Sit down in that chair right there...

Okay, so a lot of times I title a post with song lyrics that are usually random or a stretch :) but yesterday at swimming lessons Maelie kept pointing at the chairs by the pool and screaming "I want to sit down in that chair right there" and all I could think about was that stale line in "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" "sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done." Possibly the stalest song lyric ever. Anyway, it made me laugh in a pretty stressful situation. On day two of slimmin lessons, she screamed the entire 30 minutes again, but upped the drama ante by throwing up on the side of the pool twice. She wasn't sick, just ticked. I think all that screaming made her drink too much water. My two favorite quotes for the day (other than the one above) were "I go to Grammy's house, Grammy make me feel better" and "I think I going to throw up." That last one she only said after she threw up - I think for effect.

She did, however, swim under water for about 3 seconds several times. A couple of times it was from me to the side of the pool where she grabbed the side and pulled herself up. She also floated on her back a few times - maybe we're getting our money's worth after all! That swim teacher sure is earning hers!

We are having to miss swim lessons today because I'm going to the Royal Family Kids' Camp birthday party. The majority of these kids are from foster care situations, so they don't necessarily get a big birthday party on their birthdays. So today is everyone's birthday and we throw a HUGE party - it's one of the most fun things I've ever done!! I helped register these kiddos on Monday, so I got to see there sweet faces - pray that they have a great day, a great week, and realize that Jesus loves them.

Slimmin' Lessons

If anyone out there is considering taking a Mommy and Me swim lesson, please read this first. DON'T DO IT!! DON'T DO IT!!! Our first one was today and it basically consisted of me wrestlin 1) Maelie, since she was trying to crawl up me like a cat and 2) my swimsuit top, since she was trying to crawl up me like a cat. On top of that she screamed "Don't do dis Mommy! I can't do dis, I can't swim" over and over for thirty whole minutes. When we got out, I put her normal clothes back on her, gave her two dum dums and she walked to the car telling me she wanted to go slimmin' in Ms. Cheryl's slimmin' pool again. We'll see....

Gimme a Hug!

This has become one of my very favorite things that Maelie says. While she says it she holds one arm straight up in the air. You lean down and she wraps that arm all the way around your neck and says "I give you a hug." She says it in such a "hey, we're buddies, gimme a hug" kind of big girl way - it cracks me up! Yesterday she was asleep in our bed (she wasn't feeling good) and said "I gon't want to!" twice in her sleep. I put my face near hers and said "it's okay, mommy's here" to which she responded, still in her sleep, "gimme a hug" and raised her arm. Is that the cutest thing you've ever seen?!

Funny (?) for the day...

Okay, so maybe I shouldn't think this is so funny, maybe I should think I have a serious discipline problem on my hands, but Maelie cracked my up today. I caught her playing in my make up and told her to put it down. She didn't so I had to go take it from her. She, of course, started a grade A two-year-old tantrum. I said I'm sorry, but you have to obey. She said "I gonna KICK you!" and started walking towards me. I said if you choose to do that, I will spank you and put you in time out, so she cried, walked to her crib, got her binky, then walked back in the living room and said "I sad!" I wanted to cry laughing - sometimes being so verbal is really a drawback!

Happy Happy Birthday

Well, all the pictures of Maelie's actual birthday are on the memory card that I had to turn in for some YCW stuff, and those are the good ones. For some reason we did not get a lot of her at her actual party, but a promise is a promise, so here's what I have...



All the friends feeding the ducks. Actually, we scared the ducks to the other side of the pond, so this is just us throwing bread into the water.













Maelie loves to feed the ducks, even after falling into the pond the first time she ever did it.





















Lala thought this was a picturesque family moment!







This is Maelie about three seconds into the car ride home! She was one tired little friend.

Patience is a virtue...

Ha! Bet you thought you were getting bday pics today. Actually, I have just finished up the two busiest weeks of the year, so they are coming as soon as I can stop and download pics from the cameras. I do have a funny non-Maelie story titled "Why the Neighbors Think I'm Crazy"

I hate squirrels. There is one that has taken up residence in the attic above the kitchen. You can hear him scratching around up there and it is literally driving me crazy. If you know my history and extreme rodent-phobia, you are more sympathetic to this. Kyle walked in the house the other day to find me jumping up and down ramming a broom stick in the ceiling ala the crazy neighbor on friends yelling "I hate you!" I though maybe I could scare the squirrel, but it turns out that trick only scares humans and makes them smile the smile you smile at crazy people. However, today the whole situation took a turn for the worse. I saw him in my yard (the squirrel - I let Kyle come in the house:) I was walking to the car with Maelie in my arms. I gave that squirrel a stare down, but he didn't move. I buckled Maelie into her carseat and looked around for something to throw at him. All I could come up with was a Dickey's BBQ cup that severely missed it's marked. He skittled a bit but kept looking at me. I found a branch that I thought might work, but it had too many leaves and just made a pathetic "whoosh" noise and made the squirrel run a few feet further down the fence. The only other thing handy was an empty paint can on the porch. Frustrated, I launched it with all my might at the freakin' thing. It finally ran off. As I turned around and got back in the car it struck me that there could have actually been people watching this odd interchange and was very embarrassed. That is, until I saw the stupid thing poking his head back over the fence as I drove away. Argh! If anyone knows more effective rodent repellent that throwing paint cans at it, I would love to know. On a related note, if anyone has a bb gun they're not using I would sure love to borrow it...

P.S. I promise BDay pics by the end of the weekend.

Funny for the Day

Yesterday Maelie was supposed to be taking a nap, but Kyle and I could hear her in her crib jibber-jabbering away and jumping. I walked in and said "Why aren't you taking a nap?" She froze and looked at me with big eyes and said "I take my pants off" which actually was her pants AND her diaper. She took them off and then shoved them between the crib and the wall. Thankfully, it was a clean diaper!

Funny for the Day

Last night Maelie asked for an orange and I told her she didn't say the magic word. Her reply was "Meeska Meeska Mickey Mouse." I almost dropped her Kyle and I were laughing so hard.

Hippity Hoppity Easter's On It's Way!

We had a great Easter! Maelie was so much fun this year, except for the fact that Baby Henee is "on airplane, far 'way" and couldn't give her a little competition.


Thanks for the Lamb Ears, Val!











The Fan Club - all these people watching one little girl hunt eggs!












Her Someday-Aunt Melisa gave her this stylin' hat.













The Sweet Little Angel picture...















...and the I'm a Little Stinker Picture.














Playing with bubbles from her eggs.










P.S. If you ask her what Easter is, she says "seesus dyin' on a coss!" It is PRECIOUS!

Oh, I Love a Rainy Night....

...and day! That has always been one of my favorite old country songs, and I really do love the rain. I sleep so great when it's rainy, and apparently Maelie does, too, because she slept for THIRTEEN HOURS STRAIGHT last night!!! I did not hear one peep from her. It rained all night last night and so far, all day today. We have had some fun indoor activities, though. We met Elizabeth and Kelli at the playscape this morning, then had some Mexican Inn with Kyle for lunch. I thought our next step would be a nap at home, but Maelie had other ideas. For awhile I heard her in her crib counting (one, two, six, seben, aheght, nine, ten, eleben, twelebe!) over and over and thought to myself, maybe that's her version of counting sheep. Then I was having a little quite time in the living room and heard this weird noise. I thought Oh, my grief those stinking squirrels are back! But then I tried to figure out where they were and realized it was just Maelie jumping for all she was worth in her bed. I walked in and took the pictures below, then declared her the winner and got her out.

Air Maelie












The face of victory...

A Little Something to Talk About...

Maelie talks more and more lately and it is cracking me UP! I've decided that two (or almost!) is definitely my favorite age. When she's not throwing temper tantrums, she's round the clock entertainment. Here are some recent funnies...

She barfed...in my bed. Not that funny until she finished, freaked out and started rubbing it frantically saying "a mess, a mess" like she was surprised that that came out of her and was cleaning it up. I know, SOOOO gross, but it still made me laugh.

Today on the way to school she said something and I chuckled. She said "I funny, mama. I a funny girl!" I told her that , yes, she was a funny girl and she said "I funny a L-Beth!" which I took to mean "I'm funny to Elizabeth" and cracked up again.

The other day I told her to go put her manger (the Little People one) in her room and she took her time, so I told her she needed to take it to her room because Jesus needed a place to sleep and she said "Seesus sleep in a BOAT!" (Jesus sleeping on the boat and then calming the storm is by far her favorite Bible story) I guess she had me there.

We took her to PetSmart the other day just to browse and she said (in a very high pitched squeaky voice) "Look at all the fishies!" while pumping her arms up and down. Then she repeated the process when we got to the birds. Guess we can save the money we were going to spend on all those upcoming zoo trips....

There are about a million more, but I'll spare you and just show you some pics...


Maelie went to her first school-friend party at Little Gym and had the time of her life!!! She said "aba biday ageen!" (ava's birthday again!) the whole way home.













This is her trying to eat some of her Nemo bubbles.















My new favorite picture ever...













I found a new fella at the movies...












...but my Grandma stole him!

Is that the funnest Grandma ever?
Yes, I think so!!
(And the cutest, too)

The Cutest Little Baby Face

Well, apparently I have slipped and not added pictures to my posts lately. I apologize...here is my peace offering..


This was taken tonight while she and Daddy were playing before bedtime. Is that the greatest laugh face or what? Do you think she really means it?!

















This one was taken at our friends' lakehouse. She and Elizabeth had a great time playing together. I love this pic because I think it shows what sweet friends they are.














Baby Henee made his debut in January (I'm kind of going in reverse order on these) She was mildly interested in him at times, but most of the time doesn't pay any attention (which I suppose is better that being jealous or being too rough with him. The other day I asked her where Baby Henry was just as Kasey walked down the hall and Maelie chased after Kasey instead of pointing to the baby I was holding. I think she might be confused....















THis is probably one of my all time favorite pics. They did not have the nursery open right before Christmas so Maelie came to service with us for the first time since infancy and did an amazing job. This is her reading her Bible to Mickey during the sermon.

Eat More Chicken?

There is nothing really major to report on in our lives, but this weekend it has slowly dawned on me what a good kid I have. I think Maelie is known to many as a wild child, and she does have more personality than your average 22 month old (actually, she has more personality than some 28 year olds :). But lately she has been so much easier to "handle." I've felt like maybe the cagillion spankings I've doled out may actually be paying off. I know that there is still much work to be done, and surely there will be rough seasons ahead, but for now I'm really enjoying these moments of obedience. She's definitely defining her boundaries, but if you ask her to do something a lot of times lately she'll look at you for a minute, then you repeat your instruction - maybe with an added "or you'll get a spanking", and usually she'll say "A Kay!" and do it. ( I will probably so pay for this tomorrow - those of you who read this are welcome to laugh at me when she throws herself on the floor definitively ended this smooth stage!) I'm really proud of the little girl that she's becoming.

One thing I particularly think is precious these days is her obsession with Grandma Dane. She talks about her all the time, and since I think she one of the greatest people ever, I love it! You can ask her "Maelie, who do you love?" and she loves to list off the people in her life. Lately Grandma Dane is one of the first and often repeated several times. She thanked God for her 3 times tonight, and I thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Other important 22 month old accomplishments include: counting to 15 by herself, speaking at 7 word sentence (that doesn't happen a lot, but when it does it blows me away!), sharing very willingly at times, doing the "piggies" all by herself (the other day in the car she took her socks and shoes off and said "Piggy mock-it, piggy mock-it, wee wee wee wee wee and cracked up laughing) asking to go to bed fairly often and getting in her bed with little to no tears, wearing big girl panties for the first time, saying a prayer all by herself (when I overheard that I almost fell over and I almost cried) and perfecting her Chick-Fil-A order: "Chicken minis, white milk!" She says that as we get on the highway in the morning, then yells it from the backseat when we're ordering. I think she says "white milk" because when you order milk they ask you if you want white or chocolate, so I started saying white milk as I ordered to save that step. It cracks me up and makes me think maybe, just maybe, we eat at Chick-Fil-A too much....

Well, this is an interesting blog to write. Every other post I've ever written has been upbeat and happy. Looking back on that, it makes me feel very blessed. But I'll tell you ahead of time, this one is a little different. Last weekend, Kyle and I were so filled with joy and excitement as we plopped an "I'm the Big Sister" shirt on Maelie and set out telling our family that we were expecting a new baby. Our bubble was burst so shortly after when the doctor's office called on Monday to tell us that we had lost the baby. I still haven't wrapped my mind around all the feelings I have about this. On one hand, I know what an amazing God we serve. I know that He loves us and wants good things for us, has good plans for us. I know several people who have lost babies at birth or shortly after, and I don't think I could go through that. I also don't think I could have handled knowing this baby even more intimately as months past and then loosing him/her. So in a way, I've tried to think that maybe our sweet Lord spared me even more heartache in the end. But it still hurts, and I still feel like someone died that I loved and never even got to see. I think it's even more evident why funerals are so important - for the closure, for the honoring of those we loose. It feels so weird that I lost someone so important to me, and some people don't even know. Some people that do know treat me like nothing happened and it's all just weird.
However, even as I write this I hear Maelie playing in her crib and know that I am very blessed. I have also had my eyes opened even further to the many blessings that are all bundled up in Kyle. He has loved me, supported me, cared for me and mourned with me in a way that I will never forget and that make me love him even more. I know that in some ways this has been harder for him than me. I can't tell you how many precious ladies have some to me at church/YCW with encouragement, "I've been through this " stories, just to tell me they're sorry, thinking about me , love me. It has all made this process more bearable to feel so surrounded by love and sisterhood and I know that men don't do those things or talk about things that are so hard sometimes. So, if you pray for me, please remember to pray for him, too. Anyway, I may or may not post about this again, but those are just some things I needed to get off my chest and "out there."

Jesus Loves You This I Know

I have never known desperation. Never been hungry, thirsty, in need. And then I had Maelie and I am so terribly desperate for her to know the Lord. It is such an awesome burden to know that I have a had in molding that tiny heart and leading her to Him. I know that each of us are ultimately responsible for our own decisions, but I want to stand before my Father and tell Him that I did everything in my power to show her His love, His goodness, His sacrifice. She can be such a little wild woman that I think at times I overlook her sweet and tender side, but lately she has done some things during our family Bible time that remind me that none of us are all one way or the other and though they are small things they have blessed me so much as I see her learning about Jesus.

The other night she was playing peek-a-boo with a towel on her head and it fell just so that it looked like a little Mary looking at me from under it. I told her that she looked like Mary, Jesus' mommy (I have to differentiate because she really loves Mary and Martha). Shethought that was funny so we got a baby Jesus for her to hold. She wore it the rest of the night and to our bed for Bible time. Then when we said our prayers she kept it on and laid down face first with her little praying hands. It was so precious. I wish I could have taken a picture, but it would have been totally inappropriate in that moment.

She loves to look at the people praying in her Bible. Mary, Gideon, Jesus, she finds them and says "payin'" and makes her little praying hands. She likes it when Daddy prays, but lately after he's done she will hold her little praying hands up and say "pay". She likes to say her own, too. We say thank you for all the people who love us by name and the cutest thing is when she says "ank oo henee, safe" (Thank you for Henry, her soon to be born baby cousin, and keep him safe).

Twice lately we have tried to put her to bed with out our Bible time because we've been out so late, but she does not stand for that. When I went into her room tonight because she had been crying in her crib for a while and was clearly not going to sleep she said "Bible, Seesus." How can you resist that? We had her Bible time and said our prayers and she went down so much easier. What a great reminder that your day is not complete and your sleep not as sweet if you haven't said good night to our Heavenly Father.

In the Blink of an Eye Time Goes By..

I looked at my calendar today and realized that Maelie is about to be 20 months old. Its seems like ever since she turned 18 months old I have stopped focusing on the months - it almost just seems like a countdown to 2, which is just way too crazy. Here are some great things about Maelie at 20 months old:
She talk so spontaneously. She will say things on her own that you didn't even know she could say yet. We were counting eight crayons the other day and when we were done she said Nine! I was very surprised.
She speaks in complete sentences or phrases a lot. She has been saying "Thank you, mama" "Where is it?" "Here it is!" and things like that for a few months, but now she says "A Mammy? On't Know. A her house" (Where's Grammy? I don't know. At her house)
She is so silly! She will hide her own hand in her sleeve and play peek-a-boo with it and thinks it's hilarious. She has decided that she loves sunglasses. She puts them on and says "piddy" or "so cool" It seems like she may avoid self-esteem issues....
She knows when she pottys in her diaper and does not like it! I'm so excited about that . She has been sitting on the potty whenever she asks for about two months now, but it is more just for fun that using it for what it was intended for, but her saying "Poop" and patting her diaper makes me think maybe we should get a little more serious.
She is very hot and cold. She can be the sweetest little thing, putting her arms around you and giving hugs and kisses just for fun and obey you so well one day, and the next day the word of the day is MINE! and we are throwing tantrums on the floor. It must be so hard to be a toddler!!

Here are some pics:
Maelie and Elizabeth love to play pretend night-night. It's a funny version of peek-a-boo and they crack each other up!











Looking "so cool" in her glasses! She loves to put them on by herself.












I love this picture because it is probably one of my favorite dresses on her, but also because she has Mickey and Minnie with her. They go most places with us these days.

For All That You've Done I Will Thank You

Who else feels a little caught off guard that it's almost Thanksgiving? I wore a tank top out one day recently, so it still feels a little weird to be planning on turkey and dressing. I'm still excited, though. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite actual holiday. I love the Christmas season, but the actual day can be overwhelming and a little bit of a let down after all the hype. Thanksgiving, however, seems to be a purer holiday. Just bring over some food, watch some football, hang out. Well, the past few Thanksgivings have been that way. I just have a really hard time with the word "no" but two years ago, sweet Kyle put his foot down and said that from then on we would reduce our Thanksgiving obligations from 4 to just one. It has been so nice. It is really hard to feel like you're letting someone down, but it has been worth it. Our first several Thanksgivings as a married couple we ran around so much that we ended up missing most of the actual dinners and ended up at Whataburger at nine o'clock at night starving. In honor of the holiday, here are ten things that I am SO Thankful for...

1) My Precious Husband. I am so thankful for the man of God that he is and the way he really applies that to everything that he does - at work, as a husband, father, friend. He is one man who really walks the walk.

2) My Marriage. I am so thankful that her we are, seven years into it, and our marriage seems better than ever. So, while I listed above that I am thankful for Kyle, I am also thankful for the relationship that we have and how it opens my eyes to the way that Christ loves me. In no other relationship do you feel such total and unconditional love and acceptance - the freedom to truly be yourself all the time - good and bad.

3) My Maelie. Good grief, that is an understatement! She is so precious. And such a surprise! She amazes me with her humor, her bravery, her wildness. These are things that are so not me, but I love to watch grow in her! I think being a mom to someone like Maelie brings those qualities out in me a little, too. She is also so sweet and girly. She has several times lately put her arms around my neck to pull me into a hug and then just patted my back with her sweet little hands.

4) My Family. That is one thing I love about this time of year - that it really makes you stop and prioritize just how important your extended family is to you. I love having everyone together - we have a really big family so it is not often that we are all under one roof! It brings back so many good memories of my childhood. This Thanksgiving could also be the last one for a few years that we have all of my smaller family unit here, so I am especially thankful for that.

5) My Friends. I am so blessed to have so many sweet friends in my life. I really feel like we have such a rich life, and I know that is in large part because we are blessed with such rich friendships with people in various stages of life. Some friends have older kids to learn from, some have no kids to remind me what Emilylife is about instead of just Mommylife, and some have kids exactly the same age as ours to help share in the joys and journeys of Mommyhood. I feel like each one is a different glimpse of Christ to me.

6) My Job. This year I am especially thankful for my job. It gives me such an outlet to use the gifts and talents that the Lord has given me in a way that, hopefully, reaches out to others and brings Him glory, to plant seeds in tiny hearts about just how much Jesus loves them. It also puts me in contact with some pretty amazing women, again, from all different paths, who share a common love and a common goal. They bless my life just as much as all the kiddos do!

7) Kyle's Job. Even though Kyle occasionally has to work some pretty crazy hours, I am so thankful for his job. It really seems like he has found his niche. He likes what he does, and most days comes home in a pretty good mood. He also works for great people who we love, and that makes such a huge difference. It just makes all those hours that he is away working and sacrificing for our family go by a little quicker to know that he feels successful and fulfilled.

8) My Church. I try not to give out a lot of personal information on this blog, but I will tell you that I go to Richland Hills Church of Christ and I love that place. It is the first church that I've gone to that I've really felt like was my church family instead of a bunch of people I go to church with. Kyle was nervous when I first started working there that seeing the inner-workings my tarnish my idealistic views of church and in essence, hurt my feelings. However, I feel like quite the opposite has happened. Getting to know the people that work there, how things are done, sometimes why things are done has really made me love it even more. I feel like, while no earthly leadership is perfect, the hearts of the people at this church are really about serving God, bringing him glory, and spreading the Gospel of Christ to as many people as possible and it is really exciting to be working, worshiping and raising a daughter in that atmosphere.

9) My Hope. Is it not amazing that you can look back at all the things that you are thankful for, knowing how so very many things did not make the Top Ten, and know in your heart that it is only the tip of the iceberg? To know that even the things that you aren't necessarily thankful for - like the hurt in your heart for the people you love that are away from Christ - can turn into a thanksgiving because you are so thankful that God knows your hurt and has a love for these people and a desire to call them His that you cannot imagine. Above all, to know that one day you will leave it all to be with Him - I am so thankful for my hope and my future!

10) My God. Now, you know that this one could go on and on, but I will sum up my thankfulness for God by saying that I am so thankful that He is my God, and that I am His. I know that none of the other things would be possible without Him. Even if I had Kyle in my life without Him, I would not be able to fully appreciate all the things that Kyle is without seeing him through the Father's eyes. I would not have a marriage that was meaningful if both of us weren't striving for the same goal - to live a life that brings Him glory, and to take our children and as many others to heaven with us. None of it would matter - the joys would only be a glimpse of joy and the sorrows would swallow me whole without the love and sacrifice of my Father.

I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You...

Well, I know that historically all my blogs have centered around Maelie, but I just couldn't help share this picture of Kyle. Sometimes I think about who he was and who I was way back when we got married, and it is amazing to see how far we've come as a couple and as individuals. I feel like we have grown up together in away, and when I stop to think about the man he has become it astounds me. He is the most precious Daddy to Maelie. I always knew that he would be a phenomenal dad, but watching him actually do it blows my mind. It was part of what made me fall in love with him to begin with, and it's part of what makes me fall more in love with him each day. He is also an amazing husband. I have felt so bad for the past several weeks, and he has so taken care of our family. He has done the cleaning, the laundry, given extra care and attention to Maelie and taken such good care of me. I have been a little frustrated by my lack of energy and the doctors inability to figure out what exactly is going on, and he has just loved on me and assured me that things will get better, I'm not useless, etc. All of this on top of the work he normally does and some extra help he's given friends lately. The most amazing area of growth I've seen in Kyle is spiritual, though. He has really stepped up and become the leader of our household with such grace, wisdom and faith. I think that's why I love this picture so much. When I first started teaching Bible class, Kyle was not that interested. He would help me set up, clean up, anything like that but I think he was a little intimidated by the kids. Over the last few years, he has become more and more involved and he is so good at it. He is great at getting kiddos that don't want to come in the door and involved in class. He is always ready to make towers for the boys to knock down and those little girls have him wrapped around their fingers. It just warms my heart to see him put himself so fully into serving our God by serving these precious little ones that He thinks are so important.


"Mr. Kyle" at work!












I think Maelie is so lucky to have such a fun Daddy!

Oh, What a Night...

Well, this may be a record - two postings in two days! However, I thought this would be the best way to share our Halloween fun. We met the Daddys for dinner at Chick-Fil-A, then headed to church. It was crazy!!! So much fun stuff to do - a petting zoo, carnival games, so much more. However, the girls had more fun on the usual stuff they play on - the slide, the playhouse, etc. Then we headed to James and Linda's house for a little trick-or-treating and wrapped it up by stopping at Carol's for a little Grammy lovin'. All in all, it was a great night!
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!











She was pretty tired by the end of it all. Grammy gave her a new Mickey Mouse and she kissed him all the way home, then went to right to sleep with him snuggled up next to her.

Here We Go Again.....

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!!