Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Happy 1/2 Birthday to you. Happy 1/2 Birthday to you. Happy 1/2 Birthday dear Madison. Happy 1/2 Birthday to you.

Fun Filled Weekend

Darin's parents arrived Thursday evening for a weekend with us. They came down early to beat the snow storm that was heading our way. Luckily, we only had a dusting and the snow melted by the afternoon. On Friday, Darin and I had to work, so grandma and grandpa R got to enjoy some quite time before we (Madison was at school) arrived home.

On Saturday, we ran a few errands in the morning. Then, grandma and grandpa said they'd take care of Madison so Darin and I went to a movie. We decided to see, "He's Just Not That Into You." Please do not waste your time going to that movie,... not that great. However, we really did not care because we ate and shared popcorn, Barq's root beer and "quiet" time together. We also saw some teenagers make out in the front row which had us laughing.

Madison had sweet potatoes for her Valentine's Day entree. We ordered in Olive Garden and had a great evening. Saturday night, grandma and grandpa took care of Madison. She loves all of the excitement and attention, that she really did not want to go to bed, in fear that she would miss something. But she quickly became over-tired.

Sunday we got out and about, went to church and then went to Prairie Village to walk around. It was a balmy 35 degrees, so we did not stay out too long. Grandma finished a quilt for Madison, it has very colorful animals that really catch her attention. Grandpa and Darin took a "nap."

To celebrate Valentine's Day, grandma and grandpa took care of Madison while Darin and I went out to eat and to see a comedian. We ate at Capital Grill (one of our favorite places) on the Plaza. Then we went to the Uptown Theatre to see Comedian Frank Caliendo. We saw Frank about four years ago in KC. Heard he was back and we got some really awesome seats (center stage, sixth row, great view.). Frank is best know for his impersonations of John Madden, Bill Clinton and President (former) George Bush. His website is http://www.frankcaliendo.com/. Enjoy the great picture from Darin's cell-phone. We bought a few of his DVD's and can't wait to watch them. Our weekend was really awesome.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you a very special Valentine's Day!

Love, Madison

Celebrating 5 years with Cerner

Today marks Darin's 5th year anniversary with Cerner Corporation (www.cerner.com). To celebrate, associates from his compass group (new employee orientation) met and ate at Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue. For this event, spouses were welcome. So we decided we needed a babysitter. Thanks goodness for great neighbors, as our neighbors daughter helped take care of Madison while we were out.
We had a great time, shared pictures of Madison, listened to stories, told jokes and ate some great food. I'm very proud of Darin and his accomplishments that he has had with Cerner. We look forward to the 10 year anniversary.

Another gorgeous day...

We've really lucked out with the weather this weekend, so we thought we'd soak it up. This morning, we had a Infant Massage Class through Parents as Teachers- Liberty School District. There were six infants, ranging in age from two months to almost seven months. The class was an hour long and the instructor has been teaching infant massage for 10 years. She gave us some techniques for helping with stomach pains and gas. I wonder if this would work on Sonic. Being a hour class, you thought the infants would get really fussy throughout, however everyone did really well.
After the class, we went downtown Liberty to browse and do a little shopping. Then we decided to visit Prairie Village, we absolutely love the area. It has the old style brick homes, tree line streets, quaint shopping area and most importantly TCBY. This really reminds us a lot of Plymouth, MI, which we really miss. We enjoyed lunch at the Cactus Grill and then shopped at Mady and Me. Darin loves to shop for Madison. She got some new spring clothes.
When we got back home, we watched some of the Nebraska basketball game, they were playing Texas. However, as half-time approached we were not sure how the outcome would be, so we decided to go on a walk. On our way home, we ran into our neighbor who was mowing next to the community pool. He mentioned he thought the grass was a little tall, so decided to mow. We arrive home, turned on the TV and watched the last few minutes of the basketball game and Nebraska won. After a fun day, we decided we'd relax for the evening, XBOX and movies are on our list.

Is it Spring.....feels like it....

The temperature in KC was 70's and this weekend it's suppose to be in the upper 60's. Great for this time of year. We took Madison on a walk this evening, it was a little too windy, so we did not venture out too far. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to take another walk. And yes, we took Sonic with us as well. He absolutely loves it.

Changes at Work

It appears that the organization within Cerner that I was going to work for is no longer the organization I'm going to reside. Cerner has decided that a different alignment will work best to kick off this new business unit. My job basically remains the same, which is what I was really concerned about, but my reporting structure and physical location will change. I'll be working in a department I've had minimal interaction. The good news is I'll be able to extend my internal network. The bad news is I have to start over building people's trust. This change will also mean I'll move from my current office. Initial thoughts are Cerner's south campus, which is a good 40 min drive. I actually prefer a little longer drive home to unwind, but I'm not looking forward to early morning meetings if that is where I end up. Either way I think we're putting together a good team and there will be plenty to do as we launch this business.

You say potato and I say potato

We'll this is day two of sweet potatoes and Madison continues to enjoy them. We had been given Madison fruits for the past month and decided it was time to switch to some veggies. She absolutely loves sweet potatoes. We put her in her big girl chair (high chair) when it's time for supper. She gets very excited when she sees that we have a cup and spoon. The minute we sit down in front of her, she opens her mouth. Yes, mom moves a little too slow for Madison. Madison keeps her mouth wide open and ready for more sweet potatoes. Little does she know or need to know that mom really does not like sweet potatoes. I'm happy that Madison enjoys them, she can have all that she wants.

Saw my shadow

Happy Groundhog Day!

(This was one of Madison's school projects.)

Proud Da Da....

Yesterday we decided to use the video camera in hopes to capture Madison's pancake flips from her back to her stomach. As Darin was videoing, Madison was sitting up right and babbling quite a bit. We heard her say, "Da Da." Then we heard it again, so we think and we're sticking to it. We have it on video. It was absolutely amazing seeing Darin's face light up and he had such a huge smile full of delight and pleasure. Really amazing. If we can figure out how to post videos to the blog, we'll share another special moment with you. Right now Darin's soaking it all up!