Sunny Florida

Here are some pictures from summer camp. Maggie and I went with 30 junior and senior high schoolers to Panama City Beach, Florida last week. Of course, when I got home, I realized I really only took pictures of Maggie, not the rest of the group.

Maggie at the pool. She didn't like being in her life jacket or a floaty toy - she prefered to cling to me for dear life! On the last day, however, she did decide that it was fun to walk off the edge into the pool and have Mama cach her right before her head went under.
Maggie and Evi Yates (of Janet & Smedly Yates) digging rocks out of the grate.
Maggie, Evi & Zoe first thing in the morning. Gotta love that morning hair!
Playing in the sand on the beach- had a blast! She didn't touch the little sand castle I made for her at all, which I thought was funny.
More sand, in the evening before the last message.
A gorgeous sunset to cap off the week.

More travels

Mel & Maggie are off to Florida tomorrow morning with the CBC youth group. Tyler is leaving Tuesday for infoComm in LA. Busy, busy, busy! Will post more next Saturday. Until then, enjoy some old posts.

Seattle Wrap-Up

We made it home late last night, putting Maggie to bed around 11 p.m. Nashville time. Not sure why I decided to book a flight that got in so late...

Here are some random pictures from our trip that I didn't post before. It's hard to get everything organized and ready for the blog when you don't have your own computer.

Me curling Grandma Pearl's hair Tuesday morning, saves a trip to the salon.
Maggie with Grampa John before bed.
Maggie going in for a kiss.
With Grammy Ammy.
Uncle Brian, a favorite.
Looking like such a big girl eating her lunch with Gramma Sue.
Sunday, June 3 was a record-breaker in the Seattle area: 84 degrees! Maggie ran around in her diaper all afternoon. Loved the sprinkler on her legs, not so much on her back.
A long drink after playing so hard!
With Uncle Zach and Winston the cat, "helping" him on the computer.

Seattle Pictures, Part 3

This weekend we drove across the state to visit my Dad & step-mom, Sylvia. We had lots of fun on the farm with the llamas and their new dogs, of whom I didn't take any pictures. I also forgot to have my Dad take a picture of me driving his tractor. I felt like I was 12 years old getting to drive the ride-on lawnmower! It was really funny.

Friday after lunch I was getting everything loaded in the car and had Grandma Pearl hold Maggie since she was fussing. Maggie pooped out in 5 minutes - totally zonked in Grandma's lap!!!

It was a 5-hour drive from door to door, with one pit-stop about half-way there. I dont' have pictures of Maggie's adventures in the car, but they include shaking her goldfish container in anger at her mother and spilling the whole thing in her carseat. This was AFTER the pit-stop, so she had to sit in a sea of crackers and crumbs for about an hour & a half. Other fun things: screaming at Mama because she threw lamb out of her seat on purpose, taking her shoe and sock off her right foot then getting mad that she couldn't put them back on, only sleeping about 2 hours of the drive.

At Poppy's she had a blast riding in the wheelbarrow - she even held onto the arms!

SATURDAY was a great day. Maggie got to play in the gravel and dirt in the morning - she was FILTHY!

Pushing Poppy over to get to his cherries - one of her favorite fruits.

In the afternoon Poppy and Mimie took us to Riverfront Park in Spokane for the carousel and a gondola ride over Spokane Falls.

Walking with Poppy along the riverfront. Who said holding a plush lamb wasn't manly?!

In the gondola, enjoying Mama's shaved ice: cherry and grape flavored. It took me about 1/3 of the way out to get used to the height of it - I hate heights! Dad and Sylvia didn't make it any better by rocking it and telling scary stories. Maggie, of course, was oblivious, she just wanted the shaved ice.

Spokane Falls - they were beautiful. Dad said that before Grand Coulee Dam was built, the salmon run stopped here naturally; the salmon were not able to make it over these falls and the local Indians would fish for them here.

Such cute pictures of Maggie right before bathtime. I fiture the naked shot is OK because nothing is really showing. And who doesn't think baby buns are the most precious things on the planet? Maggie, I bet you'll be embarassed by this when you're older, but we just love you so much and think you are the sweetest thing ont he planet!

Seattle Pictures, Part 2

So I neglected to take pictures when I visited my friend, Mary, and her family this week - sorry Mary! We had a great time catching up. We used to work together when we still lived in Seattle. Her new baby Jessie is a doll, and 3-year old Maddie is so beautiful with big blue eyes!

Here is Maggie with her great-Grandma Pearl Spaid, who flew out from Missoula, MT to come visit us. They had a nice long cuddle in the rocking recliner.

Papa Dave (Amron's step-dad) also came over for dinner and a visit. Maggie loved the pen and papers in his pocket.

Maggie's favorite activity- emptying cupboards. Grammy ammy lets her play int he tupperware cupboard. Maggie has a blast emptying the contents all over the floor, then walks away as soon as everything is out. I guess playing with the actual tupperware is no fun, just making a mess is.

A Tale of Two Lambs

So, you may have seen in prior postings that Maggie has a lamb that is her lovey. Lamb was given to her by her Great Aunt Cheri. Lamb has to go everywhere with Maggie, and is an absolute requirement for bedtime and naptime, and for traumatic events (bumps, bruises, falls, trips to the doctor). There would be little happiness and no sleep in the Spaid household if Lamb got lost. Needless to say, Lamb is VERY loved (remember the Veleteen rabbit?). Lamb is getting so loved that at some point it is going to fall to pieces after a trip in the washing machine.

I have been looking for several months now to find a second lamb to replace the first in case of an emergency. I couldn't find any in stores, I searched the manufacturer's website, eBay, every online toy site I could find, no Lamb. The manufacturer makes a similar one with the same name, but changed the fabric from fleece to a curly "hair". That is not the same, and would never pass with Maggie.

This weekend when we went to Bellingham to see my grandparents I checked my Grandma's old Hallmark store (she sold it 2 years ago) just on a whim, hoping to find the elusive Lamb, since I knew Aunt Cheri had gotten it there. Eureka!!! They had a new Lamb. Boy, does it look different from the original. It iss soft, fluffy, filled out, had pretty ribbons around it's neck and doesn't have chipped eyes.

The indroduction: a very sensitive ordeal. a lot of kids will reject the "imposter" for the original lovey. At my Grandpa and Grandmas I pulled New Lamb out of the bag and handed it to Maggie. She looked back and forth from Lamb to New Lamb several times before dropping Lamb for New Lamb. She touched it for a couple of seconds, poking it in the eye, and fingering the turn-key on the music box inside (Lamb had his music box surgically removed last fall so it could be washed) before - hold your gasps - she cuddled it and sucked her thumb! New Lamb received the Maggie seal of approval!!! Yay!!! We have a winner! Can I say that I am really thankful that Maggie doesn't care which lamb it is? that will help loads when we have to retire Lamb for New Lamb.

The next morning, Maggie went over to the suitcase I had put New Lamb in and kept signing "please" until I got new Lamb out. She wanted BOTH at the same time. She would take turns with each lamb, holding and cuddling them. I have since put New Lamb away and Maggie hasn't asked again. Someday she'll get to see him again, when we have to lay Lamb to rest.

That is not an approved use of a cat toy.

Look at this child! That is the cat's toy in her mouth. We keep putting it away, but Gramma's cat, Winston, keeps finding it and then Maggie confiscates it for her use.

Seattle pictures, part 1

No trip is complete without several "visits".
We spent Friday afternoon with Becky Harrelson and her boys. I got one picture with everyone looking at the camera. Pretty good for 4 kids under 4 years old.
Saturday we went up to Everson and Lynden to visit my grandparents. Maggie spent quite a while charming Gramma and Grampa DeHoog.
Grampa walking with Maggie in the yard.
And here's Maggie with her Grandma Margaret. We had to go into town to the Lynden Bakery to get some raisin buns - a fabulous Dutch bread. Can you tell Magpie was getting tired?

My backyard

Here's the house I grew up in. I couldn't resist posting some pictures of my Mom's incredible yard. The weather has been just perfect for gardening, and I've never seen it looking better!





Here she is with her Uncle Brian.
Maggie playing in the dirt, having a blast.