How did this happen??

(Zac sent me this photo of her at her grandparent's house. She insisted she eat her dinner in the high chair. She looks a little too big for that, right?)

I know I've said it before, that she's not a baby any more, and, that I've accepted the fact that she's a little girl now. Occasionally it will hit me all over again though and I realize that I've still been lingering on how little she used to be.

Something like this becomes very obvious when leaving me for almost an entire week is no big deal.  Travelling to Boise with Daddy to visit family was something she just couldn't pass up.

I call her a few times each day and she's usually "too busy" to talk. She's doing great, and having so much fun.

She's big! Her new haircut even makes her look big. The words she says make her sound big.
Her not needing me like she used to---that's big...

Making Things Merry

Opening her Christmas PJs from Grandma Crist and Papa on Christmas Eve

Preparing her cookies for Santa

Adding the final touches...

I requested just a sweet smile, this is what I got...pretty sweet, huh?

The beautiful, organic and quite large carrot she picked out for Santa's reindeer

Excited again this year for her Vandal socks, it's quite nice that Santa knows she's a Vandal!

Opening her gifts from Santa

Kinda serious...

Playing store with her new cash register from Santa.

Building with Papa

Kinda silly...

Our attempt at a family photo.

Kinda...angry??

Winter Solstice 2011

Since Sara and Brad were heading to Las Vegas to spend Christmas with Brad's parents we couldn't really work out getting Magnolia, Sage and River together in-person; we decided solstice this year would be a virtual celebration. We set up Skype and enjoyed opening a few gifts together, and showed off our decorations in celebration light.

(Sara---I hope you got a picture of Sage in her golden crown!)

We all enjoyed dancing with Maggie's new ribbon wand from Aunt Sara, Uncle Brad and Baby Cousin---even Daddy!

Maggie choosing which piece of fresh fruit would be part of her breakfast.

Somehow Daddy helped her peel her orange peel into a sun---very appropriate.

A gift from Mommy and Daddy...a hydration pack in anticipation of longer days exploring outside again.

We completed the morning with a nice breakfast and a family trip to the library for story time 

(Maggie wore her Camelbak of course).

Wordless Wednesday

Her Favorite Things

As Magnolia and I sit here on the couch devouring a pint of cherry amaretto coconut ice cream in celebration of my first semester of graduate school completed, we've started talking about a few of her favorite things. We thought it'd be a good idea to share them on the blog with all you folks! (Oh---Maggie wants me to add that she just got ice cream on her hands!)

Favorite Ice Cream: Cherry Amaretto Coconut Ice Cream
Favorite Color: Pink!
Favorite Song: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Miss Magnolia by Matt Costa
Favorite Food: Rice, Chicken Sausage and Broccoli...???
Favorite Friend: Isabelle!
Favorite House: Our house in Boise
Favorite Thing to Wear: Bella's snowman dress and her flower jammy shirts
Favorite Thing to do at Preschool: Riding bikes with my teachers...oh, and sandbox!
Favorite Thing to do at home: Play with Boston, run and chase her
Favorite Thing about the holidays: Sitting by the fire and talking to all our guests (I'm holding in laughter right now)
Favorite Drink: I love the milk I drank at my old school...soy milk.
Favorite Item to Eat at the Coop: Pesto Cheese Rolls!
Favorite Nature Item Discovered Outside: The Sun
Favorite Place to Eat in Boise: Mazzah
Favorite Snack: One of my favorite snacks is wheat crackers with HUMMUS!
Favorite Book: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Iza Trapani
Favorite Weekly Activity: The indoor play park at Eastside Mall...? (We've maybe gone here four times in the year we've lived here)
Favorite Thing to do with River: Laugh and Play, I just tickle him on his tummy and laugh at him, and he laughs at me!
Favorite Thing to do at the Park: Go down the slide and swing
Favorite Baby Doll: Old Baby
Favorite Place to Shop: Lilliput Boutique because they have a spot for me to play (How does she remember this stuff...?)
Favorite Animal: Tiger

Wordless Wednesday

The Day of Dancing and Fixing

At least she's still well rounded...from a fancy ballerina to a bicycle mechanic.

Kind of reminds me of the time her and Isabelle got all dressed up in tutus and jewelry and came out of the playroom saying "We're going backpacking!"

Dollhouse

Now with less time outside, and a break from preschool, Maggie has been spending lots and lots of time making her own fun indoors. Most recently she's spent hours playing with her dollhouse. She's added her holiday figurines from the advent calendar Grandma Crist sent her to expand the play of this little imaginative world!

We whipped up some trees for a forest around the family's home. I pulled out the green paint, but she explained that her forest was actually going to be purple, pink and orange...

The angel from her calendar is now a "woodland fairy."

I wonder where that idea came from??

And now for the characters...

"Daddy, watching Vandal football."

"Uncle Brad and Aunt Sara"

"Mommy, Daddy, Sage, and Me"

"Grandma Crist is sleeping in the kitchen"

"So are Papa and Issac"

(okay, okay...I staged this one...but seriously, with the little books her and Zac made for the dollhouse, and a potty! I couldn't resist:)

Storytelling

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Broney. He went to me and he said “Could you leave me at your home with you guys? I said “Yes!” So that’s my boy. Then that little boy went back to his home, when he was done at my home. So he’s not here anymore. So when he goes poopy or pee-pee at my house, he left some bad poop. The boy went to his park that year, it’s his school, but he calls it a park. Then he said to his mother, then his father, “I want to go to my school!” They said, “It’s not a school day!”

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Enzy. She dreamed her name was something else, Inkalamb. A scary monster came and ate her all up, then she got hit by a car.

Once upon a day, yesterday, let me tell you about it…there was a little flower. Enzy was in there. She smelled a bee. Then she lined up the flowers in a line. The End.

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Enzy. Her name was something else that day. The End.

Am I the only mother who wonders what the heck is going on in my child's head?!?!

Directions on Caring for Baby Maggie

I stumbled upon these directions that ZAC, yes, I typed that correctly, ZAC typed up for Sara and Brad the very first time we left Maggie, I believe she was just about a year old. Reading over it made me laugh. It also made me miss my baby girl...ENJOY

Hopefully since you are reading this, you remembered to pick up Maggie and bring her home. She is sorry if she cried on the ride home from school.

Diaper changes

• Maggie has a very bad diaper rash so be very gentle when wiping in and around her butt
• If the diaper was only wet, use the pat method and less wiping
• If the diaper was poopy, use one or two thin washcloths (in diaper basket) with warm water to wipe her clean
• Apply prescription cream to butt (use lots)
• Check diaper frequently
• Maggie will forgive you no matter how sad she looks when you change her

Here is a rough outline of her typical Friday night: Assuming she napped well at school, she can play for about 15 minutes while you prepare her dinner. Tonight we suggest that she have the following:

• 1 Rice Patty (thawed in the fridge): microwave for approximately 20-30 seconds and cut into bite size pieces. We typically will give her about a quarter of the patty at a time.
• ½ cup heated potatoes (small metal tin in the fridge): microwave on a plate for approximately 20-30 seconds. Make sure the potatoes are cooled before serving.
• Cup of water (with ice and straw)
• Purley O’s or Puffs as needed if she is still hungry and asking for more
• 1-2 cookies, 3 at the most but if she asks for a third, don’t be surprised if it ends up in Boston’s mouth instead of hers.

Once Maggie is “all done”, wipe her hands and face and release her to play in the living room with her toys while you prepare her bath (your choice, baby tub in the sink or the bathtub but we highly recommend tub in the sink).

Bathtime

• Her tub is on the top shelf of her closet, towel is on her towel hook next to her closet, washcloths are in the hallway top-right drawer, soap and cup are on the top-right shelf above the kitchen sink.
• Water should be luke-warm (mid 90’s)
• Wash her entire body with her soap (go easy on her butt)
• If she is having fun, we typically let her play for a while in the tub. Sometimes we wash her very quickly because she is not having fun and wants out.
• Apply fresh rash cream on the butt and a clean diaper.
• Pajama time!

Bedtime

• Depending on her temperament, she may want to play for 10-30 minutes before going to bed. Base her bedtime on her attitude.
• If she is starting to get fussy, it may be time for a story in her room.
• If she is full-blown fussy, she can have her bottle and go directly to bed
• She will need a 6 ounce bottle just before you lay her down to go to sleep
• Clean pacifiers are in the flannel basket on the bookshelf in her room. She will need them if she isn’t going to sleep and keeps throwing them out of her crib.

Call/text Zac’s phone if you need anything.

The Gallery

As Maggie and I went through all her artwork she showed me the pieces that she wanted to keep in her gallery, and the ones she didn't want. I suggested we cut the unwanted ones up to make a collage!

Magnolia's chosen pieces covering an entire wall in the basement...beautiful!

Wordless Wednesday

Tradition

Today was a fantastic day. Last night we picked up that special tree, and if that wasn't exciting enough, we spent all morning exploring all our ornaments and picking that perfect spot for them on the tree. Maggie's perfect spot was of course right at the bottom, all clustered together...a new tradition, that little cluster of her favorite ornaments at the bottom of the tree.

As we hung every single apple ornament on the tree I didn't hear Maggie complain once. I remember Hailey, Sara and I finding it so incredibly cumbersome placing every, single, apple on my grandmother's tree. But really, I adore those apples now, and I appreciate that Zac, Maggie, and hopefully River too will appreciate the joy it brings me to add every, single, apple to our tree each year.

We also took a few twigs from our tree to add to a new nature table, changing with the season. This was a big transition for Miss Moo considering that collecting all the beautiful leaves of fall had become one of her favorite activities.

Then, if that wasn't enough excitement, Maggie and I got all fancied up to go see the Nutcracker ballet in Pullman at Beasely Coliseum. I wasn't quite sure how it would go, but she talks enough about ballerinas, I figured why not let her watch a ballet, especially one in which I have so many fond memories of seeing as a child.

When I mentioned to Gramma Amoo that I was thinking of taking Maggie she insisted that she purchase the tickets for us as a gift. No one is a bigger fan of the Nutcracker than my grandmother...she wanted to share this with Magnolia too, and since getting out to see it herself wouldn't be so easy, she wanted to make sure that we enjoyed it. And we did! I almost had to hold back tears as I watched my little girl watch that stage in awe, she couldn't even hold back her applause, and her big beautiful smile!

I can't wait to watch it all over again next year.

We Wish You...

As we approach our winter holiday season we are slowly bringing out the cheer...

It all started with what is quite possibly the most exciting advent calendar from Grandma Crist---an entire holiday scene, Santa included! Maggie rushed down December 1st (didn't even bother to brush her hair obviously) to open that first little box with the #1 on it! It continues to excite her each day, and I appreciate the motivation to get dressed and downstairs ASAP!

The stockings are hung with hopes to be filled (obviously we need one for Roo), the sun is hung in hopes of bringing some light on the darker days....getting excited!!

And next...bringing in the evergreen!

Wordless Wednesday

Play Spaces

We always have to make space to display all her creations. Lately, this has been a lot of collages and papers with her important letters.

A space to imitate her world...her little house space.

Still pulling out the finger paints, all process art!

Creation space in the basement.

One advantage of moving, again, is that somehow we ended up with even more space (that I'm not really allowed to fill with more furniture). So...we've got plenty of play space. We recently took all of Maggie's playroom down to the basement to make space for our house guests. She has really enjoyed that space. Zac set up his stereo so that he and Maggie can listen to a lot of what they call "loud music" without complaints from Mommy or River. She can also paint without caution, and we've got a utility sink down there for quick, and frequent, clean ups.

Now that all our guests are gone we decided to move some of our play items back upstairs. We had the discussion with Maggie that now that her brother is somehow getting places quickly he needs to share some space with her too. We've rearranged her spaces to fit in a little brother fun too! She was actually quite excited about it. I guess I was a bit concerned about how she'd feel about him encroaching on all her space.

And as I sit her blogging, she's down in the basement listening to some sort of jam band I assume, and creating away! Daddy is doing some wood working on a very special gift for her this year...and I'm getting a bit of peace.

And More Thanks...

For delicious turkey stew and stuffing rolls!

Sure do wish Maggie would decide some day that she likes soup/stew...it's been her only consistently refused food. Oh well, more for Mommy and Daddy!

Giving Thanks

Obviously there has been a lack of posts lately---we've been very busy visiting and spending quality time with guests over the last nine days.

Last weekend Jason joined us for some Vandal football fun. We watched the last home game of the season. Both Maggie and River enjoyed themselves, through a whole game and two overtimes---it was a pretty exciting game with a poor outcome---true Vandal form.

It's always nice when Jason visits though. Daddy gets to hang with one of his best pals, and Jason can endure some serious hangin' with kids!

Aunt Sara, Uncle Brad and Sage arrived Sunday for a whole fun-filled week. Obviously, lots of cousin bonding occurred during the week. This always includes lots of laughing, playing and a little scrappin' of course.

Laughing at Sagey!

You'll also notice her star necklace that arrived in the mail from Isabelle---she was so excited.

Playing with their home-made peppermint playdough

Trying to get brother to play with her and Sage.

He wasn't so into it.

On Thursday Gramma Amoo, Auntie Julie and Grandma Tara arrived for Thanksgiving. Somehow we managed to keep three children busy as we prepared a mostly soy/dairy free Thanksgiving feast.

And in true family fashion (at least our family anyways) way too much turkey, pie and wine was consumed!

We tried to "go local" as much as was possible with our Thanksgiving feast. Sara and Brad brought lots of vino from the Pend D' Oreille Winery in Sandpoint.

We used the items from Maggie's nature collection to decorate our Thanksgiving table.

Our Table!

Maggie made Turkey place cards with Grandma Crist when she visited! A nice addition!

Auntie Julie and Daddy carving the turkey

Diggin' in!

Brother, just enjoying his fork.

Sagey, enjoying her berries.

Maggie, enjoying everything.

Did I mention too much turkey, pie and wine???

Maggie was so sad to see her loved ones go...but, we'll see you all soon!

We're so thankful for all the wonderful loved ones in our lives!