Maggie's new trick

We didn't even force her to do that one!




Ok, so I guess you can't win 'em all!

fun fotos

As of yesterday my baby is 11 months old...
So, because it's fun to take pictures, I did.
Following are a few of my favorites.

Sam is always so good to take care of his baby.

This one just makes me laugh. Way too excited to kiss her!

And sometimes they just melt my heart.




She looks so bored with my enthusiasm.
They make me so happy. I love being their mom. :)

sweet stuff

Livia has really had fun playing on her zebra lately. She just wraps her little monkey feet around the base and enjoys the ride!








A month or two ago, Jason and Sam were playing outside and Jason helped Sam pick some wildflowers for me. Ever since then, Sam frequently comes in with a little handful of flowers, or grass, or weeds...


But he's always so excited to give them to me. So if you ever see a vase with grass and weeds on my counter... you'll know why. My sweet little Sam picked them for me with all the love his heart has to give.

flexi-girl

I can't imagine how stiff I would be in the morning if I fell asleep like this.

It's funny how flexible babies are. Lately she will be sitting on the floor with her feet out in front of her, and all of a sudden she will lay her head down on the floor, with her feet still under her. Apparently she thinks her feet make a great pillow. I'll try to get a picture of it sometime, since it's so funny how she is completely folded in half and just lays like that for a while. She's a funny girl. I'm glad she makes me laugh.

swing-a-ding-a-ling

It only took us about 3 hours to set this baby up. We like it. :)

all decked out

A couple of months ago, a big project was started. (Before you are too impressed with us, we didn't do it ourselves, we hired someone to do it for us.)

We have been wanting a deck to go off the dining room since we moved in. The window was just the right size for a patio door.







Sam was pretty excited about the whole thing.






In planning how we wanted the deck to look, Jason decided it would be really fun for us to put a slide on the side of it for Sam. Sam has been pretty impatient for his slide to be ready for him.
And after all this time (and a few headaches here and there...) we finally have a completed project, slide and all!





Ta da! We're very happy that it's complete! And happy with the results.

Blessing #4

I am grateful for showers. Especially after a long, hot day, when you feel all hot and sticky and yucky. It's nice to get into a luke warm shower and feel clean again.



I am grateful that we have the technology to have indoor plumbing and have easy access to hot and cold water with the turn of a knob or two. (Even though some of our faucets forget which side is hot and which side is cold sometimes.... I can deal with it.)
I am so blessed.

the kiddos

My kids crack me up.
Sam can turn anything into anything. Here's a shark made out of corn on the cob.


And how about this cute little "Jackie-O-Lantern"

Gotta love how crazy baby teeth can be.

Blessing #3

I am grateful for a beautiful home. We have plenty of space to comfortably live. We have a great yard (after lots of work) for Sam to play outside.


A few times when we were house shopping, we almost settled for a house that we only somewhat liked. I am so grateful that we were patient and waited until we found this house. I know we are supposed to be here right now.
I am so blessed.

Blessing #2

Today I am thankful that I have a strong body. The last couple of days, I have been a little under the weather... but I am still strong. (Well, not super strong, but strong enough... and very capable.) I am grateful that my body is usually healthy.



I am not in the best shape of my life... but I feel healthy and I feel strong. A few weeks ago at Trek, I was worried I wouldn't physically be able to handle the 30+ miles. I did, and I think I did a great job at that! I had a horrible night last night, and I have been up since before 6 am and I just shoveled 2 truck loads of dirt onto the ground. I am grateful that I am able to help my husband with difficult things. Now I should probably just help him outside more often....
I am so blessed.

count your many blessings

It seems that lately I have a lot of cranky days. Yet I really don't have a reason to not be happy. I usually try to remember my blessings, especially on those grumpy days, so I have decided to count my many blessings on my blog.... because things become more real when they are written down and shared.

I think I need that.

So I'll start today.

Blessing #1 (these will be in no particular order)
I am so thankful that I have Jason. He is so perfect for me. He is loving and caring, he is patient and affectionate, he is smart and hard-working. He is tall and handsome. And he is my eternal companion... forever and ever.
We have obviously had our ups and downs, but the downs have become few are far between, and the ups have continued to rise beyond my expectation or comprehension. I love this man! He makes me want to be a better person, a better wife and a better mother. I am so grateful that he picked me to be his wife and the mother of his children.
I am so blessed.

PS Today was not a grumpy day... in fact, today has been a beautiful day.

morningness

Highlights:
1. Livia rockin' out to Yankee Doodle
2. Livia's monkey feet holding the ball in place




Highlights:
1. Maggie's pleading look and her amazing catching skills
2. Sam's delayed reaction