. -maddox

NANA'S LITTLE HELPER

I thought I would help NaNa clean the house today. I attempted to vacuum, but that thing is heavier than it looks!

So, I moved on to the trash can. I resisted my temptation to look at the goodies inside and tried to drag it to the door.

But I ran into yet another dilemma! That doorknob is higher than it looks. Hopefully I will grow taller and stronger soon. -maddox

BLUE SLIPPERS

It's been a rainy day...a perfect day to try out my snuggly blue slippers!

I played in them...
...and didn't want to take them off.

I couldn't stop touching them. So soft!

And, then, I also discovered my snuggly green pants have a pocket! A perfect place to keep my cars and trucks. -maddox