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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Merry Christmas in New Mexico!

This year we decided to spend Christmas with my parents and brother in New Mexico where I grew up.  It had been two years since I had been back and I can honestly say that I missed it so much I had thoughts of moving back there on a regular basis.  But after staying there for a few days I remembered why I didn't live there... it was and still is the lack of convenience and options that keeps me from calling where I grew up home.  Let me just give an example... There is only one Starbucks within driving distance of my parents home and it was only added recently and it isn't even a stand alone Starbucks... It is in a Safeway... that is right a grocery store Starbucks is all they have.  So I will leave it to your imagination as to what else they don't have!!  

So anyway.  Before sharing more of our NM trip with you I want to share with you some pre-Christmas photos.  See Maggie received gifts from well us, her god parents, her Aunts and her Nana and Grampa as well.  We decided that since we weren't going to lug these across the country for Christmas day and since she doesn't hold focus for very long we would let her open a present or two a day leading up to our departure!

This is a photo of her with her gifts (some already opened) and yes she is pantsless but she is nice and dry in that fresh new diaper!!
Her first laptop!! She was much more into it once we figured out how to detach the packaging!
Her first car!  An Elmo car!!
Sorry I didn't get a photo of her with each gift individually.  Now back to the NM story!

So we started our trip with the possibility of delayed flights... our carrier contacted us to notify us that they expected delays do to winter storms... of course we were flying through Denver which is known to come to a stop because of blizzard type conditions... so we attempted and failed to change our connection to somewhere further south like Dallas or Atlanta... But Denver was all there was to choose from by this time in the game.  And delayed we were but only by an hour or so, we had no issue catching our connection (it helped that the plane we arrived in Denver on ended up being the same plane were taking to Albuquerque).

All was well we got to Albuquerque... it was cold but no snow... so we swung into whole foods to get Maggie's soy milk and yobaby yogurt before driving into the middle of no where.  That is when the clouds became a bit more ominous... we hurried in and out of the Whole Foods then ran into a Lotaburger for lunch (Lotaburger is a must for this NM girl had to get my green chili burger on before we jumped into the car for 2 hours).  And we hit the road... by the time we had reached the top of 9 mile the snow was upon us... and the ice had set in and our decent off of 9 mile hill became treacherous.  Luckily my Dad was driving and there is no one I trust more behind the wheel in a blizzard than my Dad!  And a blizzard it was... cars were sliding off the road all over and the 75 mile/hr freeway had become a 20 mile/hr ice rink.  This is when I have to plug *SNOW TIRES* They make a difference and my parents car had just been adorned with studded snow tires!

The last leg of our trip which is typically a 2 hr drive turned into 6hrs and counting and a white flag being raised when we reached the 1st exit to Grants.  My parents openly admitted that if Maggie wasn't with them they would have pushed on into the white night... but as Grandparents they didn't want to chance being stranded on the side of the road with their prized granddaughter.  A relief to Seana who was ready to be done with riding in white out blizzard conditions where the only action to see were the flashing hazards of the not so lucky cars, trucks and semis in the median or on the side of the road.  I will admit this momma was ready to get out as well... So the hotel hunt was on.

We struck out at our first stop but Seana being the problem solver she was had jumped on line and saw the hotel next door still had 11 rooms we jumped on it... By the time we arrived we got the 2nd to the last room and thank god it was non smoking!!  We got parked which was an adventure in itself... some cars were abandoned in the middle of the lanes of the parking lot... which explains why later we witnessed someone backing right into a properly parked car when trying to pull out one of the cars taking up the lane! (We also soon learned the freeway had been closed so pulling off was the best plan)

My parents walked to get us food while Maggie ran off some energy... She was quite the trooper having been hauled around since 6 am est!!!

So our night in the hotel though unplanned was nice.  The next morning we got back on the roads as soon as they opened and we had breakfast!  Longest trip from Albuquerque ever!!

Getting to my parents cabin was such a blessing... we could finally relax and start our vacation... Why not start with a gift for Maggie!
Friday we shopped for last minute items, and I got to see a couple of my parents friends Rick & Kathy!!  It was quite the treat for me they are some of my favorites!

Then Saturday we went over to my friend Sara's house to go sledding!! YAY! So we suited up in my parents coveralls... umm they in fact make me look so gay.  But isn't Maggie adorable!!

Sara's soon Douglas (he is the little green monster below) plowed the sledding trail!
Maggie looked on...
Exploring the snow with Muti!
Then it was her turn to sled!!  She didn't like it too much...


Then the long awaited Christmas Day!!  This is mid getting dressed!!  My mom put safe to touch, grab, drop and throw ornaments on the tree which Maggie took full advantage of.
Always cute.
Then gifts!!  My dad getting his Lions jacket!
Maggie getting her Mickey laptop
My mom getting her Whustoff Knife set
My brother getting his espresso kit!
I didn't get pics of Seana and I... oh well.

We enjoyed our gifts had a wonderful dinner and then Maggie and I got pulled around in a sled outside my parents house!!!  (one of the perks of being Mommy to the only grandchild!)

Grandma and Grandpa enjoying the snow with Maggie!
Maggie dealing with her outfit woes and the cold.
Still cute as ever!!



The trip was too short.  We really didn't get to visit with very many people but we did enjoy our family time.. and all the snow!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Merry Christmas in Michigan!

We went up to Michigan for the annual Thornton Christmas and what fun it was to catch up with family and watch the little ones interact!!  

I have to say that on the way up we almost turned around; the roads (bridges) were all covered in black ice by the time we got to my Aunt and Uncle's house we saw 3 bad accidents!  It was nerve racking!!  

I didn't do the best in getting photos of everyone... oddly most of my pictures have Maggie as one of the subjects (like this is surprising to any other parent out there)!! 

Maggie and her cousin Mya
 Maggie, Seana and her cousin Harper!
 Seana and Harper!
 Aunt Rob with granddaughter Mya!
 Me, Melanie, Mya & Harper!
 Melanie, Audrianna, and I.
 Mya & Maggie!
 Stephanie, Bri, and Candice's tummy (baby boy to be!)!
 Mya & Maggie
 Stephanie, Mya & Maggie
 They look like they are deep in conversation!
 Landon, Maggie & Mya!
It was a short visit but worth it to see almost all our family!


Saturday, December 17, 2011

15 Months!

DAILY ROUTINE:

Your routine hasn't changed much we just do less outings since returning to Indiana.  We are in a stay at home moms group and go to a Wednesday playgroup once a week. 



FOOD:

You still nurse.  We are nearing the end of weaning.  You only nurse twice a day and that is just before bed and first thing in the morning.  You still love your soy milk we mix it with whole milk and you prefer it warm.  

You now eat pretty much what we eat unless I cook something spicy, when that happens you usually get mac and cheese with veggies.

We still supplement your meals with veggie and fruit purees.  

You are a great eater! And you would rather feed yourself than be fed!

SLEEP:

You still do not sleep through the night.  But you usually only wake up when you lose your pacifier... such an easy fix for now and it is usually only once a night.
But we have gotten into a routine! And you are going to bed between 9 and 10 now instead of 11! 

You are also self soothing pretty well, I am sitting by your door now when you go to bed! Some days are better than others as you are teething from time to time!

MILESTONES:

You still love to climb and now in addition to your climb you stand on top of things... Which is nerve racking for both Muti and Mommy!  You are a climber at heart and you live for the ascent! ( I am leaving this because all you do is try to stand on things... like the couch or a box or your high chair)

You are talking like crazy!  Most of which I don't understand, but you say ba-oon (balloon), ye-oh (yellow), boo (blue), za-zee (zia), puppy, nah (nap),  and ah do (all done) to name a few.

You are understanding what I am saying to you very well, and you are learning body parts like nose, toes, belly button and eyes!


WHAT'S FUNNY:

You find the dogs to still be funny. You also still seem to think you are funny... you laugh to yourself quite a bit... You love Peek a Boo!  And you of course love the "FLOP"... this is where Mommy flops you upside down!  You also like to be chased after!

YOUR FAVORITE TOY:

You love toys or objects that you can take out of a container and put it back in.  You also are stacking toys and are spending more time in your Dora Boat!

CLOTHES SIZE:

Your are wearing 12 month everything!  The 9-12 month pants are too short and the 12-18 month pants are too long...  This is a hard age to dress for I have decided they should make a 15 month size!

HAIR COLOR:

The brown tips are less noticeable! Your hair is almost long enough to put into a pony tail.  A bow or hair tie is always a must or you have hair in your face!

EYE COLOR:

Your eyes are definitely blue and pretty as can be!

STATS:

Birth: 9 lbs 8 oz (99th percentile), 21 1/2" long
3 Months: 14 lbs 3 oz (90th percentile), 24 3/4" long (97th percentile)
6 Months: 17lbs 12 oz (83rd percentile), 28 1/2" long (99th percentile)
9 Months: 18lbs 14 oz (56th percentile), 29 3/4" long (95th percentile)
12 Months: 19lbs 5 oz (21st percentile), 29 1/2"* long (67th percentile)
15 Months: 20lbs 10 oz(50th percentile), 31" long (87th percentile)

*Don't worry you didn't shrink, measuring your height isn't very accurate as they lay you down and mark off the end of your feet and the top of your head with a pencil then measure.  Chances are your 9 month measurement was off or your 12 month you had a bend in your knees or something.  

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Thanksgiving in California

This Thanksgiving we chose to spend it with our family in California.  Being there with our family was a reminder of how truly blessed we are.  

Maggie and Seana hanging out on our flight to California!
We spent Thanksgiving thru Saturday day at Seana's parents.  Seana's sister and her family came up for Thanksgiving dinner. Which was delicious!

Maggie's cousin Matt
 Hero
 Maggie and Tahoe
 Maggie and her cousin Mark
 Maggie
 Tahoe and Maggie
 Seana, Maggie and Mark
 Maggie's Uncle Patrick
 Grampa and Tahoe
 Matt and Grampa
 Aunt Amber and Nana hard at work in the kitchen
 Maggie exploring her Nana & Grampa's backyard.




 On Saturday we drove down to San Jose to hang out with Seana's sister Amber and her family.  We stayed with them until Monday morning.  During our visit we got to spend a little more time with our nephews Matt & Mark.  We enjoyed Roundtable Pizza  (can you say Maui Zowie!!!)for one meal and watched Horrible Bosses which was pretty funny but not clean funny.

Aunt Amber & Hero
 Maggie exploring her Uncle Patrick & Aunt Amber's front yard.  California is just experiencing fall colors and they were pretty to see!
 Maggie loves walking through the leaves and making them go "CRUNCH!"

 On Monday we decided to make a stop in San Francisco on our way back to Sacramento!  We parked at Ghirardelli Square and walked down to Pier 39!

The sun was umm bright...yeah.
 In the distance is the Golden Gate Bridge... and we are drinking hot chocolate from Ghirardelli YUMMY!
 Seana proud of her hot chocolate!
 Almost to Pier 39!
 We opted to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. a place we love... unfortunately not this time... they just didn't meet the standard we have come to expect... still great view from our seats!
 Seana and Maggie posing in front of Alcatraz Island!
 Me in front of Alcatraz
 The Golden Gate Bridge!
 Seana and Maggie with the Golden Gate in the Distance!
 Me in front of a pretty ship and Alcatraz in the distance.
 Ghirardelli Square just steps away!
 We love Chocolate!
 Maggie loves the fountain in Ghirardelli Square! She kept trying to climb into the water. I probably only needed to post one picture of this but she is just so cute I couldn't decide!




 On our last day in Sacramento we went to the mall to wander and came upon Santa... So we had to have Maggie sit with Santa!!!  Santa was very sweet and patient! This photo was taken just a few seconds before Maggie started a full on cry!
It was a great visit with our family and we head back to Indiana tomorrow.  We are sad to go but looking forward to seeing our dogs, poor little guys have been without us for an entire week!