Thanksgiving to Christmas

Thanksgiving was a month ago. We are almost back to our normal routine. Any trip throws me off my groove, but post-trip chores accompanied with Christmas shopping threw me for a loop this year. My poor children have been lugged around everywhere and our usual mornings dedicated to do something fun hasn't happened for awhile.  There was awhile when I felt up to my ears in things to do that never seemed to get done. But I'm back to normal. My new mantra has helped: don't be lazy. I repeat it in my head often some days.

This year we made the 2-day, 16-hour drive from Lubbock to Norco to spend Thanksgiving with Brendon's family. Have I ever mentioned that I love road trips? Especially with Brendon. Nothing to do but sit, talk, and enjoy each other's company (when the kids comply); no to-do lists, no computers, and no internet access. Our rule is that the passenger keeps conversation going when the driver needs stimulation. On our drive home, Brendon (who drives most of the time) requested conversation and I told him I had nothing left to say to him. We had been driving for a total of four days by then. I couldn't think of anything to talk about...maybe I should put a conversation starter together for our next trip.

Our week spent with family was too short, as is often the case. We did a lot with family while we were there: Henry went to Disneyland with Aunt Randi, all the cousins went to Pretend City, we went shopping a few times, Brendon and I got together with old friends, Grandma Sheryl hosted several dinners with six of the eight siblings and their families, Brendon and I were both able to exercise (separately) and without kids, we played games with family, talked, got our family pictures taken, and we had a big Thanksgiving celebration with the Pitt family. It was perfect and, aside from a lack of sleep due to my children, I was not ready to come home.

{Pretend City}

{Thanksgiving Fun}

We love hanging out with the Holmes family and wish we could do it more often. (Have I mentioned that already?) It is always fun when my children get to play with their cousins, but living far from family always helps me cherish time when my children see their grandparents. There simply is no replacement for grandparents who love your children the way they do.

Miss Maggie was introduced to many of the Holmes family for the first time, just short of her first birthday (we see them much less often than is preferred). We celebrated her birthday a few day early with the family, just the way we like to celebrate birthdays: we had a big family dinner with everyone and she ate her first piece of cake. She was a champion cupcake eater, just like any child of mine should be, and was a happy camper with sugar on her plate.

As for an update since our trip, this month has been filled with hustle and bustle, excitement for Christmas, a lot of playing in our basement--with a recent favorite of "Dinosaur Train" (playing trains while singing "Dinosaur Train"), moments of feeling overwhelmed, reminders to slow down, times of frustration and impatience, reminders to cherish my children, a sense of joy with the developments in words from Maggie and improved behavior from Henry, thoughts about other people, gratitude for life, sorrow for those who have lost loved ones, gratitude for the gospel, and moments of feeling peace, comfort, and love from the Savior.

Maggie is One Year Old

Miss Maggie turned one this week. Just like when Henry turned one, I feel like I remember so many things about the past year. Our little Maggie has only added joy, love, peace, and happiness to our family. She is the sweetest little girl who has a content spirit about her. All of these things have only made life easier with a second child. She has been a constant reminder of the sweet spirits our Father in Heaven sends to us to raise and love.

I have cherished everything with Maggie: changing her diaper on my lap, holding her while she lays in my arms, feeding her a bottle before bedtime, nursing, cuddling her after a bath while she is wrapped up in a fluffy towel, comforting her when she gets hurt, and the rare moments when she lays her head on my shoulder.

She has been the perfect baby. Maggie always did well with nursing and is eating everything I offer her like a champ. Sleeping through the night has never been a problem: no sleep training required. And I have received countless comments in church and in public about the good, content child she is. She is always happy in her stroller as we try to keep up with Henry and she is always content sitting in my lap. I've often called her Mary Poppins because she is "practically perfect in every way."

Maggie is learning several skills right now and it is always a joyful experience to see your children discover their capabilities. The army-crawl has been replaced with the "right way" of crawling, she is pulling herself up and trying to be on her feet as much as possible, and she is talking and has learned to sign "more." I adore the way she waves and says, "Bye," and when she says anything remotely close to any word. She is the champion of little sisters and is a blessing to our whole family.

Happy Birthday, Maggie! Thanks for making life more enjoyable and for being so easy-going. I don't think it's possible for us to love you any more than we already do.

First Half Marathon

On Saturday I ran my first half marathon.
I ran all 13.1 miles (except for the water stations).
I didn't do as well as I was hoping for, but I didn't train very well either.

A friend told me about the race a few months ago & we decided we would run.

We never ran together, but we kept tabs on each other.

The second I started training, I hated running. 

I didn't always run as long or as far as I should have, but I ran.

Initially, I was running while pushing my kids in the stroller (they were troopers).

But one day of Henry saying "no" to a walk turned into a couple months of running without my kids.

I trained on the treadmill during the weekdays and went running outside on Saturday alone.

I hated so many of my runs. 

One particular run resulted in me talking to myself aloud for the last 15 minutes saying, "You can do this,"
over and over and over again.
I felt like a crazy person, but it was helping.
It amazes me how powerful our minds can be.

Now that I'm done with my half marathon, I want to do another one.

I want to kill my time.

Half marathons are officially my favorite. 

Our Halloween

Miss Elephant. The cutest elephant ever.

Mister Spiderman. The cutest Spiderman ever 

(& there was a lot of competition this year).

The day before Halloween, we went to a local museum for a Halloween carnival for youngsters. Henry didn't want to wear his costume, so I said, "If you put on your Spiderman costume on, we'll go see the dinosaurs" (who live at the museum) and he quickly obeyed. On Halloween, after his nap, he wanted help putting on his Spiderman costume. I was a little surprised he wanted to wear it, but we put it on. Then he said, "Di(no)sours?" He sure loves his dinosaurs and will apparently do anything to see them.

That night we headed to our trunk-or-treat party at the church. On our way out the door, Brendon decided to dress up. My response was, "What happened to Brendon?" I didn't think he liked dressing up. He used it as an excuse to wear his wet suit and dressed up as Surfer Brendon (cutest surfer ever). 

At the trunk-or-treat, I handed out candy while sneaking a piece here and there for my own enjoyment. Maggie hung out with me and dug into the candy the entire time, trying her darnedest to get a taste. Dad and Henry made the rounds gathering candy. Henry was most excited about the suckers. He came by our car during the candy-gathering and had a sucker in his mouth. When we went home, he downed three more. And the next morning, he walked into the kitchen and said, "Sucker?" He ate breakfast before eating another one. He is a candy-loving boy, just like his mother.

Four years ago I posted about my uneventful Halloween. I made the comment that holidays would be more fun with children. I was right. It is. And every year gets more fun. 

Bye-bye Baby

My baby is gone.

No longer content all day, every day; just most of the day.

No more laying and rolling; now she's crawling & yearning to walk.

Instead of letting brother steal from her, she squeals & clings to her toys.

Now she knows what she wants & when she wants it.

Good-bye, Baby Maggie.

My toddler is here.

She is more active than ever, crawling as quickly as possible to an open door that leads outside.

Now she wants to join in on the fun at the park; sliding, swinging, or playing in the sand.

She is social & has to sit with us at the dinner table, even if she was just fed.

She is our comic relief who tries to get a second or third laugh whenever we laugh at her.

Hello, toddler Maggie Sue.

Uh-oh

Cutest thing ever.

Good job, Henry.
Henry: 1 (billion); Maggie: 0.

Maggie,
Ten months old and already picking up on words and sounds?!?
I was right, you are 100% girl.

A Trip to Utah

We came to Utah to visit family. 

We love and miss them (and the feeling is mutual).

We are enjoying our time relaxing, playing, and laughing together.

Henry is happy with his fruit snacks, "goose" (juice), and extended movie time.
But he is relishing in time with "Pappa."

They share a special bond. One that I never want him to forget.

Maggie became a timid cuddle-bug when we arrived.

Now she is back to her talkative self who is constantly laughing at herself and others.

She is still cuddling with everyone--something she rarely did at home--and we love her all the more for it.

I am enjoying being around my parents, siblings, and old friends.

An added perk is not feeling obligated to be doing something--anything--during down time.
My parents did a lot for me and my kids while we were here.

I have never been so grateful for the beauty that surrounds this place.

I went running up the canyon...twice.
The leaves are changing color--my favorite color is red--and I couldn't stop sniffing the autumn air.

Round trip, this will be a thirteen-day excursion:

Four days of driving (with five children, ages four and under) and nine days with family.

I love it all, even the driving. And although I miss Brendon, this has been a fun, much-needed trip.

All in a Day's Work

Like mother, like son.

Like father, like son.

Maggie at 10 Months

When Henry was 10 months, I thought he was so big, so old, so ready for a sibling. This time around, I am loving how much I still feel like Maggie is my baby. I just love her and cherish that I can occasionally hold her like a baby, even if only for a few seconds. She is perfect and can do no wrong. Nor will she ever do wrong (I think I said the same thing with Henry). That's why I always need a baby around, to remind me how innocent these little children are and how they simply need to be loved, hugged, and kissed.

Maggie is officially out of the "easy baby" phase. At nine months, she started crawling and within the last week I have started to monitor everywhere she is crawling, just to pull out everything she gets into her mouth. She can do no wrong, it's true, except for choke on something when I look away.

Maggie remains a content, easy-going, happy girl who is tough when she wants to be and easily annoyed the rest of the time. When Henry comes around and she's not in the mood to rough house, she looks at me with a certain look and starts moaning and/or crying. She gets scared by certain noises and a certain small dog (who is harmless). Although a crier (which may be part of simply being a girl) when she wants to be, she is usually a pleasant, happy girl who doesn't mind the occasional bruise from an older brother.


Fortunately, she shows no signs of walking on her own. Dad will hold her hands to get her to walk (while Mom shouts, "Noooooo! Don't teach her that," in the background) and she moves one foot in front of the other, but never initiates walking on her own nor does she pull herself up on anything. She has started to feed herself small items of food while in a high chair but most of the food ends up in her lap before she can get it into her mouth and she is now a formula-fed baby.

Maggie has two teeth, fits into her 6-12 month clothes but is transitioning to 12-18 month clothing (thanks to her long legs) and loves to flail her arms all around, especially if she wants food or is happy. She loves "One for the Money" while flying through the air, being tossed into the air, and swinging at the park. She laughs when she is tickled or when we chase Henry together. Her sweet spirit is continuously evident and we all love her for the laughter and love she brings into our home. That cute face of hers is just an added bonus.

Five Years & Counting

We celebrated five years of marriage last Saturday. We spent the morning with the kids at a nearby pumpkin patch. Henry was in heaven, even showing his excitement in his prance/run as he went from one animal cage to the next. He wanted to hang out with the animals forever, but we convinced him to ride a horse, go on a "cow train" ride, then a hayride to pick our pumpkins fresh off of the vine. But the kid loves animals. The first thing he said to me when he woke up from his nap was, "A...an-mals...cow...pi" (translation: I want to go see the animals, the cow, the pigs...").











After showing Henry the horses, he was excited to ride one but, while riding, seemed to be more enthralled with the other horses. He kept pointing to the other horses, saying to the man leading the rope, "Look! Horse!" But he did love his horse ride. He loved it so much he threw a little tantrum when he had to get off. Thankfully, the rides were enough to capture new excitement. He and Dad rode the cow train together. Then, he loved the hayride to the pumpkins and when it was time to pick our pumpkins, he walked around for a short while with Dad then was ready to get back on the hayride. Dad won us a drink at the corn cannon activity and we enjoyed the smell of smoked meat the entire time we walked around. It was a fun morning with the children and throughout the morning I felt so much appreciation to them for the added love and joy they have brought to our marriage and family.

After naps, Brendon and I spent the evening together. Alone. Just the two of us. I love when that happens. We went on a mountain bike ride together, something Brendon has wanted to do ever since he got into mountain bike riding. Every time he tells me I need to join him, I remind him it's better that we do different things so that someone can watch the children. But I ended up loving our time together riding trails. I enjoyed the ride, but I really enjoyed riding together. I wanted to ride all night together.

Our dinner was amazing. The best place in Lubbock thus far. We ate at Manna Bread and Wine and enjoyed every bite of both of our meals. For dessert, Brendon stopped at the hospital to pick up pint-sized Blue Bell ice cream using his food card. Yum, yum!

I told Brendon I never realized how much I would learn while married. As a young woman, I thought all learning would end after marriage. I would know everything, I would have every skill mastered, I would know the answers to everything. Little did I know marriage has brought an accelerated learning curve. And I'm grateful that we are learning together. As I watched my wedding video last week, my main thought was how grateful I am to have Brendon to experience life with. I love the good-bye kisses, the welcome home hugs, the joy of watching our children learn, the alone time talking, the words of songs exchanged between us, and playing footsies underneath the dinner table. Yay for five years and for many more to come!

Sibling Love

I am loving watching my kids play together more often. We have our fair share of crying, stealing toys, and hitting, but we are also seeing more times with playing and laughing together. We go to the park a lot. Maggie is slowly getting in on the action. She and Henry are loving it. This day at the park was a fun one.

Miss Maggie getting in on the action

Sibling love

It melts my heart.