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.