Happy Halloween!

The Bees

Here's Miss Magnolia Bee!

A Pumpkin Evening

See below for the amazing process that created this beautiful piece of art...

Tonight we finally decorated our family pumpkins. Maggie painted hers in fall colors, and Mommy and Daddy carved theirs. Maggie really wanted to eat paint, so after I convinced her it was probably best to keep her bugsy (pacifier) in her mouth, she spent half the time painting her bugsy while it was in her mouth, and the rest of the time painting her pumpkin. Then her and Daddy went to work on carving his pumpkin. She quite enjoyed pulling out the pumpkin guts, and feeding them to her dog, who LOVES to eat pumpkin---it's the weirdest thing. The rest of the night she played "baby" with Joe Vandal, while Mommy and Daddy finished carving their pumpkins. Now we are ready for Halloween. I know I've let it slip to a few people what Miss Magnolia will be for Halloween, but I think I'll work on keeping it a secret from now until then for the rest of you---it's just too cute!!!!

*see below for more pumpkin pictures*

She's really not a baby anymore, is she?

Today was the day. The official day. The day I realized that my little girl is exactly that...a little girl! I'm not sure if it was the pigtails that I went ahead and put in her hair, or ALL the words she said today. It might have been just how busy and independent she was all day. Even when we went grocery shopping she insisted on walking next to us. It could have been that she's drinking now from an open lid cup---which makes her even look like a big kid! I'm not really sure what it was exactly, but I definitely know that I don't have a baby anymore. Zac and I just watched our little daughter in amazement all day, just taking it all in. That this little person is what has become of our baby! I can't say for sure how I feel. I think I feel a lot of things. Happy. Sad. Joyous. Grief. All just part of being a mother I guess.

Enjoy this picture I took today of Miss Magnolia Annabelle Crist...

The Pumpkin Patch

We joined the Luangaphay Family for some pumpkin picking this evening. Maggie helped us pick some pretty good pumpkins. She even came home with a little gourd!

Maggie's going to paint her pumpkin this weekend--should be fun!

We've got our wagon, and we are ready to get pickin'.

Johnny, Jesikah and Pennington

Maggie was pretty interested in the dirt and pumpkin vines as well!

Mommies and their little ones!

"Hmmm, where do I start?"

She loves pumpkins!

Magnolia and the family pumpkins.

The tough Dads.

Pennington was a little sleepy.

The Sky is Falling

"Seriously Mommy?!?! Look at all that stuff falling from the sky!"

Well, besides playing in the leaves, Magnolia has been just a happy, busy little girl.

Allergy Update:

We took the plunge today on the allergy front...I told Chris to go ahead and give her some soymilk at lunch. It was so hard for me to do it; when you have a sick child all the time it feels unbearable to consider doing something to make them feel sick again. I'm glad Chris had offered to do it. Raising children with food allergies as well, we knew she'd be the best one to watch for reactions too. She's been so respectful and supportive of the situation we've been placed in with Moo's allergies, we truly appreciate her!

Well, Maggie's doing...GREAT! No initial reactions, so we will be monitoring poop closely (checking for mucus and blood) and paying close attention to her temperament. If she's still allergic to soy we should see the fussiness and irritability related to upset stomach. If she's outgrown at least one of these allergies now I will be the happiest Mama EVER! I can't even imagine the day I don't have to pack her food every where we go, or when we can sit down every night to a "family" meal and eat all the same foods, or when I don't have to hyperventilate and sprint to her every time someone hands her a piece of food that I haven't checked the ingredients of.

It will be wonderful!

A Girl's Gotta Have Vandal Gear!

Zac and I went to Moscow for the U of I vs Hawaii football game yesterday. It was just a one night trip (which = a completely exhausted Mama and Dada by the way). We really wanted to take Moo, but we thought we'd try to get away alone, since it was also our sixth anniversary today, and since Moo was only a few months old for our fifth anniversary (which we had originally thought we would do something big for) last year. The trip was good. Moscow was beautiful, the game was so fun to watch, and we got to say "hi" to a lot of college friends. Maggie stayed with Aunt Sara and Uncle Brad. She seemed to have tons of fun. They went to the park, went to visit Gramma-Gramma, and played with babies!

Zac and I couldn't help but get Moo some new Vandal gear. So here's a picture of her with her new gear!

Go Mighty Vandals!!!

Every little girl needs some love from Joe!

Here's a better look at Moo's new Vandal jersey!

This one is for Auntie Hailey: Okay, so this is a really silly picture of a drooly Moo (no Vandal gear)---look at Moo's right wrist though. We hear "Bracelet? On?" all day now!

Maggie's Got Skills!

Magnolia's words/sounds (well the ones she felt like saying anyways!)

Maggie has mastered using a spoon--for the most part!

Here you go Auntie Hailey...

Auntie Hailey called me and said she needed some more Magnolia pictures/videos. She said she was looking at all her Maggie pictures up in Moscow and was missing her little Moo. I told Maggie to be extra cute, and she decided to do one of her favorite finger plays (Open, Shut Them) for Auntie Hailey. Zac also had these cute pictures on his I-Phone.

We love you Auntie Hailey, and can't wait to see you in a couple weeks.

OH YA----GO VANDALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's Maggie and Mommy trying on jewelry that our friend Cynthia makes.

Maggie's was helping Mommy catch up on some reports (I wish!).

This was a Daddy evening. It looks like Moo just finished dinner (hence the belly), and convinced Daddy she needed to play outside after she got her pajamas on.

Maggie's got most of the actions, you'll notice she just does them a little late or a little early! You can also tell that her poor little eye is still swollen. She's just been a super happy girl though.

"Your Kid Looks a Little Rough"

This picture is sort of fuzzy, but her right eye is still swollen. It kind of looks like she's squinting, but she's not. She also took a little tumble outside, and has a little bump and scrape on her forehead, hence the title quote compliments of Auntie Sara when she saw Moo today.

You all know that Magnolia LOVES her hat. She's been wearing this one around the house quite a bit lately. She really likes it when Dada wears his hat too!

Poor Moo!!!! She woke up with a swollen eye this morning---related to her ear infection. Dr. Kissam (Dr. Ally's partner, who's seen Moo quite a bit lately) wanted Moo to come in so she could make sure that her eye wasn't infected. It's not infected, but it sure is puffy and sad looking. Her other ear is infected now as well. To think of it, I'm not even sure that I mentioned to everyone on the blog that Maggie went in yesterday to the Dr and we realized the first ear was infected. She seriously can't ever get a break. Which equates to Mommy and Daddy never getting a break! Multiple people promised me today that she is going to be the healthiest child EVER once she gets into the primary grades----I sure hope so!

Moo Update

Moo's fever came back rearing it's ugly hot head in the middle of the night. Fever again all day, it's hanging at around 100-101. Her cough is starting to sound pretty rough too. Poor little girl never gets a break! I was so hoping this was going to be a quick recovery for once! And to think---flu season is just beginning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I'm ready to go to Sun Valley now!"

She woke up feeling much better this morning. She grabbed her jacket and hat, and gave us this BIG smile. She's the cutest little thing in our lives! Even when she makes our lives so crazy...

As many of you know, I spend one week every October in Sun Valley preparing and enjoying the Idaho Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Conference. I'm the past president for the early childhood subdivision, called the Division for Early Childhood (DEC). DEC has been a huge part of my life for almost four years now! In January the end of my four year term on the board will be up. Every year since I've been on the board Zac has joined me in Sun Valley. The first two years were purely enjoyment for him. While I was in meetings, luncheons, and sessions all day, he was mountain biking, drinking coffee/micro brews and lounging around Ketchum and Sun Valley. Last year we had a 2 month old with us, and Zac politely said "we will never refer to this as a "vacation" for me again." I reassured him that the next year would be much better.

I left on Wednesday since I had a board meeting that night, and on Friday afternoon Zac and Maggie were preparing to come down to Sun Valley and stay the weekend with me. On Thursday he calls me to say that Maggie just isn't herself, and he thinks that she is REALLY missing me, and she keeps asking for me. I convince him to leave extra early Friday morning, and he spends all Thursday getting ready and packing.

Then I get a text at 3am saying "call me." Apparently Maggie's been up all night (every hour) with a fever. I'm of course instantly wondering how I can get home to her since I had rode with my co-workers. Sara had been sick and diagnosed with influenza just a few days earlier, so I know Maggie most likely has caught the flu as well. I think it's literally impossible to not be with your baby when they are sick---so even though I am presenting on a panel that afternoon, and we still have the DEC open house that night, and the post conference the next day, I find a ride home to be with my little Moo. My fellow DEC board members and co-workers who are presenting on the panel with me are so supportive. I couldn't ask to be surround by better people in my profession.

What a sicky she is that day--I'm so glad I made it home! She certainly has the flu. I convinced Zac to take her into the Doctor. She saw Dr. Kissam, who tested her for influenza which came back positive for Influenza A. Dr. Kissam said that she's lucky, and she should be feeling better by Sunday.

Well, it's Sunday now, and Dr. Kissam was right. Moo IS feeling much better now. We of course were not able to get out of our reservation in Sun Valley, so Grandma Tara enjoyed a beautiful suite (apparently our room had been upgraded!) at the Inn. We have not left the house since Friday, except to go to the drug store. Zac is fairly confident he's catching "it," and is frantically trying to get some stuff done before he feels worse.

Mom Lesson #2: When you are a mother, NOTHING ever goes as planned.