Maggie Marie, Evie Jane & Lizzie Grace

2 weeks

2011-08-16T10:15:00.001-07:00

We had Lizzie's 2 week checkup yesterday. She is up a full pound from her last checkup: 8 lbs 11 oz. I was impressed. She has her sisters beat in the weight gain category. I will try to get some pictures up soon, but we will see when...

photos

2011-08-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

Grandma baked Maggie's cake, and let Maggie decorate it.

I loved it. It is a turtle-with circus peanut legs, spikes, and don't mind the red food coloring on the head...

someone shoved her baby sister's hat on her head...

a little evie jane

2011-08-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

a little post nap smoothie. this girl will drink anything with a straw in it.

playing in the yard

she knows how to have fun.

hello!

2011-08-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I would take a minute during naptime (while all 3 sleep) to say hello, and write about how things are going in our house with 3 girls. First a quick recap of the birth.

My water broke at 4:30 Thursday morning, and remembering how fast Evie Jane came we headed straight to the hospital. Once there, we waited and waited, and walked the halls. All the nurses got to know us as we wandered around with my noisy IV pole. We went through one whole shift without any significant progress. That evening our first nurse was back for her next shift. My contractions were increasing, but not very quickly. So we walked some more. And I watched some "Downton Abbey". Contractions picked up a little more, but given the choice of Pitocin I went for it. It got those contractions going ,as I knew it would, and I also decided to go for the epidural thinking I could be hanging out in pain for who knows how long. Well, that was a good decision. I got it around 4:30 and was ready to push at 5:30, and at 6:21 she was born! We got to just hang out together and take in our beautiful new daughter. I was not expecting this labor to go so slowly. But she came in her time, and we are both doing great.

We loved the nurses at St. Joe's. They didn't push anything, and just let us do our thing: walking, sleeping, eating, no rushing the baby off to get weighed, etc. and taking great care of Elizabeth when she was in the nursery.

We got home Saturday morning and we are settling in well as a family of 5. The big girls love their newborn baby sister, and like to make sure she has her pacifier at all times. (she isn't really into the paci, though) As far as Lizzie goes, she is a great baby, and so far seems to be happy as long as she gets to eat when she wants, and she is even letting us get some sleep at night. I love her chubby cheeks and soft, downy head, and that newborn smell...

Introducing . . .

2011-07-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Grace Creason

Before

2011-07-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Amazing fabric and pattern giveaway.

2011-05-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

Head over to Bekah's blog and enter to win some cool fabric and a pattern for fabric lanterns.

easter 2011

2011-04-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

bellevue

2011-02-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

Sam and I are in Bellevue, WA for a couple of days, and we have been striking gold at our restaurant choices. Here is the rundown (mostly so I can remember where we went.):

Wild Ginger-so good, esp the pad thai

Caffe Vovito-great coffee, fresh orange juice, and pistachio gelato

Top Pot doughnuts-best apple fritter I have ever had, and once again good coffee

The Pumphouse- (the Seafair pirates were there, yikes) Texan burger and Jalapeno burger

Le Panier-pain au chocolate, and amandine both amazing

Din Tai Fung-juicy pork dumplings, hot and sour soup, noodles with sesame sauce really, really good, worth the wait.

The Kingfish Cafe-Yam Fries (YUM) fried chicken and mashed potatoes and collared greens, pan fried catfish and grits, and felt like the south.

don't get too excited...

2011-02-23T22:18:00.000-08:00

I don't have any pictures, but we are full of new things around here. Evie is now walking. She started about 2 weeks ago, and in the last week has really gotten the hang of it. She can also say "uh oh", and other cute baby sounds, but "uh oh" is the one clear word. She is a little fireball who is full of sweetness and sass, just like her big sister.

Maggie is doing great. Her imagination is really growing and she loves to sing (esp. standing on the edge of the tub, holding on to the handrail and watching herself in the mirror). She likes to be read to, and is always making (or having me make) nests out of pillows and blankets for her.

And our real big news is we will soon be a family of 5! I am pregnant with number 3, due in late August. We are excited and scared, but mostly just busy with our girls and trying to finish some home projects up before August rolls around...

fall

2010-11-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

home

2010-11-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

after some paint, and tearing out the carpet.

the house

2010-11-28T08:42:00.001-08:00

Here are some photos of our place before we started working on it.

blue! shells!

the girls' room

the kitchen

Looking into the kitchen. The first thing we did was tear down the opaque drop ceiling.

living/dining room

our fireplace!

Nez Perce County Fair

2010-10-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

summer fun with cousins

2010-10-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

for a few more pictures go here:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=232292&id=739127289&l=af9a1ae50e

birthday action

2010-10-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

more birthday

2010-10-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

mostly chocolate cupcakes

& doughnuts (or doughno)

what!?

2010-10-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

Have I not posted pictures from Maggie's birthday? I am a terrible person...

So, here she is at her 3rd birthday party out at the Toevs' farm in Aberdeen:

go here:

2010-08-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

http://http//mandkchurch.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-giveaway.html

To try and win an amazing giveaway. Except maybe just look, and don't enter then my chances of winning will be higher...

if the link doesn't work, just copy and paste or click on "asa" in our links.

she's a crawler and a sitter

2010-08-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Evie Jane can now do a sort of "inch-wormy" crawl. She sticks her little bottom up in the air and then stretches, and repeats however many times she needs to get to her goal. She can also sit up without falling over immediately.

3

2010-08-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

Maggie is now 3 years old! I can't believe it, she is such a little girl now. She loves to chat, and is always wanting to know what Sam and I are talking about or who I am talking on the phone to (I remember doing that to my mom...). She loves to dance, is always asking if she can run, and asking if we can "be louder". She is a wonderful big sister, and likes to help with Evie Jane. Today she helped by picking Evie up and bringing her into the room I was busy packing in. I heard a small thud and looked back, and Evie was on the floor looking a little surprised but perfectly fine.
Maggie Marie definitely keeps me on my toes, but I love it.

laptop on the fritz...

2010-08-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

...so posting will be slimmer than slim for a while. Computer issues coupled with moving in less than 2 weeks=blogging trouble.

backlog:

2010-07-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

morning girls

tiny watermelon

they are so much bigger now.

tomato!

2 of the Toevs girls and my girls at Tough Guy Lanes bowling alley

backlog:

2010-07-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

dancing with cousin Kalon

"cutting" her dinner roll

with the ringbearer Kaison

San Diego

6 months and 4 days

2010-07-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

the stats:
14 lb 4 oz
25 1/2 inches

Evelyn Jane is rolling all over the house, laughing at Maggie, playing with toys, waving her pacifier around, eating pureed food, and getting to be a lot of fun.
I feel like 6 months is a great age, so round and cute, interactive, and perhaps most importantly-sleeping well.

San Diego!

2010-07-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

a little maggie marie

2010-06-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

a little evie jane

2010-06-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

2010-05-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, December 4, 2007
4 months old

Maggie is now 4 months. She had her check up today. Maggie is 12 lbs 3 oz and 25 inches (25th percentile and 75th). She did well with her vaccinations, and got some cool rainbow bandaids. Besides the cold I gave her, she is healthy. Some new things she can do now are grabbing things on purpose.

That is from Maggie's 4 month checkup. So she was just a little bit smaller than Evie Jane.

who's a bad blogger?

2010-05-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

ME!
Sorry for my lack of posting. Can I blame it on the cloudy, gray weather?
We are still here in Chubbuck, and looking for a house in Lewiston. We will be headed up there mid August. Sam is working hard, and I am keeping busy with the girls.
Maggie is coming into her own, and is very chatty. I have a constant commentary, or singing. It is pretty sweet. Her favorite songs to sing are her "ABCs", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "Baa, Baa Black Sheep" and songs from her Leapfrog DVDs.
I walked downstairs after my shower yesterday to discover her headed upstairs with a glass full of Fritos. Today she dumped the salt out and had a little snack.
Sometimes when we are driving around and both girls are talking I realize how loud it is. How did I get such noisy kids? I love it! "Let's Go to School" and "Max and Ruby" are her favorites.
Evie had her 4 month check up two days ago. She is healthy as can be. She did great for the doctor, but the nurse is a different story. As soon as the nurse scooted Evie up to see how long she was, she started bawling. And when the nurse came in the door to give her her vaccinations she started screaming before she even touched her. Maggie came along and kept saying "you'll be just fine, baby sister" and wanting to see her bandaids.
Here are the 4 month stats: 12 lb 14 oz, 25 inches, about 20% and 80%.
Some things Evie Jane likes to do: watch Maggie, lay on her stomach with her head up, grab her toes, suck on her shirt, drool, and talk. She is also really tickleish, and just all around adorable.

2010-05-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

a little update in words:

2010-05-09T15:53:00.001-07:00

We are doing fine down in Southern Idaho, holding onto the fact that it will warm up, and it will get hot and we will pull out the baby pool, and maybe I will even get a tan...
Sam has been out of town this week for work, so I have been trying to fill up my time by going to Idaho Falls (about 45 minutes from us) to shop (we have gone twice), and going to Aberdeen (45 min) to see Grandma Patty.
When we are at home I do the usual stuff minus cooking dinner. Leftovers for me and Maggie. After dinner we have been walking to visit some horses that are right down the road and around the corner from us. Maggie loves it and starts talking the second we step out the door. She just goes down the sidewalk pulling her wagon with her baby in it and stopping to wave at all the cars that pass us by. She is such a fun friend for me to go shopping and walking with.
Evie also enjoys the walks. She is at a great age. She is sturdy, and grabbing at things (she got my bangs yesterday), rolling over and giggling. Maggie loves to try and make her laugh, Evie usually likes it, but sometimes I have to intervene when the playing gets a little too rough.
Sam took the camera with him, but I will try and get some pictures up once he gets home...

a little evie jane:

2010-04-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

2010-04-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

spring

2010-04-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

jr miss

2010-04-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

lately..

2010-04-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

painting

spikey baby hair

Easter Dress

playing outside

baking

what we did this easter:

2010-04-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

ate and burped

cried

hunted eggs

got really excited about the eggs

all 4 of us.

got baptized (or apatized according to maggie) on Easter Sunday. Evie Jane looked beautiful in her gown, and didn't fuss until it was all over. Maggie touched her wet head and said "she's all clean".

played with cousins (they look like trouble)

rolled around

ate chocolate

and played at the park.

And I got a birthday present at 3:00 am on thursday morning after we arrived in Lewiston. Sam had an awesome new camera waiting for me at his parents, and that is why I have more pictures than usual. Allright, someone is climbing all over me, so I better go, before she falls off the chair...

Easter weekend in Lewiston/Moscow

2010-04-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

2010-04-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

a few pictures

2010-03-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

an old one

I have been using my old film camera a lot lately, so I don't have many pictures to put up yet, but the girls are doing great.
Evie laughed for the first time 3 days ago. It is the best; now I do all kinds of ridiculous things to try to make her laugh.
Maggie is becoming a great conversationalist, and will answer questions that cashiers, (or other people we meet) aske her. She knows when her birthday is and likes to count (1, 4, 5, 6) and sing songs.

a video

2010-03-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

this is an old one, but still really cute...

maggie

2010-03-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

Maggie has begun the "why?" phase. I have been hearing it a lot today and yesterday.
Yesterday I showed her an art project I was working on and her response was to say "Oh, I'm sorry." and then to give me a hug and pat my back.

(still having issues with uploading photos-I will try the laptop sometim...)

2 months

2010-03-19T07:14:00.001-07:00

Evie Jane had her 2 month check up and vaccinations on Wednesday. Here are her stats:
10 lbs 12 oz
23 inches
15 1/4 inches (head circumference)
That puts her height in the 65th percentile and her weight right below the 50th.

evelyn

2010-03-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

down south

2010-03-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

6 weeks---turns into 2 months

2010-02-23T12:33:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been a terrible blogger. I am still having some issues with our pictures, and computer issues are really, really frustrating to me-so I just avoid the problem.

We are doing great. I am able to get out with the 2 girls (winco, wal mart, tj maxx, costco...), and I am getting better at loading and unloading 2 instead of 1.

Evie Jane is adorable. She is so much chubbier than Maggie was, and I am loving it! Her little thighs are utterly delicious, and her little smiles just make my day (and make me forget about any tiredness). She is sleeping from 11:00pm to 5:30am most nights. Unfortunately Maggie has been getting up earlier so that means my mornings are usually starting around 5:30.
Evelyn can hold her head up really well, and likes to be held so that she can look around, or if she is fussy she prefers to be held on her stomach. She loves her swing, and will occasionally just lie on the floor kicking her chubby legs.

The girls and I are flying down to New Orleans on Monday for my grandmother's funeral. We will miss our sweet grandma Evelyn, and I am sad that she didn't get to meet her little namesake. But I have many sweet memories of her hugs, and her gardening or just sitting outside, and of her delicious treats she made for holidays.
Well, hopefully I will work up the courage to deal with the photo issues I am having and get some pictures up here...

Go Saints!

2010-02-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

We cheered the Saints on to victory Sunday night with some friends and some chips and dip and sausages. (is there any other way to do it?) I made the girls some Saints gear with gold puff paint-it was fun, and I think puff paint should make a comeback...

Maggie loves watching football, and when Reggie Bush ran onto the field she said "that's my boy!". And this morning I was changing Evie Jane's Diaper and Maggie was saying "who dat".

I am glad she gets into the spirit of things.

3 weeks

2010-02-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

I have been having trouble uploading photos, so I decided to just post this without any.

It is a whole week late, and I will continue to work on getting some pictures up...

I can't believe our little Evie Jane is 3 weeks old! She is doing great-and is more alert every day. Yesterday at church she gave us some really sweet smiles (and it wasn't gas). She is a pretty good sleeper, too. Usually I only get up once to feed her. We are loving our new little one!

more maggie

2010-01-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some more cute things that Maggie says:

"how this workint?" She says this if something isn't working, or if she can't figure it out.

"skirf" skirt

She sings "Don't cry for me..." to Evie Jane when she cries.

She likes to tell her little sister gonga (monkey) stories. They go like this "Once upon a time a little tiny gonga, and a little tiny gonga..."

"pee-cause" = because

pictures

2010-01-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

2 week checkup

2010-01-21T09:39:00.000-08:00

We had Evie Jane's 2 week (a little early) check up yesterday. She did great. Everything looked good and she is now up to 7 lb. 13 oz. Maggie came along and she was a little dream (which is not always the case).

Evie has been a good newborn, if you don't count the lack of sleep. She is starting to have more awake times, which is so fun. She likes to look around with little pursed lips ; she makes the sweetest, sleeping smiles, and sometimes awake smiles.

I love how soft her head is, and all the little squeaks and groans. I finally got used to changing her tiny diapers-it is harder than I remembered.

sisters

2010-01-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

When we got home from the hospital Maggie was very excited and kept saying "welcome home, mama, welcome home Evie Jame!" (She says Jane with an m.)

the story of evie jane's entrance into the world

2010-01-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, I thought I would write about Evelyn's birth before I forget the details. So here is the story...
I was a week and a few days past due, so we scheduled an induction for Sunday night (January 10th). All day Sunday I was having contractions. Once I started timing them they were about 5 minutes apart. So we got all our stuff packed up and headed in to the hospital for our induction.
We got there around 6:30 and I got hooked up to the iv for the antibiotics for being group b strep +. After the first round of antibiotics was finished I needed to get up and walk as the contractions were getting more and more uncomfortable. So since I was only dialated to 3 cm, we walked the halls. As we walked the contractions continued to get stronger and started to really hurt.
Back at our room I tried sitting on the birthing ball, not very helpful at that point. Since I thought I had the whole night ahead of me I decided to go for a little nubaine. All it did was make me woozy for a few minutes. Shortly after that things got intense.
My water broke at 10:30 pm. When the nurse checked me she asked if Iwas ready to have a baby. I think I said "are you serious?". She was.
The nurses and resident all came in and they paged the on call dr (he didn't make it on time).
I asked if it was too late for an epidural. It was. So I started pushing. I had great nurses and a wonderful husband to help guide me through, and keep me calm. Evie Jane was born at 10:40.
So there is the story of my 2nd little girl's birth. It was fast and recovery has been easy. Now we just need to get Evie to sleep at night and be awake during the day...

Evelyn Jane Creason

2010-01-12T06:21:00.000-08:00

Born (very quickly) on 1/10/10

7 lbs 8 oz

21 inches

We are doing great and will hopefully be heading home today/tonight.

Little Evie Jane is a good eater, and has had some good happy alert time.

Maggie loves baby sister and is always wanting to hold her. So far she has been gentle...

Will try to get some more pictures up, but I had to show how cute and round the newest Creason is.

some maggie-isms:

2009-12-28T16:36:00.000-08:00

Tycoon=Cartoon
But=Button
and I will add more as I remember.

a little more christmas...

2009-12-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

a little tea party with frog. she also had her baby and gorilla bank at the table.

Christmas dinner. Right before we had a big orange juice spill.

We had a great Christmas. It was just the three (almost 4) of us, and was a nice, relaxed day. Maggie was so excited for everything, but was especially excited for the chocolate. She really liked opening presents, and it was fun for us to watch her. We mostly just relaxed during the day. We had a ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, fruit salad (with whipped cream) and rolls. I was excited to use as much butter as I wanted to, and I did.

We missed family, but hopefully this baby will be here soon, and we will see them then.

Maggie was looking out the window this morning saying "baby sister? where are you?".

Yesterday we took all our Christmas stuff down and totally cleaned the downstairs so that we will be ready when baby sister decides she is ready to join us. So now we wait...

christmas

2009-12-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

christmas morning

2009-12-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Raggedy Ann and a baby quilt from Great Grandma Marilyn.

Opening a present.

The chocolate is hitting her system

talking on her lip gloss, sparkly cell phone.

a cool flashlight

chocolate!

CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread (graham cracker) house

Christmas dress and a snack before church

39 week belly with apron

Maggie and baby sister

2009-12-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

Maggie is starting to talk more and more about "baby sister". When we were at Costco a couple of weeks ago, she was talking about how baby sister would sit next to her in the cart, and there are other times when she is talking and it takes me a minute to realize what she is saying, and she is telling me something about baby sister. It is really sweet.
Speaking of "baby sister" I am anxious for her arrival. I am occasionally terrified at the thought of having two children, but mostly excited. We only have a few weeks left, and I feel it...

Latest Happenings

2009-12-07T13:57:00.001-08:00

Well, we had a great thanksgiving split between the Creason and Olps families, with some Miltenbergers and Fergusons thrown in...

We drove up to Helena on day 1, and got to spend a little time with Uncle Rich and Aunt Katrina and Addie and Jeromy and kids. Check out Lucille's blog for pics. The drive was great. We have a van now (with a dvd player), and plenty of room in the back to pack without restrictions... The weather was beautiful both driving days, and we were entertained by listening to Harry Potter on CD while Maggie watched movies in the back.

We had a wonderful time, but it was too short, and we wish we could have seen more friends!

Unfortunately my camera ran out of battery power (sometimes I miss the old days of film...)

So this is the only picture I have.

GO BENGALS!

2009-11-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

nesting

2009-11-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

I am like a squirrel this fall. I have been cooking and baking to fill up our deep freeze with ready to heat meals for after this little one arrives. I only have 2 months to go.
Today I made a huge batch of cinnamon rolls.(http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/)
These are the best I have ever made. And I have tried quite a few other recipes.
Some other things in the freezer are: macaroni and cheese,
chicken and rice casserole with peas, carrots and cheddar
taco meat
spaghetti sauce (with meat)
And a lot of other foil wrapped packages. It is a good feeling to store up food for the winter.
I just hope I don't give in to the temptation of using them before I really need them...

for comparison:

2009-11-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

The little piggie of '08

The ballerina of '07

my little monkey

2009-11-01T19:09:00.001-08:00

Family shot with Maggie's Great Grandma Patty.

We went to Aberdeen last night so Maggie could show off her monkey costume to some of Sam's family, and join in the festivities of their Fall Carnival. We had a great time, and Maggie loved the games and totally caught on to getting treats...

Here is Maggie with Sam's cousin Abbie.

Showing off her loot to Aunt Sarah.

Ready to go!

at the park

2009-10-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

Maggie likes to swing.

She also really likes to slide.

2009-10-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Our Place:

2009-10-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Dining Room

Kitchen

Living Room

There are still things that could be done, and that have been done since these were taken, but here is what we have so far...

All thanks go to Sam for taking the living room wall from flat green faux suede to "tomato red".

girl's trip

2009-10-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Maggie and I went to Moscow while Sam was in San Francisco for Clerkship training. Our flight there was great-Maggie sat in her seat the whole time and kept pointing and saying "guy", "boy", "two boy". I was just glad she didn't add any adjectives... She also kept saying "It's fun!"-that made flying more fun for me. The trip home was not so smooth (delayed baggage, high pitched wails from the kid, and tiredness).
But, we had a great time in Moscow. We got to stay at my parent's, and visit some friends and see the cousins. We went down to Lewiston one night to visit the Creasons, which was also a lot of fun. Maggie no longer has a fear of Duncan (Auntie Kayla's boxer), unless he tries to lick her, and every once in a while she will say "Duncan" out of the blue- I guess he made an impression on her.
We got home, did laundry (once our luggage arrived) and headed to Boise for Sam to be sworn into the Idaho State Bar. He is an attorney now, it is official! We had a great time there, and appreciated the quickness of city drivers. Here in Pokey the people are real slow to go at a green light, so it was nice to be able to move.
We have had snow, and it is chilly and sunny today, so I am officially in Fall mode, and bought canned pumpkin at Costco, and have my candles going, and am ready for the cool weather. I have some pictures of our place, but they will have to wait-I hear a baby upstairs.

our trip to moscow

2009-10-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

Trying to get a picture of the cousins is definitely challenging. They were so excited to see each other.

Maggie helped Pop Pop wash his car...

And the cousins formed a little trio.

(minus Amelie-they can make it a quartet once she can sit up.)

maggie was right:

2009-09-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

She is going to have a little sister!

We had our first doctor's appointment here yesterday. Sam and Maggie came along, and everything went great. We weren't expecting to have an ultrasound, but we got snuck in! Our little girl looks great, and is measuring right at 24 weeks (except for her legs which were at 25 weeks, and her head which was 23 weeks), so the due date of New Year's day stays the same. We got to see her stick her tongue out and her little hands right up by her face. It was a really good machine and tech, so we got to see a lot, and it was nice to not have to wait and wait to get an ultrasound.

So, I get to keep all the girl stuff, and I think I am ready to get crafty with some girly things...

Tumbleweed...

2009-09-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening we were looking for something to do, so we were going to go to Costco. They close at 6:00, and it was 5:58 (or so). So then we were going to go to K-Mart, they close at 6:00, too. So we headed to American Falls. On the drive over we passed through a dust storm, and tumbleweed was blowing across the highway, and then some blew straight at us. It was pretty exciting. You don't get anything like that down South, or on the Palouse.
American falls had a grocery where we got some ice cream bars, and a park where Maggie played. It is a tiny town, but it was somthing to do, and we had a good time.

Eastern Idaho State Fair

2009-09-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here we are.

Pop Pop and Nanette came to visit us and we all went to the fair.

No rides for us (maybe next year), but we saw a lot of animals, ate fair food, saw a hypnotist, and saw a lot of local color...

Ice Cream with Nanette.

Cattle Barn!

This cow was not happy, and was letting everyone know it.

Maggie was not happy with all the angry noises.

Idaho Falls Chukars

2009-09-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

We went to a baseball game in Idaho Falls a few weeks ago. Maggie had a great time, and clapped with the rest of the crowd. She kept pointing at the baseball players and saying "a guy, another guy"-and her favorite part: a hot dog and a few sips of our coke...

"moy"

2009-08-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

(sounds like boy)

Maggie and I went to Fred Meyer today (kind of like a Wal Mart or Target with good groceries), and when we were walking back to the car she started sobbing. I asked her what was wrong and she said "moy" and pointed back to the store. She is a good shopping buddy.

Another cute thing she does is say "yea, please" when I ask her a question. Example: "Do you want some juice?" or "Is that good?".

caught up

2009-08-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

OK, I think that I am mostly caught up on pictures. I still have some videos, and film to be developed, but at least these will hold you off for awhile...
Something I did not have pictures of is IKEA. It was great, but would have been better without going to the zoo (on a hot day) first. Next time I will make sure to rest up first, that store is huge.
I hope to be more consistent with posting now that we have internet...

Salt Lake City Zoo

2009-08-25T15:52:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the zoon in Salt Lake. But be forewarned-it is not easy to find, especially if you miss your exit (my fault-I was the navigator).

And if you do go be sure to go on the train ride, it was probably my favorite part.

They had a lot of animals, and they didn't seem miserable like they do at a lot of zoos. They even had a baby giraffe, elephant (that we didn't get to see) and baby meerkats (very cute).

the pocatello zoo

2009-08-25T15:48:00.001-07:00

This is a porcupine. They are not cute.

That is a buffalo in the distance.

Bannock County Fair

2009-08-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

Maggie loved the animals and was really brave, wanting to pet them and say hi to them.

birthday donut

2009-08-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Chocolate icing and sprinkles.

The 2nd Birthday Party

2009-08-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Here is my masterpiece! Maggie liked it a lot, and knew without being told that it was a monkey (Gonga to her).

OK

2009-08-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

So we made it safely down to Pocatello. We filled that 26 foot U-Haul (I didn't think we had so much stuff), and got it all into our new place. We are still working on unpacking, and decorating, but it is down to the fun stuff.
We have:
gone to the Bannock county fair
gone to the Pocatello zoo
become members and shopped at Costco
gone to Idaho Fall (a town 40 minutes away that has more shopping, etc)
taped (me) and begun painting (Sam) a wall in our living room "Tomato"
We will:
go to Salt Lake City
go to Ikea (right past Salt Lake)
Go to the Eastern Idaho Fair
shop some more at Costco
We are glad to be here, and are feeling more at home in our new place every day. We miss all our friends and family, and the wheat fields and hills of Moscow, but we are excited to explore, and discover things to do around here.

PS Pictures will be coming. I promise

what is happening right now

2009-07-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

Because every post needs a picture, here is newborn Maggie: It makes me excited to have another one...

The dishwasher is going, the washing machine is going, and Maggie is playing happily after a
4 1/2 hour nap, and a banana. I looked over at her a minute ago and she was reading a Curious George book to her Curious George stuffed animal (she calls him, and all other monkeys Gonga).
Sunday night Maggie and I went for a walk, and she pulled her wagon around for 45 minutes, up and down hills, offroad, and fast. I think her little legs must have been burning.

new dress and rain

2009-07-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

Enjoying some thunder and rain on the front steps.

after church on Sunday

It is hard to get her to look at the camera.

I take what I can get.

Grande Ronde

2009-07-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

chocolate shakes

We took a side trip to Wallowa-It was beautiful; the water was so clear.

cousins

2009-07-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

We took a little trip to stay at a friend's house on the grande ronde river. Maggie had a great time with her cousins: eating cinnamon rolls, playing in the river and baby pool, and running in circles.
waiting for the cinnamon rolls to cool.

corn on the cob

I am not sure what this face is all about, but she sure liked chewing on the cob.

Peter (Pe-pe) has a fly swatter...

peonies

2009-07-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

(don't mind the mail)

my peach

2009-06-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Our baby #2 is the size of a peach this week. We had our first doctor's apointment last week. Everything looks good. It was great to hear that fast little heartbeat, and to be told that I am as far along as I expected.
We are having good summer, and are out and about, so I have been negligent in my blogging...
Maggie is wonderful, so chatty and repeating anything we say. I taught her to count to 10 on Friday (which means she repeats the numbers after me). She prefers not to say 4 and 7, when we get to those she goes back to 2.
I need to get some pictures and videos up.

maggie+oliver

2009-06-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

Kathryn Church took these pictures of Maggie and Oliver Shaw at Mike's Birthday Party. I thought they were pretty cute...

shoes

2009-06-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Maggie loves shoes.

One day she came out in a pair of my heels.

Maggie's little brother or sister:

2009-05-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here is our baby #2. I am due in January, and feeling great.

after and before

2009-05-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

Maggie got a hair cut.

Once we got home from the haircut and errands, Maggie needed a snack.

That is why there is cream cheese all over her face.

Here are some before shots:
Sorry about doing it backwards...

Graduation from Law School

2009-05-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

These are just a few pictures I took after the ceremony. Sam's mom got a lot more.

(she is much more fearless, and has a cool camera)

Tea Party!

2009-05-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Cousins

2009-05-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

The 3 oldest cousins (a few days before Amelie arrived) at the Olps' new farmhouse.
Juice.

It is hard to get a picture of these guys. They have so much fun together.
Peter cracks Maggie up, and they run around in circles.

Tea and Cookies

2009-05-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

Maggie and her first "oreo" (it was an off brand).

She liked it.

Maggie enyoys tea time, with her new teacup and some juice.

She will say "tea", and sometimes "tea party!".

Amelie Marie Olps

2009-05-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

This is a terrible photo of a very sweet girl. Amelie was born this morning at 12:02 AM,
6 lbs even. I ran over to the hospital in time to wait with the grandparents, but not for long.
I was only gone for about an hour. Melodie looked great, not at all like she just had a baby, and Amelie was alert and content.
Everything went great, and they are happy as can be.

She wanted it

2009-05-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

It's been too long.

2009-05-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

Maggie rocking her babies.

Smile!

Maggie loves to sit on the counter when I am cooking or baking.

She stirs, and tastes things (onions, veggies, whatever I have out).