Oliver Dangley Gangles!!!!!!!!!!!

Just when things were starting to get boring Uncle Shawn showed up!!!

The first morning he was here we went to the donut shop and got breakfast. Not only did I get to eat with Uncle Shawn, but I got to eat my very first donut!!! It was SO yummy that I practically inhaled it without breathing. Mom told me that I had to slow down if I wanted a second one.

After breakfast Uncle Shawn and I spent some time catching up with each other. I gave him a years worth of hugs and kisses...


Macie didn't know what to make of Uncle Shawn. It was the first time they had met, and they stared at one another for a while getting acquainted.

It didn't take long for her to become one of his biggest fans.

Check out the way she smiles at him!

I have to admit that I did get a little jealous of all the attention he was giving Macie, so I showed him that I can smile too!


It was a beautiful Fall day, so that afternoon the family went to the park to play Frisbee Disc.


Dad and Uncle Shawn taught me the rules of the game, and helped me practice tossing my disc in the basket.

Soon I was playing like a pro...

We played an 18 hole course, and Mom was very proud of me for keeping up with the guys! To keep me interested along the walk Uncle Shawn and Dad took turns occupying my time.

Here I am bouncing on Uncle Shawn's shoulders.

. We found all sorts of neat things in the forest surrounding the course- Here Uncle Shawn is posing with a wild mushroom, Mom says he looked like Luigi from Super Mario Brothers.

Back at home that night I showed Uncle Shawn ALL of my toys, and insisted that he play with me. His favorite toy of mine (besides my Napoleon Dynamite figurine) was my school bus. The first time I came around the corner to pick him up he was speechless. He had never seen such a cool toy (thanks Kristin and Stu!)



The next morning over breakfast we talked about the fun things we would like to do while Uncle Shawn was in town. Dad looked for some attractions online and found an amusement park in Cincinnati. It was unanimous- the WHOLE family wanted to go!!! We decided we would go the following day, but discovered that the park was only open on the weekends. Feeling disappointed and about to admit defeat, we looked at the clock which read 10am and decided that if we hurried and got in the car we could make it there in time to spend the whole afternoon playing.

We were in the car a half an hour later and on our way! The drive took a little over an hour and soon we were in the parking lot. Mom was really impressed with me because I made it the whole drive without going pee!!!

Kings Island was even cooler than I had imagined!!!

The majority of us were excited, but Macie didn't seem too impressed.

When Mom woke her up to check out the view she gave us the hairy eyeball and went back to sleep.

After a couple "big kid" rides the family went to my side of the park. Our first stop was the carousel and, of course, Dad and I just HAD to take a ride.

All the excitement made me hungry so we stopped for a snack and I got to eat a giant pretzel!

While Uncle Shawn and Dad were riding a really big roller coaster Mom and I danced to the music on the sidewalk. As people passed by I would wave and greet them. One woman was so enthralled by my dance moves that she stopped to watch my show. After my number was done, she thanked me for the entertainment and gave me a stuffed animal to show her gratitude. I could not believe my luck! The frog became my new buddy and I spent lots of time playing with him (Mom was VERY grateful that I had something to focus on while we were waiting!)

When their ride was over it was Mom's turn, so Dad took Macie and I to wait in line for the Dora ride. He was quite a trooper...

After a half an hour wait it was finally our turn! Mom was done with her ride and took Macie so that Dad and I could ride the helicopter all by ourselves. It was a TON of fun!

The family ALL (including Macie) went on the Scooby Doo Ride later that afternoon. We all sat in the mystery machine and shot at ghosts and ghouls. We got points for hitting the bulls eyes, and Dad came out on top (Uncle Shawn is supposed to be the hunter in the family- I guess he needs some target practice).

We stayed at Kings Island until they closed the park down at 7pm. I was exhausted and had to be carried...

Back at home Uncle Shawn snuggled up with Macie to watch a movie. I was asleep in bed, but Mom tells me that Uncle Shawn sure had the magic touch with Macie.

The next day was another beautiful one, so we spent it outside. Dad took the day off of work, but before the boys went back to the Frisbee Disc Course we played in the back yard with Jackson. He had sure missed Uncle Shawn and was really glad to have him back.

That afternoon we went to the bowling alley for some good Frankwick Family Fun! I was so excited that I was finally big enough to join in on the fun. Dad helped me roll the ball down the lane. I couldn't seem to "get" the gist of the game, and tried to chase the ball down the lane many times.

The next day Dad had to go back to work, so Mom, Macie, and I took Uncle Shawn to the Zoo. I made sure to show him all of my favorite animals, and, of course, we took an obligatory ride on the carousel.

Going to the Zoo with Uncle Shawn was lots of fun- he is a big kid and likes to have fun just like me. Here we are riding wild boars,

and here we are posing with our African Safari Guide after we trucked our way past the Leopard, Apes, and Okapis.

On the way out we stopped to pose with the pumpkins. Here we are doing our "happy" faces,

and her were are doing my signature "hairy eyeball" face.

We spent the rest of the day at home having fun together. The next morning Dad flew to North Carolina, and after Uncle Shawn had finished packing up his stuff we hung out on the couch together and took some pictures.

Macie was wide awake and happy in Uncle Shawn's arms, so she went a little camera crazy...

After seeing Macie continuously smile at Uncle Shawn, Mom agrees that Macie's happy faces must be from more than just gas.

We brought Uncle Shawn to the airport later that morning, and I was REALLY sad to see him go. We tried to talk him into staying, but were unsuccessful. Back at home Mom, Macie, and I were really lonely. We tried to find ways to occupy our time, but really missed Dad and Uncle Shawn. Mom kept busy watching Macie play in her crib. Check out how fascinated she is with her mobile...

Bored without our buddies, and bummed that rain and cold weather were in the forecast for the upcoming weeks, we decided to start remodeling the house. Mom had been planning on painting all of the rooms, doors, baseboards, cabinets, etc., for months and finally decided it was time to begin the long project. She hopes that it will improve the look of the house, but as Uncle Shawn would say, "you can't polish a turd." Mom hopes to disprove his theory- we will see...

Check back soon for updates on Mom's remodeling, Macie's progress, and stories of my daily antics.

Macie can smile!!!

It's been 5 weeks since Macie was born. Throughout all that time I have been waiting for her to "come alive" and its finally happened!!!

She can smile!

Mom says Macie may just have gas- I think Mom needs to stop raining on my parade.

The beautiful weather we had been having came to a screeching halt and Summer is a thing of the past- some days it feels more like winter than fall. Mom is sad about the change, but mostly for vain reasons. She misses the way the sun feels (and looks) on her face, she misses my cute diaper tan that took me months in the sand to get, she misses tank tops and flip flops, and she fears that our days of lounging on the deck are over for quite some time. Each day I have to bundle up before I can go out and play. Most of my play toys have been moved indoors for rainy days, but I still like to run around the yard with jax.



On dry days Mom and I rake up the fallen leaves in the yard into piles. I love jumping in them and thrashing around. It's one of the few times Mom allows me freedom to make as much of a mess as possible.

Mom likes that she has discovered a new way to occupy my time while she is holding Macie.

The cold weather and rain has kept us inside often I have started to go stir crazy. Mom took me to the mall the other day to walk around and socialize with other kids, but she refuses to become a "mall walker" and informs me that it will not become a reoccurring activity.

Because I have been stuck in the house I have turned my attention to my new "toy", my sister. I want to help out with EVERYTHING and ALWAYS want to be by her. Mom and Dad are a little concerned because I can play a little rough. We practice being gentle, and I've been doing very well, but am still watched like a hawk and not allowed to be left alone with Macie.

Since I can't help out by myself yet, I practice with Grant and Reed. Here I am burping Grant after he finished his bottle.


After Macie's one month check up last week we discovered that she wasn't gaining much weight. Mom has been trying her best to give Macie as much food as she wants, but she doesn't seem to eat much (Can she really be a Frankwick if she doesn't have a BIG appetite???). On the 25th she weighed only 6 lbs 6 oz (only 5 oz more than her birth weight), so Mom was determined to feed Macie extra milk and fatten her up over the weekend.

On Monday we went to my new pediatrician for my 2 year check up. I got two big thumbs up, and am proud to let everyone know that I have moved into the 25th percentile for height in my age group!!! Though I am still only in the 3rd percentile for weight I have grown immensely. I am just shy of 24 lbs, and am 32 inches long. I had to get some shots at my appt. and acted like a BIG girl, crying only for a brief time. The best part was getting some nuggets afterwards as a reward for being so brave.

While we were at the Dr. Mom made an appt. for Macie the following day so that we could check on her progress. In the morning we were pleasantly surprised to find that Macie's new measurements far exceeded our expectations. The Dr. said she was 21 inches long and weighted 6 lbs 13oz. Way to go Macie!!! Not only was the Dr. proud of her gain in size, but she was pleased with Macie's development. She is tracking people by noise and sight, and is very alert! Mom can't believe how alert she is at 1 month compared to me- it must have been the extra 4 weeks Macie was "baking" (she jokingly says that I was Medium Rare when I was born and Macie was Well Done).

Recently my favorite time of day is dinner- not just because we get to eat,

but because we get to sit down and say grace.

I have many things to be thankful for (aside from Bunnies and Squirrels), and feel very blessed to have such a wonderful new baby sister. She is developing a great personality and I am eager to see what she will do next!

More fun with Grandma Joanie!

Boy was I excited that Grandma Joanie was here for another whole week!

I wasn't the only excited one- check out Macie's excited face (obviously we are still working on it)...

Our days have been primarily spent at home, since Macie is still getting on a schedule. This has allowed me to work on my potty training. I still haven't had to wear diapers during the day, and have had only minor accidents, most of which have been Mom's fault (not getting me to the potty on time when I ask). I have also made a break through in potty training, and am able to go number two! Every time I go Mom and Dad celebrate like they've just won the lottery. Personally, I think its funny that everyone is celebrating such a silly thing.

Most mornings during Grandma Joanie's visit we sat down at the table and ate our FAVORITE breakfast food (well, one of my favorites besides eggs), peanut butter and bananas.

Macie even joined us at the breakfast table, but wasn't very exciting company.

The weather in Ohio has been very pleasant, but Fall is definitely here. There is a chill in the air, and leaves are starting to fall everywhere. Mom hates the mess, and tries to stay on top of raking, but gets frustrated because 10 minutes after shes done it looks as if she never did anything at all. Grandma Joanie must have brought the sun with her because it has been beautiful, and hasn't rained for a while. Thanks to Grandma Joanie I have been able to spend lots of time playing in my backyard. Watching Mom care for Macie has brought out my own maternal instinct.

I take Grant and Reed with me EVERYWHERE I go,

especially on the swings.

Good thing they enjoy having fun!

Macie is starting to wake up more and more everyday. She likes to look around at her surroundings, so Mom has been bringing her outside. She really enjoys the great outdoors.

Macie can't handle too much excitement, and after too long is back asleep.

While Grandma Joanie was here we were able to go to the zoo 3 times!!!! I don't know who had more fun. On our final trip to the Zoo I was able to see some of my favorite things including the carousel,

the kangaroo exhibit,

and the manatee tank in the aquarium.

Mom was in a hurry to get home to feed Macie, so I used my best "persuasion" face to squeeze in a couple more minutes. Macie didn't seem to mind- good thing she understands who the alpha in this relationship is...

On the way to the car it started to get a little chilly and since Mom forgot to put my sweatshirt in the wagon she graciously gave me hers. It was a little big, but before too long it served its purpose and I got "warm and snuggly":

Every night before bed the family has bath time fun. Once clean and "jammied" we get to read a story and say our prayers before bed. Lately Mom and Dad have been letting me hold Macie while we read. Grandma was VERY impressed.

I am the best big sister ever!!!

Unfortunately the second week of Grandma Joanie's stay went by WAY TOO FAST. I was sad to see her go, but was grateful for all the time we were able to spend together.

After Grandma left Mom and I were on our own with Macie. Mom was a little nervous, but I knew that we would find a way to make it work.

On the 25th Macie celebrated her 1 month birthday! We spent the morning at the doctors, and despite all Mommies efforts to "fatten her up", discovered that she hadn't put on much weight. She was still 19 3/4in and just over 6lbs. At one month I was also 19 3/4in long, but I was over 7 and a half pounds. Macie is a skinny minnie...

That afternoon we spent time playing with Macie; talking with her and singing her songs.

I can't believe that a whole month has gone by since Macie was born. I LOVE being a BIG sister and LOVE being a big helper. Mom is grateful for all the help she received from all our visitors over the last 6 weeks. We are sad that everyone has gone home and hope they come back to visit us again soon.

Macie is growing (at least mentally) every day and we notice that she is discovering more of her surroundings. I can't wait to see what she will do next...