Well, I was just thinking the other day that I either need to start blogging again or just close it out. I was leaning toward closing it out, but once again the Great LaLa has inspired me and I decided to give it another go. About a million things have happened since my last post, so I'll just start with where we are and go from there.
1. I don't know why I love the Fall. I know that part of it is the weather - if you're not from Texas, I'm not sure that you understand what a relief some cool weather can be. Even though this summer was pretty mild, I'm loving the cold nights. I think the air smells differently, too, and makes me remember so many good memories from childhood, through high school and college, and up until now. I think people are wrong to always talk about spring as the season of renewal and starting fresh. The Fall makes me want to do something fun and new....
2. On that point, I started sewing!! I'm terrible at it, but maybe that will change. I made Maelie a little Mickey Mouse book (she is so obsessed with MM), and it was so much fun. I had the kind of Mom who was always making something - cookies, sewing projects, ceramic somethings - every occasion was marked with something homemade and that's always the type of mom I pictured myself being. Breaking out hte sewing machine (after three years in the closet, literally still in the box!) made me feel very accomplished!
3. Kasey and Rob are back in Texas, which is good and bad. Good because it gives us a taste of what it would be like to live close to one another and see each other often, but bad because I think it will make it even harder when they have to leave again. Maelie has really gotten close to them and asks frequently "A Sasey? A Wob? A Ollo?" Ollo would be their dog.
4. Can you believe I made it this far without dedicating a whole segment to Maelie? OKay, I have about a million stories I could tell you about her - she is at such a funny age and is cracking me up constantly. Here are a few of my favorites. She thinks it is hysterical to put things on her head. We'll be in the car and she will say, "Mama, where is it?" I'll look back and her binky, her shoe, anything handy, will be on her head. The first time she did it I laughed until I cried because the expression on her face is so funny - she cracks herself up!
5. She truly is obsessed with Mickey Mouse. On one hand, I think what better to be obsessed with - he's a wholesome guy and his cartoon is very age appropriate and teaches her things I want her to know. But, on the other hand I do get a little tired of her saying "A Pete (a MM character)" when I go to pick her up from sleep these days instead of "Hi Mama" She loves to say "hot dog" (or, ha dohg) which is a favorite MM saying. The other day she was supposed to be napping but when I put my ear to the door I could hear her jabbering away and when I peeked in she was rolling around on her back playing with her binky saying "hot dog, hot dog, hot dog...."
6. My truly favortie new thing she does is praying hands. I have not taught her that - usually I pray over her as we're rocking, but did not think she could really sit down and pray with me yet. The other night after our family Bible time I asked Kyle to pray for us to see what she would do, and she made the cutest little praying hands and looked down at them. I peeked at her while we were praying and she kept them there the whole time. She would kind of look back and forth at Kyle and I, then look back down. It was the most precious things I've ever seen . I know that she learned that at school - go Ms. Heather! She also loves to look through her Bible looking for "sesus." It makes my life!
Some recent pics...
Maelie on our trip to California to see Rob and Kasey. Rob graduated from the language school there and we all had a great time celebrating. Maelie looked so cute that a couple of strangers asked if they could take her picture!
When Kasey got to Texas she wanted to take Maelie to the zoo. This trip was SO much more fun than the last one. The last time we went she wasn't quite old enough to walk and was very frustrated about that - we ended up leaving early. But this time she was great!!! We had a great time. We can't wait to do it again with Baby Henry!
Fun at the Pumpkin Patch! It was a little harder to get good pics of her this year - she is on the go! She even says "gogo!!"
I thought this picture was funny! Especially since her favorite game is Peek-a-Boo. The other day in the car she put both of her hands under her legs and said "Mama, where is it?" I was a little puzzled at first about what she was getting at, but then she pulled them both out and said "Here it is!" and died laughing. Then she waved her hands at each other, said "bye bye" and hid her hands again.
The fam!
Of course, the Pumpkin Patch wouldn't be complete with out Elizabeth!!
We started off a great day by meeting Papa at Fuzzy Taco's for lunch. Maelie had oranges, rice, beans and - what else - guacamole!
The little buggy friends at the petting zoo.
"A li -i -ide!" as Maelie would say.
What a little lady!
This is Maelie trick or treating at Linda and James' house. She was so excited about her treat - a box of Dots that made a fun noise when you shook them!
