Did I mention I love Maggie's crafts?

Last week at Mother's Day Out they made scales on the fishies with wheaties.
At Dixie's on Friday when I was doing flowers they collected leaves and bark while out on a walk and then put them on a tree Dixie drew. How cute is that?!?!

Currently Maggie's favorite craft projects consist of anything having to do with stickers, a glue stick, or scissors. We go through about 50 stickers at a time, so I am glad Target and WalMart have big packs of junky stickers on the cheap!

The scissors are a little scary - today she took them to the tag on one of the towels I had just folded. And I was 2 feet from her. At least she hasn't taken them to her hair (did I just jinx us?). But she really does like to cut her papers and playdough.

No more pull-ups

Maggie's been potty-trained during the day since her birthday, nap times since spring. But, I haven't pushed bedtimes mostly because I didn't know how to do that but also because I was happy enough that she was potty-trained during the day. Lately she's been only having a wet pull-up once or twice a month, but didn't think much of it.

Tuesday night I was getting her ready for bed and Maggie says to me, "Mommy, I don't wanna wear my pull-up. I wanna wear my pannies to bed" (she doesn't pronounce the T in panTies). So, I let her wear her panties to bed. So here she is in her PJ's spitting out her toothpaste in the morning, no poofy bottom from a pull-up or diaper. I just can't believe how grown-up she is getting. We are so thankful for our big-little girl, and for how she has blessed our lives in so many ways!

Playing in the Sunlight

Here's Maggie playing in the good sunlight while I was trying to take her picture.

Taking advantage of the Sunlight

So you all know from following my blog that my pictures do the job, but aren't very good. So I tried to get Maggie out in some fun sunlight the other afternoon to see if I could take some better pictures. Here are the results:



If there had not been a car in the background, and Maggie was looking at the camera, this one would've been perfect. I just love how the light wraps around her sillouette.

People in the South, Chill!

Ok, so for everyone who doesn't live down here, I'd like to explain about our gas shortage. The day before Hurricane Ike struck Texas, everyone, seriously everyone, made a run on the gas stations here in town because it was threatened that we would be running low for a week or two. So, prices jumped over 30 cents in one day, and you had to wait in line for 10-20 minutes, stations were running out, and the local news made it sound like the end of the world was coming.

Last night we went out in Tyler's car to fill up since he is under 1/4 tank, but the only station we found had seriously 30 cars in line in each direction. I lucked out and got gas on Thursday - I did wait about 10 minutes, and paid $4.10 a gallon, but this weekend I heard several people say they had to wait upwards of 30 minutes for like $20 worth. One of our friends went out at 2 a.m. this morning to get gas, and still ended up waiting for 40 minutes! Another friend got gas Friday night, and as he was filling up, the attendant turned out all the lights and ran to his car. He told my friend the gas was running out, and he wasn't going to stick around for it. Like people would riot or something? I guess there are only 25 out of 950 stations with gas right now, but we are supposed to be back in a good supply by Tuesday. HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF CARPOOLING? Or maybe even staying home for a day? Good grief! It's not that big a deal, people. It is a short-term shortage. We will have gas on Tuesday.

Don't tell anyone that it is supposed to snow (not really)- Kroger will run out of bread and milk! We actually run out of milk and bread when it threatens to snow. People here are crazy. Bless their hearts!

I've Been Tagged

Here's a fun blog game. You get tagged, and have to answer a ton of stuff about yourself. I have an embarrassing life, so here goes:
20 years ago: I was 10. I was a crossing guard at school so I could get out of going to daycare in the mornings. After school, if I had crossing guard duty, I would do that, then walk the 2 miles to my daycare lady's house, because that was WAY safer than just staying home in my own house that I could lock up. I hated going to daycare. I could never go to my friends' houses after school like everyone else, and everyone was always asking why I couldn't come over. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, I also remember trying to do my hair all cool one day, and ended up just putting in WAY too much of my mom's mousse in my hair and it looked like a floppy mohawk. I remember the teacher making a comment about it, but that was it. I'm sure I washed it out when I got home so my parents didn't see it.
10 years ago: I was 20. Tyler and I were engaged, I was frantically trying to finish up my undergrad degree at the University of Washington so we could get married "on schedule" in 1999. My hair was it's natural color (I know, a shock to everyone who knows me now) and long. And I had bangs (i love my bangs), not poofy bangs, but the kind that you wear straight down, trimmed above your eyebrows. In addition to going to college full-time and commuting from home, I volunteered as a girl's leader in the Jr. High youth group in our church, and I worked as the admin assistant for the youth pastor, Pete Badgett. Pretty much all I did at home was sleep and do some homework. Embarrassing moment: I got pooped on by a bird at the bus stop (EVERYONE took public transportation at the UW) on my way home. All I can say is 1) Praise God it was a tiny little sparrow and 2) I felt like little bugs were crawling all over me until I got home and showered.
5 years ago: we has been in Nashville for a year already, married for 4 years and I started working at BPS&M/Wells Fargo at the beginning of the year. I loved that job. I loved my cubicle (I'm not joking), loved the people I worked with (did not always loved Hunter, the big cheese), loved what I did - customer service and payroll processing for a big company's retirement plan. We were in our first house, just something we rented, and loved it. Tyler was still in grad school at Belmont and working at BMI. We were and still are at Community Bible Church, I was volunteering in the Jr. High group with Janet and Smed, and went to the college/career group on Thursday nights (I LOVED that night). It was an awesome time in my life. I also learned to wakeboard that year during a youth group trip to the lake. Thanks, Smed! Tyler graduated from Belmont in December of 2003. Embarrassing moment: not sure about that one. I think I had an embarrassment-free year.
3 years ago: I was pregnant with Maggie. I was still at Wells Fargo and loving it, except the part where I had really bad morning sickness and had to basically lean my chair back as far as it would go and put the keyboard on my lap and work laying down. Tyler was working at Charlie Peacock's, and learned to loosen up his "Dilbert" mentality. Also a very good year. Embarrassing moment: on the way home from a weekend at the lake with our home fellowship friends, I got some major carsickness (I blame Maggie for this) while riding home with Jamin & Christie Dunn. I couldn't get it to go away, so being stuck in traffic and Jamin was unable to get to the shoulder in time, I had to just open the door and barf while we were driving.
1 year ago: Tyler started a new job, our house got broken into, and Maggie was violently ill, all in 3 weeks time. It was a lot of stress, but God carried us through that time with a lot of peace. I worked at our church's Mother's Day Out program first as a sub, then as a teacher in the 1-year old's room one day a week. It was really fun to be there with Maggie, except when the other babies were crying and screaming and pooping. But, it got me out of the house, and I was able to serve. I started doing flowers more seriously. Embarrassing Moment: Maggie learning the word "boob" (I know! Wash my mouth out with soap!) and proceeding to scream it at the top of her lungs with glee while trying to open up my shirt, at the airport, in line getting ready to board the plane and being unable to get out of the situation.
Today: I dropped Maggie off at Mother's Day Out, ran to the grocery store and am home, writing this blog entry instead of cleaning house! Wednesday's are important with another wedding season upon me: it's my grocery-checkbook-clean house day. I love picking Maggie up from MDO and seeing her fun crafts and hearing about her day, and am looking forward to picking her up this afternoon. Embarrassing Moment: all the things I just shared with the world wide web and all 2 of my blog readers.
Tomorrow: I am watching Zayli. We will probably watch a Disney DVD, read some books, play outside in Maggie's tubes (see some prior post for a picture of these), eat lunch, play some more... Tomorrow night is also the season premiere of Survivor, and 30 Rock, I think. Tyler and I have watched every season of Survivor - it started the fall right after we got married.
Next year: well, that's hard to say what we'll be doing. Probably a lot of the same ol', and probably some new. It will be our 10th wedding anniversary and we'd like to go to NYC for a long weekend to celebrate, but we'll see. Hopefully I will be a lot more patient and kind and long-suffering and gentler (and thinner) but mostly I just desire to be more like Jesus would like me to be. I am a big sinner in need of some sanctification.

My turn to tag: Becky Harrelson, Niki Spangler, Matt/Kathy Lott, Heather Tucker, Tara Arreguin.

Isn't He Sweet?

Like, sticky. Here Daddy and Maggie are displaying Maggie's many bows. I got a craving the other day to learn how to make them, so a quick trip to Sally's Beauty Supply and a raid on my ribbon box and I made a bunch of them (Tara, Wendy inspired me). Some aren't really great, but the next time I decide to make them I am going to pick apart one of the ones I've bought.
And, with wands. I walked in the living room to find them waving these wands at each other. I quick got the camera and asked them to keep it up. I think they were turning themselves into animals? Anyway, I am so very thankful that the Lord has blessed me with a husband that loves our daughter so much and is willing to do girly things with her!

Adventures in Peanut Butter

Somehow peanut butter has gotten to be a giant mess with Maggie. It never used to be, but now I am considering a ban.

A snack of animal crackers and peanut butter to dip them in.
I was not paying attention until she was almost done and discovered this:
And, peanut butter and jam toast this morning. I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but there are equal copious amounts of peanut butter and jam on her face. She even had jam on her PJ bottoms. She even had it in her hair and on one of her eyelids.
as a side note, I made the toast "Spaid" style, which is both peanut butter AND jelly on the same piece of toast. I can attest that I had never had PB&J toast like this my entire life, until I married Tyler. In my house PB & J toast was where you got one piece with jam, and one with peanut butter. Which way do you do your toast? Please comment below, Tyler thinks I'm weird for NOT combining them on one piece of toast.

Phoenix trip

This past weekend we visited with Tara and Alex, their girls, and John & Amron. Ok, I don't have all the pictures, Tara took some, and she may post them on her blog. But, here's what I do have:
Swimming at the pool. Alexis is a fish, Maggie is still trying to like the water this year. But,a fter 3 days of being in the water, she got a lot better, and would even float for a little bit without her feet touching. Here she is with Gramma (Maggie has progressed from calling Amron Gaga to Gramma all by herself).
Lunch poolside.
Trying to get all three girls to look at the camera and smile all the same time is VERY hard.
Parenting FAIL! Just kidding. The bottle was empty. But it makes for a funny shot. Gabby is such a little cutie!!!
Two cousins who love each other very much! They played really well together all weekend.
Lunch with the Yates girls on Sunday. We got to visit with Janet & Smedly Yates on Sunday. Janet made the best homemade pizza ever!
Group photo after church. Janet with Smed holding Emet, Evi & Zoe down front, Tyler, Maggie and I, and our friend Vadra with daughter Jane. Vadra came down from Nashville to visit Janet the same weekend. It was so much fun to be together.
And, how can we visit Phoenix without In-N-Out? We had to stop there on our way back to the Spaid's after church Sunday night. The dopamine was flowing, I tell you (meaning it tasted so darn good)! Maggie got to have some very watered-down lemonade with her cheeseburger and fries. Her first sip of the milkshake was good, but after about 3 more sips, she decided it was yucky. Too bad for her, but good nes for me!
We had a great time with everyone. The trip was, of course, too short.

Who knew?

Maggie has had more fun with a $1 box of rigatoni than just about all of her other toys. Here she demonstrates her noodle fingers. We also scoop them from bowl to bowl (tireless fun) and string them up for necklaces. I had kept the box in the cupboard with the other dry goods, which is where she found them when she went in to get some crackers one day, but then decided I needed to take them out of the food area in case someone wanted some pasta and cooked up Maggie's touched-too-much pasta. Anyway, her fascination with the noodles has been cute to watch.

Water Day at Mother's Day Out

Wow, I am so behind. On 8/21, there was a water day at Mother's Day Out at our church. Here's Maggie having lots of fun!
Her favorite part of the morning was the popsicle, the kiddie pools, not so much. Here she is with Isabella and Miss Karen, her teacher.
And, with the giant bubble wand. She was one of the few kids that got it to work.